kitchens direct / moben / mkd holdings

[teresa]

Has anyone had any problems with the above mentioned company or any ideas as to how i can deal with them?
They took £10,000 off me for my dream kitchen, pressured me into signing a contract then wrote on it after i signed, saying that there may be added charges. I asked him to cancel that contract but he refused, said i wasn't allowed as i'd already signed. He didn't even draw my attention to the writing overleaf as he had the paper folded so we couldn't see it. He promised me installation within two to three weeks, it was six weeks late and it's still not done nearly 4 months later. Then they changed the date three times. The big team of fitters was actually only two men. I didn't get the kitchen i was meant to get, i was told it would be all solid dark oak but the actual units are light oak which you can see round the sides of the door's, they have left channels open for electrical wires in the wall, one granite worktop is not the same as the others and the cuts are off, the joins in the work top are really bad, i don't have doors on some the cupboards, we've had a leak and the tap often come's loose. They kept changing the delivery and fitting dates, told me they would be back to finish it and never came back. i've had numerous deliveries for items i don't need, my garage is full. When i eventually got delivery of one thing i needed, it was snapped in half. They can't seem to locate hinges to hang the doors. they left live wires dangling through the fan in the cooker hood, and couldn't find anything wrong when we had a leak! The list goes on. The inspector is arrogant and vary unhelpful. I really want them to take it out but they have obviously refused. I don't think i can use the small claims court as the amount is over £5000. Is this correct? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and i would like to hear of any others who have also had problems with these cowboys. Thanks.

[Guest]

you lucky person at least you had them come out to mess your house.I was receiving calls (odd times) whether i was still interested in purchasing a kitchen from them EVEN after they managed to miss 2 appointments to measure, design and sell.

the most interested parts were when i started to get calls from sales team offering kitchens at 95% off rrp, if i book an appointment today for a sales rep to call from joe blogg firms, never heard of them.

after reading your post, even today i am still thinking who them firms were AND where did they get my number from as this was my first and last company that i gave my full details to.

anyway after that experiance i brought a kitchen from a local manufacture and used a good fitter recemended by a freind and still saved huge amount of money even after there sales offers.

[teresa]

[ncmoon]

OK some advice. I haven't dared go and read up on Kitchens Direct on the 'net.

First off, it migt matter how you paid for the kitchen. Cheques/cash/DD/SO/debit cards - probably makes no odds. Credit cards - major difference - opens up the possibility you can reclaim the money off the CC company.

Other possibility is that you signed some sort of credit agreement for the kitchen. If this is the case, you may find that the company who hold the credit agreement is different from the company supplying ther kitchen. But again, such an agreement is likely to be covered by Consumer Credit Act legilsation. That might give you more clout and it may mean you can sue the credit company/ terminate the agreement separately from dealing with Kitchens Direct.

In your situation, you need to get as much ammo in your armoury before you start. You ain't done this before - but this outfit have been sued by consumers day in day out for years - they'll know how to work the system. Not that that lessens your chance of winning - just they'll be very good at spinning things out and you'll have to be quite determined to sort it out.

You probably need to deliver them with somer kind of ultimatum. This can also be your letter before action. Overtly this letter says come and fix everything NOW or we'll sue for the retuern of all our money, throwing this junk away and the cost of making good the kitchen to a safe state - so someone else can install a new kitchen.

But really, you should hope they don't deal with htis letter. If they do turn up and do repairs - you'll probably won't do the job properly. Sret the threshold of what you want done really high. You actually want them to fail so you can sue or convince them they will be wasting their time sending dodgy Bob and his halwit apprentice back.

To this end, I would suggest drawing up a schedule of works for them to complete. Write down everything that is wrong. And I mean everything. A wonky door, a draw that doesn't slide properly. A stain, a crack. I mean wiork round the kitchen starting at say the door, and identify evey single little thing that isn't absolutely perfect. For each item identify the fault, then describe exactly how you want it fixed. Remove and replace with working unit, repair, make good etc. By the sound of it, you could make this list run to pages.

When the guy at the other end gets it you really want his heart to sink.

So in your final letter, you tell them what you want done. Tell them that if they fail you want a 100% refund plus if appropriate additional money to repair other items (like your walls/ceilings). Tell thme this is the final letter before you begin court action.

Then once that's over and they've failed - do what you said you would do -take them to court. Just do it. They are messing you about because they think you won't start court action.

