Are there ANY kitchen suppliers it's safe to use?

Bill23h

Hi.
I'd appreciate some advice on buying a new kitchen please.
I've been reading lots of posts here and elsewhere and it seems like nothing but negatives about the main suppliers - Wren, B&Q, Homebase, Wickes, Magnet and Howdens.
Each have horror stories of bad products, bad fitting, dodgy pricing etc.
Is there any that people could honestly recommend where they have been treated well?
The consensus seems to be to use a 'trusted local tradesman' - that's fine but I have 2 worries about that:
1. They get the goods from one of the above suppliers, anyway, surely? and
2. I don't want to get into a situation where each blames the other for any mishaps.

If all the big suppliers are so terrible, how does anyone get a kitchen done well?
All advice welcome - I've never had to buy a full kitchen before - so thanks in advance!

seatbeltnoob

every kitchen supplier will have some negative reviews.


Some are genuinely because their order was blundered massively or the item/service was bad.


other times it's a massive mismatch in expectation of the customer.


Some people are very difficult to please, and they want a showroom kitchen for bargain basement price.

Typhoon2000

DIY kitchen are great and come ready assembled including doors. Mostly gets good reviews too.

cranford

I second DIY Kitchens. Mine is now 7 years old and as good as new. Apart from being preassembled one of the other advantages is that the carcasses are colour matched to the doors you choose which means you don't need to buy end of run panels saving few pounds and if space is tight 15mm width for each panel.

Bill23h

Thanks both of you. I'd like to see what I was buying, though, before ordering.
DIY are internet only, yes?

Lizabeth21

I have a magnet kitchen - no negative review from me at all. Enjoyed the experience from going in with measurements to the completed kitchen. Couldn!!!8217;t fault the designer/salesman, delivery people or fitters. Also I liked the price (wether it was truly half price - I don!!!8217;t know but not irrelevant to me because I liked the price]. Still happy with it almost 10 years later!

moneyistooshorttomention

I couldnt believe my ears at the (very high) price Magnet quoted me when it came to getting a new kitchen recently. Add that their "kitchen designer" most definitely wasnt and would have made some very fundamental mistakes in the way he designed my kitchen.

I tend to think it's best to pick a small individual firm and leave the whole job up to them - then, if anything goes wrong, the buck stops with them. Also it's in their interests to make sure that any of their constituent suppliers get things right/do things on time and they are the ones that "read them the Riot Act" if they try and muck up and expect to do things badly or deliver bits later than they are required.

Having said that - I did pick a small individual firm. There was more than one choice I could have used - but I soon sussed out which one NOT to use out of what was available (ie his quote was so darn disorganised and his priority was clearly to sell me the maximum possible number of units - rather than to design the most workable kitchen in accordance with my tastes).

Typhoon2000

Bill23h wrote: »

Thanks both of you. I'd like to see what I was buying, though, before ordering.
DIY are internet only, yes?

They have a very large showroom, but it may be bit of a trek depending where in the country you are.
You can also order sample doors.

tlj7

We bought from DIY kitchens and would highly recommend them. Their showroom is near Leeds so local for us luckily but would say it!!!8217;s worth travelling to. No pushy sales staff, lots of kitchens to look at and they usually have a chef in cooking in the kitchen offering free food and advice! You can order sample doors that are refunded if you return them and they will check over your design if you are concerned you may not have thought of things. Our fitter was impressed with the quality and we are very happy a year after.

JEN22

I bought just before Christmas from a local franchise. Endless problems still going on. Its now a court matter

longwalks1

PLease avoid Wren at ALL costs, huge thread on MSE about them, and on FB too

Our last kitcehncame from Homebase, I assembled it all them had an independent kitchen fitter fit it all and cut and join the worktops

It can work out a lot cheaper if you know some tradesmen (who you trust) to do small bits for you