Brookmans Avis 54

Two kitchens were ordered for a project in November '20 and £25k deposit paid. Design process was fine and final designs signed off in Feb 21, at which time a further £23k was paid in order to start the build process (according to Brookmans). We were hoping for delivery in April, but this slipped to May due to Covid and were finally booked in for June 7th delivery, as confirmed by customer relations and the installations manager. 5 days before our confirmed delivery date we received a round-robin email from customer relations thanking us for our orders and stating that our kitchens would be delivered at the end of July! We immediately contacted Brookmans who admitted they hadn't even started building our kitchens, despite extracting money from us in February on the understanding that kitchen construction would begin on receipt of the Feb payment - many would consider that dishonest. Our confidence was shattered and we cancelled the orders for breach of contract and were told that this was being referred to management to process a refund. Suffice to say that was the last we heard from them until our solicitors issued pre litigation notice, which immediately drew a response from the Brookmans' sales director. After further weeks of getting nowhere with the sales director (he never called when he said he would and rarely bothered to respond to emails), the solicitors were sent back in to battle, which eventually resulted in an agreement for the cancellation and refund of one kitchen on the basis that the one remaining kitchen would be delivered at the end of July. The magic day arrived and we received some of the kitchen, but many items were missing. The fitters were a decent bunch and did as much as they could, but work ground to a halt very quickly. Further parts of the kitchen arrived in September and the middle of October, but the kitchen remained unfinished at Christmas. Despairingly, we wrote to Brookmans advising them that we would appoint another firm to finish off the job, which seemed to spur them into action as they finally finished the kitchen in January, 14 months after we ordered it!

Dealing with Brookmans has been a desperately frustrating and at times infuriating experience compounded by their hard-nosed attitude, lack of genuine contrition or any sense of customer service. Based on our dire experience, these people don't deserve customers.

We have a beautiful Brookmans Kitchen that receives many compliments! The design was lovely and is gorgeous in reality. I only made a few changes to the original design and decided to do away with upper cupboards and go for shelves, I’m glad I did they look very good, Yes there were a few delays, the shelves came a bit later for example, but nothing problematic. We have a stunning larder cupboard, beautiful oak drawers and the appliances that Brittany chose for us as perfect, and the prices on appliances were very competitive which was helpful. While doing the design Brittany completely got the look I was trying to achieve. We’ve had a few small issues with alignment of cupboard furniture and paint chips which the team have swiftly sorted - that’s the only reason for the loss of one star, but you can’t ask for more than that in my book. Every single person I’ve dealt with at Brookmans from the outset has been absolutely lovely and helpful. A kitchen is huge investment and I feel that the quality of this kitchen at a competitive price is well worth it. It’s also all handmade in the UK.
I would definitely buy again.

I had a very positive experience. Holly from the Tottenham Court Road branch listened to exactly what I wanted and put together a very lovely plan for the kitchen and pantry. It was all clearly shown with computer generated images from lots of angles to get a clear picture and costed item by item. Thank you Holly.

The Brookman experience really has been a tale of two halves albeit a tale with a vey happy ending. The design experience with Rob was superb, I work in the world of interiors myself and it was great to work with a true professional.

Sadly the delivery and installation process was in short 'not good'.

That being said, having had the kitchen up and running now for several months, I am absolutely delighted with it, so much so that I have ordered three more for other projects !

I have worked with many kitchen companies and the path is rarely smooth. Before taking the decision to purchase again we looked at the changes Brookmans are making to their processes and feel really comfortable they understand the issues and have addressed them.

As there is not an option to leave 0 stars I have no other option but to choose 1star which is a highly generous rating!

I ordered my kitchen almost a year ago order 15601

We paid upfront as requested at the beginning of 2021 as per the terms of the order and was later told delivery would be in April, we removed our old kitchen as instructed in anticipation of the Brookmans kitchen delivery. The date came and went and after a week of chasing I was told that my order was still in the factory, after chase after chase as the customer service is shocking and not pro active in the slightest, week after week, whilst living in a house with no kitchen and 3 young children, we were told the kitchen would be delivered on the 8th July.

The delivery did turn up, but not all of it! And some of the items delivered were faulty and in some cases chipped, but also to the completely wrong size and spec (even though all items go through a thorough quality control inspection)

What could be installed was installed and then we had to inform them that the worktops were now ready for templating and then installing, without boring you all on the details, worktops were not installed until mid September!

We still have faults and are missing parts of the kitchen and although I have asked several times for a senior director of the company to contact me, this has not been forthcoming. I only ever speak to the customer service workers who do not respond when they promise to.