It won't be a small claim - it'll be in the fast track. Pretty much the same court and same procedures. There is a slight difference in costs and enforcement would be different for that amount but not major issues.

And frankly, I'd worry about that later - there is every chance they'll either make you an offer before it goes to court - or they'll ignore you in which case you win without any effort. Basically get on and do it - you can always abandon the claim if it gets to be too much trouble.
_________________
Nick Moon [WebMaster]

www.justclaim.co.uk

[S J]

A lot of detail but not much clarity.....most of the relevant information is not available so I have covered some of the points generally.

The sale, delivery and instalation is all covered by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) and possibly the Supply of Goods & Services Act 1982 (I think thats the right date). If you havent got what you paid for or the instalation hasnt been carried out with reasonable care and skill then this is a breach of contract. Depending on date of purchase etc you may have the option of recission or damages. You also have the option of partial rejection...i.e. rejecing those itmes that do not conform to the cotract. This should lead to a price reduction but you will have to have the additional stuff replaced yourself, for which you may bring a claim against them....this may just make things more complecated.

You can inform them of the breach and let them know that 'time is of the essence' and that you are prepared to allow another **** amount of days/weeks for completion. If not you will treat the contract as at an end due to their failure to fulfill their contractual obligations, with a view to having the work completed elsewhere, the costs of which you will be seeking from them.

If you have entered into a credit agreement to fund the purchase then you should send a copy to them too. Allow 7-14 days for a reply.

If you have enetered into a contract or signed an agreement which has onerous terms which were concealed from you then you may raise that as an issue...

In basic terms....dont expect the court to suppport you in claiming that you didnt know what you were signing if you didnt bother to read the document before signing. If it was concealed then you should have asked to see it....if it was still kept from you then you should have refused to sign it.....

There may be an issue of misselling here so you may do well to speak to your local trading standards about this and your complpaint generally.

If the charges that might apply afterwards are charges in a credit agreement then it may be unenforceable.....at least without an order from the court...charges in a credit agreement should all be clearly stated and in most cases. depending on the charge, be included in the total cost of credit. If it isnt then the agreement doesnt comply with regulations and, as above, may be unenforceable. You will need someone who knows about this to look at the agreement, if it is a credit agreement.

Claims in the county court above £5000 may still be heard in the small claims. You are some time away from this so ask closer to the time if it becomes necessary.

If you are sent goods or items that are broken then dont accept delivery of them.....if you cant see them then examine them as soon as possible and inform the sender if they are broken or incomplete.

As for the inspector....who is he....someone you hired or someone sent by the company???? If by the company then get and independant inspection..... (costs money so warn the other side first and let them know the costs).

This isnt as easy as it may sound above....so make sure you are prepared first, decide what you want to do and be prepared to accept some disruption.....if you do decide to fight......


Good luck

[gingesarah]

Kitchens diret have just been over my houses pressurising my parents into buying a kitchen. Our Kitchen is 3 by 4 m and the price originally quoted was £12000 within a minute it was £7500.... amazing price considering my kitchen is so small. Pressuired sales tatics... till the end... then found this website and stopped all procedings immediately. Just saved my parents one heck off alot of money

Don't Buy From These... Offer is 2 Good to be true!!!! Don't be fooled!!!

[billbailey]

I'm thinking about buying a kitchen from Kitchens Direct [first visit yesterday - on time, polite, seemed to know his stuff] and have been surfing the net for more info. Can anyone clarify for me whether Kitchens Direct [Moben, MKD Holdings etc] is the same company as Discount Kitchens Direct run by the infamous Vance Miller or is it a seperate organisation? Any help much appreciated.

[davidjohnbutton]

No, the two are not connected - Vance Miler runs his empire from Oldham.

[john rhodes]

[Janat Clark]

Ihave just returned from the Grand Design Show at Excel in London where I asked for a brichure from the Kitchens Direct stand - I gave my name and address and was asked for my telephone number which I refused - I was then subjected to a tirade of rudeness saying that if I did not give my telephone number there was no brochure - I explained Iam ex directory and did not want any sales calls and I was told that if they sent me a brochure the sales team WOULD HAVE TO telephone me - I explained that there are privacy laws and that I did not have to reveal my telephone number and again was subjected to a barrage of rudeness.
If this is how the sales staff act before I receive a brochure then I want nothing to do with this company - I certainly do not want to be on the receiving end of a load of unwanted telephone calls.
This on the first morning of the Exhibition can you imagine what she would be like by the end of the Show?

