Crown Kitchens Installed by Goliath

If you are thinking about using Goliath of Cannock to install a Crown Imperial Kitchen then please consider the following problems I experienced. I would firstly like to point out on the positive they attempted to put all the problems right, I use the word attempted becuase in several occassions I had to complete the work myself under pure frustration of after asking three times the work wasn't completed correctly. Problems included, using a tiler to brick up a window no longer required, obviously this looked a mess and we had to complain to get a proper bricklayer in, the brick layer alledgedly said he had been asked to do the job originally but then was told some one else was going to do it? Then the fitter used a blunt balde to cut the mitres on the pelmets, this resulted in the mitres being torn and ruff, after complaining the chippy then put right the mitres buy cutting down where possible the pelmets to avoid using more material, on the pelmet he couldn't he smeared the bad cut, hole and mark with silicone hoping to hide the problem! I had to visit the show room to complain again and I refused to have the fitter return and asked for someone else to continue they work, fair enough Goliath sent their forman to complete the work and I hoped things would improve, Next holes were not filled which should have been, I complained they were filled but were not sanded down properly, this resulted in obvious lumps visable, complained again, and again, eventually it was easier to do it myself, so I sanded and filled all the holes and also the damage caused to sockets and controls which were not put right. Next the tiler laid the floor and where the tiled floor met my carpet there was a 20mm height difference, instead of using a edge for varying floors, he used a laminate edge strip, secured to my floor and carpet with a whole tube of silicone. I had to remove this imediatley myself and replace to aviod damage to the carpet. The cabinet fitters also had a use for silicone,using it as a glue to secure all the screw covers, this obviously didn't work and I again had to complain to get the covers correctly glued with glue, silicone is a sealer not a glue. In moving my fridge to install the units they ripped the feet of the bottom of the unit, bending the frame and damaging the fridge, they could offer no solution to resolving the problem, which I had to sort out myself, by find to replacment feet to stop the fridge from scratching the floor. Then came the disaster with the work surface. Once fitted the Stone work surface was covered in marks next to the resin joints, they tried to remove the marks but stated they couldn't, there only resort was to remove the work tops and replace, as they removed the work surface they removed the plaster above and behind the splash backs ruining the both the plaster and the paint work, they also scratched again the already damaged fridge. Again they put right the plaster but it was left to myself to re paint the kitchen. The replaced work surface then didn't fit correctly and showed the same marks as before on the resin joints, yet another team was sent to correct the problem and re install the work surface, once they arrived they refitted the work surface correctly and then told me the resin marks were easily removable with a solution! 10 minutes later the marks were gone, they could have done this to the original worksurface and saved weeks of stress and hassle but know one knew what they were doing. This is just a small part of the problems we have experienced in using Goliath to install our kitchen and finally after 13 weeks a 3 week job is now completed, and good to his word Mr Steve Hancox came to view the completed works. So what did Mr Hancox say regards the work I had to correct, "you choose to do that, you didn;t have too" Regards the trouble , inconvience, stress, the living without a kitchen for 13 weeks " we put everything right eventually, sorry it took so long" About my scratched white goods? " I can't see any scratches, sorry, I was told you were happy and the kitchen was finished. Prove how old the fridge is and I'll look into it" When asked if he knew what had happen he admitted he hadn't even read the file before coming to the meeting, something that should have been a matter of course to do before visiting a customer. So what remuneration did Goliath offer myself and my wife for the damage done to our fridge, the work I had to put right, the repainting of our kitchen, along with several other items they damaged, or scratched, paint work that need to be repaired? £ 68.00........ the cost of the feet for the fridge, a tin of paint and the edger I had to buy to protect my carpet from the use of incorrect materials. No compensation was offered, in fact in was down right refused, I have even had to insist on a letter of apology, a letter Mr Hancox continually said he did not want to write, instead prefering to visit personally, which didn't result in anything only for him to collect his check! I am still insisting on a written apology and I am still waiting. A simple three week project became a 13 week disaster which caused a huge strain on my family. Having a £18500 kitchen fitted should be an exciting and pleasurable thing, unfortunatly due to all the problems I can not bear to be in my kitchen, it has to many bad memories. In fairness, Goliath did correct all the mistakes they could have walked away, however these mistakes should not have been made, using tilers to brick walls and using silicone as glue or to hide bad workmanship shouldn't happen, but it did and I had to point out every problem to ensure corners were not cut and at times complete work myself, this should not have to happen, and Mr Hancox's response to compensating myself for all the inconvience..... £68 In the end I finally have a kitchen which is finished to the standard it should be, I still have a damaged fridge and it has taken 13 weeks. In the end I have the kitchen I ordered,... would I use Goliath again or recomend them to my friends? If you are willing to accept the above and believe that £68 is fair compensation then eventually you will get the kitchen you asked for, if your unfortunate like me that will take a long time and a lot of hassle, myself, I have gone to Anglian to fit my new front door rather than Goliath.

Steve Newman - 17/10/2008 | report this review