So we are remodeling our master bathroom and I've chosen an
undermount tub with a stone tub deck. A few days ago while installing the tub
deck, the countertop installers damaged the tub -- there's about a 1.5" long x
1/4" deep gouge in it. They owned up to it right away and seemed so
upset about it that I felt sorry for them. I did call the tub
manufacturer and they gave me the name of the acrylic repair person that
handles their warranty work in my area. I texted him a (kind of bad - it's hard to photograph) picture and he seems to think he can repair it so it won't be noticeable to anyone who didn't already know where it was. He did say that if I knew and was looking, I might be able to tell -- that basically it is hard to match the top finish absolutely perfectly. He has no available appointments til June 20 so I won't know how the fix looks until then.

To their credit, the countertop company did not make me pay the balance on
my installation (a pretty significant amount) which would normally have
been due with the installation-- they said they wanted to deal with the tub first and
they wanted to do "whatever it took" to fix it. So does anyone have
experience with repairing an acrylic tub? Could you see the area afterwards? I posted this on the home dec forum when it first happened and several people said their repairs were perfect, but after speaking with the tub guy and having him say "well you might be able to tell" I'm a little nervous. Maybe he's just covering his bases by not overpromising -- he is the warranty fixer guy for all the major tub manufacturers in the area so he must be one of the best.

Also, I'm not sure
what to ask for from the countertop company -- at the very least, I'm assuming
they'll cover the cost of the repair guy....and at most, I suppose I could insist on a
brand new tub but that seems kind of crazy and would set my project
back by another month-6 weeks while the tub is reordered then I have to
round up the carpenter, plumber, etc......not to mention a whole new tub deck. On the other hand, this is a
brand new >$2000 tub that has yet to see its first bath -- the
plumbing isn't even hooked up....sniff!

And if I opt to go the repair route, should I ask for anything else besides the cost of the repair --things like time off work to be home for the tub repair guy? Or if I am left being able to see the repair, should I ask for a discount on the balance of the countertop to make up for that? I have no idea what the standard is -- has anyone ever encountered a situation like this?

Thanks!