I have requested a refund due to a reduction in worktop size ordered, but this has been refused as has any offer of compensation.

This company does not care in the slightest in regards to quality of product or quality of service

Even the very nice and honest fitters who have been back to rectify faults have admitted how many issues they have experienced on other kitchens!!!

This is the most disgustingly ran company I have ever experienced, they have even stopped comments being able to be made on their social media to silence reviews like those on this page

I am taking legal action against this company

Please please please do not use this company

Can I give 0 stars? Like all the reviews below me, I am living a nightmare with Brookmans and have an unusable half-finished kitchen in mid-october having placed the order in February and told it would be 3-4 weeks to install and finish. The install date was pushed back many times and finally started 1st week of August but is incomplete, some bits not working, some not delivered, and not a plan or care from them how to finish. They've taken all our money. I wrote an email to CEO on 7 September, copied below, and have not had any reply - this says all you need to know about dealing with this company;

Dear [redacted],

I am writing to express my profound disappointment with the service and communication I am experiencing as a kitchen client of Brookmans [redacted]. I very much hope you will be able to provide a solution to the unfinished kitchen and an appropriate gesture for the time and cost we are incurring as a result. I had very much hoped the Smallbone and Brookmans name would live up to the reputation. Sadly this has proved a naive assumption.

Before I outline the unsatisfactory and incomplete state of the kitchen manufacturing, logistics, and communication, I must say that I do acknowledge the difficult environment within which companies like Brookmans are operating. Brexit and Covid are often cited as factors, and I have been flexible and accommodating delays for many months now. However there is a limit. Moreover, customer communication and adherence to delivery dates previously communicated should take this into account. It is clear that the company has over stretched itself and quality/delivery is suffering.

The problems we have experienced are:

1/ constant failure to adhere to previously communicated delivery and fitting dates, and no effort to tell us of the issue until we call on the day or a day before. The kitchen delivery week was pushed back 3 times.

2/ incomplete delivery and no satisfactory or consistent response on the status of missing items. The kitchen fitter drew up a list of missing items on the first day on site (10th august). Many items are still missing and we are well behind the advised “Installation Schedule” sent to us in email on 4 August. This correspondence advised that installation would be complete 7 days after start (so complete by 18 August). I find it very surprising that deliveries turn up in a drip fed manner with the truck having no idea what is being delivered. We have also had deliveries arrive or be cancelled with no notice given.

This has resulted in costs to us.

1/ when delivery days are not adhered to by Brookmans it throws off our other building works and management of electricians, builders, decorators and plumbers. We were told we’d have a kitchen delivered the week of August 10th (after many delays) and our expectation was it would arrive in full. However many pieces are missing so we can’t even use it. We can neither have tradesmen in to finish other works. We arranged for these tradesman based on the schedule communicated by Brookmans and now will incur further call out cost.

2/ when delivery days are communicated but no one turns up, we also incur the cost of putting the dog into day care on the expectation that Brookmans contractors will be on site.

3/ the old kitchen was ripped out on the anticipation of a set schedule communicated by Brookmans. Had this not been possible, we’d have waited to rip out our kitchen. Now we must seek temporary accommodation at our own cost and we’ve had over one month eating out or takeaway.

4/ We have already paid your company 100 per cent of the kitchen cost, yet we have not received the full kitchen. Nor have we received answers to simple questions like “did you order the appliance? What is the reason for delay? Is another model available if this one isn’t? When will the worktops be installed?”

In all cases, brookmans has not delivered on its word and has left us in the dark with poor communication. We have incurred costs outline above.

Please do what you can to bring this to a speedy resolution, and kindly prove a timeline and plan.

I also request that you return 25 percent of our payment as a holding deposit pending satisfactory completion. I also ask you to consider what compensation you think appropriate to offer us in the circumstances.

I'm giving Brookmans 4 stars because even though we've had numerous issues along the way we now have a fantastic kitchen that we love!

The company is clearly having issues with production but I felt that this is something they are taking seriously and working on improving.

Our designer was great and we worked closely on different versions to get something we were happy with so only positives there.

On the customer services side, they didn't always tell us what we wanted to hear (especially regarding delays!) but they were always easy to contact. We also had mobile numbers to get regular updates.

Installation and fitting is where we were most impressed with Brookmans. We had a very experienced father and son team who have done a amazing job.

In the end, the full kitchen was delayed by a month but if I could go back in time I wouldn't change our decision to go with Brookmans. What you get is a kitchen built at the same factory in Wiltshire as Smallbones but at a fraction of the price. Yes, you may need to stay on top of them and hold them to account but at end it's worth it!

