My granite yard only would call my granite "Wave". Of course I know full well that's not the granite's name, but I asked several times, and that's the only answer I got. I guess I had a different reaction from you, cause I just shrugged my shoulders about the name. You see, I had fallen in love with the stone. And now that I've lived with it, love it even more, because "Wave" not only looks gorgeous, but has been impervious to everything (and I mean everything). Frankly, I don't care what its name is! As Shakespeare said, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

I am a little confused about the part where your friend asked for "a final price". Later you said they didn't give her an "adjusted price". Can you clarify? Do you mean your friend asked them to lower their price, but they stood firm on their original quote? I can't say that I would criticize them for that, as they must know what price they want to charge to meet their profit goals. Sometimes I think we've gotten so used to negotiating and pressuring for ever lower prices that retailers' profits become so slim they could go out of business. They end up having to choose between losing the sale or selling at a price below their own costs. Either way, they're in trouble. We are seeing that everywhere, and it's a shame. Was the second place that much lower priced for their granite?

no, no, she wanted an adjusted price for the finish layout the first was based on an unfinished plan and there were some changes

she wasn't negotiating at all; needed to get them to price what the final cabinet/counter lay out was, thats all

she is not a negotiater and I am pretty much not also, so that was never part of it

the feeling we both got was the original yard didn't want her to look elsewhere knowing what the material was

i guess my feeling is i am a consumer and I am going to check out pricing; if all are in the same ballpark then the ones that have the best references in relation to seams and install are gonna get the job

i am really not positive with what she is getting, the Saturnia, is what she saw there, and maybe wasn't actually granite

i do know what you are saying about falling in love with what you selected and then that was it

but otoh, there are stones that stain more easily, scratch more easily and if a lot of mica present may chip away at those areas; if you're spending alot of money on your counters i think at a minimum if you want the info as to what the material is, you should get it

that's pretty much my point besides the attitude is surprising in this economy

Go back to the yard that has the unnamed stone that your friend likes so much. Ask for a sample to take home and match to her cabinets/wall color/flooring/backsplash. They should have a polished sample piece (somewhere around 3X3 inches or so) that she can take home to see how it looks with her kitchen and kitchen lighting.

Your friend hasn't actually *told* them that they've lost the sale, right? ;) She's still considering. And, if they're smart, they'll provide the sample and she can honestly consider whether or not to choose that particular stone or go with the Saturnia.

Take photos of the slab at the same time to get an idea of how a sizable piece will look.

They may or may not have samples available (though they SHOULD!!), but they should at least allow photos (don't ask, just shoot).

They should also provide their final cost based on the final plans submitted.

Once your friend has the actual cost and the sample piece, she can *probably* figure out what stone it is and price it out at other yards and decide which stone to choose and where to purchase it.

Hmmm...sounds exactly like the attitude we got at Marbolis in Anaheim, CA. Seemingly not interested in our business. Hard to understand some companies' motivation.

Regarding price negotiation, everything is negotiable! And as a managerial econ professor drummed into our heads in B-school, "Profit is maximized when marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost." In plain English, that means even a close-to-breakeven deal always makes sense, as long as you move more merchandise.

As I understand it, the names of the various stones aren't standardized. Some yards might be hesitant to give names because they're concerned about comparison shopping, but just as likely, they might be worried that the name isn't a good identifier. Like Dave. They might write you up a whole order for Dave, but when you get there you find out it's a skinny guy with a squint and you thought you were getting a beefy surfer with a 100 yard stare.

I bought a slab this last week at the largest supplier in the area--a place that was recommended here--and they have code numbers. The only words were "green soapstone" though the salesman who first showed it to me gave me all kinds of oral details about where it was quarried, etc. They have names for their granites, and I think some of their marbles, but another saleswoman told me she had the same granite I was looking at in her home but it was called something entirely different.

But they don't go by the names on their labels either, just item and lot numbers.

Except for a few basic looking stones that are similar in appearance and widely available (such as absolute black), there aren't any fixed names for stone. A particular color of granite in one locality may be called something entirely different in another locality. That's true even from one stone yard to another. Stone is a natural material. The same stone, from the same quarry may look different depending on the exact location from within the quarry that it was mined from.

In most cases, it's just silly to expect that different stone sellers are going to stock the exact same natural stone with the same exact look as their competitors. It's not Formica. linoleum or some other mass produced material. If you want consistent names for the same looking product, you'll need to go with mass-produced engineered stones that are man-made. Natural materials are simply not available with consistent names and looks.

After reading your difficult experience. I feel better
about my own. I was really upset last week. About 3 weeks
ago I went to a granite yard/installer. My cousin
recommended them. Well, they took all my info but never
got back to me on a price. I called, sent three e-mails
but still no repsonse back.

After two weeks I started looking for another installer.
My cousin sends me an e-mail saying the Granite place sent
them a fax saying a quote was on the way. They were a
little surprised said I should call them to clear this up.

My cousin is a wood worker but NOT doing my cabninets
just recommended this granite place for me.

I called again and said there was a mix up and the quote
should come directly to me. Could they give me this over
the phone? Let me first say the man on the phone started
out angry. And it only got worse. I explained I had been
trying for three weeks to reach them. This made him more
angry. The man said it was my fault that I put down the
name of the Woodworker as the guy to contact and that
this was my error.

I corrected him and said. No sir, I did not even fill out
your form. Your salesperson did this her name _______.
I only told her who recommended me. I even contacted her
and you several times but no one responded back.

He said we spoke to your woodworker weeks ago. Now, I
knew he wasy lying. That is when I said the WoodWorker
is my cousin and this is not possible since I see him and
his wife every sun at church. He would have told me if
this were the case.

I was angry about the bold lie. I wanted to redirect this
man so I said. I had heard great things about them. I had
already visited their yard and wanted to go forward. I
explained I was disappointed but hoped we could move
forward.

The guy was really NASTY (he had been caught lying) and
said that they NOW had to readjust the price for RETAIL.
And it would take a day.

I got off the phone annoyed. But since I had already begun
shopping for other installers just ignored this comment
and said good bye. I understand business people have to
make a profit. But did he have to be so rude and tell me
this. He did finally e-mail with a big apology. I think he
did see that the error was not my error. He asked if we
could start over and that he would love to the install for
our counters.

My DH is saying find someone else. If this guy is
difficult and we have not given him money imagine
what he will be like when he has our money.

The hard part is I have three good recommendations of
this company. Two are neighbors. So it is hard not
to choose them. I have 5 other quotes one is lower but
I am still waiting to decide who does the job.

I agree in this economy I would think they would want
the business.

Sorry to go on so long, It was nice to share my story.
I wish these contractors were a nicer group of people.

The first time I wandered into stone yards I had just bought a house with yucky, poorly installed, stone tiles taking up the code required distance between the fireplaces and carpets. Not even centered. So I went to buy stone. This was before the whole post-9/11 nesting craze. I ended up getting a good deal--then the yard sold one of my paid for slabs to someone else! They made good on it and I ended up with something better in the process, but what I learned is that stone yards treat fabricators well, contractors so-so, and consumers as petty annoyances.

Oh! And I should mention that the fabricator came and looked at the job and didn't bid and didn't do anything and delayed the wood floor installation, and finally the floor guy had to lay it without the stone in. My

Obviously, it's nicer dealing with nice people. But in the long run, it's the stone, and the stone properly installed, and at the fairest price that you want. Rather than focus on whether someone is rude or mean or taking too long or whatever, get as many recommendations as you can and go with the one who does the very best job.

Good advice Plllog

The Mean Granite people were $2000 more
than everyone else. A huge markup but maybe
they are worth it.