Howdens - Rochdale Reviews 130

I have been to the Rochdale store a few times as I'm in the process of buying some flooring. Andy went out of his way to be helpful and give me advice making my shopping experience a pleasure. Well done Andy for excellent customer service!

Hayley's customer service is excellent. She did exactly as I asked and I was very impressed

We have wanted a new kitchen since we moved in 20years ago but we felt swopping like for like was pointless so we have been saving up for an extension. We sorted the builders and we then had basic plans for the extension. The hunt for a new kitchen started but then we met Charlotte Crabtree who just knew exactly what we wanted. We told her the appliances - dishwasher was a must - she worked off the builders plans then she did the cad design. We then went to her showroom to finalise the drawings - we didn't change anything. She listened to what we needed and then the magic happened. The kitchen and worktops look amazing. I cannot stop grinning every time I walk through the door. Charlotte we cannot thank you enough. You made this part of the stressful journey easy and it looks gorgeous. Please do feel free to pass on my e-mail address if anyone wants pictures. Thank you to all at Howdens you have been great.

I'll start with the positives. Howdens did involve a remedial fitter to correct there own fitters and designers mistakes. They originally tried to defend the work but this didn't last very long.

So the original builder/fitter who introduced us came in with a joke quote following the kitchen design. Designer very quickly identified a 'friend' who could do the job at a reasonable price.

The designer witnessed my daughter have a meltdown on the initial visit so I sought reassurance as the fitter was unknown. The designer reassured me, shared their own experience and I agreed. I've since learned the fitter is just one of the 'in house' fitters. So the shared understanding of a disability is likely just very aggressive sales bull***. Howdens didn't take into account the genuine needs of my family, despite spending over £20k with them. They took control of the job by finding a builder when the fitter was unable to. My family paid the price for cramming jobs to meet sales targets.

I'll summarise the main issues:

1. Generally very poor originally fitting. Damage to expensive fridge. This was knocked off the final bill but this would have been small claims court if not. Hot water supply was also connect to fridge so we all had a dodgy stomach for a period. Worktop had to be replaced as was cut wrong and snags needed to be sorted.
2. Had to move out of property for kitchen fitting - fitters came at 5pm and working until the early hours. How is this normal! To only find this out once original kitchen had been ripped out! Moving into travel lodge near christmas with autistic children just isn't fine.
3. This relatively small job took months -i can only assume because this wasn't the only kitchen being fitted. We've since had builders in for another job and I've seen how it should be done.
4. Items were broken/poor kitchen design but these costs were just expected to be absorbed by me, the customer. Trying to understand the kitchen quote is one thing. Attitude of the staff when I rang to return items for smaller was .."prices have gone up now so no refund". How is that acceptable!?
5. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Having not only read reviews online about fitters walking from jobs, but I was also told this by Howdens staff. So not much you can really do. I'm not saying our fitter would have but it doesn't help when Howdens staff advise it happens. Put simply, if we had been informed the fitter was simply one of the in house fitters I would have walked away. Also if we would have been advised the builder was arranged by Howdens - I'd have walked again. The need for the sale came first.

It's been a while coming this review and only after speaking to friends and family about similar jobs, it's hit home just now poorly this was handled. Hopefully you hit your sales targets though.

The end product - yeah the kitchen looks nice but having spent alot of money (to me), it should do.

They give you 1 price and then they give you a price higher than that saying we have give you a discount plus Charlotte in the rochdale branch kitchen dept has so much attitude and a very unperfessional way off dealing with has got no manners no morals and verry bitter I font want to say no more

We had a very good experience planning and ordering our new designed kitchen
Charlotte and her team we exceptional and gave great help and support throughout the process
Can’t wait until the new kitchen is installed

I can’t recommend Howdens Kitchens highly enough. The service was excellent from start to finish and every one of the team truly went above and beyond my expectations.

The Rochdale team were exceptional throughout the whole process, always professional, helpful, and genuinely committed to making sure everything was right. A special mention must go to Andy Gaskell, who provided fantastic service and went the extra mile to help at every stage. Nothing was too much trouble, and his knowledge and dedication made a huge difference.

Overall, outstanding customer service all round—thank you to Andy and the Rochdale team for such a great experience.

Howdens is always a blessing in the industry to be working with!

Great experience. Very happy with the kitchen quality. Fantastic customer services, especially dealing with Andy at the Rochdale branch. Very supportive and excellent communication. Highly recommended.

Polite people brilliant service
Recommen every one to join in thanks

Staff polite efficient and helpful as always

Great service, staff very attentive, order was bang on time as promised.

Had a great experience buying a kitchen. All the staff were professional, friendly and very knowledgable. We were fortunate to work with Andy, he was brilliant, understood what we wanted and made some great suggestions. We will be back to plan our utility room and would want to work with Andy again. The brews are good too!!

Great service and communication

Great service
Grat people and Andy the best designer💪💪💪

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. Not even worth the 1 star.

