My £25,000 Wickes kitchen is so poor I parked a TANK outside store in protest – I’m not alone
A WICKES customer who claimed he received a poor quality kitchen fit-out has parked a tank outside a store in protest.
In February, the home improvement retailer installed a £25,000 kitchen in Paul Gibbons’ Kingsclere home.
However the 63-year-old said the renovation was fraught with issues, and decided to stage a dramatic protest outside the Wickes Basingstoke store on Wednesday.
In the car park, Paul parked a massive tank emblazoned with a sign reading: “Warning Incompetent Complacent Kitchen Equipment Supplier,” an acrostic poem for “Wickes”.
Ten months after the installaion, Paul claimed his kitchen’s drawers and doors do not close, the storage falls out of place, and that mould is allegedly growing underneath the sink.
Paul told the Basingstoke Gazette: “The finish throughout is so poor, and half of the kitchen doesn’t fit as it should. I agreed to the contract and what I was told would be two weeks of work, and 10 months later I am still left with a kitchen which I can’t even use as you should.”
Have you had a bad experience with a Wickes kitchen? Email alana.mazzoni@thesun.co.uk
“The worst thing about it is that Wickes refuse to accept that the quality of the kitchen is nowhere near the standard it should be, and it’s an issue I’m not alone in having with Wickes.”
A Wickes spokeswoman told The Sun that the retailer is aware of the situation at the Basingstoke store.
The spokeswoman said: “[We] would like to apologise for any inconvenience that has been caused to shoppers visiting the store.
“Our Customer Relations team is in contact with the customer to discuss their installation and help to resolve the issue.”
Paul’s protest comes after a man from Derbyshire claimed he waited months for his £20,000 Wickes kitchen to be built.
Grandfather Paul Cowley ordered the kitchen remodel in May, and was told it would be ready for his move in date on June 10, but the “Let’s Do It Right” brand allocated a July 10 build.
In September, following months of delays, Paul claimed he was still living in a building site.
Paul, who suffers with pre-diabetes, told the Derby Telegraph: “You don’t pay £20,000 for this. It’s angered me so much. It’s affected my health.”
At the time, a spokesperson for Wickes said: “We’re very sorry to hear of Mr Cowley’s kitchen experience as we aim to complete all our installations to a high standard.
“A designated member of Wickes customer relations is currently in contact with Mr Cowley to ensure the matter is fully resolved.”
The Wickes website says the performance of their products “is key to building trust” with customers.
“The Wickes Quality Assurance Team travels thousands of miles each year to check the production quality of our key suppliers… this ensures that when customers buy our products they can be confident they are getting the best value for money.”