Affordable Bath & Kitchen, Inc.

AB&K Remodeled my kitchen during the summer of 2014. They were a pleasure to work with as we drew up plans and chose our cabinets, flooring,, etc. Construction started as scheduled, and we had minimal delays throughout the project. All of AB&K’s employees are pleasant, professional and extremely good at what they do. All appointments were punctual and all calls/e-mails were responded to promptly. Our kitchen turned out beautifully and gave our home a whole new, updated look. I would definitely use AB&K for future remodeling projects.

Review: I recently had a full remodel of my kitchen. A new counter depth refrigerator was ordered utilizing companies measurements and when it arrived French door would not open fully due to adjoining wall. The company offered me two solutions which were unacceptable to me. One was to remove 2 inches of a plaster wall and/ or narrow the cabinets by 3 inches.. I have a 100 year old home and a very narrow kitchen and require all the cabinet space I can get as we'll as symmetry of walls. A cabinet was damaged during the remodel and was not repaired or replaced. All cabinets opened and hit the walls. Slide in stove has a gap in the countertop from improper measurement . Moldings around window and door frame were cut and unable to be replaced requiring me to get additional carpentry work and expense. The company hires inexperienced carpenters whom have no experience with old homes. I would like a credit for carpentry redo.Desired Settlement: A 1,500 credit for additional carpentry redo.

Business

Response:

Date: August 7, 2014

Attn: RevDex.com

Re: [redacted], Complaint

#[redacted]

Thank you for sharing the concerns expressed in [redacted]

[redacted]’s complaint submitted 8/4/14. Our

goal is to make sure that every client is satisfied and any outstanding issues

are addressed as quickly as possible. I

have emailed, texted and called her numerous times asking if there were any

outstanding issues she wanted taken care of, and we never heard back.

I’d like to clarify a few of the items in her letter to help

the Revdex.com better understand the situation.

[redacted] did not purchase her appliances from our company. She was provided with a plan that indicated

the exact opening for the refrigerator including the attached adjacent wood

panel as well as the exact dimensions of the existing wall to the left of the

frig. The frig she chose worked in the

space if pulled forward slightly, i.e. approx 2 inches. We offered her options to correct the issue

if she chose to do so. Instead, she was

able to find a zero clearance frig which did not require any additional fillers

to allow the doors to open clearly and was able to resolve the issue without

any construction.

[redacted] refers to a cabinet that was damaged during the

remodel. This was the first time this

was brought to our attention. The

“damage” she is referring to is not actually any damage, it is a pitch pocket. Cherry is a reliable hardwood and finished

product will typically include pin knots, small dark spots (pitch pockets) and

/or dark mineral streaks. This

information was clearly indicated on the label of the back panel of the door

from which she made her selection.

[redacted] also indicates that the cabinet doors, when opened,

hit the walls. [redacted] has a galley

kitchen and the cabinetry butts up to walls on 3 sides of the kitchen. We provided restrictor clips for all of the

doors that are adjacent to a perpendicular wall. She refused to allow us to install them, and

indicated her other carpenter would take care of this. Installing those clips is a simple fix and

would take less than sixty seconds per door.

She has those clips in her possession.

[redacted] suggests the countertop was not measured

properly. This is the first time we’ve

heard of this issue, but it is not a measurement issue as she indicates. When the range she purchased is pushed back,

there is a gap behind the range.

Sometimes, this is not evident until the appliances are placed and

connected. An easy fix would be to run

another few inches of tile below the area behind the back of the range. We would be happy to do this if she chooses.

Finally, [redacted] indicates moldings were cut and unable to be

replaced. As [redacted] was told at the

initial check measure, her existing moldings were already cut/notched around to

accommodate the original cabinetry.

Attached please find photos showing several areas where the moldings

were notched around cabinetry, tops and a radiator. We had processed a change order to replace

the existing moldings, and she then indicated she was going to have her other

carpenter take care of the molding so we processed another change order

reversing the charges.

The carpenter that performed the majority of the work in

[redacted] ‘s home is very experienced in both older homes as well as new

construction. His work is impeccable. He has received a 10 out of 10 on every

customer rating prior to [redacted]’s project.

Communications have been a constant challenge with

[redacted]. While we are happy to take care

of installing the restrictor clips and adding another row of tile behind the

range, we were never paid to replace the moldings around the doors and

windows.

I’m happy to provide a credit for the few hours of labor

that it would take to address the above issues that were part of our contract

(restrictor clips and tile). [redacted] was

accommodating when we discovered one cabinet had to be remade because of a

measurement error. A generous settlement

for this work and allowing the cabinet remake would be $750. I am happy to provide her with a check for

this amount if she would prefer to contract the work with another company.

