28 Jun 08: New worktop ordered

The Installations Manager rang - she'd had a meeting with Fitter1, most of the contents of that meeting wasn't my business to know (my words from the start, not hers) but she asked for my assurance that he would get paid at the end of this. Boo hiss!.. Of course a payment will be due when what was supposed to have been done right the first time is eventually done properly. I just feel that, ethically, I should be paying the person who does it right.
MFI really need to rethink the way they contract their fitters!


Had an email from the IM yesterday confirming the worktop & sink would be credited to my card, so I ordered the replacement worktop from those Very Nice People at Blacksheep in Macclesfield and sourced the sink.


Fitter3 has not rung.
Still no further comment from the branch.
Or apology from MFI in writing.

To answer those who asked the question...

Why MFI, why not IKEA?....

(just tickles me, this one!)

Wednesday 25 June: Let's get it right.

Sent revised schedule of works back to installations manager - as a lot had been missed off her original version, including fitting the replacement worktop and sink!!! Also sent the quote from Blacksheep which arrived today, and asked for written guarantee there would be no further invoicing to us arising at any point (do you detect an element of mistrust creeping in?) All this is via email.


An Aside...
Did you know that under the Goods & Services Act if you are not satisfied with work done then you have to give the supplier the opportunity to put it right within a reasonable time? ie. let them back into your home for a second time no matter what! sorry but that's just a late night comedy sketch waiting to happen, that one.


Personal reflection
We are both 'feeling the strain' now, as Himself has intimated that he is experiencing a similar 'sick gut' when he pulls into the drive. We are trying to keep ourselves sane, and united. What love has brought together let no kitchen company divide!!! haha.

The Action Starts. Part 2.

Schedule of works sent to me from the installations manager was not accurate & had stuff missing. I've had to correct that.

Spoke to installations manager about Fitter1 ringing up last night. She, like me, was surprised (or very good at acting surprised) that he had not been appraised of the situation. He must have been appraised by now anyway, because he's not rung up this evening as he said he would. Hmm.

Here's the fun bits. Ha sodding ha.
They want us to pay for the replacement worktop up front & then they'll refund us. The installations mgr says MFI "don't have an account set up with Blacksheep" so they can't order direct. They don't have an account with us, if we're talking technicalities! Like we have the cash to just fork out willy-nilly on worktops. She then said that the branch manager may be able to provide the cash advance or refund my card upfront, and would get back to us on that.
I'm getting a quote from Blacksheep and forwarding it on to them, along with the corrected Schedule of Works.

Have contacted my credit card company on an "f.y.i." basis.


Footnote: re Fitter1, this is the icing on MFI's Cake of Ludicrousity:

MFI's Fitters get paid whether or not they do a good job.

How do I arrive at this conclusion? Simple: the IM said that when the work is complete and satisfactory, then we must pay Fitter1 his bill because then the work on his schedule will have been completed.
Even though someone else had to correct it (which will be at MFI's expense).

What kind of incentive is THAT for a fitter to do the job properly & professionally??? WTF?!?!?!

3 phone calls in 1 day

1. Call from Fitter1 saying that he'd got the gas & elec certificates for us (no, really) and he now wants payment of his invoice. Unbelievable! MFI haven't engaged with him!

2. Call from Fitter3 who said he'd come over this weekend to review the necessary work.

3. Picked up a voicemail that the Installations Manager left earlier confirming Fitter 3's name, delivery date of 5 July and estimating remedial work will start the following week.

The Action Starts.

A phone call and an email today. Exactly as promised.

The phone call was to get our decision about the sink; we have accepted the offer of a refund for us to source a sink elsewhere for their fitter to include in the remedial work. I was prepared to upgrade the sink to a better one from MFI, mirror polished instead of matt, and pay the difference - but MFI can only sell via pictures in a brochure. None of those pictures give any indication as to quality, cost or value - there are no prices next to the picture, hence ending up with this "cheap sink" (her words not mine) in the first place. MFI do not offer the facility for customers to select a good quality sink by the tried & tested old-fashioned method of comparing the physical goods & prices. And we do not want to risk making the same mistake again, so if MFI cannot show us the goods pre-sale then we will have to find a store that will.

