Aphrodite Granite & Marble Inc

As far as the mishaps that Mrs*** *** as described she is correctThere were some installation issues with her countertop that needed to be addressedAn appointment with management was scheduled and executed at her home to come up with a game plan to satisfy the situationMrs *** was
given the option to try a repair and if the repair was satisfactory a warranty would be written on Aphrodite granite letterhead and mailed to herIf the repair was not satisfactory a second option would be a complete re-cut of the area in questionThis repair date was executedA follow up phone call was made to Mrs*** and the repair was discussedShe stated the repair was satisfactory and that she would except this product along with a warranty. Also there were some drywall damages caused during the installation process and a $rebate was offered an excepted by the customerSince the damage was technically behind an appliance unit but still needed to be repaired, Mrs*** excepted the option to have it taken care of herself.It was and still is Aphrodite Granite's complete and total intent to honor the $rebate and the written warranty to Mrs*** ***In looking at the dates that this Revdex.com concern was written compared to the last verbal contact after the repair was executed only about a week and a half time had elapsedBefore writing this response we have contacted our customer and explain to her our intent and that the check is in the mail as well as the warranty form.Aphrodite Granite always wishes to honor its commitment to its customersIs our content this is a simple miscommunication on timeframe or expectations of when to receive these promised reconciliationsA typical time for expectation is to business days

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***. I have received the check and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom this may concernMy case # is ***I was trying to send a picture of and email to prove Aphrodite told me they had to hire someone to redo our counter topAnd I think I sent the wrong pictureCan you help me figure out how to resend the picture? Thank you *** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
This is why I am rejecting Aphrodite claimThis is what I am left withDo you tyhink Aphrodite would have this in their kitchen ?
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:I have not as yet received the warranty or the check *** did call and we talked As soon as I receive the promised document and check I will consider the matter closed, and will contact you However I do believe that if I had not contacted the Revdex.com I would never received either.Sincerely,*** ** ***

I guess in this particular situation there's nothing we can do to make this customer happyThere were two problems that the customer had with their installation that they brought to our attention: The first issue is a little desk area that both the customer and our templater forgot to have
measured at the original template appointmentThe customer’s sales person received dimensions from the customer for the desk area in question but did not have the customer sign off on the dimensionsWhen our installers arrived at the house for the original installation appointment the desk area didn't fitBecause Aphrodite Granite did not have the customer sign off on dimensions we simply measured the piece ourselves and remade and reinstalled the pieceThis was at no cost to the customer and it was a simple oversight on all of our parts INCLUDING the customersThe second concern the customer had was about the seam on the countertopThere was really nothing wrong with the seam to begin with but we went ahead and had our installation manager spend several hours face polishing the seam and making it as good as it can beI spoke directly with *** *** (the husband) and even explained to him that not all granite seams are alike that the product is a rock and somethings are just to be expectedAll of our paperwork and contracts set these expectations ahead of timeAttached is a photograph of the customer’s complaintEveryone can view Aphrodite's quality of work for themselvesI stand behind this work all day long and I would expect nothing more from our company or any other granite companyAphrodite Granite would re-cut the entire job if necessaryNot even close to the case in this situationABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS complaintDoes the customer not think we have pictures of their countertops?? See for yourself the frivolous complaint this customer hasI personally (*** *** customer service relations) called the customer the day after our third dog and pony show at their house to make sure they were completely satisfiedThe customer (*** ***) told me directly that they were satisfied, content and that we would part on good terms… And then we get a Revdex.com complaintFrankly I saw the complaint coming a mile away with this type of customerThere's just nothing you can do to satisfy some peopleThree production professionals from our company with over years combined experience have looked at the job and given their blessingThis customer is blowing this issue way out of proportion and simply cannot be satisfied with anything that we can do and has completely unrealistic expectations. See pictures for yourselfWe will be offering no compensation to the customer and not even an acknowledgment of any wrong doingI also stand behind my statement that the true problems stem from lack of communication between the husband and the wifeWhen the husband tells us “everything looks fine to him but it is the wife we have to please”, it is not our responsibility to babysit this married couple and call the next day to be sure “the wife” is happyIf your wife is the complainer the “the wife” needs to be at the repair appointmentAnd if “the wife” has impractical expectations then there is nothing more we can doWe are not in business to come out to your hose an unlimited amount of times to fix a problem that does not existMAYBE the customer just wants money and will complain until they get it

