"MFI has teamed up with Tesco recently so you can get Tesco points when you shop at MFI, That may explain why when i bought a turkey from tesco recently, i got it home and one of the legs was missing and when id finnished eating it there were still loads of bits i didnt know what to do with." Joe Pescalli

If your bored and reading this for fun (and if you are, you're a bit odd) I would suggest a quick scan across this post. But if you are planning to buy something from MFI I would suggest you print it out and take it to bed with you, better still, if you are planning on spending a lot of money there I would suggest you dictate it into a tape recorder and play it on repeat while you sleep, this is how MFI works from chipboard to showroom. Remember the cost cutting points at the bottom and you will save 5-30% of the cost of your order, and when you do, please remember me…in the form of cash, preferably

Schreiber/ Hygena :
These are the two main brands owned and operated by MFI, once stand alone companies they were bought out by MFI for their design and economic standing. The Kitchens and bedrooms are the only TRUE items MFI produces, many of the dining room furniture and home office items are sourced from out side companies, which although it gives you a better, and sometimes cheaper range of products, often means that if is difficult to get spares for them if/when needed.

As a rule MFI would like you to believe that Schreiber is better made that Hygena. This is certainly the case with the Kitchens, as the carcasses (the skeletal frame of the unit) is factory built, and will be nailed, glued and pressed together, making it very firm. The less movement you get with a carcass the better, as every time it moves, even slightly, the joints will come apart a little more, reducing the life of the item. With the bedrooms however, there is little difference in the build quality. MFI don't want you to know this, but the Schreiber low units are now, no different to the Hygena ones. In 2005 they changed the design of the frames of the Schreiber units to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Pre 2005, All Schreiber Low units had a double carcass. A white internal frame that the draws would sit in, wrapped in a seconds outer skin that was the desired colour, making the units twice as thick as the comparable Hygena units. Now ALL bedroom low units, Hygena and Schreiber are the same……..so don't be fooled when a salesperson tells you that Schreiber is better built……it less likely that they are lying to you and more likely that they have simply forgotten, or do not know. MFI told the designers (sales People) that the units were changed so that they had uniform dimensions, This was misdirection by the company to detract from loss of quality.

Hygena Bedrooms:
If I were to walk into an MFI now, looking for a Bedroom set, I would buy Hygena, as mentioned above there is now no design difference between the names. As a rule, Hygena doors are high grade chipboard (yes there is such a thing as high grade chipboard) with a laminate skin, Some of the doors are real wood, so if you can, Scout these ones out first. The low units are now, generally speaking well designed and easy to build if offered the choice between standard and deluxe draw runners Always take the hit and buy the deluxe versions, the standard runners are being phased out soon, as they rarely last the life of the 1 year warranty.

Schreiber Bedrooms:
If I were to walk into an MFI now (sounds familiar) looking for a bedroom and money was no object, I would choose Schreiber……..Probably. The only real difference now between Schreiber and Hygena bedrooms is that the ones that look nicer are Schreiber. Where many Hygena bedrooms are chipboard, many of the Schreiber doors are solid wood……..Not all, but a good number are. The other main difference is the look and style. Although MFI has a reputation for selling things cheap and quick, its worth remembering that you can spend almost £1000 on a matured English oak wardrobe from a Schreiber range, Which may seem excessive, but when you consider that most other companies that sell comparable units made from the same materials with similar construction methods charge up to and including three times as much, u start to see where MFI's buying power and factory techniques can reduce the cost of and item, but still maintain a healthy profit.

MFI sofa workshop:
I have bought a few sofas and a couple of them have been from this affiliate of MFI, As a rule the construction of the furniture is sound, although the constant flow of new designs and design tweaks means that few of the MFI staff know what they are really talking about. If you go into a store, ask to see their sofa specialist, as if you pick up a planner or consultant who doesn't specialise in sofa's you are likely to be misinformed, or in the worst case, blagged. Most stores of a decent size have one or more members of staff that specialise in sofas.

