Another Howdens quote question...

R&C

We have been quoted £495 (excluding VAT, our local Howdens is having a VAT free month) for the following...

MDF primed Torus skirting - 15x 4.2m lengths
MDF primed Torus Architrave - 19 x 4.2m lengths
MDF primed Window Boards - 4 x 2.7m lengths
Door Linings x 8
Spindles x 22
Handrail x 1
Newelpost x 2
Half Newel Post x 1


They have also quoted us £685 for 7 of their hardwood 4 panel oak doors, again, that is the VAT free price.

So, to those in the know... are we getting much of a discount?

We're renovating a property and we got my father in law who is a tradesman to open an account, so I don't suppose his discount would be very good as he is new. Can you negotiate the discount?

Thanks!

Doozergirl

You can negotiate the discount. You're probably better to get a price and then knock them down.

those doors we would get for £70-80 excluding VAT so the price is on the high side if you think you're saving the VAT. But then I doubt thre'd be knocking off the VAT for us. Chamfered spindles in oak we've just paid about £6 exc VAT. Those are the things I can name off my head. We have a pretty good relationship with them I think.

jillytb

I had no idea that I should really be wary of this whole Howdens/Trader way of doing business, i trusted the builder as he came recommended via his brother.
I have the original quote and paid it and had an invoice for this via the builder and now that things are going wront, things need replacing already since installation in April I hear I cannot deal with Howdens but via the trader, who is no not responding to me.
After many many tries someone sent me my warranty details which is basically the final invoice and the price differs by £2k and it is exactly the same items... so is this a scam, eh I just dont know what to now, contact Howdens or just say to trader give me the £2k please... ??? In the meantime I cannot get replacement items either.

Doozergirl

Where are you jilly? And what is going wrong?

Howdens is for trade. The whole idea of trade is that you buy something wholesale and sell it on at a retail price. The reality is that many tradesperson will tell you that they are passing on their discount when in fact they are not.

It's incredibly hard because even different tradespeople get different prices - it's about relationships and about having the balls to ask for more of a discount in the first place. So where I get a good price, someone else could get not such a good price and we could both pass it on to you directly but my price would be better.

Some traders don't try for a better discount, some don't pass the discount on. The rule is though is that when you buy something trade, you would sell it retail so there is nothing 'wrong'

If your builder has paid for your kitchen on his account I guess their view is that it is his kitchen, not yours, unless you paid Howdens directly.

jillytb

I am in SW England dooziegirl, so have i not got the Howdens concept right??? So I get told by trader he negotiated certain prices and I said okay and paid and then what happens from there??? Does he then put his mark-up on?? I didnt think that the price they give you for all your appliances and kitchen could be so different -gives licence to people like my builder to just put on a £2k price for his pocket, His quote and the invoice I managed to extract from someone for my order differs by that amount so he whacked a £2k on me - now I think this is a scam, Howdens were concerend when I rang about this and wanted me to go through to head of security but I hung up. I have other issues with said builder now, he has run off and rang police and they say its civil matter.... but when i mentioned this Howden issue they took interest. I feel I have been scammed and only one way to find out, what do you think???

Doozergirl

I think he's put a mark up on it. Did you pay him or Howdens?

I have posted again on your other thread. The same people read all the threads on this board - there is no need to post the same thing twice!

jillytb

Also, builder didnt state he was selling on for mark-up but gave me the Howdens quote with price - but this pricing is £2k more than Howdens invoice to him for my kitchen - so he charged me £2k and got the paperwork changed for me to agree too.... the invoice is my warranty and he wont release and neither would the man who issued the quote and he didnt want to know me when I called, this was a scam I have two sets of paperwork by the one branch manager and trader???????????????

Doozergirl

What is wrong with your kitchen?

He's put a mark up on it which isn't wrong in itself when you are buying from a trade outlet. Why you have two invoices with two prices from Howdens I don't know.

jillytb

I will get there, thought i would try here to see how many people had been told they were getting a discount kitchen because they used someone who was a trader for Howden just to go ahead and get me to pay another 25%. No Howdens need to come clean, they cannot allow these cowboys, well mine was to do this and have been on other forums this week and I intend getting to the bottom of this. I agreed to Howdens paperwork of £6k and when I asked for my warranty, the invoice, I got it faxed to me by a nice girl who didnt realise what she was doing and it was £4k. My point is that Howdens issued the paperwork for me to agree for payment to my trader and then the deal of the different price happened, £2k less. Why did my trader not want me to have the invoice, why did the branch manager not want to give me replacements even thought the builder has done a runner???? Ah there is more to this and I dont think Howden advertise that the traders buy on behalf of people like me to pocket cash too, cos I have found out this trader is not registered and also he has been dealing with Howdens for years.

Doozergirl

Not registered with who? There is no-one to register with, surely?

jillytb

With HMRC for sure, probably VAT depending on how much he is getting paid in cash I guess, but thats all for the authorities! But with me I am purusing the Howdens discrepancy and best practice.