Granite Concepts, LLC

On the day of the install, I spoke with both [redacted] and his wife and they both praised the seam [redacted] is simply creating issues with the seam now because he wants it redone at no cost without a seam Mark did go out to look at the situation Mark has been in the industry for over years and prides himself on fabrication and installation quality as he has overseen those departments for many years When Mark comes back and says that the seam was great, I am going to take his word However, the seam does need polished in the front This can be fixed rather easily on site and we could have taken care of this when Mark came up to assess the issues [redacted] did not want anything done to the countertop simply because he is seeking to get it replaced In the discussion that Paul had with [redacted] on template, [redacted] mentions that Paul said “everything looks pretty straightforward” In Paul making this comment, no way indicates that there would not be a seam somewhere in their countertop During the Sale, our showroom sales representative also pointed out to Mrand Mrs [redacted] that she never gave them any indication that there would not be a seam in the top [redacted] simply assumed that there would be no seam in this top [redacted] mentions in a previous email that he spoke with [redacted] about this top He mentions that [redacted] assured him that this top could have been done in one piece without a seam I called the person [redacted] spoke to and, he said he absolutely DID NOT say what [redacted] claimed The seam had to be placed in the top in this situation for the reasons I stated in my last response [redacted] signed our contract that states we have final authority on where and when a seam will need to be applied It is NOT Granite Concepts responsibility to uninstall and reinstall cabinets to get a countertop section in place as [redacted] has mentioned many times, and again would not have worked in this case due to the dishwasher cabinet assembly connected to the refrigerator cabinet without additional support [redacted] also makes a comment that we just up and decided this could be done without a seam after emailing back and forth for a month This is again FALSE We had a conversation DAY on the phone, that if [redacted] removed the refrigerator panel and provided temporary supports for the dishwasher section, then we could do this in one piece I told [redacted] that I would discuss possible replacement with our Cambria representative They agreed that there needed to be a seam in this situation So, I told [redacted] that we were not able to replace the top at ZERO cost We later came up with the offer to replace it at the discounted amount to resolve this issue under the terms stated in a previous post Again, we understand the reasons [redacted] does not want this seam in his top, therefore we have made our offer to replace the top without a seam We do not believe it is our responsibility to pay 100% of the replacement because everything was done above industry standards In conclusion, Granite Concepts would like [redacted] to allow us to fix the two issues in his existing top, OR concede to our offer of replacing the top without a seam under the conditions stated in my previous response This is our FINAL offer

[redacted] hired us to place countertops in his residence on November 3, 2016.  After installation, him and his wife gave praise on our quality of product, fabrication, and installation.  After the install, we had a conversation regarding a seam in a L shaped countertop trapped between a...

cabinet panel and two walls.  [redacted] and his wife said the seam looked great and was perfectly flat and very tight, he just didn’t expect to have a seam on this section of his countertop.  I explained to [redacted] that this had to be done because if we try to install a piece of stone that is 125” long with a 50” return, trapped between two hard surfaces, we would risk the following:
1.       Damaging the wall and or cabinet panel while trying to get a section installed of the size and shape described above.
2.       Safety to our employees.  This piece weighed over 800 lbs.  When attempting to install a piece of this size, weight, and shape, we would have to lift one end up so high that there is risk in injury to our employees.
3.       Possibility of Breaking the piece.  There was a sink cutout directly to the right of a dishwasher opening, less than 30” from the end of the countertop.  If we were to try to lift that end up as high as we would need to get it in as a solid piece, we would risk breaking the top at the sink cutout.
[redacted]’s argument was he could have disassembled his cabinets for us to get a piece installed without a seam.  I explained that this would also be difficult because his dishwasher opening was tied into his refrigerator panel.  If the refrigerator panel were to be removed than there would be no support for the countertop over the dishwasher opening, directly to the left of the sink cutout.  So again, we would risk breaking the piece of countertop until everything was reassembled.
Granite Concepts later offered to replace this section without a seam under the conditions that he remove his refrigerator panel and provide temporary supports to support the section over the dishwasher until the cabinets were reassembled.  The offer was to do this for our hard cost for fabrication and material of $1800.00.  To redo this top at normal pricing would exceed $3800.00. 
We performed every task of this project above industry standards and practices and do not feel it our responsibility to replace this top at no cost.  Therefore, we have made the generous offer to replace the countertop without a seam for a discount of over $2000.00 under the conditions stated above.
I have expressed to [redacted] that we 100% stand by our product and have a warranty on the product, seam, installation, etc.  I explained to him that if anything ever happened to the seam down the road, we would take care of it, as we pride ourselves on our customer service.
Please see the attached pictures, showing the section of cabinet we are referring to in this dispute. ([redacted] & [redacted]_1 & [redacted] & [redacted]_2)

