Getting really Fed up with Kitchen Installers

SteveVy

Just have to vent this!
I've been trying for the last two month to get someone to replace a kitchen in a rental property I own in Manchester

All I am looking for is a budget kitchen to be fitted, everything will remain in the same place. It is only 8 units and all appliances are electric. I feel I have a decent budget of £3,000 to get this work complete. The house is around 15 years old.

It has been an absolute nightmare trying to get someone to complete this job!

So far some of the issues I have faced are:

1) Traders visiting the house and then never getting back to me with a quote

2) Traders with unfair payment terms such as 100% up front or cash only

3) Traders providing only a verbal quote and not putting anything in writing this becomes an issue when vague terms such as "Full Kitchen install" (No definition of Full Kitchen...does this include taps? Handles? Lightning? Tiling? Appliances? etc.)

4) Traders saying they are available to do the job then taking on the job and telling me I need to wait 4/6 weeks.

5) "In-correct advice" one trader told me "dont have splash backs they swell up and will fall off the wall"

So far I have "hired" a total of three different companies to complete the job

First Company - Gave a "quote" (just a figure), asked for further details  and kept getting told  "dont you trust me, I've been doing this for 30 years, I know what I am doing, we don't write anything down our word is our bond etc" , anyway finally got all the details from him agreed a start date. Previously his wife told me 50% up front for supplies and 50% on completion, day before the job is about to start I am told I need to pay 90% up front to cover supplies. I told him that I didn't believe that the supplies would cost 90% of the total cost of the kithen , (Am I being led to believe a 2/3 day kitchen installer will only make £250 on the job?). Anyway as I didn't want to pay him the 90% upfront he didn't want to do the job, what made things worse is when I asked him to provide me with a breakdown of the orders so I could see the costs and see what was being ordered. I got the "don't you trust me I've been doing this 30 years" I said that's not the point, you've not shown me any brochures or any pictures of the kitchen your fitting. All I got was so badly designed kitchen design that looked like it was made in paint. However, as this point this was the only company who actually said they could do the work and were recommend by a friend.

Second Company - Gave a quote again nothing written, told me the kitchen style and the supplier so at least I could see something. Decided to go ahead then a few days before starting I was the company started asking me "who have you got coming in for plastering / painting and the electrics". I replied saying it says  "complete kitchen" quote you never once said I would have to find all other tradespeople.

Third Company - Gave me probably the "best" quote , a word document which outlined the kitchen make and model. I even managed to get a list of all parts that were being ordered so I could see exactly what I was getting. Anyway a couple days before they were due to start they stopped taking my calls...I waited 3 days and finally when they got back in touch they told me "sorry my phone wasn't working" which I found hard to believe. Anyway they missed the first start date, so I gave them another chance...I waited 14 days and they said "100% we wont let you down definitely Monday", Monday came and went....I was then told they are having issues getting the kitchen. (At the point I started trying to get further quotes but again no-one was really getting back to me or seemed even interested or were too busy). So anyway last week I got an invoice to pay for the kitchen supplier...it clearly said "Kitchen not released until paid" so before paying the invoice I rang the kitchen fitter and he told me the kitchen would be delivered within 48 hrs of payment. 

So I went ahead and paid for the kitchen and was just told by the kitchen fitter it will be another 3/4 days before the kitchen can be delivered due to COVID.  He even said I could ring the kitchen supplier up and ask them...so I did this....it turns out someone is lying to me! The kitchen company told me the kitchen has been "requested for a specific date and can be delivered earlier" so I changed the date to the earliest and phoned the kitchen fitter! he wasn't happy...but I wasn't either! I've so far wasted 3 weeks with the company and no work has been done.

I keep telling him to at least remove the current kitchen and he keeps telling me "removing the kitchen wont save any time as I will have a team of 6 people working on the job, 3 will be removing and 3 will be fitting".

I keep telling him this doesn't make sense to me...in my eyes it makes more sense to remove the kitchen today / tomorrow, get the area prepped / painted and then come back and complete the install, he doesn't want to do this and keeps telling me I am wrong...he's been doing it for over 20 years and I don't know what I am talking about. He has said he can "easily" remove and fit a new kitchen within a max of 2/3 days.

I am now stuck as I've paid for the kitchen supplies and feel it'll be harder for me to either:

1) Get my money back

2) Have the kitchen delivered and get someone else to install

Than stick with him now

Also just for the record 2 out of the 3 tradespeople I hired were from either mybuilder or checkatrade!.

rach_k

Decent tradespeople aren't available at the drop of a hat.  Unless it's an emergency or somebody you've worked with for a while who is willing to squeeze you in, if you don't have to wait at least a month I'd wonder why they aren't booked up.

Many will tell you that decent tradespeople don't advertise on Checkatrade or Mybuilder.  I disagree as all of the trades I've used do, but many dodgy ones use it too and you can't tell them apart on there.  You're better getting a recommendation from somebody who's used them, look them on on those sites if you want more info, but rely on the personal recommendation.  

comeandgo

I'm surprised you got anyone to supply and fit for £3,000.  At first I thought you were supplying the kitchen and that would be more realistic.  I'm one who would never use mybuilder or any internet site recommendations.  I think it would be near impossible to get your money back and you will have to work with your current contractor.  With you being a business it is a business to business transaction.

missile

DIY, it is not difficult

SteveVy

comeandgo said:

I'm surprised you got anyone to supply and fit for £3,000.  At first I thought you were supplying the kitchen and that would be more realistic.  I'm one who would never use mybuilder or any internet site recommendations.  I think it would be near impossible to get your money back and you will have to work with your current contractor.  With you being a business it is a business to business transaction.

The kitchen is only £1500 for all materials required...so £3K is a good sized budget based on the job, its only 7 cabinets.

SteveVy

missile said:

DIY, it is not difficult

Unfortunately I don't have time to do it my self I work full time 7 days a week.