Susan & Gary in Oakville

Our experience with Granite Transformations was nothing short of a disaster from start to finish. This company has left us with a non-functional kitchen better suited to an empty-nester condo than to our four-bedroom house. Despite almost five months of discussions, we’re walking away virtually empty handed. We received a call from the design consultant after signing the contract informing us that the price had been calculated incorrectly. We needed to throw in another $900 to get the countertops shown in our contract diagram. When we indicated that we’d go elsewhere, the company agreed to honour the original contract price. As well as standard countertops, our kitchen included a 6.5 foot custom breakfast bar with cabinetry at one end. Despite the diagram attached to our contract clearly showing the length of the bar, the installers left us with a breakfast bar 10.5 inches shorter than the original. In short, a coffee bar for two where our family of four can no longer gather for casual meals since we can only accommodate two chairs. Even our basic counters did not receive the seamless granite we were assured we would have. No problem was identified until the installers stood in our kitchen with half the installation completed. We were then advised that they were unable to install a seamless countertop without removing the built-in cabinetry flanking our fridge. Unfortunately, they indicated that they were unable to reinstall it properly afterwards. With the other side of our kitchen already completed, we saw no real choice. We now have a tacky-looking seam in a visible area right under a window. The seam makes it immediately apparent that we’ve invested in a thin coating rather than in real granite. It was explained afterwards that the uninstalled product might break so it can only be installed seamlessly on an open-ended counter where it can be slid into place without bending. The company’s position on these issues was that a script is always followed, everything is always discussed and therefore we must have approved it all. The templater had indicated where the existing counter had to be "squared off" but it was not discussed or made clear that the new counter was intended to end there when our contract diagram clearly showed what we were to receive. What it boiled down to, they said, was simply a case of miscommunication and thus they were not responsible. Notwithstanding, they were willing to offer us a 50% discount on the new cost of reconstructing and resurfacing the eating bar they destroyed. In summary, we write off the $1,500 we already paid for the useless one and give them another $750 to replace it with what we should have received in the first place. Since we refused this offer, they agreed to a rebate of $150 ostensibly to cover the cost of the materials we should have and did not receive. Of course, this does not include the facing, labour and whatever other charges were included in the cost per square foot when we paid for it. A rebate of $150 on a $6,000 investment is hardly enough to offset the loss of our functional kitchen, nor will it come close to covering contractor costs to fix or replace it. If you deal with this company, pay close attention throughout the process and repeat the questions you’ve already had answered as the players keep changing from the consultant to the templater to the installers. Ensure that all understandings are documented with signatures every step of the way. Avoid using your credit card with payments tied to events. And make sure you know in advance if tacky seams will be required.