Kinsman Kitchens

Trust me - use another company. Your "design consultation" is more of a pre-school hand drawing on grid paper, with the expectation of a huge deposit, or you won't qualify for their advertised discounts. Go to a company that divulges their role up front. One that actually manages the process of your kitchen build, not just farms it off to totally independent contractors, who you, in the end have to manage yourself. This company, so they will tell you once the deposit is paid, is a cabinet maker, so their role after they're made and delivered is complete.
If you desire contact by phone, then forget it. Instead you send a message online today, and you'll get a reply tomorrow, usually fobbing you off. The quality of the cabinetry is also extremely questionable, but do they care - NO

My name is Francis Tapim and i will never get to know what a Kinsman Kitchen is like because i couldn't get past the first base with this company... due to the rude arrogant people I encountered over the phone in Brisbane this week.

It all started with a call from a lovely lady by the name of [name removed] who contacted me after I expressed interest in getting a quote at my home.

She was beautiful professional helpful and had me ready for a home appointment but that's where it ended.

That's as far as i got folks.

She handed me over to her supervisors who destroyed everything in less than 8 minutes. I won't bother to try and explain the full story suffice to say they bungled my appointments didn't apologize for not turning up and then lied and twisted the whole story to make it seem that it was my fault.

I am so annoyed especially after spending hours upon hours at their showroom at Mount Gravatt Brisbane last Thursday night where staff were polite and professional and had me ready to possibly buy a Kinsman Kitchen until it all got ruined by bad manners from phone area supervisors.

The point that needs to be made here is how would i have been treated after spending 40 thousand dollars on one of their kitchens and something went wrong and i needed to call them use my warranty.
If they treat you like crap over something small imagine how you would be treated if you complained about anything like damage or poor workmanship etc.

My gut feeling is the service will end after you part with your money.

It's all about Customer service these days and it looks like im going to have to call Ikea... Freedom or Kitchen Connection now..

Francis Tapim - News and Current Affairs Journalist Brisbane for 33 years. Google me.

We chose kinsman for our kitchen because we wanted a quality kitchen and assumed that we would receive amazing customer service from Kinsman because they are such a large company. The quote process was smooth, the guy we had was really friendly and good to deal with, as was the installer when he came around to check the measurements, we also can’t fault the CAD team either. Unfortunately the whole process has left us so stressed, there is no paper trail for costs, absolutely zero transparency. We have repeatedly asked for a breakdown of prices and were told we would get an itimised list upon signing the contract (haha) which of course we did not. We have no idea what the lump sums we are paying are actually for which is frustrating. So much of the process you need to organize yourself it makes you wonder what you’re paying kinsman for at all. Furthermore, we received discounts ($2,000) when we signed up for a quote at the good guys and I am pretty sure these weren’t applied to our kitchen but I can’t be sure because they won’t give us any kind of price breakdown! We have our delivery and install in 3 weeks so hopefully that goes smoothly but won’t be surprised if it doesn’t. You pretty much don’t hear back from them unless you chase them multiple times. Definitely would not recommend, in future I will go with a smaller renovations company/builder.

I am absolutely delighted with my new kitchen from Kinsman. The whole process from start to finish was easy. I explained to the salesman/designer that I needed the kitchen installed and finished before Christmas the team from Kinsman did everything to make sure this was done. I was also impressed with there communication tools, whenever something was going to be done, I would receive a phone message and email asking me to go to my web account and either agree or arrange another time. Communication was second to none.
Thank you Kinsman.

Limited options, no customisation, and expensive. I believe the supposed discount to commit at the first appointment is a sham. Would strongly recommend not committing at first visit, take your time and review. Lots of pressure, even with the install, despite the fact that the Kinsman contract is a supply only contract? Had to arrange a second provider to complete our kitchen when Kinsman couldn't actually provide what we were originally told they could. Very slow to respond to queries, held deposit all the while. Would not recommend. Stupid design eg. sink in corner cupboard with bowl of sink eliminating access to half the cupboard.
Just one reason not the sign first up. Review, review, despite the pressure, a kitchen is for years, better to make sure it will work best for you.
Stone was more expensive also through Kinsman, and limited choice.

