Issue with Magnet kitchens

DAE

So I'm currently in the process of getting a new kitchen through Magnet.

The actual design stage went pretty well. We agreed a design, the cabinets, worktops, applicances etc.

Against my better judgement I also opted for their fitting service. No idea why, as I have been working with two perfectly good builders as part of a wider house refurb. But they sold it to me through the guarantees and I assumed that Magnet fitters, who did nothing but fit Magnet kitchens, would be best placed to nail the job. We're paying several thousand just for the privilege.

Anyway, the fun began with the delivery. Of course not all items were delivered. The fitter arrived - a one man band, independent, doesn't work for Magnet. Fine, give him benefit of doubt. He flags that not everything has been sent, but cracks on anyway.

One major element missing was our quartz worktops, which apparently should've been templated and delivered by the time he started. Nope. Not even templated. Mess up by Magnet office. So already we're going to be waiting another couple of weeks for those.

Fitter ploughs on and starts putting in cabinets. This is where it starts to go particularly pear shaped. A few of the cabinets needed to be cut into different shapes to fit around obstacles such as a soil stack and around the boiler. To put it bluntly it looked like he'd done it with a pen knife. Jagged edges, not straight, nowhere near flush to the obstacles. An already compromised cabinet space would be compromised further. Altogether his work looked totally amateur and the cabinets in question are ruined.

So I flagged all this to Magnet with pictures. Also highlighted my annoyance at the poor communication, the delivery farce, the worktop farce, and the vast amount of money we were paying on top of the kitchen order for the privilege of this terrible after-sales service.

My stated desire is to pay for the kitchen (obviously), but I want our fitting costs refunded. And possibly delivery costs too. I have stated that I want their fitter off the job and I'm going to use my own guys to fix the mess - they just need to send us replacement carcasses for the butchered cabinets.

Magnet's response is that they want to visit the property. Both the designer/salesperson we've been dealing with from the start, and the area installations manager. They are coming Wednesday. What can I expect? And am I within my rights to demand the installation/delivery to be refunded? I can't actually remember if they charge for delivery.

I guess word of advice for anyone (if you weren't already wise to it). Don't get hoodwinked by their guarantees. Their kitchens are about par with other providers (but probably a little more expensive). Get your own fitter who you can check reviews on beforehand. You'll save a lot of money and as long as it's installed correctly, the product itself should still be protected under guarantee.