Name: Dunster House Ltd
Rating: 4.09

“Spent a lot of money on a summerhouse with shed last year have had nothing but problems with the wood swelling , so unable to shut doors or windows , did paint as per instructions from dunster house . Did contact customer service who were useless said to get a builder in to sort or family member!! Still this year having same problem . Several friends have summer houses bought from different companies and not experienced this problem. Do not buy from this company save your money , will continue to post my disappointment with this company so people do not waste their monies.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“poor service , rude employes , bad sales cycles”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I always find it very helpful that if your going to send the log store out with pre drilled holes, that you actually drill them in the right place. But when I phoned to tell them the problem they wanted me to email and they will raise a query, and when I asked to return the item this is also done through email even though I am actually speaking to them. Although when I phoned to actually buy the thing they were more than happy to speak to me and didn’t ask me to purchase it via email. I would not recommend buying from Dunster house Ltd.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Avoid this company. Cabin put up end of October 2018, they built it up to roof level and had twisted timbers so had to be taken down. They replaced some timbers the next day but have water ingress in every corner half way up. I complained they said the don’t guarantee their products to be water proof. After a bad review on trust pilot they arranged to send someone out. This is now mid March. 2 workings days after they came they said the electric trucking stopped the natural movement of the wood. What they hadn’t realised is this was only installed a week before they agreed to come out. Only so we could get some heat in to see if it would dry out the corners. Now see this heading down a long road of legalities. So avoid this company and go to others, that’s way you can avoid all the upset that we find ourselves in. Don’t waste your money as all they want is yours with no responsibility attached.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Purchased a summer house in July, now unable to open windows or shut the doors due to expansion of wood. Emailed customer services and received email back saying wood expands so either get family member or a builder to repair . After spending a substantial amount of money on product I think it is of poor quality as a shed I purchased from a different company have never had this problem. Would not recommend you waste your money at Dunster house.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“As others have said helpful until they have your money then zero customer service. Overpriced item - basically lengths of timber , screws and not very clear instructions. For the money we expected it to be predrilled for easy assembly. As for the guarantee it says it will be invalid if the product is treated yet in the maintenance instructions it advises treating it. Damned if you do damned if you don't!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“POOR quality and no After Sales support We installed the Trent Lo-Roof Wooden Garage W3.05m x D5.5m in mid November at a cost of £3.5k, not to mention the costs associated with putting in a new concrete base because the base of the previous garage was too small (when in fact the specification that Dunster list as being required is far larger than it needs to be - we currently have a 15cm lip of concrete base all around the building) and other costs. Within days the base dowel started bowing and the timbers have shifted making some of the timbers loose, there is a 2cm strip of untreated wood above the door where it has moved from when we painted it and the garage door will not open as it is stuck. I emailed Dunster with the problem, providing photos, and their standard statement is that wood is a natural timber and we should expect it to move. "that characteristics such as warping, twisting, cracks, splits, knots, sap and so on do not indicate a fault with timber as they are natural aspects and cannot be guaranteed against." I don't expect guarantees, but I certainly do not expect this kind of movement within 7 - 14 days of the building being erected and nor would any reasonable person. When I put this to the customer services, Louise at Dunster's final response is "Remember that we cannot tell you how soon after installation you will be required to carry out maintenance, how often you will need to, or whether your issue will be immediately resolved or whether it will require some further investigation or remedial work to be carried out by yourself. Timber is a natural material and it will continue to move and adapt to its surroundings." I can tell you, being in the modular building industry, that the door being stuck and no longer functioning two weeks after install, due to movements of the wood, when the wood has been treated (we treated it within days of the install before the rain set in) is not acceptable and indicates a POOR quality of product. The after sales team do not even make a show of being sympathetic to your concerns and I am not sure how a company that has so little regard for its clients and the maintenance of their quality reputation has lasted this long. My recommendation to anyone considering them building any kind of product for you is - DO NOT USE THEM.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“The worst company to deal with EVER. NEVER buy anything from this bunch of cowboys. As everyone else has said, quick to take your money and then will do nothing to help. I had terrible problems with the delivery. Including being told if I wanted a 5/6ft double glazed unit delivered I'd have to get it off the van with the delivery driver. It was ridiculously heavy and I am not a particularly strong woman. Two months after spending about 7K on my cabin the door won;t lock. They have basically done nothing to resolve the situation. The whole unit is bent, but apparently that is not their problem. I run my business from my cabin with expensive equipment. I have to lug it up every night to the house now. I went for a more secure cabin and I have ended up with the complete opposite. A company where you can't even call their customer service line, is absolutely ridiculous. Apparently you have to physically go there. When you have two jobs and a child with special needs a two hour round trip and a meeting with my son is just not do-able. They are rudest and most incompetent idiots I have ever come across. My cabin still doesn't lock and I can't seem to get a resolution.