Anita, everywhere I tried to save too many bucks...cost me big time! And my lost granite and marble (never purchased by the fabricator, they just kept my cash) to the tune of over $5000. In addition I'd bought tile from them and they cut it wrong (cut too many of the pieces). So I didn't have enough to do one of my floors because it was cut into pieces.

They did the same with the nordic black. I'm telling you...what a nightmare!

It sucks that there are such terrible retailers out there in the stone world. HOpefully, like my guys, they'll go out of business!

Anita,

I know EXACTLY how you feel!

I've been in such a funk for the past month or so because of a similar situation- not only did the 'crooks' in my case not give me my vanity cabinet- they gave me a different granite top than the one I paid for, AND I DO have a kitchen they haven't finished. I'm trying to decide whether or not to pay to have ALL my kitchen granite replaced (Company was going to, but say they have declared bankruptcy- even that is suspect), or to live with a crack (that one restoration company says they CAN'T fix).

I was feeling so depressed and guilty for having chosen this company. Luckily my sister phoned and made me feel so much better. I was feeling worse than I'm sure the 'stupid' owner is, and I haven't done anything wrong!

Sounds like you've done an intelligent thing in moving on and dealing with a different company. I have hired a carpenter to finish off the kitchen (and though he is slower than promised- sigh- why don't these guys just tell us the honest truth)- that action lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

Think of that $400 as a cheap tuition to the University of Hard Knocks- and heed the lessons learned. Do not take on any guilt or feelings of being 'unwashed'. You did nothing wrong. In your case, since the company is still solvent, you probably do have recourse- is there an ombudsman or TV or newspaper that deals with consumer complaints? There's not much I can do, cuz you can't wring water out of a stone, but I did file a claim with Visa, and DID get back my deposit for the vanity. My lesson- pay with Visa... (though I am paying my carpenter by cheque- guess I'm a slow learner...:>)

Oh yeah, I hear ya. Go ahead, cry.

I lost my brand new gas grill (to the tune of $800, plus cart, gas cylinders, cover) to the guy who was hauling away all the construction debris after demo. The grill was NOWHERE NEAR the pile of debris, it was at the other end of the yard, tucked into a corner. Jailbird contractor (who was supposed to be supervising) ignored his helpers, who were trying to tell him that the hauling guy was stealing my stuff. I bet he was down at the local bar and couldn't be bothered checking.

I had used the grill three times. OBVIOUSLY it was trash and needed to be hauled away.

There are so many liars, crooks and thieves in this business, plus no-one seems to be able to tell the time. My electrican finally turned up yesterday, ONE WEEK after he said he would be back. He put in a really long day for him (about 2 hours). Aaargh.

But my marble guys put in my bathroom countertops ... mmmmm....

Oh man...that is just so terrible. How on earth do these people stay in business?? See if your local news station has a consumer watch dog program. Ours does....thank goodness! I was quoted a really low price on a range hood. I even questioned them, telling them the price was too low and asked that they re-check it (all this communication was done via Email so I had proof of all of this). They told me the price was correct. So I bought it. A week later, they called me and said they wouldn't sell it to me for that price because their broan rep made a mistake. I told them that they needed to take that up with the broan rep, but I had a paid reciept for the hood and I wanted it. They refused and got really nasty with me. so I called the local news atation and in the end, I got my hood. Businesses should not be allowed to keep on screwing the consumer and getting away with it. Stand up for your rights!! Contact your local department of consumer affairs and see what can be done.

Cindy

Hi Nomorebluekitchen,

Wow, have you had a rough time lately, that whole mess sucks. These construction problems appear to be everywhere and it makes me wonder why they aren't more regulated!

I have a good friend who (at the same time she was going through a messy divorce) had one nightmare after another with an addition she did to help accomodate three kids she was adopting to add to her own four! She had the contractor from h*ll, who didn't know what he was doing especially in regards to code. He too couldn't tell time and did the opposite of whatever he promised. Everyday it was something new, in the end, he made several errors on the build that cost her a small fortune to correct and it pushed her way over budget. Eventually, she had enough and fired him but not before he had most of her money. To add to the misery, by that time this whole mess in the housing market had taken hold, and she couldn't get any more financing to finish the project with a new contractor. It's been a couple of years now but she, her 7 kids and her (new) husband have been able to finish most of the house on their own and yes...even their 9 year old learned how to help lay floors! I learned from her, that when it comes to people in this industry, do as much as possible on your own, trust is a commodity that's earned and even then, watch 'em like a hawk.