The email came with a checklist of the work planned, so the next step for us is to check that everything we raised is covered for on that list. The spare parts are being sent to us, and of course we'll have to take delivery of the replacement units - once more the house will be a bombsite. In addition, we have to contact the worktop supplier and get a quote for the replacement worktop, as MFI have stated they will be paying for that so it needs to be ordered asap as it's availability will directly affect the refit date.

What we don't actually have is an Answer. You know, a formal response to our complaint that APOLOGISES. A letter that acknowledges our complaint and states what their intentions are. All we've actually got here is a set of facts & instructions.

A visit from the Installations Manager

On Friday last week the Installations Manager rang me up to say that she had received Fitter 2's report, and arranged a home visit for Wed 18 June 08 to check the comments made in that report with a view to assessing Fitter 1. She asked how his manner was generally, to which I replied that he seemed ok, although my partner had overheard his colleague question a number of things he was doing. You can't stand over people though - there's always an element of trust involved isn't there.

What concerned me at the outset of our conversation was that the primary objective of MFI would appear to be their own internal investigation around resource issues. In a customer-facing environment, their first priority should be to address the customer's complaint which as far as I'm concerned is product related! in that the kitchen in its present state is sub-functional, sub-standard and meets neither expectations nor requirements. And another 3 months wait to resolve the situation is unacceptable.

I raised this again when we met today. My concerns were taken on board and I did feel that she went on to conduct the visit from the Cust Sat angle rather than HR. I was given the verbal assurance that the remedial work would resolve all the points on the snagging list, and she would try to get a fitter to us within 4 weeks.

She was here an hour & a half, we went through every detail of the list I had against what Fitter2 had written. I asked for a copy of his report, along with the electric & gas certificates. She offered a refund on the sink so we could be responsible for sourcing our own, said she would email me the list of remedial work that MFI intended to do and said that MFI would pay for a replacement worktop which we would have to arrange with our supplier.

All in all, a positive experience. [yay!]


Footnote : I had to laugh re the sink. I pointed out that the water was ponding on the drainer, and her response was that (as she apparently tells a lot of people when they say the same thing) the draining board is just for pots to drip onto, it's not meant to take the water anywhere in particular... !

Well, there's something I bet you didn't know about sinks, and from an industry professional, so it must be true. :-P

nb. There has still been no communication from the branch.

oh no not you again

On Saturday we took delivery of an additional wall unit + cornicing which is now sitting under our stairs. I had to place the order post-fit because it's transpired that we need the extra space since it's now looking unlikely that we'll get the shelving that I had asked about at the pre-fit.

Anyway...
This morning at 8.30am MFI attempted to deliver another identical wall unit! WTF?!

There's more...
I idly joked that if they left it I'd put it on ebay to recoup my costs, and the guy very nearly DID try to leave it!!! I had to tell him to take it away!

And that's not all...
About ten minutes later I got a call from the manager asking if they really had just tried to deliver something I'd already got because he wanted to make sure the delivery guys "were telling the truth?" (his words, not mine). That says a lot doesn't it.

Amityville - brace yourselves here's The Snag List

When MFI's saleswoman told me that MFI actually could offer me a range that would go up to my ceiling with no annoying dusty gap, I conceded that my search was over.

I gave her my room height at the design stage, as I also wanted her to incorporate a customised floor-to-ceiling unit (involving a stack of wall units) on an opposing wall.

Now that the fitters (whom I shall index as Fitter1) have been and gone (twice), the following is a list of all the things that have gone and/or are still wrong with our MFI fitted kitchen:

1. Wall units damaged. The backboard on one was cracked, and another was scratched. Fitters claimed it was not them, that it was probably done in transit and that they never noticed any damage anyway during work until I pointed it out to them. (Aren't they the ones who are supposed to have the trained eyes?)

