Wickes kitchen......run fast the other way!

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Wickes - www.wickes.co.uk
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AnnoyedinOssett's review of Wickes - www.wickes.co.uk

“Wickes kitchen......run fast the other way!”

★★☆☆☆

written by AnnoyedinOssett on 12/11/2013

During the fit of my kitchen, I have experienced the following issues:

1) being verbally abused and threatened by a sub-contractor (plasterer), for having paying him by cheque, when apparently the price he quoted was "for cash". After I explained that this was not made clear to us, and I didn't engage in tax dodges, he became very verbally aggressive, telling me that my husband must be too scared to come to the phone to speak to him. As a result, I spoke to the manager of the Wickes Wakefield store in tears.

2) This plasterer also used absolutely no dust sheets in our home when taking off old plaster, and mixed the plaster on a newly laid floor, which needed to be immaculate due to having Karndean to go on top of it. The amount of dust and plaster also resulted in our dining room carpet being a write-off.

To resolve these issues, I was visited at home by the manager of the Wakefield store who assured me that the plasterer would not work for Wickes again, and offered to have my house contract cleaned and the carpets cleaned. Due to having absolutely no faith in anyone that Wickes might sub-contract to, I declined this and explained that I would rather have the cash to sort matters out myself. The same was agreed, to the tune of £500.

The manager of the Wakefield store also advised me that the rest of the fit would be faultless, and the only person I would have to liaise with in future would be him. Not so. Since then the following has happened:

1) re-delivery of the kitchen being so late I had to cancel. Wickes then became cross at me when I could not agree to accept delivery until 8 am the next day, rather than 7 am as they wanted. This was Wickes' mistake not mine, so delivery should be done around me.

2) the installer spent a disproportionate amount of time on the phone, trying to resolve issues between him and his wife. he discussed his marital issues with myself and my husband at length, but I have to say that the installer should not have been at work as he was unable to focus on his job. I alerted the store to this and they said they were aware of the situation. Due to his personal issues, my install was very much second to him on the days he attended. I also do not want to know the ins and outs of a person's private life. It is unprofessional to say the least.

3) At the end of the fit, there were several areas of snagging that we're apparent, and I contacted Wickes about these. I was repeatedly told that they had passed the message on to the installer. The installer did not contact for quite some time and when he did, gave me a date he was going to come and do the job. When I told him this was not convenient, he said he would get back to me. This happened three times, and it took over three weeks for the jobs to be done. Instead of asking me when I was free, every time he would call and say when he planned to come, without checking it out with me first.

When he did arrive to do the jobs, I opened the door to him and said hello, he did not answer and barged past me into my kitchen. He then told my husband that there was nothing wrong with the extractor fan which we had reported as faulty. My husband had to point out to him the hole in the fitting tape that was leaking moisture onto my walls. He was also very hostile about having to re-fit some skirting board as "the joiner should have done it". He was hostile, rude and abrupt, and as a result we felt uncomfortable in our own home.

4) When I realised that the boiler pipes the installer had moved were leaking, he advised me that it was "only condensate" running down my wall. After much liaising, we eventually agreed for him to attend my home to fix this on a Friday night after he had finished another job. He then stated "fine, so I won't see my kids this Friday then because I have to be round at yours sorting your kitchen". This is completely unprofessional and rude. I told him to not bother, and contacted the Wickes store who arranged someone else to attend the next day.

5) I then noticed three weeks ago that my dishwasher door is catching on the bottom plinth since I have had my floor put in ( the floor man liaised with the installer directly to make sure there was enough clearance, the floor man requesting 10mm as he would be installing floor 8mm deep). I contacted the Wickes store who stated that they would get someone out to it. I also mentioned that when I turned on the washer or dishwasher, there was a warm wet smell in the kitchen, so was concerned there might be a leak. No-one having materialised to rectify this, I contacted Wickes again last Wednesday and ended up talking to the Regional Installations Manager. He stated that he would get an installer to contact me. He did, a man who phoned last week to say he would attend my house on Friday and would phone to confirm what time. I waited all day....no call. On Monday afternoon (yesterday) he called and said he would attend this morning at 7.45 am. He did not show. I then had a call on my home phone at 10.06 stating that he had forgotten and could come tomorrow. That is not convenient for me.

. In addition, Wickes have cost me money.......the installer did not seal around the top of my kitchen up stands, so I had to pay someone else to do it. Furthermore, every time that Wickes are due here to do work, I have to put my daughter in nursery to get her out of the way of the upheaval. This is £35 a day. Every time that Wickes miss an appointment, I.e. today, it costs me £35. This has happened three times so far.

I am tired of being told by the store that they have no control as it is an installation team issue. I bought the kitchen from Wickes Wakefield, and I therefore expect them to sort any queries I have. Who they then contact is up to them and not my concern, but I object to being passed on to the installation team and others, and being asked to ring them myself, as this is inconvenient and time consuming. If I had wanted to project manage my own installation (as I have largely ended up doing), I would not have paid Wickes for this.

  • wakefiield

    Branch Visited

  • kitchen - £8000 including installation and appliances,,plastering etc

    Goods purchased & cost

  • Quality of service

  • Layout of shop

  • Value For Money

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