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“I wish I had seen these reviews before parting with over £1330. Plus the additional cost of constructing a Base and fitting costs, and further painting work. When it was delivered and dropped in my drive, all wrapped in polythene, my SO and I planned to open the package and store the parts in our garage. When the delivery note was hurriedly put in front of me to sign, I said we haven't checked everything is there or that nothing is damaged. The driver said that it was okay, they made deliveries every week and they would pick up or drop off as required. Had the driver waited until we checked off every item, as Dunster advises in their conditions, she would have had to wait about an hour and a half. My joiners made a lovely job of constructing an Avon 2.5m x 2.5m cabin. They flagged up the floorboards were not long enough and left a large gap at each end of the floor which meant that the skirting had to be laid horizontally instead of vertically. There was a length of this missing which we bought at a local supplies shop. I couldn't fault our two professional joiners. They made a good job of felting the roof with adequate 150mm overlaps and pointing out that the additional 10 m long roll of expensive felt was not required. I have since written umpteen emails with attached diagrams showing how the roof can be covered using one roll. I keep getting fobbed off with the excuse that their generic instructions (which are very poor) says to overlap by 200mm. As these are only generic instructions I believe that anything over 100mm overlap according to builders merchants, Dunster own video, joiners and quantity surveyor's etc...is acceptable. Because the overlap is not the full 200mm, they said that I have to cover the cost of returning the felt. They won't collect it, and they won't reimburse me until they receive the felt. Although I had to pay for everything in full before they delivered the cabin! I'm angry.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Horrid company to deal with. Product (large summerhouss) sub-standard with warping timbers and windows/doors that won't open/close. Complete lack of any proper customer service as they hide behind a wall of e-mail and their own terms & conditions. In summary, once they're paid they wash their hands of you. Appalling sales tactics, pushy sales staff and unsolicited calls telling you the prices will be going up. Check out the number of 1star and 2star reviews on TrustPilot, it will shock you what people are saying. Blames customer for problems. **PLEASE NOTE** The only way we are ever going to get Dunste to sort themselves out is if we post videos of our problems and sub-standard products on YouTube. There are a few already so get filming and uploading. It only takes 5 minutes and is quite therapeutic.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Very helpful from sales staff to delivery. I did read through the terms and conditions which stated that all quires after delivery are to be done through the customer services department via email. Customer services are very helpful as well and very knowledgeable of the products. After ready all these previous reviews I really don't understand why no one hasn't left a good review... Maybe because people expectations are too high and they need to be a little bit more realistic. I would recommend Dunster House to my friends and family as I've turned dead space in my garden into a lovely area where I can go and relax and have family and friends over to enjoy the garden. Before looking at these reviews, talk to someone at Dunster House and ask lots of questions. If you do the research you will see they've been in business for 24 years! Now if they are con artist they would of been gone a while ago. Take previous reviews with a pinch of salt.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Sorry I didn’t listen to a colleague. Dreadful customer service. Not interested in any issues. Would not buy or recommend in the future.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Worst company we’ve ever dealt with. Con artists!! Even the director of the company was rude. See you in court!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“We purchased a summerhouse in 2017. Dunster are happy to take your money (we paid over £10,000) but when it comes to help/assistance or customer politeness don’t expect any. Our building arrived late, doors and windows arrived separately to the building....late. Some of the panels were broken and customer services were less than helpful, infact insulting on occasion. Having sworn never to use this ‘cowboy’ company again we decided to forget all the troubles caused and enjoy our building. Less than a year after delivery faults started to occur. When I’ve contacted customer services to report a faulting locking mechanism on the upvc door I was told the base would probably be uneven and to check this!! When I insisted the concrete base we had fitted was more than level they’ve then said the runners could be out of line. Lastly when I enquired if they were coming to rectify the situation they provided me with the guarantees for the building and stated it wasn’t there responsibility! I have never encounted such disgraceful customer service with deliberate attempts to avoid solving manufacturing problems. These people are charming, polite and pushy when taking your order and money but are rude and unhelpful if anything goes wrong. Avoid at all costs as your experience with them will leave a very bitter taste!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Worst customer service ever!!!! we have a log that bent 30 degrees and impossible to twist straight... Dunster house refuse to replace. AVOID THIS COMPANY, ive wasted 4.5k on some pieces of wood.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Spent thousands on a log cabin. Was promised free double glazing on their website when you enter a code at check-out. Cabin arrived with single glazing. We complained, and they say "You checked the single glazing option". Which we didn't. Absolutely did not. But EVEN IF WE DID, why would we then type the FREE DOUBLE GLAZING code?! Was told they would take a deposit, which was about 1/3 of the total cost, BEFORE they delivered the cabin, and take the rest of the money AFTER. They took ALL OF THE MONEY AT ONCE. Thank God we had enough in the account without it going into the overdraft. The "customer service" (You can't honestly call it that.) is AWFUL. Rude and dismissive by email. Unhelpful on the phone. As everyone else on here has said, ************ DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY.