Wren kitchens - any good???
Discussion
We had a good experience from them. Designed a good practical kitchen, and blew the others out the water on customer service and showroom standards.
They show side by side comparisons of them vs competition, and back it up with a better warranty,and and price match.
They are the best of the usual magnet, howdens and homebase, wickes etc.
They are a step down from diykitchens (from what I have heard) but diykitchens you own all the risk of measuring, speccing and making sure it all fits.
Get to know the store manager, they can sort things a lot quicker then their normal customer service. We had a few issues, missing door and our builder cockeduo and cut a bit of wood he shouldn't.... They sorted both in a reasonable fashion!
Edit; also to add, our builder/kitchen fitted said he always preferred wrens, general fit and finish he felt was better and they were noticeably more sturdy in his opinion.
They show side by side comparisons of them vs competition, and back it up with a better warranty,and and price match.
They are the best of the usual magnet, howdens and homebase, wickes etc.
They are a step down from diykitchens (from what I have heard) but diykitchens you own all the risk of measuring, speccing and making sure it all fits.
Get to know the store manager, they can sort things a lot quicker then their normal customer service. We had a few issues, missing door and our builder cockeduo and cut a bit of wood he shouldn't.... They sorted both in a reasonable fashion!
Edit; also to add, our builder/kitchen fitted said he always preferred wrens, general fit and finish he felt was better and they were noticeably more sturdy in his opinion.
We had a pretty positive experience with Wren.
Good quality units, knowledgable sales / design team, very competitive price, delivered pre-assembled and exactly when they said it would be.
Didn't use their fitters - the guy we did use (an old school chippie) had no issues with anything and was impressed with the standard of the components.
The only snag we did have was a missing door for an slimline integrated appliance. Unfortunately, we didn't discover this until we unpacked everything about a month after delivery - and that was beyond the timeframe within which missing / damaged items must be reported.
That said, when I explained the situation to their after sales team, they offered to supply a door for pretty much the delivery charge only. Not great for something I'd already paid for, but could have been worse.
I've got a couple of mates who've purchased Wren kitchens in the past 12 months - one had a seamless experience and is very happy, the other has had discoloured panels and a few bits missing and his dealings with the after sales team have been truly awful.
Luck of the draw, it seems.
Good quality units, knowledgable sales / design team, very competitive price, delivered pre-assembled and exactly when they said it would be.
Didn't use their fitters - the guy we did use (an old school chippie) had no issues with anything and was impressed with the standard of the components.
The only snag we did have was a missing door for an slimline integrated appliance. Unfortunately, we didn't discover this until we unpacked everything about a month after delivery - and that was beyond the timeframe within which missing / damaged items must be reported.
That said, when I explained the situation to their after sales team, they offered to supply a door for pretty much the delivery charge only. Not great for something I'd already paid for, but could have been worse.
I've got a couple of mates who've purchased Wren kitchens in the past 12 months - one had a seamless experience and is very happy, the other has had discoloured panels and a few bits missing and his dealings with the after sales team have been truly awful.
Luck of the draw, it seems.
One of my recent clients ordered from them, despite me advising against it.
On delivery day, they found the dishwasher missing, but instead, had an integrated microwave which they hadnt ordered.
Turns out the items got swapped on the lorry, with a delivery a few doors up on the same road and they had his dishwasher.
My client said to leave it and he would go and swap it over himself, but the driver said he could not do that, and had to take it back.
TWO months later and after several phone calls and empty promises, Wren told him they can't supply the appliance and gave him his money back.
There are many other examples, but i can't be f
ked to type them out.
On delivery day, they found the dishwasher missing, but instead, had an integrated microwave which they hadnt ordered.
Turns out the items got swapped on the lorry, with a delivery a few doors up on the same road and they had his dishwasher.
My client said to leave it and he would go and swap it over himself, but the driver said he could not do that, and had to take it back.
TWO months later and after several phone calls and empty promises, Wren told him they can't supply the appliance and gave him his money back.
There are many other examples, but i can't be f
ked to type them out.Wren were okay for us but like most of these places they will bend over backwards to get your cash and then once they have it they will need to be poked/nagged for anything else above beyond the basics.
Obviously ignore all the sales stuff, 'If you don't sign today you will miss out on the one time only deal". They have massive mark-ups so keep pushing them to cut more and be looking to knock at least 50% off whatever RRP they are quoting.
The kitchens are good but follow up customer service is poor, we needed a few bits replaced which they did fairly timely but only after continued pestering. Also note we went for supply only and used our own fitter.
If you are organised and can stand your ground you can beat them into the ground on price and get them providing lots of additional extras at no cost.
Obviously ignore all the sales stuff, 'If you don't sign today you will miss out on the one time only deal". They have massive mark-ups so keep pushing them to cut more and be looking to knock at least 50% off whatever RRP they are quoting.
The kitchens are good but follow up customer service is poor, we needed a few bits replaced which they did fairly timely but only after continued pestering. Also note we went for supply only and used our own fitter.
If you are organised and can stand your ground you can beat them into the ground on price and get them providing lots of additional extras at no cost.
