The Kitchen Fiasco

It was meant to be in around seven weeks ago now but no such luck for us. With the kitchen dramas have come delays. The house slowed to a stand still for weeks.

What’s with the dramas you say? Well...

1. We hated the kitchen that came ‘standard’ with the house so we opted to get our own.

2. We went with a recommendation and selected 'our' kitchen, which was a time consuming decision.

3. The guy who was handling our kitchen request was a…well…let’s just say - IDIOT.

4. We requested funds to pay for the kitchen after we received the tax invoice.

5. The kitchen couldn’t be ordered until payment was received.

6. Four weeks later, after a million requests, the bank finally decided to advise us they won’t release the funds until the final drawdown of the building contract. Meanwhile, said kitchen was supposed to be installed already.

7. Ummm problem – how does one find large sum of money to pay for kitchen – the tree in the back yard…NOT!

8. Delays occurring due to lack of kitchen.

9. The builder, being the nice guy he is, offers to pay for the kitchen and take funds at the end of the contract BUT only after he received his ‘lock up’ instalment.

10. Bank stuffs around with lock up instalment – nearly two weeks after receiving the tax invoice they pay the bill.

11. Builder releases funds for kitchen.

12. We pay for kitchen.

13. Idiot guy says it will be another two weeks until we get the kitchen after he said “I’ve got the ball rolling…it will only be a week max” (and that was before we paid for the kitchen).

14. Before delivery, idiot guy rings back and tells me we can’t have the granite colour we ordered because there isn’t enough available at short notice – WTF..short notice?!!! He has known about the kitchen for months.

15. Thursday 3 April, Kitchen is finally delivered but there is no sink or the extra cupboards and granite we ordered. Plus, a piece of the kitchen granite was chipped and had to go back. Idiot guy reckons we didn't pay for sink because there is no charge next to it on the invoice - WTF again. This guy is a dead set drongo. I demand a sink. He says he will get us one for free (fastly losing patience).

16. Friday, a week later, still no piece of granite or the sink (kitchen going in on Saturday; granite guy on Sunday - he needs sink and granite).

17. Told it would be delivered on Friday. No such luck. Delivered mid morning on Saturday four hours after the kitchen was started.

18. Still no sink so I had to run out and get one or there was no use paying the guy to cut the granite. Plus the plumbing was scheduled to start next week. We demaned refund from Idiot and received $150.00 refund which wasn't quite enough to pay for the sink which cost $230.00.

19. Kitchen installed by a good friend (thank gosh!).

20. However, on construction of kitchen it was established that more bits and pieces were missing – finishing panel and handles not to mention a cupboard door was damaged. Plus - yes it gets worse - it was determined that there wasn't room for a double oven and microwave as there was supposed to be. Idiot was about to cop a flogging until we decided to just go the normal oven and microwave which would fit perfectly - the only thing saving him was that we had yet to purchase the applicances.

21. Granite cutter finished his job today...paid him a motser to do it. Can't complain though - he was nice to do it on a Sunday morning.

22. Kitchen 95% complete aside from missing handles, finishing panel and one cupboard door. I'm lead to believe we should have these shortly – I’m so not holding my breath on the shortly bit!

Was it worth it? Judge for yourself…I’m still deciding.






OK, OK it looks great...it's lovely...beautiful. I suppose it was worth it!

P.S...I had the painful experience (which should have been pleasureable) of purchasing my applicances yesterday - It took over two hours to figure out thanks to idiot guy and the double oven saga. On a positive note, we will finally have a dishwasher; a double draw dishwasher. Woohoo!!! That's enough to make it all worth while.