Magnet Kitchens Post Reply

[Coffeandcake]

Hi - would welcome any feedback from anyone who has recently used Magnet for both the units and fitting the kitchen.

Many thanks

[Annabel (admin)]

My best friend has *just* had one installed.

I'm seeing it hopefully this weekend so will let you know and I'll also ask her!

[Herculesmum]

Slightly off topic but we just got a howdens installed and I'm already regretting it.

I wouldn't touch them again with a barge pole!

[tooposhtopush]

eeeek what's the problem with it?

[1234]

Just zero post sales customer service that makes me think if anything goes wrong down the line they won't be falling over themselves to help.

Plus they had a mandate to design a full size family kitchen but put in a wall mounted microwave cupboard tha barely fits a dinner plate and doesn't fit any microwave on the market except their own brand. We ended up having to bash a hole in the wall behind to fit a tiny Bosch in.

My gf is a designer and told me after the fact that they apparently are known for using non standard measurements which makes it hard to fit appliances etc from other sources.

because we got our rangemaster from Currys its taller than standard howdens cupboards so our plinths aren't tall enough to hit the bottom of the cupboard which is ridiculous also.

The soft close larder only works if it's full. The builder was going to get a new runner from howdens but he encountered the same issue on another client and howdens response was that if it soft closes full, then it works and just don't use it empty. Stuff like that just makes ,e wonder what's going to go wrong first.

Bit of a rambling response, but basically customer service. I'd actually go an ikea next time or otherwise go high end as i get the feeling all of the Middle,of the road guys are pretty much the same.

[Herculesmum]

@1234 is that experience with Howdens or Magnet?

It pretty much sums up all the issues we had with Howdens. Once they got our money customer service disappeared to the point of rudeness. Given how much you spend on a new kitchen, I think you should expect excellent follow up care.

Bathstore on the other hand were great on the after sales. It's a pity they don't do kitchens!

We should have known better though because the service wasn't great before we ordered.

[Herculesmum]

Balham mum getting back onto topic, I think fitting with them is likely to be more expensive than getting an outside builder in.

We looked at magnet and I really like their kitchens. We just didn't go with them because they gave us such an uninspiring design. They show so many cool little gimmicks in their advertising and I asked them to give us the works so to speak, but they didn't offer anything clever.

Ive never heard anything bad about them though.

[Julian@OceanHD]

Hi,

To add a little knowledge from inside the market the above are the reasons we get a lot of people coming to specialist showrooms like ourselves who spend a lot of time consulting with clients to get things 100% perfect and then work with our own fitters who know the products well.

I had a similar experience with a large retailer many years back before I got into the industry and now get to talk to people about the fact that to a smaller business every single client is critically important.

I spend a good part of the process working out how you'd actually undertake the various processes such as bringing in dirty dishes, cleaning and putting them in dishwashers etc. I find it helps people avoid any problems from cropping us where doors don't open, crockery cupboards end up being the other side of a room from dishwashers etc etc.

If you wanted to look at people like ourselves it would be worth your while as fitting is often much cheaper and you can spend that budget on getting a higher spec kitchen (we sell mid to top end German ranges from Bauformat which you can see the quality of instantly).

If you want to discuss your project, even for some general advice, then feel free to give me a call or drop me an email any time.

All the best,

Julian Sehmi
02085435100
julian@oceanhomedesigns
http://oceanhomedesigns.co.uk/

[annadoran]

Hello! We have bought a Kitchen from Lifestyle design & build few years back. They sell high end German Kitchen but the prices are comparable with Magnet.
The design service and advise was excellent and we were taken through every detail of the finish.
The one thing that impressed me most was the Nolte Kitchen quality and the competitive pricing as I did a lot of research!

Hope this helps
Anna

[mogzy]

There was a German style handleless kitchen that we liked at magnet. However, the designers weren't great and didn't really come up with a kitchen that fully utilised the large space we have. The quote was ridiculous for what we would have got and that was with the 60% discount that they always seem to have.

We ended up going for a high end German kitchen and couldn't be happier. The service we received from the independent supplier of the Hacker kitchen was exceptional.

I would recommend speaking to people like Julian at Ocean before committing to Magnet as you'll be surprised at what you could get for your money for a better quality kitchen and not forgetting the exceptional design service.

[claire1985]

Hi! I will agree on this one with Anna. We had our kitchen designed by Lifestyle Design and Build, we chose Nolte but I know that they provide other German kitchens too. Working with Lifestyle was a very nice experience, great service, attentive staff and very reasonable prices.

[NEAT64]

We had a kitchen fitted by magnet in 2009.
Design was limited. Many of the advertised gadgets etc were unavailable.
The management and staff turnover is high so trying to resolve any issue takes forever and there is no continuity.
Nearly seven years on we are still going through "snagging".
The units have not been sealed properly and split easily.
The current manager has been extremely helpful and is perhaps turning things around but from personal experience I cannot recommend Magnet.

[atbattersea]

I have bought cabinets from Magnet and fitted them myself (from their trade collection). The joy of this is that they are not flat-pack so more than half the work is done already. Not much to say about it, no gimmicks, all the handles/hinges/etc keep on working as they should, no cracks or delamination.

[BrianP]

I'm thinking of having a major kitchen upgrade and have looked at both Magnet and Howdens, as well as Homebase and B&Q. The build quality of all the units seems to be ok, and most have similar gadgets and styles. A lot of local builders have accounts with Howdens because they have good local outlets and they can supply without too much delay. I do agree that great care needs to be taken over the design. If you go for fully integrated appliances they will love you because they will flog you a lot of stuff and their measurements will be easy. If you prefer your own appliances that they have to build around, there will inevitably be potential for error and dispute, not to mention walls that are not plumb, and floors that are not level. I installed my current kitchen with flat-packs from Wickes (total cost £400, I won't say how long ago it was but they've lasted very well). DIY enabled me to change my mind and to work around problems as they came up. A kitchen fitter with a set of instructions will just get cross. If you're familiar with the fabric of your house (eg where all the utilities run) it would be worthwhile sitting down with the designer/installer and agreeing some sort of plan 'B' as a contingency. Best of luck.