Any recommendations for fitted wardrobes?

13

Comments

  • I have to say I've had a really bad experience with Hammonds which has left a very bitter taste.

    I bought the Cedar range - very similar to their current Libretto range(or their other laminate or non real wood furniture), it cost me the best part of £3000, which was a lot of money for me and I took out their finance to pay for it. At the time it was my most expensive home purchase and to put it in context even my fitted kitchen cost less at the time. I was happy to do this because I believed I was buying a quality product which would last me for years!

    This was in August 2000, by 2004, four years later, the laminate from all the doors began to come unstuck. Not in bits, bubbles or tears but literally coming away from the MDF doors. I called Hammonds and the doors were changed, I didn’t even have to explain too much what was wrong as they understood immediately the problem which made me think this wasn't the first time they had come across it.

    Fast forward now to 2013 so nine years after the replacement doors were fitted and all the laminate on the doors has come off, again not in bits but complete sheets so there is clearly something wrong with the adhesive.

    The rest of the wardrobe is still in the same excellent condition as it was the day it was installed. This is clearly a manufacturing fault and I have seen on some other forums that other customers have experienced the same problem.

    I called Hammonds to report the problem and was told someone would call me back. I won't dwell on the delayed returned calls but I was then told that the ‘Guarantee Manager’ had emailed the Customer service assistant and that I was not covered as my five year guarantee had expired.

    Despite this clearly being a manufacturing fault and nothing to do with negligence, Hammonds have said that as I’m no longer covered and I would have to pay them again to put right the doors. I have been quoted £300 to do this. Remember the wardrobes cost nearly £3000 in the first instance.

    I can’t tell you how shocked and appalled I am by this company and their lack of pride.

    Their website says a ‘ full ten year guarantee’ which given that the doors were replaced in 2004 I would’ve thought would’ve still applied but I was told that the ‘ten year’ guarantee was only introduced five years ago and therefore didn’t apply to me!

    Being quite desperate I asked how long the new doors if I paid the £300 would be guaranteed and was again told only '5 years' again.

    Given that I have had problems twice once at 4 years and then again at 9 years and Hammonds are not prepared to guarantee for longer. Deep down I knew I would be throwing £300 away in a few years time.

    The Hammonds customer service agent said if I’d bought a car over 10 years ago I wouldn’t expect it to be covered now! As far as I can tell Hammonds wardrobes do not have the complex electrical or mechanical design nor mileage of a car so I'm not really sure what her point was?

    I have Victorian wardrobes which are more than 100 years old and are not falling or peeling apart like this. At the moment even the Argos chipboard wardrobes I bought for £180 look like they are going to outlive the Hammonds wardrobes.

    £3000 by most people's standards is a significant amount of money and it's not unreasonable to expect a quality product for that price and one that lasts.

    I would expect a company that charges £3000 to have some pride and responsibility to their customers and even as a goodwill gesture re-glue/replace the doors but it seems not Hammonds.

    All I can say is think very carefully before going with Hammonds.
  • buzzyzoe
    buzzyzoe Posts: 477
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Forumite
    Thanks all for the replies!

    It sounds like Hammonds are definitely out of the running.

    The best option sounds like getting a local carpenter in, but being London, even carpenters seem to be ludicrously expensive. I've had a few quotes, but so far they're all quite a lot more than I would like to pay. I'm thinking I might have to pay more than I was hoping, or go with some standard wardrobes, which would be an awful use of space.

    Don't suppose anyone can recommend a good carpenter in the North London area?
    Mortgage received 21/12/2018
    Mortgage at start - £261,980
    Current mortgage - £260,276
    Saving towards a loft conversion first, then to smash the mortgage down!
  • xyz123
    xyz123 Posts: 1,662
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    buzzyzoe wrote: »
    Thanks all for the replies!

    It sounds like Hammonds are definitely out of the running.

    The best option sounds like getting a local carpenter in, but being London, even carpenters seem to be ludicrously expensive. I've had a few quotes, but so far they're all quite a lot more than I would like to pay. I'm thinking I might have to pay more than I was hoping, or go with some standard wardrobes, which would be an awful use of space.

    Don't suppose anyone can recommend a good carpenter in the North London area?

    Check your PM!
  • Interesting thread, I am also looking for a good carpenter in North London.

    xyz ~ please can you PM the details to me as well? Thank you! :)
  • buzzyzoe wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I'm in the process of buying a flat, and want to start thinking about furniture early!

    I have A LOT of clothes, so am wanting to get some fitted wardrobes installed. The bedroom has a sloping ceiling, so they will need to be custom made rather than getting freestanding units.

    I would like it to have sliding doors to make the most of the space. The dimensions would be roughly 3m wide, 1m deep and varying height due to the sloping ceiling.

    I've done some internet research, and think the more mainstream companies, such as Sharps, Hammonds etc will probably be out of my price range.

    So far, companies that I like the look of include Sliderobes, Spaceslide and Bravo. Can anyone recommend any others, or share any experiences you've had with any of the above companies? I'm particularly interested in how much you paid, as none of these companies give any kind of indication of price online, and I can't have them come for a home visit as I don't actually own the property yet!

    If I can narrow down which options are the best, I can get moving as soon as I move in.

    Any comments much appreciated!

