Closets by Design Of Chicagoland

This is the most unethical business I have ever dealt with. Please avoid the place. They have no respect for your home-will damage walls and claim they didn't do it. The actual install is pure crap. The customer service is nonexistent. They really don't give any thought or care towards customers. I regret this decision more than any decision I have made regarding my house. Avoid!!!!

Ms [redacted] Thank you for your business Since receiving this message, we have tried to contact you twice regarding your concerns and have not gotten a call back Prior to this, we did talk with you on the 21st of December, twice on the 28th of December and once more on December 30th, at which time it was our impression that the matter was settled, as you refused to allow us to put in a FREE accent top shelf.Regarding the small dings in the wall, it is difficult to install a Murphy Wall Bed without making those minor dings This is the reason why it is clearly stated in our contract that we are not responsible for those minor dings That being stated, we would be more than happy to reimburse you for the materials cost for those repairs We would like to do everything we can to make you happy Please allow us the opportunity to come out and make any repairs to the unit Please call my customer service manager, Corinne at: [redacted] to come up with a date and time that works best for you

I should have read the reviews here first. I paid $12K for a new garage cabinet system. I was told the butcher block countertop was on back-order, so they'd put in a temporary counter until it arrived.

I wasn't home the day of installation . They told my wife at the time they didn't have a temporary countertop and they were missing the slats for one of the walls. They promised to schedule a follow-up when the materials came in. They took the entire credit card payment (1/2 at signing, 1/2 at incomplete installation) before the work was complete. That was FOUR MONTHS AGO.

I've had my garage with a half-useless work space since then. I called several times only to have no one return my call. When I finally got a callback, I was told no one scheduled the follow-up by accident (revealed after I probed if it was my responsibility to have called to schedule). They transferred me to a guy in scheduling who said he needed to check with the installer and call me back. That was A MONTH AGO.

Still sitting with a garage that's half done and fully paid for.

Ms [redacted] Thank you for your purchase from Closets by Design Occasionally there is a disconnect between our designer and the customer regarding “putting down money to hold the price” Our contract, according to Illinois law clearly states that there is a three-day right to cancel any contract for any reason After that point, the money no longer is refundable due to costs incurred by the company (money paid to the designer, fixed costs, etc) We will allow a client to use any monies given towards any future project regardless of when that may be—even if it several years down the road and typically at the same cost of when they bought it, even if prices have gone up.Your statement, as rude as it may have been stated, is accurate and pertains to any company similar to Closets by Design—do not sign a contract unless you are sure you want to buy To think there are no costs involved to the company is not realistic, which is the reason for the day right to cancel by law—to protect the consumer and the corporation.Even though you signed a contract and that you are treating the company unfairly and unprofessionally, we will refund you your 20% down as a show of good faith and good customer service if you write back to show that we have made this exception in your favor and how good our customer service really is

Firstly, Closets by Design thanks Ms [redacted] for her business Customer service is something that we take very seriously While we understand that we will be unable to resolve all customer issues to the client’s satisfaction, we do strive to do soIn the case of Ms [redacted] , it must be noted that more than 60% of our business deals with white melamine This is true for the entire industry This is the very first complaint we have ever gotten that the shade of white on the deco faced drawers doesn’t match the color of the wood paneling Lighting, shading and overall in the room can change how the white appears The wood paneling is melamine, while the deco drawers are vinyl The fact that they are different materials can also affect the shading difference and ensures that they will never be a 100% exact match Closets by Design does the entire installation, with no subcontractors, so this differential is not due to something we have done or provided, it is simply the industry standardWe attempted to resolve this issue to the client’s satisfaction via email and phone on 7/1, 7/5, 7/(live inspection at the client’s home), 7/and 7/ We apologized to the client stating that there was nothing we could do, other than to change the entire unit’s color In changing the entire unit, we would have to charge the client for a rebuild, as it would be impossible to just change the colorSince the date of this correspondence, we have contacted the client on occasions to attempt to resolve this: 1/18/17, 1/20/and 1/25/ The client has not returned any phone call If the client had returned our phone call, our plan of action was to send out new pieces of deco to see if those better match the melamine that has been installed at the client’s house If it had been acceptable to the client, we would have switched out those pieces at no cost to the clientClosets by Design will await a response from the client on a date and time that we can take out more samples to see if there happens to be a better color match

