Howdens - how to get the best quotes?

KerryGold · 18 June 2018 at 10:13PM

Hi there,

I have had Howdens design my new kitchen and utility. My builder has given them permission to provide all quotes directly to me.

My builder previously said he got discounts of 60%+ I have known him for a long time and trust him completely. He is reliable and comes in on budget.

I'm wondering whether if he's only getting 60% discount, he should negotiate harder? Would it be worth us playing his local branch off against mine? Can he get different levels of discount on different parts of the order? This will be quite a substantial job (B&Q price £7,500; Wickes price £10,000).

Also - I've seen a few mentions of turning down the first price from Howdens and them knocking stuff off. Does that really happen?

I'm happy to add my quote details here once I have it but keen on best approaches to negotiating...

Thanks!

Doozergirl · 18 June 2018 at 11:00PM

60% is pathetic. If you consider that the RRP of each unit is a million pounds then every % is a lot.

You want to see 70% or more. Even if they give you the quotes directly, it doesn't mean there isn't another quote for him. There's nothing wrong with making a mark up.

Your best bet is to price up your kitchen at more than one place and compare them.

You can start with DIY kitchens as you'll have the list from Howdens.

Luke86 · 19 June 2018 at 11:11AM

We're finishing up doing a house. I originally got a quote from one branch, using a builder friend that has an account. My friend is a carpenter, and went into a different branch and they knocked off £800, which was basically 20% cheaper. Although, it could've been expensive to start with.

Doozergirl · 19 June 2018 at 11:53AM

genau wrote:

Howdens without a shadow of a doubt are universally acknowledged by a massive margin to be the undisputed best value for money kitchens on the market and best quality kitchen on the market as well (Among main stream suppliers). This is from carpenters/kitchen fitters/kitchen suppliers of many decades of being in the business.

Howdens are popular because they are very *easy* to deal with and the kitchens are pretty *easy* to fit as they are rigid carcass. This makes it *easier* to price a job to start and finish on time. Time equals money. It is also *easy* for tradespeople to make a bit of a margin on them whilst pretending not to.

They are absolutely geared up to suit the trade and that is why they are are popular with the trade.

They are neither 'undisputedly the best value' nor the 'best quality'. They do, however, make life easy. Don't get those confused.

Doozergirl · 19 June 2018 at 3:58PM

genau wrote: »

I have to respectfully disagree with you. My experience is that if you were to ask 10 good carpenters who have experience in the kitchen trade that the majority will say that Howdens is the best quality kitchens in their class of kitchens. So out of the normal comparative manufacturers such as Ikea, Jewsons, B & Q, Magnet, Wickes and Benchmarx the majority of carpenters will give you Howdens. In my experience this is almost 80% of the time.

I would just say anybody who wants to do their own research and make their own mind up just simply find a trusted carpenter or kitchen fitter in the trade who you can rely on to give you unbiased advice and ask them. In my opinion you'll find the vast majority of the time they will say Howdens are best value and best quality in their category

I don't mind you disagreeing if you have the experience. I've been buying and fitting Howdens kitchens for 20 years. There is barely a company in the mainstream that I haven't purchased a kitchen from. Howdens are reliable and they fit their niche perfectly. Im not going to knock them because they are easy to deal with, apart from on pricing, which I find really, really annoying when I can't get transparent pricing either and different branches are perfectly happy to screw each other. I have made decisions to use other than Howdens on many occasions because actually, for a particular customer on a particular day they don't provide value for money. And that isn't fair. Most carpenters will take what discount is available as long as it is acceptable to the customer. It makes no odds to most of them.

I've had more than 10 carpenters work for me and they all love Howdens, but I don't know anybody in the trade who tries harder to compare and contrast than I do. Almost everyone sticks to what they know.

You may know for a fact that it's possible to get an 82% discount on a kitchen, but is that across the board on all kitchens at all times of the month and year, to all people? I know for a fact that it is not and that is why Howdens do not have our loyalty anymore.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to buy from DIY kitchens.

