Does anyone have a Harvey Jones Kitchen

[Page62]

Hi, We are days from deciding a kitchen supplier and we really liked the kitchens in Harvey Jones. It is pricey but they are giving us a reasonably good offer but we've never done this before so just wanting to see if there are people here who have a harvey jones kitchen and if you are happy with the durability (it does come with a 10 year guarantee but i try to take that with a pinch of salt). they will do all the fitting and hand painting in the colour of our choice and all the granite and fitting will also be done by them.
Feedback would be greatly appreciated

[Page62]

bumping -- anyone at all?

[orientaltation]

My sister did and 3 years on she is really pleased with it still. Very solid feeling and good service (clapham showroom). It looks great and the detail is nice too. Good luck

[Celibin]

Yes mother had one but as previously stated on this site and many others it is a good fitting that counts There are loads of kitchens out there but if fitting is bad it will not matter how good the units etc are get the fitter and explain what you want then buy the kitchen Even if it takes a while to get a fitter get one via personal recommendation there are bargains galore in the kitchen sales at the mo

[Page62]

Thanks for the responses. The fitting service is done by Harvey jones and given the 10 yr guarantee I am hoping it means I can get them back in if we are unhappy with it.... I think we are nearly there deciding to go with them....can't believe how much we've had to think about this!!!

[Storey]

We had an HJ kitchen installed last year and they are great to deal with, really professional and helpful. We're currently having problems with the paint finish though which is marking really easily - paint is chipping and showing through to the white undercoat. They're working with us to try and sort it out and reckon that new paint formulas (since 2010?) mean that it's hard to get the durability of the less enviromentally friendly paint of pre-2010. Not sure if others have experienced this problem. I suppose the good news is that they really seem to want to sort it out for us although it means them coming back in and re-painting and the kitchen and then putting a varnish on to add more protection.

[scampadoodle]

Yes, we had one fitted in December 2010 & we love it. We had to plan it really carefully so that the cost didn't get too nightmarish, and we got a local carpenter to do a thing around the fridge at a fraction of the cost - I painted it myself to match. The HJ fitting was expensive but you do get the 10yr guarantee and the fitter was a really nice bloke, as was the painter: both did a lovely job. Any niggles I had (our pull-out cupboard broke, and some drawers started sticking) were sorted out really quickly. I felt that the showroom service before, during & after was very good. The guy I was dealing with must have been sick of the sound/sight of me but he was always very courteous.

It was a hassle finding a builder to do all the other work though, and I sourced my corian worktop online as the local HJ used a very expensive local company.

[stickyvicky71]

Also thinking about getting an HJ kitchen - they offered a 30% discount - is this the going rate? I liked the chalk Shaker style one...

Other option was Kit Stone who I was planning on visiting this week - has anyone used them?

Cheers

[azazello]

We do - installed in 2010 and still looks new.

The design is great, it is standing up really well to a big family and lots of use and the repainting option is really handy.

On the other hand, their installers and project management was absolutely appalling. They made a couple of basic errors which they didn't seem able to sort out or offer any solution to (cupboard wider than measured so couldn't access electrical sockets etc) so we ended up getting the electrician we had doing other building work putting in an emergency socket at the cost of about £400.

Their fitters also did nothing other than carpentry so we had to arrange for a plumber to come in, unfit the fitted and integrated dishwasher, plumb it in and put it back. It was a complete nightmare in terms of management.

The particular person responsible has now left the company though so it might just have been an incompetent individual.

[stickyvicky71]

Is it better to organise own fitter then rather than using Kit Stone one and is it a similar price to Harvey Jones do you think?

[lozz12]

Azazello we have had a similar incident.

The project management and installation had not gone too smooth. Although handmade there were some basic measurement errors which had to be fixed on site on a few of our cabinets. These also impacted on other areas of the kitchen.

They also suggested a builder for prepping the kitchen which was still getting done after the kitchen was installed (took over 2 mths) We assumed that he was vetted. Specialist tradesman may have been a better option.

Can't say for the price we paid that it was a fuss free experience!.

