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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To get another kitchen quote to make the man fro Magnet squirm?

16 replies

lolapoppins · 10/04/2010 14:38

We had magnet come and quote for a new kitchen a couple of months ago. £10,000. No way we can afford that.

I keep seeing thief 50% sale commercials. I am not stupid, I know they would not come back and quote for the same kitchen for £5,000 (great if they would that might be just be do able with savings and a loan) but I would love to hear the excuses they would come out with to get round why the price woudn't be slashed in half, despite a 50% sale.

The guy who came out to quote was a complete knob as well, he was so rude to me and rude about my home and the village I lived in and even tried to lecture me about home ed after he kept on about why ds was there and not at school. He was most unpleasent. I was feeling really down at the time and it really got to me. would love to hear him splutter excuses.

Dh thinks I have far too much time on my hands and won't have any part in it.

OP posts:

SloanyPony · 10/04/2010 14:43

They can get round the 50% off sale thing because there will be certain lines that are 50% off. But you can bet its not the one you have selected. Hillarys blinds are the same.

£10k doesn't sound too bad for a kitchen, depending what that includes.

teamcullen · 10/04/2010 14:46

Are the units that you want in the sale? If so they would have to honour it. Usually they get round it by having one or two kitchens at 50% off, the real tacky ones which are sick green in colour, and the rest have about 10% off.

BouncingTurtle · 10/04/2010 14:46

YABU, if you are not intending to purchase. Chances are you won't get the same person anyway.

First why did you get them in for a quote in the first place, they are consummate rip off artists!
And why did you not send him packing with a flea in his ear if he was so rude?
I think your DH is right.

Sorry you were feeling down, the guy sounds like a total pillock, don't invite him again to be rude to you again.

Original poster

lolapoppins · 10/04/2010 14:54

yes, that's what dh said about selected lines and why he thinks I'd be daft to call them back again. I am just feelng a lot better now and I am even more peed off with how rude the guy was! I was feeling so low that i didn't have much fight in me to stand up for myself.

10k was just for two top and five bottom cupboards, a unit of three draws and a wood worktop (and fitting) Nothing intergral appliances as we have a freestanding fridge and cooker and a huge pantry for food storage (hence not many cupboards) and washer/dryer in cellar. There is not much of the kitchen that needs fitted units, and we are even keeping the old sink, which is why I was a bit shocked to get the quote! We are going to look around for something cheaper.

OP posts:

Original poster

lolapoppins · 10/04/2010 15:01

Do you think I would be listened to if I made a complaint about him to the company? He is the only rep who deals with our area, we are very rural.

I have been thinking about it a lot over the past couple of days. Part of the reason I didn't tell him to get out was shock. Have not been spoken to so rudely in my own home before.

We called in magnet as they were reccomended to us. We used Kitchens direct in our last house about 6 years ago and they were a disaster, I should have learned my lesson.

Will have a check if the unts we liked are in the sale though.

OP posts:

BouncingTurtle · 10/04/2010 19:22

Yeah I would make a complaint, but I don't think a lot would get done, Magnet has a poor reputation when it comes to customer service!

morejuiceplease · 10/04/2010 19:48

That sounds an awful lot for just units. We paid about £4500 for new kitchen, including new sink, double integrated oven, integrated fridge, freezer and dishwasher, breakfast bar and 12 units. Although from mfi so not so posh!

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 10/04/2010 19:49

YABU to make him squirm. You don't like him so get another quote.

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 10/04/2010 19:53

Magnet were crap at customer service 11 years ago.

CirrhosisByTheSea · 10/04/2010 20:55

i would complain because at least then you'll feel you have taken action.

It's more than you 'not liking him' - he was rude to you in your own home and rude about your village and your method of educating your child! Good grief!

Complain, go for it.

cocobongo · 10/04/2010 22:41

I suspect that part of the reason it is so expensive is the fitting cost. When I was looking for a kitchen, I went to Magnet and effectively the advisor suggested fitting it myself due to their minimum fees for fitting.

Often the cost of the units themselves is a (relatively) small part of the overall cost. So giving a 50% discount doesn't reduce the total cost substantially.

JaynieB · 10/04/2010 22:48

We had a new kitchen from B&Q a couple of years ago - something like 70% of the cost was fitting. To compare though, we had a oak kitchen (not one of the really fancy ones) with about 6 base units, one big larder cupboard, 5 top units, new hob & cooker & extractor, standard worktops - for about £4.5K. They were ok to deal with - not great, and we did have a lot of hassle about the floor (the new units were smaller than the old ones and it left a gap) but after hassling them a lot, they did sort it out. It helped when I found the mobile phone number of the salesman who measured up and rang him daily to ask about progress

Cartoose · 10/04/2010 22:51

He sounds like an idiot. Who on earth would be rude to someone when they're trying to sell to them?

YANBU

littlemisslozza · 10/04/2010 22:56

That sounds expensive to me. We had Magnet, Kitchens Direct and Moben for quotes and they were all around the same price - £12000 for the solid oak kitchen we wanted including granite worktops, including sink, taps, oven, hob and hood. We have found the same for £6000 by going to a local kitchen supplier, there are loads of companies like them around and the quality is high and the fitting excellent. They don't have such high overheads as they are often on industrial estates rather than having swanky showrooms - the one we went to looked a bit scruffy on the outside but had a beautiful kitchen showrooom inside. I've heard poor reports about some of the fitting by the big kitchen companies, basically that once they've got your money you have a hard job getting them back if something is wrong.
Our kitchen is a 'Lakes' kitchen - they have a website; perhaps they have list of suppliers you could look up?
Good luck

Original poster

lolapoppins · 10/04/2010 23:32

We are going to start looking round next week. I think we will find a builder and buy the units ourselves. We will have to cost it all up and get some building quotes. Although we were going to do that before getting a quote from magnet, but we had called three builders to come and quote and none of them showed up!

We find we always get sales people giving us massive quotes where they would usually do thier 'special discounts' thing to bring the price down a little. We live in a very big house. I think sales people take one look at it and assume we are loaded and can afford more. Nothing could be farther from the truth, we don't have cash to spare at all! When we moved in, we had some floor tiles replaced in our hall, and overheard the workman saying to his son 'if they were poor, or living in a tiny house I'd have charged them a lot less for this job, but people like this can afford it.' I was gobsmacked.

I am going to call the company to compain though. It was about 8 weeks ago now, but I'd only had a m/c a week before so I was in a really bad place for a while and had other things on my mind (dh was supposed to cancil them coming out and forgot, he was shirty at me from the outset as i thought the appointmet had been canciled and didn't want to let him in). The bloke was so, so rude I am pissed off that in didint make a complaint sooner.

OP posts:

tootyflooty · 10/04/2010 23:48

10k, I'd be too scared to use it at that price. we got a lovely kitchen from mfi, it was one of their many 75 % off sales about 7 years ago and it cost 2500, they wanted the same again to fit it, but my builder charged us a daily rate and did it in 3 days including tiling for 300.00. we have a large kitchen so loads of cupboards and a breakfast bar, people are amazed when I say how much it cost
But b and q, homebase etc , even ikea, do some lovely kitchens, and if you find a reliable builder to fit it you will be quids in.

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