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Howdens Reviews

1.8 Rating 211 Reviews
18 %
of reviewers recommend Howdens
1.8
Based on 211 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Courier, Own Driver
Average Delivery Time
Over 7 Days
On-time Delivery
Greater than 42%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders
Greater than 41%
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In
Over A Week
Customer Service
1.5 out of 5

Write Your review

Howdens  1 star review on 28th May 2024
James Breeds
Howdens  1 star review on 14th February 2024
Carl Birkenshaw
Howdens  1 star review on 14th February 2024
Carl Birkenshaw
Howdens  1 star review on 14th February 2024
Carl Birkenshaw
Howdens  1 star review on 14th February 2024
Carl Birkenshaw
Howdens  1 star review on 14th February 2024
Carl Birkenshaw
Howdens  1 star review on 12th November 2022
Phillip Gollins
22
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
I'd give less if I could, they messed up and when I asked for email address to make a complaint the assistant manager said stoke@howdens, that's it she wouldn't give full email until I demanded it and she was complaining at me. I reminded her she had to!
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Communication from the Howdens Tunbridge Wells branch is appalling. Making payment took 3 phone calls alone , left messages & was told to call back again by the rep (where is the customer service here?), good thing I needed the kitchen as I would have told them where to get off then. Made 100% payment was not informed all items were not in stock , got a partial delivery , I had to call in to see what was going on & I was told I will get the rest don't worry ..................& how long is that piece of string? Appalling , we are now at the stalemate stage , no answer to e-mails & we are left with a totally disfunctional kitchen. You would have thought a follow up phone call to notify us as to when we can get the installer back might have been the least but NOTHING! We are on Day 3 from delivery , will give it till Friday & ask for collection of their half pregnant kitchen. I refuse to do business with companies that do not deserve our hard earned money.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
The People in HOWDEN - LAKESIDE store are spoiling the brand of HOWDENS : Poor Document Handling : I have been to this store to open a trade account on Saturday 25th Sept. The Gentleman on the store collected all the id documents and completed signed form for account opening. We were subsequently given an appointment for 29th Sept for Kitchen Design. To our surprise when we arrived on 29th Sept for an appointment, we were told account is not yet opened. They struggled to find the documents and requested to complete the documents again. This is an example of how dangerously documents are handled in this store. Poor Customer Service : We completed the account opening form again on 29th Sept and while we were waiting for kitchen design to go ahead, we were told that kitchen design is not possible as account is yet to open. While this was being discussed, the design manager Lou came out and asked whether we had been to any other kitchen store for quotation. Our answer was yes as we visited Benchmarx before coming to howdens. Since benchmarx is going through supply shortage they were not in a position to deliver kitchen within a week and hence suggested us to try howdens for kitchen, even though howdens is their competitor. I am impressed with the transparency and customer service of Benchmarx. To continue with our Howdens story, As per Lou, we must submit the quote provided by other kitchen Or else it WOULD BE A TIME WASTE FOR HOWDENS TO WORK THROUGH DESIGN AND PROVIDE THE QUOTATIONS. I denied to provide any quotations or design that were discussed with other kitchen providers and on back of this Howdens refused to design and provide the quotation to us. THIS STORE HAS SET AN EXAMPLE OF POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I AM SURPRISED HOW MUCH HOWDEN IS AFRAID OF ITS COMPETITORS. SHAME ON HOWEDENS FOR PROVIDING SUCH A POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE ANYONE READING THIS : - WHEN LOU ASKS YOU " HAVE YOU BEEN TO OTHER STORE", SAY NO OR ELSE HOWDEN LAKESIDE WILL NOT DESIGN KITCHEN FOR YOU - YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SHOP AROUND AFTER YOU HAVE DESIGNED YOUR KITCHEN IN HOWDEN LAKESIDE. DO OR DIE YOU HAVE TO BUY - THE ABOVE EXPERIENCE IS BEFORE BUYING THE KITCHEN WHEN IT IS AT A DESIGN STAGE. ALL THE BEST TO PEOPLE BUYING KITCHEN FROM HOWDENS LAKESIDE STORE. I HOPE THIS REVIEWS GIVES AN INDICATION OF WHAT TO EXPECT IN TERMS OF SERVICES. I HOPE THIS REVIEW TO REACH TO RIGHT EARS IN HOWDEN TO SAVE THEIR BRAND IMAGE IN MARKET.