2. Unacceptable discolouration on wall unit. I'm intelligent enough to know that wood has natural hues and variations, but this looks like it's gone 10 rounds with a flame thrower. It should never have passed factory standards inspections - if, indeed, MFI operate such a process.

3. Cooker hood is misaligned and touches the wall cupboard on one side, causing vibrational stress to the unit and rendering any attempt to clean down the side of the hood impossible.

4. Base level fridge & freezer are misaligned - the front doors & end panels look like they're all sloping in different directions.

5. Standalone cooker misfitted so it touches the unit at the side (fridge) causing vibration from the cooker fan.

6. Mess. Pan drawers were not removed when the fitters came back to fit the worktop, so they were full of dirt & sawdust afterwards.

7. Closure faults. All units are supposed to have the 'soft close' mechanism but the pan drawers & a cupboard do not close & need to be helped.

8. Cupboard under the sink - what a disaster.

a) Huge holes have been gouged into the top end of this unit for no apparent reason.

b) Lots of wrong holes were drilled into the backboard before they guessed right on ones that would actually accommodate the plumbing furniture. There are even mysterious great gaps gouged out of the top of the back board that have no obvious purpose.

c) Filter tap cartridge has been left lying around loose, no bracket fitted.

d) Plumbing & pipes for dishwasher & sink are left hanging right through the middle - inadequately fitted & bracketted. Space is subsequently unuseable.

e) Door misfitted, stands proud of unit.

f) Handle missing!

9. Mini end cupboard next to sink cupboard - handle was also missing off this one and so, without asking, the fitters used their initiative (great) and took the one off a sample door in our washroom that I'd left a £5 depost with MFI for a couple of months back when I'd borrowed it for tile matching. (Ho hum.)

10. Electrics.

a) The electrician made a mess in the hall when he fitted wiring to comply with building regs requirement for a ring main. He never covered the carpet and did a poor job of wiring into our main switch box generally.

b) Sockets/switches in the kitchen that were moved now stand proud of the wall because they have been badly fitted.

c) An end wall had been perfectly plastered. I had asked Fitter1 beforehand about the socket that needed moving and he said to get the wall done and they would move it later - not to worry, the patch would not be visible. Ha! It looks like a lump of blancmange on my otherwise pristine wall. Incorrect filler used, should have been plastered.

d) Fuse switch next to the cooker hood is totally in the wrong place.

11. Unuseable walls: When surveying and subsequently stripping the walls, the fitters never indicated that we would need some plaster & skim work to the wall prior to the wall units & cooker hood going up. The wall they uncovered is in a dreadful state, and they have just mounted everything on top of it so we are now unable to plaster, decorate or tile over it. What filler they did use on the boarded-up alcove was inappropriate & has left more of a problem than it solves.

12. Worktop. As I wasn't taken with any of the MFI worktops, I bought a top-of-the-range Duropal laminate worktop from Blacksheep (Macclesfield) which is superb. Or at least it was.

a) It has been severely hacked into under the sink by the fitter, comprising its structural integrity and capacity to support the sink.

b) The fitters have not applied the laminate covers to the edges of the worktop at the break where the cooker stands. They've put standard MFI metal brackets on the ends which do not sufficiently covered the laminate inner , so leaving the 2 front corners there vulnerable to liquid ingress - fatal for laminate! You can see the compacted 'inner' sticking out the sides of the metal end pieces.

c) They have executed a very poor 'invisible' join at the L-shape in the corner; the silicon-filled gap is wide enough to allow deterioration of the seal and one side stands higher than the other which is visible at the corner itself.

d) The sealant itself appears to be sub-standard and everyone that has seen the kitchen since (including other MFI fitters) have said the wrong type of sealant has been used.

