B&Q Kitchens - Beware!

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dumbrill
dumbrill Posts: 34 Forumite
in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
Anyone buying a kitchen from B&Q beware! Between summer and autumn of this year they have doubled their kitchen range prices in order to promote a 50% off sale on Boxing Day. I’m half way through a kitchen mod and this has stopped me in my tracks.

Earlier in the year I purchased some kitchen cabinets and doors from B&Q's Summer 2008 catalogue. I have been back recently to buy some more items and the prices in their Autumn 2008 catalogue have exactly doubled!

I have taken this up with B&Q and they have suggested that on the 26th of December they will be offering a 50% discount on their kitchens.

I've got some scanned copies of their catalogues that show the difference. Can you post attachments on here?
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  • dumbrill
    dumbrill Posts: 34 Forumite
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    Here are two pages from the Summer and Autumn catalogues that show the price hikes. [strike]Not very easy to see at the resolution, but[/strike] all the prices are x2 and it's the same throughout the catalogue.

    bqkitchenssummer2008cataloguewallunits1.jpg


    bqkitchensautumn2008cataloguewallunits1.jpg
  • andyhop
    andyhop Posts: 1,996 Forumite
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    did wonder why there offering a 50% discount on anyone buying kitchen/ bathrooms with a trade discount card
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413 Forumite
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    Useful info as i'm intending to buy some kitchen door and drawer fronts from B&Q to use in building a vanity unit and WC cabinet for the bathroom. I'd been looking at the old summer catalogues - got the winter autumn catalogue the other day but not had a chance to look at it yet!
    Just looked though and it seems the door and drawer front, cornice, plinths etc (all the bits i want) are much the same price still. But i'll double check everything before i buy anything!
    Maybe they are trying to cash in on the collapse of MFI?

    Andy
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413 Forumite
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    Another thing to note that i've just realised is that they have halved the range of "IT kitchens" and rebranded it "Take IT away kitchens" with most of the one's removed re-appearing in the B&Q "Cooke & Lewis" brochure instead - with the c&l range being a rebranding of B&Q Select range! All very confusing! The Cooke & Lewis range cabinets themselves are either oak, ash, birch or white which are all more expensive than the IT kitchen equivalent - including the white one's which appear identical to me in the brochures.

    So if you want door/drawer front in the C&L range that either have white cabinets or you don't mind forgoing a wood-effect cabinet you could get cabinets from the cheaper IT range instead - or could use this info as ammo for bartering.

    Andy
  • dumbrill
    dumbrill Posts: 34 Forumite
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    I'm not sure that the repricing is to do with the addition of C&L to the range. At the current prices the cost of the flat pack white carcasses is very expensive, ie. not sustainable. At the price they are charging you can get easily get 18mm rigid cabinets and still save money.
  • I,M_SAD
    I,M_SAD Posts: 189 Forumite
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    I had looked at the B and Q kitchens last week,thought they were expensive,I originally did think I would have bought from them,Wickes is same spec on take away kitchens but much cheaper if anybody is looking.
    Don,t see how B and Q can justify doubling prices,sometimes the sales are a gimmick sometimes.
  • dumbrill
    dumbrill Posts: 34 Forumite
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    Is this sort of practice contrary to the recent 'Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008'?
  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
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    they all do it prior to the boxing day sales. esp in the period before xmas when sales are slow anyways.
    it still catches punters out though.
    Get some gorm.
  • andrew-b
    andrew-b Posts: 2,413 Forumite
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    It probably is legal but i don't think it should be. I wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been drawn to my attention despite having both summer and autumn price books on my desk. Without a given RRP it's difficult for the uninitiated to know what you should be paying for a product or whether the price was already discounted or not.

    Although it seems i'm unaffected for the parts i want to order from B&Q i'm going to wait until boxing day and see if i can take advantage of any decent offers. I think at this time of year it's best to only "window" shop and decide what you want to buy but then wait until boxing day to see if the price comes down. It's very easy to be sucked in by say a "50% sale" and not realise the price was already inflated!

    Andy
  • Doh
    Doh Posts: 168 Forumite
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    ouch! just doing one myself at the mo, luckily i bought all my cupboards at the old price and with 40% discount ontop of that :) i don't think the door fronts and end panels have doubled though, the ovens i bought had gone up £20 each which i got caught out on :(
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