Excellent craftsmanship, but severely let down by poor communication, major delays, and extra costs
Credit where it's due: the quality of the final bespoke wardrobe is very good, and the craftsmanship itself looks great. However, the overall experience getting to that finished product was frustrating, stressful, and unprofessional.
We were originally quoted a 6 to 8-week timeframe. We explicitly explained when receiving the quote that this job needed to be completed before my wife returned to work from maternity leave—a deadline 6–8 weeks fitted perfectly. Instead, the project took 17 weeks to complete. On top of missing our deadline, the extra 9-week delay meant taking unnecessary annual leave days just to accommodate getting the job finished.
After paying a 75% deposit, proactive communication completely stopped. We were left constantly chasing for updates. On multiple occasions, we were told the wardrobe would be built "the following Friday," only to be told on the day that we had "misheard" and he was working on another customer's job. To add to the frustration, he largely ignored my messages and would only correspond with my wife—until money was questioned.
To make matters worse, an extra £100 was tacked onto the final bill at the end for basic clearing/disposal and minor electrical work that we reasonably assumed was part of the installation process. When we politely queried these charges, he expressed surprise that we would even question the cost, dismissively claiming that £50 is "pennies for the time and effort." In this day and age, no unexpected extra charge is "just pennies"—and he hid behind contract clauses like "time was not of the essence" to brush off a 9-week delay that severely impacted our family.
Antony is a skilled tradesman, but the complete lack of communication, zero empathy for customer deadlines, repeated broken promises, and last-minute surprise fees made this a total headache. The finish is great, but if your time is valuable and you expect basic professionalism, save yourself the stress and look elsewhere.