[MrsA24]

I have recently had a Harvey Jones kitchen installed and I'm delighted with it. Looks fantastic, excellent quality. The fitter they provided did a good job of installing it - it took longer than expected, but I'd rather that and get a better job. The painter was also excellent. I was very impressed with the after care service as a couple of cupboards weren't closing exactly as they should and they rectified these straight away. Overall a good experience and would recommend them to others considering a quality new kitchen! Oh and I absolutely LOVE the larder - its like a tardis!!

[thekitchenpainter]

The new water based eggshells,I only use Farrow and Ball or Little Green are fine if they are used in conjunction with an oil based primer,it may seem crazy but if you contact me I will help you get it done,I nearly had a breakdown trying to get a good finish on kitchens using the new paints but there is a way

[mrst2]

Agree that HJ kitchens are stunning and the quality looks great. However the price is astonishing! Went into local showroom and was told the January 25% discount was on and that the "average kitchen" with the discount would be around £15,000. As our budget was a bit tight as we have to factor in a brand new Aga as well I felt very positive. That was until I went in for the design meeting and was shocked when the total cost was going to be £29,000 and that was with a £7,000 discount! That didn't include a lot of wall cabinets but I really wanted the larder cabinet and that alone was £6,000. I expected to pay for fitting but the painting was all extra which surprised me. Incidentally that didn't include any granite or appliances. My builder has advised me to speak to an excellent local cabinet maker who does a lot of kitchens and I would advise anyone to do the same. You can get that bespoke kitchen look at a fraction of the price. They are just too expensive.

[chrisweber]

Similar experience. The fitter was unacceptable and viciously overcharged.
That said the HJ project manager was conspicuous only by his absence.
£80K and a botched job. Never again.

[Spodski]

I have a Harvey Jones kitchen, fitted in about 2009. It was advertised as solid wood, I have at least one drawer front made of mdf. The original surveyor failed to tell us to move pipe work despite the kitchen being totally empty at the time.mthe kitchen didn't fit when it arrived and had to be cut down and botched by the fitter. We then had to await an extra cupboard being made and delivered. They have fitted it over the boiler top up valve so I have to squash into a cupboard to top up the boiler. The painters arrived with a choice of 2 shades of cream paint for me to choose from! The doors of a large cupboard don't line up! I am still waiting to be contacted by customer services to see if I am happy with my kitchen. It is nowhere near the money we paid for it. Get a local carpenter on the job is my recommendation! I would certainly not recommend them or their products.

[Bluntwit]

Here's my first ever online rant - Harvey Jones Kitchens uuum, thought I'd treat myself to the 'designer' experience but it hasn't honestly delivered what all the gloss would imply. After agreeing to build a split level island with higher breakfast bar level, they admitted they had no idea how to construct it and I was told to get my builders to do it. When pushed they came back suggesting 4 wooden brackets costing £400!
The first designer in Hove threw a strop when I suggested it wasn't a professional approach and slammed the phone down. I get flipped to a designer who came down from London to bail out, then he disappears off on holiday over the installation period without warning and I realise we'd never talked about the handles - I was told to source them! Although I managed to get a 30% sale price still the price of a simple 500mm shelf to deliver and install is £350! No lights either.
Watch out I'd say - the devil's in the detail and there's no detail at all on their website. Frankly Howdens produce excellent 3D designs free! rather than pencil sketches and seem to be an honest bunch - maybe I shouldn't have felt so 'worth it' on that day - I think Ikea would have been less hassle! Installation next week... gulp!

[Bluntwit]

Here's my first ever online rant - Harvey Jones Kitchens uuum, thought I'd treat myself to the 'designer' experience but it hasn't honestly delivered what all the gloss would imply. After agreeing to build a split level island with higher breakfast bar level, they admitted they had no idea how to construct it and I was told to get my builders to do it. When pushed they came back suggesting 4 wooden brackets costing £400!
The first designer in Hove threw a strop when I suggested it wasn't a professional approach and slammed the phone down. I get flipped to a designer who came down from London to bail out, then he disappears off on holiday over the installation period without warning and I realise we'd never talked about the handles - I was told to source them! Although I managed to get a 30% sale price still the price of a simple 500mm shelf to deliver and install is £350! No lights either.
Watch out I'd say - the devil's in the detail and there's no detail at all on their website. Frankly Howdens produce excellent 3D designs free! rather than pencil sketches and seem to be an honest bunch - maybe I shouldn't have felt so 'worth it' on that day - I think Ikea would have been less hassle! Installation next week... gulp!