MFI bathrooms: Mark II
I don't know why the company that MFI sources its bathrooms from is called Mark II. I can only assume that Mark I failed due to their inability to maintain a decent delivery date. If I'm allowed to swear on here, I will say that mark II are a pain in the arse. Their sanitary items are stylish and fresh , but often have firing faults, (rough edges, mismatched colours, cracks and chips). on the whole if all goes to plan, their stock is good. If it doesn't go the plan, you will wish you had never walked in there. Mark II have a delivery service, it runs every Tuesday and Thursday (I think. Don't take that as gospel) they do tend to have most things in stock, which makes you wonder why it takes two weeks for delivery. The major concern about Mark II is that because they "don't use couriers, as they are often not insured to carry sanitary breakables" (Toilets, sinks, mirrors) This is rubbish, Mark II don't use couriers because they cost more, so if you have a broken or missing item, you will most likely have to wait another two weeks for re-delivery, and on what planet, is a plastic bath side panel described as a sanitary breakable?

Fitting:
MFI fitting is VERY expensive……that said, it is also very good, if you go and look in the yellow pages you will probably in your first three quotes half the cost of the MFI fit. But, MFIs fitter a fully insured, they are backed with a workmanship guarantee of 12months and the fitters are vetted to weed out the cowboys (mostly)

10 Tips and tricks for saving money at MFI.

1. Extended Warranties on appliances are pure profit for anyone who sells them. If an appliance breaks down because of a fault, it is likely to do so in the first 2-6 months, while it is under the manufactures guarantee, once the problem has been fixed, the estimated life of the appliance is 8-12 years FACT. If an appliance breaks down several times because of a design fault, the retailer or manufacturer are often bound by law to offer you an alternative appliance or a refund. On average, an appliance will have to breakdown 3 times in 2 - 4 years to cover the cost of the warranty. ALL bosch appliances come with a 1 year manufacturers guarantee, and when delivered, will have the option of a further 1 year free cover. This is often in the instruction manual or paper work. Just fill it out and send it off. Hopefully in 2008 they are bringing in a new law which will state that all electrical goods sold in the UK will have to have a warranty for the expected average life span of the item ……8-12 years…..for once the law makers are working with us on this one and not with the monsters of big business.

2. Do your homework and if you are serious about buying, plan to do so on the day you have a room planned or you get an estimate. Managers/salespeople get a telling off if there are lots of Estimates in there folders unsold, so they are often willing to offer you a better price if you buy on the same day. ALWAYS ask……..Word for word…….."what will you do for me if I buy today?" I once got a £300 mattress FREE, for buying a bedroom set worth £750 that I was going to buy then anyway.…..not a bad deal.

3. Sales people get a bonus and a brownie point for 'selling' insurance on the wooden units I think its called 'furniture protection, or furniture care' this comes in the form of a 2-4 year cover plan, costing 5-10% of the cost of the furniture respectively, in addition to your 1 year manufacturers guarantee, . This is actually, unlike warranties a good idea, as household insurance companies are (I'm going to say it again) a pain in the arse! If you nail a wardrobe or a kitchen unit to a wall, it is sometimes no longer covered by your home contents insurance, because it is fixed in place……..neither will it be covered by your household insurance because it is not part of the actual structure. Its worth checking your insurance for this loophole. Because the cost of the insurance is low and the bonus for selling it is high, the sales person, will sometimes, without even asking you to buy it, offer you it as a 'freebie' or at a reduced cost, by reducing the cost of some of the furniture. MFI as a company, although they would prefer to sell it at face value, seem happy to let it slide for 'free' as they can declare a lower profit margin on the insurance (which they haven't actually sold) and a lower profit on the furniture, marking the reduction in price as a tax deductible business expense. This is a Tax scam (opps did I say that out loud?) Allegedly (better add that, just in case) But it works in your favour. MFI used to give away the furniture insurance free with all the bedrooms/kitchens until the government slapped their wrists for doing it in 2004. They still do it, its just harder to prove now. When they discount the furniture, they will have to mark it over the original amount as the insurance is based on a percentage, so…..free insurance And its slightly cheaper. Something the sales person will point out to you with glee.

