I am going to be very blunt about this, Who the bloody hell does Matt Thomas think he is by accusing "Kitchen & Bathroom independent retailers of offering little security for their customers deposits". (KBB Review 12/12/13). I can only assume by such a provocative statement that has he got a book or something coming out that he wishes to promote or he has been mis-quoted, this has the same bad tones as the Howdens boss saying only builders can fit kitchens correctly.
I and others KBB retailers will be astounded at his comments, there are 100's of retailers that offer deposit protection schemes either through one of the industry bodies that they are members of or their suppliers are members of the same schemes, plus this is a ruse because everybody knows that if you pay by credit card then the credit card company also offers full protection against a company going under. We ourselves have recently been showcased in The Guardian Small Business Showcase for "having very sound financial management forecasting", thus ensuring our business is on a stable footing which benefits not only our clients but our suppliers too.
I can also definitely say with 100% confidence that we offer our quality products at a better price than John Lewis not only that our award winning design service is second to none, this is because we do not work on commission and have our clients sole interests at heart. We and others most definitely do not "Feel Threatened" by John Lewis's KBB offering and to quote Mr Thomas "Despite selling kitchens for more than 10 years many consumers are unaware of the company's KBB offering", he hit the nail on the head "selling"
in effect we all sell but our sales are a result of what we offer our clients (not consumers), a professional design, advice and installation service with an personal after sales service, if you ring our studio you either speak to me or my business partner every time. The wording in Mr Thomas's statement suggests he puts sales before the clients interests. So I and others would like to give Mr Thomas the chance to retract his statement and to get off his holier than though pulpit.
Russell Buckley
Stuart Henry Kitchens Ltd
