Wren kitchen, best time to buy, now or post Xmas sale?
Discussion
Bought a kitchen from wren 4 years ago.
Everything was delivered bar one small bit that came a week or so later.
They had the wrong dishwasher as the Bosch one wasn’t available on delivery.
They sent the Bosch one three weeks later and I got to keep both the one supplied on delivery and the late supplied Bosch for no cost.
Everything was perfect, and very happy with the quality for a pretty keen price. It’s what I paid for.
Couldn’t say a bad word about them, or the product. Did fit the kitchen myself so nothing was spoilt by a bad fitter.
Not sure how they could cock it up so badly that so many people hate them. But everyone seems to hate them.
One thing I would say, the original rap price was about 7k, sale discount brought this down to about 4k, and further negociation brought it down to about 3200, and I think it could have gone lower.
I would use them again, but I am prepared that perhaps I was lucky.
Everything was delivered bar one small bit that came a week or so later.
They had the wrong dishwasher as the Bosch one wasn’t available on delivery.
They sent the Bosch one three weeks later and I got to keep both the one supplied on delivery and the late supplied Bosch for no cost.
Everything was perfect, and very happy with the quality for a pretty keen price. It’s what I paid for.
Couldn’t say a bad word about them, or the product. Did fit the kitchen myself so nothing was spoilt by a bad fitter.
Not sure how they could cock it up so badly that so many people hate them. But everyone seems to hate them.
One thing I would say, the original rap price was about 7k, sale discount brought this down to about 4k, and further negociation brought it down to about 3200, and I think it could have gone lower.
I would use them again, but I am prepared that perhaps I was lucky.
V8RX7 said:
singlecoil said:
Or it could be that you want to pay some more not for a name but for a better kitchen.
We won't agree - it's to store food - how does one made of unicorns tears (or ply) do this any better ?My parents (std chipboard) kitchen is over 30yrs old !
But a custom made kitchen can have certain advantages over factory made mass produced kitchens, a couple of important ones are that the former isn't restricted by standard sizes (300,400,500 etc) and another is that the base units at the end of a run can have inset plinths instead of a panel that goes to the floor.
TheOversteerLever said:
Hashtaggggg said:
Its not really a turnkey solution that many people want.
So you recommend that you should get lots of quotes from others and then take these to Wren and they will offer an inferior product and price match.
Seems a lot of effort to me to "prove" that they will do their best to overcharge you!
Yeah, I'll concede that. Some people are looking for a turnkey, one shop for everything solution but the kitchen buying thing is always going to be a pain in the arse, unless you've got a lot of money to throw at someone. So you recommend that you should get lots of quotes from others and then take these to Wren and they will offer an inferior product and price match.
Seems a lot of effort to me to "prove" that they will do their best to overcharge you!
We didn't get lots of quotes - just the usual shopping around and I don't think Wren offer an inferior product to be honest.
It wasn't really a lot of effort and I wasn't attempting to 'prove' anything. We were happy with the product and got it for a price that was better than elsewhere.
Most aren't savvy enough/can't be bothered to engage multiple suppliers as you did. That's why the big boys are perennially successful at what they do, despite people on the internet saying 'Avoid XXXX like the plague'.
Lots of people pay the sticker price in Wren, simply because they aren't a Powerfully Built Company Director/Stair Dominator of PH!
A brief summary of experience with Wren:
We ordered in Feb 2014 with an agreement that they would fit the following half term a few weeks later. They did the best design and had the best price, plus 12mths 0%. It was a no brainier.
Then it started to go wrong; communication was very poor and they kept delaying the installation date.
When installation finally started a couple of months later than agreed their fitter noticed that quite a few frontals were missing although the ones we did have looked good. The wrong worktops were delivered twice. The fitter carried on and ordered the missing parts. Some weeks later he returned to the new bits but they didn’t match the originals and the finish was poor.
Wren told us that they had brought production in house and were having issues with the paint machine, but that they would replace all the frontals. This took months. Communication was woeful.
A full set of frontals had been delivered to the showroom but nobody told me or the fitter and they ended up getting disposed of some months later.
The MD, Armando Sanchez came out to see me and said all the right things. He assured me that they would sort it. I said I was worried about the quality and durability of the paint finish. Armando was adamant that they had resolved the issues and would send me a sample to prove it. A couple of weeks later, a very well packed sample arrived. Chipped.
They started pressuring me to sign the completion certificate and said that if I didn’t they would exercise their right to cancel my finance agreement. I said I would do so when they completed the kitchen.
They then said that they would arrange another set of frontals. I agreed but asked them not to deliver until we had a fitter and fitting date lined up as I had nowhere to store them for any length of time. A few weeks later a Wren van turned up at 6.45am. I should have rejected the delivery but was half asleep! We didn’t have a fitting date. I stored the parts in the loft of my garage.
They then cancelled my finance agreement and took me to court for non payment.
We settled out of court on the agreement that I would pay when they completed the kitchen.
