Wren Kitchens - any experiences good or bad?
Discussion
Hi all
We're getting our kitchen redone. Bit of a pain not being able to get to showrooms etc but hey ho.
We had a rather mediocre meeting with an IKEA kitchen designer, and a significantly better one with Wren today.
Has anyone got first hand experience of using them? There's an element of urgency as their Winter sales prices are expiring in the next few days - if we place a deposit it caps the pricing at current discount levels.
Be great to hear some war stories!
We're getting our kitchen redone. Bit of a pain not being able to get to showrooms etc but hey ho.
We had a rather mediocre meeting with an IKEA kitchen designer, and a significantly better one with Wren today.
Has anyone got first hand experience of using them? There's an element of urgency as their Winter sales prices are expiring in the next few days - if we place a deposit it caps the pricing at current discount levels.
Be great to hear some war stories!
Considered them when doing a place a couple of years ago. Went with DIY kitchens in the end and very pleased we did. Much of the success of the finished article was down to the fitter my builder used, he was absolutely superb. His comment was that for the price we paid, it was good quality and better than many.
If you can get past the absolute bulls
t pricing. I couldn't take one more second of the thinly veiled high commission vulture circling and 'I've had a chat with my manager' horsest and 'You need to give us a deposit today to get this price' and walked out.
If someone thinks I'd buy a kitchen from them for 20k when at the start of the conversation they thought I'd pay 40k for the same kitchen then they're idiots. I went elsewhere.
t pricing. I couldn't take one more second of the thinly veiled high commission vulture circling and 'I've had a chat with my manager' horsest and 'You need to give us a deposit today to get this price' and walked out.If someone thinks I'd buy a kitchen from them for 20k when at the start of the conversation they thought I'd pay 40k for the same kitchen then they're idiots. I went elsewhere.
Are their 'sales' not like those of DFS and OFL, where one ends another starts?
The struggle with many companies is often the competence of each designer and what they come up with in the same space. Balance of trusting their judgement and perhaps taking ideas from others to have it laid out as you want it.
The struggle with many companies is often the competence of each designer and what they come up with in the same space. Balance of trusting their judgement and perhaps taking ideas from others to have it laid out as you want it.
DIY Kitchens get consistent good reviews on here.
Singlecoil (IIRC) also makes bespoke ones that look great if that is any use.
ETA
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Discount stuff here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Singlecoil (IIRC) also makes bespoke ones that look great if that is any use.
ETA
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Discount stuff here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Bought new kitchen from Wren 4 years ago. Purchase process, delivery and quality of units absolutely fine.
The fitter they 'arranged' was an utter disaster. 6 week job instead of the 1 week quoted. Worktops had to be replaced (at Wren's cost) because he messed them up so badly. Also left dodgy electrics behind a cupboard that we only discovered last year. Organise your own fitter.
The fitter they 'arranged' was an utter disaster. 6 week job instead of the 1 week quoted. Worktops had to be replaced (at Wren's cost) because he messed them up so badly. Also left dodgy electrics behind a cupboard that we only discovered last year. Organise your own fitter.
As has been said many times, Wren are not everyone's favourite.
I bought a new conversion of an old Forge with a nice blend of modern and existing elements - UFH and polished concrete flooring, big spaces with mezzanine etc. The kitchen looked stylish from a distance in a rich red and grey.
Lived with it for six months and it now resides in my son in law's garage and shed as storage units. The quality was shockingly poor, fitting no better, the carcasses were of the cheapest materials imaginable and the doors were just a wrap. Hopeless. The mixer tap leaked and I googled it for a replacement part to find it was £12 for a whole new tap.
My experience, others may differ.
I bought a new conversion of an old Forge with a nice blend of modern and existing elements - UFH and polished concrete flooring, big spaces with mezzanine etc. The kitchen looked stylish from a distance in a rich red and grey.
Lived with it for six months and it now resides in my son in law's garage and shed as storage units. The quality was shockingly poor, fitting no better, the carcasses were of the cheapest materials imaginable and the doors were just a wrap. Hopeless. The mixer tap leaked and I googled it for a replacement part to find it was £12 for a whole new tap.
My experience, others may differ.
This is helping make the decision to keep looking 
The designer was decent both in terms of ideas and his customer handling - their software is pretty impressive, but really raised my hackles when I was effectively given until tomorrow night to make a decision to keep the agreed discounts. In response I said saving 10% was less important that making the right decision - and if they wanted our business they would extend the terms of the sale to give us more time to make a decision. Just heard back that they can't do this.
DIY kitchens and a local fitter seems to be our next stop...
Keep your reviews coming, chaps.
