Camera at the ready! (MFI Kitchen Furniture)

Member Name: hack

Product:	MFI Kitchen Furniture
Date:	01/04/06 (1272 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheapish

Disadvantages: Delivery standard - Pants

I have half an MFI kitchen, inherited from previous owner of house, so decided to knock a wall down and extend.
At the store - fairly good advice, reasonable time etc.
The problems start when you get to the stage of signing for delivery.....

If you are not in on the delivery day - and remember that's the word of the delivery driver, you get to pay around 10 percent (?) of the whole cost of the stuff again.
MFI salesperson looked extremely shifty at this point - nearly cancelled order as it takes around 3-4 weeks anyway.He said that many people say: 'Well are you going to pay me if you don't turn up?'.. Sadly not.

Before delivery:
AM or PM - number you can ring... unfortunately not working so rang store. 'I've had a few like this....said Mr Helpful but gave me an am and said 5th delivery, so not so bad.
On the great day - phone call from delivery driver 20 mintues before.
Was space to put delivery OK? He checked and said OK.
Delivery teams are always the 'mouthy' one and the 'special' strong, barely coherent one - and it was so.
Asked Mouthy if I could check stuff as it came in - 'No papers in the van'. Can I have them? 'No'
They had a problem with 3m length of worksurface. Left it in middle of kitchen floor then got upset when I asked them to move it up against the wal!
Well - it was either that or leaping over it for two weeks.... Agreed ppace was apparently not OK now.After a lot of huffing the stuff was stacked. Mouthy put paperwork in the darkest spot in the kitchen (Nice touch)
and demanded I sign. Said I had to read it first and wanted to read it under a light in front of the packages..Almost came to a stand off.. 'I do this every day' - aggressively.
'That's funny, I read every day,'I said.
He then counted items. Three different tallies. Said I couldn't sign all bits received (good order boxes already ticked by him) as two packages were gashed.
Much huffing and puffing and threats to remove stuff if I didn't sign. Said he'd have to get it past me and if he touched me it would be and assault. Picked up phone.
Already looking foolish before 'Special' mate whose only contribution had been: 'What's wrong with your lights?' at the darkest-spot-in-the kitchen debate he decided it was a stand-off.
I signed the paperwork with 'Uninspected - driver wouldn't let me read this' next to my signature. And pulled out the pink copy. He said it was the wrong copy even though the front of the book said 'PINK - Customer copy' in capitals.They left in a huff (yes, I know it's an old joke) casually tossing packaging on the drive as they went.

Ah- you are saying....Where does the camera come in? Take a time dated picture of yourself at home am in case of argument about you not being there to accept delivery and ring the local MFI store if your calls are logged. Take pictures of any damaged good within 72 hours.

And is the stuff any good? Kitchen 2-3 years old - bought from previous owner of house. If you have 3 saucepan lids in a tall unit drawer it's fine. Any more and the drawers fall down. Work surface edges scratch easily.

Would I buy at MFI? Apparently they are going up-market due to poor trading results. Shouldn't be too difficult.

Advice? Invite the local bouncer round for £20. You may need him.

Summary: Protect yourself with a camera and a bouncer