We wanted to reply letting the Revdex.com know that the customer was contacted immediately after complaint was received by Aphrodite Granite, a meeting with the customer was conducted today 12/15/in the customers home in order to record and address their issuesThe main problem they
are having seems to be with the material itself not Aphrodite Granite's craftsmanshipA representative from the material supplier was also present at the meetingWe should hear back within a few days from the material supplier and that response will dictate what course of action can be done with the customer to resolve these issuesAs soon as Aphrodite Granite hears from the material supplier and has communication with the customer, Aphrodite Granite will respond in full and address all the customers previously recorded issues/complaints

Yup here is my kitchenAnd Aphrodite Granite didn't even install my countertopI had it done from a previous granite fabricator that I worked atI can take a picture from inches away from the countertop with the flash on tooIf you look at it through a magnifying glass I'm sure the seam looks even worseIT IS A GRANITE SEAMyou can take a picture of just about any granite seam from that close up and it will look just like thatWe can play war of photographs all day long but my previous photo was taken from a realistic distance that you would normally be looking at a countertopThis customers expectations are unrealistic and she will not listen to any reasonable explanationWe set expectations ahead of time with our customers so they know what they are getting into (see attachments we have signed version) All seams are different and the nature of the stone will determine the final look that can be achievedIts just how it worksNo matter what fabricator you useIf the seam ends up being beyond acceptable industry standards we would replace the entire kitchen if necessaryBUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG With this seem. Furthermore I'd like to add something I should have wrote in my first response: this customer is so ill-informed she had stated that I told her "We had to hire someone to fix the job" WHAT!!?? Noooanother miscommunication between her and her husbandNobody has ever stepped foot in their house that was not a Aphrodite Granite employee. So to recap our "horrific quality" of work is: Her husband gave us bad dimensions and a piece didn't fit BUT we replaced it on our dime no big deal and she has a seam that looks bad when you take a picture with the flash on from 2" awayI guess we are going to go out of business soon if we don't straighten up. willard care center

To whom it may concern at the Revdex.com, I apologize I did not respond earlierMrs*** *** has been contacted and a resolution has been presented an excepted. Please let me do explain her original complaint and subsequently what the problem is and what the resolution is
going to be.Mrs*** was installed almost 1/years agoAphrodite Granite has no such lifetime sealer nor any type of warranty sealerMrs*** is a very nice yet elderly lady who can be a little confused sometimesThere is no issue with any type of sealer on her countertop she has simply chipped her countertop around her sink cutout areaAlthough Aphrodite granite only warranties such things for one year after install, based on our contracted agreements, in the interest of customer satisfaction we are going to repair the chip for her at no chargeThis repair will occur within the next week we are just at the scheduling phase waiting to see when a repair tech can get over thereWe would expect this complaint to be removed by Mrs*** due to the fact her issue is from basic countertop usage and in no way reflects on Aphrodite Granite's contracted work and also due to the fact we are repairing her chipped countertop in the interest of customer satisfactionMrs***'s issue concerning her faucet again reflects slightly on her confusionI personally went to her house and explained to her once again that her gooseneck style faucet has a notch in the back of it that has to line up with the notch on the neck of the faucetThe faucet will not go back up in the neck if these two things are not lined upI am more than happy to help in explaining things to the customer however her faucet malfunction/user error technically do not reflect on Aphrodite Granite countertop installation.Lastly her soap dispenserMrs*** decided to utilize the soap dispenser that came with her faucet purhased through Aphrodite GraniteAfter two years of use the soap dispenser has broken from the wick, or the plastic straw that connects with the head of the dispenserThis is unfortunate but again a very common issue with any soap dispenserAny soap dispenser will go bad after usage depending on the frequency of usage, how the customer uses the accessory and the kind of soap used in dispenserOur faucet supplier has limited lifetime warranties on their actual faucet but however does not warranty the dispenserThe customer can simply order a new dispenser for $or visit any local hardware/plumbing store and purchase their own See attached photographs explaining all concerns

