Wickes Kitchens.

mollycat

Hi all,
After searching for what seems forever for a kitchen, have decided on a Wickes "Marlborough" as the one we like the look of best.

Just a wee bit concerned about quality/durability as its obviously not the dearest kitchen around, and wondered if any helpfull people out there who have one, or have fitted one could give me their opinion.

It suits our budget, but can we do better quality wiseat comparable stores, (BnQ, MFI)?

Cheers in advance.

mopsey

Not alot of difference in quality at those stores.
The only advantage from an installers point of view is that many of the ranges at MFI come rigid and don't need assembly.

aliasojo

We've just got a Wickes kitchen put in (still in the middle of it as joiner went on holiday halfway through, lol).

Anyway, we looked around for months and months before opting for Wickes. We couldn't afford to go to one of those dedicated kitchen showrooms.

We checked Ikea, Howdens, MFI and B&Q as they were the main 'similar spec' contenders.

We opted for Wickes mostly because of the good feedback we'd heard/read about.

I've been pleasantly surprised with the fittings supplied and carcase thickness etc. Even the unit backs are solid like the sides. The drawer runners are the slow closing type, as are the door hinges and after getting my eldest to try to slam them like he used to, :rolleyes: he has failed miserably so I can assure you they do work, lol.

I was a little concerned about possible flaws as we bought the Melbourne range which is oak doors and wood can be either really good or really bad, lol.

All our doors except one were perfect and the one that was iffy had a tiny bit of filler in it. OH said I was being too fussy but Wickes sent me out an replacement door with no hassle.

One other problem we had was with the narrow 150 pullout cupboard. The cams on the top and bottom where the metal screws go into, (which hold the top/bottom/sides together) wouldn't tighten on turning.

The joiner was all for screwing long screws though the sides to hold things together and said it was no big deal as it would all be unseen, but it kept bugging me. I then discovered that the holes on one side had been drilled a little too far in so the screw wasn't reaching properly. I phoned to mention it and ask if anything could be done (I'd had the unit for a good few weeks by then). It was no problem and I had a whole new unit sent out within days. We had loads of units so one issue like this wasn't too bad I thought.

You will always get differences of opinion when it comes to kitchens. People have their favourites and their views on what's good and what's not.

I can only say that Wickes reputation and positive feedback is quite high and that wouldn't be so if they sold shoddy kitchens and had poor customer service.

So far I have not found a reason to mark them down in any way and the joiner that fitted the units commented that they were sturdy and better quality than he had expected.

Dont know if any of that will help you or not. I do tend to go on sometimes.

Btw...I thought it wa Howdens that was ready assembled and MFI was flat pack?

sodamnfunky

Ive fitted Wickes kitchens and hate them with a passion. Everyone of them has come without adjustable feet which is a pain in the neck.

mvteng

Its been 2 years since we put our latest Wickes kitchen in, so the info may not be up to date.

At the time we ordered, the wickes kitchen was well ahead in terms of quality i.e. solid backs, solid drawers, metal runners, fully adjustable feet & wall brackets.

This was our 2nd Wickes kitchen & we've been very happy with the quality. Everything arrived on time & as ordered.

We had a dent in one worktop right at the end. A quick phonecall to customer services & we agreed on a partial refund (which suited me).

Both the Wickes kitchens I've fitted & my parents have all had fully adjustable feet & wall hanging brackets.

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

I have had two wickes kitchens fitted, the first was one of the basic white ones in my very first house some 8 years ago, which i was delighted with and have now used them again for my current kitchen which was fitted 2 years ago and i have only had one problem, which was with the baskets last year and they sent me two replacements within a week.

I used the same kitchen fitter for both and he was quite happy with the fit etc both times.

The recent kitchen was delivered to me on the Easter Monday - i had to ring up and check they had the right date - they unload all items and then stand and go through every item with you to agree it is all there, which i think is very good.

I cannot fault them at all, and if i was to need a new kicthen again tomorrow, i wouldn't even look around i would go straight to wickes.

Hope that is some help.

aliasojo

sodamnfunky wrote: »

Ive fitted Wickes kitchens and hate them with a passion. Everyone of them has come without adjustable feet which is a pain in the neck.

The last one must have been a while ago?

Definitely have adjustable feet. In fact my joiner thought the legs were good as they had a 2 fold connection method. Once you hit the peg part in, the centre splayed (like a wall plug would in a wall) and gripped the edges of the hole and the leg was fixed. You then could also then screw it to the carcase base for extra support.

The adjustable height range was sizeable too.

mollycat

Thanks Everybody, confirmed what i thought.

Will be going with Wickes.

sodamnfunky

aliasojo wrote: »

The last one must have been a while ago?

Definitely have adjustable feet. In fact my joiner thought the legs were good as they had a 2 fold connection method. Once you hit the peg part in, the centre splayed (like a wall plug would in a wall) and gripped the edges of the hole and the leg was fixed. You then could also then screw it to the carcase base for extra support.

The adjustable height range was sizeable too.

Last one was 6 months ago. Howdens are the ones to get IMO

Lally

My favourite kitchen at the moment is the Tiverton from Wickes and unless I see anything better, I will be getting that one.
I did like the look of National Kitchens but their oak was foil wrapped, the Wickes one is solid oak.
They have two ranges, perhaps any problems have been with their cheaper Takeaway kitchens range?