Q: I bought a kitchen for €7,000 from a local company. To my disappointment, the kitchen installed at my house was different to the sample shown to me in the showroom. The lacquer on the sample was smooth and with very little orange peel. However, my kitchen is full of orange peel and this affects its colour. Furthermore, two of the doors had to be replaced, as one arrived damaged and the other was scratched by one of the workers.

The replacement doors were of a different colour than the others installed and the company offered to spray them and try to match them with the rest of the kitchen. The sprayed doors did not entirely match the rest of the kitchen.

I am asking the company for compensation for being provided with a kitchen that is not exactly as ordered and for the two mismatching doors. I would like to know how much compensation I am entitled to in this case.

A: If the kitchen is very different to the one originally ordered and you have proof of the difference, then you may request the seller to replace the kitchen at no extra cost. If the trader is unable to offer a replacement, you may cancel the contract of sale and request a full refund.

You are, however, not entitled to cancel the sale if the lack of conformity is minor or insignificant. This means that if the difference between the kitchen ordered and that delivered is minor, you cannot opt to cancel the contract of sale.

In such case, you may ask for an appropriate reduction in price as compensation. If you and the seller do not reach an agreement on the amount of compensation, you may then lodge a complaint with the Office for Consumer Affairs within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.