Hi all.

Have very similar experience with Living Space. My mother was cold called by them and needed a kitchen. She agreed to it as she wanted one. She was sweet talked with all the sales pitch "it is worth £10000..." etc etc. This all happened when I was away. When I got back I couldn't believe how much they were asking for, for how little they were actually doing. I told my mum to cancel.

She phoned them to cancel and they said they would send someone round to drop offher cheque and for her to sign something to cancel. They arranged for this to be done on Saturday - no one turned up, then again on monday, again no one turned up, same on tuesday. Phone calls were made and not returned, promises made but not kept.

It remains to be seen whats going to happen but judging from the stories on here it doesn't look promising! Personally i think they were stalling her knowing full well that she needs to cancel in writing and not over the phone. She cancelled well within the cooling off period but sadly only over the phone. I think she may have lost the desposit now!

Any suggestions?

I would contact trading standards.

samaroh - If this was within the last seven days they have the full legal right to cancel under the new upated doorstep selling regulations... and have their deposit refunded in full, your Parents should also have been made fully aware of this at the time by the company.... they are also legally obliged to pass on this information to prospective customers at the same time..

I enclose an article of assistance simply contact the company and demand a refund in full backed by written confirmation sent Recorded delivery, as per your legal rights to this seven day cooling off period, if no joy also involve your local trading standards as JM advises above.

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/be_aware_of/doorstep-selling

Its nice to see that since I reminded the Directors about their responsibilities they have now posted their accounts on the 10th Feb in Companies House. Sadly they don't make happy reading - form an orderly queue for the £1 profit.

Just to give you an Update



We were unable to cancel (despite Living Space agreeing to cancellation on the phone) as it had not been done in writing, so we decided to go ahead with the kitchen installation so as not to lose the sizeable deposit.



Living Space sent a letter saying the kitchen would be delivered - the letter arrived on the same day as the kitchen was delivered but was dated about 6 days previous. So it totally took us by surprise. We were asked to pay the balance of several thousand pounds by bankers draft or face a penalty. This was not possible as these things take time to arrange so we had to phone up to negotiate. The driver who delivered the (first half) of the kitchen tried to get us to sign a customer satisfaction sheet - i'm sure he was pulling a fast one as you don't sign this until the installation is complete!

Receiving the goods was a nightmare as they were not all labelled so there was no way to check what we had or whether anything was missing. It later transpired that at the very least they forgot to send the kitchen worktop and a microwave.



Cut to today - Fitters arrived (a day late!) but refused to do the work - two guys who were getting £30 each per day (after expenses) seems like slave labour and I don't think Living Space care about their contractors and are totally profiteering.



The contract had agreed for them to do tiling and electrical work they had not been told about this, but clearly the amount they were being paid was insufficient so they had to refuse. They were not happy about Living Space and also told us they have had problems with them in the past. We are left with a mass of un-fitted and incomplete kitchen items in our dining room and living room and not knowing what will happen next. Unfortunately the ball is rolling now so we can't cancel.



We have sent a letter of complaint under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 so hopefully this will be rectified. But the whole experience just leaves you gasping. On top of all this it takes a night and a day for them to return phone calls. And they always say "we called you but the line was engaged" despite us sitting in front of the telephone all day waiting for their call, and they have never once used the answerphone facility (which a call would go directly to IF it was actually engaged).



DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

I really urge you to speak to trading standards. You are not on your own there are posts on other forums of people experiencing the same things as we have been through. My parents cancelled because we had concerns about the way the kitchen was sold and because once the fitters left my parents would have been left with a non functioning kitchen based on the plans. The small print said that the fitters wouldnot dispose of the old kitchen, my parents were told they didn't do electrical, gas,water, flooring or tiling.

The kitchen was to be redesigned based on the plans taking no account of existing services - the fridge, freezer, washing machine, cooker and central heating boiler all needed moving. The washing machine itself was moved 10ft away from the water supply and drain, there is no electricity on the wall that the white goods were to be housed. The central heating boiler was to be moved a couple of feet to accomodate a cupboard. The kitchen costs would have doubled by the time all the associated works were done.

There is also a clause in the small print that says you've agreed to open your house on a number of days a year to allow people to view the kitchen - which would have invalidated the house insurance because it was an invitation to steal things.

twaddle:

Unfortunately I used to work for them on the "Kitchen Design" front!!!

