Howden's kitchen quote

blibbka · 9 October 2019 at 1:32PM

I have been reading a lot about Howden's very opaque pricing. We've had a kitchen design quoted and it's more than we'd anticipated.

The total price quoted is just under £10,000.

Edit: Here is the quote.

2 CPB5955..Chelford Paintable 2310 Tall Twr Decor End...............................223.2
1 CPB5991..Chelford Paintable Edging Pack...........................................4.2
1 CPB5211..Chelford Paintable 400 CC HiLine Base White Cab..........................128.4
2 WKP7260..Oak Effect Bullnose Worktop 3m 38mm/3mm..................................221.9
2 WKP7295..Oak Effect Worktop Edging Strip 1.4m.....................................8.26
1 SNK1056..Lamona White Hallington Ceramic Inset 1.5 Bowl Sink and Waste............263.2
1 PLU6002..Space Saving Plumbing Kit 1.5 and 2.0 Bowl Sinks 2 x Appliance Trap......27.3
1 TAP3566..Lamona Chrome Garda Swan Neck Monoblock Pull-Out Tap.................... 224.35
1 LAM1801..A Lamona Black 4 Zone Induction Hob 60cm.................................219
1 HOB0602..Hob Separator Plate......................................................23.75
1 LAM3703..A Lamona S/Steel Touch Ctrl Single Pyrolytic Oven 60cm...................429
1 LAM7002..A Lamona Black Integrated Combi Microwave with Red LED 60cm..............579
1 LAM6350..A Lamona White Integrated 70/30 Frost Free Fridge Freezer 60cm...........399
1 LAM8606..A Lamona White Integrated Dishwasher 60cm................................259
1 LAM2303..A Lamona S/Steel Canopy Extractor 80cm...................................109
1 HJA2906.."A Carbon Filters for HJA2230 HJA2240 HJA2180 and HJA2182 (2 Pack)"......20
1 LAM8775..A Lamona White Integrated Washing Machine 1400rpm 9kg..60cm..............409
1 CPB510J..Chelford Paintable 900 CC 2 Dwr Base White Cab...........................378.6
2 CPB5147..Chelford Paintable 600 Upgrade CC 2 Dwr Base White Cab...................678.6
1 CPB510N..Chelford Paintable 200 CC PreFit Pull-Out Base White Cab.................264.3
1 HYH0601..Internal Dwr with Cutlery Tray 900mm.....................................121.5
1 CPB5232..Chelford Paintable 600 CC HiLine Recycling Bin Base White Cab............382.8
1 CPB5242..Chelford Paintable 700 CC HiLine Base White Cab..........................166.2
2 CPB5418..Chelford Paintable 400 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab........................250.2
1 CPB5438..Chelford Paintable 600 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab........................152.7
1 CPB5447..Chelford Paintable 900 CC Half Height Wall White Cab.....................269.7
1 CPB5675..Chelford Paintable 600 CC 2292 Tall Single Oven/Mwave Twr White Cab......428.4
1 CPB5682..Chelford Paintable 600 2292 Tall 70/30 Fridge Freezer Twr White Cab......330
1 CPB5590..Chelford Paintable 600 CC 2292 Tall Larder Twr White Cab.................402
2 CPB5904..Chelford Paintable 600 HiLine App Door...................................193.2
3 CPB591A..Chelford Paintable 30mm Cornice/Pelmet Square Profile 2.4m...............102.6
3 CPB5920..Chelford Paintable Continuous Plinth 2.75m...............................81.6
3 CPB5933..Chelford Paintable 910 Base Decor End....................................120
3 CPB5947..Chelford Paintable 932 Tall Wall Decor End...............................130.2
1 TLS9990..H Kitchen Fitters Pack...................................................30.79
1 ZZD39....Delivery.................................................................90
15 HKB6101 Brushed Nickel Effect Knob Handle 33mm...................................78.15
8 HKB1131..S/Steel Effect T Bar Handle 230mm........................................15.92

This is for a galley kitchen approx 6x2m in dimensions, with 6 appliances, 14 cabinets, and a laminate worktop.