KerryGold · 13 July 2018 at 11:51PM

Thanks both,

The quote came through and the discou R's were all over the place from 70% to 90-something %!

Builder is going to take it to his usual guy at his usual branch and see if he can eek any more out.

He said he gets the maximum discount, the 60% must have just been a throwaway number off the top of his head!

K.

Doozergirl · 15 July 2018 at 7:53PM

That sounds about right. The discounts also depend on the items.

Clear as mud!

davilown · 20 July 2018 at 9:25AM

Doozergirl wrote: »

I don't mind you disagreeing if you have the experience. I've been buying and fitting Howdens kitchens for 20 years. There is barely a company in the mainstream that I haven't purchased a kitchen from. Howdens are reliable and they fit their niche perfectly. Im not going to knock them because they are easy to deal with, apart from on pricing, which I find really, really annoying when I can't get transparent pricing either and different branches are perfectly happy to screw each other. I have made decisions to use other than Howdens on many occasions because actually, for a particular customer on a particular day they don't provide value for money. And that isn't fair. Most carpenters will take what discount is available as long as it is acceptable to the customer. It makes no odds to most of them.

I've had more than 10 carpenters work for me and they all love Howdens, but I don't know anybody in the trade who tries harder to compare and contrast than I do. Almost everyone sticks to what they know.

You may know for a fact that it's possible to get an 82% discount on a kitchen, but is that across the board on all kitchens at all times of the month and year, to all people? I know for a fact that it is not and that is why Howdens do not have our loyalty anymore.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to buy from DIY kitchens.

Just about to order my second from DIY Kitchens as they are easy to fit even for the novice and the quality is pretty good too

Joebloggs76 · 10 September 2018 at 4:48PM

Hello All -

I am after a bit of advice along the exact same lines. We have had a Howdens quote which came in at about £15,000 for a kitchen, utility room, toilet vanity cabinet and wood laminate flooring (2.2m2). We were a bit shocked and have an appointment to go through it with the designer on Wednesday. How do I play this to see if they will discount it more? I have already said on an email that we are not happy with the price. I have sent the details off to DIY Kitchens to see what they can do in the hopes of that assisting me in any haggling.

We have been quoted for a discontinued range - the Bayswater which is meant to be their best quality. We originally wanted the Clerkenwell but we were told we could have this for the same price.

Any tips on what to do? Thanks very much for your time, regards,

Joe Bloggs

cddc · 10 September 2018 at 8:58PM

The best way to find out if your Howdens quote is fair is to get a comparative quote om a competitor.

haguiera · 29 November 2019 at 12:25AM

Good evening.

I recently had a kitchen designed, delivered and paid for it without a trade account or consulting any kind of builder at all. A builder friend found this very strange.

When it was delivered, over half of it was missing or damaged, but before calling at the store, my partner rang head office and they were adamant, that without a trade account we should not have been able to purchase it. They checked my details and could find no trace of an account in my name, my payment or anything related to my address. The delivery firm actually had an address a 100yds or so down the road. Yet our address is on all our invoices???

Anyway, we queried how this was possible and were immediately offered a full refund!

Just 4wks before Christmas and currently without a kitchen, my partner said this was unacceptable and we would like the missing items AND it fitted as we had now lost our very busy builder!! The store manager that sold it to us is coming here tomorrow to discuss it.

But I’ve been thinking, and as I don’t have a trade account and Howdens have no record of my transaction, then who did I pay (in store) my £4.5k to???

I suspect, that the very nice designer that sold it to “us” at her first offer price has actually sold it to “Bob the Builder” through his trade account, for maybe £1000+ cheaper and I have then bought it from Bob.

Far fetched? I don’t think so.

Clever? Yes.

Devious? Definitely!!

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Howdens - how to get the best quotes?

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