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Lowe's Complaint - Never Buy From Lowe's - Kitchen Cabinets - Kitchen Cabinet Install From Hell
Kitchen Cabinet Install From Hell - Complaint
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA -- I will try to shorten this as much as I can. My husband and I decided to redo our kitchen. We took out a home equity loan so we could pay for this. We decided on "diamond" brand. They were rated #3 on consumer reports and Lowe's is the only company in Sacramento that carries them. We met with the "kitchen specialist" on 4/16/05. We went over some things and paid the $70 measuring fee and made the appointment. I took half the day off from work just to get home and have a message saying Sarah (k/s) called in sick so we would have to reschedule. I called and asked if anyone else could do the measurement because I took the time off work so I would be home. They told me no,so I rescheduled. I should have known then that that was a bad sign. On 5/14/05 we paid (in cash) $13,918.32 for our cabinets. Sarah the so called specialist (joke)told us not to tear out our kitchen until we receive a phone call about a week before the new items would be delivered.
On 6/6 I received a call from Rodvold trucking saying my items were in and they were going to deliver them the next day. I told the women that we were told we would get about a weeks notice before delivery. She said they would have a truck in my area and they would be coming and someone had to be there to receive them. We do not have a garage so they put them in the back yard. Well just my luck it rained that night and my husband and I were up at 4am trying to get as many as we could in the house. I was so upset I couldn't go to work that day I was trying to get all the cabs. out of their boxes to make sure they were ok. I called Sarah that morning to let her know. I looked over the packing slip and saw that the trucking company was located in Sacto. so they could have held on to them for a couple of days so we could be ready,also the slip said the truck was in 2 accidents. I told her all of this and she said she was sorry and gave me the contractor's phone # so that I could set an appt. with him to come and inspect them.
The contractor Ruben and 2 other men started on 6/21. He said he had to leave at 10:30 to pick up his kids. If we had known that they were only going to work for a few hours my husband wouldn't have taken a whole day off, also on the first day one of his workers cut the molding wrong so Ruben said he would let Sarah know so she could reorder. He said she was in computer training all week but would leave her a message.I called her on Sat. and she was at lunch. I left a message for her to call me and she didn't.I called her Sun. and she said she was with a customer but she got Ruben's message and place the order first thing Mon. morning. I was off work that day so I decided to go in and talk to her in person,come to find out she didn't work again until Wed. I told Richard another (k/s) all the problems that I was having with the contractor and her not returning my calls. Long story short it is now 9/30 my kitchen still is not done! I wrote a letter to the corporate office sent e-mails talked to 4 different store(shift) managers trying to get to the head person in charge. On 9/6 Sarah came over with a new contractor to see if he could fix all the mistakes that the other contractor made. They talked about patching holes and covering mistakes with skins. I told her if they were not going to replace the product that I wanted part of my money back. She told me to call her the next day and let her know how much I wanted,only after that did the store manager speak to me. So now we are waiting for new cabinets to come in.
I decided to check the new contractors licence and it checked out ok. I checked on the first contractor's and found out that his licence had been suspended and he received a new one under a business name that he created.The web site also let's you check on their employees but he was the only person with a licence. I called and spoke to the California state board and come to find out he is the ONLY person that should have been doing work in my home. He worked the first day,the rest of the time he had a couple of other guys (I did not get there names) and Rolondo doing the work. Well according to the state board as of 9/2004 Rolondo does not have a licence and Rubin has no employees listed and holds no insurance so they said that he should have no one working with him. I called Mike (store manager)at Lowe's to inform him that they are having an un-licenced contractor work for them he said he would look into it (ya right!). I also called their customer care service to let them know that they are false advertising and that I have a signed contract stating that my kitchen was supposed to be done 7/30.
I have been lied to, put of and am out over $15,000.00 (including counter tops, handels and pulls) and my kitchen is not done. I have two kids. We have no kitchen floor just the sub-floor because we can not put that in until the rest of the work is done. My advice is to NEVER shop at Lowe's. They have the worst customer service I have ever seen!!
On 6/6 I received a call from Rodvold trucking saying my items were in and they were going to deliver them the next day. I told the women that we were told we would get about a weeks notice before delivery. She said they would have a truck in my area and they would be coming and someone had to be there to receive them. We do not have a garage so they put them in the back yard. Well just my luck it rained that night and my husband and I were up at 4am trying to get as many as we could in the house. I was so upset I couldn't go to work that day I was trying to get all the cabs. out of their boxes to make sure they were ok. I called Sarah that morning to let her know. I looked over the packing slip and saw that the trucking company was located in Sacto. so they could have held on to them for a couple of days so we could be ready,also the slip said the truck was in 2 accidents. I told her all of this and she said she was sorry and gave me the contractor's phone # so that I could set an appt. with him to come and inspect them.