On the day of the install, I spoke with both [redacted] and his wife and they both praised the seam.  [redacted] is simply creating false issues with the seam now because he wants it redone at no cost without a seam.  Mark did go out to look at the situation.  Mark has been in the industry for over 12 years and prides himself on fabrication and installation quality as he has overseen those departments for many years.  When Mark comes back and says that the seam was great, I am going to take his word.  However, the seam does need polished in the front.  This can be fixed rather easily on site and we could have taken care of this when Mark came up to assess the issues.  [redacted] did not want anything done to the countertop simply because he is seeking to get it replaced.
In the discussion that Paul had with [redacted] on template, [redacted] mentions that Paul said “everything looks pretty straightforward”.  In Paul making this comment, no way indicates that there would not be a seam somewhere in their countertop.  During the Sale, our showroom sales representative also pointed out to Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] that she never gave them any indication that there would not be a seam in the top.  [redacted] simply assumed that there would be no seam in this top.
[redacted] mentions in a previous email that he spoke with [redacted] about this top.  He mentions that [redacted] assured him that this top could have been done in one piece without a seam.  I called the person [redacted] spoke to and, he said he absolutely DID NOT say what [redacted] claimed. 
The seam had to be placed in the top in this situation for the reasons I stated in my last response.  [redacted] signed our contract that states we have final authority on where and when a seam will need to be applied.  It is NOT Granite Concepts responsibility to uninstall and reinstall cabinets to get a countertop section in place as [redacted] has mentioned many times, and again would not have worked in this case due to the dishwasher cabinet assembly connected to the refrigerator cabinet without additional support.
[redacted] also makes a comment that we just up and decided this could be done without a seam after emailing back and forth for a month.  This is again FALSE.  We had a conversation DAY 1 on the phone, that if [redacted] removed the refrigerator panel and provided temporary supports for the dishwasher section, then we could do this in one piece.  I told [redacted] that I would discuss possible replacement with our Cambria representative.  They agreed that there needed to be a seam in this situation.  So, I told [redacted] that we were not able to replace the top at ZERO cost.  We later came up with the offer to replace it at the discounted amount to resolve this issue under the terms stated in a previous post.
Again, we understand the reasons [redacted] does not want this seam in his top, therefore we have made our offer to replace the top without a seam.  We do not believe it is our responsibility to pay 100% of the replacement because everything was done above industry standards. 
In conclusion, Granite Concepts would like [redacted] to allow us to fix the two issues in his existing top, OR concede to our offer of replacing the top without a seam under the conditions stated in my previous response.  This is our FINAL offer.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: it does not resolve the issue.
To clarify, we praised the actual product (Cambria) and the professionalism of the three men who came out to install the counter tops. We did not praise the seam. All of the seam, except for about two inches of it, is not smooth when you run your hand across it. In addition, the seam on front edge of the counter top does not match up and is rough. This is not “industry standard”. We have consulted with other professionals and they agree that the seam should be completely smooth. Mark, the other owner at Granite Concepts has been out to look at the issues, but Chad has not been out to see the issues himself, so it would probably be hard for him to know if they are up to industry standard. At template, we discussed with Paul, who came out to template for Granite Concepts, our desire not to have any seams and asked if there was anything extra that we could do to help avoid them. He said that everything on our job looked fairly straightforward. Between template and installation day, there was no communication of any kind from Granite Concepts.  