Distinctive Marble and Granite, Inc.

Anytime that custom construction projects are being undertaken there is a chance that issues will arise. That is the nature of both custom work as well as construction work. We at DMG pride ourselves in the fact that we do everything within our power to correct the situation and install
the product that our clients purchased from us. This includes remaking tops at our expense, installing off hours when it is convenient for the client, and paying for outside vendors such as plumbers to reconnect plumbing when the client does not arrange for it themselves. We did all of these things and more for this project and at completion we did an excellent job installing all of the new counter topsIt is unfortunate that after we deliver an excellent finished product and live up to our end of the contract, that sometimes customers feel that they are entitled to receiving all of the granite tops for free. Furthermore, it is very unfortunate that we suffer from a very negative review of our company and of our very hardworking and valued staff when we had successfully navigated any issues and delivered an outstanding finished productFortunately these situations and customers that feel this way are very, very few and far between. This is overwhelmingly evident from our thousands of customers in Ohio and our hundreds of very, very positive reviews. We admit that we made the initial mistake that resulted in having to remake the entire job including the kitchen and three vanities. This job was originally installed on 3/17/16. It was on 3/18/that we realized that the color of the tops were incorrect. A mistake was made when entering the color of material. Giallo Vincenza Granite was selected instead of Giallo Veneziano granite. This was an honest mistake by the sales person as they look very similar as well as the names are very close. We immediately took full responsibility and started the process of fixing the problem. On the following day (3/19/16) Mrand Mrs*** came in to approve the granite for the remaking of their tops. At this time they were asked if they would like us to come and replace the sink that had a manufactures default prior to reinstalling the new tops. Mrs*** declined and asked us to replace when we installed the new countertops. The ***’s requested that we reinstall the job on either a Thursday Night or Saturday. We released the job to production immediately. The fabrication process takes time so it was not feasible to install Thursday evening. Mrs*** insisted we install the granite on Saturday of Easter weekend and we did exactly that. After installation the tops and sinks have to sit for at least hours prior to reconnecting any plumbing. Mrand Mrs*** were aware of this from the first installation yet still insisted on installing the tops the day before Easter. Keep in mind that during this entire process they had a functioning kitchen and two of the three bathroom vanities because the original installation was still in place. The only reason the third vanity was not functioning is because Mrs*** requested the sink bowl to be replaced at the re-installation. At the completion of the installation of the new granite on Saturday 3/26/Mrs*** informed our installers that she did not have anyone to reconnect the plumbing. At our first opportunity we made arrangements for an outside plumber to go to her house and connect her plumbing at our expense. This was completed on 3/28/16. The only reason Mrs*** did not have use of her sinks on Easter is because she insisted on having the job installed the day before Easter. As stated above the tops and sinks need hours before the plumbing can be connected. Had we been able to install on any other day this would have been avoided. Mrs*** claims that she had to call DMG and demand the General Manager’s name and number. This is not true. General Manager Harry J*** called her to discuss the completed job. When Mrs*** was demanding we “Take care of her” she was asked several questions by Harry J***, all of which she answered yes to. 1. Did you receive the exact granite counter tops that you ordered? Answer was yes2. Do the tops look beautiful? Answer was yes3. Did DMG remake the entire job at no cost to you? Answer was yes4. Did we push the job through production to install as soon as possible? Answer was yes5. Did we install on off hours on a holiday weekend to ensure that we completed the job at the convenience of your schedule? Answer was yes6. Did we arrange and pay for a plumber to connect your plumbing? Answer was yes Mrs*** saw an opportunity to try to extort money out of DMG by insisting we “take care of her” to avoid bad reviews on social media and with the Revdex.com. We take all issues very seriously and while we did make a mistake we went above and beyond to correct it

Hello, I have talked to this customer already and have resolved the matterThe customer is going to close the complaint on their ownIs there anything else I need to do?

One of the many roles our Sales staff performs is to be an educator. We educate our customers about the stone they want to purchase. We describe the stone’s different characteristics and have the customer physically touch the stone before fabrication of their countertops even begins.  In this...

case the material is Super White, which is known for looking like marble but wears like granite. This is a misconception that we debunk immediately to our customers seeking this material. Its geology is a mix between granite and marble but the stone behaves more like a marble. The good characteristics of a marble are its soft and flowing veins with the combination of grey and white color that is perfect for high end looking kitchens. The bad characteristics are that the stone will etch over time if introduced to acidic substances (i.e. cleaners, juices, etc) and can scratch easily when struck by a sharp abrasive item. Another flaw is in the nature of the stone itself. The stone is created by the fussing of metamorphic rocks through time, tons of pressure, and heat. This doesn’t mean that all areas of the stone slab are tightly compacted together.  The weak area of the slab can be found in some of the veining where less adhesive minerals had gathered and when cut from the big block out of the quarry those areas can become worse. There are also fissures that can be found on a slab. They can be hard to see or as clear as day and disrupt the smooth surface of the slab. A fissure is a type of “crack” where the surface has a tiny split opening but it is not split completely through the slab. It can appear in the veining and where some of the bigger rocks where compressed together but somewhere along the line of the slab being mined, refined, fabricated, or installed the stone flexed and created a fissure. They can cause parts of the slab to fall apart once we cut out a countertop. To counter the veining and fissures, as a fabricator, we have techniques to help keep the stone together.  We can put steel rods along the bottom of the slab to keep it from separating and or fill the area with a penetrating glue to give it more support.  We then can polish the area and try to make it as smooth as possible. That way DMG and the customer are not continually buying slabs over and over again until that perfect solid slab is found. I wanted to describe the stones characteristics so the explanation of how this job progressed will make sense to anyone who reads this.  We at DMG strive to make the best countertops that we can but sometimes Mother Nature prevents us from achieving that goal.  The job began with the customer laying out the slabs and signing waivers that describe the bad marble characteristics (files attached) .The first time we installed the countertops we did have a human error and our shop fabricated a sink in the wrong island out of the 2 islands that are in the kitchen. We corrected the island sink error and installed the countertops. The customer refused the countertops because there were “cracks” on 2 tops. One of the cracks had been repaired using techniques mentioned above and another crack was discovered after install and we are not certain if someone had stood on the top causing it to crack. After much debate between the customer and DMG we, DMG, assumed full cost and remade the kitchen tops again. It also took awhile to acquire the slabs that were big enough to fabricate the kitchen tops. When it was decided to replace the kitchen we educated the customer again and reminded them of the marble waiver they had signed before. We walked the remake through the shop with a “white glove” approach and had many supervisors get involved during the layout, cutting, fabrication, and install of the countertops. One of the islands had a fissure on it so we took preventive measures and put steel rods on the bottom followed by glue and polished the face to smooth it all out. The customer again refused the island top.  In conclusion, here at DMG, we stand behind our process, our products, and our installs. I have attached the signoff waivers the customer signed that describes the marble characteristics. We are confident in fact that we educated the customer completely on what kind of material they had selected. We have offered to donate some of our labor to fabricate another island so this matter can be resolved.  I believe I have explained our position thoroughly on the matter and ask that this complaint be removed.Thanks for you consideration,

I reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find the resolution is satisfactory to me.

Anytime there is construction going on sure you might run into some problems, but when the problems keep escalating and no one goes out of their way to call to make sure everything is done right and when there is no customer service or follow up by Management, the public should know. And with this response not only does DMG GM lack customer service and present himself as dishonest. The remark where he stated included remaking making the countertops at their expense, it wasn't our fault they weren't the right color and cut incorrectly and paying for a plumber when he stated we did not arrange for one. We paid for a plumber to reconnect and change out plumbering after the first install when they installed the wrong counters, had we not we would have been without all sinks in our house for 12 days!!! The GM made no attempt on his own to correct the situation. I was told by the Supervisior Ryan, that came out after the original job was completed incorrectly, that the countertops would be remade correctly and installed on one of our days off, which was a Thursday or a Saturday. They had missed the next Thursady to do the install which left them to install on the Easter weekend. The Supervisor Ryan said standing in our kitchen the installers would call the plumber when they were near the end of the job, so the plumber could come in after them to reconnect all the plumbing. The install guys had no idea, so they contacted their Supervisor and he had had no comunication from anyone they we need the plumbing reconnected and again this was on a Saturday. The install guy hung up with his Supervisor and said he would give him a call right back. No one called back, the install guys waited around for a little bit and ended up leaving, which I was fine with, they stated I would get a phone call. And a couple hours went by without hearing from anyone and I left a voice message for Ryan the Supervisor who had visited our home after the first install, demanding a contact for the GM there at DMG. When DMG did not contact plumber to reconnect the plumbing that's when this became the over the top issue. The plumber stated he was contacted on Monday to come out. And still we had not heard from a Manager from DMG. The plumber that was contacted to come out made the call to our home that he would be out later on that day, mind you we did not even receive a call from the manager as of yet with all of the numerous problems we had encountered, ex. that a plumber would be giving us a call to set up a time to come out. And as the comment of needing 24 hrs for the countertops to sit before being able to be reconnected, there again 24 hrs would have been on Sunday. Easter is not a paid holiday and their are 24 hrs plumbers again when the 2nd install was scheduled the plumber should have been notified on the install date and had been scheduled to come out. Which they forgot to do or did not take the time to do. I finally got to speak with the GM Harry J[redacted], he stated they had made mistakes but they corrected them. Which they did and again I paid for a professional job to be done right the 1st time. And when it did not go as planned DMG had no customer service. I was asked several times what it would take to make me happy and Harry J[redacted] was told he needed to do what he felt was necessary,he had suggested a gift card for a resturant and I told him what ever he felt was needed for the inconvenience and to satisfy the customer. He actually said to me, let me think it over, over night and I give you a call tomorrow. When he called the next day he stated he had felt they filled their contract and that was it. What great customer service!!! I don't appreciate his comment of I was taking an opportunity to try to EXTORT money out of their business. BUYER beware, hopefully if you decide to go with DMG your job goes right and well the first time thru otherwise good luck with their customer service. And know that the GM has been dishonest meaning not stating the truth in his statements on what really occurred.

Distinctive Marble and Granite stands behind our work and our team.  We are sorry that Mrs. [redacted] feels this way but at the end of the day Distinctive Marble & Granite fulfilled the contract and installed beautiful countertops in her home.  We installed the tops on a holiday weekend to accommodate her schedule as well as paid to have the plumbing completed.   With regard to the overcharge of $100.00 for the kitchen sink, her credit card was refunded on March 18, 2016.  Her cutting board was delivered to her house on March 31, 2016 along with a gift card as a thank you for posting a Google review.  Mrs. [redacted] has every right to her opinion but the rebuttal Distinctive Marble & Granite submitted to the Revdex.com is completely factual.  The personal attacks Mrs. [redacted] has made about our General Manager are untrue and we stand by every member of our team.  We pride ourselves in providing an amazing product and great customer service.  This is proven by our 107 positive Google reviews to the one negative that Mrs. [redacted] provided.  Distinctive Marble & Granite considers this matter closed.  We wish Mrs. [redacted] all the best in the future.