WOEFUL WICKES – Part 2 Dishonest, deceptive and devious – they move the goalposts! Whilst planning my kitchen with the Wickes Design Consultant I incorporated a cooker hood into the plan and opted for a branded Zanussi appliance. I was then faced with the option of searching online for the most competitive price or ordering via Wickes. The Design Consultant coaxed me into opting for the latter emphasising the advantage of a 2-year, no quibble, guarantee. She assured that should the appliance fail within the 2-years Wickes would replace it with a new one, no questions asked. The price quoted by Wickes was very competitive and I therefore decided to include the appliance in my order. Once installed, I read all the manufacturer’s documentation that came with the Zanussi appliance including the offer of an extended warranty period for a moderate fee. Confident that the two-year guarantee provided by Wickes would meet my needs I decided not to pursue Zanussi’s offer. The cooker hood lights stopped working after about 15 months, well within the 2-year guarantee period provided by Wickes. As this wasn’t a significant issue I delayed reporting it to Wickes Customer Services until a major problem with my Wickes installed bathroom occurred on 23/12/20*. The lady I spoke to over the telephone said “Sorry, Zanussi appliances are only covered by the Wickes guarantee for 12 months” and she recommended that I take up the matter with Zanussi. And I thought only politicians moved goalposts! *Watch this space.