Wickes’ Jeremy Bird in ‘not god’ shock
‘Jeremy Bird is steeped in Wickes experience… he has acquired a broad understanding of the Group’s strategy and culture…. combined with Jeremy’s vision, drive and grounding in Wickes…’
– Travis Perkins press release on appointing Jeremy Bird, MD of Wickes
No business is perfect, so I aspire to be a forgiving customer, keen to provide an opportunity to correct mistakes before flying off the handle. But there’s little worse than being patronised in response to a letter of complaint.
I recently made the mistake of ordering a door from Wickes. Now I know you’re supposed to open the package and thoroughly inspect the contents before signing for delivery, but nobody keeps the courier waiting that long. So it was a day before I realised Wickes had delivered a rather nice oak door with glazed panelling, sadly unsuitable for a bathroom, instead of the cheap thing I’d ordered.
Then came the bizarre attitude; the refusal to deliver the correct door until the wrong door was safely back in their warehouse. This came with the heavy implication that I might be wrong about them delivering the wrong door in the first place; like they were calling me a liar. There was a begrudging repayment of a premium paid for delivery before noon. Normal delivery is next day, but repayment of the remaining delivery charge was phrased as a ‘good will gesture’. Hardly; if you promise next day delivery and fail, a refund should be automatic and come with an apology.
But where was the wrong door? Wickes’ courier was certainly taking its time. For about a week nobody knew where the wrong door was and so the right door could not be dispatched.
Fortunately the joiner intervened. Tutting and shaking his head, he explained this is usual for Wickes and offered to get a door from elsewhere.
But who says Wickes can’t dispatch the right product until the wrong product has been returned? This said the ever polite and patient call centre guy was company policy, like company policy was set by the gods and delivered to Moses in tablets of stone. When I asked for the name of the person responsible for company policy, call centre guy audibly gulped – just like I was asking for the name of god – and eventually suggested the board of directors.
So I’m picking on Jeremy Bird, the managing director (and apparent god) of Wickes who can’t be bothered to deal with customers. Jeremy Bird’s minion explained that ‘customer service is a key ingredient to brand integrity… we have fallen short of our service aspirations’. But it’s no good having ‘service aspirations’ if you’re not prepared to consider revising company policy from time to time.
My proposal that when Wickes deliver the wrong product, they deliver the right one to the customer at the same time they take the wrong one back, has fallen on deaf ears. The current policy maximises customer inconvenience and aggravates Wickes’ initial mistake.
It’s clear that Wickes’ culture is such that MD Jeremy Bird is regarded as something of a god. His company policy statements may not be challenged. That needs to be changed; customer service people are frontline staff witnessing Wickes’ failures firsthand everyday. Jeremy Bird has no idea. Wickes requires a cultural shift so the little people aren’t afraid to speak up.
So reading Jeremy Bird’s boast of being steeped in Wickes’ failing culture, is very disappointing. He’s clearly not a man capable of delivering change.
Comments (35 comments)
When you ordered your door online, you accepted the terms and conditions of sale, inc: the returns policy, so Im slightly confused at to why you are grieved.
Either you didnt read them before agreeing to them, which is odd and slightly juvanile, or you think you can complain, after reading them and agreeing to them, which is a clear and obvious acceptance of the conditions.
It might be advisable, to not order online in the future, as it clearly confuses you. Remain in the post internet age, and shop in store, and return faulty, unwanted, etc goods in store. This is perhaps slightly more understandable for you, with out the long worded terms and conditions you clearly struggle with.
Chris / March 26th, 2008, 11:54 am / #
FYI – Actual copy of agreement YOU agreed to reading, understanding and accepting, outling the collection of goods, prior to re del of correct items, of which you legally accepted, and then bizzarly decide to dispute.
” Dont make a formal contract by agreeing to the terms and conditions, if you are going to winge and cry about them after the event ”
Its rather silly
http://www.wickes.co.uk/page/terms
Returns and Refunds
If you want to return a product for any reason, we promise to give you a refund, excluding any delivery charges, within 30 days of the date it is delivered to you.
In the unlikely event that a product is faulty or it has been damaged during delivery, we will exchange the product or provide you with a full refund. Notification of any defect must be made within 30 days of the product being delivered to you. We reserve the right to inspect all returned products prior to agreeing to any part-refund, full refund or product exchange.
Products can be returned to your local Wickes store, with proof of purchase. Alternatively, collection of the product can be arranged through our nominated carrier, where the cost of the return will be at the customer’s expense. We require the return of the products within 30 days of the refund request being made.
Certain products offered on the website have specific, stated delivery times which supersede the standard next-day delivery proposal (please see individual product details on the website).
Referred to as ‘special order’, ‘extended lead time’ or ‘supplier-delivered’ products, these items are shipped directly from Wickes’ suppliers. In the unlikely event that a special order product is faulty, the item can be returned to your local Wickes store, with proof of purchase, for a full refund (including delivery charge). Alternatively, collection of the product can be arranged through our nominated carrier, where the cost of the return will be at our expense. Should a special order product need to be returned for any other reason, it can be returned to your local Wickes store, with proof of purchase, for a full refund (ex. delivery charge). Alternatively, collection of the product can be arranged through our nominated carrier. There will be a minimum charge of £22 for this service, increasing significantly dependent on customer location and product type.