What do people think? Is that taking the mickey, or reasonable?

cattie · 9 October 2019 at 1:50PM

It's hard to know without knowing kitchen & worktop range, along with chosen handles & what appliances have been chosen.

If I were you I'd get at least a couple of quotes for roughly the same kitchen from other places such as Benchmarx (who are my personal choice as they gave me the most competitive price) Magnet, B&Q etc to make a comparision.

I bought all my appliances (Neff & Siemans) elsewhere independently along with the sink, tap & handles, all which saved me a good amount. It's a much cheaper way & you end up with the appliances you prefer, rather than just having to chose from what the supplier offers.

blibbka · 9 October 2019 at 2:17PM

Thanks cattie - I have added prices, painfully copied out from our quote. What do you think?

Clive_Woody · 9 October 2019 at 3:31PM

Can't comment on your prices, but we are having a Howdens kitchen fitted next month, but keeping our own appliances. I got a quote from Howdens, then one from DIY Kitchens, which was about £1000 cheaper for same quality kitchen.

In the end Howdens agreed to price match.

You can copy and paste your Howdens order into the DIY Kitchen website and they will send you a quote.

need_an_answer · 9 October 2019 at 3:39PM

You've got around £1400 of appliances listed which potentially you could purchase as integrated from elsewhere,maybe cheaper or of better specification than whats quoted.

I had a howdens kitchen fitted in a property back in 2013,not had any problems with it but when I was talking to the planner and then the fitter it did shine a light on how their system at that time worked.

Basically the planner comes along and designs the all singing all dancing spec kitchen,my fitter then made some tweeks which ultimately saved quite a bit.

Things like pull out storage compartments are overpriced,if you want them all great,but if you can do without them it saves a bit of money.

Soft close is another thing I opted out of and opting out of something like an integrated cutlery tray and popping to wilko might save you some of that £100plus cost.

The fitters get discount upto a maximum of 90% I believe so if your fitter does a lot of work for howdens then see if you can talk him round to sharing his discount with you and perhaps shaving a little from the cost that way.

Mostly it comes down to having the items you need and some of the items you want and striking the balance.

We cant see your kitchen and don't exactly know what you want so that's for you to decide if the quote matches your requirements and expectations.

If it doesn't match the budget you wanted to pay,then you could ask if there are some compromises to be made without changing the look dramatically....handles and knobs might be that compromise?

What sort of price did you want to spend?

That's what you now need to sit down with your fitter and see if you can negotiate a little

I did have howdens appliances and touch wood there have been no problems with them,however I wouldn't replace them with howdens when they break...I believe places like AO to be more competitively priced and more branded.
Not everyone rates Lamona but again with a little research you can make your own mind up as to whether you are getting value for money on the howdens appliances

Did you get other quotes from elsewhere?
Have they come up as similar pricing?

As with most things of large expense its always advisable to get 3 quotes or so....

blibbka · 9 October 2019 at 4:11PM

Thanks.

I have sent a copy of our plans and quote to DIY Kitchens. It'll be interested to see what they come back with.

Getting our own appliances in is a good idea. I find the lack of information / reviews etc on their Lamona appliances a bit concerning.

Looking at the details of our quote: Things like the "Chelford Paintable 600 CC HiLine Recycling Bin Base White Cab" (basically a cabinet with drawer for bins in it) being priced at close to £400, seem highly excessive.

need_an_answer · 9 October 2019 at 4:18PM

blibbka wrote: »

Thanks.

Looking at the details of our quote: Things like the "Chelford Paintable 600 CC HiLine Recycling Bin Base White Cab" (basically a cabinet with drawer for bins in it) being priced at close to £400, seem highly excessive.

That's the type of thing I was talking about when I said can you do without a pull out storage...

that's how they make their money...excessive fru fru that seems a good idea when the planner suggests it...in reality a stainless steel bin in the corner of your kitchen works just as well.