This is why I am rejecting  .....Here is an email sent from  Aphrodite claiming they had to hire someone else to fix my counter top. Our claim is if they had sent him first it most likely would have been done properly. So the the counter top has been compromised so much now that we do not think it can be fixed. And if you read the the replies from [redacted], he  has no intention of compensating us. And his hostility in the replies is one of the reason that we would not have them come back to our home.I am just trying to keep other consumers from having to experience what we have gone through.                                    ...⇄ [redacted]

this was a simple miscommunication on our end. We did drop the ball. We have contacted our customer already at this point and informed them that we do still have their remnant saved at our warehouse for them. We will be scheduling a time to delivery. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I have not as yet received the warranty or the check.  [redacted] did call and we talked.  As soon as I receive the promised document and check I will consider the matter closed, and will contact you.  However I do believe that if I had not contacted the Revdex.com I would never received either.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:In the highlighted part of email it says . So we paid a guy. ect. That sounds like they paid a guy that does not work for them. If he does, my apologies. And I still say if they sent him out the first time we would not be in this situation. And as you can see his hostility through [redacted]'s  responses , they will keep saying that their work is good. It is obvious they are not willing to compensate anything to us. I just want to make sure this complaint stays on the Revdex.com file to help others stay informed of their work.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/11) */
To start off, as the customer says we did a job to complete satisfaction a year ago. On that we were paid. However this is an entirely separate matter and was never part of the original contract. The problem this guy is having is with regard...

to an entirely separate matter of which we collected NO money NOR did we start the work.
With regard to this separate matter, We measured the job, and were instructed to take material with us at time of measure, unfortunately the size of the piece was to large for one guy to
safely carry (since our measure expert is only one man and in his 60's and the piece was said to be small) so we told customer we would return prior to install date to pick up when we had more man power since piece was NOT small. Job was promptly scheduled for install on next available date (our lead times are usually 2 weeks from measure as we have 100 jobs in the Queue at any given point). Fast forward one week later, we get a call from customer stating they are reversing charges on credit card for work not being performed (customer assumes that it takes two weeks to make a 2 feet by 2 feet piece out of his scraps-but instead takes 3 hours usually once his turn is up in the queue) . Install date was set for 12/17( one week from today). Once we
were made aware of cancelled payment we then eliminated job on our end and wished customer the best of luck in the future.
I am still trying to figure out what the disconnect was and why he felt the need to cancel as I feel Aphrodite has been on top of the project from the get go and have been responsive and fair with any correspondence. The only thing I know as to why customer is now upset and making a claim with the Revdex.com is that project wasn't completed in his time frame which was never stated to us, or maybe because his problems stem far beyond the small project he sent our way. Again this customer was told at the time of purchase that jobs were 2-3 weeks out from time of measure (signed off to on all PW etc.). Just because your piece didn't get picked up in your time frame, is no reason to request $600 from us and hold us hostage with a Revdex.com complaint. Your project would of been done on time. Go make someone else's life miserable and try another granite fabricator [redacted].

I am glad Mrs. [redacted] decided to use Revdex.com to express your grievances. RevDex.com is the most fair outlet to determine grievances for customers and for companies since it listens to both sides of every situation, acts as a mediator and concludes based on...