Chris / March 26th, 2008, 1:27 pm / #
You’re so right Chris, we should all pay far more attention to small print.
I note that your second comment, which contains the relevant clause, is posted an hour and a half after your first. Is that because it took you, someone using a Travis Perkins (Wickes’ parent company) PC, that long to find the returns policy?
Stephen Newton / March 26th, 2008, 7:12 pm / #
While looking for the MD’s email in order to make my own complaint about customer service, I came across your blog.
However, I also came across a link that would suggest that Mr Bird has flown the nest and gone to Focus…no doubt to mess it up there too.
http://www.diyweek.net/news/news.asp?id=10648&title=Former+Wickes+md+joins+Focus+revolution
Greg / April 30th, 2008, 9:28 am / #
Hi Greg
I think you have your Birds confused; Jeremy Bird succeeded Richard Bird. That DIY Week story is from last summer.
But thanks for stopping by and I hope you get satisfaction from Wickes… although I doubt you will.
Stephen
Stephen Newton / May 1st, 2008, 9:40 pm / #
[...] this kind of thing is far from unusual. After criticising Wickes, the builders’ merchants, I received a letter form Paul Fertleman, apparently a commercial lawyer [...]
NCP and Wickes: so immature / May 22nd, 2008, 10:46 am / #
Did you manage to get the address of their corporate HQ to write a complaint to Jeremy?
Phil Wilkinson / August 21st, 2008, 9:54 am / #
Hi all.
Just reading the comments after looking for the managing directors name. Again to complain about customer service. Bought french doors which were faulty scratched glass and leaking. Passed on eventually to manufacturers who have told me to buy a sealent to seal around the glass panes and to apply more stain. My advice Dont buy on line. Only purchase in store you get much better service
janine / October 19th, 2008, 9:58 pm / #
As a matter of interest, who was the original supplier of the door.
joes / May 25th, 2009, 7:27 pm / #
I too have had a bad experience with Wickes after ordering a kitchen in February with delivery in May. A 600mm unit was delivered instead of an 800mm. I was told this is the computer’s mistake, it keeps ordering a 600mm even though 800mm is put in! There were other missing units and doors. My builders managed to obtain the doors elsewhere but I was told I would not get a refund until the doors from Wickes turned up and I should bring them in for a refund. The kitchen was finished two weeks ago and the doors have still not turned up nor have two handles which were missing from the original delivery, reordered over fourteen days ago and still not here.
I have been offered two 5% off vouchers as compensation which I consider an insult.
Toni / June 2nd, 2009, 10:29 am / #
I bought a concealed cistern with the vanity unit that it is installed into. when my plumber came to install it he found to his surprise that a key part of the flush mechanism had to be assembled(for those who know about these things – the ‘drop valve’ ) – but no instructions. Not being familiar with this Wickes product he assumed this was normal went ahead and put it together. Took him 2 hours ( on my time) and the tiler who was standing by also another two hours (on my time). Even when he assembled it, it was clear that there was a part missing. So a trip to Wickes. A member of staff opened up another box and found that the drop valve was already assembled…… he cannabalised the missing part and then put the box back on the shelf…. Later my plumber found that another part of the cistern was not functioning correctly so another trip to Wickes and another part cannabalised from the same box WHICH WAS STILL ON THE SHELF. It now works but this cost me 2 extra hours from my plumber and two extra hours from my tiler who was standing by(on my time) waiting for the plumber to finish.. On complaining I’ve been told to write a letter of complaint to the store manager (which I am doing) asking for the 4 hours labour cost to be reimbursed to me as goods sold to me were not fit for purpose… I doubt if I’ll get anything – they’ll probably quote that getout ‘consequential loss’ to me. Or suggest that my plumber should have de-installed the entired cistern, boxed it all up and brought it back into the shop for a replacement – Hah..I think I’ll also copy Jeremy Bird
Jeannie / July 13th, 2009, 11:22 am / #
For – CHRIS / MARCH 26TH, 2008, 1:27 PM / # Oh dear ‘CHRIS’.
Very unimpressed with your very unprofessional reply. I found your comments extremely insulting and I’m not the person they were aimed at! You must be working next to the person in the ‘CUSTOMER’S ADVICE OFFICE’ – who put the phone down on me when I asked to speak to a manager. I’ll put it down to you being a close friend of Jeremy’s or a SYCOPHANT. Speaking from my own personal, horrendous experience that is still ongoing with WICKES. I can only agree with all the comments I have read on this site. I am a very STRESSED OUT, PISSED OFF customer who wishes I had NEVER heard of Wickes leave alone purchased a kitchen from them.
STEPHEN NEWTON / MARCH 26TH, 2008, 7:12 PM / # Loved your reply – tied the idiot in knots.