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Rude, incompetent, staff. Sold parts not needed or requested and refused to refund. Couldn’t measure room properly and then didn’t take responsibility for mis-sized kitchen.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Do not use!! Awful experience and even worse customer service! We designed and ordered a kitchen through Howdens in Stourbridge - all went well and service up until then was fine. We were told we 'had to have the kitchen delivered on 6th September' due to some of the appliances we'd chosen, no other date was possible. We worked around this and arranged for the fitter and supporting works to be carried out around that date. Since then we have had nothing but problems and we STILL don't have critical parts of the kitchen 5 days later and no answer as to when these will arrive - some of the issues: - Missing tower units for fridge freezer on delivery (critical as the starting point of the kitchen assembly) - Missing worktop (STILL NOT ARRIVED) so the kitchen is unusable - Main unit for utility sent in the wrong size (despite being measured by Howdens prior to delivery) - Incorrect design/measurements meaning we have had to improvise with the fitter to make it fit the room (Howdens accept the mistake but no compensation or alternative offered!) - Designed and delivered with X5 handles not included The store have been next to no help since taking our money and still cannot give us any idea of when we will receive the worktop so the kitchen can be fitted and used - despite telling us it had to come on 6th September. Formal complaint made via customer services and advised I would hear from an Area Manager asap - a phone call received in the afternoon the next day where I went through some of the issues - promised a call back straight away after she'd investigated. I then received a call (from the store, not the area manager) at the very end of the day to say sorry about all the mess 'we've been having problems at head office because of Covid and stuff which is what's caused the problem'! What!? I asked why they are taking orders for parts they do not have in stock and dictating delivery dates to customers who have paid in full, knowing it cannot be achieved. To which the response was I am sorry but that's all I can say we've had problems in head office. I am STILL here waiting for an update on the worktop. Our fitter finishes today and is then booked on jobs for the next 3 weeks so we are without a working kitchen (no oven, hob or tap as these can't be installed without the worktop) so we have no way of preparing food or using the kitchen. This has been an absolute shambles from the minute we paid for the kitchen and Howdens have done nothing whatsoever to try and help us or compensate for the issues this has (and continues to) cause us! Avoid at all costs.
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Posted 3 years ago
A pretty dreadful service received by my 80 year old mother in law. The kitchen space was both measured on site and designed by Howdens, but there was a material design error (due to mis-measurement) necessitating a complete kitchen re-design on the day of installation (following de-installation of the old kitchen). All dealings were with Howdens direct, but they use their 'trade only' contracting structure to avoid liability under the Consumer Rights Act. Mother in law now has a kitchen installed (having been left with no option but to agree a complete redesign or spend 1-2 months without a kitchen), but very different to the original design specification and as you would expect she is rather disappointed. Customer services will not accept any responsibility for the error in design (even though this was admitted by the Howdens designer) and is seeking full payment for the kitchen even though not does not meet the specification which took weeks to finalise. Do not recommend.
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Posted 3 years ago
Rubbish! I will never use this company again. My kitchen design experience was a disaster every step of the way. I gave Howden's so many opportunities to right their slip-ups, but no, they chose mistakes on the kitchen design on the outset, their communication is abysmal not improved by not returning phone calls or passing on information etc. They defaulted not only on expected delivery times but they didn't even send the right items! The cooker extractor hood was damaged and thet took forever to send a replacement. To cap it all they even sent my builder an invoice when I had already paid it in full two months before!! I would give Howdens no star at all, if there was the option!
