Last year we were fortunate enough to be able to build a new extension to our home and incorporate our dream kitchen. Unfortunately we chose Magnet and that dream turned into a nightmare.
The problems began the day we first arranged to see a kitchen designer. Our appointment was for 10am but Magnet rang to say we were double booked and asked us if we could come at 11am instead. We said OK, but when we got there no one was expecting us at all. How we wish we'd walked out there and then. We were made to feel very unwelcome and this was borne out when we received the order for checking after our kitchen had been 'designed by an expert'. It was very wrong. It took another two attempts just to get the order right.
The kitchen was delivered with the wrong oven housing, the wrong fridge/freezer housing (to fit the fridge/freezer supplied by Magnet) and one corner base unit missing (smashed in transit). Of course the kitchen cannot be fitted without the corner units. We made several phone calls and waited 9 days until one was located for us (amazingly at our local Magnet store). It was delivered to us and left in the garden in the mud and rain along with the worktop.
It took a further 11 weeks to sort the correct units out and to get replacement worktops for the water damaged ones. We were lucky that we'd been able to keep part of the old kitchen working otherwise we'd have had shares in the local Chinese takeaway.
Apart from the total lack of product knowledge the staff at Magnet really do not care that customers are having problems. If a part is wrong or missing the best they can do is to order you a new one and hope it arrives on their next weekly delivery from head office. But they won't let you know, you'll have to chase and ring and hassle them. That's if you can get through to speak to someone in the first place. The service is dreadful.
Quite apart from all that we were seduced by their adverts claiming to have a much superior product to other manufacturers. This is also rubbish. We'd run out of money, so being fairly handy and having fitted a kitchen once before for a friend I decided to fit it myself. This is how I know that, for instance, the huge corner cabinets are a terrible design. They do not have the same gap at the back for pipework that the others do. Consequently I had to cut big holes into the structure just to get them to fit. The instructions for the self assembly had been photocopied so many times as to be illegible. They are even made incorrectly. When I pointed this out to the manager of the store he patronisingly said that we wouldn't have had any of these problems if we'd been able to afford Magnet fitters.
The oven and fridge/freezer housings are supposed to be ready assembled, but they aren't. The corner wall units are supposed to be 635mm, but they aren't, which meant they didn't fit. I could go on, but I have to stop now. The memories of this nightmare are starting to annoy me intensely again. I would not recommend Magnet to anyone. STEER CLEAR.
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I can sympathise with your experience. We recently had a new kitchen fitted by Magnet and here are just some of our problems ...
We asked for deep pan drawers to be fitted under the oven BUT it was designed and, unfortunately fitted, with the drawers under the hob. The trouble was, alongside the hob is a deep fat fryer which, as the name suggests, is DEEP and ended up extending down into the top drawer, which then wouldn't open! The fitters solution was then to cut a hole in the back of the drawer so it would open.
They also delivered a very deep (2 foot deep!) drawer under the oven, which was no use whatsoever and we've now converted to a cupboard with a shelf.
We had chosen a state-of-the-art extractor hood, which the designer had assured us would be connected up to extract fumes etc to the outside. In the event the fitters have a list of reasons why they couldn't fit it this way (the extractor kit doesn't fit, we can't drill through the wall, there's a chimney / RSJ / lintel in the way etc.) so they left the hood unconnected, not even bothering to connect it in recirculate mode. Later I hired an independent fitter who connected it with no significant problems.
I could go on, but ....
Tanisha 25.05.2004 14:34
Oh, what a dreadful ordeal you went through. I'm looking to install a new kitchen and was thinking of Magnet cos they're supposed to be "good quality". I'll be steering clear of them now thanks to your review. It does bring a smile to ones face knowing that Magnet, because of your comments on Ciao, they are losing customers & money!!
I'll be buying my kitchen from elsewhere and my husband will fit it himself, saving us ££'s. Good op. Tanisha:)
bakedbogey 05.03.2004 20:04
Further to my comment of 26.02.04, I sent a letter of complaint to Magnet at their headquarters in Darlington. To my delight, they have now sorted the matter out - providing new units that are a better fit and also paying for their fitter to come and install them. It obviously pays to make your voice heard.
Advantages: Reasonable kitchen, helpful installers willing to fix all snag issues Disadvantages: Expensive, poor communication at times, work overran slightly, chasing up required
larsbaby 15.02.2009 (15.02.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of Magnet Kitchens
Advantages: The kitchen units themselves Disadvantages: They don't seem capable of fitting kitchens and break promises on when fitting will be completed
sarab 06.12.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Magnet Kitchens
Advantages: Quick turnaround of appointments, knowlegeable salesman, great service, value for money Disadvantages: would prefer 3d views/plans during first consultation
MelinaC 22.04.2009 (22.04.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kitchens Direct
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