[Bluntwit]

I'm in the process of having one installed and have had a really hard time.
Yes they look great (minimal but empty) but they are all over you before paying up front, they are super pricey - I bought 12 identical handles elsewhere for the price they quoted for one! then you get told to tell your builder to build the difficult bits, send installers who don't complete and to cap it all, build sections at the wrong height a week before we are due to move in. (3 weeks to wait now)
Ikea would have been far less stress!

[Jingyi853]

I have recently used Harvey Jones kitchens and fron my experience they are incompetent, unprofessional and hard work. I ordered a kitchen with a promise of a 3 month completion but eventually finished in 6 months. This ruined my Christmas and had all their cupboards and appliances occupying two rooms. it was like the first time that they ever made a kitchen with the design errors, supplying appliances which were cheaper than I had originally paid for and the wrong type. In the end I had to buy two of the appliances myself and I am still awaiting the refund. You might as well use B&q or Magnets and save yourself £20,000 and not pay for the overpriced kitchen they supply.

[Milly12345]

From my personal experience, I also would not recommend using Harvey Jones. Whilst they regularly offer sale discounts from 20% to 25% through out the year, this is only (as another person mentioned above) on the kitchen furniture itself! This is not extended to fitting the furniture, painting it, the handles, worktops, lighting, sinks, taps, etc. But even with a discount, they charge premium prices. My advice is, do not hand over ANY money to them until you get a complete breakdown/itemised quote of everything you will need in the kitchen. For anything else like worktops, splash backs, appliances, you will pay top dollar and if you find a more competitively priced appliance elsewhere, they will charge you a fee to fit it. They even charge a delivery fee, which is outrageous when you think what the cost of the furniture is. As others have said, you can get just as nice a kitchen if not better by going to a local carpenter tradesman and without all of the hassle. I have posted this, in the hope that I can assist others from avoiding a costly experience with this company - I too got a kitchen fitted elsewhere in the end.

[juneau]

I have a HJ kitchen, fitted end of 2013. For a 2.5-year-old kitchen its not wearing that well. The paint marks and chips easily (Little Green Paint Co paint), and the units aren't all solid wood. One of the units got bashed down near the bottom and even though it looks solid its clear that its made of MDF now that a chip has been taken out of it. The drawers and doors often needs adjusting too (twice in that time). We did get a discount on it, but I'm not sure it was worth the price tag tbh. I probably wouldn't use them again.

[camflower]

I had a bad experience with a salesman in a hj showroom. bloke was really helpful, friendly and enthusiastic while we were having an initial chat about what we might want ... but as soon as we said 'great, thanks, we need to go away and think about it' and refused to sign on the dotted line straight away to get some 'special discount' he became really snotty and aggressive and practically accused us of wasting his time. I still shudder whenever I go past the branch and that was eight years ago!

[florabear]

Don't do it. The sales patter is wild but in our experience the reality is far from what is promised.

They constantly change the spec without consultation. in our case we noticed the codes on the appliances had changed and they had downgraded every appliance saving themselves almost £9000 and it took us weeks to get them to agree to the original spec they had provided to get us to sign the order and pay the deposit.

Though the process from signing and paying the deposit took almost 3 months they constantly slip extra costs in, even adding another £200 on the day they asked for payment in full.

Finally when it came to installation the fitter did 2 short days, said he had one day finishing on another job to do, then didn't turn up the following day. After many calls they finally admitted that he wouldn't be back for another 12 days leaving our kitchen in pieces and dust and mess everywhere.

We insisted on another fitter - who fitted the cabinets wrongly. This was followed by another delay of 2 weeks while they got the surveyor back to review the situation.

Don't do it would be my advice it's not worth the risk and the kitchen ended up costing more than the equivalent quoted by roundhouse.