Missed deadlines, shoddy cabinetry, incomplete parts, wrong parts delivered, missing handles, promises of a free TV which has yet to materialise, appliances delivered but never ordered, worktops not delivered but ordered, do I need to go on. Absolutely shocking customer service where each email is finished with the phrase; "I have informed Management" as if this magical management actually exists. We were actually told that no handles are included with the kitchen. Now they are apparently trying to refund me for handles and worktops although the promise has yet to be fulfilled. To take a leaf from Carlsberg, probably the worst kitchen company in the world.

Brookmans (Lux Group Holdings) still hasn't delivered in full a kitchen that I put a deposit on MORE THAN ONE YEAR AGO, despite a series of false promises. As Lux Group is very unlikely to deliver on its promise, I am considering the following actions. Action 1: If you have recently signed a contract, you may have a 14-day cooling off period in which your deposit will be refunded in full. Action 2: If you paid with a credit card, you likely have some form of buyer protection, which may be a way to get a swifter refund. Action 3: If you are already well past the agreed delivery date, write a "time is of the essence" letter to Lux Group that demands a timely shipment of goods (you can find templates for these letters online). The company will have 14 days to comply, after which, it must refund your money. Action 4: Inform Trading Standards about deceptive business practices if, as in my case, you believe you were deceived into making payment (I have ample written evidence of this, so happy to provide that to you Brookman's). I am pleased to see the "customer service" team is taking such an interest in my reviews! I would suggest using that energy to find a dictionary and look up the word integrity.

I’ve never written a customer review before and as a journalist you’d think I’d be used to writing. Much like so many of the other reviews here I find myself in a situation where I literally don’t know what to do next. I’m now 2.5 weeks down the line from having just 27% (I worked it out through desperation) of my dream kitchen delivered. And this was later than it should have been delivered anyway. I was assured ‘by hook or my crook’ by our installation manager that the rest would be delivered ready for installation the start of the following week. And guess what? Nothing. And no update whatsoever. I’ve chased customer services (I’ve also been told my complaint has been escalated and heard nothing), my installation manager, a person in accounts, and nothing. Nobody can say what the status of my order is let alone when it might appear. How can this be the case? I’m now genuinely panicking that there is a serious issue that means they can’t actually say what is going on. I feel desperate. I have 2 one-year-old twins and a four-year-old and we’re heading into week 8 without a kitchen. It’s a nightmare. We planned our renovations around this. But not to hear anything, to be stonewalled in this way is unbearable and unforgivable. I’ve now changed my monthly standing order to £1 because I daren’t spend any more money until I receive the goods. We’ve already parted with over £13k and only received just less than £5k of goods. And no explanation. I’m sympathetic with everyone else in the same boat and feel we should form some kind of group to get answers. Just not sure how to go about this.

If I could give minus stars I would! There is no need writing a full story of our disaster with Brookmans as it sadly only echos those of other reviews here. Please avoid this company and any of lux group holdings.

To start with, we had a fantastic design experience and Holly was brilliant as well as extremely helpful.

It all went downhill after the design was finalized and our kitchen went into production.

Our original install date was delayed by a month which we accepted but we were given another date whereby we had no confirmation of a delivery date until 3 days prior meaning we had no opportunity to organize people to remove our kitchen and carry out plumbing/electrical works. This was not only not communicated but our questions around this was repeatedly ignored - emails we had sent not responded to.

We have now had to confirm a date much later than we would have liked because they have not been forthcoming with the necessary information. There seems to have been no consideration for what we would need to organise. It really doesn’t seem to matter to Brookmans.

I asked for a manager to call me weeks ago which was also ignored. I finally was put in touch with a customer service manager called Judith who minimized our experience and thought that an insincere apology would cover it.

Because of all of this we reached a point where we did not want to progress with this company but we were told there was no opportunity to receive our money back which made us feel completely backed into a corner and despite the shocking service we received we had no option but to progress. This is for me quite unbelievable after paying nearly £30k for a service.

We escalated this further and after much chasing and time spent we spoke to a sales director called David Reid. I have never in my life spoke to a more unprofessional and aggressive representative from a business. He was a bully! He would not allow us to speak, did not listen, did not apologize and basically told us because we were looking for compensation that our complaint was not valid! He made out that we were just after a discount, it was shocking! I do not understand how this business thinks that this behaviour is appropriate! Avoid at all costs, trust me nothing is worth the stress.

