EZ Tile & Marble Countertops

I will begin by saying that Mrs. [redacted] submitting this complaint is clearly in reference to her being sent to collections for the amount that she owes us on our contract dated and signed 4/8/2016 a copy of which is attached.  When Mrs. [redacted] first asked for an estimate that was in...

November 2015 which is our “slow season,” at that time we were only about 3-5 days out from tear-out/templates to installation.  Mrs. [redacted] came back in April which is beginning of the height of our “Very busy season” and there is no way that we can get her job done in that short of time period.    Our shop is not 7 miles away but in fact about an hour away from where Mrs. [redacted] lives.  I had in fact, offered her a $50 discount on her bill because of our delay which she gladly accepted and said to me “no problem.”    The day my husband came to do the plumbing is the day that the plumber was onsite to do the work for her that she in fact, is obligated to us to perform.  We had a contract to do the plumbing for her so in essence; I could still charge and receive from her the $75 to do the plumbing since she didn’t keep her end of the contract.  I graciously removed the $75 charge and am not paying her $207.00 for something that we were only going to charge $75 to do.  As far as the work is concerned, this is pre-fab marble which I had informed Mrs. [redacted] that there is no warranty on this product and tried to encourage her to purchase a full raw slab to have custom cut and fabricated for her vanity.  She insisted on the marble and so I had her come an look at the marble pre-fab before it was cut at our “shop” again an hour away.  She saw exactly what she was getting and brought her husband with her whom also approved the purchase.  Attached is all of the emails between Mrs. [redacted] and myself as well as all other contracts, invoices, etc.  The window sill could not be made into one piece as her tile had been set because pre-fab only comes in 26” width, her cabinet was already at 26” and if you add the window sill you can see that this is just not possible.  We had to cut a piece of the marble off another end, polish it and make it to fit the window sill.  There is no chip on the countertop but merely a blemish in the stone which again she had already approved.  You can see from the photos that we took after installing (attached) there was and is no chip in the marble.  There are no flaws other than Mrs. [redacted] insisting on the prefab material.  I will not refund her any monies nor will I make any sort of concession at this point.  Mrs. [redacted] was informed you get what you pay for as far as the pre-fab materials are concerned.  A copy of the check is attached that doesn’t say “payment in full” and I am in my legal rights to collect from her the money she owes per our signed contract.  “When I called about it the owners wife came out a week later and said it the chips fell to call her and she would have her guy "fill them". She tried to convince me to accept the counters.”  Mrs. [redacted] didn’t call us at all, we waited nearly two weeks for her to make payment before we began to contact her.  I will not address any of the other allegations in this complaint as it is only hearsay and not relevant.

I am rejecting this response because: They are completely unwilling to work this out and are, in fact, lying on several accounts.  And truthfully, I don't understand why.  This installation had so many problems and delays.  All of which I was willing to accept except the chip/stress marks on the edge of the counter top.  I was actually willing to even accept those if they were willing to pay the plumbing. I could have not paid ANY of the balance due but I did in good faith. The chips/stress marks are clearly there and are clearly not part of the natural flaws found in natural stone.  I did originally go to the shop in November and did not order until several months later but was still told it would be 3 - 5 days.  I asked specifically when the counter came in because I knew I had company coming to stay.  As you can see on the attached photo of the map from [redacted], the shop is NOT one hour away but merely 15 minutes from my house to the shop, not 1 hour as was stated repeatedly.  The plumber installed the faucet after the owner left for the day without doing the work.  In addition, when I drove the 15 minutes to her shop TWICE to approve the countertops my husband was not with me, only a 1 year old child.  In fact he never saw the counters before they were installed so he could not have approved them. I understand about the windowsill but was not informed about it beforehand.  There was an overall lack of communication.  If the chip/stress mark was just a blemish, why was I told it would be filled if it fell out?  I do not understand the need for these lies or the need to send a customer to collections because they are not satisfied with the work done.  Yes, this is in response to being sent to collections.  I am not happy with the work.  I feel strong armed or bullied to accept everything AND pay in full.