Mr L Cicero / December 10th, 2009, 7:26 am / #
I have had a bad experience with Wicks when buying tiles. practically everyone was scratched, chipped or mark with air bubbles. It took me 3 days of checking through every tile and returning boxes to collect replacement boxes only to find the same thing. I did manage after a lot of hard work and numerous trips to wicks to get enough good tiles to tile my wetroom. However on writing to Jeremy Bird at head office in Harrow I never received a reply. When I get his email I will try again. I would suggest that all the unhappy customers obtain his email and flood him with our problems copying in Watchdog! The staff at Wicks however were very patient and helpful.
Unsatisfied customer / March 5th, 2010, 8:28 pm / #
I won’t bore you with the details of my grievances (there are several) with Wickes, but rest assured they are not at all dissimilar to those already posted above. This has been ongoing since before Christmas. I wanted to share with you a piece of potentially helpful advice though. We eventually wrote to the CEO of Travis Perkins with our complaints and to be fair he has got things moving. I’m still apprehensive as to what the outcome is going to be, but we have a couple of the head office Wickes customer services people coming to our house to see us later this month to try and ‘resolve’ things.
I must say that I think the suggestion of involving Wathdog is one that should seriously be conisdered. Their customer service is beyond bad it’s something that needs to be looked into.
ANOTHER unsatisfied customer / April 1st, 2010, 2:51 pm / #
Reference the foregoing email regarding the time-scale and delivery. We too ordered a kitchen – late january and only just this week is it being installed (their fault!); several anomalies have occurred – (from the CAD drawing guy’s interpretation of my husbands draft sketches – which were pretty accurate), I am of the opinion that a full site visit should’ve be instigated to prevent the above – this did not happen. You may say we were foolish to pay the entire order “up front” – not cheap over £10,000+!! Bottom line is that perhaps the CEO* is so “focused” – (pardon the pun) on his lymphona & leukemia charities he is not interested in the customers who ultimatey pay his wages. *His name is Jeremy BIRD and is based at the Headquarters in Harrow, Middx.
I must add that I will definitely have no hesitation in contacting WATCHDOG if I fall foul of their incompetence
- more especially if I have to wait weeks (or WICKES!!) for the extra units to be delivered (and which then have to be installed). Watch this space –
P.S. MY NAME ISN’T ON THIS!!!
ongoing customer - verging on the edge of dis-satisfaction / April 26th, 2010, 2:54 pm / #
Ref.the last above email – as yet our kitchen is “in limbo” as some of the items were not delivered within the bulk delivery – i.e. worktop edging – which still has to be “lipped” and in some areas the installers have fixed down the units – so how the hell they are going to be able to edge is beyond me. Three shelves were missing, as is also the door/drawer front for the oven/microwave unit. Since then, the installers have not even been back to us to
advise if they have ordered the missing parts (they said they would order/acquire) or even when they will come back to instal.
Not altogether the installers fault, but we’re still without a functional hob (installed though!) – electrician is coming Monday 17th albeit because we need an updated circuit board). Wall are being tiled around the 17th also.
We personally visited the showroom last week and ordered and paid for an additional unit (which we incorrectly “assumed” was on the CAD drawing), and have already been advised of delivery of this on 26th of this month. So what the hell is going on?
How come if we can order and be advised a couple of days later, the why couldn’t the installers have done the same over two weeks ago.
Mr. BIRD – you’re in for a rocket!!
Mrs. Dis-satifaction – and still my name is still on this!
- but it will be eventually!!
Anonymous / May 11th, 2010, 2:03 pm / #
It is now mid-June, the above long saga of events was posted (recorded delivery) to our friend Jeremy and copied in to CEO at Travis Perkins, on 2nd June. Ten days on and not a “curdy”. Wouldn’t you think that out of courtesy. an acknowledgement of the correspondence would be made. Trouble is – these people so protected that they never see the complaints. If I was in business and received such complaints – I would be embarrassed but hey! – they earn megabucks – we’re just minions who in fact pay their wages!! Will keep posted.
Mrs. Dis-satisfaction again / June 10th, 2010, 4:10 pm / #
It’s me again.
Below is the letter I sent to Jeremy Bird a few months ago along with email complaints.
We STILL have the leak under the sink. The kitchen now sinks of stagnated dish water the fridge is too large for the ‘designed’ gap and defrosts if not pushed the hell out of to make sure it has shut properly and my grandchildren really remember to do this every time they use the fridge – as if! I am now in the process of putting the whole disaster into the hands of consumer direct/trading standards.