Find a local joinery firm/cabinet maker and kitchen fitter - you'll most likely get either the same quality for less money, or better quality for the same money. Lower overheads means local firms can compete on price, and the personal touch means a much more bespoke service. If you are North West based I would more than happily recommend the chap who did ours, he did an excellent job for significantly less than we could have found an equivalent product from a high street type outfit.
Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole, we end up with a full refund of our Wren kitchen as they couldn't get finish right on the doors after a year of trying.
They rapidly lost interest when they had our money. Next time I will use DIY kitchens who we have since found to be very good.
They rapidly lost interest when they had our money. Next time I will use DIY kitchens who we have since found to be very good.
So I'm in the middle of a wren kitchen at the moment.
Lots of missing bits, incorrect orders, and bad measuring by the designer. However they appear to be good at replacing things, which has been dealt with pretty promptly. I just ordered some replacement parts and units today, and they're due to arrive friday morning. I'll update if they don't appear.
Having said that, the overall quality isn't great, wonky doors and panels, some adjustable, and some not, supports not in places where others would have them. Gritting my teeth, getting through this install and wont be using them again. The ikea kitchen I fitted several months ago was much better.
note that my builder is doing the install, not them.
My advice would be to scan and email your design and unit list to diy kitchens, blocking off the price and see what they can do.
I should add that the kitchen I ripped out was Wicks, and that wasn't looking good after 5 years.
Lots of missing bits, incorrect orders, and bad measuring by the designer. However they appear to be good at replacing things, which has been dealt with pretty promptly. I just ordered some replacement parts and units today, and they're due to arrive friday morning. I'll update if they don't appear.
Having said that, the overall quality isn't great, wonky doors and panels, some adjustable, and some not, supports not in places where others would have them. Gritting my teeth, getting through this install and wont be using them again. The ikea kitchen I fitted several months ago was much better.
note that my builder is doing the install, not them.
My advice would be to scan and email your design and unit list to diy kitchens, blocking off the price and see what they can do.
I should add that the kitchen I ripped out was Wicks, and that wasn't looking good after 5 years.
Edited by HotJambalaya on Wednesday 26th October 22:28
Edited by HotJambalaya on Wednesday 26th October 22:34
My kitchen from Wren which was done 2 years ago and still looks as good as the first week it was completed:
Even though it's their "lower middle range" stuff, it still has that high end appearance. At the end of the day, they're just wooden carcasses so not much can go wrong really. We sourced our own fitter (a chap who did my Fathers kitchen) so I can't comment on their fitter. I designed the kitchen myself so when I went into the store to go through the plan with a designer, they didn't really have to do much because I knew what I wanted. The designer did come out though to visit my house to take accurate measurements and tweaked the plan to make sure it all fit.
Delivery was fine and everything was correct as to the plan, but when fitting the kitchen, one unit was 150mm short (can't remember exactly but the designer had put in a 450mm unit when it should have been a 600mm) despite him coming out to take accurate real measurements. I had to pay extra for the 600mm unit despite it being the designers fault and I couldn't argue this case because there's something in the paperwork when you sign that everything, including Wren's taken measurements should be checked by your fitter.
Other than that, it's all good despite that slightmeasurement issue. You'd think spending a large amount of money with them they would have let me exchange the unit but they don't take anything back. I like Wren kitchens because they are good value and all proper solid carcasses with proper backs to them, plus soft close as standard. There's also a lot of choice when it comes to their storage solutions. I love all the soft close drawers I have and I definitely recommend a massive cutulery tray.
Cost wise, my kitchen diner is 6x7m, about £10k for basic gloss white slab units from Wren but still solid carcasses and of good quality, with a sparkly fleck black quartz worktop and upstand, integrated basic Neff dish washer and CDA wine cooler. Within the units, various extremely useful drawers for saucepan storage etc, integrated bins and more drawers in the island for trays and a lovely big cutlery drawer which I highly recommend. £4k of that was spent on the quartz worktop. Add £1.5k for fitting, £2.5k for Rangemaster cooker, RM splash back and RM extractor fan, £1.5k for Samsung fridge/freezer, £400 on double undermount sink and mixer tap, all of which I sourced myself.
So about £15-16k on what I would class as a designer looking kitchen. You could save a lot of money on budget appliances or by going for a chipboard laminate worktop but then I feel you lose the overall quality of appearance in general.
I still need to order 2 more bar stools
. Also, if I were to do it again, I'd probably have a white quartz worktop because the glossy black worktop is a pig to keep clean. It shows everything!
Even though it's their "lower middle range" stuff, it still has that high end appearance. At the end of the day, they're just wooden carcasses so not much can go wrong really. We sourced our own fitter (a chap who did my Fathers kitchen) so I can't comment on their fitter. I designed the kitchen myself so when I went into the store to go through the plan with a designer, they didn't really have to do much because I knew what I wanted. The designer did come out though to visit my house to take accurate measurements and tweaked the plan to make sure it all fit.