Review: When we ordered a prefab marble countertop we were told it would take 3 days for tear out and installation. 9 days later it only one part was installed but not plumbed as was in the contract. I waited at home 5 days from the tear out for the install with no phone call until I finally called them on Friday. They said he would be out Monday or Tuesday. On Tuesday he installed the sink portion but left the vanity portion at the shop and did not want to get it that day because it "would take all day" (7 miles away). Since we had a plumber here already, we had him install the faucet and we deducted the cost from the bill. On day 10 when the counter was finally complete, we notice two pieces/chips on the front edge of the vanity that looked like they were going to fall out. Maybe stress from straps used in transportation of the marble. You can see and feel them. He also placed a piece of marble on top of the marble counter as a window sill instead of cutting the top to fit in as one piece as was done previously. He also caulked only two sections to fill the large gaps along the walls but not all. When I called about it the owners wife came out a week later and said it the chips fell to call her and she would have her guy "fill them". She tried to convince me to accept the counters. I relented and gave her a check for the balance minus the cost of the plumber ($207). She said it it was not acceptable. I reminded her of all the flaws and delays she wanted me to accept including all the days at home waiting and missing work with no phone call. She took the check but again said it was unacceptable. She would not talk to me. My husband said "if you accept the check, consider it payment in full." She took it and abruptly left saying she was going to put a lien on our property. Today I got a call from collections for $300. The man at collections said the owners wife hired him and told him I kicked her out of my house. The check memo line noted "balance of countertop" and she cashed it.Desired Settlement: I would like the bill considered paid in full with the promise of repair or a full refund minus the cost of the original tear out and they can have their damaged countertops back.

Business

Response:

I will begin by saying that Mrs. [redacted] submitting this complaint is clearly in reference to her being sent to collections for the amount that she owes us on our contract dated and signed 4/8/2016 a copy of which is attached. When Mrs. [redacted] first asked for an estimate that was in November 2015 which is our “slow season,” at that time we were only about 3-5 days out from tear-out/templates to installation. Mrs. [redacted] came back in April which is beginning of the height of our “Very busy season” and there is no way that we can get her job done in that short of time period. Our shop is not 7 miles away but in fact about an hour away from where Mrs. [redacted] lives. I had in fact, offered her a $50 discount on her bill because of our delay which she gladly accepted and said to me “no problem.” The day my husband came to do the plumbing is the day that the plumber was onsite to do the work for her that she in fact, is obligated to us to perform. We had a contract to do the plumbing for her so in essence; I could still charge and receive from her the $75 to do the plumbing since she didn’t keep her end of the contract. I graciously removed the $75 charge and am not paying her $207.00 for something that we were only going to charge $75 to do. As far as the work is concerned, this is pre-fab marble which I had informed Mrs. [redacted] that there is no warranty on this product and tried to encourage her to purchase a full raw slab to have custom cut and fabricated for her vanity. She insisted on the marble and so I had her come an look at the marble pre-fab before it was cut at our “shop” again an hour away. She saw exactly what she was getting and brought her husband with her whom also approved the purchase. Attached is all of the emails between Mrs. [redacted] and myself as well as all other contracts, invoices, etc. The window sill could not be made into one piece as her tile had been set because pre-fab only comes in 26” width, her cabinet was already at 26” and if you add the window sill you can see that this is just not possible. We had to cut a piece of the marble off another end, polish it and make it to fit the window sill. There is no chip on the countertop but merely a blemish in the stone which again she had already approved. You can see from the photos that we took after installing (attached) there was and is no chip in the marble. There are no flaws other than Mrs. [redacted] insisting on the prefab material. I will not refund her any monies nor will I make any sort of concession at this point. Mrs. [redacted] was informed you get what you pay for as far as the pre-fab materials are concerned. A copy of the check is attached that doesn’t say “payment in full” and I am in my legal rights to collect from her the money she owes per our signed contract. “When I called about it the owners wife came out a week later and said it the chips fell to call her and she would have her guy "fill them". She tried to convince me to accept the counters.” Mrs. [redacted] didn’t call us at all, we waited nearly two weeks for her to make payment before we began to contact her. I will not address any of the other allegations in this complaint as it is only hearsay and not relevant.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: They are completely unwilling to work this out and are, in fact, lying on several accounts. And truthfully, I don't understand why. This installation had so many problems and delays. All of which I was willing to accept except the chip/stress marks on the edge of the counter top. I was actually willing to even accept those if they were willing to pay the plumbing. I could have not paid ANY of the balance due but I did in good faith. The chips/stress marks are clearly there and are clearly not part of the natural flaws found in natural stone. I did originally go to the shop in November and did not order until several months later but was still told it would be 3 - 5 days. I asked specifically when the counter came in because I knew I had company coming to stay. As you can see on the attached photo of the map from [redacted], the shop is NOT one hour away but merely 15 minutes from my house to the shop, not 1 hour as was stated repeatedly. The plumber installed the faucet after the owner left for the day without doing the work. In addition, when I drove the 15 minutes to her shop TWICE to approve the countertops my husband was not with me, only a 1 year old child. In fact he never saw the counters before they were installed so he could not have approved them. I understand about the windowsill but was not informed about it beforehand. There was an overall lack of communication. If the chip/stress mark was just a blemish, why was I told it would be filled if it fell out? I do not understand the need for these lies or the need to send a customer to collections because they are not satisfied with the work done. Yes, this is in response to being sent to collections. I am not happy with the work. I feel strong armed or bullied to accept everything AND pay in full.