information and explanation not simply feelings of expression.  Mrs. [redacted] main issue regarding her backsplash is an aesthetic issue resulting from an unforeseen complication stemming from her existing tile backsplash and is in no way the fault or responsibility of Aphrodite Granite. The issue has been explained to her properly and professionally several times. She has been given four very reasonable options to help resolve the issue at hand but refuses to except any of them or to except any professional explanation of her particular situation. She simply demands that Aphrodite Granite be out of pocket thousands of dollars to solve an issue that is resulting from her own home owner’s responsibilities. Attached is every written communication I have had with the customer which has been extensive and clearly shows that Aphrodite Granite has done as much as can possibly be expected to help the customer resolve her complaint but to no avail. Please allow me to explain the situation and elaborate on options given to customer to resolve her issue she is experiencing: During the customer’s template appointment or measurement, our templater pointed out to Mrs. [redacted] that he would recommend we make her new granite backsplash slightly taller than her existing Formica backsplash in order to cover the existing caulk line. This is very common, so common in fact that it probably happens on every countertop we do. Making the new backsplash slightly taller than the existing backsplash should cover any old, crummy, yellowed caulk from the previous countertop. This helps eliminate any post granite installation work that the customer may need to do regarding trim, paint, caulk scraping, drywall work etc. It is more or less a convenient little touch that granite companies will suggest to make things easier for the customer. The height of the new backsplash was determined to be cut at 4 ¾” tall. The customer agreed to this new height in backsplash and signed to the dimensions to be 4 ¾” tall on what we call her cut ticket or her order form. Please see attached cut ticket with dimensions listed and customer signature. Before we go any further I would like to point out that the backsplash in question, as it sits now and as it was originally installed is 4 ¾” tall. So without any further explanation I have to point out that the customer technically got exactly what she ordered and it has been that way since her original installation.  Mrs. [redacted] an existing tile backsplash that has been on the wall since before her existing Formica countertop was installed. Her existing tile backsplash covers the entire wall from the underneath side of the upper cabinets down behind the counter top and all the way to the kitchen floor. Our measurement for the new countertops was done with the existing Formica countertops still installed and in place.  Mrs. [redacted]’s installation occurred on Friday, February 26 she signed off on her final walk-through and was completely happy with her installation and even expressed her gratitude to our sales person [redacted] who had done a follow-up phone call with her that day. The following week Mrs. [redacted] contacted us saying she was unhappy with a particular part of her installation that her daughter had pointed out to her after visiting her home. The new granite 4 ¾” tall that was installed does not follow the closest grout line of her existing tile backsplash perfectly and she was dismayed. I personally tried to discuss the situation with her over the phone however within about two minutes she hung up the phone with me and refused to speak with me any further. I promptly contacted our accounting department and told them to not cash her check that she had written to us for final payment because we were having an unhappy customer. It is not our policy to cash a check until a customer is totally satisfied unless the check is already been processed. Mrs. [redacted]’s explanation that we lost a check is incorrect. After further investigation and many photos later I clearly understood what the problem was. It is a very simple explanation and is a very common situation. Her existing tile backsplash is not perfectly level and therefore the existing tile backsplash grout line and our new granite backsplash do not line up perfectly. See attached photos. Again this result occurs on almost every single countertop granite companies install when dealing with existing tile backsplash. They don't match up because they were installed together. The correct way is to install a granite countertop first then come back and install the tile backsplash to follow the countertop itself. Not every Granite countertop is installed perfectly level either. In our industry we are more concerned with plainness to substructure rather than perfectly level. Granite does not flex and if there are any voids between the granite and the substructure the integrity of the stone may be at risk. If a customer wishes to keep their existing backsplash tile, they will just have to live with the way it lines up with the new granite tops or they can certainly remove and replace with new tile backsplash if they so wish. I attempted to contact Miss [redacted] once again and this time she was a little bit more receptive to listening to me. I explained to her exactly what she was experiencing and that it is a very common if not almost an expected result when dealing with existing tile. Her story then morphed into an explanation that our templater told her we were making the new granite backsplash slightly taller in order to cover her tile grout line. This is simply incorrect and I dispute it. Regardless if that conversation actually happened or not, which I believe it did not, her order still called for 4 ¾” backsplash and that is exactly what was delivered. I have also explained to Mrs. [redacted] that even if that were the case we were measuring over her existing Formica countertop and that if the existing Formica countertop were not perfectly level then our measurements would slightly be off according to her existing tile backsplash. At the end of the day her existing tile backsplash grout line levelness is not of my concern. My concern is the granite install, its properness, its integrity, its exactness of cut, its craftsmanship and its dimensions based off the customers contracted agreement with us. All of the above where delivered properly as expected.  