B&Q Kitchen Problems

annoyed28

New Member
May 22, 2013
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We bought a kitchen from and had it designed by B&Q. Unfortunately the measurements were so poorly done and the order was completed in an appalling way that we have since had many problems thanks to their design consultant. The problems we have faced include:

Ø Full size dishwasher not included in plans, slimline dishwasher and extra cupboard included instead. Had to return our full size dishwasher and miss a day’s work to wait in for new slimline dishwasher.

Ø Gap left between cupboards and appliances due to poor measurements. Incorrect measurement of wall and door mean that we have had to have a new door specially made to accommodate the overhang of worktop and end panel of one of end cupboards which now hangs over the doorway causing the previous door to scrape against worktop and end panel as well as get stuck every time you try to close the door.

Ø Sink pipes left exposed, therefore small cupboard had to be moved to accommodate this leaving us with a large and a small cupboard next to each other which look ridiculous as don’t match in size. Following consultant’s plans would have been dangerous as pipes cannot be too close to appliances.

Ø Only been given one drawer despite requesting around four in plans. We were not given choice over size or number of cupboards but had requested that these were similar to our previous kitchen which they weren’t.

Ø Mixture of white gloss (more expensive) and white country cupboards ordered. Additional panels and various kitchen bits ordered and charged for unnecessarily.

Ø Missing item from order.

Ø Dent in worktop.

Ø No cupboard handles ordered.

Ø Rude customer service.

As a result of these issues we have found ourselves trailing backwards and forwards to store many many times to try and resolve these issues and are now left with a kitchen that is not as we ordered or discussed with the 'designer'. B&Q have been partly helpful in that they have refunded extra parts ordered, etc. and not all staff have been rude, however they are fobbing us off with the excuse that their designer is not a tradesman and therefore our builder should notice all these problems from opening the boxes, etc. apparently it is written on the invoice. Due to all these problems we have been charged extra by our builder to rectify what he can, I've had to lose a day's wages waiting in all day for the delivery of the slimline dishwasher after having to send back our full size dishwasher thanks to the poor measurements of the designer. We have also lost a large chunk of our expensive worktops which we were planning on using as a breakfast bar because of the dent and had to buy a new door to fit the smaller gap thanks to the overhang created by the incorrectly measured cupboard, which was not a standard size and therefore had to be custom made! Finally the job has taken much longer than necessary and may I also add that I am expecting a baby in two weeks time and still do not have a fully completed kitchen thanks to B&Q which is why we did not have the time to send everything back and wait for the alterations, etc. to be made. The baby could arrive at any time and unfortunately the house is currently full of dust, we cannot use our kitchen, etc. it is a very unnecessarily stressful time. B&Q accept they have made mistakes and are therefore willing to offer us £165 compensation which we think is absolutely appalling and have therefore threatened Watchdog and the Furniture Ombudsman. Am I being unreasonable?
 

LJ1

New Member
Jan 22, 2014
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Not unreasonable in my opinion! I'm no expert, but it sounds like someone has not done a good job of what you payed for!
 

bnqsuck

New Member
Jan 22, 2014
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We had a very similar experience with B & Q Chelmsford.

They planned the kitchen incorrectly, gave us the wrong colour worktop, units were missing, wrong and damaged; the splash back was the wrong size, the over-sold us extra pan drawer dividers and didn't tell us... they sold us an oven we didn't ask for, and when we tried to get a refund, they charged us AGAIN...

In the end, the kitchen was arriving in dribs 'n drabs, meaning my kitchen fitters' boss got fed up and told me they would not come back to finish the kitchen.

All the time this was happening, my then 8-month pregnant wife and I made around 30 trips to the store in order to re-order missing parts, the correct parts, exchange damage parts etc. Each time we'd be in the store for at least an hour due to hardly any staff around, or the staff lacked the skill to complete the order correctly.

All the while this was happening, we had to put up with the kitchen staff - inc. the kitchen manager - saying they would telephone us re: re-ordered items. They never did. It became a running "joke". I even stood at the counter whilst the kitchen manager typed up a new order for damaged items. I stood there for 20 minutes watching him do this. He said he would call me when he had the delivery information. He didn't. I popped into the store the next day, only to find the kitchen manager hadn't put the order in.

When we took our splash back to the refunds desk, they accidentally gave us £40 too much. The next day we had to visit the store again to return more damaged goods, and their kitchen salesman accused us (whilst marching us around the store, and in a loud voice) of stealing from B & Q because our splash back had shown up on their records as a 'bad debt'. He then proceeded to call us bad debtors, and ranted for a few minutes until I asked him to shut up. I refused to deal with him anymore, and I asked for our paperwork back.
He refused. I tried to snatch it, and ended up tussling with him. Somewhat stunned with disbelief, I let go of the paperwork, and complained to the store manager. The salesman also made the same 'bad debtors' rant to his manager. She told him to shut up, thankfully.

