Wren Kitchens

Wren Order Ref: *******
I initially raised a complaint to Wren because we had noticed that the veneer/laminate was chipping away very easily on our white gloss J pull kitchen. Also, there were defects where the laminate had not bonded properly and looked warped and distorted.

The complaint was raised on the 08/06/2022 and since then I have sent over photos and each time I've sent a message they have been very slow to respond. They messaged me a couple of months ago and told me they were going to investigate the issues but I hadn't heard anything so I had chased them up recently to ask what the findings of their investigation were and I got a response a few days later to say that they had concluded that:

'the issues you are having are due to care issues, and as such, we would not look to offer replacement under your warranty, as this would class as accidental damage rather than a product or installation fault'

'Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused'

So without sending anyone out to inspect the kitchen they were still able to conclude that it was my fault and then contradicted that by apologising for any inconvenience caused. Very strange.

The worktops get the most wear-and-tear and knocks and yet they are the same as they were when the kitchen was first installed - they are up to the job. However, the doors are very flaky and simply not up to the rigours of normal use. The problem is the laminate which isn't durable enough to take even minor knocks, it's very brittle not to mention the areas where the laminate is warped.

The kitchen I had for 11 years previously just didn't suffer the same problems and I regret buying a Wren kitchen, I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews but you never think you're going to be one of those same people having to make a complaint and then leaving a bad review because the quality and customer care is poor. The warranty is useless - don't fall for it. And if you are considering buying a Wren kitchen try to see past the shiny showrooms and presentation and check the reviews, check them carefully, compare them with local independent firms or even the other national kitchen retailers. Think about how they would deal with your problem if something went wrong. They are thousands of examples you can find online regarding Wren's awful aftersales care. On this review I've attached the pictures I sent over to them including one showing the whole kitchen - I look after my home and kitchen and to be told that I haven't cared for it is an insult - they didn't even come out to look at the defects. I won't buy a Wren kitchen ever again.

AVOID! Appalling service
Appalling service. They are nice to you until they get your money. After that, if you have any issues, they have NO CUSTOMER SERVICES. They never reply to emails. Needless to say they promise you a guaranteed delivery date that YOU will choose, as long as u pay immediately the whole balance. And when you do, they deliver the kitchen whenever they want, in my case 2 days later (that means i had to pay my builder for 2 days to do nothing!) and the delivery guys refused to bring upstairs the worktop cause they cant bend it so to bring it indoors! Next day the new delivery guys had no problem bringing the worktop into my flat. They also decide what time the delivery will be, am or pm. all this caused me lots of issues with my builder and also cost me money! The kitchen I bought came with defects, i was even delivered a used cabinet (someone else had it returned to Wren kitchens after they drilled on it). I sent them photos of water damage in the cabinets, scratches and scuffs, showing one cabinet was a returned item and drilled on it previously, but wren kitchens never replied. When i emailed again after few days, yelling at them, and then called them cause again they didnt reply to my email, they simply said they cannot think of how they can help me! They even took wrong measurements, overselled me mdf pieces/cut offs, and bigger cabinets, one cabinet was 800mm when it wouldnt fit unless it was 400mm! (my builder had to make a new smaller cabinet out of the big one!). Also the cabinets come with NO full instructions(obviously so u are forced to use their own installing guys) and with design defects. They also add items when u buy a kitchen, to your expense, so always read what they send you carefully. Always look at the small print because they will blame YOU for their incompetence and Wren kitchens do NOT offer compensation. They are scamming their clients off their money. Avoid them at all costs. And always use your own installer guy.

Pressurised to pay so that an installation date of 22/08 could be met, issues with non consolidation in regards to delivery and delivery times long after eta, two delivery dates given.
Lorry driver refused to help unload until he had his 45 minutes rest, the drivers assistant and 4 of our friends helped unload our substantial kitchen, it was a choice of wait or help and at 6.30pm 19/08 on Friday evening they were tired and hungry so they helped.
The thoughtless people who loaded the vehicle at the depot decided it was a good idea to put our 3 tower units at the doors of the vehicle so every delivery these units were being manhandled and were damaged and needed replacement.
The fitter arrived on the Monday assessed the damage reordered the damaged units and left the site and has not been seen since, eventually we were informed that the replacements would arrive this week and that an installer would arrive on the 08/09 we thought the kitchen would begin installation.
WRONG! Items were not delivered when expected and installer did NOT turn up, no contact nor explanation.
The builder rejected the last item as it was clearly damaged, when the installation department contacted us today it was to notify us that our part would be delivered on 21/09 which is totally unacceptable.
Our builders are on site and are unable to lay the underfloor heating on the ground floor nor the tiles until Wren has installed the kitchen.
I called Wren all they said was that the new part would be cleared under managerial level on the 21/09 no understanding of the costs involved due to this delay, as we are paying to rent a house these costs are escalating, trying to keep plumbers and electricians and not have them move to other jobs is stressful and costly.
Wren said we can discuss compensation once installation has begun, I wish we could just return the lot but it has been so exhausting I don't think we could start again.
We are in limbo, there doesn't seem to be much we can do to improve the situation, if it is a family who own this company please can they contact me asap to resolve this and recoup some dignity.
We are suffering from depression and anxiety and no-one at Wren gives a damn or is willing to sort anything out.
Is there any quality control? Do the delivery drivers take care when handling our precious cargo?
Funny there has been no contact at all from the showroom at Harlow since they took our money even though they have been ccd, what do we do now?
Any advice from anyone would be most appreciated, the FHIO will not do anything until we have gone through the completed the complaints procedure, it doesn't look like we can do that until after installation, so social media appears to be our only resource.
We will be seeking legal advice

So stressful
BE WARNED… USE YOUR OWN INSTALLERS…
So upset been in tears due to the lack of care from Wren.
Used WREN in CAMBRIDGE.
Our designer, NICHOLAS O'BRIEN, never replies to his emails, text messages or voicemails.

We paid in advance for the installation of this kitchen at a cost of £2,295 (we now know average UK cost of this is £1700) but the installer-

PETER DAY of DAY INTERIORS
& Property Maintenance Ltd
43 Arlesey Road
Stotfold
Hitchin
Herts.
SG5 4HB…

Contacted us the Friday before the installation on the following Monday asking for an additional £756 and wants 50% in advance…I now know that he did this after we took delivery, knowing that we couldn't back out of the the contract with Wren at this point… very nasty behaviour and unprofessional. He also wanted to confirm that he expects the use of our toilet, fridge and kettle whilst he's there. Contacted Wren Cambridge and couldn't be more upset.the installation 'can't help' even though they recommended the installers.so after speaking to about 10 different people then spoke to VICKI at head office on 18th Nov and now waiting to see if we can have this sorted out as we can't back out now as we have taken delivery …so upset about this.

Excellent from planning to delivery.
Aftercare also top notch with replacements easy to order

Extremely satisfied with the service and the polite friendly staff who made everything easy