B & Q Price Match - not worth the paper it's written on?

Penny_Farthing_2

Hi

Just thought I'd share my experience of this in case it helps anyone or in case anyone has good advice.

I had a quote for a B&Q kitchen (loved the doors on it but nothing else). I noticed their price match claim on the quote that they would match similar kitchens and then give you an extra 10% discount.

I visited B&Q with the Ikea brochure and agreed with the salesman which doors from Ikea would be a fair match and pointed out that Ikea kitchen units are not the same width as B&Q and asked if he would still price match if I got it as similar as possible. Yes, that was fine. I was a bit surprised.

Then in true Moneysaver spirit, I spent DAYS of my life trying to get a written quote from Ikea (would have bought theirs except their deeper cabinets take too much of my v. narrow floor space). I then spent loads of time making sure it was all scrupulously fair only to be told by the B&Q kitchen department manager that it was no go because she reckoned the B&Q cupboard runs were bigger.

I get easily flustered by numbers so it wasn't till I got home that I added them up and found that the B&Q cupboard runs were SMALLER by 20cm over the whole kitchen. The number and type of cupboards are the same. So I'd be getting LESS for the money with B&Q.

I phoned the store to tell her of her error but unacccountably she was called away and I was told she would ring me tomorrow.

We'll see.

So it seems the wriggle room in these advertising gimmicks means they are not worth bothering with?

Has anyone ever held B+Q to their 'promise'?

Doozergirl

We'd had a quote from B&Q and then got a quote from MFI, expecting it to be more expensive but wanted to check MFI just in case because I had LOTS of Clubcard vouchers.

B&Q were actually very good and called us to tell us that the kitchen we'd had quoted us for is in their current sale and was significantly cheaper than their original quote.

We got MFI to design the kitchen, copying the B&Q layout exactly and the actually came in nearly £1000 cheaper than B&Qs sale price. B&Q were more than happy to excercise the Price Promise, in fact, we were actively encouraged to find the same cheaper in order for them to beat it!

I have to admit that I went back again to MFI and got them to price match B&Q's even cheaper quote. With the Tesco vouchers, I've paid not very much at all!

The kitchen man from B&Q was brilliant though; I couldn't knock him but I did feel that the quality of the MFI units was a bit better.

HugoSP

Basically the ts and cs are written to allow them to do this. Getting them to honour the pledge with similar products is a nightmare.

Very often they cannot even be bothered to do the work.

I once did get B and Q to do a price match, but it was not on a kitchen. It was on an electrical item. A wholesaler in the area were offering the same item at around half their price. They had no choice but to match it and give me the 10%. It was exactly the same product.

The assistant, a gent in his 40s, commented that that was by far the biggest % difference he ever had to match.

nearlyrich

Penny_Farthing wrote: »

Has anyone ever held B+Q to their 'promise'?

We got them to price match with Jewsons on our stairparts, no problem at all, they even matched against the VAT free price ( Jewsons is a trade supplier who do some retail) even though we had a price list which had both so it was a real deal LOL.

Actually after all the trauma of the mistakes they made getting the right bits for the stairs and the multiple trips to pick the odd bit up we deserved them free with a hunky joiner to fit them but that's another story.

Doozergirl

nearlyrich wrote: »

we deserved them free with a hunky joiner to fit them but that's another story.

We have quite a hunky chippie but we have to pay him

That's not fair!

vansboy

Don't forget that you'll get an extra 5% your first transaction, if you get an IKEA storecard,!

VB

baldelectrician

Berfore B&Q realised they were so rip-off they had 'key season deals' - see same product locally and get DOUBLE the difference.
The story

Joiner I know of through a friend sees sandvick (now called BACO) 244 saws in KEY SEASON price display at £8.98

Local ironmongers sells same saw for £5.95

Difference £3.03
Asks supervisor 'that key season price - do you mean you will give double the difference back if I see that saw cheaper locally?'
'Yes - correct, we are the cheapest'

'OK, I'll take 30 saws then.' the joiner replied

Get to check out, he tells price elsewhere, they say 'oh we can't match that - it must be an error'
B&Q always try and wriggle out of price matches.

Joiner threatens to call trading standards as he qualified the sale (shop can refuse a sale, but if you confirm things first and they agree to sell then that's that)

they phone local ironmonger and confirm price, he pays £2.92 each for 30 saws

Shortly after they dropped 'double the differnce' with match it +10%

handyman.

bnq always price match for me. Its good now, as there is a screwfix tradedesk in stockport, so its 'local' to them, so can get everything matched to the catalogue.

handy for then i forget to order an item. (and bnq is much easier to get to)

Penny_Farthing_2

Thanks everyone. It's useful to know that they do sometimes cough up. I think a lot of it is left to the discretion of the individual staff and I agree with Hugo that there's an element of not being bothered to do the work. I hope that the manager ringing tonight will honor the promise when I point out that she made a mistake and the B&Q kitchen is actually smaller! I like to give people the benefit of the doubt!

I read the thread about B and Q Select kitchens and considering the horror stories, I may be better off in the long run by going to Howdens.

Good Ikea tip - VB but my fitter hates the issues with the back of the units and every cm of floor space in my narrow u shaped kitchen counts - Ikea cabinets are deeper. Lovely though.

Penny_Farthing_2

So she did ring back. No they won't price match because the Ikea kitchen is BIGGER ie I'd be getting less kitchen for the same money with B&Q.

Something to note - in July Ikea are putting a 25yr guarantee on their carcasses/doors etc etc.

B&Q guarantee theirs for.........1YR

I've got the Howden's catalogue today!

vansboy

Penny_Farthing wrote: »

Good Ikea tip - VB but my fitter hates the issues with the back of the units and every cm of floor space in my narrow u shaped kitchen counts - Ikea cabinets are deeper. Lovely though.

We cut the backs down to fit into our narrow kitchen, here, at our new flat & looks/fitted just as if they were meant to be this way!

I'll gladly mail you pics, if you want to pvt msg me your email!

VB