Home Design Center

Failure to honor Contractual Agreement.Shopping and Cabinet Choice: We were told on July 15, 2014 and on several other occasions prior to said date that we would "go shopping." That never occurred! Instead we had to choose from the meager selection of cabinet doors, cabinet hardware and countertops that they had in-house. On July 21, 2014 we met with Leah the designer for our shopping trip which never took place. The choice of kitchen cabinets doors that was available was very limited. Leah was shown the [redacted] and our preference of kitchen cabinet door which was the Stockton. We were told from April 2014 - mid August that a custom cabinet maker would construct our cabinet of choice. However, we are still in the process of TRYING to find a cabinet door! The custom cabinet maker was unable to duplicate our cabinet of choice AND the shopping trip as promised never took place.We have paid $27,400.00 and the only renovation that has taken place is listed below:*gas and electrical line installation *floor tileDesired SettlementTo honor the Contractual Agreement. Business Response First and foremost no contractural agreement exists between Mr. and Mrs.[redacted] and Home Design Center, LLC. The Design Center is a creative firm which works with [redacted] of View Design, LLC a licensed general contractor who installs kitchens and baths in the [redacted] Metro area. The[redacted]' contracted for a kitchen with [redacted] of View Design LLC. The Design Center from the execution of the contract on behalf of [redacted] of VIew worked with the client on revising the design plan from another firm for the kitchen. The[redacted]es had apparently been working with this different kitchen and bath design/build company for some period of time and brought these plans and specifications with them to the very first meeting. These included the selections they had made as of that date which included the Mouser cabinet catalog design. Neither the Design Center or [redacted] of VIew Design sold this product line and in fact all the cabinets that they sell are custom built. The Design Center has to date generated over a dozen cabinet designs and produced a similar quantity of door styles and color/glaze samples for the[redacted]es approval. With each step these were drawn in detail with the[redacted]es signing each set of drawings as to what they wanted. The[redacted]es have made and continue to make numerous changes to these drawings as recently as two weeks ago. Furthermore the[redacted]es have pending approvals on the upper cabinet redesign, countertop substitution and other components of the project. To address a specific, the[redacted]es were taken shopping not only in Design Center's showroom, which has a diverse group of dozens of sample doors and finishes but also tile wholesalers, plumbing fixture showroom.All work than can be completed to date has until these final choices have been made, sign off on and paid for. The work currently has completed for the electrical, ventilation, gas lines, plumbing, drywall, painting and all the base and upper cabinets are installed without doors pending approval of the latest door sample. Templates have been made for countertop although they have yet to be produced due to both a lack of authorization paperwork and payment for changes the[redacted]es dictated to the stone fabricator. Likewise the cabinet company received requests from the[redacted]es for changes that were then documented and paperwork sent to them for approval. This also has not been responded to by the[redacted]es or incompletely answered to permit progress. Between the constant changes and lack of response from the[redacted]es to the Design Center and the Project Manager of [redacted] of View Design the client was been notified verbally and in writing that everything that could be done to date has and that no further work could proceed until decisions and documentation was received back allowing the project to proceed. We have made every effort to move this project forward but at this time believe that there must be some problem on the[redacted]es side since their derogatory diatribe to our workmen and actions, including not allowing the stone fabricator access to the job site, seem as if they do not want the project to proceed to completion. They have run up a bill for design and project management time beyond the allowances in their contract as well. A letter calling out what is required under our contract along with copies of the still to be completed paperwork have been sent with still no response. We have also suggested that per our contract with the[redacted]es if needed we are prepared to go to arbitration if these problems cannot be resolved. We have fulfilled to the letter and beyond our contractural requirement and are impeded only by the full cooperation of the[redacted]es. Consumer Response We signed a contract on 7/15/2014 with Design Center [redacted] to remodel our kitchen. The Design Center changed the stone width of the island bar top. We have never had a discussion with [redacted], Leah Fors or [redacted] Lum requesting 18" quartz countertop for the bar portion or second tier of the kitchen island. Not only have we not had this discussion with anyone about the bar top being 18 inches wide, rather this change was made by [redacted]. The only size stone that we EVER discussed for the bar top/ second tier was 12" stone. On several occasions while visiting the showroom we not only requested the 12'' bar top/ second tier, but we physically went over to the bar top on display, the one nearest the front door and measured it. We stated that we wanted our bar top to be the exact same width 12". We also measured the bar top/ second tier with Leah. -- On June 13, 2014 we requested the 12'' bar top/ second tier for the kitchen island. We met with Leah. -- On July 15, 2014 (contract date) we requested the 12'' bar top/ second tier for the kitchen island. -- On July 21, 2014 (shopping day) we requested the 