I of 3 Previous emails sent to Wickes 10th November 2009 I wish to make a complaint concerning the appalling treatment I have received from your Cardiff branch. I have been treated badly by your company and have contacted Trading Standards who are in agreement and have taken up our case. I am left with no kitchen until January 2010 after being told five weeks ago that the kitchen will be fitted within 4 to 6 weeks. I have constantly been given conflicting information by various members of Wick’s staff including the manager of the Wicks store I have been unfortunate enough to deal with. I feel the problem lies in the fact that Wicks has taken on too many customers who have bought half price kitchens. This has left Wicks with not enough fitters to go around. I was told five weeks ago that my kitchen would be fitted within 4 to six weeks. I have been given a constant flow of conflicting information, by different members of staff, regarding the installation of the kitchen. On querying this information we have ‘conveniently’ been offered a full refund or we will still have to wait until after Christmas for the kitchen to be installed – no explanation as to why they are not honouring the original installation date. I am very angry at the way I have been given the run around and fully intend to take this as far as I am able. The cavalier manner in which the Cardiff branch has conducted them selves has been nothing short of disgusting. I will be sending a full account of the whole sorry business to the Managing Director, Mr Jeremy Bird Mr L Cicero 11th December 2009 The above information was sent by email to one of your departments around 10th November 2009. Someone – a woman – rang me back and asked me to make a full complaint after the kitchen had been fitted. I’m now wondering if the kitchen will EVER be finished. The fitters were due to arrived on 27th November around 9.00am. When they failed to arrive I made yet more phone calls and they finally turned up in the afternoon, to start the five day fitting. It is now the 11th December and the kitchen is STILL not finished. We are waiting for the fitters to return to fit the larder unit and also to fix the leaking sink – we have a bowl under the new sink unit to catch the leaking water – also one of the upstands have fallen off and another is about to do so. We have lived in chaos without a kitchen for weeks and weeks, trying to wash dishes etc in the tiny sink in the tiny cloakroom under the stairs, with all the contents of the kitchen strewn around the downstairs rooms and we are STILL waiting for the fitters to return after one of the units (larder unit) was found to be damaged on opening. 2 of 3 Cont’d Another was ordered for next day delivery. It turned up two days later – damaged. Another was ordered to be delivered on Monday 7th November. We were asked to wait in between 7.00am – 19.00 for delivery, which we did. Nothing happened by late afternoon. Because of our past experience in dealing with Wickes staff we rang Wickes to find out what time delivery of the unit would possibly be and was told that they do not deliver on Mondays and that we had been given the wrong information. The person (Angela from the Cardiff branch of Wickes) who had given me the ‘wrong information’ was on holiday. What a waste of time! We were advised – yet again – to stay in and wait for another delivery for the next day. Another unit was delivered the next day – Tuesday – and it was damaged. By then I knew we would have problems with the fitters turning up that week (because they are inundated with work – their words) when the Monday delivery did not happen and Tuesdays delivery was yet again damaged. Back to square one! We have three damaged unit/carcasses hanging around the house creating even more chaos. My wife suggested that the fitters could possibly match up the undamaged parts from each damaged delivery. They agreed to this and we have been told that they will be here this Saturday 13th December – I’ll believe it when I see it. The whole experience of dealing with Wickes ‘totally unprofessional, ‘pass the buck staff’ especially coming up to Christmas, has been extremely frustrating and stressful to the point where my wife – who is not in good health – had to spend a week in Yorkshire with my son to get away from it all only to find on return that it is still ongoing. The above is a quick outline of what we have had to put up with so far. I fully intend to put all this and more in a letter to the managing director of Wickes who I strongly advise should read other customer complaints I found on the net concerning Wickes incompetence because his salary depends on CUSTOMERS! L&J Cicero 3 of 3 12th December 2009 Fitters turned up at 9.00am – couldn’t fit the unit because it was DAMAGED but advised us that another unit would be delivered on Tuesday. I rang and spoke to Craig (Manager) who said that it would not be delivered on Tuesday Wickes would not get the order until Monday and it would possibly be next Saturday 19th December, before the unit is fitted. I’m now beginning to worry about the quality of the units. Either they are made of extremely poor material or the van driver needs to be replaced. Three units arriving damaged – definitely something wrong in transit. As seems to be the norm for Wickes, each person I spoke to gave different information so I really do not know whether the kitchen will be finished this side of Christmas or not. Looks as though we ARE going to have to wait until January after all. I look forward to keeping you up to date on the next cock-up. Mr and Mrs Cicero The kitchen was finally finished on the 19th December 2009. Other problems arouse but we are too tired to bang on about it anymore – just read the main letter. Mr L Cicero 1 of 3 MAIN LETTER 26th February 2010 L&J Cicero Mr Jeremy Bird Managing Director Wickes 120-138 Station Road Harrow Middlesex England HA1 2GB Dear Sir I am writing to you to complain about the standard of service that I received from your Cardiff branch at Excelsior Drive, Cardiff. In early October 2009 I went into your store and saw that there was a half price sale on kitchens and was interested enough to enquire with a regard to having my old kitchen replaced. I spoke to a member of the kitchen sales team, Mr. Paul Morgan. I asked him how long it would take to fit a kitchen. He replied that it would take between 4 to 6 weeks from ordering. I was very happy with this information because it would be fitted long before Christmas. It was our turn, this year, for my family to