Review Time
Sadly got to see a very nasty side of owner Blaine.
New to this area and overwhelmed by a big house renovation we got very swept away by plans for our kitchen done by Blaine without checking out other quotes - which we would always do usually.
We quickly got led into contract with a £7400 deposit without being able to choose worktops due to no samples.
We shouldn’t have gone with it in hindsight. However the very next day we realised we rushed into this and politely asked if we could get out of the contract fully expecting a reasonable fee for any lost time or work done.
Greedy Blaine put money before customer satisfaction and said we would lose the whole deposit so we accepted we were stuck in contract as we could not afford to lose such a deposit.
From then on the nasty side of Blaine was clear to see, he wouldn’t speak with us despite request and so his employed lapdog Anthony conversed with us.
We realised we wanted quartz rather than the laminate we felt stuck with ( no help was given in choosing the different types when we went into contract) and so we politely requested an upgrade.
Anthony said he couldn’t help for a week about options so I asked if Blaine could help.
This is when nasty Blaine then sent an email to me which was meant for lapdog Anthony telling him not to give a discount ( which wasn’t requested) and to make out he had already done so, which was a blatant lie.
I put in a formal complaint which was pointless really as I was effectively complaining about the owner to the owner . No apologies were given.
Lesson learnt in going to a local independent, who although started friendly when chasing the job is actually very arrogant.
Continually ignored I had to approach the kitchen supplier to explain we wanted to change our worktops and that was the only way we the customer could get what we wanted with our hard earned money . We went elsewhere in the end for our choice worktops.
Blaine then played another nasty game of insisting the full amount be paid up front so we had no retention figure left. This was paid but under protest.
A SAR request to this outfit also revealed some bitchy comments between nasty Blaine and his lapdog Anthony.
Before the kitchen was fitted by a nice enough lone contracted fitter during 4 days we discovered nasty Blaine cancelled the skip that was ordered months ago for our old kitchen, this was done in pure spite, and so Blaine was pushed into re ordering the skip which arrived several days later.
The kitchen is ok, not sure it’s worth what we paid and so we really regret going to Blaine, certainly hasn’t been a good experience which is sad as this should have been exciting. The many other contractors we’ve used for all other renovations have been great.
Blaine will be fine if you follow his line and so his ego boosted, but if you upset his ego with changes in anyway he sulks and plays really nasty.
He thought he could bully on several levels but he picked the wrong person!
In summary this is business led by pure greed, resulting in unprofessional nasty game playing of which we have full evidence to prove as already seen by our family, friends , and legals.
Sadly got to see a very nasty side of owner Blaine.New to this area and overwhelmed by a big house renovation we got very swept away by plans for our kitchen done by Blaine without checking out other quotes - which we would always do usually.We quickly got led into contract with a £7400 deposit without being able to choose worktops due to no samples. We shouldn’t have gone with it in hindsight. However the very next day we realised we rushed into this and politely asked if we could get out of the contract fully expecting a reasonable fee for any lost time or work done.Greedy Blaine put money before customer satisfaction and said we would lose the whole deposit so we accepted we were stuck in contract as we could not afford to lose such a deposit.From then on the nasty side of Blaine was clear to see, he wouldn’t speak with us despite request and so his employed lapdog Anthony conversed with us.We realised we wanted quartz rather than the laminate we felt stuck with ( no help was given in choosing the different types when we went into contract) and so we politely requested an upgrade. Anthony said he couldn’t help for a week about options so I asked if Blaine could help.This is when nasty Blaine then sent an email to me which was meant for lapdog Anthony telling him not to give a discount ( which wasn’t requested) and to make out he had already done so, which was a blatant lie.I put in a formal complaint which was pointless really as I was effectively complaining about the owner to the owner . No apologies were given.Lesson learnt in going to a local independent, who although started friendly when chasing the job is actually very arrogant.Continually ignored I had to approach the kitchen supplier to explain we wanted to change our worktops and that was the only way we the customer could get what we wanted with our hard earned money . We went elsewhere in the end for our choice worktops. Blaine then played another nasty game of insisting the full amount be paid up front so we had no retention figure left. This was paid but under protest.A SAR request to this outfit also revealed some bitchy comments between nasty Blaine and his lapdog Anthony.Before the kitchen was fitted by a nice enough lone contracted fitter during 4 days we discovered nasty Blaine cancelled the skip that was ordered months ago for our old kitchen, this was done in pure spite, and so Blaine was pushed into re ordering the skip which arrived several days later.The kitchen is ok, not sure it’s worth what we paid and so we really regret going to Blaine, certainly hasn’t been a good experience which is sad as this should have been exciting. The many other contractors we’ve used for all other renovations have been great.Blaine will be fine if you follow his line and so his ego boosted, but if you upset his ego with changes in anyway he sulks and plays really nasty. He thought he could bully on several levels but he picked the wrong person!In summary this is business led by pure greed, resulting in unprofessional nasty game playing of which we have full evidence to prove as already seen by our family, friends , and legals.
Well the question was what made my experience great.I gave a 5* review because on New Years Eve, I came back home to be told our washing machine was not working. My words to my partner’ It was working fine the other day. 😔I’m originally from Swaffham and always used Blaine’s for any domestic appliances including Hifi & Audio back in the day.I now live about 5 miles from Dereham and I visited the town as my first point of call. After visiting the 1st local retailer close to Iceland in Dereham to purchase a washing machine, I’m not saying they were unhelpful but to inform me they could not get me a new machine until nearly a week later. I then went and visited Blaine’s to see what they had on offer and met a woman called Alison who informed me with some great knowledge and advice and when I told her’ I was in need of new washing machine as soon as possible. She informed me of what they had to offer and then suggested what could suit my needs and also the current availability. With her understanding’ I chose the machine and asked the question when would be the soonest I could get it delivered. She said I can get it to you today. Price confirmed and she had it delivered 3 hours later. Highly recommend 5*****
We’ve used Blaine’s for many years and the service has always been top rate, never more so than over this recent purchase. Upon delivery, our new fridge freezer proved too tight a fit into the available space; the delivery guys immediately contacted the shop and a replacement model was quickly identified, collected and put into place the same morning. Really impressive service. Our thanks to everyone involved.
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Blaines, one of Mid Norfolk’s most established family businesses since 1982, has grown from strength to strength. Since opening the Swaffham branch Blaines has expanded, opening their Dereham branch in 1985 and Watton in 1987.
By being a member of Euronics, one of Britain’s biggest independent electrical buying groups, Blaines can keep their prices competitive and offer an after care service second to none. Supplying leading brands in white goods such as; Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Beko and Blomberg leading brands in brown goods such as; Sony, Samsung, Sharp and LG, plus much, much more.
Blaines are range cooker specialists with one of the largest displays of range cookers in the area from the leading the brands such as Rangemaster, Stoves and Belling and Premium quality from Mercury & Falcon.
Blaine’s success is due to the fact that all their members of staff are fully trained and have many years of experience between them. Their priority is to make sure customers have care and advice in buying the right product for their needs.See more