We put an official complaint into the store. The salesman was suspended and went through a disciplinary process. Again, a 'neutral' manager oversaw this process, and told us he would call when he had any information. He never called. We kept popping into the store, more guilty faces from the management. Weeks later, an answerphone message was left on my phone.

"We've dealt with the issue, so it's all taken care of, so... yeah..."

I went to the store again. As far as I was concerned, nothing had been dealt with from my point of view. No real apology, no compensation for being publicly humiliated and slandered. I went to the store only to the kitchen salesman was back in his old job.

I found the manager and asked what the outcome of the disciplinary was.
"We can't tell you. It's confidential."

Okay, well as far as I could see, the salesman was back in his job and nothing had changed. I asked about CCTV footage. Did they have any video of their salesman marching us around the store ranting?

"Some, but we don't have CCTV everywhere."

When I asked about the female manager, to whom the salesman had repeated his rant.

"Your version of events didn't match up."

So when I asked the manager "Does this seem fair to you?"

"Well, technically Deryck (the salesman) was correct."

So now the manager was calling my wife and I thieves.

I sent a complaint to the CEO, which was passed on to their complaints dept.
The aptly named Mr. Dick handled my complaint, and asked for a list of 'out of pocket expenses'.

When I asked about petrol, time wasted etc., he told me to send in a claim, which I did. In the meantime, I'd managed to get my kitchen finished (more or less) through my builder (who was completing my house extension). But there was an issue with hinges on a curved corner door. I sent photos to Mr. Dick to prove the issue. I asked for B & Q to send out THEIR kitchen fitter to deal with it, as surely they deal with these things day in, day out.

"We don't do that." said Mr. Dick.

He offered £50 for our kitchen fitter to rectify the problem as a 'gesture of goodwill'. The problem wasn't the hinges themself - the kitchen unit had a design fault, meaning the wood that the hinges secured to wasn't wide enough - meaning the corner door stuck out by two centimetres.

My kitchen fitter came out and adjusted the hinges, as suggested by B & Q. Now the hinges stick out inside the cupboard, meaning you can't put things on the shelf properly. Again, I sent photos along with my expenses claim.

Their response? "We will have to defer any liability against any future financial claims."

They also said, in a roundabout way, I'm free to try and sue them.

I.E. You are not going to receive ANY compensation, nor are we going to continue communicating with you.

B & Q's way of dealing with this is to

a) deny anything wrong ever happened
b) deny any responsibility
c) sever communications because they can't be bothered any more.

Had I punched their kitchen salesman for slandering me and bellowing at my pregnant wife, like I should have done, what do you think would've happened to me?

So now I'm also left with the trading standards/watchdog route. I absolutely refuse to let this go. They think they can behave as they please because they have my money and to hell with anything else. I have never dealt with such an unprofessional bunch of low lifes.

If you're thinking of buying a kitchen from B&Q - Avoid like the plague.
 

albertnakali

New Member
Sep 1, 2021
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I know what you're talking about friend! My kitchen was badly designed, it had a lot of problems! Water leaks, it was horrible, luckily I found a service to redesign my kitchen, If you are interested check: https://kitchensearch.com/ and my wife really loved it! Now me and my wife can cook anything and the kitchen has become the heart of the house!
 

nik8888

New Member
Aug 21, 2021
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We also ran into a problem that we didn't even think about at the beginning. On the one hand, it’s my problem that I didn’t notice it and didn’t think about it, but on the other hand, the consultant who made the plan for the kitchen for me had to tell me that it’s better not to do this. I'm talking about a small work area. I have a small kitchen and needed to fit a dishwasher, oven, and built-in refrigerator. And on the work surface, I wanted to place a microwave, indoor grill, toaster, and coffee maker. But now I have a microwave in a drawer on the top tier, which is inconvenient for me, I had to buy a gas grill and put it on the street, which I had not planned at all, and I have to put the toaster in the closet and take it out only when I need it. And all this is due to an incorrectly drawn up kitchen plan.
 

ElliotM

New Member
Jan 26, 2022
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This problem usually comes when you are working with kitchen suppliers that are new on the market or there are working new specialists in the field. Of course we should not forgot about human factor ( in case they made some small mistakes). With all that being said, don't forget to look at the reviews section of the supplier to see if this is a common issue, in this case you have to choose another supplier like bespoke kitchens bury st edmunds. They have good reviews and there are no issues with measurements, at least I know a couple of people ordering kitchen design from this supplier and have not even a single issue. So you might want to check them too
 
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