Furious don't describe it!

[lucjam]

First ever AIBU thread so don't be too horrible to me. Anyway I digress...

AIBU to be fucking furious at HOWDENS the kitchen place. I'm due to have a kitchen delivered a week Friday, design all finalised, not paid yet waiting for invoice, had final quote. Anyway I just had an email there is a 3% increase in prices as of Monday, so I either take delivery by Saturday or pay 3% more.

Where exactly I'm supposed to store it I don't know? It's not flat pack. Why the hell should I pay 3 % more? I've been working on this with the designer for weeks. What a joke, so tempted to tell them to screw it except the plumber, chippie and electrician are all booked, the sink, taps, dishwasher, cooker, hob, splashback are all delivered or about to be.

My kitchen is due to be ripped out on Monday what the hell do I do, I don't have 3% more, we have paid out £1820 on the roof today and £500+ to the garage yesterday as car failed its MOT.

the email was sent just before closing its a panic tactic, they want you to worry about it all night and give in, I havent worked in this industry but i know how it works

My bro works for them, I've just text him to see what he says. I'll update when he texts me back.

Thanks I can that's really nice of you, we've had such a bad week financially, it could be worse we're far from the breadline but it's the damn principle I thought they were an ok company, the certainly make decent kitchens that really last, but now they just seem so money grabbing.

The first question she asked me was "ok what sort of kitchen do you want", I told her its not what I want but more what I can afford, I wanted high gloss originally but had to go to matt because it was £2k more so she knows I'm on a budget.

Your builder must be able to pull some strings with them - surely they want to keep on an even keel with Howdens?

My kitchen is a Howdens one and I much preferred dealing via my builders than with Howdens direct. I don't remember there being any unexpected 'hidden costs' but I do remember a bit of to and fro-ing with them changing things at the last minute which was annoying, I remember wishing they'd call my builder rather than me about those sorts of things.

I think pulling out if they won't stick to the price you were quoted as 'final cost' is totally fair and reasonable. Hopefully Howdens will see sense...

Get your builders to sort it. They no doubt have a long standing relationship with Howdens and I am sure will sort it out. Either have the 3% dismissed or store your kitchen for you.

Bro just called. To cut a long story short, you can ask for it off and they might/might not give it, depending on how much of a discount you've got already.
The way he's sold it "This is the price of your kitchen, but if you have it delivered by Saturday I'll give you a 3% discount" which seems like a better deal.
This doesn't help you of course.
If they don't give you the original price, you could see it as them already gaining minimum profit from you? Good luck, and remember, if you start nice you can always turn forceful, if you start forceful you can never go back.

lucjam you said you just got a new quote because she left a unit off the previous one? Could you try to hold her to the previous quote and just get the extra unit at the increased price?

"doesn't"

That's all, carry on....

Dh has an account at Howdens. The price rises are all determined at head office, so the local branch can't affect this. Sorry you have been affected but the people in the local branch are not to blame.

Try to sweet talk them into a bigger discount, or take your quote to the next closest branch. They compete against each other and might undercut!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone, I got a feeling from the email that it was fait accompli so to speak.

See what they say tomorrow, I'll report back.

I don't take kindly to comments about my grammar I'm dyslexic and try my best. You've made me feel so much better thanks!

OP that is not very nice, how were we to know you were dyslexic? They were only trying to help.

Picking up on the op's grammar was totally irrelevant and rude. That was the point Underaverage.

lucjam, it's shit of Howdens but they've done that kind of thing before.

Have you thought (as it's something of an emergency) about quickly looking at the Ikea website, their cabinets are flatpacked (and therefore easier to store). Then you could just get door fronts/end pieces/drawer fronts etc from Howdens which would also be easier to store.

Just a thought as that's the way we did our bathroom.

Agree with MrsDistinctly - if you can get some of what you need from elsewhere and cut back the Howdens order that might help.

I was told Ikea cabinets wouldn't fit my kitchen as the walls are all skew-wiff and weird funny corners, whereas the Howdens units were all measured to fit the space exactly - I did wonder if they were spinning me a line when they told me that, but hey ho - however I did put my foot down about wanting a real granite worktop instead of the Howdens worktops (wood or fake granite seemed to be their only options).

My builders AND Howdens were both scathing about me wanting real granite and said it was a waste of money, but when the worktop was in, my builders had to admit it looked better! And I still love it, so there!

I've got a Howdens kitchen. Fitted approx 7 years ago. It's crap & falling to bits.
Any chance you can go elsewhere?

Ignore the spelling/grammar police, OP.

Howdens don't offer a standard builder's discount, they can offer different percentages off. I expect if you phone and speak to someone in the sales team that they won't lose the whole sale if you say that b&q have price matched their original quote and you will use them instead if they don't stick to the original quote.

However, wouldn't it be easier to stick the units in the garage or in the garden covered with a tarp before Sat?

luc IIRC from my AS level business studies which I didn't pass 17 years ago! then when buying a product the price they charge is the price they are offering a product at. This also means if a shelf says a products £2 but rings at the till as £3 then they have the right to charge the £3.

Having said that businesses wouldn't do so well without incorporting customer service so worth trying all the advice above

you are kidding yes I'm pretty sure you are right.

I have phoned them and arranged for it to be delivered Saturday. I have a foreign student staying and she is due to leave Sunday so she has agreed to vacate her room a day early and go into DD's room which is very nice of her she could have said no.

With regards to the grammar 'issue', I really don't think that I needed taking to task on my grammar in the given situation, I see people on here mis spell and even use text speak which I hate but I would never comment on it especially when the OP is clearly under pressure/stress/upset.

Finally, when commenting on someone's grammar it is always a good idea to check ones own grammar...

TheParan0idAndr0id Tue 14-Feb-12 17:48:45
Calm down for a start, you should never be too angry for proper grammar.

Tell you'll pay for it now and have it delivered next week.

"Tell you'll pay for it now", tell whom???

methinks anyone in same situation holds the ace card re it being an expensive custom made kitchen fit out, if, as other post said , one does not have a contract with them , well fine, who are they going to sell "your" now not wanted unit(s)to ? and, the industry is on it"s knees, 3% increase ? it"s not even a well thought out bluff, it"s a tired and overused one

Glad you got it 'sorted' OP. But crap your student had to move to accommodate it.

Grammar police should be ashamed of themselves.

I can't believe someone did a because the OP didn't disclose she was dyslexic.

You are a twat, whoever that was (cba to look).

"Calm down for a start, you should never be too angry for proper grammar."

Paranoid, you are such a .... can't say or else it will be deleted. But yeah. You get the gist.

People don't need to point out their dyslexia because they've been mocked. Just try not mocking in the first place. Jesus, there are some pompous arses around here at the minute.

If I recall, Howdens did this to us too, we had to put the whole thing in the garage. A crap fitter they recommended made a bit of a poor job cutting some of the oak end panels. I would not use them again.