All this being said Aphrodite Granite always wants to do everything we can possibly do to ensure total customer satisfaction. After all we are not perfect, we make mistakes and we appreciate it when customers work with us to resolve issues when we make a mistake. I treat our customers how we like to be treated. Even if we are not at fault, I will do what I can do to help the customer out and try to provide solutions that will make them happy and leave them a pleased customer. The very first thing I did was to check and see if there were any leftover material so I could simply re-cut the backsplash slightly taller and reinstall it to make the customer satisfied. Unfortunately with this particular job every bit of the material that was ordered was used to install the job originally. This is very unfortunate because I probably wouldn't even be writing this response at this point if I had more material. I would've simply re-cut it to make her happy and moved on. I explained to Miss [redacted] several times that I would have simply done this to rectify the situation but physically can't because there is no more material left over from her job. It technically wouldn't really solve the issue because her existing tile backsplash is still out of level so even if I cut a slightly taller granite backsplash it would still look uneven with the next grout line, but if it would make her happy I would simply do it and move on. So because this was not an option we presented four more very helpful options that as far as I am concerned are above and beyond and should be considered excellent customer service attempted resolutions. Please see attached for more detailed information. Option one, Aphrodite Granite would pay 50% of the cost for an additional slab of material so more backsplash could be cut for the customer. A matching slab of material would cost $1100. So another words Aphrodite granite is willing to spend $550 if the customer would share in the cost and we would re-fabricate and reinstall taller backsplash now having more material. We believe that is a very reasonable option considering the customer received what was ordered and her existing tile backsplash levelness is out of our control in the first place but we are willing to spend $550 for more material to help share in the cost in order to help resolve her situation. Option number two that was presented consisted of Mrs. [redacted] finding a creative tile solution and Aphrodite Granite would pay our tile installer whatever labor it would cost to install her tile solution. The vast majority of customers that experience the same issue that [redacted] is experiencing typically will find some sort of bullnose tile or little trim piece to cover the noticeable gaps caused by the out of level tile backsplash. The only difference is we normally don't offer to pay for it because the customers understand that we have nothing to do with the existing tile backsplash levelness. In this case we were offering to pay whatever labor cost it is for a tile installer to install the tile. Option number three, we simply offered Mrs. [redacted] a $300 rebate. As far as I'm concerned this option should've never been offered. It re-wards the customer monetarily and does not resolve the aesthetic issue she is experiencing yet deducts from Aphrodite Granite's profit margin for an issue that is not our fault and completely out of our control and out of the scope of our work set forth by our contract. The fourth option given in my opinion is the most reasonable and would completely satisfy the customers concerns with no cost to the customer or any cost to Aphrodite Granite. The fourth option would be to simply remove the 4 ¾” backsplash that was installed, cut it down to maybe 4½” and reinstall it. This would give a final look absolutely no different than if we purchased more material and cut the backsplash slightly higher than what it is now. If the customers only concern is that the new granite backsplash does not follow her existing grout line perfectly and it has already been established that the granite will not ever follow the existing tile grout line perfectly unless we install the granite completely out of level or the tile backsplash is removed and installed properly, cutting the 4 ¾” granite backsplash down to 4 ½” would essentially give you the exact same looking result as cutting new backsplash slightly taller than the 4 ¾” backsplash that is installed now. If the customer simply wanted to resolve her concerns and fix the problem this is the option that she would have chosen. Instead after several attempts and several weeks and going around in circles with the customer she refuses to choose any option and simple he thinks that Aphrodite Granite should purchase an $1100 slab of more material and re-cut the backsplash for her however tall she wants and she will listen to no other reasoning or explanations. After weeks of professional discussion and several failed attempts it was determined that her project was going nowhere. I frankly asked her if she really thought it was fair to withhold A $2500 final payment for this very simple aesthetic issue that is very understandable and any fair-minded person can realize is totally unforeseeable and uncontrollable by Aphrodite Granite and if she really thought it was fair to demand that we are out of pocket $1100 to resolve the issue when simply cutting down the backsplash she has now would give her the exact same look as cutting new backsplash slightly taller. And all that being said… Technically she still got exactly what she ordered 4 ¾” tall backsplash. Her reply was that Aphrodite Granite is not a reputable company and she won't pay us until we recut her backsplash. At that point I explained to her I have done every attempt I can to help her resolve the situation, I've done everything I can do to try and help her out but at this point her request is unacceptable. Regarding her second concern about plumbing. She doesn't offer much explanation in her complaint so I'm not exactly sure what she is referring to. Originally are subcontracted plumber had reversed the garbage disposal to the opposite side of which it was previously installed. Apparently he explained all this to her when he was doing the installation itself. This is again a very common occurrence. The customer had an existing top mount sink and the depth was significantly less. Switching to an Undermount style sink with a deeper depth sometimes will interfere with the drain pipe coming out of the wall. In order for proper plumbing installation the garbage disposal has to sit higher than the drain pipe coming from the wall. Apparently this was all discussed during the original plumbing installation however she complained about this the following week too but Aphrodite Granite has already paid our plumber to revisit her home again and reverse the plumbing to the improper installation. Our subcontracted plumber explained to her that if there are any leaks or clogs caused by the improper plumbing he will not cover or fix the issue. He is simply hooking it up the way she wants to make her happy. I would be happy to hear any further details on what's wrong with her plumbing that she had to have a different plumbing company service for $250 but none are provided. Per our contractual agreement any subcontracted work that is done is warranted, insured and handled through that particular subcontractor. Aphrodite Granite does not do any plumbing work and therefore a complaint should not be filed against us regarding work that we do not do.