[riddlemeree]

I bought a kitchen for £4,000 some 10 years ago. This was before the advent of the internet where I could have checked them out. I sued them in Manchester County Court, but they know all the tricks. Two visits from London to Manchester. Was it worth it? No, not really. Today, there is no excuse for people using this company. Just check the internet and be warned. Regards.

[mandy]

I have just spent 8 months trying to find a kitchen at the right price that i liked. I had kitchens direct in for a quote ( 3hours) and had to ask him to leave in the end as I was so fed up! Eventually I had to call to get a price and heard nothing more. I was quite pleased in the end as I've heard nothing but bad things since. The salesman told me that they also owned Moben kitchens (altho he wasn't supposed to tell me).
I eventually found a smaller firm who use their own in house fitters. I have only paid 25% up front and won't pay the final amount until it is all fitted to my satisfaction. I would never pay the whole amount up front under any circumstances.
I would advise anyone to avoid Kitchens Direct/Moben kitchens.

[annon ex moben salesman]

In 2004, I worked for a short time as a self employed kitchen designer for Moben. I went on a brief training course along with 15 others - only myself and one other person had any previous experience of kitchen design. Some of the people on my course had no idea of how to design anything but nevertheless, the next week we were all sent out as 'expert kitchen designers' which roughly translated into english means 'high pressure salepeople'

However, to be honest, the quality of Moben kitchens is as good as anyone elses in that price range - I can't comment on their fitters, who are also self employed, because we never had any contact with customers after we had made the sale, but for me Moben's high pressure sales tactics really spoilt what could otherwise be a good company. By the way MKD Holdings owns Moben, Kitchens Direct, Sharps Bedrooms and Dolphin Bathrooms - all of which operate in exactly the same way.

I was expected to spend a minimum of 2/3 hours designing and then selling on the spot - we never called back, if we didn't do the deal on the night then the lead was given to someone else.

I didn't feel comfortable working for these people and so I packed it in.

For the past 12 months I have been working for a small family business where I put my professional interior design skills to good use designing quality kitchens bedrooms and studies. Most of our business comes by way of recommendations from previously satisfied customers - which says everything YOU need to know.

NEVER buy ANYTHING from ANYONE unless you have been recommended. If you are in the market for a new kitchen, bedroom, study, double glazing, conservatory, car, computer - ANY MAJOR PURCHASE my advice to you is ask about, ask your family members or friends - someone is bound to have recently purchased what you are after. Then go and see theirs and if they/you are satisfied with the quality, after sales service and value for money then go and see the company for yourself. If you feel pressured in any way in the showroom GET OUT!!!

But use your common sense; NEVER BUY ANYTHING ON THE SPOT UNLESS YOU ARE CONFIDENT THAT IT IS (A) WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AND (B) WHAT YOU CAN REALISTICALLY AFFORD.

If you choose to ignor this advice then really you only have yourself to blame.

[blogs]

hello, i work for mkd holdings. Mkd holdings is the name of a group of companies, including moben kitchens, kitchens direct, sharps bedrooms, dolphin bathrooms. Our head office is a t cornbrook.

The company is a professional outfit, if you take photos and send them to head office with an accompying letter, a surveyor will be sent to examine the work and put it right.

It is not possible for anybody to add information after you have signed and it is company policy that you have a 10 day cooling off period after signing. It is dissapointing to hear you are not happy with the product as opposed to 98% of our customers who are. However all complaints are dealt with in a fair and professional manner, yours truly

[S J]

I doubt anything you say now will salvage the company reputation. The company's actions and conduct have already spoken louder than your words. Its rather insulting to all those aggreived customers to post such a response when clearly your company has failed to act in the manner you state.

I think your company policy with regard to cooling off is very much influenced by law rather than good customer practice.


Saying that a company is a 'professional outfit' does not make it one. These matters are displayed in other ways e.g. performance, customer care etc. Your company has already demonstrated the opposite.

I think the number of negative posts on here represents more than the 2% you claim to be unhappy or dissatisfied.

As a professional outfit I fail to see why it is necessary for an unhappy customer to have to take photos to send before the alleged professional outfit is prepared to act, if at all.