Howden's family and friends scam

IKS

I have called Howden's head office and tried to speak to customer service as advised by one of their employees but they wouldn't put me through. The person I spoke to said that as I am not a trade client of theirs and I don't have an account their is nothing that they can do.

Explained the entire situation and explained they have some liability and you are promoting his services. They said they couldn't do or discuss anything we me as I am not the account holder and they will make a note on his account, they will also speak to the branch. That's it! They refused to share anymore information as well as the actual cost of the kitchen.

IKS

Thank you all for your advice and feedback I have contact citizen advice and sent a letter, now just pending a response within 7 days!

littlerock

It's no good phoning Howden's head office. They clearly think you are a customer with a grievance against a builder and have not appreciated a member of their staff is involved in his working hours and claiming to be acting on their behalf. I expect you ar a little agitated.

You have to put it down in writing in a letter to the Chief Executive. They do not deal direct with the public so you will get nowhere on the phone. Write to Chief executive BY NAME and make clear the two of then claimed to be working together as brothers with one saying he was a designer for Howdens and wearing his Howdens polo shirt on visits to your house.

GIVE HIS NAME and say he emailed you from their offices using his work email. GIVE the work email used. Say he introduced the builder as his brother. GIVE The brothers name. Then say they have taken your money and only done half a job and cleared off.

Say the designer works at Howdens as he has been contacting you from there and his brother/builder has a trade account there and they have been running the scam out of Howdens offices in Howdens hours using his work email. So Howdens are implicated whether they like it or not.

Get it down in writing and send to Howdens Chief Executive by name marked Personal. Look up his name or phone the switchboard to ask.

SuzieSue

You should also ring your local Trading Standards.

Doozergirl

Lovely advice from littlerock for dealing with Howdens.

Just a question, was that contract also emailed from a Howdens email address? Was everything conducted via there?

IKS

Great advice littlerock will be writing that letter.

Suziesue have reported to trading standards. Will be contacting them again as I searched through a variety of sites and it looks like he trades under a few different names.

Doozergirl no his brother howdens worker sent us the initial emails for the kitchen design and the builder sent us his quote after the brothers contact from his own email address.

Annie1960

SuzieSue wrote: »

You should also ring your local Trading Standards.

The public can no longer contact Trading Standard directly. You have to go through Citizens' Advice, which the OP has already done.

Hoof_Hearted

As a matter of interest, were you charged the Howden's brochure price for the units? Builders get 50-60% off these prices as a matter of course.

Doozergirl

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

As a matter of interest, were you charged the Howden's brochure price for the units? Builders get 50-60% off these prices as a matter of course.

The RRP is about a million pounds a unit. No way does anyone pay that.

We all know the trade make a mark up on units. If you accept a price, you accept a price. The problem is the builder legging it.

Annie1960

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

As a matter of interest, were you charged the Howden's brochure price for the units? Builders get 50-60% off these prices as a matter of course.

I've seen evidence in the past where they got 85% off end panels for kitchens. The builder had to return to replace the end panel, and brought the receipt with him.