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/08/21) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX Contact Email: [redacted] @closetsbydesign.net Ms [redacted] , We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused youIt was not our intention to forget about you, which was the reason why our installer was there on July 17th to fix a couple of the issuesUnfortunately we were not in receipt of your message on July 21st, which is the reason why we have not gotten back to youCertainly a follphone call would have expedited your service call, just like the previous circumstance, as it is not our policy to ignore clients As you are aware, a service date has been set for 8/with our senior installer If there are further issues, please do not hesitate to contact our office at: XXX-XXX-XXXX Best regards, Brian [redacted]

I hired closet by design to install closets and desk in the den area. Per contract I paid half of the project amount upon contract signing, the other half is supposed to be paid after job is complete. The installation took place on August 31, 2019 and to this day was not finished, but closet by design went ahead and charged my credit card for second part of the payment on August 31st. I contacted them several times, I was told that they will provide timeline for completing the job and that they will issue a credit for the inconvenience. I am still waiting for all of these things to happen! Also I was charged for an item that was removed from original design and never installed and to this day I am still waiting for a refund!

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 8, 2014/11/11) */ Closets by Design has been in business for over yearsIn that entire time we have been using the same exact material and the same sales presentationOur designers (and was no different in this case) walk into the client's home with wood-laminate samples, a mini closet and a brochure that is pages longThe mini closet is a 1/scale replica of an end product of what any customer who buys a closet gets In the case of this client, we spent hours on occasions with them to confirm both design and material selectionWe have signatures on both the design and the contractClosets by Design apologizes for this client's misunderstanding but we have done everything in our power to make sure the client understands what they are buyingBoth during and after installation we communicated with this client no less than times in an effort to provide the best customer service Closets by Design installs over spaces per year in Chicagoland alone and we get this complaint once or twice per yearThis validates our education and sales process to our clientele At first the client complained to us that the material was cheap and that she preferred the woodgrain color to the white because it was "real wood"The client even stated that it "smelled like real wood"This is not true because ALL of our material is laminated wood, regardless of colorWhen we offered to replace the unit with the color she said she liked, the complaint then changed from complaints about the color and to complaints about the design To both the trained and untrained eye, the designs and material construction are clearly differentWe have provided this client with a superior product that can be seen both in pictures and in person Once again, since the client said they preferred the woodgrain color, we offered to replace the closet done in white with the woodgrain colorat no cost to the client, and with NO legal reason on our partonly to provide excellent customer service to this clientWe installed the closets according to the contract and designs signed off by the client Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 10, 2014/11/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Closets by Designs claims that Ms [redacted] was made aware of the building materials to be used in the closetsThat is totally incorrectDesigner [redacted] did NOT bring any wood laminate samples or a mini closet to the meetingMs [redacted] had a friend with her at the consultation who will testify to thatClosets by Design designer [redacted] was CLEARLY told at the first meeting that Ms [redacted] did not want closets made of white laminated particle board with drilled holes like were in her existing closetsSince the designer is the expert, Ms [redacted] relied on her designs and advice to sign a contract believing that she was not receiving closets that would look almost exactly like her existing closetsMs [redacted] was shown a brochure with pictures of beautiful closets that looked like built in furniture and that is what she thought she would be receiving Ms [redacted] turned down the offer by Closets by Design to change the closet to wood grain materials because she did not want to have to remove everything again and go through the inconvenience of having the closets torn out and rebuilt againPlus the wood grain would still not be real woodMs [redacted] feels the closets are barely worth half the price, but since she has paid half already she is willing to settle for thatMs [redacted] has filed a dispute with [redacted] for the charge for the final installment payment for the closets and included pictures in the package showing how the old drawers looked exactly like the new drawers and the new closets looked almost exactly like the old onesJust because Closets by Design has other clients who are satisfied with their work does not mitigate Ms [redacted] 's complaint Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 16, 2014/12/16) */ Closets by Design has put its best foot forward in trying to resolve any misunderstandings with this clientWhenever we came up with a solution to solve her complaint, her complaint changed to something elseIt seems as if the only thing that [redacted] placate this client is for her to get her money backThis is in direct conflict with the fact that she signed a contract, we performed the work and she is currently using the product Our designer performed her responsibility well by meeting with this client twiceThe first time our designer met with Ms [redacted] for nearly two hours, going over Ms [redacted] 's needs and wantsThe second time our designer met with Ms [redacted] for about minutes to go over detailsDuring these meetings all questions were asked and regardless of what has been written (clearly not by Ms [redacted] ), color samples and a mini closet were shown Once again Ms [redacted] was happy with the woodgrain closet that she did buyHowever, when we offered to completely redo the other closet in a woodgrain (at no cost to her, in the spirit of excellent customer service), the complaint changed to the fact that it "would be inconvenient" for herWe feel that is a minor inconvenience for the fact that she would receive an entirely new closet Closets by Design has tried to resolve this situation amicably with this clientIf money back is the only resolution she is looking for, we will be unable to accommodate her unreasonable request Closets by Design hopes that Ms [redacted] continues to enjoy her new closet

