My Disastrous Experience with Leroy Merlin's 'Plug and Play' Bathtub with Built-in Aromatherapy

I'm sharing a painful experience with Leroy Merlin in Voronezh and warning you about the stress we went through for a decent amount of money. My wife and I stumbled upon this new service called 'Vanna Pod Klyuch' in Leroy Merlin, and we thought it was a great idea. The initial step should be a measurement, followed by a meeting with a designer to create a virtual project for our future bathroom. On February 4, 2024, we paid 2000 rubles for the service, expecting a smooth process.

Our future foreman, Denis, showed up with a basic tape measure and a notebook to jot down our wishes. The results of his measurements blew us away when we saw the photos with them... Neither the doorways nor the shower, nor the outlets were measured, and all for a whopping 2000 rubles. Yes, we did end up with a quote for the shower and toilet, but the way it was formed based on these measurements raises a lot of questions. Taking these awesome measurements, on February 10th, we went to create a shower and toilet project of our dreams. The designer, Alexey, assured us that 'Collaborating with us, you won't have any nerves or complications. We'll take care of all the hassle' (spoiler alert: they're lying through their teeth). After showing him these measurements, Alexey rushed to call Denis and they sorted out over the phone who would do what work. It also turned out that they could demount the suspended ceiling, but wouldn't be able to put a new one up, as that's the job of a different department. I was already starting to wonder if I needed it. Of course, nobody came to re-measure anything. Eventually, we went back to editing the project with our own measurements. After getting the project photos and the updated quote, we had some time to think about the renovation, as we needed to wait for the funds to arrive. In the end, unfortunately, we decided to collaborate with Leroy Merlin, specifically with their contractor, IP Kukhtin...I was supposed to meet with the contractor Denis and his demolition team on April 15, 2024, at 5:00 PM to assess the scope of work and make some notes. We had already started moving our stuff to a friend's place nearby, just in case we needed to get out of the way of the workers and avoid getting covered in construction dust. The agreed-upon time was 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, or 6:30 PM, but nobody showed up. I called Denis, and he told me he had forgotten about the meeting. He said they'd be there by 10:00 PM instead. Okay, I thought. But then nothing happened. The next day, the demolition team's Victor showed up and started wiggling his fingers in a weird way, saying they wouldn't be moving the washing machine and wouldn't be doing the job because we'd have to pay them to do it, and also because the floor needed to be covered with plastic sheeting by the time they arrived the next day. Luckily, they did move the washing machine, and Denis and the contractor were there. My wife and I had taken the day off work to cover the floor with plastic sheeting, close off any unnecessary doorways, and cover the furniture, but nobody showed up. We had to make multiple phone calls to get anyone to respond. Denis finally said they'd start the demolition on Friday, April 19, but with a different 'team'. That's when things started going downhill.

On April 22, I got a call from a plumber from our management company saying, 'You're flooding at least up to the 11th floor.' I rushed back to the apartment in 10 minutes. When I opened the door, I could smell... well, let's just say it wasn't a pleasant smell coming from the sewage system.

I have to admit, I was left speechless when I saw the extent of the damage. Naturally, I took the first four photos. I immediately called Denis to have them come and clean up the mess. I rang our designer and heard, 'Sorry, I can't help you. Go to Leroy Merlin and file a complaint.' So, I decided to take action right away. It turned out that the cause of the flood was that the contractor had forgotten to install a stopcock on the drain, and everything that came from the upper floors just poured down on us. The door, skirting boards, wallpaper, linoleum, and baseboards were all affected. My wife had a nervous breakdown when she found out about the disaster. We wanted to return the money and find a new contractor to do the repairs, but, unfortunately, we had to continue with the same guy, Artem, because the queues for repairs were two months long, and he swore on his honor that he'd fix everything and compensate us (which, as it turned out, wasn't the case). It turned out that I.P. Kukhtin doesn't have his own staff, and for 'small' jobs, he hires people from Avito at the cheapest price. The person responsible for the damage, of course, disappeared.Having lost our nerves, money, and trust in people, we finally started the repairs on April 26th. To our surprise, we were done on May 10th. Yes, as we've been using the product, some minor issues have popped up, but I have to say, the drying rack for towels broke down, the silicone seal came loose, but the real kicker was the toilet was hung way too high because no one bothered to warn us that installing it in our plumbing system would be a nightmare... Also, I wanted to mention that the designer added positions that were already available, and the project was assembled from what might be available in the future, not what was actually needed. As a result, we had to rush out and buy a shower curtain for the May holidays because Alexei was convinced that we should have remembered to add it to the budget back on February 10th during our hasty 1-hour consultation.

Yes, we paid for the renovation, but in the end, we ended up doing the plumbing and tiling ourselves, hanging the ceiling tiles, and figuring out all the details and nuances. So, in essence, the bathroom wasn't delivered 'turnkey' as promised. The installer, Artem, even told us that there were meetings where they weren't allowed to offer other services so that other departments could make money. The renovation seemed to be over, but the process of fixing the damage in the hallway was only just beginning. Artem didn't even bother to look for materials until the renovation was underway! He ripped out huge chunks of linoleum and wallpaper to search for matching pieces, then headed to the stores, where, of course, they were no longer available. On the wallpaper, we compromised on having his team reapply it to the entire hallway. Remember, I mentioned that he hires the cheapest workers from Avito? Well, on June 7th, the next batch of vagrants arrived, who even managed to damage the baseboards when trying to remove them undamaged. Since our entryway was already cluttered with shelves, cabinets, and the like, they suggested leaving two walls with the existing wallpaper and shelves. After thinking about it, I told them to go ahead and reapply the wallpaper to the entire hallway. It was Monday, June 10th, when the phone rang at 7So I woke up to a bit of a crisis - our car had broken down. I called Artom and we came to an agreement that he'd pay us for the work, but we'd find our own reliable people to do the job. I know, I know, it sounds a bit unorthodox, but hey, that's how it went down. We managed to find some great guys who did an amazing job with the wallpaper - my wife and I were blown away. What they couldn't do for 10k rubles suddenly became possible for 15.5k rubles. Fast forward to today, June 19th, and we were supposed to get our door fixed and have the linoleum replaced. The door got fixed, but the linoleum was a whole different story - it was the wrong color and design. I had to sign a document saying I wasn't making any complaints, and then I paid them for the linoleum job, thinking that was the end of it. All in all, it's been a real nightmare. I'm out 600k rubles, my apartment is in shambles, and I've got to shell out even more cash to fix everything. To top it all off, the customer service was atrocious. I'm not going to post any pictures of the final result, just in case these guys try to use them against me. I'm really hoping that anyone reading this will take my warning to heart and steer clear of these people.