Anyone have a bathroom fitted by DOLPHIN? If so how much. just had a hard sell.

[drosophila]

Says it all really. What did you think of them?

ridiculously expensive and a hard sell

if they hard sell you refuse on principle

believe they are extremely overpriced

we threw them out as they were far too expensive and service they gave some friends was appalling -- DO NOT TOUCH WITH BARCHPOLE!

The plumber who fitted our bathroom worked for them previously. He said the person who comes around to try to make the sale decides before even talking to you how much he is going to try to make, based on where you live and what your house looks like from the outside. I would always beware of a company that can't give you a price list when you ask for a brochure - would make me suspicious that the price will be whatever they can con you into....

We were having a bathroom fitted years ago and there was a problem with the showerhead thing which the plumber was fitting, and we needed another one - so we ran down the road to Dolphin in Guildford....we had tatty jeans on and did not look stunning as we had been painting, but - the woman looked at us as though we were something that the cat had dragged in and didn't even move from behind her desk. She said, as an opening gambit, that they were a very exclusive store and probably were out of our price range!! As we were leaving she asked our budget "£5000" said my ex husband. She replied that we would not be able to buy a Dolphin bathroom for that. My x replied that the £5000 was just for a new showerhead. Stupid cow. So don't touch them with a bargepole

DON'T DO IT!

We had a dolphin bathroom. The hard sell was horrendous. To be fair, the fitters were superb (but I understand these are outsourced contractors and we were lucky - I've heard bad stories about the fitters too).

But in general, although it was a nice bathroom and I was pleased we'd had it done, I didn't think the quality was up to much. Certain things felt a bit plasticy. The hinge on the toilet seat broke as did the shower holder and got replaced in guarantee. Then the hinge on the toilet broke again just out of guarantee. And anyone who has met me and my family will KNOW we are not heavy people!! We also take care of things - not unduly rough.

They charged us £114.80 to replace the toilet seat (it was molded in with the hinge!!) We'd have got a twenty quid one from B&Q instead, but we were trying to sell the house at the time and thought it important to have the proper one on such a new bathroom.

Would never go with them again.

Have you thought about getting recommendations for independant fitters then sourcing the bathroom stuff from somewhere like Wickes? We had a Wickes kitchen here which we're very pleased with and was really very reasonably priced. Happily recommend them.

Katyp this is exactly what I suspected. He tried to pin us down to how much we wanted to spend. I wouldn't play ball. He suggested 5 or 6K and I said tell me how much your cheapest most basic one is and then the one with frills.

Well lo and behold after all his sums it came to 6K but wouldn't you know it this price was only valid until tomorrow (some rubbish about it being an ideal home special offer price) and then it would jum to 9K.

Who would you use? Any reputable companies out there. He also told us that there plumbers get paid 75k a year. I suggested he retrain.

Thanks everyone!

Oh forgot to mention ... Dolphin (and their sister company Moben Kitchens) got a mention on Watchdog a couple of years back for precisely these sorts of problems - hard sell, poor fitting, overpricing.

I would use a reputable plumber and source the stuff myself..lots of plumbers make 60% on the stuff they buy in for you

if you get fit only price they may charge a bit more but much less than getting a package

Don't use them. They made huge cock up of my Mum's bathroom and it took about 9 months to rectify the damage. A few examples:

They blocked the drains (hers and next doors) with some plastery stuff

Put tiles up upside down (they were patterned with flowers)

Joined the carpet the wrong way so pile went in opposite directions half way down the bathroom

Took 2 months to do a job which they said would take 9 days

She complained and they offered her a free bathrobe in compensation. She sued via small claims court and got 750 squid out of them.

They were a nightmare. Quality is crap too.

NO! We had them do our bathroom, cost 12K and it took 4 months or more, much longer than the 2 weeks promised. The first sub-contractor did a total mess, the second one had to take everything out and start again. We got £500 compensation from them in the end, but the discomfort (our DS was 1.5 at the time), time spent on the phone (over 40 calls, checked the phone bill), rudeness etc.

BTW the bathroom is now looking beautiful, the design was very good, the final work was absolutely perfect, but it took far too long and was not the hassle-free experience we wanted from a "big" name.

Buna Seara, Cristina!

BTW my DH has re-trained from computer programmer to plumber.

Regarding "lots of plumbers make 60% on the stuff they buy in for you" - depends really. If it's a small job then DH probably does it at cost. If it's a larger job it may involve him:

• travelling to various places to get the pieces he needs (time, petrol)
• ocasionally even staying in (him or me) to receive various pieces and sign for them
• paying extra for delivery (sometimes getting just one item couriered can cost up to £75!!! but this he always agrees with the client beforehand)
• hours spent resourcing some obscure item or another (phone calls to manufacturers, sales reps etc)

Fine if you can do it all yourself, but don't underestimate the time and hassle.

BTW Drosophila, we are in SW19 if you're looking for a plumber

Buna seara, Tanzie. Nu te-am mai vazut de mult pe forum!

We didn't get the hard sell, but the quote was hilarious

Have kept plans to use with another supplier

I had this experience with a double glazing salesman, and it was amazing how much lower the price went as time went on, so bargain as hard as they sell is my advice - oh and it helps if you don't actually want what they are selling! We bought our bathroom suite from a local trade shop (Scobles - not sure if it's a one off or a chain) and then went with their recommended fitter. We have a very nicely fitted bathroom, with exactly what we wanted at a price that we worked out in advance. I'd recommend this any time. Go along to B&Q or any large chain and see what is on offer to get an idea of prices for the bits so that you can see if it is reasonable. Recommendations are a really good idea too, because it's hard to know if things are going wrong until they are finished and gone.

Haven't read the whole thread, but they come up fairly frequently on Watchdog. I also know a couple of people who have had horrendous experiences with them and also with Moben kitchens which if I remember correctly are somehow linked.

just do not go there, times a million!

a horrendous no no no no no no no no
So many people I know have had awful experiences
one thought money meant good quality she was shafter shafted
Terrible service

MN is great isn't it. DP is rather impressed now at all the info.

Thanks guys.