The contractor Ruben and 2 other men started on 6/21. He said he had to leave at 10:30 to pick up his kids. If we had known that they were only going to work for a few hours my husband wouldn't have taken a whole day off, also on the first day one of his workers cut the molding wrong so Ruben said he would let Sarah know so she could reorder. He said she was in computer training all week but would leave her a message.I called her on Sat. and she was at lunch. I left a message for her to call me and she didn't.I called her Sun. and she said she was with a customer but she got Ruben's message and place the order first thing Mon. morning. I was off work that day so I decided to go in and talk to her in person,come to find out she didn't work again until Wed. I told Richard another (k/s) all the problems that I was having with the contractor and her not returning my calls. Long story short it is now 9/30 my kitchen still is not done! I wrote a letter to the corporate office sent e-mails talked to 4 different store(shift) managers trying to get to the head person in charge. On 9/6 Sarah came over with a new contractor to see if he could fix all the mistakes that the other contractor made. They talked about patching holes and covering mistakes with skins. I told her if they were not going to replace the product that I wanted part of my money back. She told me to call her the next day and let her know how much I wanted,only after that did the store manager speak to me. So now we are waiting for new cabinets to come in.
I decided to check the new contractors licence and it checked out ok. I checked on the first contractor's and found out that his licence had been suspended and he received a new one under a business name that he created.The web site also let's you check on their employees but he was the only person with a licence. I called and spoke to the California state board and come to find out he is the ONLY person that should have been doing work in my home. He worked the first day,the rest of the time he had a couple of other guys (I did not get there names) and Rolondo doing the work. Well according to the state board as of 9/2004 Rolondo does not have a licence and Rubin has no employees listed and holds no insurance so they said that he should have no one working with him. I called Mike (store manager)at Lowe's to inform him that they are having an un-licenced contractor work for them he said he would look into it (ya right!). I also called their customer care service to let them know that they are false advertising and that I have a signed contract stating that my kitchen was supposed to be done 7/30.
I have been lied to, put of and am out over $15,000.00 (including counter tops, handels and pulls) and my kitchen is not done. I have two kids. We have no kitchen floor just the sub-floor because we can not put that in until the rest of the work is done. My advice is to NEVER shop at Lowe's. They have the worst customer service I have ever seen!!
Comments:
Posted by Lowesbuster on 2007-03-26:
Lowes does not have a procedure in place to guarantee that the person that you think is coming into your home is the person that Lowes has contracted with. The actual Lowes contractor may have a license but you don't know if the actual installers are qualified, had a background check, is bonded, insured etc. This is a practice that is done through out the united states and canada and mexico. There is money saved by the contractor by having someone else do the work and collect the money. Because like you found out most of the people that are swapped out work for very little wages and may have just stepped out of prison or jail.Are they child molesters how would you know when Lowes doesn't know and they advertise on Lowes.com that you are getting certain criteria when you get an install. False advertising and you should check over your contract. You need to contact your attorney general about what happened to you.
Posted by jonesie on 2007-03-26:
Sounds like the typical Lowes install, with no background check and no idea who is in peoples homes. Also shipments being damaged and LOWES NOT TAKING responsibility for the situation. I know of situations where they have had to send out as many as 2 or 3 install contractors to complete a job.
Posted by Lowesbuster on 2007-03-26:
Lowes does not have a procedure in place to guarantee that the person that you think is coming into your home is the person that Lowes has contracted with. The actual Lowes contractor may have a license but you don't know if the actual installers are qualified, had a background check, is bonded, insured etc. This is a practice that is done through out the united states and canada and mexico. There is money saved by the contractor by having someone else do the work and collect the money. Because like you found out most of the people that are swapped out work for very little wages and may have just stepped out of prison or jail.Are they child molesters how would you know when Lowes doesn't know and they advertise on Lowes.com that you are getting certain criteria when you get an install. False advertising and you should check over your contract. You need to contact your attorney general about what happened to you.
Posted by jonesie on 2007-03-26:
Sounds like the typical Lowes install, with no background check and no idea who is in peoples homes. Also shipments being damaged and LOWES NOT TAKING responsibility for the situation. I know of situations where they have had to send out as many as 2 or 3 install contractors to complete a job.
Posted by ohboy ! on 2007-09-22:
Thank you for the info. WE just bought a new house and are updating a lot of things. Home Depot, here we come !!!
Posted by UrFriendlyPirate on 2007-09-27:
A LOT of helpful votes here!
Posted by bt9234 on 2007-12-01:
Never use Lowes for kitchens, NEVER.
Posted by tunney05 on 2008-04-23:
I just found this blog: beware, we had the same issue (poor installation) with carpet from Home Depot! No customer service, incompetent installers (back 3 times, they wouldn't let me have a different installer); work missed, etc. I guess I'd just buy the item and get your own installers - kitchen or carpet!
