Homebase Kitchen offer

JamieF_2

Hi All,

I'm thinking about buying a Homebase Monza kitchen this weekend, taking advantage of the '50% off Units, plus a further 30% off' offer they've got on just now.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Browse?storeId=20001&langId=-1&c_1=1|category_root|Kitchen|12079523

The quote we've been given has had the above discount taken off all the units as expected, but the End Panels have only had 50% off, but not the additional 30%.

Okay, you could argue that they're not 'Units', but they've had the 50% Units discount applied so I'd expect the further discount to apply as they've clearly classed them as Units in their 50% reduction. What do you think? Am I being too picky (it'll save us £112 more on the quote though!!). I'm going to discuss it with the salesperson today but just wondered what people thought of the wording...


Also, we're buying a corner unit, which has had the 50+30% off, but you need to buy a £51 Corner Post for it, which is full price, as it's not classed as a Unit. You can't use it without this Post, so should it be included as part of the unit?

Cheers!

premkit

can you tell us which corner unit you have ordered, description and size.
homebase are the only shed who have door hung on the back panel. unusual hinges.

you should argue with them that this corner post is part of the unit as the door can not be hung without it.
the panels can be argued they are not part of the unit. count the panels you need as they do sometimes add extra for fillers.

JamieF_2

It's an 800 mm corner unit with a 400mm door, with a pullout carousel. It's not the L-shaped corner unit, just a straight rectangular unit designed to go into the corner of the room.

My point exactly, you can't actually use the unit as it's intended without this post, so why is it not counted as part of the unit??

I agree on the end panels too, but they're being counted as units for the purpose of the initial 50% discount, the wording of the ad says "50% off All Units, plus up to an extra 30% off All Units", so they've kind of defined these end pieces as units for one part of the deal and then decided they're not units for the other part! Odd, I thought... not a dealbreaker, but odd.

hamblettamaud

btw, the discount doesn't add up to 80% off, it should read 50% off and then that price will have 30% off, e.g:

£100 x 80% = £80 discount; total to be paid = £20

as opposed to the more accurate:

£100 x 50% = £50, £50 x 30% = £15, total discount = £65; total to be paid = £35

& i can advise you to avoid the belfast galwally branch because they will tell you just about anything they think you want to hear in order to get that sales commission.

my advice if you are going to use homebase is to get everything written down, check the order, then check it again, and keep all documentation.

also, bear in mind that their fitting service not cheap. the sales person might tell you that you will be paying for "showroom quality" fitting. this was not to be the case for me. i got shoddy work which looks rubbishy & an absolute refusal by anyone at homebase to do anything about it. they'd got their money afterall. what did they care.

CKdesigner

Hi all,

Just so you know - even when these DIY stores have 'Sales' on kitchens they will always make sure they have at least £100 profit in every £200 that people spend with them on cabinetry and worktops.

Meepster

CKdesigner wrote: »

Hi all,

Just so you know - even when these DIY stores have 'Sales' on kitchens they will always make sure they have at least £100 profit in every £200 that people spend with them on cabinetry and worktops.

Can't speak for the other sheds, but at Wickes (I used to be a manager and a design consultant), the profit margins on items in the sale are between 25% (more expensive ranges like Calgary and Montreal) and 40% (Cheao ranges like Aston, Eton etc), NOT 50%.

Markup on worktops is somewhere between 30% and 50% (biggest markup on gloss worktops). Applianes are HUGE (between 50% and 70%) sinks and taps are more like 35% - 55%

CKdesigner - I take it you work for an independant retailer? If this is the case (and you don't manufacture your own units) then I imagine you are selling at a 25% to 45% margin, not too disimilar to Wickes (minus the appliances)...

Meepster

Oh and to answer the OP, don't bother with the £51 corner post, its a lot cheaper (and only a little bit more work) to use left over plinth for the corner post...

As to the end panels, they aren't included as they aren't units and you wont win that battle (I've had that question asked to me on SO many occasions you wouldn't believe...)

CKdesigner

mwilletts wrote: »

Can't speak for the other sheds, but at Wickes (I used to be a manager and a design consultant), the profit margins on items in the sale are between 25% (more expensive ranges like Calgary and Montreal) and 40% (Cheao ranges like Aston, Eton etc), NOT 50%.
quote]

Thank you for clarifying Wickes profit margins, don't you think though if these are the profit margins during the sale time then surely when they are selling kitchens outside of the sale period they are making too much money! I know every business has to make money but what I don't like is really the lack of honesty of the 'sheds' and that the sale is far more important than the product or customer.

Yes I am a kitchen designer of some 20 years experience and have had my own studio since 2003. I have never had a sale period, I just sell things for the best prices I can all year round. Above all though customer service and the quality of the products are the 2 most important things.

Oh well each to their own.

Meepster

When there isn't a sale on at Wickes, you get spend and save instead, so different amounts of savings for different amounts spent. If you are buying a full kitchen with worktops, sink, tap and appliances, it usually works out CHEAPER or very similar in spend and save than in the sale. Infact I sold my most expensive kitchen in a spend and save period, nearly £18k, which for a shed kitchen is a LOT. When the sale was on, the cost was nearer £20k, so sometimes it does pay to wait and compare prices...

marty2

JamieF wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm thinking about buying a Homebase Monza kitchen this weekend, taking advantage of the '50% off Units, plus a further 30% off' offer they've got on just now.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Browse?storeId=20001&langId=-1&c_1=1|category_root|Kitchen|12079523

The quote we've been given has had the above discount taken off all the units as expected, but the End Panels have only had 50% off, but not the additional 30%.

Okay, you could argue that they're not 'Units', but they've had the 50% Units discount applied so I'd expect the further discount to apply as they've clearly classed them as Units in their 50% reduction. What do you think? Am I being too picky (it'll save us £112 more on the quote though!!). I'm going to discuss it with the salesperson today but just wondered what people thought of the wording...


Also, we're buying a corner unit, which has had the 50+30% off, but you need to buy a £51 Corner Post for it, which is full price, as it's not classed as a Unit. You can't use it without this Post, so should it be included as part of the unit?

Cheers!

remember with a homebase kitchen the discount is off the base unit and wall unit,a unit is a cupboard with a door on it.sometimes they give you a discount on worktops or sink packs,cornice/pelmet and end support panels not in sale, best time to buy is a 10% weekend:o ,you will need a corner post if its a 900mm corner unit, use a spend and save card collect the points.