Where do I stand, help please

We've bought a new kitchen from magnet and the fitters came yesterday to fit it, it look like they have got the measurements wrong and saying my window sill has to come out our the wine cooler (larger cooler) won't fit, should it be there responsibility if them to put the sill right to make it fit, they are trying to say it's out fault when they came out to measure, they are saying now all the units are going to be too high.
One of there solutions is to cut the worktop around the sill but that would look terrible.

 

I wouldn't back down if it was them who measured it up for you. Like you say, you ordered a kitchen (made-to-measure) that should look a certain way. If they mess up the measurements then it is their responsibility to put it right.

I certainly wouldn't accept them chopping it up to make it fit and making a hash of it.

From a quick look online, it seems Magnet's customer service is literally dreadful from the moment you pay them. If I were you I'd only contact them in writing/email (keep copies) and inform them that they need to rectify the problem. Tell them to respond in writing also.

That way, if they don't get it sorted you can report them to trading standards who can look at the case for you. Too many people argue over the phone and get nowhere as trading standards haven't got any evidence.

 

Where do I stand?

Well, if you look down at the floor where your feet are...you should be able to ascertain where you are standing.

I do hope this helps.

 

Did you supply the measurements or did they send someone round to do it? If it's the latter than it's their fault.
Did they allocate you a "project manager" or something similar? When we had our kitchen fitted a couple of years ago by B&Q we had a project manager assigned. We had his mobile number and any issues we could contact him.
We did have some issues....they had sent the wrong mixer tap (I noticed when I was looking through all the boxes) they'd sent a basic one and we'd ordered a higher range one, in fact on the delivery sheet it was showing the basic one but I called him and he remembered that we had ordered a different one and he dropped it off on his way home.
When they were fitting the corner unit, he'd designed it not to go all the way into corner so we had a wider door and drawer on it....when I got home I saw the fitters had put it right into the corner so the drawer wouldn't have fitted. I called him up and he said he'd come through the next morning to check and speak with the fitters. The fitters were also arguing about one of the overhead cupboards and saying if we wanted a taller fridge it wouldn't fit. My wife told me that the project manager was arguing with the fitters saying "this is what the customer has requested, do it as they want it" and they eventually did.
Seems that the fitters just want anything to make their lives easier.
I'd arranged for the electrician and the fitters were telling my wife that they would finish everything off and then the electrician could come to do his bits which would have meant him having to cut through units rather than them waiting til he'd finished. My wife rang me up and put me onto the fitters and I told them I'd arranged the electrician to be there that afternoon and that they wait til he'd done....they weren't happy but they complied.

Anyway....the moral of the story is to speak with the project manager if you have one.

 

cheers thereev, i feel so much better now,

anyway...
We have had a project manager, whose whole attitude has changed since we order the kitchen.

We did in the first place gave the measurements but both the designer and the kitchen fitters came back out to double check.

I have since been intouch with Head office and awaiting a response from them. they said they will sort out the problem and get in plastered again for us (at no cost)

but i have had some many silly problems with them, they sent the invoice to my other house that i've just rented out, they sent the kitchen fitters in the first instance there too, again making thing slower moving forward and then they decided to send the insurance there. (i know its only letters but still gets on your nerves)

all i got told from the project manager, "aslong as the kitchen come to the right address its doesn't matter" and the other thing he told my parter was she was only looking for problems to complain. What!!! you are having to take my window sill out to fit the bloddy kitchen you got the wrong size for and we are only looking for problems...

oh well lets see ehat happens.

 

the fitters are usually contractors paid to do the job by magnet so have no "company affinity" or really care about customer satisfaction... paid to do a job and as quickly as theycan so they can get onto the next one.... make sure you make a snag chit that the fitter and manager both see and sign before they leave if there any minor problems you then have some chance of getting them fixed..

 

been told Pompey that i have something like 7 days from insallation to check over everthing.

 

I must apologise for my sillyness Kev B............. I have been through this myself and it appears that all these these b@stards want is your money. Threaten them with Consumer Protection and tell them you are going to the Citizens Advice Bureau for compensation if things are not completed to your satisfaction. This normally does the trick as they do not want bad publicity.....you could also write to the Chronicle but to be honest I would not trust them one bit to report the story correctly.

The bottom line is that they do not want bad publicity and they do not want Consumer groups hassling them so do not put up with any shlte. My best advice would be to put it all in writing as the b@stards tend to deny any verbal communications took place.

If you need any help doing a snotty letter....I am the man.

thereev

 

cheers thereev,

 

True about the fitters being contracted. We could, ahd we known, engaged with them directly and got it done cheaper. They asked me if I had anyone to do teh tiling, and I said i didn't, they gave me the number of the guy that usually follows tehm around and contracts to B&Q. Got that job done at a fraction of the price B&Q would have charged....i was going to do it myself but with my DIY track record I'm glad I didn't!

 

we did get a really good cost from magnet for the fitters £1600 to fit the kitchen, it's for 19 units along with electrical stuff such as, washer, dishwasher, larger cooler, fridge and the 2 ovens and hob.

i do have to look at a tiler now tho, and dont know what i'm going to put on the floor, laminate or tiles

 

Is there no end to your talents?

 

I can recommend the guy that did ours, very reasonable. Got us a discount on the tiles at Al Murad as well. I'll post details up later if you are interested

 

Well i must admit this is a particularly strong area for me..... i hate being treated shoddily and the best thing is to put it in writing as they will deny any verbal agreements that costs em money.

As for other talents......... if you have a gorgeous wife/girlfriend aged 25+ then send her round and i will sort her out for ya too!!!

thereev likes to help wherever possible.

 

I'd stand

in the queue for adult literacy classes if I were you.

 

Re: I'd stand

I don't need to..... I am fully qualified in that area.......obviously you are too.

I do hope this helps.

 

Re: I'd stand

One thing to watch out for,we had a kitchen done by B&Q,they didn't make it clear that they only used sub contractors,in our case a Leeds firm called Lynn & Jones,at the end of the job the fitter asked my wife to sign a sheet of paper saying he needed it to pick up a part(he never returned).The fitting was garbage and when we complained to B&Q,Lynne and Jones produced a letter of customer satisfaction signed by the missus,as she'd only signed one thing,they'd obviously just filled the sheet in back at base.We refused to pay the balance and they threatened us with court(L & J that is)we suggested to B&Q that Watchdog would be our next call and a deal was suddenly on the table that we paid the balance less what it cost us for
another firm to put it right.