To not buy new kitchen over a tap

[Kubricklayer]

DW and I are close to pulling the trigger on a £30K kitchen. Spent last month back and forth agreeing specifics.

A few days ago DW saw on their FB page a deal for new customers in Feb to get a free £1K Quooker tap if they spend min £15K on a kitchen.

We then sent an email to chase up our kitchen stuff and asked if we’d get the tap since the sale will likely go through in Feb.

They said it’s for new inquiries and as we inquired late Dec we wouldn’t qualify for the tap.

At this point in time we’ve not paid a deposit, or signed anything and they’ve spent significant time designing our kitchen. All that effort will be for nothing if we decide to walk away.

Surely it’d be worth throwing this tap in so not to risk losing the sale? I’m not fussed about the tap tbh but part of me is a bit annoyed because we’re spending over double the money needed to qualify for the free tap and the sale will now be finalised in Feb, the qualifying month.

would you push back and insist on getting the tap if you were in my position?

£30k is a lot to spend without getting at least 2 or 3 other offerings from different retailers - they may have thought of something in the layout that really helps you live in it, have a better price overall, or simply have a better quality of installation - I'd never spend that much without being allowed to look at a past installation.

Definitely go elsewhere! Or threaten to.
If I was the salesperson I would be using this new offer to get your order finally over the line after months of work.

Not my experience at all, I have neff and they've been going for years with no problems at all. I think you've been very unlucky to have had more than one rubbish product.

Out of interest which appliances were they?

Quaker taps cost a fortune to run 😣

We had a quicker tap in the staff kitchen in my old work. It broke nearly every other week. There were always people out fixing it.

It sounds as if the new customer deal is open to interpretation, so I’d expect to get the tap. I bet the new kitchen will be gorgeous! I’d spend that amount if I had a nice house.

Always haggle a better deal OP! They will want your business especially paying that sort of money.

We just ordered a Sharps bedroom but no way did we accept their initial quote and that was with various sale offers.

There is always a deal to be had. Just tell them that you will pay (whatever you are willing) and see if they agree or if you want to tap tell them they have to give that to you or you will go elsewhere. I’m sure they will give it to you but you have to stand your ground.

Have you done several quotes? Until you have you don't know how poor or good a deal this 30k kitchen is.

Tbh, from what you’ve said, I’d be shopping around anyway regardless of the tap … doesn’t sound like they are looking after you very well 🤷🏻‍♀️

No walk away. You will probably get it cheaper elsewhere

Not RTFT but I’d walk away from them too. I just couldn’t.

If the lack of incentives is irritating you now, it will do so even more if there is the slightest issue after fitting. I'd make the effort to get alternative quotes and designs. £30k is a big investment.

I used to be a kitchen designer for many years, and my guess is that the tap isn’t actually “free”. Often the margins are adjusted so it looks like the tap is included at no cost. As you already have a final agreed price, they probably can’t move things around now to absorb the tap cost elsewhere.

This is exactly why we never offered freebies unless there was a random dishwasher in the warehouse that needed shifting and it was a high-profit kitchen design.

I would get some alternative quotes and see what other companies can offer you.

The only thing I think you are being unreasonable about is only researching one company. I'm involved in a lot of different house fittings/kit outs/restorations through my business and am currently in the process of getting a new kitchen in our new house.
I will only deal with companies who come out to my house and walk and talk us through our options and design as it is completely different being in the space as opposed to imagining it on a computer.
As regards the Qooker, get one, have had one for years and wouldn't be without one now, love them!!

I would insist on the tap

She could definitely start a new order transferring the information from the old one so that you can qualify.

Or ask to speak to the manager if all else fails.

Final blow would be to go to someone else that you feel happier.

Although it is weird that they don’t give you a rough sketch of the kitchen for you to mull over at home.

It’d put me off and incentivise me to shop around

Did our kitchen design ourselves through diykitchens.co.uk and had a professional fitter in. It’s brilliant and 18mm units so the thickest ones and of excellent quality at a fraction of the price as you use the design software yourself. If you are any good with software save yourself thousands and do it this way!

We have a large island and 2 x Neff hide and slide ovens, neff microwave fitted in the wall etc. we also have the quooker tap (it’s amazing) and insinkerator as open plan so j didn’t want a good waste bin in the summer, as south facing. The tap and insinkerstor are my favourite things. The hide and slides also great for an island.

I would 100% aim to get the tap and stick tk your principles for that cost.

Absolutely walk away i did and they ended up calling me and matching the price of the new company I had a quote from. My 15k kitchen ended up costing 9k with fitting

This

The new enquiries as opposed to new orders thing is pretty crap on their part.

We spent a lot on our kitchen, around 35 excluding appliances and painting, and I would have been very annoyed if I'd felt like they were quibbling over such a very small thing - it's obviously a Quooker promotion, so they're going to be getting it at a rock bottom price. I'd lay out your annoyance and see what happens - I do agree with others that it's worth trying to get another quote or two on a similar kitchen. Have you looked to see if there are any reviews about this place (not on their website)?

Oh, and we have a Quooker cube and love it. 5 years on in a hard water area (London) and no issues whatsoever.

@PloddingAlong21 I agree on the insinkerator. I love it so much. Never having to reach your hand into a sink full of gross water to pull up the strainer or having to try to stop the bits from going down the drain is amazing.

Can you find a competitor to play them off against? Say ‘Magnet has offered to throw the tap in that we want’. Not sure a tap you didn’t care about is worth derailing a renovation for.

OP, we are in central Scotland and have just recently completed our new kitchen fitting. We used a small independent ( not the same as the one you used, as they don’t have a female assistant). Our kitchen is smaller than yours at about 6m*5m and we spent c£55k for hand made in frame solid wood . I think £30k is a good price and if you are happy with the design and quality, although I absolutely understand why you are irritated, I would think seriously about pulling out.

But you said you're getting a good price for the size and quality?

Incentives, sales, and freebies often push an inflated price down to a reasonable one so you feel like you're getting a good deal. It sounds like you're actually getting one without all that 🤷‍♀️

I would not push back, personally, because I hate quooker taps anyway.

I don't think YABU, fwiw. You've asked for something other customers are getting, and they've quibbled over the fine print to make sure you don't get it. Everything else aside, that seems kind of petty 🤔

Tbh I don't get haggling. You don't do your big shop at Tesco's and badger the cashier to throw the bread in for free. You don't go clothes shopping at Next and say, "Well I can get a pair of jeans at Primark for a tenner, so are you going to match that? What if I buy two pairs, will you at least throw in that jumper?"

I used to work in a specialist frame shop, and people pulled that kind of thing all the time. It was my first job, minimum wage, just minding the till and shop floor, and I didn't have any kind of authority to change any prices. People got so mad that I wouldn't as well. I think it left a mark 😂