Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hope Moben kitchens go bankrupt?

112 replies

sheas · 26/03/2010 16:11

Obviously only after they have sorted out all the atrocious kitchens they have fitted thus far. If you are considering using them then for the love of God....DON'T. Just Google Moben and see details of the trail of misery they have caused. SPREAD THE WORD

OP posts:
ImSoNotTelling · 29/03/2010 13:12

Well I don't work for a small bathroom company and Dolphin are definitely shit (well the "sales experience" was anyway).

Original poster
sheas · 29/03/2010 14:07

'ImSoNotTelling'-thanks for the kneecap remark!! I hope not as it was my elderly Dad & Stepmums kitchen I was remarking on!!! I had had to get involved trying to ring Moben to get the problems sorted as they had been left with no kitchen facilities practically and neither of them are in the best of health. Kept getting fobbed off by rude sales and customer service(ha)staff.Don't think it will do Moben any good duffing up pensioners who didn't make the remarks in the first place (and I am in no way suggesting they would BTW !!!) I'll keep you all posted to how it all pans out. Maybe Moben can redeem themselves???I hope so

OP posts:
abride · 29/03/2010 14:15

Our John Lewis kitchen looks as fresh as it did the day it was fitted five or six years ago. Actually it looks nicer because the oak has aged.

lowrib · 29/03/2010 14:34

Do not touch Kitchens Direct with a barge poll! I gave them my number. I then got bombarded with silent calls (sometimes 5 of 6 a day). It took me ages to work out who it was and even longer to find a number they would actually answer on.

It's something to do with a piece of sales software they use - you get called automatically, and if there's no sales person their end they drop the call. Getting constant silent calls could have really freaked me out if I had a stalker ex or was a little old lady!

I had to get really cross with them a couple of times before the calls stopped.

ImSoNotTelling · 29/03/2010 15:18

Those silent calls are illegal now.

mobenkitchen · 29/03/2010 19:09

Sheas - I've been in touch with your step-mum today and we had a very positive discussion. We have a plan that will bring a speedy resolution to the matter and I am confident we will resolve things to her satisfaction.

If anyone on mumsnet would like to speak to me regarding their experience with Moben please do email me on [email protected] and put Mumsnet as the subject. I would like to hear from you. Thank you, Susan (MD Moben)

alypaly · 29/03/2010 19:11

anyone know a good kitchen company!!!!!!!!!

smackapacka · 29/03/2010 19:13

John Lewis - every time!

alypaly · 29/03/2010 19:17

but dont they use subcontractors to fit them

Indaba · 29/03/2010 19:18

my builder really rates howden....you have to go via a builder but he thought they were good for cheaper/mid range stuff

PorphyrophillicPixie · 29/03/2010 20:14

mobenkitchen, if you really are part of moben kitchens, how do you explaint he many complaints about moben kicthens? And why, when there are so many of them, will people only receive a service (that they've already paid extensively for!) only when they complain about it online after their calls to your customer service team have been unsuccessful? Surely you should be providing a good service to begin with?

ImSoNotTelling · 29/03/2010 20:40

Yes john lewis use subcontractors.

However they are never knowingly undersold wipe your feet on the doormat polite and cheery john lewis style subcontractors

lowrib · 29/03/2010 22:45

If you're on a budget, the Wickes take-away kitchens range is great. If you can afford a little more, their standard range looked really nice to me, and they'll take time plan it with you.

I was really unimpressed with IKEA. I love IKEA stuff and wanted an IKEA kitchen. The sales girl in the kitchen dept. of the IKEA in tottenham was one of the rudest people I have ever met. You are meant to 'design' your kitchen yourself, using their 'planning tool'. She made it very clear she was not interested in making a sale. I was heavily pregnant, and had to go find her to ask for help a couple of times. I was given only rudamentary help, and she rolled her eyes at me. I asked what the legal distance should be between a cooker and wall cupboard and was told they didn't advise on this as "it's self service" (that's not what their catalogue says). She actually chucked a couple off their computer next to me as they were "taking too much time" - these are people trying to spend 100s if not 1000s of pounds! And what she was doing rather than helping people was colouring in a doodle on a piece of lined paper! I assumed she was a temp staff drafted in for the bank holiday, but I've been back and she's always there.

Anyway, surly staff aside, the main problem with IKEA kitchens is that if you have pipes on the walls the cupboards will go on, they're not ideal and will end up costing you money. IKEA cupboards leave no recess for pipes, so if you do have pipes this will cost you in labour as your kitchen fitters will have to deal wth it, costing you money for their time. Also it seems a shame to buy new cupbards and then cut holds in them!

Original poster
sheas · 30/03/2010 12:20

HI all, just an update to say Susan the MD of Moben rang my DSM yesterday and they had a visit from the North East Moben chappie (who was very helpful) and today they have had a collection and delivery from Moben and the fitter of DSM's choice is now busy fitting their kitchen, so, so far so good?? Will update again when something to tell or when kitchen fitted and matter resolved to DSM's satisfaction. Credit where credit is due though, things seem to be being sorted so maybe soon I can start a new thread (hopefully)entitled 'Moben Kitchens Turn Over a New Leaf' or something along those lines...We shall see. Think Moben could do with clearing out some 'dead wood' in the sales and customer services department though....

OP posts:
ImSoNotTelling · 30/03/2010 14:02

Thanks for the update!

Hope your DSM gets a lovely kitchen

Buda · 30/03/2010 14:11

Interesting thread! Hope your DSM gets her kitchen sorted sheas.

Original poster
sheas · 31/03/2010 13:42

Thank you ImSoNotTelling & Buda, so far so good .....

OP posts:
TinyPawz · 10/04/2010 21:48

sheas any more news on the kitchen (nosy moo over here)

Original poster
sheas · 12/04/2010 21:18

TinyPawz Well....at first everything went great and it is ALMOST finished but there a few 'snags' which need to be sorted and things have gone a bit quiet on Mobens side so it aint finished yet....

OP posts:
TinyPawz · 12/04/2010 23:51

Pants...and they were doing so well too.

I was telling my mum about this thread only yesterday and she was amazed.

Maybe you need to kick off another one to get them to finish off thier work

Original poster
sheas · 13/04/2010 10:05

Good idea but I am hoping it is just an 'oversight' and they will contact them today so they can finally 'put this thing to bed' FINALLY!!!!!

OP posts:
Karmann · 13/04/2010 10:16

I know a good kitchen and bathroom company - mine!

One of our customer's was quoted £48,000 for a bathroom from Dolphin but with their 'half price sale' it was reduced to £24,000! We did it for less than half of that (it was very big and had granite work surfaces though!)

Pofacedagain · 13/04/2010 10:31

Had an MFI kitchen once. Waited a year for numerous missing doors and parts. I wrote to Anna Timms at the consumer Guardian and only then did MFI try to help. They also offered compensation. Up till then I couldn't get anyone to even answer my calls.

Are Moben and MFI linked at all?

Karmann · 13/04/2010 10:38

No. MFI was part of Howden's. Dolphin, Moben and Sharpes are linked.

hifi · 13/04/2010 12:55

my kitchen is from howdens and its fab.stay away from KBBC kitchens. the bloke from kbbc wanted 1k off us if we bought our own granite as they were quoting 4k aand we could get it for 2k, he said it was his profit!