Do not make a kitchen purchase on your first visit to a supplier, as the majority of the time, this impulse buy is a mistake you will regret later on.

When you are ready to make your purchase have you double check the quotation? This is your final chance. (Get your installer to check it also if you have hired one privately). Please look at our services for plan checking under Problems Resolved.

Expect a lot of pressure to be put on you to make a quick decision, a good salesperson will always talk about offers that are about to end, delays on stock, fitting dates not available and a hundred other reasons why you must make a fast decision. These are known as "fear closes" because they are designed to make you worry about something that may happen if you do not say yes.

There is also terminology in the industry called wooden dollars, these are in fact pieces of money which the company never expects to get off of a customer. They work because they make a customer feel that they are getting a good deal. It could be 50 per cent off, free appliances, free installation, interest free finance etc etc, If one offer goes another will come along but the price that you the customer pays will not change significantly. If for example, a customer is quoted £5000 and the next day it is £6000, the company that quoted you will be making exactly the same profit if they sold it at £5000, and I do not know a single retailer who would turn that quotation away.

Now wooden dollars are explained, the managers and staff of most large stores and those of independents are always juggling the need for sales against the need for profit. Lots of people never ask for money off and others say yes immediately when a small discount is offered. The staff will not get offended by you asking for a discount, it’s what they deal with every day. If you have your two quotes and you like the more expensive show the person the other quote, most companies will price match. Whatever happens when you have your final price go to the next £500 lower and say that is what you are prepared to pay and if you receive it you will happily give a deposit. So if the kitchen is £5500 offer £5000 for example.The price you get then will usually be the best price.

From the first price you are quoted you should aim to get a minimum of another 10 per cent off. Never be rude always be polite but do not give in and you will save more than you thought possible. The company will make up their margin from other customers.

Once, and only when the price is agreed check if they have charged for delivery. Tell them you know someone with a lorry who can collect from the store much more cheaply than they have quoted. There are some principles on delivery costs that trading standards are not happy with so most charges are there to see if they can get away with them. Most stores will not want the hassle of taking a kitchen cabinet delivery and having you collect it so you will usually find that the delivery charge suddenly falls substantially or is taken out of your quote altogether.

Finally warranties on appliances are charged because they are very profitable for the kitchen suppliers. Some stores will discount an item of stock to make the warranty more attractive to purchase. This is not strictly allowed under FSA rules so a money saving tip is to accept this discount, and then phone up within seven days to cancel the warranty which is within your rights to do. This ensures you have kept the furniture discount.

Warranties do make sense on cheaper appliances that are used frequently but you will have to make up your own mind as to whether they are worth it to you.

Now you have saved as much money off the kitchen furniture as possible, pay your deposit but go carefully through any paperwork the company asks you to sign. If you are not happy with any of the clauses scribble them out and get the salesperson to sign them. If you do not they may come back to haunt you. A typically unfair clause may be to check for damage within three days of delivery but also not to book a fitter for a week after delivery. How can you be expected to open hundreds of boxes of kitchen furniture and check the contents before your fitter has arrived. What you could do is to say you will check the boxes for damages but not the contents until the fitter has arrived.

Using the above guidelines you should have saved at least £300 at this stage. Let us know how discount you negotiated. Or what tips worked for you Click on the link below.

Money Saving Tip

Now you can relax until the kitchen furniture is delivered.

When the kitchen delivery arrives it would be a good idea to keep it in a safe, dry, secure space and check for missing or damaged items immediately. Keep all of the terms and conditions from the suppliers to hand. They may not have delivered all of the items, and be quoting you some time for redelivery. If they have told you not to book a fitter for a week after delivery, and they now cannot deliver certain parts within a week, they may be in breach of contract.

If parts are missing or a delivery has caused damage to your property log every call and put things in writing. Start a diary recording what happened on what date and time and the names of those people involved. Take pictures if you can.

If you are out of pocket because of problems, keep receipts, as reasonable out of pocket expenses are recoverable.