Howden's kitchens – colluding with builder to rip off the customer?

[tuliptoes]

Anyone else had experience of buying a kitchen with Howdens? Their pricing is v smoke and mirrors & frankly I was a little gobsmacked by the quote I've just received for their framed Tewkesbury kitchen. Apparently, we've been given a 75 per cent trade discount on every item which means that a corner unit (£586.50) at full price costs a whopping £2346.
Actually feel quite insulted that they think I'm stupid enough to believe it and have decided not to buy anything from them ever.

Isn't magnet much pricier though?

Like the sound of that shaker kitchen company up north!

Denise Welch advertises Howden kitchens on our local radio, that was enough to put me off.

We have a Howdens Kitchen. Our builder had an account with them which we settled, so he (the builder) made no profit on the kitchen at all.

We had a lovely mid-range, kitchen, 18 cupboards (some full height, some drawer units), a double sink, a nice tap, worktops and ALL built in appliances (fridge freezer, double oven, 5 ring gas hob, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, extractor hood) some internal drawer dividers, two glass wall shelves and a complimentary cast iron pot stand for the grand total of just over £6,000.

It has been in place for over 4 years and we are very happy with it.

Do they fit the kitchens as well as supply? Frankly if they do it's shocking - we just moved to a house that had a Howdens kitchen, and it was falling apart, and when we took it out the MESS behind it was incredible - massive holes gouged out of the wall, wiring all over the place, it was awful.

I'd not trust them to fit anything having seen that and the whole kitchen only lasted about 5 years as far as I can see. The worktops were appalling, there was a sink on one end of a worktop by a door, with the tap at the edge, and no draining board, and the water would just run off the side

It was a very bad kitchen indeed.

From what I gather Howdens can recommend kitchen fitters but don't actually fit the kitchens themselves. I suppose a kitchen is only as good as the fitter. Even an expensive kitchen fitted badly won't look good or have door problems and so on.

Oh Ok. Well I suppose then it must have been poor fitting.

The units and doors seemed very strong. But the way it was done made it hopeless.

I still won't go to them though if we ever have a fitted kitchen - rather buy from B&Q and do it myself.

Would it be worth getting a local carpenter in to see if he could do anything about the fitting. I'm sure the sink could be made to stop leaking. And the washing machine fitted better. It's annoying to have to do this since it's a new kitchen but if the units are good quality it's worth it. And I don't suppose you have any comeback on Howdens or original fitter if you've bought your house since the kitchen was fitted.

My DH is a builder - we recommend Howdens for several reasons -1/ not flat pack, the carcasses are as good as any other mid-range kitchen.
2/ No waiting, they keep pretty much everything in stock so there is no "pay half up front then wait weeks for delivery" like at Magnets.
3/ Good choice of styles, doors, appliances, in a good quality.
4/ Price: they are trade only so in theory they give the builder the price, then the builder can add a bit to make some profit. in practise in these days of internet shopping no one wants the builder to make any profit.

Don't take any notice of the "list price" it's a complete work of fantasy!
The amount of "discount" is negotiated between the builder and Howdens though, so one builder may get a better deal than another.
The best time to buy from there is during their October sale, btw.

Oh, finally, they don't fit kitchens. Holes in walls, dodgy wiring, wonky doors etc are all down to the fitting!

Our last flat had a kitchen from Homebase - bought because it was the best finance deal in all fairness. The fitter was brilliant and I was really happy with the quality.

It's kind of hard to judge quality of fitting though before the deed is done. You can't waltz into customers' homes demanding to see the fitter's work!

x-post with Vivien - yes we will at some point. None of them are big jobs so hopefully easily sorted but seriously, we're the first people to use the kitchen!

Very annoyed about the hob as was probably under guarantee but had to pay for a new one because couldn't get proof of purchase or details of sale. Got a hotpoint one now which is much better. :)

We have a Howdens kitchen fitted by a builder but we opened our own trade account. We ordered in October when prices are even lower and had it delivered ready for the builder. We weren't asked any qualifying questions, it was very easy.

I had a kitchen extension last year and had an Ikea kitchen fitted. Both my sisters have Ikea kitchens that have been used and abused for years and still look great.

We had over-ordered a couple of kitchen unit items due to it being at foundation stage when I designed and ordered the kitchen so we got away with using a kickboard rather than a decor end piece to fill the gap at the end of a larder unit run.

My kitchen fitter had a magnet account and said, "get that decor end piece returned and get back your £350" he nearly fell over when I told him it had only cost £50. That is why I went with an Ikea kitchen.

I want to see a price and pay that price, not have a figure plucked out of the air and told that X price is a bargain because you have a discount.

Ikea units were very similar in price to B&Q and the likes, but the difference in price for the interior fittings was astronomical. Ikea wins hands down.

Howdens designer put me off. She swanned in, measured up and swanned out again, without bothering to ask me what I actually needed from my kitchen.

Went with John Lewis, who were better quality, better fitted and worked out cheaper because the quote included everything such as fitting a sink and range cooker we had purchased elsewhere, whereas Howden's was just kitchen installation.

Go to DIY kitchens - they cost half the price and are better quality. You have to order it all yourself but they will help you with that.

I really hate Howdens for this. I just want a goddamn price, up front, with no arsing around. I know people who love Howden kitchens, but I just can't be arsed with all the hassle of a non-transparent pricing system.

@rjhkitchens Really interested in what you say about the costs of handmade being lower than people might think. Could you give a ballpark figure for a medium sized kitchen (say, two parallel rows of 6 floor units, wall units on one side only)?