S & D Timber and Builders Merchants Kenton Lane, Harrow HA3 8RR

"Pros: 1. Good wood cutting service 2. Excellent customer service. Cons: When buying box of screws, count them as my box was 53 screws short."

"This place has gone downhill. I bought 3 floorboards which they selected, double the price of last year and didn't notice it was badly knotted and cracked. When I got home I noticed one had a very big crack and partly broke up. The others also had big defects but I took one back. The owner told me that I was buying floorboards and it was up to me to check for defects before I bought it. In other words they would sell junk if you don't notice because they don't have a minimum quality standard for what they sell. Unlike most stores who value their reputation and recognise the value of trust, they are happy to take your money leaving it to you to make sure you are not buying scrap wood. In future I would rather stick with bigger retailers who value their reputation and will readily take back bad wood they sell. If you have to buy there, check wood carefully because they will sell you useless defective wood if you don't notice. They even cut the wood for me but felt no sense that such poor quality wood should be sold to customers. Update The owner was upset with my review and refused to serve me when I came for more wood. So I bought some quality wood from Selco (picture attached) nearby and felt safer because as a big company, there would be no question that they would not take back any defective material purchased. I was able to pick out my own wood from a selection instead of them pulling out substandard wood from the back and then later saying they won't take it back because it was my responsibility to check it was not defective. Other reviewers have also noted their poor wood quality. I have since learned from my bad experience to always check wood carefully before taking it home for knots and cracks, especially with small shops with little respect for customers. What sort or owner reacts to a negative review in such an unprofessional immature manner? One who doesn't understand that he provides a service and is heading for certain failure. There are many other alternatives nearby; Travis Perkins, B and Q, Wickes, Tarrants and Selco (picture below) and many cheaper online stores."

"Service and prices much better than B&Q etc. Being a non tradesperson wasn’t too sure if it’s the right place for me but staff are very helpful and quality of service and prices are much better than the chain stores I’d normally go to. A great local business!"

"- very friendly and professional team (multi language sales team) - fast delivery - friendly delivery drivers - good value for money - brilliant range of timber products - unbeatable regarding availability and pricing for fencing material"

"I've been using S & D Timber for over 15 years. Best service you will get. Best prices, forget your DIY shops like BQ, S&D timber beats them all."