Care home worker Mary Wilson is delighted after Raw Deal helped rustle her up a refund following a “stressful” eight-month dispute with a kitchen company.
Mary and her lorry driver husband Tam were excited when work began on their dream kitchen at their home in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, last July.
They had paid a deposit of £950 to nationwide firm Wren Kitchens. The full job was going to cost £7,990.
But the couple were far from happy with the work undertaken by the installers.
“The product itself was good but we were appalled by the way it had been fitted,” said Mary, 56.
“There was hardly a straight panel in the room and worktops were damaged.
“We had also bought new appliances but the fridge wouldn’t fit because the gap wasn’t wide enough.
“We had taken out finance to pay for the kitchen but we were going to use our hard-earned savings to pay this off in full when the job was completed.”
The couple complained to Wren about the standard of the workmanship but said that despite further visits from installers, they were still not happy with the results.
Mary was unwilling to pay the £7,040 balance until the job was completed to her satisfaction.
As the months passed with no resolution forthcoming, the couple approached Citizens Advice, Trading Standards and the Furniture Ombudsman. An independent report commissioned by the Furniture Ombudsman found that a good-quality product had “been let down by poor installation skills”.
The report highlighted a number of examples of unsatisfactory work to worktops, walls and the kitchen sink.
It stated: “Furthermore, it was observed that there was damage to the house stud walls from tile removal and loose, unsecure electrical sockets which, in the consultant’s opinion, require attention.”
The Ombudsman upheld the Wilsons’ complaint and said that Wren should supply the materials needed to complete the work and pay the couple £400 in compensation.
However, the dispute rumbled on and, in frustration, Mary wrote to Raw Deal for help.We contacted Wren Kitchens on her behalf and the ball was soon rolling again towards a resolution.
The Wilsons chose to cancel the contract and accept a compensation package of £1,850 – which includes the return of their original £950 deposit plus £900 on top.
A spokesperson for Wren Kitchens said: “We are the UK’s number one kitchen retailer, delivering more than 2,000 kitchens a week to homes across the UK.
“We go beyond all other major kitchen retailers by requiring that once an installer is approved by us they must also be vetted and approved by the Government-sanctioned, independent British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation. We then carry out regular audits through our field-based managers.
“On this occasion, we agree the quality of the installer’s work was not up to our usual high standard and he has subsequently been dismissed.
“In the meantime, we have issued a full refund to Mrs Wilson and will remove the kitchen at a time that best suits her.”
Mary now plans to order a new kitchen from another company.
She added: “Raw Deal did more for us in a few days than we had achieved in the previous eight months.”
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