Ms [redacted] Once again, the company has a contract that you signed If the roles were reversed, you would demand that Closets by Design abide by every part of that contract It is disappointing that while you disparage the company in your original complaint that you do not acknowledge that the company has the full right to hold you to the contract you signed It is not unreasonable to expect that if the company makes an exception for you, while not making this exception for others, that this is considered good customer service According to your correspondence with the company, we are forcing you to “bear witness” in saying that making an exception for you, and you alone is not good customer service We disagree Therefore we will pursue other avenues to keep you to the contract you signed

Ms [redacted] Thank you for your purchase from Closets by Design Occasionally there is a disconnect between our designer and the customer regarding “putting down money to hold the price” Our contract, according to Illinois law clearly states that there is a three-day right to cancel any contract for any reason After that point, the money no longer is refundable due to costs incurred by the company (money paid to the designer, fixed costs, etc) We will allow a client to use any monies given towards any future project regardless of when that may be—even if it several years down the road and typically at the same cost of when they bought it, even if prices have gone up.Your statement, as rude as it may have been stated, is accurate and pertains to any company similar to Closets by Design—do not sign a contract unless you are sure you want to buy To think there are no costs involved to the company is not realistic, which is the reason for the day right to cancel by law—to protect the consumer and the corporationEven though you signed a contract and that you are treating the company unfairly and unprofessionally, we will refund you your 20% down as a show of good faith and good customer service if you write back to show that we have made this exception in your favor and how good our customer service really is

Thank you for your time I am not sure what your installer stated on the work order for June 17th but there was no work done at all He did leave pieces of wood that should have been installed but instead just left them behind Not to mention his very first words were he was unprepared and again wanted to improvise the broken piecesThis is unacceptable! June 2nd, your Senior installer pointed out all the imperfections and made X's on several pieces that should have never been installed At what point for does your company take responsibility for your employees actions?! Honestly, I feel horrible about all of this and I just cannot do business this way I have asked Corrine to pick up the closet Please understand that this is not personal but business should not be handled this way Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Sincerely, Jennifer [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/10/19) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: [redacted] @closetsbydesign.net Mr [redacted] , Thank you very much for your feedbackI apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused youAt Closets by Design, 90% of what we do is in house..the other 10% we must rely on our suppliers to supply a good, up-to-standard product to usIn this case our supplier failed to do so and instead of giving you this sub-par product, we are waiting to provide you with the best product when it comes in That being said, we take full responsibility for everything that happens regarding our units at your homeWe have scheduled you for November 4th for our Installation Supervisor to come out and finish your unit Please accept our apology and a $credit off the balance of the unit We look forward to putting in an excellent product for you on November 4th Thank you Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2015/10/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) They were able to accept blame for what happened but more importantly took steps to make things rightI really appreciate that and I am happy with the end result

We have cancelled Ms [redacted] order as of March 7, We also refunded her money on that day Due to the amount of fraud in the marketplace, we have put a 10-day waiting period in place from the time a client cancels to the time that we refund money This avoids a double refund to the client by the client disputing the charge and getting a credit, while at the same time, the company issuing a refund and the client getting a credit

Ms [redacted] Our representative was at your house this past weekend, on March 18th My understanding was that all issues were handled according to the husband's specifications One hole was not repaired at the request of the client We do our best to try to minimize the number of imperfections to the wall when we install but sometimes they are unavoidable We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and will strive to improve our systems in the futureBrian [redacted] President

Mr. [redacted] , Closets by Design appreciates your business and apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused you. It is our intention to give every customer as much attention and the best product. As you are aware, we were in contact with you directly after the initial date of... installation to communicate with you that we will be there to service your unit, even offering you the next day. At no time did we refuse to complete your job as you stated. According to our records, we were there on the 3rd, unfortunately later than expected, to service your unit. We did finish it according to your expectations. Hopefully that, combined with the $100 gift card given to you, will help mitigate our lack of timeliness on the 3rd. We look forward to working with you in the future.

