Kitchen Unfit for Purpose

brenhilary1229

In June 2015 we purchased a new kitchen from Wren Kitchens. In 2019 the units started delaminating badly. After much 'discussion' Wren replaced everything apart from the carcasses and paid for the refitting. Earlier this year some of the kitchen started de-laminating again. Again after a lot of 'discussion' Wren replace these items but we had to pay for refitting. Now the replacements are de-laminating again for the 3rd time. Fed up with this, are we entitled to a refund?

TELLIT01

Probably not, as rights extend from the date of original installation.

powerful_Rogue

A claim under consumer rights would fail as you've had the kitchen for 7 years.

Depends whether Wren are replacing under warranty and what the terms of that warranty are.

screech_78

Consumer Rights (or Sale of Goods Act which this falls under due to the time of purchase) give you 6 years from the date of purchase (5 in Scotland from discovery) to make a claim so you’re out of time. 

Even if you weren’t, you would not be entitled to a full refund anyway as a deduction would be made for usage. 

Kva1421

I've been 'in discussion' with Wren for over 14 months now about our kitchen cupboards' delaminating. We have a large kitchen and pantry which we installed 8 years ago. It was 7 when we started! Initially offered £2800 compensation which wasn't even 10% of original cost. We decided to go for replacement fascias and doors. I was told "everything you can see will be replaced" although we would have to pay for fitting ourselves. We live 63 miles from our nearest wren showroom,  which takes1.5 hours to reach due to bad roads, potholes, ferry traffic  and roadworks. Its not that easy to pop into and choose colours etc. After a few months I was then told, when I contacted them that my kitchen is no longer made. It has curved doors and fascias and that range has been withdrawn.. I would have to choose from a lesser range with square doors and  upwards. I said that would mean a whole new kitchen as my carcasses are curved. They hadn't thought of that! Also I told them that I wasn't prepared to  choose from a lesser range I wanted from the same level as my original kitchen. Anyway,  a lot of to ing and froing has gone on with sample doors being delivered and  chosen and they suddenly said a selected range of curved fronts had been found! I  chose my colour and the range and thought I would be getting an email with a delivery date. Oh no,  it was an email saying as they hadn't heard from me they were  losing the case!!!!!!  I'm fed up! Any suggestions of what to do now?

Aylesbury_Duck

Kva1421 said:

I've been 'in discussion' with Wren for over 14 months now about our kitchen cupboards' delaminating. We have a large kitchen and pantry which we installed 8 years ago. It was 7 when we started! Initially offered £2800 compensation which wasn't even 10% of original cost. We decided to go for replacement fascias and doors. I was told "everything you can see will be replaced" although we would have to pay for fitting ourselves. We live 63 miles from our nearest wren showroom,  which takes1.5 hours to reach due to bad roads, potholes, ferry traffic  and roadworks. Its not that easy to pop into and choose colours etc. After a few months I was then told, when I contacted them that my kitchen is no longer made. It has curved doors and fascias and that range has been withdrawn.. I would have to choose from a lesser range with square doors and  upwards. I said that would mean a whole new kitchen as my carcasses are curved. They hadn't thought of that! Also I told them that I wasn't prepared to  choose from a lesser range I wanted from the same level as my original kitchen. Anyway,  a lot of to ing and froing has gone on with sample doors being delivered and  chosen and they suddenly said a selected range of curved fronts had been found! I  chose my colour and the range and thought I would be getting an email with a delivery date. Oh no,  it was an email saying as they hadn't heard from me they were  losing the case!!!!!!  I'm fed up! Any suggestions of what to do now?

Surely write back and tell them you hadn't received anything to respond to?

With hindsight, a £2800 refund on a seven year old kitchen doesn't look too bad an offer, and you may have been able to get replacements made for that sum.

Anyway, write back and hopefully things will restart, but don't hang around or delay going to store to make choices because it sounds as if stocks of what you need may not be around long.

DullGreyGuy

Under the Consumer Rights Act you basically claim the goods were problematic when you got them as such that is the date the clock starts ticking and runs out after 6 years (5 in Scotland) due to the Law of Limitations on a simple contract. 

Do you have any form of legal advice line either via home insurance or a union etc? on the surface you are down to goodwill rather than rights which makes arguments much harder.