----------- Kitchen Italia - Review -------------

Will try and make this short and sweet (or sour in this case).

-----About the transaction:
Quote: around £4500 for kitchen plus worktop (white gloss, "uber" handle), delivered only, no installation.
How I heard about Kitchen Italia: Trade fair (Home Improvement show)
Length of time to completion: >3 months
Date ordeal ended: January 2010
Main people dealt with: Clive ("designer"), Lee (installation manager), Raff ("customer services"), Don Burden

------About me:
Bought my first home in September 09, and wanted to do the kitchen within a tight budget. Not usually the type of person who posts reviews onlines, in fact this is the first I have ever submitted and I hope it is of use to those of you who are about to make an important decision about your kitchen! Good luck to you :) Want to make this as brief as I can given the ordeal we have been through.

------First Stages:
The friendly designer came along to map out the kitchen with pencil and paper. I have nothing against traditional methods but this created some holes about the whole design.
- Was promised a free gift (choice of flat screen tv, wii, vouchers…)
- Was given a good discount on the spot
- Paid deposit on the spot
- Was told they manufacture such a wild range of units that their units will maximise space and there will be no gaps that they'd have to cover up/fill

------The Experience:
- Delivery was missing doors (happened total of 4 times during the 3 months which is mainly why this dragged on for so long)
- Corner unit originally designed as L shape came as a different shape
- Free gift was promised and promised (after 4 calls specifically to chase up on this) until one day they ran out of my choice (TV) and basically said tough
- Times I called them = lost count, but probably around 30. Times they called me: 3 max
- Severely rude and poor service from Raff who accused me of lying when I said I had spoken to Don Burden regarding free gift at the beginning of my purchase and towards the end
- White gloss is not perfect gloss, it is not mirror like from a distant and uneven but not so noticable that it looks cheap. Quality of the gloss is comparable to B&Q and Wickes
- There was a spare 10cm at the end of the kitchen which we had to fill in the end because the originally promised configurable door lengths never came though
- Piano hinge installed on the corner doors look cheap (flimsy and can be seen from the outside of the door)
- Installer came to help with installing the piano hinge doors after I had to get the corner unit changed to what it was originally designed. Originally he literally sawed the door in half and the paint was all chipped and ruined because of the tools used to do this. I complained before this was professionally done by a joinery company they worked with. (Thanks to Lee for arranging this although a piano hinge L shape should not have been promised if this is not something they can readily provide) Have photo evidence of this also if interested
- Sink was glued to the quartz worktop so I cannot change the sink now unless I get the whole worktop changed - was not consulted on this at the time, I learnt later this could have been avoided by putting a frame on top of the sink unit
- Overall a lot of time lost babysitting the whole project and severe distress caused by constant hiccups and even drama with the free gift
- Don Burden eventually resorted to ignoring my very diplomatic emails about the complaints I had (I have records of these if people are interested)
- Free gift situation remains unresolved
- Slight bit of water penetrates the wood under the handles and created curliness - beware

------Positives:
- Lee was helpful with all my delivery complaints throughout the project
- Price was decent as it included a quartz worktop which was installed professionally and have had no issues with it yet, but given quality of the service and issues

------Summary
I wont add anything further but these words are probably not enough to sum up my dissatisfaction. Based on the negatives and the positives I'll let you weigh that up! I only regret not reading the many negative reviews I have found since entering into a transaction with these guys.

To make your lives easier I have collected the reputable ones here, and if you do mention bad reviews to them, they may mention that they were done by disgruntled previous employees, I assure you I have had no links with this company before I purchased a kitchen so have tried to be subjective. You may also see comments from Don Burden himself on these sites warning you to be guarded against reviews. If this company was reputable enough then I can only assume their management need not have to individually do this..??

OVERALL RATING: 1.5/10

Good luck! (and be warned..)

http://www.canyoutrustthem.com/index.php?go=quick_search&keyword=Kitchen+Italia
http://browse.complaints.com/redirect.php?entry_id=187802
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article3548863.ece
http://www.plebble.com/listing161511/kitchen-italia-ltd/
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/kitchen-italia-c190268.html
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=30185241
http://www.kitchencomplaints.com/kitchen-italia

I ordered a Kitchen from Kitchen Italia December 2009, I had a designer/salesman come out and to the provisional designs, and then had a surveyour come out who was supposed to make sure everything that they had designed could fit.

we had ordered a butler sink from the company and when it arrived along with the fitter he said he could not fit it because the waste pipe was too high, and he was unable to move it. I had to get another builder out to move the waste pipe which he could not/ would not do. On top of this it was established that the pipe their surveyour had sold to us could not fit in the space between the work top and the unit above.

Since then I am still without a kitchen as they have not fitted work tops yet and it is now the 9th of Feb 2010.

The Kitchen fitter which they have recommended has been blaming the kitchen company and the kitchen company has been blaming the kitchen fitter. In the end when they don't want to blame me each other they try and blame us and say we have been causing the delays.

I would not let them fit a screw in the wall let alon a kitchen.

i would not recommend them to fit anything let alone something like a kitchen.

ordered kitchen nov 08 paid deposit

delivered kitchen flat pack dec 08 paid in full

installers start jan 09 paid in full

now its 14th april 09 kitchen un finished, installer has run off
with my money

inform kitchen italia, wrote to managing director

sent over 50 e mails and letters

nothing, no answer