Wren kitchen, loads of unused panels

seatbeltnoob

Hi

We are in the process of fitting a wren kitchen. The wren employee came and measured our kitchen and ordered parts for it.

We have a very small kitchen and had loads of voids in it for the dishwasher, washing machine and free standing cooker.

Wren gave us loads of end of unit panels to decorate in free standing cooker portion. But as we are fitting we realised there isn't enough space to use the end panels. Yes the plans were that tight!

I'm curious about the return policy of wren. They have a BS "built to order" making it sound like it's custom made or something and try to wriggle out of the distant selling regulation.

What are my rights?

Furts

Did you sign an order for all the pieces? Did you counter sign to say that you agreed to all the panels being required? I suspect there will be T&C that you have agreed to meaning there is nothing you can do.

But also be fair to everyone here. You say you have a small kitchen comprising many appliance gaps. It would not have been beyond the wit of mankind to measure a simple check on dimensions and required parts before anything was ever manufactured. If you failed to do this, or did it incorrectly, then you are now trying to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.

seatbeltnoob

very helpful.

/sarcasm

Furts

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

very helpful.

/sarcasm

But it is not sarcasm, it is simply a reality check. You have chosen to go to Wren, knowing that this Forum is stuffed full of adverse comments about Wren's attitude to detail, customer service, after sales and such like. So forewarned is forearmed.

You have a duty to yourself to manage any situation, be this Wren, or a top end German kitchen. Knowing it is Wren means this duty of care becomes even more vital. You certainly had a duty of care to yourself to check matters out in terms of the order before it was processed.

But also look at matters from Wren's perspective. They could say the dimensions were tight so you were expected to remove skirting, to chop away plaster on walls, to reduce down the back of the units or whatever. What did you ask regarding all this?

Then factor in a reality check - there were panels left over from my kitchen re-jig, there are panels left over from the kitchen re-fits on a housing site I am involved with. It happens!

All round I doubt you have a leg to stand on. I call this a potential reality, yet you choose to call it sarcasm.

seatbeltnoob

No we paid wren to do the kitchen design and come and do a site visit to take measurements and make sure everything fits.

They are not just the sales company, they are also they surveyors and designers so if they over-ordered parts for us then that is their responsibility.

Wren cannot assume we will chop out bits of the wall to make their kitchen fit without forewarning us.

Furts

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

No we paid wren to do the kitchen design and come and do a site visit to take measurements and make sure everything fits.

They are not just the sales company, they are also they surveyors and designers so if they over-ordered parts for us then that is their responsibility.

Wren cannot assume we will chop out bits of the wall to make their kitchen fit without forewarning us.

There needs to be a reality check. Wren sales people are just that - sales folks wanting to maximise an order, maximise their comission, and add up selling. No different to buying a new car, or new furniture. The consumer counters this by being in control. Scrutinise everything, check everything and only sign T&C if they are acceptable. All the more so with Wren because it is common knowledge that issues such as yours go with the territory. Bluntly, if you wanted professional support then you should not have been dealing with Wren.

Your panels will be 15-18mm, so removing a skirting, or chopping back plaster could give this. But any kitchen is dry fitted first to make sure things fit - this is a simple principle of setting out work. My guess is Wren could argue the panels could have been used. But if not, make some shelf units, or add a feature, or simply forget about them. After all pieces of mfc are almost a throw away commodity because there is no value in them.

By all means get into a dispute with Wren -I am simply giving my take on matters. But in fairness to me, and all other forum users, you have not said what you checked, what you measured, what you signed and what you agreed when finalising your order with Wren.

You entered a commercial transaction with Wren subject to T&C. Wren are a commercial organisation with a desire to maximise every penny possible out of you. This means you cannot fob off responsibility to Wren unless you have written evidence to back up your stance. If you have this then good luck, because Forum feedback suggests you are going to need this in a plentiful supply.

glasgowdan

I would say it's clear that Wren are totally at fault and should take things back, but whether or not they will is another matter.

Keep us posted.

longwalks1

Theres a page on FB called 'Wren kitchen disasters' or something like that, and a large thread on here too.
Bit late now, but avoid them at all costs