A MARRIED couple were devastated after paying a £15k deposit for a dream Wickes kitchen only to be left with a nightmare.
Philippa and Kenneth Turnbull were told by home improvement retailer Wickes that the job would be done by December 21 2022 after they put down their hefty deposit.
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But despite work starting on December 5, the pair were soon left unimpressed as less than a week before work was due to start they claim they were informed that no work had been scheduled.
The work was then allegedly continuously pushed back, eventually beginning in early January after Wickes finally sourced a contractor to begin work.
But Philippa, 38, and Kenneth, 37, claim that by the second week of installing the kitchen, the employee was no longer listening to their requests, proceeding as he saw fit with plastering work.
They added that the man also allegedly made attempts to add an extra fee on top of the £15,000 deposit, after moving a light switch they had repeatedly asked him not to touch.
The couple also claim that the man would arrive late every day and had even suggested a new unit would be required because the first one was measured incorrectly.
Despite his apparent interest in the job, the man allegedly then disappeared in early February, grinding the renovation to a halt.
It left the couple with a half-done kitchen with cupboards and counters unfinished, doors and walls scratched, and construction items left scattered in their daughter’s playroom.
Five months later and thousands of pounds down, the couple are still nowhere close to having their kitchen complete and claim they are yet to be refunded by Wickes.
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Philippa said: “We have been majorly let down by Wickes with our kitchen fit.
“It was supposed to have been completed by December 21 but it’s still incomplete and they’re not communicating efficiently.
“We put a deposit down in autumn last year on our dream kitchen with Wickes. They left a voicemail on my husband’s phone to give dates of delivery and a start date of installation.
“The Friday before work was due to start, we chased Wickes down for information as nothing was communicated.
“They said it would be the following week for work to start but soon back-tracked and said it would now be January.”
“We have been majorly let down by Wickes with our kitchen. It was supposed to have been completed by December 21 but it’s still incomplete.”
Philippa Turnbull, 38
Philippa said that they had had emptied their kitchen and had the floor tiled and completed ready for the install.
She continued: “They then said they found an installer who would be in contact. He made contact just before Christmas and gave us a start date in January and measured to make sure the kitchen plan would definitely fit.
“He found that the area we planned to have the dryer was measured incorrectly so informed Wickes that a new floor to ceiling unit would be needed.
“Just after Boxing Day the installer said if we paid the specialist fee in full to him he will bring the job forward a few days. We did this and as promised the work started.”
Husband Kenneth added: “When the work finally started, the first week was mainly stripping out and everything pretty much seemed fine with the exception of him arriving late on occasions.
“Into week two, we started getting issues with our installer. He didn’t want to have all walls just plastered, and said it would be better to board and plaster.
“So I said I had no issues as long as everything would be fine. I made it very clear to the installer that I wanted just one wall plastering so that it didn’t alter original measurements.
“He ignored us and went and boarded and plastered anyway. He kept saying ‘I know what I’m doing, I’m a kitchen fitter.’
‘HALF-FINISHED’
Fed up Kenneth claims the kitchen has been “fitted with poor standards” and that the whole kitchen now needs replacing.
He continued: “We’re left with a half-finished kitchen we can’t make changes on as it’s with Wickes.
“The whole kitchen needs replacing and that has been said from a fitter with more than 35 year’s experience in the trade.”
“We had the installation manager out a week or so after we were left by the installer, who has made a list of problems with the kitchen and a list of new materials.
“Took him four weeks to pass that info onto customer services to arrange delivery. Delivery still hasn’t been arranged and still waiting on a date for the new installer.”
And he says that he last talked to Wickes back in March and claims they are “dragging their heels”.
Kenneth added: “Last email received was on March 30 with a list of remedial works to be agreed by myself. It’s now with Wickes customer relations and they seem to be dragging their heels.
“The furniture ombudsman is involved now and has recently contacted citizens’ advice.
“I will now only agree to a full refit of our kitchen now that we know where we stand, unless ‘Wickes’ agrees to repair all mistakes professionally.”
A spokesperson for Wickes said: “We are very sorry to hear of Mr & Mrs Turnbull’s kitchen installation issues, as we aim to complete all our installations to a high standard.
“Following the customers enquiry, a regional manager attended the property to assess, and a new installer is being arranged to complete the remaining installation.
“The customer relations team will continue to work with Mr & Mrs Turnbull until the matter is resolved.”
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