magnet kitchens?

[Keyser Sose]

Guys, Anyone dealt with Magnet before? I am fitting a new kitchen and new utility room. From looking on their website and their fantastic on-line virtual planner I am thinking of ordering from them. I want good quality but not for stupidly high cost. Do they have solid drawer bottoms and cabinet backs? Do they supply only 'cos I want to fit it myself.

Any other kitchen alternatives? Obviously B+Q et al, but any others you guys might have got on with well?

On another note, is the current trend that the utility units style should match the kitchens?

Thanks, Steve

[Mike]

We looked at loads last year and ordered form Wicks. Not the stuff you turn up and take away but the stuff you have to order. Solid wood doors and decent backs and bottoms. Also when I broke a wall bracket they send me a replacement free.

Mike Cole

[Michael Chare]

They do a variety of draw types, and will supply only. I think that you will find thatJanuary is the best time to buy as they offer an extra 10% discount

[legin]

The reps from Magnet recently called on me and were dissapointed that I had used Howdens for my new kitchen. They emphasized that they would have beat any quote for the order. I have used them for other items and found them to be okay and have friends who have had kitchens off them. They are usually competative anyway. In my particular case I wanted cushion close drawers and these do not come on there competative trade range. As another has pointed out though he has had difficulties with their supply. Don't pay them until the order is complete if there are any worries here. I chose the same for the utility room but don't know what the current fashion is. Regards Legin

[scubabob]

We have just recently ordered a kitchen from Magnet and i can repor that everything we ordered arrived when they said it would on the da they said it would with nothing broken or missing. They have done ok my me thats all i can go on - also all the unit were pre-built which made all the difference when i fitted the thing. Hope this help

-- scubabob

[Ev Macrae]

Well, we've had two kitchens from Howdens (trade arm of MFI and units pre-built so we just fitted) and they were excellent, both in quality and in correctness of order, delivery etc.).

Ev.

[Steve Firth]

In my case I turned up day after day (the Magnet outlet was opposite my place of employment) and complained. I stopped people going into the premises and warned them what had happened. After a week of this, when I had actually persuaded about 50 people to look elsewhere they started to take notice of my complaints.

They then delivered the kitchen, three times, different load each time. When I called them and asked them to take away the surplus units they refused. How the hell they make a profit is beyond me.

[Vass]

MFi supply the casings ready built so you just fit the doors - I found the drawers to be string enough on metal runners but the backs of the cupboards were just thin hardboard

[Derek Geldard]

Our experience with them was the same.

I'm sure they've been in financial trouble at more than one period in the recent past, and IIRC been bought out. They've closed stores and reduced their range, and no longer do bedroom furniture.

DG

[John Rumm]

I noticed a joint TV ad the other day that included magnet, moben, and dolphin all together... that ought to be enough to frigten off anyone!

[John Rumm]

You can get these for retrofit to any range easily enough:

?id=66354&ts=00099And I quite like these:

you can simply dispense with the mounting holder when needed, drill a 10mm hole and stick the plunger straight in it.

[Huge]

Moben and Dolphin are the same company. I didn't realise they'd assimilated Magnet, too. Was that when they changed their name from Magnet & Southerns?

[dg]

A work colleague ordered =A32000 worth of units from them - via his builder friend on the basis of getting the units at trade price. A few days later he noticed identical units for half as much at one of the sheds.

He phoned Magnet up to complain and the guy immediatly knocked =A3800 off the price.

This confirmed my suspicions that Magnet are way over priced on a par with the likes of Anglian Conservatories etc. IIRC, their brochure has some crazy MRP prices something like =A3300 for a double base unit.

When I have seen Magnet kitchens fitted - even after years of use, I have never noticed any added value to justify the inflated prices. They trade on snob value of the name so that people can say "Oh, we have a Magnet kitchen" which translates to "We are considerably richer then you".

dg

[Matt]

Surely "We *were* considerably richer than you" ?

[Andy Hall]

If they were talking about Smallbone or similar, possibly, but not Magnet.

[Huge]

We rented a holiday cottage once, which had a Smallbone kitchen.

It was crap.

[Steve Firth]

Our local market town has a "Clive Christian" kitchen showroom. They are even worse than Smallbone. Sub-Ikea quality kitchen units sold with a load of waffle as if they were something special.

can honestly say anyone who spends $250,000 on one of these kitchens needs a trip to their shrink first.

Anyway, Smallbone of Devizes isn't it? I've been to Devizes a few times, it's not that far away from here. What impresses me is that despite there being many people, there only appear to be three faces.

[Andy Hall]

Oh, I wasn't recommending it or vouching for its quality, simply using it as a better illustration of a wealth statement than Magnet.

[tim.....]

Just like the wab page then.

I'm left watching a screen stating:

Smallbone of Devizes - Flash detection in progress...

It seems incapable of doing anything if one hasn't installed it.

tim

[Tony Bryer]

If you're not into Flash then perhaps you're not a potential customer