We finally called three days before the scheduled installation date to make sure we were still scheduled for that day, to see if we needed extra guys to help with pieces, and to see if there were any other steps that we needed to have done before they came out to install. Chad did mention all of those risks to us, after the install, when we called to ask why they had put a seam in. I have no doubt that he was concerned about those things, but I had no idea because I was never called or consulted. I'm not sure why we were never called to discuss the matter before the decision for the seam was made. If they had given us the option to remove the fridge panel, it would not have been “trapped between two hard surfaces”. The fridge panel is not a “hard surface”, as it can be moved. It has about twelve screws we would need to take out to remove the panel and cabinets from the dishwasher supports. It would have taken about 30 minutes to remove.As for the safety of the employees, we in no way want to put them at risk for injury. Chad mentions that the piece weighs about 800 pounds. However, according to the Cambria specification sheet that we've included, the 3cm quartz (which is what we have) weighs about 15 lbs per square foot. This makes our island piece, which is approximately 33 square feet, (the bigger piece without the seam) around 495 pounds. The smaller piece, which is approximately 26 square feet, that they put the seam in would weigh around 390 pounds. Because there is also a sink cutout in that piece, that would drop the weight to about 330 pounds for the total weight of that piece. Having said that, only two guys brought the island piece (the heavier of the two) in to the house and set it down. I find it hard to believe that three guys could not handle the smaller piece, if two guys could handle a larger one. Not only that, but we also offered to have some of our own guys there to help handle the pieces. So that would not have been an issue. I understand that maybe a piece with more walls is harder to handle, but as previously mentioned, we could have removed that panel, so as to have less “hard surfaces” to work around.He mentions a risk of breaking the piece because our dishwasher opening is tied to our refrigerator end panel. He claims that if we were to remove the fridge panel, there would be no support for the counter top over the dishwasher opening. This is not true. There is a support board that is screwed to the wall that the counter top rests on that does not rely on the refrigerator end panel for support. It held the counter top just fine when they detached the refrigerator end panel at install to make room for and install the pieces.Besides the seam, the end of the counter top where it meets the refrigerator panel is sticking out past the panel 1/16”. When we discussed this area with the Paul at template, we talked about it being set back 1/16”. In order to fix this, it would have to be re-cut from the back side to make it pivot the amount needed. If you were to try to fix it from the front, the front edge of the counter would be severely angled.We communicated through both email and phone with Chad for two weeks after the installation. We asked him to come out and look at the issues that we had. After getting no where with Chad, we asked Mark if he would come out and look at the issues and he did. After Mark came out, Chad emailed and said that they could install that section in one piece. He then made us the offer for the $1800 on top of our existing balance to replace the piece or $1500 to keep the existing two pieces with the seam.I understand that they are offering us a greatly discounted rate to install a new counter top in one solid piece. I just do not understand why it was not done in the first place. When first called about the seam on installation day, they said it could not be done because of all the reasons they stated above. But after emailing back and forth for a month, they have decided that it can be done in one solid piece. But that I'll have to pay more money. A discounted price, but still more money. I am sure that they do warranty and take great care of the seams they place in people's counter tops. I also understand that sometimes seams are necessary because of the size of the piece. However, I will have paid over $10,000 for these brand new counter tops in our brand new home. I do not expect to replace them for many, many years and I do not want to start off with a seam that was not absolutely necessary and already looks dirty with no use. See attached pictures and Cambria specification sheet for references. Sincerely,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: it does not resolve the issues.
 
I do not appreciate being called a liar. However, you are entitled to your opinion.All opinions aside....The counter does not match up with the fridge panel. Even if the seam were perfect, I would still have an issue with it. It is not the quality of the seam, but the seam itself, that I have an issue with.The question is whether or not the seam was necessary.You say it was, I say it wasn't. We could argue this all day long.My question to you is this.If the counter top had to have a seam in it, why are you offering to replace it as a solid piece now?If it can be done now, it could have been cut in one piece then.If it can be done now, it could have been installed in one piece then.Either the piece had to have a seam or it didn't. Clearly, the seam wasn't necessary, if you can put a solid piece in there now.You stated in your last personal email to us that you would turn our debt over to collections if we had not accepted one of your offers by 5pm today (December 5, 2016). I find this very disappointing, as we have already paid you more than half of what we owe and are still in the process of determining how this situation can be remedied. 
Sincerely,[redacted]