Complete interior design of new condominium
Trying to work with Belinda and her husband Tyrone (general contractor) was an exercise in patience and continued frustration. It’s stressful and costly enough undergoing renovations of any kind, but to have to deal with price gouging was unfair. The initial design work was fine but when it came time to material pricing and their mark up, there was inconsistency. Here is an example; they stated in an e-mail to me “We will pass on our costs to you for hardware used in building….” I paid the quoted hardware costs and then later asked for it for my records. They told me they didn’t have the bill, they received the price from the carpenter. I later acquired the bill from the carpenter, who confirmed the price on the bill was the one given to Tyrone. It turns out Belinda and Tyrone marketed the item up over 140%. No wonder they didn’t want me to see the bill. Looking through the Homestars website there are many interior designers to choose from, unless you have an unlimited budget I wouldn’t choose Design Studio.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $40,000.00
- Company Response
Anyone in business knows that every once in a while you can't please everyone. Some clients will see fault in everything, and as a professional, you can feel there is an underlying intention not to pay for products and services.
There are two sides to this story, and my firm did everything we reasonably could to compensate KN for his concerns. The work we did complete in this 1 bedroom and den condo was very good and I was surprised by all the minor issues. My current clients who know me, understand, and I know future clients will be able to transparently see these accusations as not reflective of how we conduct our business. We do appreciate feedback though, and we will work hard to ensure our clients come away knowing they have received the value and experience Design Studio brings to each project.
Sincerely, Belinda Albo and Tyrone Mcfadden