A PREGNANT mum who sued Ikea over a “nightmare” kitchen fitout claims she still owes more than £4,000 despite a judge ruling in her favour.
Jessica Holmes (31) was allegedly fitted with a kitchen by a Swedish company two years ago, but was horrified by the “terrible” performance.
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Jessica Holmes, 31, sued Ikea over ‘nightmare’ kitchen fittings Credit: Jessica Holmes
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Assistant left horrified by ‘horrible’ production Credit: Jessica Holmes
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The pictures show a cutout of the boiler which she says ‘looks like a child made it’ Credit: Jessica Holmes
She ended up taking legal action on February 5 and was delighted to be told that Ikea would have to pay her £4,192 within 14 days, as well as her £205 court fees.
But more than a month later, the teaching assistant says she still hasn’t received a penny and is “fed up”.
Mum-of-four Jessica, from Castleford, West Yorkshire, told The Sun: “It was an absolute nightmare.
“You wouldn’t think a big company like Ikea would do this. I’m currently on maternity leave.
“I spent the whole pregnancy calling Ikea and trying to sort it out.
Have you had a bad experience with an Ikea kitchen? Email: [email protected]
“I was literally on a drip in the hospital and I called Ikea.
“Financially speaking, it was difficult to fight this in court to try to get my money.
“We were looking forward to getting a new kitchen, but the whole experience was terrible.
“I’ve never experienced such bad communication. They were so rude.”
Jessica claims the kitchen is usable, but all the worktops are cracked, the cabinet doors are loose and there’s a cut-out for the boiler that “looks like a child made it”.
I used a super clever Ikea trick to turn my council house into a home and it’s only £1.75 and people say it looks ‘gorgeous’
She says she spoke to Ikea and they said their legal team would get back to you, but she hasn’t received any further correspondence.
Jessica continued: “The judge was shocked. He said he couldn’t believe the state of the kitchen.
“Ikea didn’t even have the decency to show up in court. Now we’ve sent bailiffs to collect the debt.”
An Ikea spokesman said: “Ikea was not informed of the court hearing, which took place in our absence, and accordingly a judgment was passed against us without our knowledge.
“Having received a copy of the judgment, we are now in the process of ensuring that the customer is fully compensated and resolving the issue to their satisfaction.”
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Jessica claims the kitchen is usable, but all the worktops are cracked Credit: Jessica Holmes
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She ended up taking legal action on February 5 Credit: Jessica Holmes
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Jessica was overjoyed when she was told Ikea would have to pay her £4,192 within 14 days, but she still hasn’t received a penny Credit: Jessica Holmes
What are my rights?
Under the Consumer Rights Act, anyone who enters into a contract for goods and services can expect them to be supplied with reasonable care and skill – and this includes builders, plumbers, decorators and electricians.
It also includes materials that should be of satisfactory quality, as described and fit for purpose.
If you have fallen victim to a cowboy builder or had a dispute with your contractors, you should first gather all the evidence you have, including paperwork, photos, videos, messages and bank statements.
Then try to resolve issues directly with the company, before trying an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, such as mediation or ombudsman services.
If this doesn’t work, contact your bank to find out if you can recover any money spent using section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (if the deal cost between £100 and £30,000, your card company is jointly and severally liable if something goes wrong).
If that doesn’t work, report them to the police on 101.
Although the lines between what is criminal and just bad practice are blurred, a contractor could be convicted of fraud.
It is also important to contact Trading Standards. Citizens Advice has an online form to help you with this.
TS will then decide whether to investigate further based on the information you provide and help negotiate a settlement.
Even if it doesn’t happen, the details can help if someone else complains about the same company.
It is also possible to take the builders to small claims court if you are left out of pocket. However, you run the risk of accumulating significant costs.
Although most home insurance policies do not cover building work, it’s worth checking with your provider.
You should also, if possible, find out if your builder has liability insurance, which would also help.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education