Dishonest and poor workmanship
We had an old trunk that needed refinishing. We provided our stain and hardware for the piece to flow with the current furniture. We gave them a $400 deposit, resulting in poor quality, fabricated work, and hours. They tried to charge us over $1000 for minimal work. Unprofessional and dishonest service; I would not recommend this business to anyone. They still have our chest and deposit!
I also see that the company replied with statements that are not true. Unfortunately, I can't reply to it directly; however, if I could, I would prove how devious and dishonest they are. The chest came from an older woman who was moving to a new home, not the side of the road. She took good care of her belongings. I also have pictures of what the chest looked like before, and what they described is false. I also have the receipt and there is no breakdown of the work. It proves my point that this company cannot be trusted.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $400.00
- Company Response
Hi Ela,
We take all feedback seriously and use it as an opportunity to learn and improve. However, there are some points Id like to add.You picked up a chest from the side of the road and brought it to us for refinishing. The chest that you brought us had water damage, veneer that was lifting, scratches, and a faded finish. We cleaned the water damage, repaired the veneer (you cant even tell where the repair is), and sanded out the scratches. When you saw it, you said that you were happy with it.
The standard estimate for a chest of that age, and in that condition is $700-1000. This is what we quoted you, and what you agreed to, so you were fully aware of the costs going into it. As is standard for us, we kept track of shop hours to determine final cost, and provided the breakdown to you at the end (we use Quickbooks TSheets to keep track of everything down to the minute). We did not bill you over the quote. Because of the extensive nature of the repairs (veneer on waterfall edges is always time consuming), we went over the hours that we estimated for the job, but we still honoured the original estimate.
Throughout the process, we sent you pictures, and even had you come in to confirm stain color before proceeding. You repeatedly stated that you were happy with the work. The day that you came to pick it up, the first thing that you said when you saw it was how happy you were with it. It was only after you saw the bill that you started making offensive comments, accused us of being liars, cheats, and unprofessional, and became abusive towards our staff. At this point, I asked you to leave.
In spite of going full Karen on our staff, we tried to understand what your concerns were. I've asked several times for you to list them out, and you've ignored it each time. As with all of our clients, if there's something that we've missed we'll never shirk responsibility, and we'll take steps to address the issue. But that discussion needs to happen in a professional and calm manner. Your chest is stored safely in the meantime.
Thanks,
The Howards Team