Moben are a NIGHTMARE!...What are our rights?

herman14

Back in October, we ordered a kitchen from Moben which was to be fitted in April 09 (due to our house being damp-proofed it needed time to dry out). They said this would be fine and that they would fit the kitchen in its entirety in a single week.
The reason we went to them was that they apparently guaranteed to ensure there would be no hassle for us, and that everything was taken care of, down to the finest detail ('We revolve around you'). This service to us was as important as the quality of the products themselves as we wanted to concentrate our efforts on the rest of the ground floor (the entire ground floor was being refurbished), and by getting the help from a group of 'professionals' we could take away some of the stress of the process.

Our dream kitchen was a nightmare and took 9 weeks to fit instead of the 1 quoted and we were left without a cooker for 7 weeks. The whole process was extemely stressful and not at all the experience we were paying a premium for. There were items missing / incorrect / damaged / faulty, we made in excess of 60 phone calls trying to chase things up and do what we supposedly payind them to do, as well as having to take extra time off work.

We are currently in dispute over payment (we paid 10% deposit back in October) as we feel that we should not have to pay the full amount quoted due to the fact that they have not given us the service they promised.
We wrote to complain and have been offered what equates to a 5% discount which we feel does not reflect the problems we have faced (we originally signed up to a 50% off offer only last week their offer was this plus a further 10% and free appliance, so i'm sure they can afford to make us a reasonable offer). We wrote back and said we weren't happy with their offer and they wrote back saying that the offer would not be increased and that it will only stand for 10 days after which time they will pass our details to debt collection for them to address.

We want to take the matter further as we are really unhappy about the way we have been treated and mislead by Moben but don't want to spend money on solicitors etc but are unsure who or where to go next for advice. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Brooker_Dave

herman14 wrote: »

We want to take the matter further as we are really unhappy about the way we have been treated and mislead by Moben but don't want to spend money on solicitors etc but are unsure who or where to go next for advice. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Just pay for the kitchen before you end up with a CCJ.

HTH.

Meepster

And this is the EXACT reason why you shouldn't never buy anything from Moben/Dolphin/Sharpes/Space Kitchens...

My advice: Get in touch with FIRA...

bingo_bango

You may end up having to pay them and then claim adequate compensation through the courts. If they do go down the CCJ route, please ensure that you don't let it get as far as the court.

Any payments you DO make from now on should be accompanied with a letter headed 'Without prejudice' and explaining that your payment is being made under protest.

The legislation which applies in your case is The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 and you should familiarise yourself with it. HERE is a BIS fact sheet on the Act.

You need to ensure that any further contact is in writing, and don't be afraid to quote relevant parts of the Act in your letter. If they call you to offer any sort of resolution, ensure that they send it out to you in writing to confirm before agreeing.

I'd also suggest you read up on the case of Jones v Gallagher 2004 (you can google other texts). It is a similar situation, but shows what happens when you hang about too long in such a case.

sarahg1969

mwilletts wrote: »

And this is the EXACT reason why you shouldn't never buy anything from Moben/Dolphin/Sharpes/Space Kitchens...

Kitchens Direct.

OP, you've been ripped off I'm afraid. Everyone gets offered 50% off from Moben - I bet the salesmen even rang his area manager to OK an extra discount, didn't he?

You really should have checked online for reviews before signing up for anything with them.

Is your kitchen now completed to your satisfaction? You are certainly going to have to pay them something.