I'm happy with the kitchen itself however the service on the other hand is awful. If things go wrong you're in trouble as their customer service is horrible. I've got two friends who wanted to see how mine turned out before ordering through Kinsman and I'll no longer be recommending them after speaking highly of them in the past due to the following:

1. None of the hundreds of screws are labeled to reflect the letters in the instructions which resulted in me damaging my drawer face and cost an additional $155 to replace. None of the replacement screws came with any labels and I had to practice on the damaged drawer to make sure the new one isn't ruined. Labelling the different screws is quite standard except for Kinsman.

2. I ordered a $268 bin to sit inside my cabinets which doesn't fit with the sink pipes, their so-called designers don't warn you about this or check measurements. I've given up on trying to get it replaced for the smaller sized bin as they charge for refunds/replacements which is unusual and never get back to you about a solution. You're better off buying an identical $60 bin from eBay where you'll be guaranteed better service if the item isn't suitable.

3. The cutlery tray I ordered was never dispatched even though I reminded them of it being in my contract prior to the kitchen being delivered and was assured it'll come. I contacted them again after the kitchen arrived without it and it was supposed to be dispatched again, fast forward almost 3 weeks later and no bin. I've basically given up on ever seeing this...

3. I was given the incorrect information about the finance options available for the stone bench top. They kindly offered me $100 to cover the additional costs associated with extending the finance however this doesn't cover it due to stone effects requiring multiple payments that now have to go on separate plans all creating a headache.

4. The quality of the cabinets isn't great, bits of the drawer face came off when drilling holes for the handles. My handles just cover the chipped paint.

5. I asked if they could match Ikea's 50 months interest free offer on finance and they said the max they offer is 36, a month after I sign the contract they offer 50 months which is infuriating as the extra time makes the repayments a little less stressful.

If you want to go through Kinsman, go ahead but pray that nothing goes wrong with your order that will turn what should be an exciting experience into a sour one.

I have now on 2 separate occasions booked an AM quote, and twice they have cancelled on the morning of the quote, 2 half days off work for nothing, there wont be a third!,

Sadly I didn’t even get to the stage where they actually came out to quote on my kitchen. After 3 confirmations via phone confirming booking they rang the day before to see if I could move my appointment time as the designer was not able to make the agreed and confirmed time as per booking 3 weeks prior due to the distance he would have to travel to come to Wollongong. Sorry Kinsman not good enough! You sound like a very unorganised, unprofessional company to me.

After looking around we chose our Kinsman kitchen based on quality and price. We have not been disappointed. The whole process from design/quotation to supply and installation went smoothly, the Kinsman process is very efficient. Our new kitchen is great, it's just what we wanted.

You have to be concerned when they don’t give you any pricing till the end but before they give you the price they want to know what you are prepared to pay. No written quote just a hand written A4 piece of paper and wouldn’t email anything to us. All their brochures show only wardrobes from The Block which is lovely if you’re in a $3 million house so the cost of $15k per wardrobe would be relative. Do your research, it’s a very blind experience with no pricing and then wanting you to sign on the day.... not to mention expensive. People could get very sucked into them playing on people’s emotions of not wanting to miss out on a “deal” - which it is not.
Please shop around!

To be clear, this is my experience with Kinsman wardrobes. I regret engaging Kinsman but their payment commitment process and sunk time on their solution has walked me down a path of no return. This has cost me an enormous loss of time at work (necessary to co-ordinate a business that seems to have no capacity to do so itself) and further costs resulting from delays to my renovation product. I wish there was a Zero Star option for this review.

