John Lewis of Hungerford - not John Lewis Reviews 178

Steer clear! John Lewis of Hungerford is an absolute shambles of a company. Having fully paid for our kitchen upfront in October with an installation date in early December, our kitchen is still not finished and it’s now March!

Issues:

1. TERRIBLE customer service:
- our kitchen designer left suddenly before installation, without notice and without explanation from the company
- no one takes overall responsibility of the project to ensure smooth installation. We were passed from pillar to post around the company
- Staff at head office never answer the phone or return calls
- Complaints handled with arrogant attitude
- no site visit from the lead designer or company representative to inspect the installation and ensure quality standards met

2. Lack of quality control
- kitchen panels arrived damaged and had to be replaced and resprayed which took weeks to resolve
- missing cabinet handles that also took weeks to arrive
- missing LED strips and fascias also took weeks to arrive after the main kitchen was installed

The kitchen fitter has been to my home at least 4 times now, over a period of nearly 3 months and the kitchen is still not finished! We were told the kitchen would be fully installed and complete within 7 days.

It has caused so much stress and disruption to my family and has also caused delays with my builders.

No offer of any apology or compensation from the company whatsoever, just arrogance.

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID!

My experience with this company (John Lewis of Hungerford) has been profoundly disappointing and mirrors the pattern seen in many of its long-standing 1-star reviews.

The kitchen was installed on 17 November, yet critical components and part of the kitchen were missing. The replacement delivery (“Part 2”) is only due on 27 January, almost 10 weeks later, and the fitter is not scheduled to return until 8 February. This means the kitchen will have remained incomplete for over 10 weeks after installation.

Throughout this process, I have been constantly chase the company for updates, refunds, and documentation. Despite repeated requests, no refund has been processed after more than 8 weeks, and full payment receipts have still not been provided.

For a company positioning itself at a premium price point, the level of organisation, accountability, and professionalism is shockingly inadequate.

At this level of cost, customers reasonably expect precision, efficiency, and high standards. Instead, I encountered poor communication, ineffective management, and a persistent lack of follow-through.

I selected this company largely because I required a traditional Shaker-style kitchen to suit the period character of my flat. Otherwise, I would have continued with German-made kitchen brands, which consistently deliver far superior quality and service.

Based on my experience, I would strongly advise prospective customers to explore alternative providers before committing.

I’m shocked with my experience. To start with the positive, kitchen design process was great. Unfortunately it’s all been a disaster since finalising the designs and paying. They have taken over 100 days since they began fitting my kitchen to get it nearly completed (it’s still not complete). We have had ill fitting counters 3 times, incomplete draws/cupboards and general shoddiness. No one takes any accountability for what is a completely unacceptable level of service, failing to communicate very basic things with me and not responding to my correspondence without repeat emails. I have suggested repeatedly that I should be compensated for the appalling service to which I never get a response. For the price point I think it is shameful.

After nearly giving up on finding kitchens within a reasonable budget, I found John Lewis of Hungerford by pure chance on instagram via the lovely Jess Harrell. Her kitchen was exactly my taste. and had the wow factor. The kind of space I had obsessed over for over a year but couldn't find and therefore assumed I couldn't afford. I reached out on a whim to Jess and she highly recommended Rebecca at John Lewis Of Hungerford on Wandsworth Bridge Road in Fulham. Speaking to Rebecca changed everything. While we went over budget it was still much more reasonable than other high end kitchen firms in Fulham, and this didn't compromise the service and attention to detail. Rebecca was so very helpful with the design and layout. The whole daunting project felt achievable rather than daunting! I was obsessed with a Mediterranean kitchen that still had a contemporary urban feel and she nailed it. The pricing was transparent the whole way through and we amended as we went along. The kitchen has always been an important place for me as grew up in our family kitchen where so many great memories were made so it was very special to me. A few years on people still comment on my kitchen space when they first see it. So feeling terrible it's taken me this long to write this review! Thank you Rebecca if you read this!

