Howden's kitchen quote - debrief and outcome

blibbka

I posted some time back about getting a Howdens kitchen quote - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6057014/howdens-kitchen-quote/p1.

I then never updated it with the outcome, and thought I ought to for the benefit of others.

In the end, we did go with Howdens for the design with our own builder doing the installation. We've been happy with the quality of the kitchen.

Howdens pricing policy is ridiculous and basically seems to be to start with a highly inflated cost (e.g. £1,300 for a simple cabinet) and then offer supposedly fantastic 60%-70% discounts.

Our initial quote was for about £10,000, with a supposed 60%-70% discount.

We were able to shave about £250 off that by sourcing the appliances ourselves and choosing well-reviewed brands such as Zanussi instead of Lamona. This was great as I feel we got better quality and less expense.

Were able to shave another £250 or so off by sourcing our own taps and sinks. E.g. their tap was I think priced at £150 and we found an almost identical one on screwfix for £70.

Finally, we were able to get a further £3,000 or so off by getting an equivalent quote from DIY Kitchens, and asking Howdens to price match.

So all in all, a fairly considerable reduction in price. Shame they couldn't just give us a good price in the first place. I guess 1/10 buyer doesn't negotiate which makes it worth their while to play this game.

Mods, if you could link the original thread to this post that'd be great.

FreeBear

This the original thread - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6057014/howdens-kitchen-quote

I fell out with Howdens after they asked me for my email address so that they could send me the designs & 3d renders. I only agreed as long as they did not send me any marketing emails or other spam. Suffice to say, they failed to honour that condition.

Ended up loudly reprimanding the sales "consultant" whilst he was in the middle of doing a design for another client.

Oh, and it was a very poor design, full of safety hazards (dishwasher right next to a door), way too many wall cupboards (despite me saying base units only)...