Wren kitchens

[Katjolo]

Hi all, does anyone have any experience of wren kitchens? The buying process etc. Also has anyone used the wren installation service? Thanks

We bought from Wren last year. Design and buying process was excellent, though based on what I've heard from others, it does depend on the particular branch/salesperson. No issues for us. Delivery was all fine. The sink had a hairline crack in it, rang them and they sent another one out with no argument. Didn't use their fitters so can't comment on that. Our fitter was a little puzzled by some of the instructions (he hadnt done a Wren kitchen before) but it all fitted in perfectly and we have no complaints.

We recently went to Wren for a quote on our kitchen, baring in mind it's probably a small/medium galley kitchen.. quoted us £18,000. Our kitchen designer seemed like he'd only just finished his training and was really incompetent.
Went to B&Q yesterday and we've got a kitchen for £3,681 and it's stunning, even better than the design Wren came up with! But I agree with @animaniac I think it depends on the branch and kitchen designer, pot luck basically.

Thank you. I'll take a look at b and q. Have heard some good things about wickes too.

Used Wren last year (Inc their fitters). Would advise you to run a mile in any other direction!

Oh wow! Why were they so bad?

In the kitchen retail industry, Wren is universally considered to be the epitome of awful both to work for and buy from.

If there's a devious and consumer-unfriendly practice, they do it.

Their product is wildly overpriced for it's spec and they rely on the glamour of their showrooms and "time limited special deals" to wow and pressure customers into signing up with them.

Wickes is by far the better option; you'll still pay considerably more than you need to if you go for the full package (Supply & Fit + Finance) but their designers are far better and their product & installation is good.

Magnet's not awful, but again you'll pay over the odds for the spec.

B&Q is not a great choice for home users, imo. Their product is cheaply made, very limited in style/design and decidedly aimed towards rental or resale.

They're basically Howdens but flatpack, a bit cheaper and with far less options.

If you're looking for good value but at a reasonable price, visit an independent and get a supply only cash price, then engage your own fitter. You could save a fortune and end up with a superior product.

We’ve just put in a magnet kitchen and it is beautiful in every way

DIYkitchens.com

B and Q prices for top spec stuff.

Go to a couple of places to play with designs (choose places that let you take a plan away) then when you are happy DIY have an online planner which will order everything for you once you input the design.

My ex-neighbour is a kitchen fitter (he fitted ours in the old house) hates wren kitchens. We had a magnet one, which he supplied at trade cost.

DIY Kitchen are fabulous, much better quality than some others I've seen mentioned, so much choice, easy to fit and a great price too, we love ours and would use them again

DIY Kitchens is pretty good gear for the price (not top spec though!), providing you know what you're ordering and factor in the costs of delivery, etc.

Unfortunately, they're marred by a terrible reputation for delivering late with damaged or poor quality items then taking an age to rectify problems.

Great company when it goes right, can be pretty horrendous when it doesn't.

Some great ideas and advice. Thanks.

I know 2 people who had Wren kitchens. I wouldn’t touch Wren with a barge pole after their experiences. Poor quality units, awful after sales.

We got a quote from wren and was really pleased with the quote they gave us but wasn't able to go through with the work in the end so can't comment further than the initial measurement/quote etc

Going to give wickes a try

I've got a Wren kitchen. Had it fitted by Wren about 18 months ago. Baed on my experience. Don't fall for the promises made by the salesman. He's just after commission as usual. I would normally do this fitting myself but fell for the 'any problems we can get things sorted next day, if you do it there may be delays'. Total lies. I admit delivery was exactly as agreed. My kitchen consists of over twenty units. Mostly doubles and a few singles.Except when the installers turned up there were 9 doors missing. I said that of, course they would be there the next day. Nope, over a week. The fitters had to return to fit and there were still two missing then! Whatever you do, don't use their install teams. They charge more than the work is worth and the quality is pretty poor. Two of the larger worktops hadn't been fixed down and the one for the sink they had sliced through the front edge and glued it back together. Complaints get you nowhere as their service department are crap. Every time you message someone different replies and you need to go through the whole saga again. The kitchen itself I'm very pleased with now but I would never, ever use their 'fitters', I doubt very much they are vetted.

We‘ve just had a wren kitchen installed and it’s fine. Our designer was great - and very patient with our multiple changes
We didn’t use their fitters as thy were pricey

After sakes service has been great - a wrong tap and a replacement door that had very minor damage were sent out next day with no quibble at all.

A neighbour had a wren kitchen installed recently. The fitting, or lack of, and customer service was appalling and many complaints were made.

I think its pot luck with this company (wren). probably any designer who's any good won't stay there long.
i had a DIY kitchen with no problems, we had an independent designer plan it with us (the one mentioned in some of the DIY reviews) and they priced and ordered off her PDF listing.