Massive shoutout to Tyrone at John Lewis of Hungerford - he's been an absolute star. His project management has been nothing short of amazing. He’s calm, on top of every little detail, and has a really reassuring way of keeping everything running smoothly.

Working with Sarah on the design has been just as brilliant - they really make a great team. The whole experience has felt exciting rather than overwhelming, and that’s all down to how supportive and professional they both are.

Honestly can’t reccomend John Lewis of Hungerford highly enough - creative, organised, and such lovely people to work with.

I am so pleased with my kitchen .. the whole process from design to me now happily cooking was really enjoyable . Sarah my designer really listened and designed something so in tune with the house , the room & how I wanted to live. Tom then took this through to production and delivery.. all seamless .. everything was perfect and the solid oak cabinets are beautifully made .. just about to start a new project for a holiday let and going straight back to Sarah & Tom.

We have had nothing but trouble with this company. They don’t turn up for meetings despite you taking days off work, they mis-ordered the cupboards, they don’t respond to emails, they don’t respond to over 40 complaints, they have no customers service department and it’s clear the company is in trouble. I wouldn’t put a deposit down as too risky. Spend your money safely with a reputable company elsewhere.

I recently had an experience with John Lewis of Hungerford and overall, it was good. While it’s clear from some confusion online that they are different from JLP, my experience was specific to their expertise in bespoke kitchens and furniture. The service was friendly and professional, and they managed the process with care. However, a small hiccup in communication about timings knocked one star off. Still, I’m happy with the quality of their work and would recommend them if you’re looking for custom furniture solutions. A solid 4 stars!

All the reviews I’ve seen are about JLP NOT John Lewis of Hungerford who provide bespoke kitchens and other built in furniture Doesn’t anyone check?

I went into John Lewis Cardiff this afternoon and spoke to Phil in Tech support. They were brilliant in finding a replacement chromebook for my daughter who has Autism . Last night, she cracked the screen on hers.

Phil went out of their way to find a replacement that was the most similar to the old laptop. They were very understanding and their tech knowledge was brilliant.

We ordered a washing machine arranged a date . Had a phonecall giving us a time slot day before arrival Then on day received another phonecall say would arrive at certain time . Two guys arrived uninstalled washing machine connected new removed old washing machine plus all packing leaving place tidy . Guys very polite and efficient.

Thank you for sorting out my concerns

This is a review of John Lewis of Hungerford, not John Lewis department store.

I thought about whether it was fair to leave a negative review as the people at JLofH themselves seem very nice. But our experience has been far from good and so I think it’s best to warn future potential customers over what to look out for.

We purchased our kitchen at the start of a renovation project. At the time we said we couldn’t be sure there wouldnt be delays if we found difficult things and we were assured JLofH would look after us and not to worry. So we signed. Unfortunately, we were hit with massive delays due to some structural issues with the house as well as planning permission. At the start this was OK but as time went on we were pressured, often aggressively, to take delivery of the kitchen even though we had nowhere to store it and we had been told it wouldn’t be a problem. Eventually, after some difficult discussions we came to an agreement that JLofH would store it and we would pay a storage fee if we extended by a certain date. We were happy with this. We agreed to check in every few months. A couple months later we were greeted out of the blue with an email saying out kitchen was to be delivered next week and the storage was over. After managing everything we were back to an aggressive tone by one individual. When I complained about the individual in question I was made to feel like I was a horrible person because the individual had (physical) health issues and how could I be so uncaring. How was I to know and is being ill an excuse for single handedly trashing a perfectly amicable agreement that was made?

The kitchen was installed in January 2024 and the fitter was very good and accommodating and definitely had a high level of craftsmanship. That said, one issue was a lot of the debris and dirt was simply swept under the units as we saw when we removed the plinths and I had to spend a weekend on my hands and knees hovering and scrubbing to get the dirt cleaned up. We were left with a 90% finished kitchen apart from worktops. Worktops were installed by a separate company who were not very friendly and had issues with the way the kitchen had been left and asked why this that and the other wasn’t there - to which I replied I had zero idea as I am not a kitchen installer. It wasn’t a pleasant experience dealing with those people but the worktops were delivered and fit OK.

