Kitchen company not accepting card payment

victoriavictorious

The company we would like to use to install our new kitchen is a family-run independent (limited company) with a good local reputation. They have a physical address - a kitchen showroom on the outskirts of town. The kitchen designer who visited is also joint diirector.
The only reservation I have (and I do find it quite odd, given the sums involved) is that the company does not accept card payments of any kind - only cash, cheque or bank transfer - none of which would offer us any consumer protection should anything go wrong, or if the company went out of business etc. We have not yet committed to anything and are awaiting the quote.
Please does anyone have any advice on this? Would you still go with this company but try to keep any upfront payments to a minimum, or just not use them at all?

Doozergirl

I don't accept card payments. Most building companies don't. Given the sums involved, it's usually more than most people have in available credit.

You're saying install but do you mean supply and install?

It's a little unorthodox for people with a showroom to not accept card, but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them.

What is their charging policy? Upfront, on completion? Mix of both?

need_an_answer

It could just be that in subscribing to the credit card option the family business are charged from memory 2% handling fee which they are not now able to pass back to the purchaser.

Its a tricky one to advise on whether anything would go wrong.In the vast majority of kitchen fits its smooth but if you happen to be someone who has had experience of needing to make a claim I fully understand why you might feel the need to tread carefully.

I have always found the small independent business a lot easier to deal with than some of the much bigger chains,they are more passionate about their products and potentially want to give better service all round which in turn possibly leads to a better job without the need for intervention of a regulating body....but I guess its for you to decide if the risk is worth taking with this company.

victoriavictorious

Thank you. I just wasn't sure whether not accepting cards was irregular or not, as I'm new to this.

@Doozergirl, - yes sorry I wasn't very clear - it's supply and install. Payment is in stages but the details will be finalised at our showroom appointment, once everything has been drawn up and costed.
@need an answer. I haven't had to claim on anything before; as you say, we also prefer dealing with an indie, which is why we've avoided the big sheds.

We were very impressed with the designer's enthusiasm, professionalism and non-pushiness.
I guess it is a matter of taking a leap in the dark.

tacpot12

As long as you pay in installmentsnand the schedule for these keeps enough back to ensure the work is completed to a high standard, I would forgo any protection you might get from buying on a credit card.

Just make sure you don't pay too much before you see the quality of the work in your home.

Furts

victoriavictorious wrote: »

Thank you.

We were very impressed with the designer's enthusiasm, professionalism and non-pushiness.
I guess it is a matter of taking a leap in the dark.

As things stand, based on what you have written, I would refuse to deal with the company. There is an elephant in the room. Near my home are many independent kitchen companies and they all follow the norm. They are absolutely dire. There is no way I would have dealings with any of them.

You make no comment on materials, supply chain, workmanship, and installation. These are all the items that really matter. Instead you have been sucked in like a pawn to the designer's "enthusiasm and professionalism" . This "enthusiasm and professionalism" will count for nothing if you end up with a sub standard kitchen. Since the designer has a vested interest in being a sales person (purely to make money out of you), and since they are trained to be "enthusiastic and professional" I would be saying no.

A reputable kitchen company will be turning over six - seven figure sums obtained from retail consumers. If credit card protection is not available this shows that the company really does not care about the items I have mentioned.

You are in denial and I suggest you seek a reality check. The Director who was "enthusaiastic and professional" is so "enthusiastic and professional" that they cannot be bothered to offer simple consumer payment and protection terms.

ryder72

Lets deal in facts here. Credit card fees average 1.5% and debit cards 0.3% for small businesses. As the owner of a kitchen studio I have 2 choices. Build in 1.5% into my quote to accept cards (the 1.5% charge being the worst case scenario) which means a £20,000 kitchen costs £20300 or choose not to accept cards at all keeping my costs low and prices competitive.

In reality I have chosen the option of accepting £1000 by credit card and the rest by bank transfers only as a fair way of doing business. This provides my customers mandatory protection and keeps my overheads low. it keeps my cost of accepting card payments at a level I can afford.

These facts have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of product, design, credibility etc. They are purely commercial in nature.

victoriavictorious

Thank you everyone.
Some more advice would be very much appreciated, as things are not going well at all.
After the kitchen designer's visit, we were invited to their showroom where we spent 2 hours discussing all the finer details. They are project managing the whole installation and told us work would begin at the end of this month. The kitchen designer / company owner showed us a hand drawn plan. Happy with the quote, we decided to go with them.
(At this point, I should add that unfortunately we left our brains at home, as a string ol health and other crises were happening all at once and we were anxious to at least get our awful kitchen sorted after a stressful move. We would never have let this happen, had our lives not been in such disarray.)
After handing them a cheque for one the third deposit that they required - payment to be in 3 stages - now several weeks on, the only thing they have since done is cashed the cheque. We were not given anything to sign. All we were given was a hand-written compliment slip by way of a 'receipt'and were promised that all the documentation would either be dropped off or posted in the week. It was not. We chased it up and were promised the same thing again for the following week, but still have nothing.
To date there has been no communication either by phone, post or email. The only evidence of any agreement between us is our cashed cheque and the compliment slip.
We have no copy of the plan/contract/confirmation of start date /schedule of works/itemised list of work to be carried out, appliances etc. We do not know what, if anything has been ordered, if/when anything is being delivered, or if it will be in the near future. We will need notice to clear out our old kitchen if work is due to start soon, but still have no confirmation or any idea of what is going on.
We cannot get to speak to the kitchen designer /director we dealt with, as they are not picking up their calls and do not respond to messages. Although the showroom is still very much in business, when we go in person to try and get things sorted out, we are either fobbed off with more promises that never materialise, or whoever is there knows nothing and just tells us admin staff are on holiday and to contact the director. If this company even has a *system* it would appear that we are not on it!

Their complete lack of communication, professionalism and basic customer service has meant that we have lost all confidence in them to do the job and now just either want them to start delivering a service or refund our deposit.
As things stand, my worst fears about going with a company not accepting credit cards are being realised. They have our money and having paid by cheque, we have no safety net. I knew that going with any independent involved a degree of trust but I'm not getting a good feeling about this.
I've looked online at our options until my head spins but still have no clear idea of how best to approach this.

Doozergirl

Is the director on holiday too?

Do they make the kitchens themselves?

victoriavictorious

Doozergirl wrote: »

Is the director on holiday too?

Do they make the kitchens themselves?

No, the director isn't on holiday.
They don't make the kitchens themselves.

Doozergirl

Then I'd go and find them when they arrive for work. Sit on the doorstep, whatever