SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWS from www.kitchenhell.co.uk (OCTOBER, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER NEWS BELOW)

It's the Biz!

22 September Sam tells me that he has now launched his Moben.biz website. If you're interested in kitchens, particularly Moben ones then get along there and have a look.

All quiet on the Moben front!

24 September It's been a quiet month on the Moben front. Just the usual stream of emails; there's two sorts :
a) Those of you who write and tell me of your Moben woes, and
b) Those of you who have changed your mind about buying a Moben Kitchen after seeing the light, or seeing Kitchenhell anyway
I'd like to hear from other Moben customers with their recent experiences, good or bad.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Forum!

24 September I was going to set up my own forum for discussions about kitchens etc but Sam has already set up a good one. So we've agreed I'll point you at his Moben.biz Forum. That's what I like to see, friendly cooperation.


Broken Links?

24 September A few dead links have been removed and a few broken ones fixed. If you spot anything that's not working please let me know. I'm not perfect but I aim to provide a much better service than Moben does.


Bring a little Sun into your life

25 September I see that Moben are still at it. Have a look at this page from the Sunday Sun (of Newcastle upon Tyne). You'll need to scroll down past the article about a conservatory.


OCTOBER 2007 NEWS from www.kitchenhell.co.uk
Bad news for Milton Keynes! The Dark Side is coming!

15 October 'Residents in Milton Keynes looking to improve their homes will be spoilt for choice when the combined Moben, Sharps and Dolphin showroom opens its doors this month.' This is what it says in the Press Release at http://www.prlog.org/10031890-brand-new-moben-kitchens-showroom-opens-in-milton-keynes.html which goes on to explain that Moben, Dolphin and Sharps are to open a megastore in Milton Keynes. So residents will be spoilt for choice - for places to avoid.
Notice that this new megastore is a way of 'improving' the service you get before you buy a kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. As usual with Moben etc, it does nothing for you once you've handed your money over.

I'm still waiting for Moben to reply to my questions about how their service would be improving under new ownership; I assume this means it won't be improving. Nothing in my post bag indicates an improvement.

The good news : Some of you are deciding not to buy Moben Kitchens!

16 October Talking of my postbag, thanks to those of you who have contacted me this month. Good luck to all those of you who told me that you've decided to avoid buying a Moben Kitchen after reading about them on this site and on the many other sites who give you the truth about Moben.

Getting carried away!

18 October Just heard from someone who couldn't get rid of a Moben salesperson after she'd been giving him the hard sell for four hours. So he picked her up and carried her out through the front door and deposited her outside. Pity it's not that easy to get rid of their junk kitchens!

23 October Just had another dissatisfied Moben customer on. Should have some horror photos on soon! Or you could just go to Blockbuster and hire a horror movie.

NOVEMBER 2007 NEWS from www.kitchenhell.co.uk

10 Little Questions

1 November 2007 As Moben never answered my 25 May 2007 questions about how they would be improving their business practices under new ownership I've been assuming that they won't be. Today I gave them another chance and sent them a letter with similar questions. (No reply received at 13/11/07)

Read the small print! (If you can!)

5 November 2007 Yesterday there was a Moben advertisement in the Sunday Times, a frequent occurrence. The small print was very small and appears to be aimed at hiding the fact that the advertised discounts of 55% and 60% are somewhat illusory. So, today I've written to the Advertising Standards Authority to complain about the small print and the advertised discounts.

Here's a question : How can you work out what discount you get on a Moben kitchen? Answer : As you don't get a cost breakdown and Moben refuse to provide their price list then you can't work it out - you have to trust the adverts and/or salesperson. Maybe that could be the same salesman who recently told a potential buyer that if they bought a kitchen using Moben's credit provider and there was a problem with the kitchen then they could withhold their payments to the credit provider. He failed to point out that the credit provider would almost certainly take action to recover any missed payment. Trust a Moben salesperson? Not me!

DECEMBER 2007 NEWS from www.kitchenhell.co.uk

Complaints continue!

17 December 2007 The theme from Kitchenhell's postbag this month relates to Moben's promises of kitchens being fitted within certain periods of time. The way it goes is this - Moben promise that fitting will take place shortly after delivery of the kitchen, then when the kitchen has been delivered and paid for in full, they announce a fiitting date a few weeks later than promised - in mid January rather than before Christmas.

New Look!

17 December 2007 Kitchenhell gets a small make-over as it's been around 11 months since the last change. I never intended the Kitchenhell site to last this long but since Moben refuse to answer my questions and I continue to receive complaints about them, then I'll keep it going for the forseeable future. I also feel a bigger make-over coming along early in 2008 if there's time.

The small print

18 December 2007 The Advertising Standards Authority responded to say they are still considering my complaint against Moben's advert in the Sunday Times (see 5 November 2007)

A laugh from Dolphin

21 December 2007 Today I received a letter from Dolphin Bathrooms which made me laugh. It started:

'Dear Mr Walker
Our biggest ever January Sale starts on Boxing Day and we're cutting the cost of every one of our bathrooms to just half price! As a valued customer of our sister company Moben Kitchens, we'd like to offer you an exclusive offer of an extra 15% off when you order by Sunday 13th January.'

A few points spring to mind :

1) Me a 'valued customer' of Moben Kitchens. As far as Moben are concerned I'm a pest!
2) What's the difference between this 50% off sale and the 50%, 55% and 60% off sales that Dolphin have been having throughout the year?
3) The offer contains the usual asterisks. To get 50% off, the list price must be over £6000 excluding building work. To get the extra 15% off the order value must be over £6000 ie the starting price must be around £14500 or more.
4) It's not clear whether the 15% is taken off the original price or taken off after the 50% is removed ie a 7.5% discount. It's academic really as the original price will be an inflated figure designed to take the discounts into account.
5) And have you ever met anyone who managed to get their hands on a Dolphin price list?

See my Bathroomhell? page for more on Dolphin.

PROBABLY NO MORE UPDATES THIS YEAR. HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR BREAK!


Please contact me at mw@kitchenhell.co.uk if you have any news on Moben etc or if you have experience of their 'service'. I'm particularly interested to know how customers of 'new' Moben (ie since 5 April 2007) are getting on. You can contact me even if you've been happy with your Moben Kitchen. There must be some happy customers?