just a few nights ago, I found that both my brothers (one aged 12, the other 23, which is older than me) did not know what an artichoke was over dinner conversation and I remember a while ago the younger brother wasn't sure which berry was a raspberry And I still have to explain to people what leeks are I once was buying okra at the supermarket, and the guy at the register asked me what it is (then again, I'm a yankee up North) I swear that if modern America's current state of wealth, technology and prosperity ends, people will be malnourished instead of fat because they don't know how to eat - I could just imagine it, some really big war breaks out, and then there is a recession followed by high taxes and food rationing like in WW2, and instead of hearing about America's health crisis being fat people with heart disease, it will be scurvy because people refuse to eat vegetables and just go "ewwwww" like little children I mean seriously think about it, the only vegetation or vitamin C a lot of louses out there with the palates of children get come from the lettuce and tomato on burgers, or maybe potatoes, in the form of french fries I'm just so sick of so many people not knowing or appreciating even the most basic foods - I've devoted tons of time to learning to cook, and I'm the only one I can cook for who won't whine about every little thing. I mean GOD FORBID something should be even a little bit more strongly flavored than bread or water... or hamburger patties it irritates me people not only don't know where their food comes from, they barely even know what food is (or what goes into it) or how to eat - they just graze along, gnoshing upon whatever meat-starch combinations happen to be on the menu or fast-food-wall-list

I ordered mine on the 14th-FINALLY got an email yesterday with a tracking number. The tracking number showed that they had attempted delivery Wednesday AND Thursday but there were security issues. Called FedEx today for an explanation and they said security was a code for a problem, but not in terms of a danger issue. No joy there since they said they couldn't answer me until Tuesday. I said that these were live plants and that WAS an issue. Called HD Customer Service and got a very nice young lady who made some calls for me-turns out they had the wrong house number on the shipping label, even though I had given them the right one. GRRRRRRRRRRRR. Anyway, they turned up late this afternoon. They have been in transit since the 20th and rather than the lovely damp muddy roots some folks have mentioned, these were dampish in some cases and dry in others, no surprise with these temperatures. Since we only get 3 days from day of delivery to file a claim, I have to make a decision what to do.

Thanks again everyone for the replies. I have to say my uneasy feeling is not going away. Here's the latest. So please chime in if this appears to be red flags. At this point we are thinking of canceling the order. I had only talked to the fabricator once. This was when she set up the appt for the template. I went to the granite warehouse (2 hrs away) and only saw 2 slabs that were not really to my liking. I did tag one as the warehouse wasn't sure when they would get more slabs in. They said I could tag one and wait so I did that. I was told by the warehouse that more granite would come in. First it was a few days, then they said no, its more like a week, then its 2 weeks. So I have called every few days to see if more granite is in. I can tell they are getting annoyed with me and now have been told "they will call when they get a truck." At this point, I have no idea when they will get more granite. I put in a call to the fabricator to find out what happens if no more granite comes in and if they could work around an undesirable spot on the slab I did put on hold. No return call. After 3 days Im getting peeved. Each time I call it always goes to voicemail. On the 3rd day I left a message stating I really wanted to hear back. When no call came my husband called HD to complain. HD manager said she would contact the rep. So the installer comes to do the template. I ask him about my concerns with the slabs and the one I have on hold that has an undesirable spot and if it can be worked around. He said I need to talk to the fabricator. He just installs. Okay fine. He said he had to take my sink with him. After he left, then it dawned on me. I just gave my new sink to someone that I don't even know where he is from. I say this because he mentioned he works for so and so which is a different name than the fabricator. So it appears so far there are 3 separate companies involved in this process. The granite warehouse, the fabricator and the installer. Fabricator calls me early this morning. She sounded nervous and a bit frazzled. Im sure she got a phone call from HD or the rep from her company. She apologized and said its been extremely busy and she has had some family issues to take care of. I told her my concerns about everything. She asked me to text a pic of the slab to her phone so she can see it. She said if the undesirable spot is in the middle of the slab, it could be a problem trying to fabricate around it. She didnt sound too encouraging that the undesirable spot would be left out. She said I can come and see it templated on the slab. I don't even know if I want that slab anymore. I feel like I don't have a choice. Not that she didnt say that but if the granite warehouse can't tell me when they will get more it bothers me. The fabricator told me I chose a popular stone, it could be a while before more comes in. I got the feeling she was trying to rush me off the phone. I could hear maybe some kids in the background and then a car horn beeping. Could be just a neighbor or whatever but I got the vibe someone was honking for her because of how fast she was talking especially after the horn beep. She said she would contact the production manager about the undesirable spot. She hopes she can call me back today. I told her that we were thinking of canceling and I wanted to know where my sink was. She said the guy that did the template works for her but he is located in such and such city which is pretty far away. (Great) So I hung up with her and now its back to the waiting game. Now I feel its all just a hassle. I am really leaning toward canceling all of this but now I have track down my sink and more than likely go drive to get it. Well so it happens my husband has to go to that particular area for work tomorrow (a complete fluke) and he said he could swing by where that installer is located and get our sink. He is leaving it up to me to cancel and I am on the verge. If this is how its gonna go before I even have the work done, what happens if we end up with a problem? What you do think? Red flags? Is this how it goes? I mean I understand its a process but I got a bad feeling. Thoughts?

If I were in your position, I would find a reputable supplier of your product. They would either fabricate or have a fabricator. My reasoning for this is that I had Home Depot bid my kitchen remodel 5 years ago. I had them bid everything, but only ended up letting them do the demo and installation of cabinets. When they measured for cabinets, they assumed I would be replacing fairly new floor covering hence ordering a 24" corner sink cabinet. Fortunately, I caught that and told them I wanted the originally sized 36" base. It created a delay of a couple of weeks. To shorten my long story, I saved about $2,000 finding my own countertop and backsplash supplier who used a reputable fabricator. Plus, I served as my own GC to schedule electrician, plumber, appliance installation much to the chagrin of HD. They claimed I would mess up their installation timeframe. Well, I got it taken care of and saved approximately another $4,000 over HD's bid. To me, $6,000 is a lot of money! Last, but not least, I was not impressed with the cabinet installation. HD prices are misleading. Once you have spent hours consulting whether for kitchen or carpet or whatever, the price adding installation is considerably higher than necessary.