Sincerely,

[redacted], [redacted]

AB&K (Affordable Bath and Kitchen, Inc.)

Consumer

Response:

Review: A,B & K carpenters damaged cabinetry doors and drawers with hardware installation, for example; splintered, chipped and gouged wood. Both owners refuse to address our concern after repeated attempts on our part. For clarity, not defective cabinetry by manufacturer which is covered under the warranty.Desired Settlement: We have paid full price for new cabinetry with properly installed hardware. Our desired outcome is cabinetry with properly installed hardware in our kitchen. The replacement cabinetry will need to match in color and design. Thank you.

Business

Response:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint from [redacted] (Complaint #[redacted]). Our goal at AB&K is to satisfy all of our customers and walk away knowing we did everything we could to make a customer happy. Unfortunately, I believe [redacted] is one of those clients that we simply cannot satisfy. Her dissatisfaction with our company escalated when she was told that we were prepared to file a lien on her home after she was delinquent in paying by nearly 3 months. She complained about the workmanship, yet she gave our installer a gift card for the work he did in her home.

We have replaced 7 doors (out of a total of 14 doors in her entire kitchen) because of very minor dings and dents. We had 3 people in her home trying to figure out which door she considered "damaged" because none of us could figure it out, so we had to ask her to point out the exact door. Several of the doors were not issues at the initial installation and inspection, yet after the kitchen had been in use for months, new damage was found. The manufacture considered most of the doors within normal tolerances and required that we pay for replacements. I’ve attached a photo of one drawer that she claims we damaged (or as her letter states, “splintered/chipped/gouged”. When a cabinet door or drawer is drilled, the wood on the opposite side (on the inside of the drawer) can exhibit very slight fractures around the hole from where the drill bit comes through on the other side (refer to the attached photo -- the rightmost screw). It is a normal part of the drilling process and is well within industry tolerances.

After the last service call at [redacted], our [redacted], [redacted], who has worked for our company for over 10 years (and was a [redacted]), said he would not ever go back into her home after the way he was treated by [redacted] during his last service call. [redacted] has never said anything like this about any customer in all of his years of employment, and he’s in dozens of homes every week. Our project manager was also there, and stated that he would never send any AB&K employee back into her home.

We have addressed all of the issues (including items that were well within industry tolerances), and we also added items such as undercabinet lighting that she was not charged for. I have reviewed the issue with several people in our organization as well as fellow industry associates, and the universal response from everyone that I’ve spoken to is that the “chipping” exhibited on the opposite sides of the doors and drawers is normal and is not something that would dictate replacement for any reasonable consumer.

Thank you for taking the time to review my response. If the Revdex.com feels AB&K's response has been unreasonable after review of this letter, I will gladly listen to your recommendation, share additional photos, etc. However, I feel strongly that we’ve gone above and beyond for this client and believe her comments should not reflect negatively against our company.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

AB&K (owners, installers, project managers and the designer ) have tried to do everything possible to satisfy this customer. We strive for all of our customers to be thrilled with their finished project.

I am a professional remodeler, highly regarded in our industry, and I am confident that any other industry professional would walk into the [redacted]'s kitchen and agree that the work was done in a professional manner. I am certain that any experienced remodeler after viewing the project in person would tell [redacted] that the drilling on the inside of her doors and drawers is perfectly acceptable. All experienced professionals would agree that touch ups, which includes fill sticks and color match putty are used on every job. I have been in this business for 12 years and NEVER had a customer complain about imperfections associated with hardware drilling on the inside of the doors and drawers. We've already replaced doors that the manufacturer tells us are well within industry standards. The photo she included of the outlet heights was resolved months ago. We agreed that they needed to be adjusted and took care of it immediately. Yes, there were issues, as there are on many jobs (any professional remodeler will be quick to admit that.) We took care of them.

Completing work in a timely manner has a component that is sometimes out of our control. When a homeowner will only allow us access for limited time windows during the middle of the day or on weekends, it makes it a challenge to schedule service work in a timely manner. We tried and were denied access to the home on several occasions.

I am certain that if we were to bring in a mediator, we would prevail. I've already shared photos with the past president of NARI, and he fully agreed that the doors and drawers are absolutely fine. However, I am tired of the back and forth and want to put this to rest as this is not a productive use of my time. I am willing to offer a $250 credit ( a check addressed to the [redacted]s from AB&K) for the simple sake of bringing this to an end. I will offer an additional $150 if she removes all complaints and stops all negative comments about our company.

Consumer

Response:

Dear