Quality of kitchen

bozzy18

Hi folks, do you know where I can go to get an independent kitchen assessment please?  We had a new kitchen installed 4 years ago at a cost of £28k and now the MDF kick boards and some of the doors have started to blow.  There's stuff peeling off or cracking.  The kitchen designer and manufacturer have said it was our fault because we made our kitchen floor too wet and open the dishwasher before end of cycle etc etc but I am not convinced this is the reason.  I am considering legal options but our legal insurance provider has suggested obtaining an independent assessment report.  I have no idea where to go for this.  I've tried googling.  Do you know??  Thanks.

Doozergirl

Wow.  I opened the dishwasher mid-cycle for 10 years in our Ikea kitchen and it was fine!   A lot of dishwashers now open themselves to finish the drying cycle, so it's simply not good enough to blame that.  Kitchens are supposed to get wet.  

I can't help with an assessor - maybe the furniture ombudsman can help?  

bozzy18

Doozergirl said:

Wow.  I opened the dishwasher mid-cycle for 10 years in our Ikea kitchen and it was fine!   A lot of dishwashers now open themselves to finish the drying cycle, so it's simply not good enough to blame that.  Kitchens are supposed to get wet.  

I can't help with an assessor - maybe the furniture ombudsman can help?  

Thanks.  I agree - prior to our new kitchen we had an old kitchen in place and there were no such problems and we kept the dishwasher so it can't be that.  I'll contact the ombudsman to see if they can signpost me to the experts.  

bozzy18

Unfortunately the ombudsman are unable to help because the kitchen designer and manufacturers are not members of their scheme therefore unable to "offer conciliation service to look into the dispute in full, as any decision an Ombudsman makes would not be binding on them."

Can anyone advise please????

Doozergirl

Could they recommend a surveyor, even? 

bozzy18

Doozergirl said:

Could they recommend a surveyor, even? 

noI  I did ask!

TELLIT01

I can understand an over wet floor creating problems with the kickboards, but that doesn't explain the problems with the doors.

Sandtree

bozzy18 said:

Unfortunately the ombudsman are unable to help because the kitchen designer and manufacturers are not members of their scheme therefore unable to "offer conciliation service to look into the dispute in full, as any decision an Ombudsman makes would not be binding on them."

Can anyone advise please????

Whilst the Furniture Ombudsman may not be able adjudicate on the issue they possibly can recommend experts.

The Furniture Ombudsman is ultimately just an Alternative Dispute Resolution service rather than an ombudsman created under legislation like the Financial Ombudsman. It may be the companies are signed up to a different ADR service. Most however are reactive rather than proactive and so its still up to you to provide the evidence of the issue rather than the ADR service sending their own bloke round to check.

mandy47

Kick boards are usually fitted with a plastic strip along the bottom edge to protect from water. We had a  leak from the washer. It looks as though it had been dripping for quite some time and the plastic strip protected the boards and units.