25 Step Guide to Designing and Buying a Kitchen
A Professional Furniture Designers Guide
Step 12. Good Kitchen Company ?
If you are choosing a kitchen company or individual, beyond your design, to supply and install your kitchen, then it is best always to start with at least 3 small scale local Kitchen companies first. Are they recommended ? and have they fitted a kitchen you can see and discuss with the owners? Have they ex-customers you can ring? Are they well-established and have they a good reputation ? Are they competative and do they offer good value? Do they have qualified installers? All of these questions are relevant and good to ask. If the supplier is not co-operative or vague with your enquiries, then I would be cautious to go further.
Good contract ?
It is important to get a copy of the kitchen contract to view early in the design process, to allay any fears, and iron out any disagreements. It is also easier to change what you don't like when the kitchen company is tendering for your business. It is important to understand that most kitchen companies have had to draft their contracts from bitter experience, and quite often unreasonable behaviour, so don't push too hard ! I have outlined some areas to consider.
Who is signing ?
If someone representing the kitchen company is signing, do they have the authority to do so ? It is important to know who is infront of you. Is it the teaboy or the director ? It does not hurt to find out what a persons position is. It is easier to understand what a representatives role is in the contract if you know what their position is. Will the kitchen designer just walk away when you have signed, or will they run the project ? Who does the ordering, and who schedules the contractors and sub-contractors ? All will have a bearing on the quality of the kitchen project and its timescale. If the kitchen goods are wrong who sorts it out ? If the contractors are dirty and noisy and always late, who takes control ? It is always good to meet the person responsible for the whole kitchen contract, if it is not the designer. If they project manager backs-up the designer, and they work together as a team, there is a better chance that your kitchen project will run smoothly.
Contract details itemised ?
If you can see every item you require itemised and priced individually, aswell as detailed, then this is the starting point. I have already explained that many companies lump kitchen furniture as one price. If you are happy with this, and the furnitureis fully discussed and detailed individually what you are getting ,then that's fine. All appliances, sinks and taps should be detailed. Do not accept pc sums for granite worktops or large priced items, including building works, make sure they are finalised. Do not accept lump sums for installation charges, ask for a breakdown of the individual items included for all contract and sub-contract work. It is easy to hide exrtra costs if items included are not clearly stated, and some companies prefer to have the option to charge lots of extras after the event. I have seen countless kitchen projects where the lack of clarity has got the kitchen company a job, but ultimately cost the customer more than the competition.
Building works and extras
I have mentioned that building works and extras need to be finalised, and it is important that this is done very early in the project. There is nothing worse for a kitchen designer than finding that the customer cannot proceed because the building costs are too much. It is important not to get ahead of yourself and proceed too far with the design process, before major building works are clarified and quoted. A competant kitchen designer should be able to give you a pc sum to cover your kitchen project as long as you are clear what you want, ie bespoke kitchen or laquered kitchen with silestone tops, or vinyl with laminate tops and good appliances etc. Just make sure you have a contingency for extras ie at least 10%.
Deposit
A reasonable deposit for your project to proceed is 25% or less. If there are special items, or it is a bespoke kitchen and built for you, then kitchen companies can sometimes charge a larger percentage. It is very difficult to quickly find a buyer for special items or bespoke kitchen furniture if you default, and people do default quite often. If you are uncertain about paying this amount of money, then you can ask to pay by barclaycard, or request a deposit guarantee, which I have covered below.
Interim payment 1
It is normally requested on delivery of kitchen goods to the site to expect to pay a further percentage of the kitchen contract, usually about 50% or the price of what you have received. It is my belief that you should never have to pay a large amount more than what you receive at any point of the contract. It is in a kitchen companies interest to get as much as they can, but I would be wary of attempts to get you to pay large cash amounts, or everything up front. Your bargaining position is hopeless if the kitchen company defaults, or messes up. It is also unreasonable for you to expect to pay a small deposit and receive all of your goods before installation. The commitment is to risky for small established companies, who you have to remember have been let down a number of times before they get to you. It is easy to get close to the end of a contract with delays on payment and find the money has run out elsewhere, especially on building projects!
Interim 2 for longer contracts
If yours is an extended contract, then some kitchen companies will slip in another interim payment to cover expenses and also their commitments to suppliers who work on 30 days credit. Some kitchen companies ask for an extra payment for kitchen worktops if they are expensive and not included in your second payment. The main idea is to end up at the end of the contract with an amount of money left outstanding that bears some relation to the installation charges and second fix services.
Final payment
If the final 25% is outstanding after the kitchen project is completed, then this is often enough as a bargaining chip to get the bits completed you are not happy with. It is acceptable for a kitchen company to ask for most of this amount and leave what is a reasonable amount to cover for small problems at the end. It is not reasonable to hold back thousands of pounds for £200 pounds worth of problems. I would never have the heart to upset a good kitchen company when they have completed 95% of a contract to my satisfaction, but it does seem to happen often from my experience, too often where there is excellent service. If you find a good kitchen company then goodwill is important, so negotiate in a professional manner, and agree a reasonable solution all round and you will quite often have a group of sub-contractors available for your next project !
Contract terms are reasonable ?
It is not a happy event when ready and happy to pay a deposit to have a big pause whilst the back of a contract is mulled over. It is much better to ask for the contract document early and take it home to see what lays there to trip you up. It is difficult to cover all types of kitchen contract but it is important for a kitchen company to state terms and for you to be happy when things go wrong. It is just as important that your rights are covered aswell as the companies, but that is covered by consumer rights. There are many ways that a kitchen company can mess up and let you down. There are many ways that a kitchen company can be let-down by your builder or their suppliers. If nobody takes resposibility then you are left in the middle quite often without a kitchen. Contract terms quite often evolve from the unreasonable behaviour of a few difficult clients or builders. Charges for standing time if the builder is late finishing or for changes to design or goods on site are quite often included, for instance. The most important clauses cover non- payment and "default of contract" charges so look carefully, and run them past a legal or experienced business friend or relative. It is not unusual for large kitchen companies to protect their position too well and hide the fact.
Exclusions
It is important to know what the kitchen company or main contractor is responsible for, and what guarantees you have if sub-contractors default and mess up or do not turn up. If your job is delayed who takes resposibility? and pays compensation for bad workmanship and inconvenience ? if you are asked to pay sub-contractors direct who is responsible if they mess up ?
Guarantees
Guarantees on workmanship and goods are quite often left vague and ignored unless you demand clarification. Guarantees are always varied for kitchen appliances andkitchen furniture, and it is important to have a clear picture what you are covered for, and for how long. Kitchen appliances come with guarantee forms that require filling in and require leaving with you . Kitchen furniture should be covered for more than the standard 1 year under normal wear conditions, unless there are special finishes. Worktop guarantees need to be clarified because of the heavy usage. It is important to persist with this area, because kitchen appliances seem to fail earlier and more often these days, and call out charges are getting rediculous.
Deposit and contract guarantees
It is possible through many kitchen companies to get a deposit guarantee through third party cover or full contract guarantee. Companies like the KBSA will charge the kitchen company a fee to cover your deposit until the supply of your goods. Other companies cover the whole contract such as Fairtrades. These are worth asking for if you are unsure of the financial status of the kitchen company you are dealing with.
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