There was some to and fro about what works needed to be completed and they sent an installation manager to check everything. He wouldn’t move the stock from my garage due to elf n safety and they said that they were worried about damage due to the storage in my garage and that I would have to pay for any damages. I told them, no chance. It was their stock and their responsibility. They were very aggressive but finally backed down.
Installation manager came out again with the fitter and they checked through the parts. It looked like they rejected about half of them due to the paint finish. There was no storage damage.
A few weeks later the missing parts arrived and were fitted. There were many frontals with poor finish, chips etc. The fitter tried to cover the chips with a waxy touch up pen but it just wiped off.
Months later another fitter came to finish off but needed to order parts. He took away the freezer frontal for paint matching. That must be 18 months ago.
12 months ago I made Section 75 claim with AMEX as I’d paid a deposit on my card. 8 months later they rejected my claim saying I was attempting double recovery and hadn’t mitigated my losses. Made no sense to me! Then I discovered via Amex that Wren had emailed me to an old email address (hadn’t been used for 4 years) saying that they had written off the debt c.£9k and that I had no warranty and there would be activity on my account. Wren also told Amex that I had refused them access to carry out remedial work.
So, after 6 years I’m now left with a s
tty, faulty, part finished kitchen which I have paid about £4K for.
They are liars, bullies, and their product is crap and their customer service is worse.
Just my opinion, obvs.
We ordered in Feb 2014 with an agreement that they would fit the following half term a few weeks later. They did the best design and had the best price, plus 12mths 0%. It was a no brainier.
Then it started to go wrong; communication was very poor and they kept delaying the installation date.
When installation finally started a couple of months later than agreed their fitter noticed that quite a few frontals were missing although the ones we did have looked good. The wrong worktops were delivered twice. The fitter carried on and ordered the missing parts. Some weeks later he returned to the new bits but they didn’t match the originals and the finish was poor.
Wren told us that they had brought production in house and were having issues with the paint machine, but that they would replace all the frontals. This took months. Communication was woeful.
A full set of frontals had been delivered to the showroom but nobody told me or the fitter and they ended up getting disposed of some months later.
The MD, Armando Sanchez came out to see me and said all the right things. He assured me that they would sort it. I said I was worried about the quality and durability of the paint finish. Armando was adamant that they had resolved the issues and would send me a sample to prove it. A couple of weeks later, a very well packed sample arrived. Chipped.
They started pressuring me to sign the completion certificate and said that if I didn’t they would exercise their right to cancel my finance agreement. I said I would do so when they completed the kitchen.
They then said that they would arrange another set of frontals. I agreed but asked them not to deliver until we had a fitter and fitting date lined up as I had nowhere to store them for any length of time. A few weeks later a Wren van turned up at 6.45am. I should have rejected the delivery but was half asleep! We didn’t have a fitting date. I stored the parts in the loft of my garage.
They then cancelled my finance agreement and took me to court for non payment.
We settled out of court on the agreement that I would pay when they completed the kitchen.
There was some to and fro about what works needed to be completed and they sent an installation manager to check everything. He wouldn’t move the stock from my garage due to elf n safety and they said that they were worried about damage due to the storage in my garage and that I would have to pay for any damages. I told them, no chance. It was their stock and their responsibility. They were very aggressive but finally backed down.
Installation manager came out again with the fitter and they checked through the parts. It looked like they rejected about half of them due to the paint finish. There was no storage damage.
A few weeks later the missing parts arrived and were fitted. There were many frontals with poor finish, chips etc. The fitter tried to cover the chips with a waxy touch up pen but it just wiped off.
Months later another fitter came to finish off but needed to order parts. He took away the freezer frontal for paint matching. That must be 18 months ago.
12 months ago I made Section 75 claim with AMEX as I’d paid a deposit on my card. 8 months later they rejected my claim saying I was attempting double recovery and hadn’t mitigated my losses. Made no sense to me! Then I discovered via Amex that Wren had emailed me to an old email address (hadn’t been used for 4 years) saying that they had written off the debt c.£9k and that I had no warranty and there would be activity on my account. Wren also told Amex that I had refused them access to carry out remedial work.
So, after 6 years I’m now left with a s
tty, faulty, part finished kitchen which I have paid about £4K for. They are liars, bullies, and their product is crap and their customer service is worse.
Just my opinion, obvs.
Edited by FWIW on Friday 20th December 13:49
We had a quote a month or so ago.design was OK. Initial price came out as £24000 and after they clicked about 10 discounts they announced it would be £11000 ish excluding fitting. Very very pushy sales person. Told them I wasn't intersted, but they have phoned twice a week ever since so I ended up blocking then. We will be going with DIY Kitchens who worked out about 25% cheaper.
Some very interesting comments about Wren in this thread. However we are very happy with their design, supply and fitting. Ours was done in January 2014. We were very lucky with the two fitters, who we were told were subsequently 'headhunted' to fit exhibition/demo kitchens.
At that time Wren did not fit the worktops, but on completion of the units, the worktop-suppliers measured up and subsequently fitted the tops. Another good job that was.
My wife is still really pleased with her kitchen, so all good so far....
