Am I being stonewalled about my cabinets?

10 years ago

I met with a designer at a kitchen design company last spring. Mostly they rep several cabinet companies and help you design the cabinet layout. They don't do everything, so this isn't the person I'm talking to regularly about things like the UCL or what color to stain the floor.

When I first spoke to her in about April, she told me lead time for Utracraft cabinets was about 6-8 weeks. When I placed the order, at the very end of June, she told me 3 months. When I asked about the discrepancy, she said summer is a really busy time for renovations and they're busier. That sounded reasonable to me. So I was expecting delivery around the first week in October.

In mid-August, I made one small change. Really, truly small. I decided I wanted room for a wider fridge than originally planned, so the cab over the fridge would have to be wider. Nothing else changed. Since then, I haven't been able to get any info out of her about roughly when my cabs will be ready. I'm not asking for an exact delivery date. I'm asking for a ball park. November? December? 2015? She says they won't give her a delivery date (not what I'm asking for) until they're ready to deliver, but as I've reiterated to her, that's not what I'm asking for.

If they have a general time to completion when the order is placed, I am having incredible trouble believing that they can't deliver the same info when a change is made, based on the time in the process the change was made and the size of the change.

I've been doing all this communicating through email, because I like having a written record of everything, but clearly I've got to get her on the phone.

What do you think? Do I just not understand the process or this the BS I think it is? Do you think I'd get anywhere calling Ultracraft directly?

Comments (10)

gpraceman55
10 years ago
Have you tried contacting Ultracraft directly? If not, you should. It is ridiculous that you cannot get an ETA from the KD.
sjhockeyfan325
10 years ago
Have you put down a deposit on these cabinets? We ordered cabinets recently, and put down a 50% deposit. About a week latter, we got an "expected delivery date" (December 4th). I'm not sure what would happen if I wanted a change now, but still, something seems fishy.
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live_wire_oak
10 years ago
Changes aren't "simple" once the order is placed. That's why you have to be SURE before you order. A change is usually cancel the order and start over at the beginning of the line. IF it hasn't gone into production. If the order went into production, then you can't change it. You can only add to it, and no taking back the order that was already placed. You'll be left with leftovers from changing your mind.

Sounds like your order hadn't made it into actual production when you made the change, so it was cancelable. But, that means starting all over with the lead time also.

Your cabinet person should really have communicated to you the difficulty/impossibility of changes to you. And you should have been made aware of the consequences of starting the process over. Perhaps calling the manufacturer directly on Monday would be your best bet to get communication.
miruca
10 years ago
I paid for an order during a sale but asked for delayed production. During that delay time I made changes to the order - it prompted a cancel/resale but it did not change my place in the "que" for my production at all.

It really was not a difficult process - I worked with a KD who was more than amenable to making the changes and not once made it sound impossible or difficult. In contrast - she emphasized it was important that we get what we want and now was the time to do that.

We sat down and spent a couple of hours outlining the changes, making sure all items were addressed - and then she put through the cancel resale without a hitch. She also immediately called the cabinet company and they also said no problem.
jentrex
10 years ago
Yes, I think it would be better to phone your KD. And before you hang up ask when you could expect her return phone call with the information you requested. Then call back if necessary. I don't blame you for being concerned and frustrated. You are not requesting anything unreasonable. Good luck.
LoPay
10 years ago
That seems like a long time. I had my done by an Amish cabinet maker and they were ready four weeks after I signed off on the plans. I even had adjustments like door glue up and lay outs after I signed off, and they were still on time and on budget. Keep in mind this is an enterprise with no direct electronic communication.
suzanne_sl
10 years ago
When we ordered our cabinets a couple of years ago, it was in the first week of August. The standard delivery time was 6 weeks and we received our order in 6 weeks. 3 months? Really?
angela12345
10 years ago
That was not my experience with UltraCraft at all. My KD was able to give me an exact delivery date. The order came in exactly when promised. We placed our order Spring 2011 and it came in a few weeks later (was maybe 4-6 weeks if I am remembering correctly.
robbcs3
10 years ago
I am a dealer for Ultracraft. Once the order is placed, within 2 days your designer will have the ship week from them. They are one of the easiest companies to deal with. Lead time at present is 4 weeks on Foil, vision, melamine, & metal products, 5 weeks on wood, and 6 weeks on the Lux product. They could not be more consistent. Sounds like something is going on.
msl511
Original Author
10 years ago
I finally have an answer. I spoke to my KD yesterday and she said the cabinets will be delivered right around Thanksgiving, they can't say whether just before or just after. OK. I'll take that. I don't know why I've been stuck with what are apparently such long lead times, but that's not even my complaint. The inability to get an answer at all was what had me really annoyed.

Thanks for all the advice.

Am I being stonewalled about my cabinets?

Comments (10)

gpraceman55

sjhockeyfan325

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Am I being stonewalled about my cabinets?

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