NOT PROUD OF IT!

Yes they use the same sales pitch as everyone else....feature home....substantial subsidies...blah blah!

Shame really the product isn't bad. I think the owner came across as a genuinely nice guy. But, and isn't there always a but?......

They never paid my wages!!!!

The other unfortunate side is there is a hideous amount of commission involved and double that if the customer buys on finance and so the pressure to sell is ginormous.

My advise for anyone who buys from them is to hold out, their price can drop by a massive margin. Don't believe them when they say the price is a one time only offer...you call back after a few days and you might be surprised how the price will change!

Also remember buying on finance (even if you have the cash) is actually better for YOU! They do not get paid until you have signed the customer satisfaction paperwork. Don't sign until you are genuinely happy. GE will not pay them until you are!!! The finance can be made to work for you and nevr never pay it off all at once otherwise you will get stung with a penalty.

I hope this helps someone!!!:)

Thanks you've helped me out.

I had an interview with them today for a kitchen designer role and felt something wasn't quite right so decided to check them out. glad I did thanks for your warning twaddle I won't be working for them

These guys are a disgrace. Got my 68 year old mum to agree to let them come after 3 unsolicited calls even though she is registered with TPS. She told them she was paying cash but they got her to sign a credit agreement without her realising what she was signing (she does not read English very well).She had paid them a deposit although thankfully just £100. When my dad realised what had happened he rang to cancel, they turned up and took all the paperwork away with them so now they have no receipt or anything for the deposit paid. They claim my mum signed a waiver form for the £100. When I rang up they threatened to take my parents to court for loss of earnings!!

Their tactics stink and I am not going to let this drop.

I can't actually believe they can sleep at night using such tactics! I wish you luck. Their paperwork systems are, shall we say, "interesting"!!!!!

As a footnote I never ever got paid for my time with them.

Update. Thanks to a previous poster I did actually fax them to cancel the contract in writing within the 7 days. They rang my parents up the same day saying that their kitchen was ready (the surveyor has not been yet!) and they had to pay for it because the goods were ready, my dad told them to ring me and they got quite abrupt with him saying it was nothing to do with me. A week later the surveyor turned up again, my mum did not let him in. They then had two further phone calls saying that they had only cancelled over the phone and therefore it was not legally binding. When my mum told them I had faxed they are stating they have no record of it - what a surprise!!! I have an electronic copy of the fax and a receipt stating it was delivered which was sent via my work server. My mum is getting very upset with all of this and it is affecting her health - i rang her the other day and got worried when she did not answer - when i went round to check she was ok she said she dare not answer the phone in case it was them again.

To poster living space, if you believe that these bully boy tactics are acceptable then you need to have a good hard look at yourself and your morals, how would you feel if someone was doing this to your family. please leave them alone, I don't believe my parents will ever see their deposit back prove me wrong.

Oh by the way it is a criminal offence to take property from someones home without their permission.

Hi, I got cold called by the company yesterday and agreed to meet a salesman this evening but after reading these comments I've changed my mind! However, I wasn't given any contact details and wondered if you could send me them so i can cancel the meeting and avoid having to speak with them again. Thanks!

The head office number is 01772563521. Doncaster is 01302 369032.

We still have not had our paperwork or deposit back but thankfully the hassle has stopped.

I was recently contacted by living space, and i have infact purchased a kitchen from them. I did so before ever coming accross this website, but i have to say that im rather glad i did go through. I've read the comments above and can safely say my experience was rather different. I was in need of a new kitchen when i was contacted and from the moment of first contact till the end of business, the company was helpful and professional. The kitchen was fitted and ready for use in no time at all and i can report that i am extremely happy with the whole process, and would definatly recomend this kitchen.

Lucky you jrogers.

My experience of this company is weekly unsolicited phone calls. When I have explained I do not want their kitchen having purchased one two years ago, they are often persistent to the point of rude. Tonight when I said I did not want them to call me again I was told "OK I'll call you again tomorrow".

Professional?

You decide.

Thank God I'm not some vulnerable person - we can all see what is happening there. This company should be reported to Watchdog.

I would like to say that I totally agree with J Rogers and I too have no need to hide my name. I have recently had a kitchen fitted by Living Space and must say that the process from start to finish was stress free, I am extremely delighted with look, space and the workings on my new kitchen and would recommend the company to anyone that is in the process of looking for a new kitchen.