The designer was decent both in terms of ideas and his customer handling - their software is pretty impressive, but really raised my hackles when I was effectively given until tomorrow night to make a decision to keep the agreed discounts. In response I said saving 10% was less important that making the right decision - and if they wanted our business they would extend the terms of the sale to give us more time to make a decision. Just heard back that they can't do this.
DIY kitchens and a local fitter seems to be our next stop...
Keep your reviews coming, chaps.
I used them, bought their kitchen and had my own fitter.
Designer was very good, managed to find answers to a few tricky corners ect.
I measured the kitchen and had a rough sketch when I sat down with the designer, after a couple of visits to the showroom we had a design and price I was happy with, that’s where the good part ended.
Wren then sent their rep to measure the kitchen, he highlighted a few mistakes I had made, we agreed to change the design to make it fit.
Kitchen arrived 5/6 weeks later, and didn’t fit, my measurements were spot on and their rep had measured it wrong, 300mm out on a flat wall, stupidly I believed their rep that I had made a mistake and signed off the new design.
It turned out to be a nightmare, we already had 50% of it fitted when the fitters noticed the mistakes on the drawings, Wren refused to accept liability as I had agreed with the rep, I had to purchase new smaller units to fit (3/4 week delay), which now has made the kitchen non symmetrical, it’s an eyesore and heartbreaking TBH.
I’d avoid at all costs
Designer was very good, managed to find answers to a few tricky corners ect.
I measured the kitchen and had a rough sketch when I sat down with the designer, after a couple of visits to the showroom we had a design and price I was happy with, that’s where the good part ended.
Wren then sent their rep to measure the kitchen, he highlighted a few mistakes I had made, we agreed to change the design to make it fit.
Kitchen arrived 5/6 weeks later, and didn’t fit, my measurements were spot on and their rep had measured it wrong, 300mm out on a flat wall, stupidly I believed their rep that I had made a mistake and signed off the new design.
It turned out to be a nightmare, we already had 50% of it fitted when the fitters noticed the mistakes on the drawings, Wren refused to accept liability as I had agreed with the rep, I had to purchase new smaller units to fit (3/4 week delay), which now has made the kitchen non symmetrical, it’s an eyesore and heartbreaking TBH.
I’d avoid at all costs
We started looking at Wren but when we got the hard sell in the showroom ( I will get my manager etc) we decided to look elsewhere. If you are looking for something bespoke but cost effective try this www.plykea.com. You buy IKEA kitchen bases and cupboards but without doors and they manufacture custom doors with pretty much any colour/finish so you end up with a much higher end finish than wren but for 50% the cost. As an example we went for a matt grey finish with exposed wood ply on the edges.
https://www.plykea.com/gallery/beaumont-park
https://www.plykea.com/gallery/beaumont-park
Jockinthebox said:
I used them, bought their kitchen and had my own fitter.
Designer was very good, managed to find answers to a few tricky corners ect.
I measured the kitchen and had a rough sketch when I sat down with the designer, after a couple of visits to the showroom we had a design and price I was happy with, that’s where the good part ended.
Wren then sent their rep to measure the kitchen, he highlighted a few mistakes I had made, we agreed to change the design to make it fit.
Kitchen arrived 5/6 weeks later, and didn’t fit, my measurements were spot on and their rep had measured it wrong, 300mm out on a flat wall, stupidly I believed their rep that I had made a mistake and signed off the new design.
It turned out to be a nightmare, we already had 50% of it fitted when the fitters noticed the mistakes on the drawings, Wren refused to accept liability as I had agreed with the rep, I had to purchase new smaller units to fit (3/4 week delay), which now has made the kitchen non symmetrical, it’s an eyesore and heartbreaking TBH.
I’d avoid at all costs
Yep, we experienced something similar only it was their own staff that screwed up the measurements rather than us. Designer was very good, managed to find answers to a few tricky corners ect.
I measured the kitchen and had a rough sketch when I sat down with the designer, after a couple of visits to the showroom we had a design and price I was happy with, that’s where the good part ended.
Wren then sent their rep to measure the kitchen, he highlighted a few mistakes I had made, we agreed to change the design to make it fit.
Kitchen arrived 5/6 weeks later, and didn’t fit, my measurements were spot on and their rep had measured it wrong, 300mm out on a flat wall, stupidly I believed their rep that I had made a mistake and signed off the new design.
It turned out to be a nightmare, we already had 50% of it fitted when the fitters noticed the mistakes on the drawings, Wren refused to accept liability as I had agreed with the rep, I had to purchase new smaller units to fit (3/4 week delay), which now has made the kitchen non symmetrical, it’s an eyesore and heartbreaking TBH.
I’d avoid at all costs
Howdens are alright but last time I tried to buy from there you needed a trade account, however that may have changed since then.
If you really like the kitchen they are offering you tell them you’ll sign up tomorrow but only for a larger discount than they are already offering. 80% off might swing it.
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