When buying kitchen appliances or investing in a kitchen renovation, it is important to work with companies and contractors that you trust. This reliable service is what customers thought they would receive when working with Tesco Kitchens on their home renovations – but several have been left disappointed with the work that the company performed.

During the ‘Kitchens’ episode of Don’t Get Done Get Dom, Dominic Littlewood interviewed five homeowners who invested more than £5000 to have their kitchens renovated by Tesco. All customers encountered serious issues with the quality of the renovations, as the contractors failed to meet the clients’ specifications.

In one instance, a woman named Shirley spent thousands of pounds on her kitchen renovation. Due to the damp nature of her home, her first priority was to ensure that the kitchen would have a cooker hood with extractor capbilities. The contractor failed to drill the hole that was required to fit the vent, and argued that she never requested for her cooker hood to be externally ducted. One year later, her kitchen was still without the correct appliance.

When the customers called Tesco to complain about the services, they were informed that the company responsible was Mark Two, a brand with which the clients were not familiar. Tesco had not previously mentioned the subcontractor, leaving the customers to assume that they were working directly with the supermarket chain.

While subcontracting is a common practice, Tesco went about it in the wrong way. If subcontracting is taking place, the seller should inform customers that another brand will be the point-of-contact. This way, customers can rest assured that they are working with a reliable brand that they trust.

“There’s nothing wrong with companies offering goods and services that are supplied by a third party,” Dom says. “But, it’s important that you, the customer, knows who the supplier is and who your contract is with”.

In the end, the five homeowners were able to come to amicable agreements with Tesco. They could finally look forward to having their kitchens renovated properly, and some even received additional compensation for their troubles.

So, if you are planning to renovate your kitchen, be sure that you obtain as much information as possible before hiring a contractor. Ensure that you know who will carry out the renovations and which company will be supplying the appliances. Then, research both brands.

Family and friends can be counted on to supply honest feedback, and you can also get unbiased comments from third-party sites like Ebay. For example, Ship It Appliance’s Ebay Feedback page is full of honest reviews. Sites like Yell and Trust Pilot also provide a rich resource of unbiased feedback.