A woman from Overton has complained of the lack of communication and finish of a kitchen she had installed by a major home improvement retailer.

Sheila Boreham, 86, is retired and has lived at Turnpike Cottages in Overton for the past 23 years. 

In 2022, she and her husband decided to have a new kitchen fitted and they went to Wickes for advice. Wickes provided Sheila and her husband with an advisor and after picking a style, they visited Sheila at home to measure up.

The work on the kitchen, which was meant to last three weeks, started on August 15 2022, and over a year on Sheila is still struggling to contact Wickes to get the company to come back and sort out a number of outstanding issues from the kitchen fit.

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The panelling beneath the bridging units does not finish flush with the walls, a rough finish to the plastering and paint, a cracked window frame and lino flooring that within a year is beginning to pucker and lift are a number of outstanding issues that have not been sorted.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Sheila added the initial flooring had been tiles which she and her husband had hoped to have again, but Wickes had installation problems, resulting in Sheila paying twice for the flooring - once for renewed tiles, and again for the lino flooring.

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Sheila said: "It's a shame there's no pride or workmanship in the finish, and I'm disappointed that the installer hasn't returned to complete the work. There's poor communication throughout Wickes, from customer service to the installer and to the customer.

"We had hoped for better communication, guidance and advice throughout the building process, and if that had been the case the whole process would be better managed."

A spokesperson for Wickes said: "We are sorry to hear about Ms Boreham’s experience as we always aim to deliver a high standard of customer service. Our customer relations team have been in contact with Ms Boreham and will ensure that the kitchen installation is completed quickly and with the best possible care."