Complete shocking, distressing experience I have had with this Rochdale branch. From the staff to the fitter they recommended me - Words can not explain the mess they have put me through.

I came to Howdens’ last year to purchase a kitchen and from that point until now they have put me through so much loss that words can’t even describe. To begin with the designer who they have Andy Gaskell is the one who has scammed me into my dream kitchen and gave me false promises and then recommended me a fitter who he knew who messed up my whole job damaged the kitchen I purchased from them, damaged my walls and ran from the job. Once they know the job has been messed he then proceeds to block me refuse to take any accountability and provide any customer service to resolve the issue. The fact that they are recommending such fitters is the biggest red flag and then fail to help out in any sort of way when the kitchen is messed up aswell as provide details of the fitters they have liased with start to finish.

They recommended this cowboy of a fitter who the management also seem to be defending for his shocking work carried out with my kitchen really shady of Howdens but refuse to provide his trading name. This designer praised so much, his ‘work’ and how good he is complete lie and scam. Avoid this fitter at all costs - Andrew James Ball. He completely messed up my brand new more than £10k worth of a kitchen. He messed up the installation of my brand new units every time the quartz company were coming they were pointing out how badly he had installed my units and they couldn’t install my quartz. The amount of times they had to come out just because he didn’t know how to do his job. He then scammed me into a Lamona extractor hood when all my appliances had already been agreed with the shady designer at Howdens. Howdens Rochdale are in on it with the fitters and refused to even provide an invoice for the kitchen purchased. I asked for proof of my payment and the designer only once I had made my payment told me it was on the fitters account. To this day I have no confirmation receipt I bought a kitchen from Howdens despite asking so many times even to the management. He installed everything wrongly broke my brand new under cabinet lights, put doors on wrong messed up all.

When it came to me raising my concerns with the management at Howdens - absolutely shocking. Don’t even understand how they are fit to be managers as the way I was spoken to by Charlotte was extremely shocking. She came to my property to see the issues which this cowboy builder had done and put me through the mess and she had the audacity to say yeah he won’t be coming back just get yourself a new fitter. The way they were defending him is disgusting when they saw how much of a mess he left me in and the massive cracks to my walls. I had to constantly raise issues to customer service as this store completely shocked me with their customer service they refused to take any accountability for damaged goods or getting a new fitter. It was only after numerous complaints that a regional manager came to see the mess and so many things were missing from the kitchen I paid for. I raised so many complaints and not once did they address. If you’re expecting any sort of customer service from this place - don’t. They will not help. They will scam you take your money and not even give you the good you paid for. The way the designer deigned my kitchen is completely messed. Nothing like what was agreed. I had mentioned so many times I didn’t want corner units the way they were before yet he still designed it the old way. Left no gaps for me to move my fridge and washing machine - I am the one struggling as They do not know how to design a kitchen. They only care for scamming people who have saved there money for a dram kitchen to be put through hell. It has took 3 months for my kitchen to be complete when I was told it would be done in 2-3 weeks. There is so much they have put me through all I can say is AVOID AVOID AVOID.

Absolutely thrilled with our new kitchen from Howdens, it’s STUNNING! We needed new doors and flooring too, and both turned out even better than we imagined. The quality is incredible and everything just flows beautifully together.

From start to finish, the experience was totally stress-free.

Faye, the manager was an absolute dream to work with. Also, the team here is brilliant. Knowledgeable, helpful, and genuinely cared about getting everything just right for us.

Couldn’t be happier with the result. Highly recommend! Thanks Rochdale Howdens.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Exceptional Service from Howdens Rochdale – Especially Manager Faye!

I can’t recommend Howdens Rochdale highly enough! From the moment I walked in, the team were welcoming, knowledgeable, and incredibly professional. But I have to give a special mention to Faye, the manager – what an absolute star!

Faye went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. Her attention to detail, genuine care for the customer, and efficiency were second to none. She made what could have been a stressful process feel effortless and enjoyable.

The quality of the products is fantastic and the level of service is outstanding – it’s clear that Faye leads her team with pride and passion. If you’re looking for a seamless kitchen experience with people who truly care, look no further than Howdens Rochdale.

Thank you, Faye and team – you’ve got a loyal customer for life!

I purchased a beautiful shaker-style kitchen from Howdens in Rochdale in 2024, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the entire experience from start to finish. The quality of the products is outstanding – everything feels solid, durable, and stylish. The finish on the units is immaculate, and it’s clear that Howdens prioritises both design and craftsmanship.

A special mention must go to Faye, the branch manager, who was absolutely brilliant throughout the whole process. She was polite, professional, incredibly helpful, and always happy to go the extra mile to ensure everything was perfect. Faye’s product knowledge and attention to detail gave me complete confidence in my choices, and she made what could have been a stressful process smooth and enjoyable.

If you’re looking for a high-quality kitchen backed by excellent customer service, I highly recommend visiting Howdens in Rochdale. Thank you again to Faye and the team – my kitchen is now the heart of my home!