But as I said you pays your money and you takes your choice on what bits and pieces you want.

FreeBear · 10 October 2019 at 12:45AM

blibbka wrote: »

2 WKP7260..Oak Effect Bullnose Worktop 3m 38mm/3mm..................................221.9
2 WKP7295..Oak Effect Worktop Edging Strip 1.4m.....................................8.26

1 LAM1801..A Lamona Black 4 Zone Induction Hob 60cm.................................219

Laminate oak effect worktop, £60 to £80 for 600mm wide, 3m length. All the laminate worktops I've purchased have included a length of edging strip.. Although with the cheap ones, I can see why they would charge as an extra.

If the induction hob is on a 13A plug, have a look at this thread - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=6057077

If you are paying £10K for that lot, the least they could do is give you free delivery. If you bought from the likes of B&Q or Wickes, they'd do free delivery on orders over £200.

bigpappa · 10 October 2019 at 1:16PM

How are you all getting copies of your quote? Howdens won't release mine. Doesn't Howdens have their annual sale on around this time?

TELLIT01 · 10 October 2019 at 1:24PM

I had no problem getting a copy of the quote from my local Howdens so it would seem to be down to the person you deal with. I dealt directly with the kitchen designer all the way through and made a number of changes in order to get the price to a level I was comfortable with. They did know from the outset that I would be paying them direct rather than bouncing payment through the installer so that may have made a difference.
The designer seems to have a lot of leeway in discounting, as mine added massive discounts to some items.

blibbka · 10 October 2019 at 8:26PM

Did a bit of research on items in the quote and certainly much cheaper equivalents around.

The pull-out tap is priced in their quote at £224. Found an almost identical, and well reviewed, tap on Screwfix for £70.

The sink, priced in their quote at £260. Again, almost identical item found on Plumbworld for £150.

I'm suspicious of their Lamona appliances. I doubt a joinery business has the capacity to supposedly design and manufacture their own range of kitchen appliances, and suspect that they are in fact white-label appliances with fancy-looking nobs and cases to look good in brochures. Instead went to Which.co.uk and did a bit of research.

Replacing their Lamona hob, oven and microwave combi with well-reviewed items from Zanussi saves another £150. Not a massive saving but probably much better quality.

I also spoke to the Howden's rep today to discuss. In hindsight, an hysterical conversation.

Said that I think he'd neglected to apply the October sale discount and he said that he thought we'd not have it delivered till November, but happy to correct that. Discount likely to be a couple of hundred pounds. I asked what the discount percentage was, and he said there is no percentage, the amount varies. I asked if it was discretionary? He said yes. So dependant upon what then? He mumbled something about value, cost, not wanting a slap on the wrist from his manager, and then told me that I already had a 60-70% discount on my order.

I said that if this was a 70% discounted price, that means the "normal" price of a Howden's cabinet with recycling bin drawer is £1,300... He said that they'd be happy to price match if we can find equivalent units.

Now ... I guess that it's not his fault that Howden's have this pricing policy but I have to say it is completely ridiculous. If I was to take his claims at face value, I'd have to believe that:

A. The normal price of our kitchen design is £27,000.
B. He has knocked £19,000 off the price for us, without us having to ask.
C. He furthermore forgot to tell us that he'd discounted it by £19,000.

This is all obviously absurd, an insult to the intelligence of the buyer and frankly it embarrasses the salesperson to have to make such a claim. Okay - maybe it is a 70% discount, but only on a hugely inflated price.

In the long run, it undermines our trust of him and we're more inclined to take our business elsewhere to a less ridiculous supplier.

Anyway - rant over.

Also received a quote from DIY kitchens with reduced cabinet costs so will crunch some numbers and ask the chap to price match. Although we'd been planning to have our kitchen installed at the end of this month, quite prepared to walk away if we don't get some decent discount.

No deal is better than a bad deal (sorry

).

Howden's kitchen quote

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