I have now received the refund check for $100 and the warranty. The warranty is not worded well but it has been received.

Oh my gosh this is getting so ridiculous. The email the customer highlighted and attached says "we paid a guy to come out and face polish the seam...." Yes we DO PAY our employees. We had TO PAY our repair tech to re-visit their house. Perfect example of how disconnected from the whole process this customer is and how stuff is just made up out of nowhere. ALL our employees wear Aphrodite Granite uniforms including "the guy" that "we paid" to doctor the seam. How you get to the conclusion that that means we had to hire an outside person to do the work is beyond me. maybe if Mrs. [redacted] spoke to Mr. [redacted], she would know this. Or if she had actually been at her repair appointment. I had a complete phone conversation with Mr. [redacted] Telling him "a guy" named [redacted] that "we pay" because he is the "repair technician" would be coming out to face polish the seam and make it look as good as possible. So stupid and frivolous just like the other complaints this customer has.   Furthermore I would add please read the email attachment that the customer is referring to. I couldn't have said it better myself.. that email clearly shows that we were willing to come out a third time if necessary but that I wanted Mrs. [redacted] to be present because Mr. [redacted] was telling us one thing and Mrs. [redacted] still complaining about nothing. like I stated in my original reply, if you are purchasing countertops or roofing or a new deck YOU have to bring a reasonable amount of common sense and responsibility to the table. We inform our customers with website videos, preparedness checklists and expectation forms more than any other granite company I know of in the STL area. Problems arise when a customer does not pay attention or is not involved completely in the process. We stand behind all our work and will do what it takes to make the job correct (and we don't have to do it by hiring any outside help). Some customers you just cannot make happy.

I just spoke with this customer and straightened everything out. We are showing the check was sent out Friday the 19th. Apparently the check has not been received. Aphrodite is canceling the check we already send and issuing an new one today. We appreciate Mr. [redacted]'s patience and understanding.

The company has contacted me and have done some work.  I am at this time satisfied with their actions and the complaint can be closed based on the work of the company as long as it continues and the work is completed to my satisfaction.