Kitchen Company Looking for Payment Up-Front??

Unless I have absolutely no alternative I never, ever pay for anything in advance.
 
Glad to hear you managed to find an alternative supplier for your kitchen doors - when will businesses learn that a little customer goodwill goes a long way? If they'd given you the info, you'd have been singing their praises!

I think the kitchen market is grossly over-priced in Ireland. When I was renovating my home a few years back, I couldn't get a quote for kitchen units under €3,500, which just seemed ridiculously expensive.

So I booked myself on a flight to Glasgow, went to Ikea and bought all of my kitchen units, doors, handles - the works - for £670! It cost about £200 for delivery and I put it most of it together myself, with a little help from the da, and a few mates chipping in with the heavier lifting. Finished the whole kitchen - tiled floors, units, all appliances & solid timber worktops - for under €3000. Damages and returns can be problematic but with the store now in Belfast and the new Dublin store opening this summer, this option is getting a whole lot easier.

If you hadn't been able to source the doors, I was going to suggest that you source a cheaper version of the units you wanted and just change the kitchen doors. There are companies that specialise in this and it could have been an economical solution...
 
Basically you are saying that they want 100% payment upfront.. even if it is in stages. That seems to leave you a little exposed if they don't deliver.. however you would have the credit card thing but I'm not sure I'd like to rely on it.

It must be hell on the credit card companies as this must be happening more and more nowadays... as a company goes bust the credit credit card companies have to foot the bill for orders not completed. They may have to change the rules eventually.

Just to be clear I certainly don't know if credit card companies do refund customers for purchases not received... maybe it's only some companies, it might be best to read the contract if you're going to be relying on it.
 
This request may tell you something about the state of the company.

If you pay all up front you have no leverage in getting the job finished.

A request for a deposit is perfectly reasonable, depending on whether they are bespoke or standard units.

SSE

Agree on this....don't do it....take your business elsewhere
 
Regardless of how you pay, if kitchen world closes down , no matter how cheap, you have no gaurantee and you can be sure the fitter will use the fact that its closed as a get out of jail card. Minion i dont know what planet your living on, as someone who works in this field myself every where is now and im talking about suppliers are cutting back on credit terms.
 
This doesn't answer tosullivans question but the high-end kitchen makers don't usually ask for 100% up front. Usually it is 30% on taking the order, 30% on fitting the base units and the rest on fitting wall units and worktops.
 
My fear at the moment is with all these companies is that they are all not doing well. We were looking at getting a quiote from Magnet but they are in Administration.

I'm very wary of handing over any deposit up front and then be told before the delivery date, that they have gone bust.

DO you think any of them will do business on COD? Its a catch 22 situation that they wont take an order without getting 50% deposit, but I wouldn't be willing to provide that.
 
Hi Guys I know I'm coming in on the end of this but I'm getting wardrobes fitted in 2 bedrooms on Wednesday costing me €1700 and the company came highly recommended, not once did they ask for a deposit and if they had there’s no way they would get a penny until they land on my doorstep with the wardrobes given the amount of companies in trouble out there. Where now in a situation where you don’t part with money until you get what your paying for as fare as I can see it.

I got this company after putting a tender up on www.tenderme.ie and got replies from 4 companies along with another who did work for neighbours of ours. The difference in price was staggering €2850 for the exact same doors and layout in both rooms. This is the 3rd time I have used tenderme successfully, last 2 where for a window and door for my garage and to have my attic conversion plastered. Both times I got very different prices and I have been lucky to get good trades men both times who did a quality job at a good price. Sorry if I seem to be plugging the site but it’s worked for me so far.

John
 
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