How to Prevent Kitchen Disasters

The dos and don’ts of a new kitchen purchase.

The following is a question I received lately from a disappointed and furious site visitor.

How can I reduce the odds of having a horrible experience with installers, having the showroom give up on me, and wishing I had never started the kitchen renovation process in the first place?

Many people are nervous about making the same trip, but you don’t have to be one of them. Follow my advice, which I’ve included below.

The Catwalk Change

You’re looking around the showroom, nursing your hopes of finding the perfect kitchen. Be discreet; you don’t want to look like you’re trying to hide that you’re terrified of kitchen showrooms after reading horror stories and seeing TV exposés.

Have you ventured into the den of lions? Well, I don’t see that happening. The good news is that many competent, helpful, kind, and efficient people in a kitchen showroom near you are eager to dispel the negative impression created by a few dishonest individuals.

How can you distinguish between a smooth-talking salesperson and a genuine expert? It is challenging, but with enough forethought and savvy, you will be better able to free yourself from the grips of eager “Arthur Daleys.”

Conducting online market research

Because of the tools available now, the investigation is much simpler. Since most individuals now have access to computers and the Internet, they may quickly find consumer websites that warn them about dishonest businesses and sales tactics. There is an increasing number of sites with helpful guidance, and online communities like forums and newsgroups are great places to sort the genuine articles from the fluff.

Before you had access to the internet, doing research meant spending days wandering around unfamiliar showrooms, but now you can do it all from the convenience of your own home. Due to tiredness and despair, several supporters of the traditional approach immediately purchased the kitchen.

Many successful websites have made a name for themselves by devoting their resources to scouring the Internet for the lowest prices on the products their visitors seek. While selling kitchen appliances was a lucrative business for many stores, the rise of competing online appliance sellers has lowered costs to the point where some online merchants are undercutting wholesalers.

Exactly what makes your product better than the competition?

While most companies encourage potential customers to contact them before purchasing, few customers do so. However, by ensuring they have a direct touch with the business, you will increase their loyalty. Every company today has a website, and most list their contact information there. You’re merely using the resources at your disposal by contacting the company before purchasing to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Online Shops

Customers realize the benefits of purchasing kitchens from online stores, which allow them to do so from the convenience of their homes and shield them from the often contradictory recommendations they’ll receive on the High Street.

Although some “dinosaurs” still argue that brick-and-mortar showrooms are the only place to buy a kitchen, many credible online retailers offer full kitchens online, with their websites serving as “showrooms.” After all, online stores are available 24/7, and nobody will give you the creeps if you decide to look around before making a purchase.

In-depth product descriptions, user reviews, and guidance from professionals who have installed the equipment are some advantages of ordering online from a reputable and well-known retailer.

A recent survey by a major appliance maker found that despite this, 39% of people who hold the notion that “you have to touch and feel a product before you will buy it” are willing to purchase an item costing more than £500 online. I’m curious if they’ll be discussed in the same way that “You know, of course, that this television thing is just a fad – it will never catch on” was in the years after John Logie Baird’s creation.

Learning as much as possible about the options open to you as a buyer is essential, and there is no shortage of resources to help you do so. Some online resources, for instance, provide prospective buyers with advice on what to look for and what to avoid and articles on how to carry out the installation process independently.

Experts’ thoughts and scholarly papers may be found by putting relevant keywords into a search engine. You’ll get praise and criticism for the many products on the market from the findings. The preceding may sound like an endorsement for using the internet as your new marketplace while finding a kitchen; yet, I do not believe that excellence resides on High St.

If you’re not sold on online shopping, there are plenty of great brick-and-mortar stores and services out there to satisfy your needs.

Where do I begin?

With this newfound information, you may embark on your shopping jihad with complete faith in your abilities to avoid being duped. Here are some suggestions for avoiding that scenario:

Verify the legitimacy of the firm selling you the kitchen by requesting the names and numbers of some of their prior clients. Don’t let ads convince you; let your experience do the talking.
Choose cabinets with a width of 18mm–19mm and a strong back if you want your kitchen to last a long time and save money in the long run.

Metal sides and a sturdy back base are ideal for drawer construction (avoid using hardboard in the cabinet and the drawers).

– time will bend for them). Anti-slam drawers are a new feature that is quickly gaining in popularity.

Find out more about the topic; it helps to have some background information at your disposal.

Make an effort to establish a point of contact inside the organization, ideally, someone who will visit you both during and after installation.

Communicate your needs and preferences to the designer to incorporate them into the final blueprints.

Don’t risk getting burned by cold calls and emails.

Make sure everything for the kitchen has arrived safely before starting up.

Withholding at least 20% of the charge until everything is complete will ensure that any missing components will be installed before final payment is made if installation is included in your package.

Don’t do business with a firm that doesn’t agree with this.

Ensure everyone is working according to the same plan, such as promptly having all the building work done before installing your kitchen.

Be sure to coordinate the installation date, time, key arrangements (if necessary), and beer brewing setup with your designated kitchen fitter.

Don’t wait until the job is done to voice any worries to the kitchen fitter.

Money well spent

Cabinets, appliances, and work surfaces constitute the backbone of every kitchen. Before beginning their search, I recommend that all purchasers train themselves to recognize the quality of these components.

The kitchen industry is no different than any other in that high-quality products are more expensive. Therefore, it’s essential to be able to identify quality before making a purchase.

What matters most to you is that you get what you pay for in terms of price and quality. Gaining your business and word-of-mouth advertising is the ultimate goal for most stores. The adage goes like this: if the work is done well, you’ll tell a friend or neighbor, but if it’s shoddy, word will spread fast.

All customers are urged to “gen up” and do their part to eliminate the chefs who have been poisoning the broth for too long.

Please use our website forum [http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk/KitchenForum] to contact me if you have any questions or comments about the content I’ve written.

2009, Tim Foley established research and information resource for the kitchen buyer [http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk] was founded by Tim Foley. T Foley Interiors serves commercial and residential customers in the UK and Ireland, specializing in installing Corian and Quartz surfaces. Project Consultant for Granada ITV shows like “Better Homes,” “60 Minute Makeover,” and “Tonight with Trevor McDonald,” among others.

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