Blue Store employee here, so I do know what's expected from a KD there---or Cabinet Specialists as they term the position. They don't use the term designer, because they don't expect actual true design responsibilities from the employee. They just never tell their customers that. Unfortunately, Lowes employs many kitchen Customer Service Associates who are not designers at all, and are not there to do any type of design work at all, but that may not be clear to a consumer. They're there to dust, and to escort people around the showroom, and make appointments for the KD's etc. They aren't supposed to create quotes or do designs, but some do. When they quit paying commissions to the KD's, Lowes lost most of the experienced KD's, and had to replace them with poorly trained transfers from other departments. The person you talk to today may have been in paint two weeks ago, and then watched a bunch of computer videos to get transferred to kitchens. You don't get a lot of competence for $12 an hour and no incentive to work harder or better. So, even if you do get a "Cabinet Specialist", they may not have the knowledge to do the job they're supposed to do. It's just too complicated a job to think that a few weeks of computer training will be sufficient. But they insist on doing it that way anyway. If I hadn't already had a background, there's no way that I could do the job based on the training that they offer. And, at least Lowes offers the computer training. According to a local source, HD is getting out of the kitchen design business in store all together in the next year. Within the next few months, you wouldn't have had anyone to talk to at all about your project had you gone into Orange instead of Blue. We give "free estimates" for counters, but those estimates are based on the customer's measurements that they bring in, which aren't usually accurate at all. We have few solid surface counters on display, because it's so out of fashion, but we do display a set on backsplash and a coved backsplash. I do personally discuss the costs of the coved backsplash when we're having a general show and tell, but at $40 a foot, I can't tell you the last time someone actually wanted that. Nor can I even tell you the last time someone even asked about it before I showed it to them. It's been literally years. We might do a solid surface top about once a month, and it's never for someone looking for a budget top. Budget people do a cheap granite. We don't even do a set on backsplash for 95% of the counters we sell of whatever kind, even laminate. It's flat deck everything with people doing tile backsplashes. An estimate is required before a template can happen. A template isn't free of charge. The templater's time has to be paid for. It requires a deposit, which either a set measuring fee in some markets, or, in most markets, the entire counter amount paid for up front based on the customer's probably not so accurate measurements. (Which is why no one does a final contract on an estimate.) After the template, when the real measurements are ascertained, and all costs for all of the options being chosen are known, that's when the final costs are determined. That is explained to every customer, at least by me. If you back out of the sale after the template, you are refunded all but the template fee. That's in the small print. And that's why I say you owe the fee. As far as the miscommunication goes, even with an experienced KD, that sometimes happens when a customer has assumptions that they aren't fully sharing or explaining because they are assuming that something is one way or standard when it's not. It's up to the Specialist to ask enough questions to be able to educate the consumer and correct those assumptions. However, had you asked me about a "seamless counter" I wouldn't have assumed you were talking about the backsplash at all. Just the butt seams or corner seams in the counter. The big takeaway though from any interaction would be that the process should have been explained to you enough to know that your total wasn't final until after the template. And this is one of the reasons that I always over estimate a counter. People don't mind getting a bit of refund, but they hate coming up with more money for the job.

I think mine cost about $80 (on sale, with a Macy's coupon). The good thing is - if you get it from Macy's and hate it, you can always take it back. It's not too heavy, but it's not the lightest iron I've used, either. I do prefer a heavier iron, and do use the steam option (with starch or sizing, depending on the article I'm ironing). Luckily, my days of using liquid starch in the laundry are over (I was married to the US Army for a while)... I took the above-mentioned Shark back (to WalMart) and others, as well (to various stores). That's the best way to try out irons - buy them, take them home & test them, and return the ones you hate until you find one you love. :) I know it's labor and time-intensive, but worth it, IMHO.

A lot of companies are having stock and supply issues because of the longshoremen's strike in CA. The strike has been resolved, but the backlog remains. I suspect that may be the reason the fabric for a sofa I ordered was delayed (I'm told about 2 eeks though) and when I was helping someone buy a car about a week ago, we were told ones with installed avi systems were in short supply because they were still trying to get the parts through. That said, I'd be nervous and cancel after 5 months unless I had a lot more info and/or payment was made on delivery. Credit card is definitely the way to go when you order things - so you can dispute the charge if you don't get delivery or it is not as ordered.

You can't do it from here :-) This is a discussion forum. You need to contact Houzz customer service. And there is a 'My Orders' feature under your member profile that could be helpful (don't know for sure as I have never ordered anything). But commenting/complaining in a discussion forum is not going to provide any resolution.