Review: Oct 2013 I hired EZ Tile & Marble to put in a stainless steel sink & granite top counter. Since I had just come out of the hospital I was not cooking and using the sink for a couple of weeks. When I did use it and cleaned up I noticed large scratches from one side to another and rust spots. These marks show up in the evening when lights are on. I called the tile man several times and he finally sent his wife out to take pictures. She brought a flyer from "Moen" describing use. I thought it was a "Moen" sink. She suggested putting white vinegar on rust spots!! Many more phone calls & he came to look at sink and I asked him to send me a copy of the sink purchase. Weeks later I received it & called the "Outlet". They said sink was a "Generic" sink, no brand, no warranty and made in China" I wrote tile company again asking him why wasn't I advised that sink was not guaranteed & should have been top mounted in case of problems that the"Moen" flyer stated. I told [redacted] (tile man) he should have found out how these scratches were covered up until washed so it can be fixed or make some restitution to me. I wrote him Feb. 21st and have not heard from him. My health being a problem I was not looking forward to having whole counter ripped out, re-done and being without water and a mess for a week or more.Desired Settlement: Work redone.

Business

Response:

Mrs. [redacted] hired EZ Tile and Marble to install granite countertops for her in her home. She asked us about the sink and stated that she was not in good health, so we acquired a sink for her (at a significant discount then she would have received anywhere else). Before installing the sink, we took it out of the package and she approved the sink. We are not in the business of selling sinks, we are a stone fabrication and installation company. When we went to Mrs. [redacted]'s home to look at the sink, she admitted that she scratched the sink and she also showed us a wire rack that she had been using in the sink. The wire rack had plastic molding on it that had come off from continuous use and the ends of it where it touched the sink were rusted, this rust transferred to her sink (it's not really rust but a slight discoloration). Again, we are not in the business of selling sinks or cleaning them for our customers. We have made two trips to Mrs. [redacted]'s home after our initial installation and left her literature on how to remove the discoloration but we CANNOT remove and replace the entire countertops to replace a sink that she admitted she scratched. She does not want to listen to reason but she did write us a letter that I've attached expressing her approval and that of her son's - there was no mention of any rust or scratches at that time. I'm sorry that we cannot help her any further.

Consumer

Response:

Yes, I did see the sink, briefly, before installation, then taken away, and installed another day. The requests for E-Z Tile reccomendation were given to me upon completion & asked to fill out that day! I did so. Since I had come out of hospital recently & not cooking for a couple of weeks, it was not necessary to clean sink. When I did cook & clean up I had to use Bon Am'e (which I had used on many sinks for about 75 years). In one house I lived in the sink was 10 yrs old, when I moved out it was 14 yrs old & it was in perfect condition including the stainless counters. As for the matter of the rubberized grate previously used in my enamel sink (with no rust marks) the contractors wife pointed out 2 wear spots and suggested I use white vinegar soaked paper on stainless sink! The grate rust points on mat did not match the spots in the stainless sink! I never said I had scratched the sink,Thats rediculous! Even [redacted] said he knew I had not put the scratched there. His wife actually showed me the "Moen flyer " with the rules for a stainless sink making it seem delicate. My sons sink and a friend both have stainless steel sinks 13 yrs in perfect condition! The wife then said I had told [redacted] I had seen sinks I liked in Lowes & Home Depot. He did not say I should buy it there but did say to buy my faucet, which my son went out that might and bought. Note, please that scratches do not show up unless light overhead is "on' which it wasn't when shown sink the first time