The Issue
Consumer calls the retailer to report splitting in their doors as shown in our picture below. The kitchen has been installed for 3 years and it’s a distressing sight for the consumer. The customer expressed concern this shouldn’t happen to the doors after just three years.
The customer’s first point of call is to call the kitchen company that supplied the kitchen and discuss the issue.
The cause
On inspection, there are various other doors in the kitchen on the base only which are damaged. This particular door is positioned directly below the oven. When the oven door is opened condensation and debris falls on the door below, a combination of direct heat and a constant source of fluid has penetrated the back of the door causing the MDF inside to blow, this has then caused the door to split.
Various other doors have split along the base again this has been a source of moisture getting into the back of the door from fluid lying on the bottom of the door. The MDF expands and splits the paint finish or lacquer at the bottom of the door.
Who's at fault
It’s not the retailer’s fault or the manufacturers. From a manufacturer’s point of view, the doors are made fit for purpose. They are provided with cleaning and care documentation. A level of care is required from the end user to look after the doors.
From a retailer’s point of view, the same applies, there’s a level of care required in looking after your kitchen for it to last. Constant moisture will gradually affect the performance of the doors.
On inspection, the retailer finds doors are out of alignment and have been damaged where doors have been rubbing against other components.
What happens next
In a nutshell, the customer will be told they are at fault here due to neglect. The fault isn’t a manufacturing fault or a retailer fault. The customer will be required to either purchase new doors or keep the doors as they are. Of course, in this situation, the customer will feel they purchased a product which is of poor quality and will have a disgruntlement with the retailer.
If the customer has home insurance they could make a claim, there will be excess to pay and if the insurance company agree to take a look, they won’t agree to replace them if they are next to a heat source or water source as this isn’t accidental damage.
Solution
If the customer was sold a kbbProtect plan with their purchase the kitchen doors would have been covered. Our process would require photographs and a description of the issue, the case would be assessed and plans would be put in place to correct the issue.
Any damaged doors would be replaced and fitted in accordance with the original installation. Our policies are designed to cover incidents such as this resulting in happy customers and confidence they know their products will last. View our kitchen plans here.