The installation as planned and signed off on by the client has been completed The client asked for backing to be added after the fact to hide blemishes on her wall We offered her a below-cost rate to do so in an email that went out on July and again on July The client did not respond to the affirmative that she wanted the backing We called the client on August 2nd and now, after months client has found additional things that she wanted taken care of We have gone back and forth several times to help the client and since putting in two phone calls on the 16th and 17th of August, have not heard from the client We are willing to put the backing in at no cost and fix any errors We simply need to hear back from the client as to when we can make this happen

First of all - Closets by Design is a franchise, each location is individually owned and operated and seems to abide by whatever rules they wish.
This review is specifically for the ADDISION, IL location.
I have an existing closet that was installed and designed by another location for this company that closed many years ago. I simply wanted to change my hamper to 2 drawers instead and add 4 additional shelves. Kim was the designer that was sent out to my home. She showed up late. She measured only the exterior of the existing drawers that I wanted replicated but never opened the drawer to measure the inside depth or other measurements. This all took a nose dive quickly when I didn't hear back from Kim regarding the status of when I could expect the materials to be available for install. I was communicating with her via text at which point she asked ME to go and measure to verify the dimensions she had. I was a little taken back that I'd be asked to re check her measurements considering she is the professional. I didn't feel comfortable with this and didn't want to be on the hook if something I said was incorrect so I called the office. Elena answered and after I described my situation she told me I needed to speak with Joline who is the sales manager who Kim reports to. I was dumped into her voicemail and I left a message to please call me back. I waited until the end of the day and called back, now she was gone for the day. Asked WHO else could help me and was told that Jennifer J. who is the office manager/HR person could help me and was dumped into her voicemail. Left a message for her. This was all on a Thursday.
Of course no return call. Called again Friday, same song and dance form Elena, everyone in a meeting. I called multiple times that day and it’s funny how every I e was either in a meeting, or at lunch and nobody returned my repeated phone calls. I waited until the following Monday and called back AGAIN. Asked for Joline and the call was transferred but mysteriously I was accidently hung up on. Called back...now Carole O. is screening calls and refuses to let me speak to Joline. She argued with me that MIKE is the customer service person and I should be dealing with him. OK, well, if MIKE is the person to talk to why was I told last week that Joline was the person to discuss this with and then why was I told Jennifer was also a contact to help me? Very odd. Chased Mike for 2 days with multiple calls to the office, no response. Finally get ahold of Mike after calling the Aurora location and they chased him down. Mike comes to my home to re measure and is extremely apologetic. He re measures and confirms that the measurements that Kim *. noted were incorrect. Mike assures me that he will be my ONLY contact and he will make this right. I got a phone call the following day from Mike with a substantially lower price, it was basically cost. He said he personally spoke to the owner Brian *** and that he OK'd the price. An install date was set for 3 weeks and they took my new deposit for the lower amount. Prior to all of this taking place, I did contact the Closets by Design Corporate Franchise customer support to see if they could help me.
The week after Mike had taken care of this I get a call from Joline. I returned her call and she was extremely rude and snappy. Her comments were "we sent a designer to your home and then we also sent our installations manager Mike to your home and you STILL called Corporate???" I explained yes, I did because it's alarming when a designer comes out, takes incorrect measurements and then asks me to re measure for her. Joline got increasingly snarky on the phone and insisted that I was "hesitant" about the entire situation because I called the corporate office. She then went on to tell me that she had personally discussed this matter with Brian the owner for this location and they had BOTH agreed that they were going to cancel my order and she told me to go get my closet work done somewhere else and hung up on me.
I have phone records showing just how many times I called. Apparently it is an Office of 7 people. I have spoken to Joline, Mike, Carole, and attempted to reach Jennifer that only leaves a couple other people and I was told the people I had been in touch with were the people who could help. Give me a break. Please do yourselves a favor, read the reviews here, on ***, ***, and read the trauma they have caused other customers and how they have left other people in similar situations. The stories are all the same. How they are still even in business is shocking. They simply DO NOT care. It's shocking to me the behavior that comes out of this office - the level of unprofessionalism, the lack of simple regard and common courtesy for a fellow human being. The corporate office doesn't care either, I tried to contact them about this after Joline's horrible attitude and was told the corporate office doesn't have much control over the individual franchise offices. Use another company!!!!!! Not even sure why they have a corporate office franchise customer service number if each owner can run their business as they please with no guard rails or customer service standards.