Delivery was fine and everything was correct as to the plan, but when fitting the kitchen, one unit was 150mm short (can't remember exactly but the designer had put in a 450mm unit when it should have been a 600mm) despite him coming out to take accurate real measurements. I had to pay extra for the 600mm unit despite it being the designers fault and I couldn't argue this case because there's something in the paperwork when you sign that everything, including Wren's taken measurements should be checked by your fitter.
Other than that, it's all good despite that slightmeasurement issue. You'd think spending a large amount of money with them they would have let me exchange the unit but they don't take anything back. I like Wren kitchens because they are good value and all proper solid carcasses with proper backs to them, plus soft close as standard. There's also a lot of choice when it comes to their storage solutions. I love all the soft close drawers I have and I definitely recommend a massive cutulery tray.
Cost wise, my kitchen diner is 6x7m, about £10k for basic gloss white slab units from Wren but still solid carcasses and of good quality, with a sparkly fleck black quartz worktop and upstand, integrated basic Neff dish washer and CDA wine cooler. Within the units, various extremely useful drawers for saucepan storage etc, integrated bins and more drawers in the island for trays and a lovely big cutlery drawer which I highly recommend. £4k of that was spent on the quartz worktop. Add £1.5k for fitting, £2.5k for Rangemaster cooker, RM splash back and RM extractor fan, £1.5k for Samsung fridge/freezer, £400 on double undermount sink and mixer tap, all of which I sourced myself.
So about £15-16k on what I would class as a designer looking kitchen. You could save a lot of money on budget appliances or by going for a chipboard laminate worktop but then I feel you lose the overall quality of appearance in general.
I still need to order 2 more bar stools
. Also, if I were to do it again, I'd probably have a white quartz worktop because the glossy black worktop is a pig to keep clean. It shows everything!Edited by Prohibiting on Wednesday 26th October 22:53
briang9 said:
We got ours from them, I did the design myself and used local fitter that I know and trust. For the price its not bad quality and seems to have lasted fairly well. We also didnt buy appliances from them, used AO instead.
Funnily enough, I found Wren to be so close on the price of the appliances I bought them with the kitchen. They then had a 10% off all bosch and neff appliances which they then included after our deposit had been paid but before balence has been completed. I never thought they'd allow it and was ready to put up a fight, (then loose gracefully) but they agreed to it and saved me another £350 odd. I would recommend Wren again, as the after sales/risks are gunna be no worse then anyone else. Wren have a better rep then all they others, longer warranty and will price match.
For the next kitchen, having done it once and spent the lot of time on site during kitchens installation I would would have another look at diy kitchens, and reconsider gambling on them but me owning the risk.
REMEMBER, the final quality of the kitchen is more dependant on the fitter then the kitchen itself.
Mine's a wren kitchen, designed by me, sourced from Wren (for around 50% of their original quote) and installed by a local professional installer.
Other than me forgetting one panel (was a 6 week wait for the top-up order but no actual issues) a positive experience.
The installer was happy with the quality, nothing was damaged or missing and 4 years later is still looks as good as it did when it went in.
Other than me forgetting one panel (was a 6 week wait for the top-up order but no actual issues) a positive experience.
The installer was happy with the quality, nothing was damaged or missing and 4 years later is still looks as good as it did when it went in.
Evening,
We have a Wren Kitchen - and dealt with them twice now so have a reasonable grasp of things. All in all we have a good kitchen at a good price. Will try and explain more below.
I'm halfway through renovating the house so this time last year we bought what we thought was enough kitchen. We live close to their main Howden office so went there. They were polite, efficient and not pushy which was good. We knew what we wanted and it wasn't anything fancy - a run of base units and one wall unit; I got the worktops, sink and appliances separately. Price wise was the usual haggle but not too bad - I think the price paid went from an initial 8k quote to 2k - but this was done with a smile and no real hassle. Didn't go for fitting as I was doing this myself.
Units were delivered on time and everything there. The only problem was they came with some useless half shelves which were useless and we didn't spec them - so check this! We had ordered the 'timber' selection which look good. I'm not convinced that they are 'real timber' as advertised but they look decent. They now do a 'framed' range which wasn't available then but would definitely go for them if doing it all over again.
Fast forward to a couple of months ago and Mrs. H. Wanted some more storage space. We needed a larder unit, pull out fancy thing and a few other bits. Sadly the Howden office is an office only with no sales now so we had to head into Hull to a showroom. Enter classic 80's window salesman with all the 'speak to the manager', 'must order today' rubbish. It was embarrassing and to be honest had we not had to buy matching units we wouldn't have done it. Price seemed high but again costs went from about 7.5k to 2k in the end.
We got the feeling that this salesman would promise anything to get the deal. We paid a deposit but heard nothing after that until I called them to pay the balance and arrange a delivery time. At this point delivery time was double what has been agreed before. When I said I wasn't happy he miraculously came up with a date a month earlier. I paid my money then didn't hear anything for ages - and to cut a long story short the units came on the date which he had first said, a month late. I'm confident that the 'new', earlier date had just been made up so I paid the balance.
So.... all in all we got a good kitchen and a good price. The units are ready made which for me is a huge bonus. They look nice in the house and Mrs. H is happy - so a good result! My advice is to deal with someone who is decent.
Phil
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