spend Christmas with us. We chose a new kitchen, placed an order and paid in full for the new kitchen to be fitted – within 4 to 6 weeks. In the light of Mr Morgan telling us that the new kitchen would be fitted with in 4 to 6 weeks I ripped out the old kitchen in preparation for the new. Mr. Morgan came to my house to measure the dimensions for the new kitchen. Whilst at our house he said that within a day or two we would receive a call from the kitchen fitter to confirm measurements and to see what other ancillary work would need to be carried out. After two weeks we had not heard from the fitter. We rang Paul Morgan to ask where the fitter was and when he would be arriving. He said he would ring the fitter and ring us back – and this is where everything started to go wrong. After numerous phone calls and constant conflicting information by different members of staff the fitter did eventually contact us and said he would call that evening. He did not turn up. However, he rang – the next day – to say that he would be there that evening at around 6pm and turned up at around 9pm saying that he had just come from another job and was extremely busy. 2 of 3 Cont’d From the outset his manner was petulant and very abrasive to the point where were very much on edge and almost afraid to ask any questions. After checking the measurements he said that other work needed to be carried out and then gave us a quote way above the guidelines set down in Wickes list of quotations. When we queried the quote saying that it was rather high and would like to seek other quotes. He became very abrasive and said that was for us to decide and that he would not be able to fit the kitchen until January 2010 anyway. We were really fed up with this latest revelation. He could see that we had no kitchen facilities at all. We were using the tiny hand basin in the tiny cloakroom to get water. The thought of being in this position until the New Year was very worrying. He replied that it was not his problem. We asked about any other fitting teams being available and he said that the other teams were in the same position as he – fully booked up well into the New Year – 2010. He also said that the kitchen would not be under guarantee if we got outside fitters to fit the kitchen – so we had to stay with Wickes. He said that we should speak to the sales staff regarding dates for fitting. We had already done this at the very beginning when we ordered and paid for the kitchen on the 3rd October 2009 and was told it would be fitted within 4 to 6 weeks. He concluded by saying that he would not fit the kitchen anyway because my wife had been rude to him over the phone previously and walked out. The following day I rang Paul Morgan to inform him of what had happened with the kitchen fitter and what he had said regarding the date for fitting. Paul Morgan replied saying that the kitchen would be fitted during the period he had originally quoted and therefore to leave it with him. He said he would contact us later. I waited 2/3 days for the call back. In frustration I rang him and asked him why the delay in calling me back. He said that he had had difficulty contacting the manager – Clive Davies – however, at my request he gave us Clive Davies telephone number – for us to, basically, do his job – chase Clive Davies up. I did manage to contact Mr Davies who confirmed what the kitchen fitter had said regarding the kitchen not being fitted until the New Year. I explained to Mr Davies (who really did try to help) that I had no kitchen facilities whatsoever and could not wait until the New Year. Mr Davies said that his teams were fully booked and that the sales staff should not have quoted 4-6 week for fitting. I said it was really was not our problem if Wickes was inundated with customers buying kitchens and not enough fitters to go around and that I had ordered and paid in full for the kitchen on the understanding that the kitchen would be fitted within 4 – 6 weeks. Mr Davies said that although he did not have much hope he would try to see what he could do and would contact at a later date. By now we realised we had made a big mistake by choosing to purchase a kitchen from Wickes. After numerous calls to the store, being told that Paul Morgan was on leave and speaking to the manager and to various other members of the staff and being given conflicting information by EACH ONE OF THEM I finally gave up and went to the store to see the store manager in person and was told that he was at another Cardiff branch. 3 of 3 Cont’d I was told at this stage that I could have a refund if I wished but found this unacceptable because we knew that we would be in the same position as we were with Wickes at this late date and, due to the manner in which we were being treated, it would be an easy way out for Wickes appalling service. We were, by now, sending emails to every Wickes email address we could find on the net especially the Managing Director, complaining about Wickes standards of customer care. We have received emails to say that the complaint would be dealt with and had phone call from someone asking us to complain after the kitchen had been fitted. The whole experience was shocking especially the guarantee aspect of not allowing us to get outside fitters also the late date if we were to find another kitchen. We had – unfortunately – to stay with Wickes. I have photographs of the conditions we were living in at that time and will send them to you if you wish. I would like to point out that the kitchen tops are a big disappointment. We chose tops but were advised by Mr P Morgan to choose other tops that, he said, were better quality but find that they mark very easily and already are starting to look old. We did not experience this problem with the old work surfaces. Also the handles are not the ones we wanted but we were so hacked off with everything we just didn’t have the energy to asked them to be changed. Any excitement, joy or pleasure in having a new kitchen fitted – as was the case when we had our previous kitchen fitted by B&Q some years ago – has been completely stripped away due to the whole frustrating, fiasco. The kitchen gives us no pleasure because of all the anguish suffered to get it fitted. In the light of all this anguish, upset and disappointment I feel that some measure of compensation is called for and not in the form of a silly ‘wine rack’ as one poor traumatised customer was offered after he had gone through almost the same scenario as us. That just about sums it up – left traumatised!!! We