howdens "lamona" appliances question - any good?

LamonaFan

Sorry I would further like to add that after myself then my Mum went through Howdens (the kitchens are also great) 4 of our friends have since had a Howdens kitchen fitted all have appliances. Would definately recommend

LamonaFan

allan673 wrote: »

hi
were looking at howdens kitchens.
we notice that the vast majority of the appliances are lamona brand??

what are lamona like please? we obviously want half descent quality appliances, i.e a reliable washing machine and cooker.
are they reliable, spares easy to get hold of etc.

thanks !!!!

Hi, I have posted.. It is on page 3 if you would like to read it, but in short I have have a howdens kitchen for 6 years with appliances, I would recommend without a shadow of doubt

LamonaFan

adamg wrote: »

Howdens and lamona are crap. Tradesman will rip you off and the product has got worse over past few years

I am quite sure Howdens have no control over how much a builder wants to charge you. I had a great builder who was very open and honest. My friends kitchen she bought 2 years ago (4 years after I bought mine) was if anything better, thats not to say mine wasn't and indeed isn't still great , but no sorry the product is good, and builders just like the product you get one bad one and it tars everything.. not a fair point

cddc

You can tell the post Christmas kitchen rush is coming cant you.....

:spam:from Wickes and Howdens on the same day!

Lamona fan my a*se!

adamg

So a 6 year old howdens kitchen would not have come with Lamona applainces! Is this Howdens new low? Resorting to tactics only Wren normally lower themselves to? And I stand by my decision the product has got worse. Have you compared it to a benchmark or magnet kitchen of late? Please let me know when you have and ill accept your apology.
430,000 Units a year with a 24% 5 year failure rate as demonstrated at Howdens Northampton Head office where their marketing department has all the products on display. I believe they are in the process of making some of their Lamona range unbranded completely as they are ashamed to put their name to it any more as its made by Beko the same company responsible for quite a few deaths of late....

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

At least Next crap doesn't self destruct after 8 weeks' use.

Unlike my lamona oven that went BANG on Boxing day 2010.

After days on hold on their customer care line at premium rate, I was told that it's nothing to do with me, their contract was with the builder and, unless he contacted them with his receipt details, it was tough luck for me.

Of course, the builder was somewhere warm and sunny and his minion wasn't allowed to open the filing cabinet where the invoices were kept.


Lots more phone calls, I had to guess where he bought it (five branches in immediate area), persuade someone from each branch to look for details and release information regarding a business and finally get a little string of numbers and purchase date before they could then send out an engineer.

Engineer decided it needed a new thermostat, bulb holder and heating element without actually looking at the thing.

Sounds OK. Except for the fact that there were no thermostats available on the entire planet, as it was too new to need spares manufacturing. But they didn't say this, they just refused to confirm they were coming back.

After some heated discussions, they said they couldn't replace the thermostat. So told me to take it back to the store I bought it from and they would give me a replacement or credit my business account :wall:

So they delivered a replacement. Well, chucked it outside the front door without warning.

Then had to call them back to get them to install it.


Someone eventually came and installed it. Glanced at the old one, tightened up the bulb holder and suggested I put it on eBay, as there was nothing wrong with it that couldn't have been fixed within one day.



NEVER NEVER NEVER waste your time or money on lamona or the aftercare line. Life's too short.

Guess what? The replacement is screwed, too. Only it's out of warranty and the thermostat alleged to fit is nearly as much as a new oven.



Two in two years. What a bargain.

blinkinink

Lamona products are rubbish, I had a Howdens fitted kitchen 2yrs ago. Constant problems with the oven & grill, their back up is non existent.
I would honestly say it was the worse purchase I have ever made.
I still cannot get to use it without it breaking

sundance54

Wow, Now I am worried, I am looking at Howdens for a new kitchen, however I had already decided to source my own appliances. (Double electric built in oven, Gas hob, Extractor chimney and a fully integrated dishwasher). I have chosen the Zanussi brand for everything as I had a Zanussi dishwasher from December 1990 until December 2012, not bad eh! Hoping my new appliances will last me another 22 years then I won't need to worry about replacements.

cddc

sundance54 wrote: »

Wow, Now I am worried, I am looking at Howdens for a new kitchen, however I had already decided to source my own appliances. (Double electric built in oven, Gas hob, Extractor chimney and a fully integrated dishwasher). I have chosen the Zanussi brand for everything as I had a Zanussi dishwasher from December 1990 until December 2012, not bad eh! Hoping my new appliances will last me another 22 years then I won't need to worry about replacements.

Why are you worried if are sourcing your own appliances? Nothing inherently wrong with Howdens units for the right money. You get what you pay for, and that is better than some others at the price point.

Zanussi are better as a rule than Lamona to be sure but the brand is owned by Electrolux and with the possible exception of some washing machines, are definitely the budget brand of the group. The real bottom end Zanussi gear will definitely not last you 22 years these days. The mid to upper parts of the range are not bad though.

1AM

I work for the company in question and have to agree with a lot of Corn Hulio's remarks about planned obsolescence.
Lamona is just a badge of Howdens but their suppliers are many and they include:
Hoover
Whirlpool
Best
Beko--owned by Arcelik
Cata
Leisure Group