Posted by joemama07 on 2008-09-20:
I had a similar experience. MY'kitchen specialist' mismeasured everything and I had to cancel many features due to this. I.E. I ordered a mixer stand to be installed in my caninet, but it was 1/8" too small and had to be returned. Also the cabinet size over the fridge was too small and left a 6" gap we had to fill. Many many other things like this. I overlooked most of them till I came in later to order fridge cabinet doors. The area was to be built to acommodate these doors. When we discovered it wasn't, we called the 'specialist' who looked at me with a straight face and said we never had that conversation. We even found it in our notes. So i called the store and when I never received a return call, I worked my way up from kitchen manager to store manager to regional manager, the last two accused me of trying to bilk money from them. Finally I sent a registered letter to Robert Niblock, president, detailing the diary I had kept of attempts to contact Lowes for help and the many excuses and blow-offs they gave me. It was over a year of lame excuses and promises to get back to ya's. He had at least 8 of his top folks call me to look at my kitchen and offer to fix it anyway I wanted. I told them no thanks, I just wanted them to know....and since I had been accused to trying to milk money from them by two of their managers, I wouldn't take a dime. And I was going to Home Depot to finish the kitchen. The were almost begging me to fix the problem. I keep thinking I should go into the store and finding the manager jsut to smile at her and ask her if she has heard from my old friend Robert Niblock.
Posted by Local skilled cabinetmaker on 2008-11-26:
TIP:If you need someone to cater a party,hire a caterer.If you need someone to do your taxes,hire an accountant.If you need custom cabinetry,hire a local custom cabinet maker.Home depot and lowes are hardware stores.
Posted by jktshff1 on 2008-11-26:
ohboy...ya need to listen to local skilled...you got the same things with Home Depot.
Posted by AnnsKid on 2010-08-19:
We redid our kitchen last year and used Lowes. They did a great job! Everyone from the designers to the contractor were great. The designers spent a lot of time with us and gave us great ideas. Damaged cabinets were replaced with no problem. We are now redoing our bathroom and went back to Lowes and had more great service. I suppose it depends on the area and the store.
Posted by Lifemates on 2010-10-04:
They should not have left them out if they new that there was a possibility of rain. Rain could completely destroy the cabinets if they are left out over night.
Posted by No Lowes install on 2011-05-22:
My daughter had the same problem with a doorwall that she bought at Lowes, it was installed by them and leaked. They came out like 3 or 4 times to fix it.
They finally had to replace the doorwall and it still leaked. They had to put a roof over the top of the back porch to stop it from leaking. What an expense.
They finally had to replace the doorwall and it still leaked. They had to put a roof over the top of the back porch to stop it from leaking. What an expense.
Posted by Frustrated with Diamond and Lowes! on 2011-05-27:
Bought Cabinets from my Local Lowes store in March 2011. First they lost my order this delayed it 3 weeks. When the cabinets arrived they were ALL damaged. Not from the trucking company but from the manufacturer (boxes were undamaged and dust free). Boot marks on the doors, doors all scratched, cabinets chipped, glue on the front of the cabinets and doors, Crown moulding was cracked. Called Lowes they and the Diamond rep came to look had me unpack all 19 boxes and document everything. Placed a re-order and guess what! These are even worse! PLUS no one told me to keep the undamaged drawers so they went back to the manufacturer! Diamond rep told me there is no Quality control process before they leave the factory! Is she serious! STEER CLEAR! FROM DIAMOND AND LOWES!
Posted by Ted on 2012-11-16:
The Diamond cabinet company shipped me three tall oven cabinets that were damaged, two of them severely. They held up my completion for over a month ( I had no oven or microwave the whole time ). Diamond stinks. Although they replaced the damaged cabinets without an issue, there is no excuse for the shoddy workmanship/ shipping they employ. Stay away from them !!!
Posted by Sharon on 2013-01-10:
We have had nothing but problems with our kitchen re-model through Lowes in Bourbonnais, IL. Linda is the cabinet sales woman that we dealt with. The ENTIRE project from looking at cabinets until the very last item was finished, was a complete NIGHTMARE! I used to love shopping at Lowes but after this fiasco and spending so much money, on top of it, has changed my mind real quick! I absolutely realize that nothing goes smooth during construction of anything but, without writing a book in order to include all the problems we had, this really took the cake! If you go into Lowes, or anywhere for that matter, and you get a feeling or even a tiny twinge that something just isn't right, just RUN out the door and spare yourself the grief and heartache that lies ahead. Especially if the saleswoman is Linda and you're at the Bourbonnais, IL Lowes!!
Posted by Jennifer on 2013-02-07:
Customer Service is pretty awful. We bought cabinets there for our laundry room and one cracked. They said it cannot be fixed and they no longer carry it. No other help after that. One Lowe's employee told me to paint the cabinet. It is thermafoil. Those are sprayed and baked. I cannot patch and paint them at home. Trust me I would have done that if possible. Manager is nice but just not a problem solver and gives up really easily. He is a very slow mover/thinker so it is painful to stare at him while he stares into space! By the way Diamond cabinets are sold wholesale through kitchensforless.com. You pay a lot less through them than Lowe's for the same product.
lowe's also told me they aren't responsible for defective cabinets because they didn't make them. They said they are just the middle man. Doesn't that mean they are paid to go between customers and manufacturers? Not according to them!
lowe's also told me they aren't responsible for defective cabinets because they didn't make them. They said they are just the middle man. Doesn't that mean they are paid to go between customers and manufacturers? Not according to them!
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