Kitchen refacing product quality issues and customer service by owner
I have hired CRS granite to reface our kitchen cabinets in 2013 summer. They came out give us a lot of choices and even suggetsed to add drawers in some of the awkward cabinets to have better use of the space. They did a good job at the time, although I was not a 100% happy with the finishing of the edges (taping) , but understood soem of the limitations thye fced due to how the cabinets were placed originally. Fast forward lass than 3 years, and the doors started peeling. First the ones around the stove, but then we noticed others as well. I asked if it was still under warranty, I was told no, and was provided with a quote of 800+HST to replace 2 doors , and the paneling around the stove (Nov 24, 2015). There was no formal quote attached to the email, no details, only the number. Due to the holidays and some family emergencies I did not get to order the work until late January 2016 , when the president of CRS Granite let me know that the price went up by a whopping 55% , and when I questioned why and noted it was quite steep of an increase and I was not notified in their quote how long it was valid for, or even got the breakdown of the cost, I was told that he does not have a wish to work fro free, and that he does not appreciate customers who don't value his hard work and disrespectful of his staff (he could not answer when I ever had done that- every communication was in email, so easy to trace), and that I should take it up with the Canadian government to support small business if I don't want to pay the high prices (quote) "Had you purchased last year we would not be having this conversation. We cannot change the cost of doing business, unless our Canadian Governments starts to support the manufacturing sector. I have no desire to participate in any transaction that produces no profit. The price is the price"...and the tirade went on and on, accusing me of not using the kitchen appropriately.... When I accepted his new (still not detailed pricing), and noted that I have no other options as they did the original work, so I can only have them to fix it, or replace all kitchen cabinet doors, he wrote to me that he is refusing to work for me, and I should hire someone else. As there were no other companies willing to fix the substandard product they left me with, I went to Home depot, spent $15 on glue and clamps and in 2 hours + drying time I fixed the warped edges. They did not turn out to be perfect but at least they were presentable. Unfortunately I did into check the BBB or any reviews before I hired them. I would not recommend this company to anyone. Not because of the staff, but as the owner is so disrespectful to his customers, and in denial of any quality issues. This is clear if one reads this responses to review on BBB, which are all very poor. He blames his clients for everything that goes wrong with his product and service, has no courtesy towards his customers- this is evident form my interaction with him, and also from his responses to any negative reviews. Look at the pictures...they speak for themselves...
- Approximate cost of services:
- $9,000.00
- Company Response
CRS Granite completed its contractual obligations in July of 2012 for $6,555.88, not $9000 as claimed by this person.
On Oct 28, 2015, the client submitted a warranty claim, along with pictures which was reviewed by our door manufacture, who later determined that the issue was caused by excessive amounts of steam, where moisture has been left sitting on the surface of the door for long durations of time. The clients claim was declined and an estimate of $800 + HST to replace the damaged items was presented on Nov 15, 2015.
At the same time, CRS recommended that the client check the stove hood exhaust system to make sure it had sufficient air movement to redirect steam away from the cabinets. If stove hood is not pulling the steam or venting properly, then the unit should checked to see the unit needs cleaning or if the vent pipe outside your home is clogged. If after cleaning, the steam is still not being redirected away from the cabinets, we suggested the hood should be replaced with a stronger unit that has a higher CFM rating.
On Nov 16, 2015, the client agreed with CRS’s assessment, components to be replaced and amount, which was payable in advance, coordinated by our Office Manager. After numerous attempts to finalize the sale and collect payment, CRS closed its service file on Nov 30, 2015 given that the client ignored all efforts.
On Feb 5, 2016, the client contacted CRS looking to move forward with the project, which was forwarded on to Doug Jones (President of CRS) who responded, starting that CRS could not hold the original price because supplier prices increased by 30% (US vs Canadian Dollar), combined with another 25% on CRS’s side due to increases in the cost of operations. The revised estimate was $1240 + HST.
Shortly after the e-mail was sent, the client called CRS’s Office Manager demanding CRS hold the original price, claiming that our products were inferior and that her previous doors from the builder were better, and that it was unreasonable to expect her to pay for replacements. The call ended abruptly with the client hanging up after 10 minutes of complaining over the phone.
Later that day, the client sent the following e-mail “well I really have no choice do I? a 55% hike is very steep and I would appreciate some flexibility. I understand that I am out of warranty but altogether I am getting to a price for which I could have built a new kitchen and not just refacing.... is there anything you can do?”
CRS responded: “Had you purchased last year we would not be having this conversation. We cannot change the cost of doing business, unless our Canadian Governments starts to support the manufacturing sector. I have no desire to participate in any transaction that produces no profit. The price is the price.”
Client’s response: “ok. I will go with this as I have no options. I am not a happy as there was no mentioning of any price hikes especially not this significant. I had to delay due to my father passing totally unexpected. but of course business is business. when will the new doors and installed and all the other warped edginf g be fixed? I want to make sure there are no more surprises.”
CRS responded: “Sorry to hear about your loss. We do not send out price increase announcements because we price by the job. Quotes are valid for 30 days which is an industry standard. We have no control over costs and I refuse to work for free, or for anyone who does not appreciate our efforts. Based on recent interaction and comments feel that we are not a good fit, therefore, we’ll pass. “
On Feb 26, 2016, the client responded “ just wanted to ask if the below comment from you is your final decision related to the quality issue related exchange of the doors and the price hike communicated to me after receiving your quote for the job. also would like to mention that I was not given a detailed quote itemizing the cost of manufacturing and installation, validity if the quote and payment terms.”
CRS responded: “Respectfully, I have no desire to subject our valued employees to any Customer who is not happy with our efforts, prices, products, services, or who is unwilling to accept our policies and procedures. Your recent interactions and comments, leaves me with impression that we are not a good fit, therefore, it only makes sense for us to pass on the work.
We have no control how a customer uses or how they care for the products we install. The cause of the damage was explained and you were advised that it was not covered under warranty. If it was covered under warranty, we would have exchanged the components, at our expense, as any other reputable company would do.
We price by the job which was outlined on Nov 16, 2015, based on the attached pictures you sent us. Our payment terms were also outlined on Nov 17, 2015. You were given an estimate to repair, not a quote. Our repair estimates are converted into a quote at time of acceptance and are valid for 30 days. Repair quotes are converted into an order confirmation once we have payment details. After the service is complete, and our service work-order has been signed off, the order confirmation is converted into invoice following standard accounting procedures.”
CRS has been in business for 11 years, with thousands of happy customers throughout Southern, Ontario and is an accredited member of BBB. We are extremely proud of the products and services we deliver, and make every effort to be understanding, fair and reasonable, however, there are some situations where going separate ways is the best approach for all involved, despite this negative review.
