Wren Kitchens -

I approached Wren when I was looking for a new kitchen. Excellent and lovely salesperson in their showrooms, beautiful 3D computer projection of the new kitchen. Wonderful at that point.

When I received their written quotation I definitely turned away from them. Far too many (in very tiny print) exclusions from that quote - so no idea as to what the final cost would actually be. Also, the fact that they then use many different local fitters - without having any idea as to which of those I was likely to get - was a definite NO NO from me.

So pleased I went with a small local, well established company. On their quote I could see EXACTLY how much I was paying and for what. The person I saw in the showroom became my Project Manager, all work was carried out by their own people, all kept to time, work beautifully carried out.
Would never touch any of these BIG companies.

I thought that Wren went bust years ago?
I know that they have a terrible reputation

I’m obviously thinking of another kitchen firm. Just ignore me!

We are about to get our kitchen redone and keen to heed the advice to get it fitted by our own fitter - but how do we find one?

I don’t know about the customer service but their advertisement with people dancing round is enough to put me off Wren…

We went to a local firm and they designed and fitted it. It was more expensive to have them do it all but when anything has gone wrong they have been back to fix it straight away. They even did my DD;s kitchen in London!

kittylester

We are about to get our kitchen redone and keen to heed the advice to get it fitted by our own fitter - but how do we find one?

I went entirely with a local company - very, very happy with cost, work and outcome.
My daughter in London, also tried Wren, was also put off by not knowing who would fit what. She found a local fitter who uses Howdens units. He is her project manager and she knows exactly the costs involved.
So, you need to ask around locally for a good, experienced kitchen fitter. Ask to be able to see some of their work locally. Most people, happy with their new kitchens are often delighted to show if of to other people.

Work out for yourself what YOU need in a kitchen. Often designs are there to look good but may not mean the best working arrangement,. eg: designers much prefer ovens in base units to give a longer worktop - but for an older person an eye level oven is far safer).

De spend a lot of time browsing catalogues and visiting showrooms, Look at the different types of corner fitments, I would suggest many drawers rather than cupboards. Only YOU know what YOU need in a kitchen. Do not be talked into something by a salesperson. Have an overall design in your mind and let them work around that.

Have Fun

The same applies to B and Q had a terrible experience with them 20 years ago. Local company fitted a new kitchen last year, there were a few problems but quality was very good.

dragonfly46

We went to a local firm and they designed and fitted it. It was more expensive to have them do it all but when anything has gone wrong they have been back to fix it straight away. They even did my DD;s kitchen in London!

Dragonfly, would that be the company that is quite near me? Were they loads more than other ones?

Chester19 the only advice I have is to name and shame, companies seem to respond better to postings on Facebook and Twitter as they’re in the public domain.
We went with Howdens eventually. Our fitter, is a friend of a friend and although independent had lots of experience and contacts with Howdens. He was paid in stages with final payment on a satisfactory completion.
I never pay people tradesmen/women the whole amount up front.

My DS has ordered at kitchen from Howdens. Excellent service and had range of local fitters. He got lots of quotes and references

So grateful for all the comments about Wren. We were looking at them to update our really old kitchen.
Sharps are another “only if you get a good fitter” firm. The person who does the spec isn’t always as good as you hope, even though the CAD projection you get looks amazing. The fitter sometimes has to be able to resize and reorganise.

We used a local fitter who was also a carpenter. He'd done some carpentry work for us before so we knew he was 1st class. He recommended buying a certain make and getting it from a local trade company. We registered an account with them and got 1/3 off.

The units had to be paid for on ordering but the carpenter was paid when each stage was finished. We had the kitchen area, large utility and shelving done. Much of the utility was bespoke.

Trade company were brilliant in helping with the design. I changed my mind 6+ times. Get lots of samples which need to be seen in your own home as light can be very different from a showroom to your own kitchen. One grey door sample looked ok in the showroom but a pale green against our floor with the natural light coming in.

I too recommend having lots of drawers and, if you've room, a pull out larder. Check the weight the drawers will take though.

My daughter went to Wren with her DH. The salesman completely ignored her, spoke exclusively to her DH. So they didn’t buy from there .

Pull out larder is wonderful. So wanted one for many years, TBH I largely designed my new kitchen around one of these.
Also have a small base unit with pull out shelves which I use top one for herbs/spices, etc and bottom one for oils and vinegars etc.

When investigating a new kitchen, builder chum said avoid Wren, get a few ideas then go to another company. We did just that.

A Sharp’s fitted bedroom , fitted many years ago now, was the worst £3000 we ever spent.
The sad thing is that I still have it and hate it just as much now as I did then.

I had a new kitchen fitted 3 years ago by a local joiner. He said that he'd fit Ikea, Howdens, Kitchen Direct, Wickes, Magnet or B & Q; in fact any kitchen I chose..... except Wren. He said that they were poorly made, badly designed and were never delivered without parts missing that took weeks to arrive.

FannyCornforth

I thought that Wren went bust years ago?
I know that they have a terrible reputation

I think they took over part of MFI/Hygena many years ago.

As a neighbour said MFI meant Made for Idiots but we bought a very sturdy Hygena kitchen from there very many years ago and DH fitted it himself.
We also bought some inexpensive furniture from MFI just before they closed down, for a spare bedroom, and it is still sturdy and good today.

I don't know what Wren is like but I had heard warnings about their quality and service.

Glad to read this as I’m saving like mad for a new kitchen. We live in the north east of England so any recommendations gladly accepted.

chester after similar warranty frustrations I went in some desperation to the furniture ombudsman. It took a few days to find and forward the documentation they asked for. I’m not totally sure of the detail of their communication with Wren but they issue was then resolved in our favour within 10 days. It may help you, hope so.

We are actually very pleased with our kitchen. 9 years old it looks like new, such a shame the after sales service was dreadful.

When dd bought her house it had a Wren kitchen all in black! It was poorly designed and badly fitting. The units were not standard size either. She ripped it out, had a wall knocked down and made a beautiful large room with the lounge instead.

Harris 27, I have sent you a pm.

Many years ago DH and I bought a Hygena kitchen from MFI and fitted it ourselves. (Needs must at the time.) Our present kitchen was supplied and fitted by a local firm. It includes a very tall pull-out larder unit which is 300mm wide, contains a massive number of items and bears a lot of weight. I find it very useful.
We are currently considering an IKEA kitchen as are our younger next door neighbours.
Our DS2 had a Wren kitchen fitted in his previous house and wouldn’t recommend it.