To not buy new kitchen over a tap

Disagree, they are fabulous! Wouldn’t be without mine.

Honestly I doubt they will be arsed about losing out on the 30k for the sake of a tap. They will write quotes on the daily that customers do not take up.

Question is, is the op going to miss out on her dream kitchen for the sake of a tap she doesn’t even sodding want but is making a big song and dance about?

You sound a bit naive to be honest. Of course the sales person will be building rapport with you - she wants to sell at the highest price. You are basing judgements on others who have recently bought kitchens rather than getting quotes.

big red flag is that they won’t give you a break down or plans (I’m not talking technical plans but ones you can have at home to visualise in your kitchen.

there are always deals to be had on purchases of that size and the fact that she isn’t prepared to throw in the tap is really telling.

id suggest looking at reviews of this company online and also getting at least 2 or 3 more quotes. Have a look to see if there is a local firm who build themselves you’ll possibly find that they are cheaper, more flexible and better quality.

If you haven’t placed the order yet, you should qualify for the tap. Thats a bit poor, I work for an Independant kitchen designer in Scotland. Is it Schuller, Hacka or Nobillia? There is no comparison with German against Wren or Hiwdens though. Make sure your joiner knows what they are doing as that makes a huge difference

Definitely walk away for now and tell them why. You can always come back if you don't find anything else comparable. But any company like that offering constant deals is usually not great anyway, especially the bigger ones. Focus on hard sell with poor service as soon as the sale is made. See Wren, Magnet, Kutchenhaus etc etc. Find a smaller one if I were you

Putting the tap aside, I get the feeling they are a little inflexible which could cause issues. If you are spending double the qualifying amount for the tap, it does seem counterproductive.

I went initially to a small kitchen company. I had nothing like your budget and they kept swapping things in and out. I ended up elsewhere because I could get painted oak for their cheaper unit price. It doesnt look as bespoke but it still looks good 10 years on.

The.small company wrote me a letter telling me my chosen kitchen would drop to bits. Nice.

You chose to approach a local company with good reviews that position themselves as high quality German kitchens at a fair price. They will be concerned about quality and customer satisfaction. They aren't and wouldn't claim to be the cheapest kitchens. People looking for the cheapest kitchens would not approach them.

If what you want is the cheapest kitchen, and to be researching the price of an appliance or worktop yourself for price matching or self sourcing and paying trades separately then you have approached the wrong place.

I had some windows installed by a long established and trusted local firm that was always doing work on my estate. I didn't seek other quotes - I knew full well that there will be jack of all trades that would do the work for half the price but I wanted the quality and piece of mind of our local window specialist firm. They don't compete on price - they offer high quality work for a fair price that reflects that quality.

You could ask if there is a manager that can approve the tap deal but if not I suspect if you keep pushing on price it will be the company that tell you that they are probably not the appropriate company for you. If you don't want to pay a premium for quality cabinets and fitting with aftercare then go elsewhere.

Its a small local family run firm, not a big chain. Their flex on margins is unlikely to be huge. The OP is free to say Quooker or bust, they may well say bust (or claw the value back somewhere else in the fitting).

@Kubricklayer 30k for 7m*7m for a midrange quality kitchen with an island seems quite low. Does this include appliances and fitting, all electical/plumbing work if needed?

I looked at boiling water taps (several brands) and decided. they were not worth the trouble and cupboard space after talking to friends with the magic Quooker. I wouldn’t use it for hot drinks and I steam veg rather than boiling it. However others love them so talk to people who use them.

The most striking thing to me is that you originally never wanted it - will you scrap the deal you were previously happy with because it doesn’t include something you didn’t actually want?

A Quooker isn't a fad, they've been about for decades. I've had one for 10 years here and a year in a previous house. They are brilliant. Instant tea in the morning and boiling water straight onto the veg pan.

Me too! @Mummylove2026 - they've been deleted on another thread too on a completely different topic . They must be particularly awful comments given the comments I've witnessed in US threads that have got through recently!

I'd not go with original vendors on principle, but I also wouldn't want a Quooker. Silly fad that's pointless.

I think you are mad not to be getting more quotes for spending 30k.
Also a friend mentioned she adores her hot tap, so handy in her new kitchen.

Except they haven't put the order in yet. It's still in discussion

Yes I’m petty af with stuff like this. If they want to lose £30k over a grand let them get on with it but make sure HQ of the company know too.

Be careful you’re not “cutting your nose off to spite your face” A friend had one of these taps in their kitchen and say it was a complete waste of money 🤷‍♀️

I’ve just had a kitchen done by a one man outfit. Because he is competent, careful and highly recommended. I would not ever trust a company like the one you describe. Years ago in my previous house, I bought a kitchen from a well known kitchen company - they send a sales person to your house and then fitting is arranged. It was awful. They had different contractors rip it out, then said the fitters were “delayed”. I had a giant junk pile, no kitchen and a 6 month old baby. When I called the sales person he said he could lose his job for even speaking to me about the matter!!!!!!!!
never trust these companies.
word of mouth local recommendations only. Not Nextdoor, not checkatrade, only people personally known to you

I know it's "just s tap" but it would stick in my craw that they wouldn't throw it in for the sake of a week or so.
We went to Wrens and Magnet for our new kitchen, then went to b&q (same Shaker products) and saved thousands.
I love it, new island and all

We did a similar size kitchen with island to yours 5 years back and the builders fitting it suggested tweaks that kept costs down ...switched out some of the appliances and bought them direct etc. Had a Quooker tap installed as they advised it, wasn't that bothered but now I love it and wouldn't be without it.

Get a different cheaper tap. Intu are fantastico

I can comment as someone who (until very recently) owned a small business, for 25 years.

My first thought was about the level of seniority of the person who told you the tap offer (whether you want the bloody thing or not!) was for new enquiries only. They may not have the authority to authorise any extra discount without referring further up the chain of command, so to speak. It may be worth asking to refer further up, but you may have already done so. The initial refusal may have been a stock answer.

We were a small company that could not always compete on price with the larger ones within our industry. What we could sell was the knowledge, quality of service and in particular after care that we prided our reputation on - we were definitely not the cheapest but we were excellent at what we did, I’m not sure how you’d check that within the kitchen installation business but I am sure you can! Then it depends on your priorities, price or quality.

We’d also expect to have negotiable margin within the job - that’s a given. Small company or not.

It’s probably worth trying to negotiate a little, even if it’s not the tap. Then taking a little time, depending on the response. You really should get other quotes, maybe different companies with different approaches. Let the original company come back to you after you’ve negotiated and then told them you’ll be taking time to reflect. You’ll very probably be able to negotiate something.

Good luck

I wish I was more like you, OP. I tend to just roll over and say "Here, take all my money and a bit more for your trouble" for things I'm not even sure about! 🤡

You have plenty of leeway here, I think you'll kick yourself if you don't do something to grab that extra prize 🤩 You'll always be walking into your lovely new German kitchen and looking for the missing tap!

Good luck!

Perfect opportunity to simply look elsewhere

It's more than tap.as op said.

Depends if you have a different offer eg free dishwasher or whatever

It's the attitude rather than the lack of a specific freebie that would leave a sour taste in my mouth. It may be that they have enough business they can afford for a handful of customers to go elsewhere in these situations. If you haven't been able to negotiate on price, take your specs and quote to another company and ask what they can do for you. Then take their spec and price to a third company and ask what they can do to match or better it.

I would email the MD. If the response is no free tap I would 100% walk away.