Do we get overcharged for new kitchens in N.I?

A question about : Do we get overcharged for new kitchens in N.I?

I've just paid for a new kitchen. It was Ј9000. We got three quotes and with all the work taken into account this seemed reasonable. We've had endless trouble with the fitters - the standard of work is shoddy and the materials are substandard. We'll probably have to get other workmen in the fix the mess and sue through the SCC. However, I digress.
Bad workmanship aside, I feel that we were quoted excessive prices because we live in Northern Ireland. Whenever I see the house refurb programmes they mention figures of Ј2-3000. Has anyone else felt that they were paying more than they would in another part of the UK?
I should add that the kitchen was fitted in our ex-council house, so we're not talking about a big kitchen here. We got granite and wooden doors which would account for about Ј2000.

Best answers:

• Where did you get the kitchen?
  I'm from England and live in our ex council house and I doubt i'd pay any more than Ј3000 for a top of the range kitchen if i had the money - got to wait for that.
  Saying that I fitted my mums and the house i was living in for very little money.
  We were lucky to have a place called Wickes over there who supplied units etc to take away, some were cheap "cut price" units but anythings better than the old stuff you hate.
  They were still brand new and you could just pick the units you wanted and were very easy to fit. I wouldn't pay anyone to fit one, not even the sink.
  But thats my opinion.
  B & Q I see do the same thing but over there would be dearer than Wickes.
  I miss Wickes and Wilco two great hardware shops...
• It was from a firm called McAuleys. I don't think they were unusually expensive - we got three quotes. B&Q were coming in at Ј4500 for non-wooden doors, laminate worktops and no ancilliary work.
  You've confirmed what I thought though - England is cheaper. The cost of everything in Northern Ireland is higher - except the cost of employing someone! We're a captive market. Loads of people want new kitchens, there are a limited number of suppliers so they can charge a whack.
• I was talking to my work friend on the subject yesterday and she told me it cost her around Ј3000 for hers and said the shop was going to charge more than the kitchen to fit it, in the end they got someone to do it for a few hundred!
  Fitting charges are extortionate the same as delivery charges for large items. Personally i'm one of those who have a go doing things myself and won't pay more than whats necessary for a functional item, lifes too short to be shelling out large amounts of money when you can get a similar result cheaper. Moneys too precious these days.
• Hello Leftie M
  I've fairly recently moved back to N.Ireland after 15 years in England. When there did up two half wrecked properties including putting in brand new kitchens. Have recently bought a house here, and put a new kitchen. There is perhaps less choice over here, however over there I experienced the same trouble as over here...ie getting someone to show up and do any work at a reasonable price was virtually impossible, unless you used the workers contracted to the shop (and therefore forget about reaonable). I don't believe there is much difference in the price of the actual units if you are looking at similar quality, and certainly no perceptable difference in prices between branches of B&Q here and there. England may be cheaper for some things, but cheaper does usually mean inferior as well. Nothing to stop anybody from shopping in England, putting it in a van and bringing it back though...
• My parents got a new kitchen from homebase last year which came at under Ј1700 (incl appliances). It cost Ј400 to get it fitted. It's a very nice kitchen for the money too..much better than the equivilent in B&Q
• I'm hoping someone will write saying they got done over as well. But I've paid 3 times what anyone else paid! I feel like such a mug. It's so difficult to know what to do and what to pay when doing something for the first time. Myself and my husband are ignorant when it comes to anything house-related (including buying a house - we put in a bid Ј500 over the asking price for our house even though it had been on the market for 9 months and there were no other bids on! Doh!!)
  This board is pretty useful as a way of finding out what the 'going rate' for services is. I wish I'd found it before.
• By the sounds of it your were charged a very high price.I have recently moved into a new house in the Tyrone area. It was a shell so I had the opportunity of designing the kitchen I wanted. To cut a long story short got 3 quotes and went for the middle one. Its a fair size of kitchen, costing Ј2600 for a solid wood kitchen with stainless handles(no appliances). I have a Range Cooker, stainless splashback and hood, built in dishwasher, fridgefreezer, a Washing machine and condesing tumble dryer for Ј2700 - all top brands bought seperately. The company taht put it in stands over it for 10 year and will comeback every year to service doors/drawers etc. Making sure doors are level etc - unusual but excellent aftersales service I thought.
• Hi there Lefty seems like we have something in common!
  Myself and my partner paid Ј4850 for a kitchen from McAuleys and have had a lot of problems with shoddy work and fitters. The fitters etc started the first week in August and the kitchen is still not finished! They came a few weeks ago after numerous telephone calls from my partner to them asking when they were going to come back and finish it. They eventually did come back and claimed it was complete but we have noticed that we have a socket hanging off the wall. We are expecting a bill any day now for the final payment of about Ј500. We want to pay it just to put the problem to bed but on the hand hand we feel we should not have to pay soo much because the job took soo long and is still not complete.
  Any suggestions!
• McAuleys should be ashamed of themselves. We are still waiting for the work to be completed too and it began on the 9th of August. Our only card is to withhold the final payment. It really wears you down doesn't it? You get so fed up with the whole thing that you just want it all to go away. We've written to the MD but got no response. The remedial guy has been out 3 times and talks all nice and tells us that it'll all get sorted and then some numpty of a workman comes out and makes some stupid mistakes or just doesn't do what we expected.
  I think we'll go to the small claims court if it doesn't get sorted by Xmas. We won't make any money as don't get compensated for being ripped off but at least it would shame them.
• How about a letter to them threatening them that you'll make it public via the local paper, and give them a link to this too for added humph!
  Lefite, we all make mistakes in different ways i'm guilty of a lot of things myself so its a case of learning by them i'm afraid.
• Cee, I've just read your last post and I'm composing another letter to the MD of McAuley's telling them we are going to get the work done by other people and sue them for the cost. I've had enough. I'll certainly mention the fact that other people have been ripped off too. I'll add to this thread if they ever reply!
  As you say, you live and learn. It's not a mistake I'll repeat (and I make sure everyone I know know's of the trouble I've had. At the end of the day, firms like that get a lot of trade by word of mouth.)
• Just ordered a new custom kitchen from B&D Kitchens in Bangor after a recommendation from a colleague. They were excellent coming in at just under Ј5k including VAT and fitting. MFI were just under Ј4k excluding fitting as a comparison.
  Ask for Kate as she was very helpful and didn't complain despite all our changes.
  But like everything else a lot can depend on the salesperson as a friend refused to order there after a different salesgirl kept messing up their plans, didn't listen to what they wanted and tried to persuade them to change appliances as it would make her job easier.
• My sister in law is looking to buy a new kitchen. I must tell her about B&D.
  My kitchen saga is over - McAuleys finally sorted out the mess. Writing a second letter to the MD certainly did the trick. They sent out people who fixed everything so that there are very few imperfections. It makes the price tag a bit more bearable. It just shows that it's worth making a fuss. Businesses don't like to think they'll get a bad name even if they've tried their hardest to earn it!
• Leftie,
  Take some comfort in the fact that it must be a pretty spectacular kitchen, considering the price.
  Yes I know you didn't get the service, but usually you do get what you pay for in hardware.
  Enjoy it......perhaps we could all come round for a meal :
  Pink