B&Q

[JandK]

While SWMBO was shopping for flower pots and plants, I wandered around the store and had a look at their timber, well the only use is for a bonfire. Warped, bent you name it and it has a defect and what is more the prices are really steep for the inferior and utter cr.. they are trying to sell to the unsuspecting public.

Poor very very poor. :evil:


PS why they stack the timber at an angle in an upright position when on their website they advise to stack it flat, how daft can you be.

 

[Rorschach]

When I needed lumber a couple of years back to batten out a wall I looked in B&Q as it was local. The price for the same lumber as my local wood yard was 4x higher and lower quality.

 

[MattRoberts]

Only wood I get from them is CLS stud timber, and that's only after hand picking them to avoid the banana ones

 

[Stanleymonkey]

I have a new store close to me. They are still stacking the timber vertically. It's not too bad within a few days of it being delivered - but you do have to do a lot of hand picking.

Two Wickes stores nearby - one less than a year old. They stack the timber vertically too!

Problem is I have a timber yard nearby and found that they aren't any cheaper. So I keep going back to B&Q! I think if you are pottering around slowly doing a few projects at the same time, then you can nip to local stores and pick the good stuff when it has just been delivered. Timber yard doesn't open in the evenings when I have finished work so I just have to do with Wickes and B&Q

 

[morfa]

All the DIY sheds stack wood vertically. It's nuts. I guess it takes up less space for them. I just wait till Saturday when the yard is open and buy from them. Sometimes a bit cheaper, but much better quality.

 

[NazNomad]

Thankfully, they have closed both the B&Q stores in my County.

 

[Aggrajag]

Thankfully, they have closed both the B&Q stores in my County.

They closed the two nearest me (Rotherham Parkgate and Sheffield Darnell) and left open the Sheffield Centre one with the sh!ttest car park I've ever seen. At least I managed to bag some good bargains in the close down sales (carry case of 1000 wood screws for £3, 40% off some varnish etc.)

I work next door-but-one to a Wickes; their selection is much more limited but I've always found the wood OK as long as you pick and choose yourself.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As B&Q and Screwfix belong to the same parent company, I've always been amazed that B&Q has been allowed to be so dreadful. There's only one thing worse than using B&Qs stores - that's using B&Qs website. ](*,)

 

[MattRoberts]

As B&Q and Screwfix belong to the same parent company, I've always been amazed that B&Q has been allowed to be so dreadful. There's only one thing worse than using B&Qs stores - that's using B&Qs website. ](*,)

They cover a market, just like Screwfix do. Makes sense to be a single organisation with propositions for both

 

[lurker]

A few years back somone here christened them Bent & Quirky.

 

[SirRobSmith]

Sheet material has always been extortionate at B&Q - I've yet to find a situation where by local timber merchant aren't a better deal, assuming you can look past their poor attitude towards supplying relatively small quantities (despite being "open to public")

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As B&Q and Screwfix belong to the same parent company, I've always been amazed that B&Q has been allowed to be so dreadful. There's only one thing worse than using B&Qs stores - that's using B&Qs website. ](*,)

They cover a market, just like Screwfix do. Makes sense to be a single organisation with propositions for both

Certainly - I appreciate they are different markets, but I was looking more from the point of view of B&Qs doing it badly. It doesn't follow that when someone's peed off with B&Q they'll automatically go to Screwfix. :lol:

 

[transatlantic]

Although I don't doubt that the quality of the wood at these box stores isn't great to begin with, you have to remember that they don't go through it neraly as quick as a timber yard does, so of course its going to show more deterioration.

I think the other problem is that they don't remove the warped stuff which people won't buy, so it gets left there for god knows how long, gettting worse and worse. Where as in a desent timber yard, it would be wasted space and disposed of/removed sharply.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I like a bit of bargaining power - I can go to my local merchants, pick out a ten foot length of 4" x 2" (or whatever) with a monumental kick or shake in the middle and wanting two four foots, haggle the price - and usually get it half price.

 

[Baldhead]

As B&Q and Screwfix belong to the same parent company, I've always been amazed that B&Q has been allowed to be so dreadful. There's only one thing worse than using B&Qs stores - that's using B&Qs website. ](*,)

That is correct, Kingfisher didn't have a dedicated online sales outlet so they bought screwfix, they are run as two totally different companies, also agree the B&Q website is terrible.

Stew

 

[Adam9453]

I don't use B&Q for the reasons most have listed above but last year a kind soul gave me a gift card for B&Q as a present. I therefore went on the website to see what I could spend my £50 gift card on. After much searching, everything was either massively over priced and/or terrible quality but then I saw they sold work boots at sensible prices. So I thought i'd treat myself to a nice new pair of steel toe capped boots. Checked the stock in my local store on their website and it showed they had a few pairs in each size, wonderful.
So I popped down the shop and looked for the area selling work boots, after 15 mins I gave up and asked for help, the befuddled assistant said "but we don't sell work boots?!". After I explained I had checked on the website etc, she just said "oh year we hear that quite a lot". Why of why if you hear something quite a lot, has no one done something or anything about fixing it.
What a waste of bl@@dy time!
I ended up buying a rug with my voucher which was not exactly what I would have like to buy with my present!

 

[MattRoberts]

I don't use B&Q for the reasons most have listed above but last year a kind soul gave me a gift card for B&Q as a present. I therefore went on the website to see what I could spend my £50 gift card on. After much searching, everything was either massively over priced and/or terrible quality but then I saw they sold work boots at sensible prices. So I thought i'd treat myself to a nice new pair of steel toe capped boots. Checked the stock in my local store on their website and it showed they had a few pairs in each size, wonderful.
So I popped down the shop and looked for the area selling work boots, after 15 mins I gave up and asked for help, the befuddled assistant said "but we don't sell work boots?!". After I explained I had checked on the website etc, she just said "oh year we hear that quite a lot". Why of why if you hear something quite a lot, has no one done something or anything about fixing it.
What a waste of bl@@dy time!
I ended up buying a rug with my voucher which was not exactly what I would have like to buy with my present!

Ah, that timeless scenario.

Boy meets voucher. Boy finds boots. Boy can't find boots. Boy goes home with a rug.

It's a classic.

 

[ChickenMan]

I have B&Q and Wickes in my area and given the choice it's Wickes every time on both price and quality. I'm still quite a newbie to all this and trying to find a decent softwood supplier for small quantities in the North Wilts / South Glos area, so any recommendations would be very welcome.

Edit, just realised that's a bit rude to hijack someone else's thread! PMs would be very welcome though

 

[flying haggis]

Although I don't doubt that the quality of the wood at these box stores isn't great to begin with, you have to remember that they don't go through it neraly as quick as a timber yard does, so of course its going to show more deterioration.

I think the other problem is that they don't remove the warped stuff which people won't buy, so it gets left there for god knows how long, gettting worse and worse. Where as in a desent timber yard, it would be wasted space and disposed of/removed sharply.

i work for a builders merchant (with the blue trucks :wink: ) and no the crap timber doesnt get binned quickly, it just gets sent out to customers who wont make a fuss.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My local B&Q have a superb dimension saw ... but they don't stock full sheets anymore. How bleddy daft is that! :? :x