Howdens sale to non trade account holder - what are my rights?

dunroving

If I were you, I'd take a bite of humble pie, contact the manager and say you have reconsidered his offer to find you a kitchen fitter.

Otherwise you'd be biting your nose off to spite your face. Your priority is to get your kitchen fitted, and I'm afraid this is the path of least resistance.

The added benefit of using one of their listed fitters is that they will take on any other ordering issues - returning stuff, changing stuff, etc. They will serve as your buffer between you and Howdens. Which is how their system is intended to work.

I had a chat with my current kitchen fitter and he said that many of the sales/design people often cut corners to hit targets during the October sale. This includes selling direct to customers - how they do this is irrelevant in your case as you need to just hold your nose, ignore perceived grievances and get your kitchen fitted.

TELLIT01

Howden's can obtain most replacements in 24 hours. Specifically what 15 items were missing? Were they fundamental to the installation or could the fitter have worked round the problem for a day? When our kitchen was delivered, all but one of the doors were wrong but the correct items were delivered the following day.
If you are getting no help from the depot management, take it up the food chain to their head office. It won't get anything resolved quickly but you may get more satisfaction.

I wonder how much of the lack of help from local management comes from the way the customer went about their complaint.

missprice

haguiera wrote: »

My bad!! 😂😂😂 But come on now, I know people like yourself and others aren’t on here to help, just antagonise, but surely you would share my concerns if you were in my position? I don’t even know who I’ve purchased the kitchen from !!!!!!???!! It was either Howdens and they’ve forged an account in my name or I have bought it off a rogue account used to complete the sale. An account I am willing to bet, did not pay £4500 for it. 🤔

I literally posted about my kitchen fit on CHRISTMAS EVE. I have been in your position. I am not antagonizing you.
I bought my kitchen flat packed from b and q. It came Iirc a week before Christmas, things were missing and i hadnt chosen handles at that point, but b and q did their part, and certain things could be fitted whilst waiting for missing bits, plus old kitchen had to come out. And as it happened the main part of the kitchen (the long 3 metre run with oven and hob and cabinets above and below and the leg for the sink) had to be fitted xmas eve. We were all working til 8pm. Yes I swore a lot, I almost cried when the oven wouldn't fit and a gas pipe had to be shortened. But I didnt blame b and q for missing a bit of my very large order.

You paid for a kitchen, you got a kitchen minus a few items that will turn up sooner if your nice to people. Try it.

Doozergirl

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,


if your fitter fits kitchens, does he not have a trade account with Howdens, and could've got you a good deal, or is he a cowboy?

There's a question. Considering that the fitter couldn't juggle jobs around to fit a kitchen that was already booked in, there was definitely a choice made not to come back.

The fitter could be a cowboy, or they could have just quickly fathomed what they were about to let themselves in for and run a mile.

Given that the nature of this business is that things often don't go to plan and juggling is a necessary skill...

MarcTJTD

Howdens market themselves as a trade supplier but that doesn't mean that they can only sell to trade. Most trade-oriented companies (mine included; not Howdens btw) will sell to retail but at a higher price.

The reason that we give more discounts to trade is warranty based; if I sell you as a retail customer a kitchen then you and I have a contract of sale and your fitter can blame any problem on my product.

If you pay a fitter for the goods and they buy the kitchen from me, my contract of sale is with them and they're far more likely to take ownership of and resolve any problems that occur without attempting to pass the buck back to me.

spadoosh wrote: »

Probably made about 20-30% margin on the sale of your kitchen

Minor sidenote, but Howdens look to make 48-50% margin on kitchen sales. Perk of being a manufacturer rather than a retailer.

Source: I'm a kitchen designer/salesman and have close friends who work at Howdens.

fezster

Didn't even get more than halfway through the OP, but it sounds like Howden's tried to do you a favour (and save you money) by dealing directly with you. Then they made a mistake with delivery (which happens). This resulted in you being without a kitchen because you incorrectly assumed everything is delivered perfectly on time. And you demanded your kitchen be fitted immediately and free of charge, implying Howden's have done something "illegal".

Maybe I've made a mistake somewhere in the above, but the sense of entitlement from the first few paragraphs make me think that OP is trying to take advantage of a situation which is entirely of their own making.

haguiera

fezster wrote: »

Didn't even get more than halfway through the OP, but it sounds like Howden's tried to do you a favour (and save you money) by dealing directly with you. Then they made a mistake with delivery (which happens). This resulted in you being without a kitchen because you incorrectly assumed everything is delivered perfectly on time. And you demanded your kitchen be fitted immediately and free of charge, implying Howden's have done something "illegal".

Maybe I've made a mistake somewhere in the above, but the sense of entitlement from the first few paragraphs make me think that OP is trying to take advantage of a situation which is entirely of their own making.

My complaint has been escalated and the Depot manager has been suspended.

I’m being dealt with a young lady on behalf of the board of directors.

Shows how useless most of you are doesn’t it?? I’m not gonna roll over and get my belly scratched like you lot!! 💅🏼

dunroving

haguiera wrote: »

My complaint has been escalated and the Depot manager has been suspended.

I’m being dealt with a young lady on behalf of the board of directors.

Shows how useless most of you are doesn’t it?? I’m not gonna roll over and get my belly scratched like you lot!! 💅🏼

You have had plenty of helpful advice from well-meaning people on the forum, including myself. Are you sure you want to tar us all with the "you lot" jibe?

Shaun_of_the_Dead

haguiera wrote: »

My complaint has been escalated and the Depot manager has been suspended.

I’m being dealt with a young lady on behalf of the board of directors.

Shows how useless most of you are doesn’t it?? I’m not gonna roll over and get my belly scratched like you lot!! 💅🏼

You need to calm down and put things in perspective. There are more serious thing in life that happen and others are in a far worse position than you.

Check this out. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6078606/cant-get-my-flask-clean

The poor bloke can't get his flak clean.

missprice

haguiera wrote: »

My complaint has been escalated and the Depot manager has been suspended.

I’m being dealt with a young lady on behalf of the board of directors.

Shows how useless most of you are doesn’t it?? I’m not gonna roll over and get my belly scratched like you lot!! 💅🏼

Oh dear, seems like you didnt appreciate our answers. And if this ^ is true you have caused someone workplace grief this close to Christmas. How nice.