At that time Wren did not fit the worktops, but on completion of the units, the worktop-suppliers measured up and subsequently fitted the tops. Another good job that was.
My wife is still really pleased with her kitchen, so all good so far....
Spurry said:
We were very lucky
This is the crux of it; Some people do get lucky with Wren. Personally, I rather not leave such a significant purchase to luck. I would rather avoid the company that came last in the Which? report and has to resort to manipulation of social media and review sites in order to maintain the illusion of the Wren 'dream'.
We quite liked the design from Wren, but preferred the set up at Magnet so we got them to copy it. After all the mucking about with discounts and sales offers and things they came in cheaper too so we had enough in the budget for a nicer worktop. Very happy with it, the fitter was good which helps I suppose
I went with magnet too in the end. They were more commercial in negotiations and when they saw I was serious and would buy it there and then I ended up getting 80pc off their fantasy list price, which was about what it should have actually cost without the rediculious discounts and incentives.
Went to have a look at Wren today, it's in the same park as Halfords and Currys and we needed some more oil and a new kettle so dropped in. I've read the stuff above, but we do rather like the Milano handleless design, typically the two colours we liked are of course in their special range. Can anyone suggest any alternatives, diy kitchens don't do an equivalent?
There is a Kutchenhaus locally, but the only colour they sell is a pale blue and a few shades of grey.
I found https://www.unitsonline.co.uk which sell several different handleless makes, anyone used them?
The fallback is to go for an Ikea kitchen with their cheapest Veddinge doors, get them spray painted and buy some nice handles.
There is a Kutchenhaus locally, but the only colour they sell is a pale blue and a few shades of grey.
I found https://www.unitsonline.co.uk which sell several different handleless makes, anyone used them?
The fallback is to go for an Ikea kitchen with their cheapest Veddinge doors, get them spray painted and buy some nice handles.
Of anyone is interested in knowing what wren behaves.. Please DM me.
I can say one thing. You would need to be completely nuts to buy any kitchen from Wren.
The kitchen arrived in bits.. Took them near enough 3 months to have the doors / plinths finishing bits delivered to complete the kitchen to 95%. But there is still bits missing.. Lost will to live.. The Builder made it very clear don't use wren... I really wish I didn't.
The customer services team are pretty clueless, (pushed around from people to people). The 'case management team's are quite frankly rude and incompetent.
The compensation that they offered is wel... pennies considering the 'infinity plus' kitchen we ordered.. Customer satisfaction and customer care is not some Wren understand.
When things go wrong wren are not able sort things out.. I'm glad I took pictures throu the whole process and kept all the emails..
You have been warned!
I can say one thing. You would need to be completely nuts to buy any kitchen from Wren.
The kitchen arrived in bits.. Took them near enough 3 months to have the doors / plinths finishing bits delivered to complete the kitchen to 95%. But there is still bits missing.. Lost will to live.. The Builder made it very clear don't use wren... I really wish I didn't.
The customer services team are pretty clueless, (pushed around from people to people). The 'case management team's are quite frankly rude and incompetent.
The compensation that they offered is wel... pennies considering the 'infinity plus' kitchen we ordered.. Customer satisfaction and customer care is not some Wren understand.
When things go wrong wren are not able sort things out.. I'm glad I took pictures throu the whole process and kept all the emails..
You have been warned!
NST said:
Of anyone is interested in knowing what wren behaves.. Please DM me.
I can say one thing. You would need to be completely nuts to buy any kitchen from Wren.
The kitchen arrived in bits.. Took them near enough 3 months to have the doors / plinths finishing bits delivered to complete the kitchen to 95%. But there is still bits missing.. Lost will to live.. The Builder made it very clear don't use wren... I really wish I didn't.
The customer services team are pretty clueless, (pushed around from people to people). The 'case management team's are quite frankly rude and incompetent.
The compensation that they offered is wel... pennies considering the 'infinity plus' kitchen we ordered.. Customer satisfaction and customer care is not some Wren understand.
When things go wrong wren are not able sort things out.. I'm glad I took pictures throu the whole process and kept all the emails..
You have been warned!
That's another reason I like DIY - they have made 2 minor mistakes in 5 kitchens.I can say one thing. You would need to be completely nuts to buy any kitchen from Wren.
The kitchen arrived in bits.. Took them near enough 3 months to have the doors / plinths finishing bits delivered to complete the kitchen to 95%. But there is still bits missing.. Lost will to live.. The Builder made it very clear don't use wren... I really wish I didn't.
The customer services team are pretty clueless, (pushed around from people to people). The 'case management team's are quite frankly rude and incompetent.
The compensation that they offered is wel... pennies considering the 'infinity plus' kitchen we ordered.. Customer satisfaction and customer care is not some Wren understand.
When things go wrong wren are not able sort things out.. I'm glad I took pictures throu the whole process and kept all the emails..
You have been warned!
They asked for pics, I couldn't do it easily so the employee gave me her personal Whatsapp to make it easier.
No questioning, just an apology and sorted within 14 days (as everything is made to order)
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