In summary, through the course of my engagement with Kinsman, I have experienced the following:

- Pressure tactics to sign up for the product (in spite of openly acknowledging final design and costs were to be agreed)
- Numerous misrepresentations and over-assurances about the product’s ability to be customised
- A quite remarkable lack of knowledge of their own product, how it is configured, installed and finished (e.g. we had to point out what manufacturer provides their finishes and highlight a critical installation issue that would otherwise left us with unfixable product)
- Inflexible process that does not cater for the realities of some jobs not being able to follow their process sequence (e.g. will not send out check-measure before finalisation of plans… but we had a wall they had to assess if they could fix to, which they couldn’t and this can only be confirmed by a check-measure guy…. after plans are locked down!). NOBODY could be reasoned with or take responsibility for this problem so we just had to cancel that particular part of the wardrobe. The business had long since lost our trust for fair-play by this stage so we now need a cabinetmaker for that part.
- Frightening version error in plans and other communication gaps between sales, online process of plan amendments and the instructions to both check measure and installation services.
- The need to double-check and correct invoicing which detailed products/charges that would’ve led to excessive costs in the thousands of dollars

The frustration with the above issues is amplified by….

- Complete absence of responsibility in resolving these matters whilst maintaining pressure to collect progress payments (they have no problem with finding personnel to communicate on that)
- When critical problems were escalated to management nobody responded. When I finally did get someone, their care factor was minimal and instead of resolving then and there, requested I can complain further by email. Email complaints go into a virtual abyss. More wasted time.

I am still in the final phase of getting my wardrobes delivered and installed. Without the phenomenal time spent ensuring this business delivers what we asked for and point out critical design and cost revisions, we would have either had no product or something that was not fit-for-purpose.

This has been exhausting and has required numerous days off work to TRY to talk to someone directly who will take accountability and push the project along. I am writing this review prior to installation because it remains impossible to discuss a revision to the final payment with Kinsman directly so that it is fair and accurate. Their process is such that they must receive THEIR interpretation of payment or my product won’t be delivered and my installation date (which I fought tooth and nail for) will slip for a 2nd time. I won’t even start about the absence of quote for installation.

I am hoping someone from Kinsman will read this review promptly. Please, please, please Kinsman, can you sort your act out and get someone who has the authority and moral decency to discuss our payment situation on the phone as soon as possible so that we can get this thing finished in an agreeable way?

I’ve never experienced anything like this. If you are going to charge a sizable premium for your product, you need to provide superior product and/or service. I am yet to experience either.

So pleased with the result and very happy with the installers especially Derek.
The transformation has surpassed all expectations. Thank you to everyone concerned.
Anne

Kinsman planner offered very good suggestions for our new kitchen, most of which we accepted are are very pleased with.
Suggestions such as black cupboards, great soft closing drawers and very practical cupboards for pantry, kitchen utensils and especially the appliances.
The Kinsman installation team were excellent led by Colin, would highly recommend them.

I found everyone involved in the planning and installation to be very pleasant, helpful and professional. The kitchen itself is of a high quality and I love the look of the matt charcoal doors that I chose.

Was really interested in your express Hampton range. Was unable to get a quote because apparently we need to have building approval plans that have been put through council. Apparently cabinet makers plans aren’t sufficient . It left us scratching our heads. Such a shame we weren’t able to get a staff member with any knowledge. Really disappointing!

The installation was done professionally and within our time frame. Our new kitchen is a big step up from our old kitchen and we are enjoying our cooking and food so much more.

I am so happy with our Kinsman Kitchen. From the moment I saw the display in The Good Guys it was a fast process to our new kitchen. The consultant came to my home at night which is fantastic as I work during the day. They had an online portal which allowed me to send messages, upload documents and approve drawings. I couldn’t recommend them more and love our new kitchen.

I was very impressed with the professional staff at Kinsmen kitchens and the quality of the product. I was always kept up to date on the process. Every part of the job was completed on schedule by professional tradesmen. I would recommend Kinsmen Kitchens.

As a sales person myself I am disappointed to see Kinsman using old and tired high pressure tactics. During my visit this morning I was told I needed to sign up today for the 20% discount and that Kinsman does not provide written quotes?! I’ve built many houses in my life and refuse to deal with a company who uses these tactics and won’t provide a written quote. No Kinsman kitchen for me.

Recently purchased our new kitchen from Kinsman kitchens and couldn’t be happier with the service and quality.
The whole process from design to installation was
hassle free.
It was easy to follow the progress of our kitchen via the on line dedicated portal were we could ask questions regarding our kitchen which were always answered promptly.
We are now looking at updating our walk in walldrobe and will be calling Kinsman.
Thanks Kinsman