I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience with Reco Surfaces has been extremely disappointing and has cost me a significant amount of time and money. I purchased their PVC wall panels (Order #24669) after seeing their website and videos describing the product as DIY-friendly, easy to cut, and durable. Unfortunately, the product I received was none of these things.
1. Panels cracked and shattered when cut
Despite following all the recommended handling and storage instructions (removed from packaging promptly, stored flat, not rolled or bent), the panels were extremely brittle.
When attempting to cut them -- even carefully -- they snapped and shattered, making several panels unusable.
Cutting attempts included:
Fresh Stanley blade (as shown in Reco's own video)
Dremel
Fine-toothed saw
None of these methods prevented the brittleness and cracking.
2. Their "DIY friendly" and "easy to cut" claims are misleading
Reco's marketing strongly emphasises that their panels are suitable for DIY installers and that only standard tools are required. Their website and publicly available videos show PVC-style panels being cut with a Stanley knife -- with no clear warning that this method is "not suitable" for PVC versions.
Reco now claims these videos are "old" or only refer to acrylic, but there is nothing online making this distinction clear to customers. If a company leaves instructional content public -- and doesn't label it as outdated -- that's on them, not the customer.
3. Panels scratched despite having the protective film still on
This was separate from the cutting issue.
While manoeuvring a panel into position, the edge of another panel caused deep scratches, even though the "scratched" panel still had its protective film intact.
The product is advertised as "scratch proof" and "Teflon hard-coat scratch resistant." My experience showed that even minor contact results in visible damage.
4. Customer service response was poor
Instead of acknowledging the issues, I was offered 10% compensation and told the problem was due to:
Using the wrong cutting tool
Panels being brittle because they were stored rolled (they were never rolled)
An old video being misleading (but still publicly available with no disclaimer)
I provided photos and explanations, but the company refused to accept that the product was not as described, not fit for purpose, and not of satisfactory quality.
5. Ultimately had to remove the panels and start again
The finish was so poor and the material so fragile that I had no choice but to remove what I had installed and replace it with a different product entirely, at my own expense.
In summary:
Product quality was extremely poor
Website and video guidance is misleading
Panels are not DIY-friendly as advertised
Brittle, easily damaged, and prone to cracking
Customer service unwilling to take responsibility
I am now pursuing a refund under Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act due to the product being unfit for purpose and not as described.
I strongly advise anyone considering Reco Surfaces to do thorough research and be wary of relying on their videos or marketing claims. My experience has been costly, frustrating, and completely avoidable. read more