It’s now June 2024 and despite repeated requests to get our kitchen finished no-one is taking it seriously. Despite giving them a list of parts needed etc the fitter arrived to finish off and couldn’t because parts weren’t there. Trying to get them to do this again is almost impossible. The fitter seems over worked and clearly is under pressure to be in a thousand places at once.

My guess is that JLofH have no customer champion. All customer interactions are handled by the sales team. Having run companies in the past I know sales teams are primarily driven by … sales. This is why many companies have dedicated customer success teams to ensure existing customers get what they need. This is completely absent in JLofH. We had (stupidly looking back) thought that the additional premium you pay to get a JLofH kitchen would be worth it for exemplary customer service. Unfortunately, we have had the opposite experience, been treated poorly and still have no idea when our kitchen will actually be completed.

Just shocking service and product quality from what used to be perceived as an 'upmarket' retailer. I can't be bothered to go into detail. Suffice to say, I will not be shopping with them again.

We had a problem with incorrect, bespoke painted units being delivered. Getting the issue sorted was ridiculously difficult and had a serious knock-on impact to the timing of other work being done. The designer and showroom manager at the Muswell Hill branch did her best to support us but the Regional Installation Manager was no help at all when we escalated our issue. The only upside is that at least we found out how poor the customer service is on a small project. We won't be returning to them with our kitchen renovation.

The quality of the kitchen is very good and the kitchen does look nice. The initial work was well coordinated and carried out professionally, but pieces of the kitchen were missing and took months to materialise and was extremely difficult to get JLH fitters to do the job. We were told the kitchen would be installed in 5 weeks. It's 3 MONTHS later and it's still not finished. Once the money was paid in full, the company lost any incentive to do its job. Totally sick of it, I would not recommend this company ESPECIALLY for the astronomical amount it costs to have their kitchen made and fitted. You definitely don't get what you pay for. I would not use them again. It's been (and is continuing to be) a stressful and time consuming experience.

Installation process was long and painful. After an initial estimate of 1 week to complete the feeling, and >2 weeks on site we were left with multiple outstanding items and snags. We went weeks without any communication or booking of fitters, nothing would happen unless we chased and sent detailed instructions, and even then fitter would arrive with the wrong equipment. Our installation started at the beginning of May, and we still don’t have a final completion date. Given the premium service advertised and charged for it is very surprising and disappointing to receive such poor services.

While the kitchen itself is beautiful and the installer was top knotch, the entire experience was ruined by a designer who paid no attention to detail, constantly changed prices on us (even after we paid the deposit), didn't warn us that our ovens weren't arriving, then left us with numerous snagging issues (drawers which wouldn't close after countertops were installed, missing handles) for weeks on end. Issues remain unresolved.

Started the process Feb 8. Still no kitchen. Missed appointments, Planner very good. Took deposit appliances not ordered for 3 weeks hence JL could not supply all. Kitchen Unit order has gone missing. JL processes are silo and completely hopeless the support/customer service staff employed are unqualified, untrained and pay no attention to detail. You expect JL to take the worry from you they don’t, they do not have enough qualified fitters and communication is confusing and frustrating. Simply DO NOT USE JOHN LEWIS FOR KITCHENS they should not be in the kitchen supply/install game. Other products also suffering from the same/similar issues the partners and investors need to start screaming at the management because it is either being protected from the truth or they are incompetent bureaucrats.

I cannot honestly recommend this company for a number of reasons.
-we were told that installation of the fitted wardrobes would take 1 week. It took 3 months.
-there were design faults despite a long lead in period before installation.
-the installers damaged the ceiling and walls and spilt paint on the carpet which they tried to remove with one of our bathroom towels.
-although the company accepted full responsibility for rectifying the design issues, damage to ceiling and walls and replacement of carpet, this caused unacceptable delay to getting the job finished.
-I wrote twice to the CEO and Chairman but received no reply or acknowledgement.
-since the completion of the works there has been no contact from the company to enquire whether everything was now completed to our satisfaction nor have we received any apologies for the inconvenience caused.