Howdens Price Promise

Disorganised_Me

Hi All,

So, we've finally taken the plunge and are ready to renew the kitchen in our house! We've decided on a fitter and he recommended Howdens for the kitchen. We've not priced up with anyone else but the price for units only they've come back with is £4600ish. We'll source our own appliances as I feel theirs are expensive and they don't come particularly highly reviewed.

I noticed when I was going into the depot that they offer a price promise. Does anyone have any experience of this or can they shed any further light on it? It all seems pretty secretive and as it's a big purchase I want to make sure that we're getting the best possible price. I've had a quick search and can't see anything specifically about this so any help would be appreciated.

TIA

Disorganised_Me

Davesnave

A deeper search will find posts on here about the total lack of transparency regarding Howdens' pricing.

Two branches can quote entirely different prices for the same kitchen, but a fitter might also muddy the waters further, if expecting a mark-up on the price they've been quoted.

Why not go to an independent and/or somewhere like Magnet Trade and see what they'll quote for similar products?

You are right to be wary of Lamona. Independents may give you a better deal on appliances than AO, Currys etc, by passing on much of their discount. Mine did.

Disorganised_Me

Thanks for the response Davesnave.

Would Magnet Trade deal directly with me as a retail customer though? I was thinking of popping along to my local B&Q to get an idea of price. I just feel uncomfortable going for the first price when making such a big purchase. I don't know if our fitter is putting on a mark-up but the kitchen designer is dealing directly with us after getting confirmation from our fitter that this was ok.

I hate the lack of transparency - very cloak and dagger - which makes me even more wary. They may very well be offering the best price but it doesn't harm to check. Up against a reluctant husband who just wants it done, making it doubly difficult!

Davesnave

Disorganised_Me wrote: »

Thanks for the response Davesnave.

Would Magnet Trade deal directly with me as a retail customer though?

They'd do payment & supply through your fitter.

They were happy to deal with us, although we didn't go far into the design process on the two occasions we visited.

Doozergirl

Magnet Trade has never been cheaper than Howdens for me, even when Howdens have messed me around.

If you're going through the fitter, I'd go to Benchmarx and then get Howdens to price match them if you prefer anything that Howdens do.

We have two companies, one has had a Howdens account forever. Last week I set one up at a different branch for our newer company and got a quote from each. Guess which was cheaper.

chappers

get a design and quote and then tout it around, playing one against the other.

vansboy

As usual, I'll say check out Ikea.

Download their on line planner, design your kitchen and price it as you add or remove any of the units.

VB

Cheeky_Monkey

Imagaine this scenario - two separate invoices are issued - one for the fitter and another one for the fitter to give to the customer. I'll let you draw your own conclusion as to which one was 10% higher

Years ago I had a kitchen priced up in B&Q (let's say for £2000) but it would have cost £3000 for them to fit it. I was told that this was because there are three parties involved who all take a cut - B&Q, their installation contractor and the fitters themselves!

I used to have a Trade Account with Howdens and B&Q.

beaker141

I had a quote from Howdens, my builder asked them to give me full discount and then let me deal direct with them - I also had priced up at https://www.diy-kitchens.co.uk which came out something like 5k vs Howdens 8k - I gave the quote to Howdens, the guy spent the day with it and came back and said that he couldnt get anywhere close to that price but admitted it was all of equal quality - ie rigid carcass, solid wood doors, branded worktop etc.

I went with diy-kitchens and was very pleased with what I got - although I still think kitchens are overpriced for what they are !

fezster

I've said this before, but with Howdens, aim for 80% discount overall. Some items will be 85%, others 75%, but the average should come to 80%. And in case you're thinking 70% isnt far off 80%, here's an example:

£1000 RRP.
60% discount = £400.
70% discount = £300.
80% discount = £200.

I.e. 20% additional discount results in a 50% price reduction.

Remember, Howden's RRP are ridiculously high and completely unrealistic. Their method of discounting, I believe, is there to confuse consumers. Obtaining 80% discount is not easy and will involve a fair bit of negotiation and comparative quotes from competitors. It will also depend on the size of your order.

Furts

beaker141 wrote: »

I had a quote from Howdens, my builder asked them to give me full discount and then let me deal direct with them - I also had priced up at www.diy-kitchens.co.uk which came out something like 5k vs Howdens 8k - I gave the quote to Howdens, the guy spent the day with it and came back and said that he couldnt get anywhere close to that price but admitted it was all of equal quality - ie rigid carcass, solid wood doors, branded worktop etc.

I went with diy-kitchens and was very pleased with what I got - although I still think kitchens are overpriced for what they are !

To shed light on this, of course Howdens could undercut the price. With the volumes they manufacture and then shift this is a given. Here they can knock diykitchens clean off the stage - if they desire to do so.

The reality is the salesman did not want to do anything with the situation. Look at the dynamics - to reduce by 40% would make him look a fool, make his quotation look fraudulent, question the integrity of your builder, get your builder seeking future reductions (most, most important there to Howdens!) and so on.

It was a mistake to show him the diyitchens quote- this is bad business practice - but it is a certainty the sales man discarded this the moment after it was passed to him. He certainly did not spend all day doing anything with it. He has more meaty commissions and other leads to follow up!