Kitchen Mania Ltd / Kitchen Fittings & Design in Mt Wellington

"I am extremely shocked, disappointed and somewhat saddened to read Shannon’s ranking and remarks. Shannon came into our showroom on the 24th October and asked for a quotation to supply her new kitchen. Shannon and her husband stipulated they wanted the kitchen installed before Christmas. As the kitchen had a stone top our sales lady, Belinda, pointed out to Shannon that she would need to make a decision very soon as our stone supplier had already indicated they were ready to close off taking orders for installation prior to Christmas. Shannon took another two weeks to order the kitchen and on four occasions prior to Shannon confirming the order, Belinda mentioned she was concerned we would miss out on getting the top installed before Christmas. Shannon ordered the kitchen and paid her deposit on the 7th November understanding that the kitchen cabinets would have to be installed by the end of November to allow for the top to be templated, manufactured and installed prior to Christmas (a stone or solid top requires 10 – 15 working days to be manufactured and installed after the kitchen cabinetry is installed). Shannon agreed to these dates and signed our Key Date Summary form that shows all the key dates. Shannon’s file was passed onto our After Sales Team to arrange the manufacture and installation of the kitchen. Shannon advised our team that her and her husband were going to do all the prep work for the kitchen and sent many emails asking for advice. It became clear to us that Shannon was under pressure to have the room ready and on the 16th November we sent Shannon and email offering to postpone the installation until January. Shannon replied, and I quote,” we should be on track for 26th, don’t really want to push it out to Jan. Again after more emails from Shannon we offered the services of Professional Installations Ltd to help her with preparing the room. Shannon declined this offer. As per the agreed dates the kitchen was delivered on Friday 23rd November and Installed on Monday 26th November. On 27th November Shannon emailed Rachael (our After Sales Service person) and said the kitchen was installed yesterday and the guy has done a great job. However there were a few things Shannon wanted us to attend too. Shannon listed a scratch across both doors on the fridge cabinet, one of the handles has a bur mark, one of the drawers has a gap between the facing and the shelf, one of the end panels has a small but visible chip out of it. The granite top was installed on Saturday 1st December. On 3rd of December Shannon emailed us explaining she was not happy with the chips in her top. Along with the other small faults she felt she needed to discuss these with me. I arranged to meet Shannon at her property on Tuesday evening as this suited Shannon. I met with Shannon and discussed the faults. At no stage did I say Shannon was fussy. The only recollection I have of the word fussy being used was when Shannon pointed out to me there was a burr mark on a handle that was impossible to see or feel said, I know you think I’m being fussy but I feel we paid good money for the kitchen and I don’t think I should have to put up with knowing there is a mark under the handle. I agreed with Shannon and agreed to have all her concerns fixed A.S.A.P. It was obvious to me that the room was not ready for a good installation and I pointed out to Shannon that in order to get a great finish (and one that Shannon would be happy with) the walls should have been plastered before the kitchen was installed. I suggested to Shannon that we arrange for the removal of the top and uninstall cabinetry to enable Shannon to get her plasterer to finish the walls and then we reinstall the kitchen and new top. As the kitchen was functional I gave Shannon the option of arranging this prior to Christmas or wait until the New Year. Shannon arranged her plasterer to start work on 10th December. I arranged for the top to be removed on Saturday 8th December. Shannon advised me her plasterer would be finished after the weekend of 15th. I arranged for our installers to reinstall the cabinets ready for the bench top template to be taken on Monday 17th. The top was remade and installed on Thursday 20th December, a total of four days only to remake and reinstall. I personally attended the installation of the top and cabinets to make sure Shannon was happy. I left Shannon with her saying she was happy with the kitchen and had arranged for the plumber gasfitter (I think Shannon said a friend or relation) to come in the weekend and connect up the kitchen. Shannon wanted some extra shaped shelves that I arranged and had delivered when we returned from the holidays. I am the first to admit there were some defects with Shannon’s kitchen. My team and my suppliers went to extreme lengths to work in with Shannon and end up with a great result. Fixing the faults and the extras I arranged were certainly not done begrudgingly, on the contrary, we dropped everything to accommodate Shannon finishing her room so the kitchen and top could be reinstalled. If by pointing out that the room was not ready and suggesting we uninstall cabinets so Shannon could arrange for the walls to be plastered made Shannon feel I blamed her for the faults, I apologise but would give exactly the same advice again. I do not understand why Shannon would say we “were just trying to get a sale through before Christmas” when Shannon and her husband wanted a pre-Christmas install and turned down our offer of postponing the installation until January. This correspondence was by way of email and like us I’m sure Shannon has copies of this. Without identifying Shannon, I would be happy to show any concerned prospective customer the correspondence we had with Shannon that clearly shows we acted professionally at all times and certainly never treated Shannon as if she was an idiot. I did on one occasion ask Shannon to be very clear about an accusation she was making against one of my staff. I hope this did not make Shannon feel I treated her like an idiot but the accusation was serious and I had to point this out to her. I note that Shannon rates our communication at 20. During the time dealing with Shannon we received over 50 emails. Every email was replied to in a speedy and professional manner. We, our subcontractors and suppliers met every appointment and agreed timing with Shannon. I do not understand why our reliability would be rated at 0 I am sorry that after three months Shannon feels the way she does and decided to post this rating. I do hope one day Shannon can reflect on what was done for her and start enjoying her new kitchen. "