await you reply. Mr & Mrs Cicero Additional Information. On the third occasion that Angela (customer services manager at Cardiff Wickes) reordered the larder panels she rang me to say that the parts would be arriving midweek and that the kitchen fitters would arrive Saturday morning to fit the units. I explained that we had arranged to travel to Yorkshire that weekend and therefore it would be very inconvenient. Angela replied saying that that was the only time the fitters would be available. Faced with this prospect I agree to cancel my journey to Yorkshire. When the fitter arrived Saturday morning they unpacked the parts only to find that they were yet again damaged and of no use. When I asked what happens next, they said they would phone Angela to advise her of the damage and that the replacement panels would not arrive for another week. They also said that I would have to make further arrangements for the kitchen to be fitted because they were fully booked until the New Year. What a catalogue of disasters and cock ups!!! At this point I was beside myself with anger and frustration over the whole sorry affair. I was further incensed when I saw on the internet other long suffering customer reviews at the standard of customer care they had received from Wickes nationwide and the indifferent, negative response they receive from the customer after care service. On the following Monday I rang the store to speak to Angela only to find that she was on holiday. I was then passed onto a person called Craig and, understanding my frustration, said that he would reorder two sets to increase the chances of receiving undamaged panel. He asked me to ring him the next day to reassure me that the order had been placed. On ringing Craig the following day he said that Angela had only ordered one set – she had countermanded his order for two sets. I drove to the store to discuss the matter with Paul Morgan – he was actually there! Not on leave or on holiday! We finally agreed that two sets of panels would be delivered to the store and another fitter would open, inspect, deliver and fit them on Friday evening. On Friday, around 5.00pm, whilst out shopping, I received a call from Angela to say that the panels had arrived and the fitter would be in the store shortly. I asked Angela to explain to the fitter I would be home in approximately 20 minutes. I arrived home within 20 minutes. I waited until 18.00pm – no fitter. I rang Angela only to be told that the fitter had called within the 20 minutes but on finding the house empty had left. Angela gave me a contact number to ring the fitter. On ringing him he said that he was unaware of the message I had given Angela. However, he did say that the first pack he opened was damaged but he second was fine and that he would be along Saturday morning to fit them. Yet another episode of us having to constantly badger Wickes staff, to ensure the kitchen would be fitted before Christmas, which is was but has left us traumatised. I cannot believe that something so simple in the hand of experts could turn out to be so fraught with anguish and frustration. Mr & Mrs Cicero
Jeannie Cicero / June 22nd, 2010, 11:30 am / #
I ordered 40 lengths of deck board 3.6m x 140mm x 28mm on 8th July 2010.
I paid extra for Saturday delivery and it arrived on the first available Saturday, so it was a good start but since then everything has gone horribly wrong.
Only six of the original boards were of any good, so they were:
1) almost straight – not arcing by a deviation of more than 5mm per metre length
2) not significantly bowed
3) not split in places other than perhaps at one or both ends
4) inspected to have less than 5 knots per metre length
5) not damaged or broken in other ways such as being cut/warped by retaining straps
6) inspected to not have significant holes or gaps where knots had fallen out
The only reason why I bought from wickes is that part of my deck is already using their deck so I didnt want to have an inconsistent look to the surface.
I only ever buy the minimum amount of wood that I can work with or lay down to avoid warping whilst standing for more than a week or two.
34 pieces of wood had two or more of the above issues. You can imagine how shoddy this wood looked after I unpacked it.
I contacted Wickes Customer support (Becky) on 17th July and they told me it was i would be easier if I contacted the local delivery hub at St Albans and speak with them directly.
I understand that the depot staff may be busy, however after nine attempts to call them and being kept on hold for over 20minutes or just having the phone hang up on me, I started to get fed up. So a few days later I spoke with Matt who contacted the depot on my behalf and they promised to call me back. Still nothing happened. So after a few more days I spoke with Millie who did the same as Matt even though I asked her to agree a date to pick up the wood and deliver some replacement. My suggestion was declined.
So here I am again, on Saturday 7th August finding myself speaking to Chris in Wickes Customer support as I still cannot get through to the depot people. He said he would escalate to regional management, but I have no idea what that means and whether Ill get any resolution to my issue.
As far as Im concerned, this deck should be finished by now and I still need to order a further 20 lengths of deck.
All I can say is that despite how helpful Wickes Customer support tries to be, I just cannot get anything sorted through them
Its worth noting that I have had my fingers burned by Wickes before when I bought some wood before which was bowed and cracked but was unable to resolve it with the manager in the Borehamwood branch in less than 30days as I couldnt find my receipts, so I was lumbered with (pardon the pun) over one hundred pounds of useless wood.
Unhappy customer / August 7th, 2010, 11:30 am / #
I live in cheltenham glos.and as a devout diyer my first choice is wickes every time.The staff are superb.On my most recent visit for example i was served by a lady called heather who was excellant,nothing was to much trouble,product knowledge faltless.Once again 10/10.My experience with other diy stores is always quite different.Its just a minute i,ll find someone who knows,im not sure,not in stock,when it is,or just a minute ill get the manager.Well done wickes keep it up.
john gillert / December 20th, 2010, 1:33 pm / #
The test of a store is not their ability to sell you things, it’s their ability to respond when things go wrong. Wickes comprehensively fails in this respect.
