I am a single mom who purchased my first home in July. I had several home improvements that needed to be done as well as cosmetic. I was saving for a gas fireplace. To make a long story short, instead of getting the fireplace I so desperatly wanted I had to gut the entire kitchen and down stairs bathroom due to black mold.
This was my first experience with any type of remolding. Lowes advertises "experienced and trained professionals" for all your home improvement needs. So I went to them seeking professional advise. Mr. Brown was the cabinet professional. We went over the floor plan and what I wanted. Since I have never done this before I didnt know the proper procedure. Anyway I ordered cabinets that I wasnt crazy about but they would work. I paid $3,600.00 upfront because they were special order.
They come in and we arrange delivery, however the quote for the installation was incorrect. It was also to include installing the counter top. When they installed the cabinets, Mr. Brown and I had gone over the layout od the kitchen, but the installer had no such plans. I had requested an additionl setting bar, The materials wernt there or the floor space.
Had I known that the cabinets did not go to the ceiling, I would have painted behind them first. Also there is an air vent of some type at the very top of the wall and ceiling, The new cabinets dont cover the huge hole in wall. But since Lowes did not come out to the house to measure the space and view the floor plan Im stuck. I also had requested a pantry, instead I got a broom closet. I called the store about the bar and pantry before the installer left the house, The manager explains that the broom closet is standard and is I wanted a pantry I would have to order the shelf seperate.
I would not accept that, Why would I order a pantry with no shelves, He tells me the shelves are an extra expense. I refused. If thats the case I should have been told at the time I ordered. He tried to have some shelves cut from their store, they didnt fit and were to weak to hold much, They try this several times until I had enough and forced them to order some at their expense. The kitchen design was not at all what I had requested. Mr. Brown had designed the kitchen to have an additional bar and a cabinet to the right of the oven since I am right handed in the end there was no room for either of them. Moving on, we get to the counter tops.
The original quote included the installation of these, however when it came time, not only were they incorrect in style, they wanted $600.00 more to install.By this time I had enough, I contacted the corporate, they told me their district manager would be calling me.instead I get a call from the original salesman, Mr. Brown. He tells me he will have someone in charge get in touch with me. One month later I called back (corp) they apologized and said they would have the district manager call me. The district manager finally calls me two months later. Oh also sometime in between all these calls I had also spoke to the store manager, I went over the details with him and he asked me if I could "prove" anything. I said yes. He replied, you prove it, we'll talk.
After several months and calls to corp, I had to threaten to call an attorney. They asked if I would wait to hear from the district manager, I told them 24 hrs only. If I remember correctly, his name is Ed Walker. We finally talked and came to an agreement. They would replace the counter tops with the original quote, and put in a small island to compensate for the lack of counter space in the original design. I was ok with that except for the treatment of the sales team and management. I had to call and call and call.
When the installer finally came out to measure for the counter tops, he had a document that he said I had to sign, it stated that he had been there and the work was complete and to my satisfaction. He said he couldnt place the order without it. I signed my name that he had been there but no work was done or completed. Three weeks later, they came in wrong, we reordered, anther three weeks and they came in wrong again, this time I gave up and kept them.in the mean time I received a phone call from a company called Topco, said his name was Billy and that he did contract work for Lowes.
He was to come by and evaluate the situtation and give the store manager his recomendation. But the district manager had already had the original installer out remeasured and placed the order, Which the store manager was well aware of. Just out of curiosity I decided to call Lowes on 2/21/03 and ask if they did contract work with a company called Topco and or Billy Gwin, they said no. Not only was lowes an absolute nightmare to do business with they (managment) spoke to me in such a degrading manner, as though I was some sort of nut case.
Trying to get me to sign documents that work was completed, insulting my intelligence, and continue giving me a hard time after we reached an agreement. Needless to say, I never did get my gas fireplace, maybe next year. I need a rest, it has taken one full year to do a small kitchen that is still not complete or correct. And I wont even get started on the cabinets for the bathroom, Which Mr. Brown forgot to order in the first place.
As a women, I dont feel that in this day and age I should have to bring a man along with just to make sure I dont get taken advantage, of but with Lowes, I obviously need to
Kim
Oklahoma
U.S.A.
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