Biggest Mistakes When Buying Built-In Furniture: Number 6

Buying bespoke furniture is a huge investment – which is why you need to consider your options carefully when choosing a furniture company. Many homeowners make big mistakes – we’ve seen it first-hand – which is why we’ve published this series to help people make the right choice.

The Biggest Mistakes Series can be downloaded in one PDF booklet so you can refer back to it. It covers major errors such as not getting a guarantee, rushing the design procedure and turning your home into a building site. However today, we’ll only be discussing hidden pitfall number six – choosing an unreliable company.

Unfortunately, there’s many of them out there, rogue traders who could be uninsured, unorganised and not fit to deliver the quality craftsmanship and customer service you deserve. When you’re paying for a specialised custom service, you expect a business to be punctual and focus entirely on your project, but this isn’t always the case with many fitted furniture companies. So how do you recognise a reliable company from an unreliable one?

Take Notes from the Word Go

Even at the enquiry stage, you should be able to get a good idea about a company and the way it treats its clients. Do they sound honest – would they recommend what is actually best for your home even if it is a cheaper option? Would they give expert advice and tell you that your vision isn’t going to work in reality?

If you’re impressed with the initial enquiry, then arrange another phone call or home visit to discuss the project in more detail. Were they on time, or were they late? If they were late did they call you and let you know? Things like this can give an insight into what it might be like when the company is working on the job. Will they overrun at another project and end up late for yours? Will the work start and finish when promised or will the scheduled completion time get pushed back?

You need to make sure you trust this company in your home – and if you can’t trust them to pick up the phone then this could be difficult. A person could be an amazing carpenter, but if you take the day off work to let them in and they don’t show up, then it can be incredibly frustrating.

Having renovation works done in your home can be stressful, so don’t make it worse by hiring a company which is undependable. You’re paying for a service, so you deserve to have it completed to the highest of standards.

Double Check the Company’s Insurance

Another precautionary measure to take when weighing up different companies is checking they are insured for the type of work they will be doing. If a quote is a lot cheaper than most you have been given, then there must be a reason for that – and sometimes it’s because they are not insured. If a company isn’t insured for any damage to your property or careless work, then you’ll have to pay the price in the event of an accident. You are trying to improve your home, and you could end up with it looking worse!

Full Time or Part Time?

When companies take on lots of jobs at once, and they have to get from one side of London to the other, it can delay the finished piece of furniture. You may want to make sure that your craftsmen will be working in your home full time until your job is completed – it can be frustrating to see workers leave the place a mess to rush off to other jobs, when they should be putting full effort into yours.

Testimonials

If your tradesmen are punctual and trustworthy, then they should also be reliable. But what’s the best way to check? Client testimonials! Make sure they are recent and there are a quite a few to endorse the company’s service.

Make sure you check back for our last mistake of the series.