B&Q Kitchen Problems

In the last 12 months we have spent nearly 25k with B&Q on a new kitchen, bathroom and conservatory.

The bathroom and conservatory are fantastic, so was the service from Jamie and Glenys in our local B&Q Store - they were marvellous and Glenys especially was fantastic and went well beyond the call of duty when it came to sorting out any problems.

Sadly, the wonderful local store staff have been badly let down by their colleagues in the Installation Service Centre and the fitters.

Firstly, we made the mistake of opting for a washing machine by Indesit. The machine has always vibrated a lot from day 1 to the extent of drowning out conversations in the lounge even when the two doors between the rooms are closed.

This vibration caused the door in front of the washing machine to be damaged, and also three adjacent doors - which were eventually replaced after numerous phone calls of complaint. An Indesit engineer was called out and he advised that the washing machine had not been fitted correctly. B&Q came back out and attempted to fix the problem - the washing machine had been incorrectly fitted on a piece of old worktop!!!! Whilst this was all going on we had a leak from the washing machine and water all over the kitchen floor, so were unable to use it - with three children that was a nightmare and a neighbour was helping us with laundry for the duration.

Some time passed and we had yet another leak; on that occasion a plumber came out and fixed the problem.

This morning (nearly 7 months later) I used the washing machine to wash one coat, how unreasonable of me! I came back from taking my daughter to school and found water all over the kitchen floor and so phoned B&Q Customer Services and spoke to a lady (Phil B, I won't give her surname for her privacy, she knows who she is) who took all of the details and came across as being very professional and very helpful. She is now dealing with our problem.

After talking to her I went into the kitchen to clean up and empty the cupboard. I discovered that the washing machine must have been leaking for weeks but leaking under the cupboard where the leak is not obvious. The cupboard smells like there is a dead dog inside it and there is mould growing up the back of the cupboard and on the base of the cupboard - fortunately it is a cupboard where we keep cleaning materials on the whole but I have also been keeping baking tins ont he top shelf in there! I have fed my children food cooked on baking tins stored in a mouldy cupboard - I am horrified. It was only when I got on my hands and knees and emptied
the cupboard (and had to throw away my now rusty pasta maker) that the full extent of the damage can be seen.

I only hope that B&Q can get this problem resolved once and for all.