13. Sink.

a) The finish on the matt sink is impossible to clean. Wiping it brings up a blackened hue, and water 'pools' all over the surface causing blotches.

b) Inadequate silicon sealing around the sink - there are obvious gaps in the sealant. If any water gets in there, it will leak underneath and also wreck the inside of the worktop.

c) Filter tap spits, there's no smooth flow to the water. No matter how you try to turn the tap nozzle, the water just spits out uncontrollably to the sides. Poor product design.

d) Ponding on the drainer.

14. Sub-standard plastering. The filler/plaster used to 'make good' the wall where the alcove is boarded up, and at various places over the rest of the wall (including the moved socket - ref.10c) is sub-standard and has been put on very badly. It looks like cheap polyfiller and no attempt has been made to smooth it over, even high up on the wall where tiling is least likely to be.

15. Boarding-in of water pipes that run up the corner of the kitchen has been very poorly done. The ply has not been cut accurately and there is no support on one side - so the whole thing looks awful, is not secure and cannot be decorated over. A very unprofessional job.

16. Floor to ceiling unit has no base boards! It looks like it's just 'floating'! If you bend down you can see the support feet that are supposed to be hidden.

17. Scratch on end plate where the sink cupboards finish.

18. Fridge is missing a top protector plate from the door fittings. When the fitters left, they took a bag of unused stuff (screws, brackets, etc) which included the unfitted fridge piece. I had gathered all this up myself, expecting to keep it and of course fit the fridge piece!

19. No paperwork, forms or certificates were left for any electrical and gas fitting work carried out, or any aspect of the fitting itself. Legal point.

20. Appliance warranties only 10 months. MFI register the product themselves ahead of fitting. I discovered that my appliances were registered back in March. That only leaves 10 months' warranty period post-install.

21. Plinth drawer unuseable. The fitters were unable to fit this new-style drawer into the base plinth, they said it just wouldn't fit and I should take it back for a refund, which I did.

22. My bag of bits has gone for a walk. (As has my gorgeous, blue flowery, big mug... and both disappeared around the same time. Just a coincidence?) The fitters left a lot of rubble in the kitchen - screws, brackets & other fittings dotted around the place & inside the cupboards. I collected the whole lot up and put it all in a pink carrier bag in a corner of the kitchen for keeping safe. I never saw it again.

23. And finally....The piece de resistance!!!....

The wall units do NOT reach the ceiling!

Despite giving MFI the room height measurements at the design stage, I was not informed that the ceiling height would render my requirement undeliverable, and that using 'gap filler' in this instance was untenable due to the size of the gap involved (half a foot).

I was therefore MISSOLD in the first instance.

As a footnote, the cupboards themselves are simply a waste of space. There's not enough room in them and the shelves I wanted have not happened, so we've had to order another wall unit. :-(

Recourse:-

The following are the steps I am taking...

a) formal complaint with MFI Macclesfield.

This is where we are now. The manager rang up and has sent one of his expert fitters (Fitter2) to survey the kitchen & submit a report, as understandably he does not have the 'trained eye' to do that himself. Apparently he is new to the branch, and so far I have found his verbal response to the matter to be positive and proactive. It would be so nice to be able to blog an entry for an excellent resolution! However, Fitter2 mentioned during his visit that he personally would be not available for a re-fit until September, and he can't book us in even provisionally until he gets management instruction to proceed, so that will probably push out to even later. This is a major issue as far as I'm concerned, such a wait is unacceptable.

Since that report was done there has been no further communication to us from the branch.

b) Further action as events shall warrant.

Personal reflection

I get a sick feeling in my stomach every time I have to face the horror story that is my MFI fitted kitchen. When I pull into the drive after a long day at work, having collected my son from school, all I want to do is make a nice meal for us all and have a rest. Instead it just upsets me to walk in there, and I'm ending up with more migraines & depression. We are expecting a visitor from the US at the end of September, how the hell can we welcome anyone into this horror story.

FOOTNOTE: Howdens and MFI are joined at the hip. Check Wikipedia and bear this in mind when shopping around.