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Posted 3 years ago
Expensive and bad experience. They decreased the size of our cupboard, so now our plates just don't fit in. They also built everything so high that I simply cannot reach it. We waited 1 month to get our worktop sorted. For the expensive service that they charge, this is beyond ridiculous! I would never recommend them or use their services again in my life!
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Posted 3 years ago
Ignoring emails about substandard oak for months. Despite sealing 40mm oak worktop ( I am ex aerospace engineer / woodwork teacher). Worktop around sink lifting, small bits literally fallen out. After many phone calls / photos Porthmadog branch did site visit and felt / took photos. I offered £100 toward the cost of new wood / new fitter. TOTALLY ignored my repeated emails for months. Not to be trusted When I threatened with deadline they offer a new bit of wood, only sent them two email that week,
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Posted 3 years ago
Categories Blog My Reviews My Settings Help LOG OUT Alternate Text Sam Bird GB For businesses Your review counts! You reviewed Howdens Sam Bird Sam Bird 8 reviews 2 stars: Poor Updated just now They messed up the delivery and then we… They messed up the delivery and then we had to drive to pick up what they missed rather than deliver it for us. We were told by the incompetent kitchen planner that it would 'be tight, but itll work'. However the kitchen they planned for us didn't account for the decorative end panels on cupboards. So it fit perfectly with the ugly base white cupboards. Why would you account for the aesthetics in a new kitchen though? That'd be ridiculous. Basically ended up with a very different kitchen than what was paid for, and excess stuff they sold that wasn't needed. They get away with it because they usually work directly with trades people rather than consumers. Don't go with Howdens. Pick any other kitchen supplier.
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Posted 3 years ago
We had a kitchen designed by Rochdale Howdens. Some of the wall units were in accessible unless you leant across the hob. This is obviously very dangerous. I asked for a site visit and when on site the designer told us that the design was impractical but did not breach any regulations. The kitchen room is a parallelogram; and I did question, at the designers one and only visit, whether or not she need to take account of this but she was adamant that this was a fitting issue and not a design one. I raised this concern a few times in telephone calls I had with the designer but it was dismissed. The designer initially came before the room was plastered but couldn't be bothered to return to check her measurements and asked that I send them through. When the above was followed up the designer and her manager (who did not attend the initial visit or the requested site visit) denied having described the kitchen as impractical. The fitter had unpackaged a double oven to fit into the kitchen that Howdens had designed but due to the impracticality if the design this had to be changed for a built under oven. Despite this Howdens refused to reimburse as the oven had been unpackaged but we were advised that it did have a resalable value should we choose to sell it. The service we have received from Howdens Rochdale has been absolutely diabolical. They have refused to discuss the issues with our project manager, were very willing to apportion blame to us or our project manager and have totally refused to refund any of the issues related to their errors. Customer service is diabolical
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Posted 3 years ago
We've just had a Howdens kitchen installed. We wanted a cream kitchen and the Hockley Super Matt Sandstone seemed just right, judging from the photos in the Howdens brochure and on their website. The kitchen is now installed - and it's grey! There is no doubt about it. It isn't just our opinion. Other people have seen it and said it's grey. Occasionally the lighting conditions bring out a dark beige in the colour, but 95% of the time it looks grey, whether under natural light or electric light. It's actually very similar to the Hockley Super Matt Dove Grey. Under no lighting conditions whatsoever does it ever look as pale as it does in Howdens' photos, so how they managed to pull that off I'll never know. The one thing that we didn't want was a grey kitchen, but that's what we've got. I'm considering speaking to a solicitor about it.
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Posted 3 years ago
The kitchen units may be good but customer service is dreadful. I've written, phoned and still no reply. It took them 3 months to provide an invoice which be warned has very little detail. Also surprised that the manager kept on telling me3 he used to work for Curreys!?