Save yourself the bother, buy your goods from somewhere reputable.
Barrie McKenna / December 29th, 2010, 11:18 am / #
i wich id gon somewher reputable .from the 7.Dec2010 a 3 to 4 Day job is stil on going jan25 2011. Dont pay up full
just hassle and stress from Wickes.
eddie Wilding. 25/1/11
w e wilding / January 25th, 2011, 3:27 pm / #
I would just like to thank the delivery person from perr barr birmingham.
for the great service i got from thier truck driver dave. he was so kind and i am 76 years old and he unwrapped the tiles and carryed in 20 boxes of tiles into my garage.i know it was kerb side delivery so thank you dave your a credit to your company
rose eveans
rose eveans / January 25th, 2011, 8:10 pm / #
Ever wondered how Wickes view their customers?
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2413562094&topic=5039
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2413562094&topic=5039#!/topic.php?uid=2413562094&topic=10278
And we still shop there !!!!!
Customer service... my arse. / March 1st, 2011, 10:13 am / #
I’m not really surprised about any of the problems encountered at Wickes, as a former employee of the company I WOULD NOT recommend to anybody to work or shop there. The company only cares about PROFIT I am still owed almost £300 in wages 6 MONTHS after leaving! Any staff with grievances with the company stand no chance as the outcomes of complaints are FIXED before you even get interviewed about them. The amount of customer complaints which I used to deaL with was unbeleivable and the management really couldn’t give a toss! Take it from me, AVOID!!!
Rob / May 12th, 2011, 10:27 pm / #
Do not be conned re Wickes’s latest advertising feature for a sale of kitchens. You may think you get a bargain, so did I, that is until the installer came along later and promptly added nearly £1000 for “extras” which were an integral part of the installation and for which we had already agreed to pay £2040 for.
Wickes cannot be trusted.
Anonymous / May 16th, 2011, 11:48 am / #
Read the terms and conditions on the installation quote. It clearly states that the fitter will carry out a survey and finalise the cost. The price primer, primes you for this cost!
anonymous / May 17th, 2011, 6:27 pm / #
I assume that anonymous above (May 17th) has an intimate knowledge of Wickes installation practises so first I would like to ask this. Why wasn’t I given a copy of the terms and conditions or a least told where to get a copy, when I ordered my kitchen. But no, Wickes kept very quiet about giving me a copy and there seems to be a good reason why.
After the kitchen was planned and the price agreed do you really think that I or anyone else for that matter would agree to a further charge ( cash) of nearly £1000 as thought up by the installer three weeks later for work that was already an integral part of a kitchen installation and had already been agreed at the planning stage and was therefor already factored into the £2040 being charged for the installation. I would say NO, and I would have taken my custom elsewhere.
Things like cutting off 4″ at the back of a floor unit “extra” £39
Cutting off 4″ at the side of a base unit “extra” £39
A wall unit adapted to fit “extra” £25
Each of these jobs took about 5 mins.
Putting in a consumer unit without prior discussion for £440. The cost of the unit on the internet between £50-£60, then charging another £25 for earth bonding.
Having included an integrated cooker-hood in the kitchen plan and then having to pay extra for the ducting £54
Electrical supply for the extractor part of it £60
The installer put the wall units too high (his fault) then demanded £180 to put them in the right place.
As for the installation of the flexible ducting for the cooker-hood (which eventually pulled apart) this was shocking. I just wish I could put a photo on this site to show just how amateurish it was.
As I said before DON’T GO TO WICKES
PK / May 19th, 2011, 7:44 pm / #
Interesting reading. However what I would say is that when good service is received, 99% of people say nothing. When something goes wrong, in sometimes very minor cases often caused by your own expectations, everyone jumps on the band wagon. No company is perfect (I remember having a disasterous experience with PC world nearly 15 years ago but I still use them)
Vicky / May 22nd, 2011, 1:41 pm / #
I think Vicky needs to read more of the reviews re kitchen installations by Wickes and she will see that people do comment when the customer service is good. But equally she will also see the many complaints of bad workmanship, missed appointments and generally poor customer service.
She goes on to say that no company is perfect and that is certainly correct with regards to Wickes. But does that mean that we should be content with less than perfect work?
Wickes is in the business to install kitchens. For the money that it costs we have a right to expect first class work up to our expectations and if they cannot deliver they should get out of the business and let those that can do it
Would she I wonder pay £10000 for a new car and accept it with bits missing, with loose doors,with parts that didn’t work and then wait months for the problems to be sorted. I’m sure she wouldn’t and that goes for my kitchen too.
I do know that mistakes can be made but the sign of a good business is the speed whereby these mistakes are rectified to the complete satifaction of the customer. THAT is what is called customer service.
My above review is not about the only things that went wrong but there was much more and it was 15 months before the kitchen was finished.
