Company was to provide 3 designs for a kitchen renovation. Cost was $2500 plus tax. Once design was approved, customer had option to have them do the renovation and design cost would be taken off renovation price. Company gave three deigns: one was of existing kitchen, one was my own design, one was company design but was not feasible due to structural issues in my home. For the money I paid I did not get any unique designs. Part of this process included how to deal with the flooring in my kitchen. I was advised
to purchase new flooring and install it rather than refinish existing fir floors. I found out after purchasing a custom run order of fir flooring, which the consultant was fully aware of and helped me
measure for , that it would have been cheaper to refinish the existing floors. More problems arose during the budgeting process at which time I tried to reach out to the manager to discuss these issues which the company encourages in their sales brochure.
Phone calls were made and emails were sent but it was 2 weeks
before the manager returned my calls and this was only after I
contacted the President of the company. We set up a time to meet and at this meeting the manager at one point accused me of saying the consultant was being untruthful. This was a very upsetting and disturbing experience. During the budgeting process, not one expert came to give advice. Such as flooring, how to install the built in microwave, which required some carpentry and framing advice, electrical, or plumbing, yet budgets were compiled based on photos and information given by the consultants. This may be ok in some cases but in other situations, an expert is necessary in order to give accurate information. This was not done regarding the flooring and the microwave installation.
Based on all of the above information and my experience, I would never recommend this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,500.00
- Company Response
Hello J,
Thank you for letting us know about your experience and your feed back. Any feed back from any of our clients is always welcomed, as it will allow us to better serve our clients in the future.
I do apologize if you did not find your experience desirable with us, as we always strive to accommodate all of our clients and their renovation needs.
I did however want to touch base on some of your comments.
The reason we engage our clients in a design first, is to ensure that we are all on the same page. As there are a lot of moving parts and many different variable, we want to be very clear with our clients with what is and is not included in the renovation we are proposing.
When you approached us you were very specific with what you wanted, and had a set budget to achieve the work. When you engaged with us to do the design work, it was to ensure that we were clear as to what is included and how much all this work would cost exactly.
When we started down the road for the design, yes you are correct, we did provide you with 3 options based on the information that you gave us. The first design was based on your budget and how we can maximize your scope and give you as much of your wish list as possible. The second Design was based off of your ideas and what you wanted the kitchen to be which came in slightly over your budget. The third option was created by our design team to show you other option. Due to the size and restrictions of your kitchen and budget, we did not have the ability to really work outside those parameter as it would of driven the cost significantly higher than what you wanted to invest in the renovation, which you were vary adamant about.
With regards to the flooring, nobody in our office asked you to purchase anything, as that is what we do for our clients. I believe that with all the excitement of the renovation underway, you pulled the trigger and purchased the floors, before any design or scope was ever signed off on. Again I do apologize if you misunderstood, and we have implemented a new process to ensure that this never happens again.
On the other hand, the design process has actually shown its value , because you got an accurate price that reflected the work you wanted to achieve. Although it was over your budget, it's better that you find that out before, rather than in the middle of the project when everything is ripped apart. This put you in the drivers seat to decide if it was worth investing the little bit extra it cost to get what you wanted now, or hold off on the renovation for a little bit until the resources are available to you to do the full renovation.
Also we did work with you for over 3 months, to try to get you something that you would be happy with,but unfortunately you would not accept anything other than what you wanted exactly, and at the cost you wanted to pay. Unfortunately that is not a realistic approach. That is the approach a lot of unprofessional people in my industry take just to secure the job, then leave the client scrambling to come up with the actual amount needed to achieve the renovation.
We are never going to setup false expectations for our clients just to get the job. Our company is built on trust and ethical business practice.
After we realized that we could not give you what you wanted, I suggested that maybe it would be best to get other quotes from other individuals now that you have a clear design and scope of work. Again you found that to not be a reasonable request.
With regards to your statements that we have never has a expert come out, I find that a little bit harsh, as I have been doing renovation for over 9 years now, and renovated over 400 homes, our team of Consultant run all the jobs by me and I give them the direction they need to convey accurate information.
I do hope that you end up getting your renovation done, and if you do have any questions or need some guidance, as I have mentioned to you before you can always give me a call and I would be happy to give you my input.
All the best,
Hussain Khatheer
General Manager