Kutchenhaus - Don't even go there

“Kutchenhaus - Don't even go there”

Written on: 24/06/2011

Looking at other reviews on this and other websites, it seems to me that if everything goes to plan then people think it is great. Unfortunately, I fall into the majority of reviews I keep finding everywhere now. I just wish I had read them before. OK Here goes and I will be very honest - the shops look good, the service seems great ….. until you have ordered. From there on, if you have any problems, you would have been better off ordering a heart monitor.

There are two UK shareholders who each own 5% of Kutchenhouse – the rest is owned by ‘..the ultimate parent company .. Nobilia-Werke J Stickling GmbH and Company KG, a company registered in Germany’ (information from Companies house UK). When I called to sort out problems to do with my kitchen, no-one including his two sons who work in the company are able to contact the UK MD. Furthermore, his sons and the UK Distribution Manager admitted that they do not have a Customer Relations Manager as she left and they have not replaced her. Both his sons who work at the Manchester Office even told me at 3.30 on a thursday afternoon that there wasn't a single manager in the country who they could contact including their father. Also, they said that they do NOT have any managers at their head office. There is a woman, at the York store who purports to be the Customer Service Manager. She told me that if Kutchenhaus have told you that your kitchen will be delivered in a particular week and then if they tell you during the delivery week that it is now late by 2 weeks, then they have met their obligations. She even said I should not have contracted a builder until they told me their final delivery date, which was late by two weeks – she just did not understand that it was highly unlikely that I could ring a builder on Friday and ask him to start work three days later on a Monday.

It now looks like having ordered the kitchen in April and told by the sales manager that it would take 8 weeks - I will be lucky if my kitchen will be finished by late August. Because here is another problem from KutchenSTINK:. They charged me more for an upgraded Fridge (so that it could be delivered with the rest of the kitchen) – In fact, the fridge was delivered 5 days later and two weeks later than the original date and the freezer arrived a further day later. The end result is that they have not been fitted as my builder had already booked his holiday for that date. What’s more, the designer at KutchenSTINK had changed our specification of three ovens and a microwave to two ovens and two microwaves without telling us that specifically – so that is what we are stuck with. It gets worse – all the top surfaces are the wrong make and apparently will take at least another three weeks to arrive.

A final warning - PLEASE, PLEASE do not get seduced by the supposed low cost and their supposed German credentials and efficiency - I have tried contacting Nobilia in Germany, the 90% owners of KutchenStink, but they will not respond. That leaves anyone in a very difficult position of how you complain about a company that is outside the UK and what consumer rights you have in trying to sort out any problems.
If it has worked perfectly for you – then consider yourself lucky. If you are thinking about using KutchenStink, save yourself a lot of grief and don't even be tempted to step in their shops (or website).