Isn't there a way we can request a forum to be started that can be dedicated for these types of issues? Somewhere where members can go to convey positive and negative issues they've experienced with specific companies they're working with. I think it would be an invaluable resource for members of the forum, don't you? In the meantime, I hope this turns around for you, and you're able to come out of it ok. -- Lukki

You can file a claim with the Better Business bureau. Also your states contractors license board, even if the contractor is unlicensed. I don't know about other States, but California is fairly aggressive with unlicensed contractors.

I'm waiting to hear from my contractor from hell's bonding company to see how much they are going to pay out on my kitchen. We will be redoing the entire kitchen, floor to ceiling. Basically, because of bad cabinets, and even worse cabinet finish and damage they did my floor. The only thing that turned out well was the granite, and no one is sure if it can be saved. I've been dealing with his bonding company and the State license board since March. When the bonding company is done, we will take him to small claims for the remainder.

I did my homework, checked his references, the license board and the BBB. Still ended up with a pile of crap. The only satisfying things at this point are the responses from him that are basically lies and getting more outrageous each time, and the report from the independent inspector saying the contractors work was substandard.

After this is done I'll file a complaint with the BBB and Angies list, so others know about him.

I've been tempted to follow him to home shows with pictures of my kitchen for his prospective clients. I'm also tempted to have the removed cabinets delivered to his house and dumped in the driveway.

Oh Anita!

I'm so sorry! Its bad enough to go through the craziness of a renovation with amazing workers- I can't imagine what it would be like with bad ones. . .

You might remember I had some drama with my granite as well (contractor's guys broke it in two pieces but not 100% their fault as there was a prexisting crack) The guy they recommended quoted $2800 to replace that one piece and in the end he told me he couldnt really match it! Long story short the electrician on the job took pity on me and recommended a great granite guy who is going to replace ALL of the granite in the kitchen for $2500!!! And with a much nicer color too!

What I'm trying to say- very longwindedly- is that when one door closes another window opens. I'm hoping it opens soon and your faucet drops back in! (or maybe another set that you love even more than the first!)

"Isn't there a way we can request a forum to be started that can be dedicated for these types of issues? Somewhere where members can go to convey positive and negative issues they've experienced with specific companies they're working with. I think it would be an invaluable resource for members of the forum, don't you? In the meantime, I hope this turns around for you, and you're able to come out of it ok. -- Lukki"
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There are three websites that I check out before I do business with anybody. They are: Complaints.com, Homestars and the Better Business Bureau. Of the three, Homestars is my favorite. I encourage everyone on this forum to use Homestars. At the very least, bad work should be reported to the Better Business Bureau.

Anita, what a shame -- I agree, it's so frustrating to deal with people who have no ethics. Our basement-digging saga -- bid of $8,000; bill presented for $36,000 -- included (among other crap) the guy delivering 25-30 loads of gravel, which we hadn't ordered, to our jobsite -- "I got a good price and I know you'll need it eventually" -- when we said we weren't paying for it, it "mysteriously" disappeared. His response: "Hey, you shoudda had better security." We interviewed neighbors, who reported that "the same red trucks that brought it took it away." It ended up with our lawyer telling his lawyer that they'd testify to that, and we settled the bill for something more than we'd hoped and less than he'd hoped. Bummer of a way to start a build! I sympathize with you . . .

What a bummer - all I can think is that you're lucky it was only $400 - especially considering you're also remodeling your kitchen. A valuable lesson learned for that price. The message in my fortune cookie once was "Good things are not cheap - cheap things are not good". That's been my experience in life - you generally get what you pay for. If something is exceptionally cheap there's usually a reason. Good luck!!

thank you sailormann for the information about reporting sites, very helpful indeed!

Anita - I feel for you. We had a similar situation in July. The company we had contracted and paid almost $16000 to 'disappeared'. They didn't declare bankruptcy, they just walked away. Our lawyer sent a demand letter which was ignored. We filed a police report claiming fraud and have found out since there are six other similar reports on file against these two individuals. I filed a report with the BBB, surprise, surprise they did not respond. To add salt to the wound, less than six weeks later, another 'kitchen design' shop was opened in the same location. We were very fortunate in that a few weeks after the theft, we were able to get our money reimbursed. We had been introduced to this company via a kiosk in our local Costco. When we approached Costco (at 5pm on a Friday) they flew into action and within a week had a cheque for us for the full amount. They are going after these guys with a legal team I could never afford, for breach of the vendor agreement and criminal fraud. I'll be there to testify if they need me. I can't say enough good things about Costco, they have certainly ensured my membership for life. Customer satisfaction is obviously their number one priority. All this to say, that although things may look bleak now, everything will work out in the end. And those crooks out there that took from you and me and everyone else will someday get whats coming to them. I honestly believe 'what goes around, comes around'. Good luck.