Started off well, but all went wrong from the fitting

We had a good start with magnet. The Sales staff were pleasant and helpful and after 3 iterations we got the design exactly as we wanted it.

We opetd for the Innsbruck kitchen. We did want the Studio White but this was £2,000 more expensive.

We paid a total of £7,169.

They asked us to pay all the money up front which we weren't happy with, but did because they were a large and supposedly reliable national firm. We had a magnet kitchen before but a friend fitted it - this time we had moved area so this option wasn't available and we went with their Magnet fitter to get the guarantees.

With hindsight we would never pay up front again even with a big national because once they have your money there is no incentive for them to put right any snagging items.

The fitter's first efforts weren't good. The worktop wasn't fitted right, end panels also not right, doors not adjusted properly, and the worktop had both manufacturing marks and tool marks in it, two of the doors were warped, plus other minor issues.

After that fitting it took 8 weeks to get the same fitter back in - after 2 further site meetings and numerous phone calls and e-mails badgering them to get it sorted out. So we lived with all our kitchen stuff in the dining room for 8 weeks. this was because the worktops were coming out and new ones were being fitted, which meant a lot of disruption. No point putting all our stuff back in at that point.

The fitter wasn't known to the branch but recommended from another branch because our branch (Lichfield, Staffs) had a lot of response to the sale offers. We debated with our contact at Lichfield whether to have him back for some time, and eventually decided (with misgivings) that we would give him a chance to rectify the faults.

Then when the guy came back he offered no apology for the standard the first time around, blamed everything else but himself and STILL didn't do it right. In fact we had some different issues after he left to the first time!

Another site meeting and snagging list later, numerous e-mails to fix a date which never arrived, people going on leave without doing what they promised first, a visit from a new fitter (a good one this time), then a visit from the customer services manager, and then the fitter back for the last time to provide an adequate solution. All in all from fitting to resolution took over 3 MONTHS.

There have been some plus points. We got a good design. We opted for Magnet because they did the extra tall wall units in many of their ranges, and having a small kitchen meant extra storage was really important. Using the extra tall units also gave us the ability to use the space over the doors with 300mm deep top boxes, giving even more space and making the kitchen feel much larger.

So the kitchen achieved the storage and look we wanted, but it should not have taken 3 months to achieve it. It is only because I would not give in that we got where we are now. However it has been stressful and depressing at times, and what annoyed us most of all was phone calls not answered, calls not returned after messages left, poor communication between staff and e-mails also not replied to.

We even got to the stage of threatening legal action and contacting the local paper to see if they wanted our story.

Magnet offered £400 towards the cost of finishing off the kitchen as a goodwill gesture. Welcome as it will pay for much of the tiling but it's a bit 'too little too late'.

I would not recommend them and will never use their service again. If you like their ranges I would do what we did the first time and det a design, then have a local fitter (who comes with a local recommendation and can give references/photos) buy it trade and install it for you.

The last time we did this we got a better quality kitchen for a larger kitchan installed for £2,500 less than we paid this time round. And it was done in less time even though our friend had to do most of the work at weekends.