Higher Grounds Granite & Marble Shop

We have dealt with some of the bigger players in this space and had a hard time getting the answers we wanted. We decided to go with Higher Ground based on their reviews here and the friendliness and knowledge of Romel when we went to visit.<br><br>

Romel was able to answer all of our questions and the selection process was easy and smooth. But honestly, things went downhill from the measurement process.<br><br>

We had another company in to do measurements and they spent a good hour and half doing so. Romel was in and out in about 20 minutes. That did seem a little odd to me compared to our first experience.<br><br>

The installation crew was on time and were generally pretty careful with our house. <br><br>

We were not very happy with them though. The lead was very moody and grumpy. The other guy didn't seem to know what he was doing most of the time as the lead was always yelling at him.<br><br>

All of our questions were answered with attitude which was not appreciated.<br><br>

The biggest complaint that we had was that the attention to detail was just not there:<br><br>

- One of the countertops was over *an inch* too short. This is what happens when you rush through the measuring process. Double checking measurements is a must. Lucky for us, they
were able to get a new slab the same day and return a few days later to install it.<br><br>

- We asked for 4 inch tall backsplahes on our vanities, most of them have different heights. Not the end of the world, they look nice, but again, where is the attention to detail? 4 inches, not 3.8 inches.<br><br>

- Our slide in stove did not fit in the opening. They had to cut large chunks off to get it in but, not before refusing to do so. Again, this goes back to rushing through the measurements. Had they left without moving back the stove, we would have had to call
them in yet again to cut more of the quartz.<br><br>

- The silicone job was very sloppy. The solution? We can paint over it. Great, more work for us.<br><br>

- Since they had to come back a second time, they rushed through the final install so that they could go to their next job. We were not happy with the finishing touches but they wanted to get out.<br><br>

- We have a rather large L shape in our kitchen that required 2 pieces and thus a seam. We were told that the seam wouldn't be very visible but honestly, it is quite visible. When we asked the installer about it, his response was "I don't know".<br><br>

- The height of those 2 pieces that made up the L were not even. They were going to leave it like that, the installer didn't seem to care. We had to call Romel and have him come in to look. The solution? Grind down the one side so that it curves in and
matches the other. The whole entire piece should have been ground down to match. Not once did anyone stop to think, "this is going to make a mess, maybe you should move your dishes". We had to spend hours cleaning all of our stuff.<br><br>

- All of our baking trays got covered in epoxy when the installer was doing the seam work. Not once did he stop and say: you have some things in there that should be moved because they could get some of this one them.<br><br>

- They had to remove a few kitchen cabinet doors to do the grinding. In the process the stripped one of the mechanism which I had to replace. Plus they did not put them back on correctly.<br><br>

- They left quite a mess at the end of the day and didn't make any effort to at least try and clean up a bit.<br><br>

In the end, we had to settle with extra work for us afterwards.

========= UPDATED REVIEW ==========

Company response: It is a good thing that we take full responsibly for all measurements taken and we never leave the customer stranded. We are all human and make mistakes; unfortunately it happened to this customer. Once we realized our mistake, we wasted no time. Romel ordered another full slab of quartz to redo the one piece at no extra charge to the customer.

Customer response: as mentioned in our review, yes, another slab was ordered and the issue was resolved.

Company response: As for the joint in the kitchen, if you contact any supplier they will tell you that there is no such slab that has the exact same thickness as another. Slabs slightly differ in thickness and that is why, on occasion, during an installation we sand the bottoms of the joints to even them out at the customer’s house.

Customer response: so sanding them down on one side to create a curve is acceptable? I am fine with sanding it down but do the whole piece, not just one side.

Company response: It is a shame that the customer felt the way she did with the installer, we have never had any problems with him, maybe he was having an off day.

Customer response: have a look at your other low review and will see the same thing we wrote in our review. Obviously not a 1 time thing.

Company response: Just to inform the homeowners, caulking is a paintable material, and is a common process during kitchen renovations to protect from water damage. Some areas may look thicker than other areas due to uneven walls. Quartz is not a bendable material, therefore caulking is needed.

Customer response: please don't make us look like we don't know what we are talking about.We know silicon is paintable and we know that there will be more in areas that need more. The issue is that the application was SLOPPY. It is all over the quartz and up the walls. Yes we could paint it but why are you creating the extra work for us? Apply it properly and we wouldn't have to paint it. In fact, we have shown your "quality" job to other contractors and they just laughed.

Company response: We could have walked away from the customer and left her stranded, but we took the loss in order to do the job properly. This goes to show you our commitment and dedication to our customers, no matter what the case may be; measurements, fabrication, installation, etc. We take responsibility when you hire us!

Customer response: if you had left us stranded, you would not have been paid the outstanding amount.

You failed to respond to other concerns mentioned in our review. What about the backsplashes you cut that are all of different heights? What is the excuse there? What about the fact that the stove did not fit? What about rushing through the second day? What about the very visible seam on top of the countertop and the installer not knowing why it was that way? What about your installer getting glue all over our baking pans? What about all the quartz dust on our things? They didn't even have the decency to suggest that we move things. What about screwing up our cabinet door hinges? What about the mess left behind?

Anyways, to anyone else reading this, just beware. I am sure there is an excuse for everything.