Seeking advice regarding wickes faulty flooring claim

emmajayne2279

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice regarding a claim I’ve made to Wickes for faulty laminate flooring. I had flooring laid in three rooms between September and December 2024.

Within just a few weeks, I started noticing several issues — chips, dents, blemishes, and even a strange object (possibly a piece of metal) protruding through one of the planks. I reported this to Wickes, and after some time, they sent an inspector to assess the situation. He took samples away for testing.

I followed up recently and received a report confirming there is an issue with the flooring. As a result, Wickes has agreed to replace all of the packs, which I do appreciate.

However, here's the issue: While I love how the flooring looks, I have completely lost trust in its quality and durability. I don’t want to go through the hassle of replacing it with the same product, only to face the same problems weeks later.

Reinstalling means:

Emptying three rooms of furniture

Removing and then having to sand/repaint skirting boards due to beading removal

Lifting and disposing of the current flooring

Reinstalling the new packs — 17 in total — which I don’t have the space to store in the meantime

All of this is time-consuming and inconvenient, and I’m also concerned about how long I’ll have to identify any further faults if the replacement fails again.

To make matters worse, I bought the flooring in three separate purchases over several months, so it’s unlikely this is just a bad batch — I truly believe the flooring is poor quality.

I asked Wickes if I could instead receive a refund and put that toward buying a higher-quality floor (at my own cost), allowing me to replace one room at a time at my own pace. They said no, citing that because this is a warranty claim, they will only replace it with the same product.

I’ve been reading up on consumer rights and contacted Citizens Advice (not hugely helpful), but they did point out a few things I wasn’t previously aware of.

So my question is: Do I have any grounds to push for a refund instead of a replacement? I just want to handle this the right way if there’s a chance of a better resolution.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read — I’d really appreciate any insights or experiences anyone can share.

Aylesbury_Duck

Make it clear to Wickes that you're exercising your consumer rights, not claiming on the warranty.  Ask for a refund under your consumer rights.  See what they say, and come back for advice.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Replacement (or repair) must be done within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, you say “after some time”, when did you contact Wicks? 

As above if they’ve confirmed a fault then the goods do not conform and you have a right to a remedy under consumer rights. 

If you were arguing the replacement is inconvenient or took too long that takes you to your choice to reject for a refund* (although you should return the goods or make them available for collection, which one depend what terms say on the matter) or a price reduction.

Price reduction is typically the difference between what was paid and what was given, might be hard to pin point in this case. 

*Refund can be reduced to account for usage within 6  months unless you contacted them within 30 days of delivery in which case the waiting period may have paused the time to insist upon a full refund.

Worth noting if they replace (under consumer rights) they are responsible for all costs including removal, disposal and refitting.

I would advise looking on the CEO email website for Wicks, use that contact to (politely) explain goods do not conform, you are not interested in their warranty and are exercising consumer rights. 

Given the potentially substantial costs in replacing they might just give you the money back as “go away money” 

As an aside you’d have 6 years from delivery (or 5 in Scotland) to raise any further issues regarding the goods (or their replacement). 

emmajayne2279

Thank you for your reply. That is very helpful. 

I purchased 18 packs on 3 seperate occasions (2 bedrooms and a small hallway)
7th august 24
20th September 24
17th August 24 (although this room was not laid until the very end of November) 
I first reported issues with the flooring on 9th January. I noticed earlier but with family bereavement, Christmas etc it took me a while to report. Also to be honest at first, I thought something must have been dropped and we were at fault. It was only over the weeks as I noticed more and more popping up I knew it wasn't us. 

They have offered to replace 17 packs (I took one pack back a few faulty peices in which they then replaced for a full pack in store half price) 

Yesterday after receiving my report I had a Google of the floor I chose and even Google came back to report the exact same issues I'm having so I don't think this is just me. I have no confidence in all the effort and trouble taken to replace the floors to have it happen again. 

