I paid Wickes £6,000 for a new kitchen with £775 of extras to be paid to the installer. Work was expected to finish within the week. In fact, the installer failed to return after working for just 14 hours over three days, and making a complete hash of the job. Before he disappeared, he demanded the £775. I was left without a working kitchen, the contents of which were stored in my small living room. Wickes insisted the original installer be allowed the opportunity to correct the mistakes, despite my concerns about his competence. In any case, that installer was not available for five weeks. After seven weeks of inaction, I told Wickes I would appoint my own fitter to correct the many mistakes. I am 83 and in poor health and the stress was affecting me. The new fitter had to strip the kitchen out and start again. He completed the job seven weeks after Wickes was supposed to have done. In the two months since then, I have tried in vain to persuade Wickes to reimburse me the installation fee of £2,447 I had paid.
RK, Hertfordshire
This disgraceful saga raises wider issues with Wickes customer service. You initially complained to your local store, which promised new parts and a new fitter, but the matter was taken out of their hands by regional management, which decreed from above without inspecting your botched kitchen. And that decree was that installers are always given a second chance. That may work if they’ve made a few slips; it’s unreasonable if they’ve unleashed chaos, then disappeared.
The day after I contacted Wickes, you were surprised by a call offering to settle the dispute in full. Wickes says: “We’re very sorry to hear of the installation problems, as we aim to complete our work to a high standard. A designated member of the team has continued to work with the customer to address these concerns, which have now been resolved.” It tells me problems were treated on a “case by case” basis and that it was “usual practice” for original installers to return to fix any problems. It says that local and regional departments worked together if further action was required to ensure “the best resolution”.
In your case, it required press office input to ensure any resolution, despite months of pleading from you. And what was that resolution? We don’t know. Wickes refused to comment on why you were so badly let down and your payout came with a gagging order. However, you say the outcome is satisfactory. And I say that I won’t be using Wickes when I need a new kitchen.
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