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Both colors are depressing. Different colors, but still depressing. One is brown, one is black. At the least either a refund/replacement or a serious cost reduction is warranted.
Agree, but to be fair, we don't know anything else about the kitchen.
OP, they are clearly not the same finishes and you should at least threaten a lawsuit, calling the BBB... and demand they fix your cabinets.
The brown color is actually quite pretty I think with its silky finish and would go well/contrast with white countertops and other bright things in my room. I have modeled my room in 3D design and it was the perfect color for the design I chose.
Black one is indeed depressing as hell and just looks cheap and nasty. It hurts to just look at it, to be honest.
Today I will return their call (didn't get it yesterday) and will see how it goes about the refund and if they will continute to try to screw me. I'm surprised at their persistence, it's a small $5000 kitchen, and their mistake is so glaring, I'm surprised they don't want to own up to it, it's not like I'm complaining about $50000 kitchen.
I would suspect there is a disclaimer in it that states something about variance in color. I seriously doubt you have any legal standing as far as the variance in color unless you can somehow prove that the cabinets were stained in a different color than the one you chose.
I would go back and find a sample (on beech) that DOES match your finished cabinets and make the assertion that the cabinets were finished in that stain rather than the stain you chose, and it is a matter of error on the company's part.
Additionally, I would check to see if your contract has a clause in it that requires customer approval of a sample of the stain on the product b/f installation. If you approved the color before installation by visually examining the cabinets once they were delivered and you did not halt the process at that point, then you likely have no recourse as far as getting the company to tear out the installation and put in new cabinets. It would just be a matter of good will on their part if they decided to refund some money, for example.
Once a customer signs off on a product and allows installation to proceed, then it is pretty much going to be a situation of your being stuck with the product. Your state may have some provision re: notification of error (time period, i.e. 72 hours) and withholding of money but these are all things an attorney would have to help you with.
The dark stain could be quite attractive as long as you incorporate other decor that works with it. I know it is not what you expected but if you are stuck with it, figure out how to make it work. I would probably take it to a very dark grey painted finish if it were me . . . perhaps a matte.
You will find 2 photos on this page that might help you envision the hardware and countertops that would set off the dark cabinets to your advantage.
What a mess. I looked at Huntwoods color chart and the colors are all far apart......meaning no 2 are very very close in color for something like this to happen.
Will you check your order contract and see what color they ordered? Now look on the boxes of the cabinet delivered. Does that color appear on the label or does another color.
No store has a back room color laboratory as they told you. That is hogwash. Something is weird here and it could be an all out mistake by the store, a misunderstanding by you, or.......well............who knows.
We here can't point fingers till we have the whole story.
Colors from major cabinet manufacturers do not vary. You choose one of their colors for your new kitchen and that color remains consistent from box 1 to box 1 million on the production line. It does not vary from the showroom sample.
As for that showroom sample, the only thing I notice over 3 decades is the showroom door sample center has door samples hand picked and hand finished individually for the sole purpose of a door selection center. In other words it does not go through the assembly line in mass production. Afterall....they want to show their product in the best light right?
A good example of this is our Hickory doors on the door selection center have very little color variation or knots. But in real life what goes in your Hickory kitchen is a vast array of color variations and knots. People beef about this saying this is not what I picked from the showroom. I don't believe this is your case but just mentioning it for general knowledge.
Get in touch with the Local Cabinet Rep. No results? Go to the Regional Rep. No results? Get on with the National Rep. Keep going up to the next level, keep kicking and screaming.
Threaten to do a media blitz (Google Reviews, RipOff Report, Consumer Complaints, BBB, Yahoo, etc.)
How did you pay? If you financed it or used a CC, dispute the charge.
Play Hardball. Obviously they are not the same color... they'll have to own up to it or lose a lot more in business than the cost of fixing this error.
OP, I'd suggest you go to any of the home stores paint dept and look at the samples they have in regards to stains. Different woods absorb the same color stain differently. That's why you'll see samples of the colors on white pine and usually maple, because the same stain will be different colors. Even woods of the same species will absorb stain differently depending on where in the tree the wood comes from. More than likely the maker used a canned stain that you picked out. He has no control over how any stain is going to come out. Stains are a ballpark kinda thing. You picked a charcoal and you got a charcoal stain.
Quote:
Colors from major cabinet manufacturers do not vary. You choose one of their colors for your new kitchen and that color remains consistent from box 1 to box 1 million on the production line. It does not vary from the showroom sample.
This mostly because you have no clue about the process. Most production cabinets are not stained. Staining requires the stain be applied, allowed to penetrate the wood and dry, and then the clear finish layed on. Production cabinets are never stained. The color is in the finish or to say it better, the finish is an opaque paint. Chip the finish and you have raw wood under that matching color. Chip the finish on custom cabinets and the color remains the same as the color is in the wood. Major difference between custom cabinets and production cabinets for the finish.
And herein lies the issue with seeking information on the internet. You're going to get a lot of opinions stated as fact when in fact the posters are clueless. This is an issue you should have taken up with the owner of the shop before any installation. Once installed, the cabinets are yours. Even production cabinets, if you're not happy with them, do not allow installation or learn to live with them. As far as the shop, I'd say they did a poor job of setting expectations. They should have advised you that any dark stain is not going to be an exact match to any sample. Obviously, you can get an attorney and sue, you can sue just because you want to be a headache. The probabilities of your winning are close to none.
I would agree that you should always inspect BEFORE installation ...
because now you're not just asking for the cabinets to be fixed, but basically you're asking for them to rip out the *wrong* cabinets, and then reinstall the *right* cabinets..
which means they'd have to eat the cost on the labor.. never mind whatever would happen with the cabinets themselves.
Like I said earlier - HD/Lowes you probably could get away with it. They will go to absurd lengths to correct errors. But any smaller place, you probably are stuck with them since they've now been installed for some time.
But you certainly can post your unhappiness on some review sites. (again, polite and factual).
You could sue if you felt it was worth it, but honestly for such a small monetary amount (you said less than $5K) you will probably spend any potential winnings on your lawyer's fees.
Sorry for the issues. I agree with the other poster - if you are stuck with these (and you may very well be) - see what you can do to make them tolerable (different wall paint choice, accessories, etc..)
Production cabinets are never stained. WHAT????????
You're going to get a lot of opinions stated as fact when in fact the posters are clueless.
Obviously!
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