To not buy new kitchen over a tap

I was about to ask the same thing

Agree with all of this - especially loving my Quooker tap too!

Are you struggling to read? They haven't placed an order, they made an initial enquiry...

Personally, I would threaten to walk away. This normally focuses the mind. Do they really want to miss out on £30k for the sake of the tap?

Having spent years working in business roles where I know the 'true' cost of things to businesses, the key part that stuck out to me is you said they won't provide any real breakdown of costs.
That would be a hard no from me, just my personal preference though.
You've no idea what your really paying for, you should know how much your worktops cost for example, how can you swap things to cheaper options if you don't know what costs what in the first place?
How do you know they aren't charging you 25% more for your sink than you could buy direct? Of course you should expect you can buy all materials yourself for less, as business is business and a concierge charge is more than acceptable but only up to a certain percentage.
You are likely correct in that if the sale goes through in February it can include their February deal on the tap because of how accounts are generally processed. I've worked in several industries and all of them class a customer as a NEW customer until someone has signed on the dotted line or paid something.

The fact they aren't willing to do that, how hard have you actually pushed it? They may have just said a bog standard no first off but aren't aware they could lose the sale.

Also thinking more long term, you might not be bothered about the tap but it could add a selling feature to your house should you ever wish/need to sell and could be the most practical thing you didn't know you needed!

I'm overall a big fan of German engineering/products but that doesn't mean you should throw 30K at them!
Plus you should always, always get a minimum of 3 quotes for a large house purchase like this. Not just because of the cost, but the warranty, post sales customer support, the quality of the fixtures and fittings, how long have they been trading? Those kinds of things matter too. If they aren't flexible with their approach before you spend a penny, they will most likely not be once you do.

They’re being ridiculous. Surely it’s more important when you actually place the order not when you make the enquiry. What does the small print on the offer say? They’re probably telling new enquiries that they will get the tap if they place the order in February.

Personally no, I'd leave it, then if they get the offer on again, go through the whole process again, lol! Sounds like a major store if cannot override their machines to give you the tap like an independent company would? It's not an unreasonable request on a £30k kitchen anyway, even if the offer has finished and you sound cheeky.

I went to Wren kitchens a few years ago, priced up a tiny tiny kitchen. Picked out all the cheap worktops I wanted and none of their maths worked out. I asked them a few times to explain the pricing (we worked out the whole cost pretty much before hand, £7k, they quoted 14k). They kept changing the subject and refused to explain it all. We just walked. Large retailers are a money making machine, that's what they're there to do, maximise profits and quite often their cupboards are wrapped badly anyway and they will peel fairly quickly.

They’re being ridiculous. Surely it’s more important when you actually place the order not when you make the enquiry. What does the small print on the offer say? They’re probably telling new enquiries that they will get the tap if they place the order in February.

Also insist on a copy of the design. It's ridiculous that they want you to commit to paying all this money without a very clear idea of what you're paying for.

Tell the current company that you are looking at other quotes. They're not budging because they think that you won't walk away. If they see a chance of not hitting targets because you've pulled out and the salespeople could lose their chance of a bonus, they may try a bit harder.

Are you prepared to go back to step one? (Hopefully yes)

I would (a) restart the process with other providers and (b) send her an email saying you won’t be able to proceed without the Wuooker and see what she says. Do not give her the order without it, because if the installation is less than 💯 you are going to be in a bad mood every time you come into the kitchen.

The whole flicking through the design on the tv would actually have done my head in on day one, and I would have booted her out for that, because it would feel like a set up to short change you.

Have you had any other designs done OP? I’ve had Howden, Wren, am waiting on Benchmarx and am doing a DIY Kitchens based on the plans of the others. I did it this way as I want to see if they come up with different ideas and designs. I would never go with plans from only one company especially one that will only let me view the plans when I am in their offices. I’ve been lucky with Wren I’ve got the whole plan so can do a comparison. Have they given you a breakdown of units, worktops, lightening etc?

Anyway, I would be like you in this situation l, I wouldn’t be impressed with the ‘no’ to the tap and would take a step back. I wouldn’t tell them this, I would just say you’re still exploring options.

Also Neff are rubbish products.

stick to your guns I’d be happy to walk away. They need to offer something for your business.. If I were you I’d say thanks for your time. We will think about it some more and come back to you as we are also in negotiations with x company. Then go to x company and see what they can offer you. You now already know the layout that you want so that’s a bonus. FWIW I have a quooker and it’s fab.

If you're not bothered about the tap forget that, but ask for a 1-2% overall discount.
That would be £300 -600 off, which is fair.

Is there a manager you could ask ?

But you don’t even want the tap??

I wouldn’t worry about it in that case 😂 Those taps always feel corporate to me.

I love my Quooker! I think you are being unreasonable not to have included this in your plans anyway, and not to be shopping around. I got plans with a few different suppliers, the last one I tried gave me the same spec as the previous two, but a better design and it cost 5k less than the others. The biggest difference was he came out to the house and hand drew the plan, rather than the swanky CAD the others designed with.

I think you are being silly. You don't even want the tap. You said the kitchen is a good price and that your kitchen is large. Perhaps you are already getting a very good deal. I would say get some more quotes and it will put this one into perspective. You may find you can get better elsewhere but you may not. This company have told you what they can do and you either accept it and go with it or find someone else. Trying to get them to do something they said no to will just end in bad feeling on both sides. Not the best way to start a new kitchen.

You missed out on the tap deal so get over it. Did you try to get any reduction in price as you are obviously so keen on getting some sort of bargain? If not, that is down to you.

If you are that bothered about one of those awful taps then go somewhere else.

I have a different branded boiling tap and also wouldn’t be without it.

Id be casting my net a bit wider with suppliers if I were the OP, £30k isn’t unreasonable, but it’s not money you spend lightly

I'd tell them in person.....

We love the plans. Quality seems great bla bla

If you agree to qooker tap we will happily sign the contract today with deposit (and have your credit card/ bank card in your hand)

So a more gentle way of extracting a yes possiblyh

If they still say no....just say oh ok....we'll go away and have a rethink and we will get back to you if we still want to go ahead

Kind of puts the ball in their court a bit more and gives you thinking space

Quooker taps are brilliant. As previous posters have said who own one, they are great.
You will LOVE the tap. I would never have a kitchen without one now.

Quooker taps are shite, they're doing you a favour!

Yip tell them you’re going elsewhere unless they give the free tap. It’s the principle of it all. You’re spending £30k and they can’t give u an offer they are giving anyone else who spends half that.

If you had already paid the deposit and signed contracts that’s different. I’m pretty sure they will throw the tap in.

Perhaps let them know that you are reaching an impasse because your wife is willing to walk away over this, and that you are considering alternative options.

Definitely shop around, I dislike their approach as well, not letting you have the plans etc. I wouldn’t be happy with this .And the Quooker is absolutely fantastic, couldn’t be without mine now!! It’s very penny pinching of them. Try and see if you can get a quick sense check price elsewhere. It’s insane they expect you to pay without letting you have a copy of the design. I like to spend time poring over these things. It’s a huge investment.