A judge, who described as a complete shambles an €8,000 kitchen a woman had installed in her home, has told a Co Dublin company to replace it and pay the woman an extra €1,750 for the trouble they had caused her.
Helen Richardson of Forest Boulevard, Rivervalley, Swords, told Circuit Court President Judge Raymond Groarke that in July 2017 she had hired Tierney Kitchens Retail to install a new kitchen for a sum of €7,950.
Ms Richardson told her barrister, Pat Purcell, she had lost all faith in the kitchen company and had wanted Tierney Kitchens, of Stephenstown Industrial Estate, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, to remove it.
She told the court that after the kitchen had been installed the sink had started to rust and an air vent had never been connected to the outside, causing her to open windows and doors when cooking.
Ms Richardson said she also had to use a stool to reach the top shelves in the fridge that had been fitted as it had been placed at an unsuitable height. When the fridge had initially arrived it had been damaged and she had to wait six weeks for a replacement.
The court also heard from Ms Richardson that one of the drawers installed for storage in the kitchen had been sticking out more than the others as they had not been lined up straight.
The judge said he would like to see a new kitchen installed for Ms Richardson under the supervision of Paul Terry, an expert who had given evidence on her behalf in relation to the kitchen's faults.
He said Ms Richardson had wanted to upgrade her living conditions with hard-earned money but had been left at a complete and utter loss.
The judge said Ms Richardson had been forced to come to court and had been dealing with the whole matter for almost two years. For this reason he awarded her general damages of €1,750 in addition to his order for the fitting of a new kitchen for her.