You're going about it backwards. You hire them to do the design first and then you narrow down which color you like. You've telegraphed to them that you are a "shopper" and not a serious project.

BTW, most manufacturers will allow you to buy a sample door direct from them, just like buying sample tiles. Contact the manufacturer direct and order your doors. They usually run from about $50-$75 each.

I really don't think these people want to work with consumers!! They want to leave that mundane riff-raff to the kitchen designers, and just take the order from the KD.

We ran into this while trying to see Capital,GE Monogram, etc, ranges. We were dressed to go to a funeral, but I was not carrying a $2000 handbag (it was a low class funeral---I didn't want to seem pretentious, LOL), and did not know we needed an appointment, even though we were the only ones in the store.

When we happened into a store (dressed in Saturday clothes), and the owner gladly showed us everything he had, from Berta to Sub Zero, we bought it ALL from him, even though we had only planned on a range!!

Nancy

clg, it's a crazy business with some insane hidden markups buried in a number of ordering 'steps'.

I know KDs hate hearing this, but if you don't want to spend the extra $$ involved in those steps, I'd personally keep looking until you find either a seller friendly to consumers or an independent KD who doesn't tie their design to a cabinet sale.

clg, it's a crazy business with some insane hidden markups buried in a number of ordering 'steps'.

I know KDs hate hearing this, but if you don't want to spend the extra $$ involved in those steps, I'd personally keep looking until you find either a seller friendly to consumers or an independent KD who doesn't tie their design to a cabinet sale.

You wouldn't completely trust an architect who solely represented Hardiboard to design your house, for example, and I don't see why it shouldn't be the same for all design professions.

For all of the cabinets on our new build, I was able to get everything for our very friendly, local lumber yard. We had already been working with the lumber yard for all the supplies on our new build and by accident found out that they were a dealer for the higher end cabinets that I was interested in.

I already had a pretty firm idea of what I wanted for a layout and the lumber yard staff was able to put everything in their 3D design software (exactly the same software the KD used) and give me a quote. The lumber yard's quote was 30% less than what I had been given by a dealer of the same cabinetry that had an "exclusive" showroom.

The key to good service in my experience was calling ahead to make an appointment, going in with as many details about my expectations as possible, yet telling them that I was open to any ideas that I had not yet thought of. The KD at the "exclusive" showrooms were more creative in my experience, where the lumber yard staff gave me exactly what I asked for without making a lot of suggestions. This was fine with me because I had a clear vision, but some people might feel differently.

I have worked with showrooms, and in that capacity, we had the choice of 6-8 different lines that could fit almost anyone's budget. It's not a matter of "representing" a line. You are able pick from various lines, depending on what your customer tells you about (primarily) their budget and the look that they are going for. If you came in and wanted "white shaker cabinets", all 6 lines would have had that possibility and thus we would have been able to fit your budget just fine. If you came in and wanted "walnut recessed panel with applied molding detail" then there isn't a single line that I had that would work for what you wanted, no matter what your budget. (I've never worked for a truly high end firm.)

You might find 3 out of 1000 KDs who do not have a showroom affiliation, and that's about it. Most who have tried to operate independently are only able to do on a long term basis so because another family member is the breadwinner. It's not a financially rewarding job, unless you are in the top 3% that have "names". Most either end up joining a showroom or give up the profession for another more lucrative job.

In my case, our primary financial needs are taken care of because my husband receives a disability pension. Even so, although business has picked up this spring, I am considering going back to a showroom on a part time basis to be able to maintain the flexible schedule that caring for my husband involves and to be able to pay for the exorbitant medications that he needs. Thank goodness that I don't need to depend on my employment for our insurance!

Good customer service is good customer service no matter what the enterprise. I provide "customer service" for a large, public school system. My "customers" are administrators, curriculum supervisors, teachers, principals, secretaries, etc....it's not rocket science!...return calls and emails as soon as possible, if you don't know the answer tell the person you will find out and get back to them...and do it! Be patient and courteous. It's not hard or complicated for cryin out loud. I am constantly amazed that some people even HAVE a business or STAY in business when they can't even return a call or email. When we did our kitchen remodel, I wanted to support a local business run by a female KD with a nice showroom. I visited the showroom several times and talked with her...she came to my house twice..the second time to measure and draw up a preliminary plan....and I never heard from her again until about 8 months later when I got a voicemail asking if I was still interested in a kitchen remodel. It was already done!! Unbelievable! I don't run after businesses who don't call me back, etc...if they can't provide good customer service at the get-go, just think how they'll be if you have a problem down the road...keep searching until you can find a company who will provide the level of service you deserve.