**************** My parents are pensioners, looking for a stressfree log cabin and they've been completely ripped off here, set back in time and hasseled with the task of trying to sort this out.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“They are an awful company to deal with. We ordered a cabin and at first they were very friendly, but then started to pressure us for a date to come and install. On the date of installation we were advised that there was a problem with one of the beams and that the roof wasn’t fitted quite as it should be. Since then we have then had problems with expansion of the timbers causing large gaps to appear. We have had senior installers back twice to try and rectify the problem, we even had the area lead come to site as the installers were not content with how the cabin had been put together in the first place. They were told by head office to "make it fit" (words used by the installer) which has resulted in them using matchsticks as spacers to try and boost the height of the logs to close the gap! These have subsequently fallen out as the tiimber expands. The company response is that they have carried out the work to their standard and that they can do nothing about the expansion of the wood. Customer service will not take phone calls and only deal in email correspondence. I would not recommend this company to anyone.I only wish we had looked at some of the other reviews before we made the purchase.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Please do not buy from this company. Having spent thousands on a new log cabin, the company tried to get out of some of the original install, blaming it on the fences being too close. They then took a call to demand that they had to go to another job to help another team out on the Friday afternoon, so left my job in a rush. Within a month, the timbers started to move and twist considerably. I raised this with them straightaway and was fobbed off by them using excuses that it was down to me and probably caused by storm braces. They advised to loosen them, which I did. This made no difference and the symptoms persisted and got worse. Again I went back to them and was fobbed off more and more, being asked for photos and told that it must be down to shelving that had been fitted internally. Again, this I removed. The symptoms persisted and got worse. On going back to them again over the following months , they then tried to blame it on the fact that they could see blinds in the windows and that they must be the cause. These were not blinds but opaque window film that I had fitted to the internal of the glass. A year on, I finally got them to agree to actually send someone out to have a look because the timbers had moved so much that you could see daylight through and the windows were out of level and plumb. The corner log laps were miles out of true also. They sent out a very helpful two man team who found that the original installers had not fitted the SMB brackets to the windows and doors, allowing excessive movement of them and the log around them. I was informed by them that their entire week is spent going round putting right the wrongs of installs. The difficultly after a year was trying to pull all of those timbers back into line. Not possible! The team did the best that they could but the end result is still sub standard and appalling to look at for a brand new, expensive cabin. Having contacted the office again, I have been completely dismissed and told that it is a natural product and movement should be expected. This I agree with to some degree but I have friends who have purchased very similar cabins from their competitors and they have not suffered any of these problems. I am at the point where I cannot even stand to look at the front of the cabin because of how bad it looks and am now looking to take legal action to resolve this. Their customer service is appalling and their product is completely inferior. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“reference to order number SO128937 very disappointed in Dunster house customer service, just wanted to speak to someone about bowed timber on my building that you installed: I reported an issue with bowed timbers and a set of photos showing the problem. here is an extract from my email to customer services: Now what I would like to happen is for someone to contact me and discuss the problem we are facing and give me some helpful advice regarding this matter, we went with your company because the you tube videos suggested that you were as professional company who are passionate about constructing quality products using high standards of materials. But at the moment, although I am very happy with my space, I’m thinking you are failing to deliver the standard of customer service that I hoped for. I look forward to hearing from someone on the telephone this week, I work from home (in the office that has the problem) extract from Arlene's reply: Thank you for your email and photos. Here in Customer Services we are dedicated to dealing with queries quickly and efficiently. As a Company that sells a wide range of technically complex products, we have found that dealing in writing allows us to fully comprehend a query and gives us the ability to consult other departments in order to give you the correct response. This is detailed in our terms of contract and in all of our literature, we are therefore unable to contact you via telephone. there was no follow up or suggestion in writing in the post or email about how to rectify the issue, nor did anyone from the company spare me even 5 - 10 mins on the phone to find out what the issue was despite me sending in very clear photo of how i had to brace the bowed cabin using some timber wedged against a fence.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Ordered a log cabin, very hard sell initially and on arrival the cabin logs are dented, split or have chunks missing. Dunster house don't want to know, their customer service is via email only and even then they don't reply! A PREMIUM product is what they advertise and with a hefty price tag to go with it, what's actually arrived is a sub standard damaged cabin that cost way more than it's worth! Avoid at all costs terrible terrible company to deal with, once they have your money they don't want to. Know!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier, Own Driver
Average Delivery Time	Over 7 Days
On-time Delivery	95%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 90%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	3.6 out of 5

Dunster House Ltd Reviews