    I ordered an office, they took my money quickly and gave me a date of 28th October to have room ready for their fitter. Last week they phoned to say their fitter Paul would be with us on Monday 28th and make sure room is completely cleared. 1100hrs Monday no sign of fitter or furniture, rang customer services who rang Paul and informed me that Paul had not been told of my job and that there had been a communications breakdown and they would look into it.
    1200 no call from customer services so rang them again still no resolution.
    Also tweeted @Richard Hammonds and no reply from him either!
  • I have to say I've had a really bad experience with Hammonds which has left a very bitter taste.

    I bought the Cedar range - very similar to their current Libretto range(or their other laminate or non real wood furniture), it cost me the best part of £3000, which was a lot of money for me and I took out their finance to pay for it. At the time it was my most expensive home purchase and to put it in context even my fitted kitchen cost less at the time. I was happy to do this because I believed I was buying a quality product which would last me for years!

    This was in August 2000, by 2004, four years later, the laminate from all the doors began to come unstuck. Not in bits, bubbles or tears but literally coming away from the MDF doors. I called Hammonds and the doors were changed, I didn’t even have to explain too much what was wrong as they understood immediately the problem which made me think this wasn't the first time they had come across it.

    Fast forward now to 2013 so nine years after the replacement doors were fitted and all the laminate on the doors has come off, again not in bits but complete sheets so there is clearly something wrong with the adhesive.

    The rest of the wardrobe is still in the same excellent condition as it was the day it was installed. This is clearly a manufacturing fault and I have seen on some other forums that other customers have experienced the same problem.

    I called Hammonds to report the problem and was told someone would call me back. I won't dwell on the delayed returned calls but I was then told that the ‘Guarantee Manager’ had emailed the Customer service assistant and that I was not covered as my five year guarantee had expired.

    Despite this clearly being a manufacturing fault and nothing to do with negligence, Hammonds have said that as I’m no longer covered and I would have to pay them again to put right the doors. I have been quoted £300 to do this. Remember the wardrobes cost nearly £3000 in the first instance.

    I can’t tell you how shocked and appalled I am by this company and their lack of pride.

    Their website says a ‘ full ten year guarantee’ which given that the doors were replaced in 2004 I would’ve thought would’ve still applied but I was told that the ‘ten year’ guarantee was only introduced five years ago and therefore didn’t apply to me!

    Being quite desperate I asked how long the new doors if I paid the £300 would be guaranteed and was again told only '5 years' again.

    Given that I have had problems twice once at 4 years and then again at 9 years and Hammonds are not prepared to guarantee for longer. Deep down I knew I would be throwing £300 away in a few years time.

    The Hammonds customer service agent said if I’d bought a car over 10 years ago I wouldn’t expect it to be covered now! As far as I can tell Hammonds wardrobes do not have the complex electrical or mechanical design nor mileage of a car so I'm not really sure what her point was?

    I have Victorian wardrobes which are more than 100 years old and are not falling or peeling apart like this. At the moment even the Argos chipboard wardrobes I bought for £180 look like they are going to outlive the Hammonds wardrobes.

    £3000 by most people's standards is a significant amount of money and it's not unreasonable to expect a quality product for that price and one that lasts.

    I would expect a company that charges £3000 to have some pride and responsibility to their customers and even as a goodwill gesture re-glue/replace the doors but it seems not Hammonds.

    All I can say is think very carefully before going with Hammonds.
    I ordered an office, they took my money quickly and gave me a date of 28th October to have room ready for their fitter. Last week they phoned to say their fitter Paul would be with us on Monday 28th and make sure room is completely cleared. 1100hrs Monday no sign of fitter or furniture, rang customer services who rang Paul and informed me that Paul had not been told of my job and that there had been a communications breakdown and they would look into it.
    1200 no call from customer services so rang them again still no resolution.
    Also tweeted @Richard Hammonds and no reply from him either!
  • Hi

    Hammonds has asked to give a response. MSE doesn't endorse anything a company says on the Forum.

    We are sorry to hear that you've had problems with your wardrobes.

    Every product has a life-cycle and when you purchased your furniture in 2000, five years was deemed a suitable length of time for the guarantee period. We now offer 10 years due to advances in product, material, manufacturing and retail prices. We're aware that you have been offered a reasonable price to replace your doors, which once replaced will then be covered under the 10 year guarantee.

    Your review has been flagged to the relevant team at Hammonds, but if you have any further queries then please get in touch with the customer service team.

    From the Hammonds online team
    Could you do with a Money Makeover?


    Follow MSE on other Social Media:
    MSE Facebook, MSE Twitter, MSE Deals Twitter, Instagram
    Join the MSE Forum
    Get the Free MoneySavingExpert Money Tips E-mail
    Report inappropriate posts: click the report button
    Point out a rate/product change
    Flag a news story: [email protected]
  • DONT GO WITH HAMMONDS

    they twice failed to turn up to appointments and gave us wrong information, they then fitted the wardrobe with the wrong wood we told the designer we wanted, then they said we had to pay to get it fixed, my wife is 6 months pregnant and we don't need this stress, go with someone else, once they have your money they don't care!!
  • DONT USE HAMMONDS

    they have been awful from start to finish, they have failed to turn up to appointments and today the wardrobe was fitted in a different colour wood we asked the designer for and they say we have to pay to correct it just because the designer put the wrong information on the paperwork , my wife is 6 months pregnant and we don't need the stress, I suggest you use another company
  • Alpha58
    Alpha58 Posts: 193 Forumite
    I had fitted wardrobes from Wickes a few years ago - very good quality and a long guarantee. You would need to find a chippy to fit them but with a bit of imagination you can make them fit awkward spaces. Personally I would go for doors rather than sliding fronts as tracks and rails are always more prone to problems!
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards