My experience buying a kitchen..

sandyring

Having purchased a few kitchens over the last 5 or so years, I thought I would detail my experience for anyone else looking to buy a kitchen.

B&Q

Pros:

Cheapest
Always seem to have deals on like half price kitchen cabinets
Have a lot of stores
Most carcasses are in stock in the store and some doors and other parts.
They will accept returns.
offer interest free credit over 5 years.

Cons:

• The design program was supposed to be upgraded recently, however still looked the same as it did 4/5 years ago, and still clunky.
• Not very modern, not a huge selection of units, for example corner larder units.
• Again not a huge selection of doors/colours. We wanted like grey in wood grain effect.
• When I purchased my last B&Q kitchen there were incorrect parts delivered and missing parts, it took 4/5 visits to the store to eventually get the right door; we also had to take back a length of worktop to the store dangling out the back of our car as it was oversupplied and not needed and we didn't want it hanging around and potentially getting damaged.

Wren

Pros:

• Good choice of units and doors.
• VR so you can see your kitchen design.
• Kitchen design software seems good.
• Seem to cater for most budgets.

Cons:

• After sales service could be improved, they clearly couldn't care less we had left over doors etc which obviously weren't needed and were told we couldn't return them; we were told when buying the kitchen no items could be returned, however if it was down to the design we could, this just seemed to be a line to shut the customer up, because it's not true.
• Distinct feeling that once they have your money, you are dead to them; interestingly they send surveys and even call you when you first order wanting to know how the experience was, but nothing after delivery etc - very telling.
• Can't go to the store and pick up any missing part(s).
• Even though we had Wren come around and measure up before we pulled the trigger on ordering the kitchen, somehow they still screwed up the design providing a 900 cupboard when only a 800 would fit in. Spent 2 hours on the phone trying to get them to replace this 900 for a 800 which they did, but it wasn't that easy.

Magnet

Pros:

• Nice looking showrooms, gives a classy expensive feeling.
• Good modern design software.
• Wide Range of cabinets and colours.
• Some good offers on appliances / worktops.

Cons:

• We had quite a pretentious designer, which didn't make us 100% want to go with magnet.
• on top of the above, the designer forgot to tell us about some caveats with the interest free option, which prompted us to look elsewhere; which as it turned out as we found the same kitchen cheaper elsewhere so was a good thing.
• She would call us telling us something, but then the next time we went to store, it was null and void, very frustrating.
  

Ikea

Pros:

• Most parts seem to be in the warehouse.
• Reasonable price.
• Still going strong in a student house after 5 years.

Cons:

• Fitters don't like fitting them.
• Had to design the kitchen yourself using their package, not sure if this has changed.
• Some of the hinges have broken, so not sure on the quality of some of the elements, but easy to source and replace.

Howdens

Pros:

• Fitters acknowledge good quality.
• Some of it is in stock locally.
• Good choice of cabinets and door designs.
• Assume you can take unneeded parts back.
  

Cons:

• No interest free credit.
• Stores only open at weekends am Sat.
• Took 2 weeks for a design change to be done via email.
• Went into a store for a design appointment, only for the previous appointment to take up all our appointment time also.

Wickes

Wickes had 4 weeks waiting list for an appointment.

Having sent over a design from Magnet, they quoted roughly 5k more than the most expensive quote we already had, so we didn't proceed with an appointment.

Benchmark

Pros:

• Fast turnaround on design and changes.
• Medium price point.
• Good selection.
• interest free being introduced.
• Stores only open at weekends sat am.
  

Didn't pursue to get any cons.

Conclusion, whoever you go with you will likely have some kind of issue, B&Q you get what you pay for, Ikea were ok but the fitters don't like them, and I question the quality of some of the elements. Wickes seems to be expensive, Howdens would be a good option if you can pay out for the kitchen in it's entirety.

Wren, they weren't as bad as some of the reviews we saw, but their after sales isn't great, and the design of the kitchen now we have it installed, isn't as good as it could have been (wasted space in the corner, only a single cabinet for a sink).

Hope this helps, the other main kitchen supplier we haven't ever approached is home base.

FreeBear

Wickes and BenchMarx are both part of the Travis Perkins group. As a result, the kitchens will be pretty much the same.

Alanp

I agree with the wren aftersales, we had ours done a couple of years ago, can’t argue with the quality of the kitchens, but the fitter we had didn’t seem all that bothered, he smashed a big hole in our newly plastered wall to find a stud, ( obviously never heard of stud finders) and, yes it was hidden behind a cupboard but that’s not the point, our fitted oven was supposed to have a piece put in to take it further away from the door architrave, but it didn’t, ( oven doors just clear it) then wouldn’t fit a stainless cover for our extractor hood, so his boss has to come and do it, I suppose it depends on who you get and we would have preferred his boss ( who measured up initially) to do it, then a couple of months ago our tap stopped working, no hot water at all, to be fair, the chap in the shop sorted it all for us and we ended up buying a more expensive one and they refunded us for the old one, getting someone out to fit it however was another matter, good job I am able to do these things myself and fitted it shortly after we received it, someone finally rang to arrange fitting so my wife told him we had to pay someone else to fit it,,,,,he put the phone down on her.

maisie_cat

That's a lot of kitchens, I've only ever bought 2 kitchens in 39 years of home owning, and both times fitted myself. The last one was in 2007, Handmade kitchens direct of Christchurch. The quality was excellent and for £7k including worktops we got a really high end kitchen.

EssexExile

I made the first one out of chipboard and Formica, the second one was supplied & I fitted it, the third one was supply & fit. I've only been a homeowner for 46 years but I'm getting lazier.

Doozergirl

Designer and project manager, 23 years.  Appreciate that quality in the above is all much of a muchness and that if you want fast supply and overall quality you choose Howdens followed by Benchmarx. 

Ikea not quite the initial feel in quality but outstanding value for money and I lived with a FAKTUM one for 10 years instead of 6 months.  Still got compliments after 10 years, had zero unit quality issues but think the METOD system that replaced FAKTUM is even better. 

Fitters love to complain about Ikea like decorators complain about Farrow & Ball.  They still think it's cool to complain about the same thing for 20 years.  If either were that bad, the companies wouldn't be in business.  

The others are where amateurs go.  I visited a Wren showroom because a good friend is a manager and I wondered if I could take on a 'proper' sales job there but did it under the guise of a genuine quote that I needed.  Upshot was that I could not sell their product for any money, let alone whey charge.   

Cash-Cows

Do fitters really hate IKEA? My fitter didn't bat an eyelid. 

Wes121708

We've got a kitchen fitter and said he wouldn't fit an IKEA kitchen which is a shame as I like all the plywood doors like plkea.
I've seen a kitchen in magnet but again our fitter has said they're over priced but can't find the same anywhere else!

Glover1862

Any recommendations on DIY off the shelf kitchens, i'm replacing like for like units so might have a bash at installing myself, relatively simple L shaped designed.