Anonymous above states that the installer is quite within his rights to come along at a later date and add extras as he seems fit after the price agreed at the time of the purchase, so I say BEWARE Wickes’s kitchens can cost you much more than you think.
PK / May 23rd, 2011, 3:10 pm / #
And here is the final deviousness shown by Wickes’ management with regard to my kitchen.
Wickes print a DIY leaflet No. 93 which shows how cooker-hood ducting should be done. Plastic ducting and proper connecters but apparently they do not expect their installers to do such a professional job.
I thought our kitchen was finished at the end of 2009 but last August (2010) we were to find why, for months, our kitchen got steamed up whenever we used the cooker.
The cow-boy builder that Wickes had sent to us to fit the kitchen had used a 6ft length of flexible ducting. He had not used the proper connectors but had simply pushed it through the outside wall and at the cooker end had simply connected it with wrap around duct tape.
He had obviously stretched the ducting because it had pulled apart from the cooker-hood hence the steam going up to the ceiling.
The exterior wall vent louvre had not even been screwed to the wall.
When I phoned Wickes they were in no hurry to right this appaling work and an appointment was mde for a month later.
I had insisted on having another installer to do the remedial work but needless to say on the appointed day he didn’t show up.
I phoned Wickes and was told they would phone back. They didn’t. It was now over two months since I had made the complaint and it was now that I decided to take my complaint to the Furniture Ombudsman.
The upshot of this was that Wickes told the Omudsman “that their charge for installation in-store is for the dry fit only as standard, i.e.for the installation of the items purchased. Therefore when the installer visits site they quote for any additional works. This if accepted would form a private contract between the customer and installer”. The Ombudsman then goes on to say “therefore as the contract for the addional works was carried out privately between you and the installer i cannot comment further”.
If I had not agreed fo pay for the “extras” asked for by this builder the kitchen COULD NOT have been installed. Besides I was not given the choice.
The kitchen was finally finished 15 months after the start.
PK / May 28th, 2011, 5:02 pm / #
Re: Wickes fitted Kitchen. Local Wickes recommended installers.
August 2011.
The kitchen is of good quality, the fitters were brilliant, but surprise, surprise, kitchen parts were missing: This is sad because when everything was delivered, everything was scanned by th edelivery men. But this does not record the fact that essential parts were not in the order in th efirsyt place:
I was sold an oven with no brackets, a sink with no waste and there were no worktop bolts or filler. I can’t understand the Wickes mentality here. The kitchen can’t be fitted without these, but does anyone at Wickes care. Answer: “No” . At least the fitters cared a lot because they took pride in their work and they really wanted to finish the job. They were as frustrated as i was and one got so angry with Wickes on the phone he had to put the phone down..
On ringing the Wickes kitchen store, I was surprised to be given a phone number for Electrolux to order (and pay) for the oven brackets myself. I did not accept this. I am appaled at the staff’s attitudes, i.e. they couldn’t care less whether my kitchen is fully operational or not. Similarly with the sink waste and bolts, Fortunately one of the fitters had some spare bolts and a spare sink waste . However the drainer waste pipe is specific to the sink and I understood Wickes had this on order. However, today, over a week after the kitchen was fitted (minus the oven), I found out that they had not ordered the parts at all. I have had to order the sink overflow from Astracast at a cost of £10 simply so the sink drainer can be used ASAP,. The oven brackets arrived today because the order was faxed over as urgent, either yesterday or today. I hope the Wickes CEO reads this. He needs to kicj ass or does someone need to kick his ass first? Unless he does something about Customer Service.and Customer satisfaction, then Wickes is doomed to failure.
Steve / August 31st, 2011, 9:48 pm / #
HI. I’m Jeremy Bird’s niece and I’ll have you know that his company and his customers mean everything to him. He is incredibly busy and no, he has NOT gone to focus or whatever but if he had he would have made it better not worse. He is an incredibly good man; each year he does extrodinary things for charity with his colleagues and staff from various stores ( people he hasn’t met before ) such as climbing Kilimanjaro; cycling across the himalayas and hiking over volcanoes in South America. His life revolves around his work and the rest of his time is devoted to family life. Even during his time off he is constantly being emailed and having to sort out Wickes. I don’t think any of you appreciate how hard it is to run a company this big – so just take some time off from your complaining. Because his life isn’t as easy as you think. So thankyou to those of you who are supporting him and Wickes – I know it would mean a lot to him.
B. Bird / October 19th, 2011, 7:52 pm / #
I hope someone at Wickes web site team will read this, their web pages for showers http://www.wickes.co.uk/Showers/Enclosures+Cabins/icat/enclosures?tmcampid=35&tmad=c&tmplaceref=ppc_ggl_0022891
wont go past the first page, hopefully will be fixed soon but frustrating for me in the meantime.
Thanks
Steve Burdon / November 5th, 2011, 9:57 pm / #
BTW, The reason I posted the last message here is because Wickes have no contact us link to report web site problems.
Im sure the CEO would like to have his web site running smoothly, but for now I’m off to B&Q..theirs seems to be working well.
Steve Burdon / November 5th, 2011, 10:00 pm / #
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