I contracted them to install a new set of shelves next to the set of shelves they installed a few years prior. Within the same project, we purchased other shelves. The installer was unable to complete the installation on December 31, 2018. He came back a few weeks later. Then, when modifying the existing shelves, he misread his handwriting and cut the shelves too narrowly. A few weeks later another installer came to finish the installation with the new shelves that had been properly cut to size. When he tried to install the shelves, he noticed that the closet was not properly re-installed by his colleague. He apologized and said that the boards on either side of the shelves would need to be replaced or covered over. He left and said someone would call me to re-install. That was January 23. I have called 4 times, and no one has returned my call.

On the date of the installation, they charged my credit card for the balance due remaining on the job despite my request to pay be check. They told me they only took the credit card to hold my contract, even though I paid the down payment by check also. So, they have all my money and didn't complete the job.

Firstly, what a waste of 3 hours. And the sales person (Katherine) was disrespectful, rude, sharp, snappish, ungracious, and unmannerly.
Here are some example quotes from Katherine:
1. "Maybe your husband should get a bigger wallet." (Referring to our concerns with their pricing).
2. "Maybe you should go to Home Depot for your closets." (Referring to the way she designed our front entrance closet - it was something we did not like).
3. "Didn't you know what things should cost since you built your whole house?"
4. "Why do you need copies of what I created since you are not going to use us?" (My wife has ask for copies of the quote and design and she refused to provide us with them.)
*There where more but I don't have the time to write them all out.
Secondly, if you are willing to go through a sales process (like the ones trying to sell you a time share to get free *** tickets) then pass this company over. It is a complete waste of time and is meant to try and close a sale on the first visit. They should really think about revamping this process as it is outdated in 2019.
Lastly, regarding the price and installation, they wanted to charge 13k for the basic installation tier in my master closet and that's with the 40% discount. And basic is: White only color, no soft close, zero extras. And we have 4 other bedroom closets, 2 linen closets, front door closet, and a garage shoe rack to price out. So at this point I told her not to waste her time pricing out the Master or go through the sales process any longer. Additionally, since our master closet has an air exchange in the floor I asked if they can somehow cut some slits in the wood to let the air out and she said no. Their solution was to have a shelf above it and air would just come out. Well, if you call your self a design company then at least design esthetically pleasing solutions and not tell the customer to hire a carpenter to do it.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/17) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***, GM
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@closetsbydesign.net
Ms***'s installation was scheduled for 2/5/By the end of that day, Ms*** had a functional closetWhen she
called the next morning on 2/she had three items that she had a problem with: the rusty rod, a missing shelf and clean upWe told her that we would be out there on 2/to replace the rod and shelfRegarding the clewe told her that we would have to reprimand the installer for not appropriately following company procedure regarding clean up, but otherwise there was nothing else we could do
When Ms*** asked for a FREE rod, we obliged, but didn't realize that the rod cups did not matchWe replaced these rod cups as well as the rod and shelfRegarding the rusted rod..one look at our shop and you would be able to tell that we do not reuse any partsSometimes our suppliers, who are also not perfect, provide a product that may have a defect, however on the Closets by Design end, the rustiness of the rod was missed by our QC department
Bottom line Ms*** has a completed closet with the highest quality of materials in the industryRegarding our customer service and our conversations, Closets by Design does not react to blackmailIf a client says to us that they are going to put a negative review unless we give them money back, we are not going to do anythingIf there was a legitimate reason for us to give Ms***'s money back we would have done soA minor inconvenience that is in the custom build industry does not "entitle" anyone to compensation (although we did give her a FREE rod, valued at $50)What started out as things that the client wanted fixed has now turned into a point gripe session-which again does not entitle her to compensation
It is both unprofessional and inappropriate for Ms*** to behave as she has acted similar to a child throwing a tantrum when they don't get their wayThis is evidenced by the way she handled herself on the phone and onlineThis is compounded by her request for a full refund for a fully functional closet that had minor adjustments to itThat would be akin to asking for a full refund for a house purchase after finding that a faucet leaks
Closets by Design in Chicago installs closets per yearOccasionally we will get clients that we will not be able to pleaseWe have been very reasonable with our service time with this clientIf every mistake ever made by any company "entitled" someone to compensation, there would be very few profitable companies since most companies are run by humans and humans are prone to emotion and errorsWe apologize for the inconvenience caused to Ms*** and hope that all installations forthwith are error free