Sadly - our experience is exactly as those other reviews. Paid our deposit in 2020, there was delay after delay in measuring, signing off, then delivery. It's our 10th wedding anniversary this weekend - we'd planned a party - but instead we have a new extension with unboxed applianced and a few unfitted units - but not enough to make a single run. It's really hard to speak to anyone in customer services and there's no update on the product. As with earlier comments it's been really stressful and unpleasant experience - we also booked a plumber and electrician as requested by Smallbone even when I checked if we should cancel they said to keep the booking - so I've incurred additional costs - and have no kitchen. We have two young kids - and have had no kitchen since April... Covid and EU is of course an excuse but we've had a whole build done and this is the only one with this sort of delays... and no communications

They do not have a grip on the production and delivery side of things. After 5 delays, the last two made at 4.30pm before day of delivery, we received a third of our kitchen order. Only a third! It may as well have been nothing. Do not use this company. I am genuinely wondering if we will have a kitchen by Christmas.

I am also inclined to be suspicious of the positive reviews each one mentioning a designer by name..

Our relationship with Brookmans started in January 2021. The design experience was good, with helpful suggestions and inspiration, but it got a little pressured when we were getting to the end of the current promotion and needed to sign off before the cut off date, which we did. As it turned out the promotion was extended.
At this point we were told that we would be contacted to arrange a site survey and that the kitchen would be installed 12-14 weeks after that. No body contacted us. After 4 weeks we chased and finally the site survey was undertaken: anticipated installation date was 21st May.
Again there was no communication, apart from them asking for payment, until 30th April, delaying delivery until 4th July. Then another email 26th June saying delivery would be 26th July, and please make the final payment, which we did.
So on 21st July, another email, delivery 6th August. By this point we are livid, we do not feel like valued customers and write a strongly worded email telling them what we think. They reply saying that they can deliver 30th July. HOORAY!
29th July I get a phone call at 5pm: can't deliver tomorrow, it will be delivered 5th August.
Well, it is 5th August and what do you know, I wake up to an email telling me that the kitchen will not be arriving today, it did not make it onto the truck.
At this point we don't care how nice the kitchen might be, don't think we will ever be able to recommend Brookmans. If you had been completely honest with us, we could have managed our renevation differently, but to string us along for so long has left a very bad taste.
JUST BE HONEST.

We are thrilled with the kitchen brookmans provided. Katie Dove (designer), Richard Treadway (Installation Manager) and Matt (fitter) are excellent. I hadnt appreciated how precise the fittings and inevitable customisations have to be and thats where smallbone/brookmans really excel. Everything is done to the mm and no corners cut. They spend the time and do it perfectly. I probably wont have another new kitchen for many years but if i did i would only go with smallbone/brookmans.

Don’t touch this company with a barge pole, I ordered a kitchen in January 2021 and was promised a twelve week production time. In April they then informed me at the last minute (after me chasing and the existing kitchen being stripped out) it was not being fitted until JUNE. Now a week before it’s due, they’ve just told me (after chasing again) it’s not coming for a further TWO MONTHS. I’ve now been without any kitchen for three months and it will be five months IF it goes in then, with two small children to feed one of them disabled which Brookmans knows well. Appalling customer service and communications from what is supposed to be a premium brand.

David Renney is a complete star!

I have been looking for a kitchen for a while and had been in contact with a number of different companies. Brookmans were the best. There were a number of different iterations of the plans and David helped me through these and planning it. His expertise and practical advice was invaluable and made the process very smooth and hassle free. More importantly, the kitchen is great - it fits the space perfectly, has everything I need and is wonderful. I cannot recommend David and Brookmans highly enough.

We had a very good design experience (with OscarM) - listened carefully to our requirements, great ideas and visualisations, and a professional process overall. We ended up with a very good design and competitive price - however, ultimately chose another vendor as they were more local and had a slightly more traditional style which we preferred.

Avoid. Chose Brookmans ahead of other kitchen companies because we were told we would have our kitchen by mid-May which was ideal as we are expect a baby in early August and we told them about our situation. Paid first installment at end of February. Thereafter communication was almost impossible. We then stupidly paid a second installment at end of March, shortly after they said the kitchen would not be installed until 3rd June. Having already given them £18,000 we asked for our money back and were refused. So, as requested, we proceeded to have our existing kitchen ripped out in good time for 3rd June. Just received a call to say we are now getting our kitchen on 17th June. So we have no kitchen for 6 weeks because they can’t stick to a date. Have contacted citizens advice and will be pursuing this through legal channels as they simply try and placate you in the phone but do what they want whilst keeping our money ransom.