Solid Oak at value price, but B&Q service sucks (B&Q Kitchen Furniture)

Member Name: minxmim

Product:	B&Q Kitchen Furniture
Date:	10/08/03 (3704 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: nice quality, cheap price, reasonable returns policy

Disadvantages: poor customer service, unreliable delivery, didn't get order right first time

I bought a solid oak kitchen from B&Q and I am delighted with it. It looks a million dollars, but cost a much more modest sum. However getting it into my kitchen was a bit of a hassle, due to B&Qs poor customer service and unreliable delivery service.

I bought all the units, panels, doors and handles from B&Q. I got a home improvement man to fit it for half the cost of a B&Q approved fitter. I got my surfaces made to measure from a local supplier. I bought my appliances from Trade Appliances via the internet and paid about half what I would have done if I'd bought them with the kitchen or on the high street. Once assembled together I have a truly fantastic kitchen, for under £5000 (one that looks like I spent 3 or 4 times that amount).

However, despite the great products and reasonable prices, I can't wholeheartedly recommend B&Q as a place to get a kitchen from. Placing the order and paying was simple. Getting it all to my house was a nightmare!

First they failed to deliver. Couldn't find my house! Probably because despite my instructions, all they had typed was the postcode, and that was wrong on the confirmation letter they sent me. Then they delivered a pallet of stuff and I got the fitter in to fit it. Unfortunately there was supposed to be 3 pallets of stuff, and they had "lost" the other two. When they found them they failed to deliver (couldn't find the house again, despite the right postcode and directions). Eventually everything was there, except that an item had been replaced with one the wrong size, oh and two were damaged. But eventually they got it all in the right place and once that was the case it all ran smoothly.

On the plus side they were great about letting me return unused items when we decided against downlights and trims, and overall it was much better than the bathroom!!!

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