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Posted 3 years ago
A non starter! Had them come out to plan our kitchen. They promised the earth and told my wife and I how fantastic and big they were. That's the last I saw of them. No follow up, no emails, no telephone contact, in fact nothing. They must have thought we we were on a low budget. Our budget for the kitchen supply was £10K. We have bought from elsewhere thankfully. DO NOT USE HOWDENS, THEY ARE A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME!!! Reading the reviews on here, it looks like we have dodged a bullet!
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Posted 3 years ago
The person I spoke with Aaron at Ashford South continuously lied to me and then lied to my husband to make it look like I was lying!! He clearly has a problem with lies and needs help. I will never use Howdens due to this horrendous experience. They came out to plan our kitchen 2 months ago and after constantly chasing them they sent the pictures but no price, more chasing still no price so I called today (apparently I didn't!) spoke with Aaron who said if I go ahead with the quote he would sort out a free installation for us for the inconvenience.. we were always going to be doing the work so this came as a bit of a surprise, I then spoke to husband and he mentioned it to Aaron later that day who said that he knew nothing of this and hadn't even spoken to me!! (He had!) I have it on my phone records, I then rang up to speak to him to find out why he has said this as it's made me look like a liar to my husband, and he genuinely said he didn't speak to me on the phone! He clearly has a problem and needs serious help. Appalling customer service.
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Posted 3 years ago
welwyn garden city branch is great all the staff are very friendly and are always willing to help you find what you want. The quality of the stock is brilliant and I am over moon with the new design of the legs so easy to adjust I've put lots of different kitchens in and Howdens kitchens always come top.
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Posted 3 years ago
Absolutely horrendous company. Awful quality kichen not fit for purpose. Had to rip it out as the units were bubbling straight after . Their customer service is even worse. Avoid at all cost. Go to Wren instead
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Posted 3 years ago
Received a very nasty letter from your credit department. I have a trade account and spend thousands on your products. I always pay on time or beforehand. Not sure what this is about but to receive demands for me to give Howdens an account summary of the financial details of my business trading is bazaar. If I don't do this they intend to destroy my business it goes on. They want a list of all my borrowings and income which in my case is considerable. This document may be a mistake and I hope so because at the time of receiving the account is zero balance. I suggest retraining whoever sent this and an apology to myself is in order. Rather timely as an order for a £7000 kitchen was about to be placed. I'm pleased to say this has now gone to Magnet. Your staff in the Camborne branch are good and I have a good relationship with all of them. Your credit department does them a disservice. They do not need you looking over their shoulder. Disgusting letter and you clearly have an elevated opinion of yourself. Your threats are impotent and rather funny. Some customers would find them intimidating which is clearly your intention. Stupid and unnecessary. Dave Baker t/a Kernowdevelopers.
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Posted 3 years ago
Using Howdens is risky I would be very wary of using Howdens Joinery - their way of operating means you could be leaving yourself open to fraud by rogue traders. Howdens will then simply deny any responsibility. This happened to us, despite a member of their staff vouching for the tradesperson. We lost £6000 due to this experience, and it took Howdens over 3 months to respond to our complaint. I can't seem to reply to Howdens comments. But there is no point emailing the Howdens review team. The people dealing with my complaint were at head office and I also spoke to an area manager. Several other households had the same experience with the same member of staff from the Morley branch, but the area manager simply said that she did not vouch for or recommend the rogue trader (although she did), so Howdens could not accept any responsibility. After paying about my experiences iny social media, Howdens have blocked me on Twitter and Facebook.
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Posted 3 years ago
Never before have I been insulted, accused of lying, charged double for items, had second hand items delivered. My kitchen was badly planned, so unable to fit.. Also was delivered without an invoice. Also head office haven't even acknowledged my complaint. I would not give them the time of day, let alone my custom. I am referring to management, as the other staff are quite pleasant and helpful.
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Posted 3 years ago
Howdens is rated 1.8 based on 211 reviews