2008
If you're planning a trip to a kitchen showroom this bank holiday to take advantage of special holiday offers, taking some advice from Consumer Direct East Midlands before you make a decision could help you avoid some of the fitted kitchen pitfalls.
18th March 2008
With people in the East Midlands spending an average of £5,214 on a fitted kitchen last year, the government advice service received nearly 800 complaints about fitted kitchens from across the region. Many of these concerned substandard work, faulty units and delivery and fitting delays.
Sara Barry, Consumer Direct East Midlands Manager said:
'Buying a fitted kitchen can be an incredibly expensive investment so it pays to shop around and do your homework. And if things go wrong, you need to take prompt action to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.'
Consumer Direct East Midlands has put together a list of tips to help you avoid the most common complaints:
- Try to make it a term of the contract that work will be completed by a fixed date
- Before you sign a contract, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully to understand what is covered and what is not.
- Study the plans to check that you have exactly what you asked for as this will form part of your contract.
- If you are buying on credit shop around for deals - you are not obliged to accept the shops' own credit.
- Consider paying by credit card (rather than a debit card) as this will give you extra protection if things go wrong.
- If you experience a delay, complain in writing as soon as you can.
- If there are problems with the quality of the work, it may help to keep a record of the issues - this could include photos or video footage.
More information and advice on any consumer issue is available from Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or by visiting the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
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MEDIA enquiries:
Georgina Barton
Tel: 01522 535792
Mobile: 07768 840239
Email: georgina.barton@consumerdirect-eastmidlands.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisors in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
3. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
4. A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
5. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
6. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct. Visit the ConsumerLine website.