It's interesting that you say they have to cover the cost of having the floors removed, and re fit. 
Does this mean they would cover professional installation? I will have to look up how I request that of them. I have many health issues and I simply don't have the time or energy to do all this by myself again, when I can almost guarantee the same thing will happen again. 

As this is my first time handling anything like this I am unsure what I do and don't put in my email etc. 

Again thank you for taking the time to reply. Very much appreciated 

born_again

Who fitted the boards?

emmajayne2279

They were a DIY fit. Would the cost of fitting only apply to the original fit and not getting the replacements fitted? 
Mind you regardless, my main issue is I don't want accept this same flooring again I have zero confidence the same issues won't happen again. 

screech_78

I have a feeling the OP wants a refund and to keep the flooring they have for the time being. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

emmajayne2279 said:

It's interesting that you say they have to cover the cost of having the floors removed, and re fit. 
Does this mean they would cover professional installation? I will have to look up how I request that of them. I have many health issues and I simply don't have the time or energy to do all this by myself again, when I can almost guarantee the same thing will happen again. 

I don't think the fact you fitted yourself means you should have to spend the time again, it's not like this is something trivial you can easily do, lifting and relying a floor takes time and effort. 

I'm happy to draft an email for you to send to Wickes, but I think first you have to decide what outcome you'd like

1) Warranty, they'll replace the packs, probably won't want the old ones back, in terms of refitting you'd have to see what the warranty says about this.

2) Consumer rights; repair/replace, I don't see they'll repair so if they replace as above they should cover costs. 

3) Consumer rights; reject for a refund, they would still be responsible for removal and refitting as this would be foreseeable damages which stem from the breach. They may not want the floor back, if they did and they delivered it they have to cover the return costs from your home, if you purchased/collected in store you'd have to take it back to store. 

4) Hope pushing them on an expensive option means they write the money off and just refund you whilst you keep the floor, that's not an option you can insist upon obviously but it may be a choice they take because it's cheaper.

emmajayne2279

Thank you everyone for your advice.

After a couple of days researching I have now sent an email (quite a lengthy one).Requesting either a refund or replacement with a flooring of my choosing.
Also a claim for some of the additional cost I will incur to replace the floors such as beading, disposal etc etc.. I didn't request costs for professional laying of the floor. Although I would love to get someone in to re do it as I absolutely DREAD the thought of having to do it all again, especially so soon after just doing them, I probably won't do that. 

I have recieved a response saying my request has been forwarded to the manufacturer and they will get back to me when they recieve a response. I will keep you posted! 

emmajayne2279

Also irrelevant to the topic but since reading up on my consumer rights I now realise I got absolutely fobbed off by curry's and beko over a cooker that arrived with a random screw inside (clearly from the oven somewhere) a lid that doesn't close fully, plus a few small cosmetic marks, I refused a replacement as I had just paid to have it fitted and didn't want to lose that money. (I left it packaged until the gas engineer came so as not to cause damage, I realise now I should have checked it all over first)
Beko eventually told me they would send an engineer out and they never have. I never chased it up. I will be tackling that next now I know better. 

lethalmilk08

Sorry to hear you’re dealing with this too. I’m in the same situation.

I installed Wickes own-brand laminate in April, using Arbiton underlay with a built-in DPM, plus a separate DPM sheet. I left 10–12 mm expansion gaps and only cleaned it with a damp microfibre cloth, as instructed. Within three months, the joints swelled and broke.

I submitted photos, filled out two PDF forms (which felt designed to put people off), and offered an inspection. They kept pushing me to the supplier, saying I’d agreed to their T&Cs. I explained that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, they’re responsible for faulty goods within six months, and T&Cs can’t override that.

They reviewed the photos and dismissed the claim, blaming moisture or bad installation without inspecting the floor.

I’ve now requested a manager call, and I’m escalating the case to Trading Standards. If they still refuse to act, I’ll look at other options. All this over a £120 floor - it’s a truly pathetic show from Wickes.

Let me know if you’d be interested in joining forces. I doubt we’re the only ones.