A disabled grandmother was left without a fridge, washing machine or kitchen sink for weeks after her "dream" kitchen renovation turned into a "nightmare".
Lynda Deacon believed the £25,000 refurbishment would take three days to complete, however it ended up dragging on for weeks.
She was left unable to wash her clothes and has been forced to drink water from her bathroom taps, ChronicleLive reports.
The 71-year-old, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS) and spine problems, fears she may catch food poisoning as she still does not have a fridge.
Lynda paid for a refurbishment with Wren Kitchens after moving to South Tyneside to be closer to her daughter Sarah.
But the mess and disruption have left Lynda feeling "stressed" and struggling to sleep.
She's also been unable to invite her young granddaughter round to play because of the chaos.
Wren Kitchens say the company was experiencing "worldwide supply chain issues" and they have since been able to deliver the appliances to Lynda's Hebburn home after previous "miscommunication".
At the end of April, Lynda received a haul of boxes which, she believed, contained the kitchen she'd ordered. With little space for it all in her flat, delivery drivers asked Wren if the fridge-freezer could be stored in their warehouses until there was space for it in the kitchen, and Lynda says the company agreed.
The following week, Lynda was on holiday in Spain, a fact she says she'd made Wren aware of in advance. Nonetheless, she received a number of calls while she was away from delivery drivers attempting to drop off more kitchen parts and appliances.
On May 9, with Lynda back in the country, fitters removed her existing kitchen.
She believed it would take three days to install the new one; but her washing machine was out of stock and the fridge-freezer had gone missing, while she says the cooker which was initially provided wasn't suitable for the kitchen, as it had a steam setting which needed to be plumbed in.
A total of three sinks were delivered; the first two were wrong, Lynda claims, with the correct one taking until the end of last week to arrive.
Although a temporary sink was initially installed, once her new worktops were put in the pensioner says she was left without a kitchen sink and having to get all her water from the bathroom.
Some replacement parts, due on May 14, failed to arrive, and she was then promised the last of her deliveries in June which would have meant a wait of over three weeks without a properly-functioning kitchen.
After ChronicleLive contacted Wren about the delays Lynda was contacted by a manager who helped bring the date forward to Thursday May 26.
Even that wasn't the end of Lynda's kitchen nightmare, as while her new oven did arrive on Thursday, it didn't reach her until 8pm - after the kitchen fitter had had to leave.
Now with her kitchen almost complete, Lynda says she's confident it will look 'absolutely fabulous', but can't understand why work was started without all the appliances available.
She said: "I did have a dishwasher which is lucky, because I had a tap but no sink and [was] having to use water from the bathroom.
"It's been a nightmare: Wren are supposed to be the number one kitchen retailer in the county, but there just seems to be no communication. The boss in the showroom has just washed his hands and said it's not his responsibility. It's more than frustrating.
"I worry about food poisoning and stuff like that because there's no fridge. If I had known before I'd arranged to give the old fridge and washing machine to charity I would have kept them - I would have preferred to wait until everything was there than to be left in this mess.
"If my daughter Sarah wasn't nearby to drop off food and do the washing I would be left high and dry."
She was also worried about a backyard full of debris from the renovations which she claims makes it unsafe for her two dogs to go out there. Although collection of rubbish is included in the price of her kitchen, there's only one pick-up, so she waited until everything was finished for the waste to be cleared away.
Lynda added: "I'm sure the stress of this has exacerbated my MS. I've spent a lot of money on this kitchen and it will look beautiful, but the stress has made me hate it."
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A spokesperson for Wren Kitchens said: "There are well publicised worldwide supply chain issues which unfortunately affected Mrs Deacon’s oven and washing machine but the issues were compounded in this particular case, as Mrs Deacon rejected the fridge when it first arrived as scheduled on 21st April, as it would take up too much space whilst waiting for the kitchen to be fitted.
"Due to a miscommunication somewhere, the customer was on holiday when we attempted to redeliver the fridge and sink days later, by which point she had given away her old fridge.
"With regard to the oven, Mrs Deacon changed her mind shortly after the kitchen was delivered and it took slightly longer than we would have hoped to have the new oven delivered.
"Installation of the kitchen began as scheduled on 25th April and, by 28th April, Mrs Deacon had full water and cooking facilities as the fitter had made sure to connect a temporary sink and tap and also installed Mrs Deacon’s previous oven so she was not left without cooking facilities.
"We are pleased to confirm that the last of Mrs Deacon’s appliances were due to be delivered on 26th May...We have spoken to Mrs Deacon and she is very happy with the resolution put in place."
Lynda said she was pleased the delays had been addressed, but added: "I'm not happy with how long I've had to wait."
