Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stalling on a response for 3 days was also unprofessional. At that point, we were deciding on whether to absorb the cost or go back to original granite but needed to know if we are paying full price or partial. If partial, how much would it be. We NEVER got a response back....they stalled until we craved it.
They did not make a mistake. You wanted to make sure the granite color was okay with you. They had to change the color. It was more expensive. They aren't going to pay for the more expensive granite that you decided on. They weren't stalling, they just told you they weren't splitting the price and that was their answer; they aren't going to haggle back & forth with you.
I'm kind of laughing at this thread. I had my house completely remodeled over four years. The guy doing the work is a close personal friend, like in each others weddings 20+ years ago close. I was wintering 4 hours drive away telecommuting from my ski condo. He had from December to May to get a phase done. He'd email me smartphone photos a few times per week and we'd have "while it's opened up..." phone calls. By the third winter, all the remedial work was already priced into my expectations. It would have been cheaper to tear it down and start over. My friend doing the work always said "you should just throw a match at it." I spent about $220 per square foot. A trivial kitchen remodel that is likely nothing but a new floor, new boxes, and a new countertop a bit over budget and a bit late? Puh-leeeze.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,937,291 times
Reputation: 9885
I'm with you, OP. I get that there are delays. However, you asked a professional when he could have it done and he gave you a date. He should stick with the date or explain why he cannot finish on the agreed-upon date. I also think it is incredibly unprofessional to not return your calls.
I don't know what your financial arrangements were with him, but I withhold as much money as possible until all the work is completed to my satisfaction.
Lately, I've been doing most of my work on my own. However, when I do use tradesmen, I buy my own stuff. If the tradesman says he can get it cheaper, I ask for it to be brought to my house. If he skips out on the job at least I have the supplies/materials.
You can certainly spend your time doing so, but Angie's List will just take it down, because they are on the side of the contractors, not the unsuspecting public. Might I suggest the BBB? They've always helped me.
Angie's List used to be much better years ago, but once the VC's got in there, they decided to make money primarily from the service providers as opposed to from subscribers. But I must say that most of the contractors and other providers that I have found through Angie's List have worked out pretty good. Sure beats asking around friends/family/neighbors who all have drastically different standards for quality of work, tidiness, punctuality, timeliness, personality, affordability, etc.
BBB is really no different. They make money from businesses that are members, and they tilt the table, too.
What is a realistic request? In the end, I absorbed the full cost when though I did not make the mistake. Contractor or Warehouse made the mistake and did not get punished. I guess that's just how life goes.
I plan to document my experience honestly (I kept all my emails, texts and notes) in a review on Angie's List, Yelp, etc. People can read about it and make their own determination.
Stalling on a response for 3 days was also unprofessional. At that point, we were deciding on whether to absorb the cost or go back to original granite but needed to know if we are paying full price or partial. If partial, how much would it be. We NEVER got a response back....they stalled until we craved it.
I am assuming that you would do the same if everything had gone your way and there were no issues.
Oh man, been there, done that. I had FINALLY convinced my husband to have our kitchen redone. We hired an idiot to do our kitchen. He started the job on a Friday-gutted the place and then told us that he didn't work weekends. Luckily our house used to be a two family house and we had a kitchen upstairs. Then he put down hard wood floor-which we had absolutely no complaints about that. But he only seem to work maybe a few hours and then leave. Then he disappeared for a week-and we still didn't have a kitchen-this was Thanksgiving week. We were glad that we weren't expecting people.
When he finally came back, he said that Home Depot could build cabinets cheaper than he could. So, we went to Home Depot to have them made. Then he wanted the price he originally quoted. We said, "Um, no-that is why we went with Home Depot." When it came time to build the peninsula, it was obvious that the guy didn't have a clue. He used shotty wood and made sure that you could see the stamp on it. Then when he screwed the hardware in, the wood was so thin that the screws stuck out. The cabinets didn't close right. Even the cabinets that Home Depot made weren't lined up either. After being without a kitchen for about a month, what we were stuck with was basically a piece of s***! He was supposed to do some painting and only did a partial job. I know nothing about carpentry but I think I could have done a better job if I did it myself.
Needless to say, we sued. Yes, we won the suit but didn't see a dime of it because the guy is broke and didn't have any $$$$ to give us. I also had the fun job of writing him the worse review on Angie's List.
I knew we would had to live with that awful kitchen. I think it was about 2 years or so when I FINALLY told my husband that I couldn't stand it any more. He couldn't stand it either. It was literally falling apart. We went to a local place and they recommended a contractor. That was the beginning of a good relationship with this guy. He did a WONDERFUL job on the kitchen. And what was amazing, he did the job so we were only without a kitchen for one evening. What a difference. He was the one who did most of the work on our beautiful 1865 Victorian. Whenever we need any work done, he is the guy we called. Too bad we didn't hire him BEFORE we hired that idiot.
The reason it is only one week is that we left the cabinets in place....no changes there. We only did new countertop, backsplash and install vent hood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hunterseat
My guy says be happy if you're getting a kitchen with granite and new cabinets for 10K. You're keeping your old appliances?
Still it's a PITA. Sorry.
The reason it is only one week is that we left the cabinets in place....no changes there. We only did new countertop, backsplash and install vent hood.
Right now, there is little to no communication with contractor. I left voicemessages...texts. I have no idea what the plan is and when our kitchen is done. This is totally unprofessional.
We had granite put in our winter home and they didn't take the old counter out until the granite was brought out for installation. They measured and it took a week or so for them to install, so no down time. And they only had one seam and that was in a 15" island counter with two 45 degree bends. We went to one of the stoneworks showrooms and picked out our particular slab, so there were no surprises afterward. Our vent hood was installed by the appliance store, so no surprises there either. We have not done a backsplash, but it's only a matter of time before the wife insists. At this point, the only thing you can probably do is leave a bad review.
I must say that most of the contractors and other providers that I have found through Angie's List have worked out pretty good. Sure beats asking around friends/family/neighbors who all have drastically different standards for quality of work, tidiness, punctuality, timeliness, personality, affordability, etc.
NextDoor.com is awesome.
In a very good way.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Luckily our house used to be a two family house and we had a kitchen upstairs. Then he put down hard wood floor-which we had absolutely no complaints about that. But he only seem to work maybe a few hours and then leave. Then he disappeared for a week-and we still didn't have a kitchen-this was Thanksgiving week. We were glad that we weren't expecting people. 