4. The price promise is a big fat lie………it has big hairy sweaty arms with the word Liar tattooed across them, in big red letters, not just MFI, ALL price promises or "find it cheaper somewhere else blah, blah, blah". This is how it works, MFI and many of its competitors make their own items, this means that the items are 'unique' to their outlets. So if you compare an identical unit from say B&Q to MFI or Argos, none of them will honour the price promise……because the screws are a different grade, or the wood is 2mm thicker (I was actually told that one) or one was made by Pete at station 6, and one was made by the same Pete, but at a different factory station, but the tools are newer at that station so the unit is made very slightly better and are therefore not comparable. You are unlikely to hear the last one but you get the idea. Never mention 'Price promise' this is going off topic slightly, but in the 60's -70's there was a conspiracy theory that the Russians were experimenting with hypnotherapy and a mixture of mind altering drugs to brain wash kidnapped American travellers into becoming 'sleeper' assassins for the communist states. They would be sent back to the US unaware that they were ever in contact with the communists until years later, they would get a phone call, a coded 'activation phrase' and a name would be the only contents of the call. The unwitting US citizen would then, under the mind control, carry out the assassination mission. The perfect crime……..this probably never actually got passed the planning stage in the USSR, But MFI use it every month in a secret facility called Outbase 51 (that's probably untrue) . As soon as you mention the activation phrase 'price promise' the unwitting manager will instantly take on the facial expression of a doped up carebear and refuse any type of compensation or refund based on the terms of the 'price promise' NEVER! Mention 'price promise' when you buy something from MFI you have a 14 day cooling off period. In this period you can cancel or change any items without argument or question . Use this period to hunt down cheaper items that are 'the same' never say 'comparable' its also an activation code word, and basically threaten to refund the item if the price is not the same…….don't say 'price matched' this is also a code phrase , you can also use this opportunity to use the money buying more things cheaper with the money refunded as the sales person and manager will be desperate to hold onto the original sum of money you paid for the furniture.

5. If you have to go through the horror of a planning session…..something that takes up to three hours! Entertain your self by hiding the planners pen, then when no one is looking, put it on his colleagues desk. Keep doing this throughout the plan. It will not save you any money, but it will pass the time watching the two sales people argue about pen stealing. It is a little know fact that in any MFI of any size, there are only two pens.

6. Make an alliance with your sales person, MFI managers are always being forced to push special deals like credit and warranties and because of it they make the sales persons lives hell. Outright ask them if they are hitting there 'Quality' targets, tell them you have a relative that works for MFI to allay suspicion. If they are not doing well in a certain are of special offers, you can sometimes squeeze a crafty deal out of them, under the radar of the manager…….deals like this are technically not allowed but managers sometimes turn a blind eye to them as they are under just as much pressure as the sales person to hit targets. These deals vary from free insurance to discounting £200 off of your order for buying £150 worth of warranties. These deals are called honour deals, if at a later date you cancel the warranties for instance, the sales person has the right to revert back to the original price, so don't get greedy, buy the warranty, get the discount, save a few quid.

7. if the manager does make an appearance, ask the manager if he has a leaflet about buying the room on credit and say the sales person mentioned credit. Sales people are always being told to push credit in stores like this, so if you mention to the manger that the sales person has gotten you interested in it, the manager will be more willing to offer you a better price, the sales person will also be on a better footing with the manager if they have to ask the manager on your behalf for a deal. When the manager passes you a leaflet on the credit option, keep an eye on him/her, if he winks at the sales person when you start to read it, the plan has worked, the manager loves you, and the sales person loves you. You now OWN them both.

8. Argue the point on delivery charges, MFI used to deliver for free, now they don't., almost every member of staff I have asked to do so has removed the charge without question. Don't be too pushy if they don't remove it though, remember, try to keep the staff member happy, and they will do you a better deal in the end.

9. If the member of staff asks the manager for a deal, and the deal is not very good, take a note of the managers name, find out if he is the general or assistant manager. Later ring the store and ask what days he is working this week. Take a note of the days he is NOT in. Ring on one of those days and ask to speak to the manager, you will more than likely be put though to the assistant manager. When you speak to him, don't tell him you have already been offered a deal, ask him if there is anything he can do with the price. All large MFI stores have two managers, one will offer a better deal than the other , just compare the two deal and pick the best one, only one will be honoured, don't try to sneak both deals past them, as you will risk the managers having to have a conference about your offer, if they find out both of them have offered you the deal, you will be forced to shout "Bugger…Rumbled!" and run from the store in a comical fashion. At which point you will most likely loose the better of the two deals….and your dignity…..and if you're like me, you'll most likely loose a shoe in the process.

10. Never buy MFI goods online, Computers cant offer you a deal.

I most likely have more tips but to be honest my bum has gone numb and I want to go out soon, so if you want any help I will be happy to offer my services as a consultant, just send me a note and we can chat a chat-server or by e-mail.

Hygena Kitchens:
……see my MFI Flat pack review which will follow this review shortly

Schreiber: Kitchens
…….see my MFI Schreiber Kitchens review which will follow the review shortly.