12'' bar top/ second tier for the kitchen island. The base or main portion of the kitchen island was built to specification, however, the bar top/second tier was NOT. This is another Breach of Contract by the Design Center. also another example of how [redacted] engages in deceitful dealing and/or deceitful business practices. Every aspect of this project has been subjected to [redacted]'s fraudulent schemes to FORCE consumers to pay for goods and services that were agreed upon in the initial contract and negotiations. Copy of an Email Sent to [redacted] (Project Manager) on November 15, 2014 regarding the bar portion of the kitchen island. From:[redacted]@msn.com To: [redacted].com Subject: Island (bar top) Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:52:20 +0000 [redacted], on Friday Rod and I talk about the width of the bar portion of the inland, the print has it 18 wide and 65 long. Base on Rod expertise, he recommends that the bar should be 16" x 65" inches long. He will put together a packet of all the support system for the bar that he can offer. I will wait to hear from you. Your Desired Resolution:1. To honor the contractual agreement both written and verbal. 2. To cease all deceitful / dishonest dealings and business practices. 3. To install the 12" stone on bar top that we contracted for. 4. To complete the project.Final Business Response This is going to be the end of any further exchanges of this totally nonsensical circular dispute, distortion of facts and meaningless arguments. We believe that to continue with any interactions with the[redacted]es will bear no resolution to statements of technical fact that we have presented to them regarding both the choices they made and have been documented with their signatures. The[redacted]es continue to disregard what they do not want to hear and/or read and substitute events that did not occur, are contradictory to the paper trail, in denial of the facts of the material science involved and resort to personal attacks on Mr. [redacted] who has had the least amount of contact with them as a client. Our company has successfully worked with hundreds of Memphian's on their projects and we have never had a circumstance like this. We have heard in our community that the[redacted]es have behaved with other design/construction firms in similar ways and they were "fired as a client" before. With a staff of designers and project managers who have worked diligently on this project none of the events or facts repeatedly presented fit the reality. The[redacted]es appear to not listen, read or seek any level of understanding as to the process of construction thus making it nearly impossible to perform our job as we are professionally licensed to do. As an organization we have attempted various methods to repeatedly explain the process that must occur, the nature of materials and how things have to be documented and constructed. These communications continue to be what could only be described as intentionally ignored which we frankly do not understand the nature of this erratic behavior. Information goes in but nothing comes back out other than rhetoric focused on placing blame on us as the perpetrator of some masterminded conspiracy to charge them for items they have changed in writing and/or paid for. Any person, even someone who has never embarked on a remodeling project knows, that if you change something and it costs more IT COSTS MORE. We as the contractor do not bear the burden of their selections and choices and frankly we believe this is nothing more than an attempt to cram down these costs. We will neither agree to this nor should we submit to this type of contrived blackmail. We have worked in this business for the past twelve years and it is not the first time we have seen this attempted. The[redacted]es have selectively responded primarily by omission to emails and phone calls seeking confirmation of WHAT WE ARE TO BE BUILDING, refused to sign copies of new drawings and specifications that reflect their latest design changes. We as an organization cannot function this way. We have even built mock-ups as to assist them in visualizing some of these changes that we have advised against and they in turn responded in writing that "this is what we want" only to be told later through our site employees that they "hate" what they chose and never authorized its fabrication. Their complaint is riddled with contrived dates, events and here say.We have exhausted ourselves attempting to put this project back on track multiple times only to have it intentionally derailed by the[redacted]es for what purpose we do not understand but suspect as being posturing to not make payment when the project is completed. Our vendors have also picked up on this and are uncomfortable in having further dealings with them. Due to this erratic behavior we have downgraded their credit with us and no longer have any business confidence in continuing to deal with them. This project is 85% complete lacking the countertop installation which they refuse to sign design drawing that the stone fabricator demands and remit the increased cost of their design changes, the installation of the doors for the cabinetry are ready to be installed but we are lacking access and approval of the cabinet configuration drawings as submitted in writing to them and setting of a tile backsplash which cannot be installed until the countertops are put in. Our design, management, trade employees and sub-contractors no longer want to deal with them or even go onto their property citing a lack of sincere cooperation, abusive language and commentary that pervades the job site. At this point the management and owners of the Design Center, which is not a party to this contract, and [redacted] of View Design, the licensed general contractor no longer wishes to have any further dealings with the[redacted]es and has elected to deliver the cabinet doors (by common carrier) or installed if access to the property is permitted and refund any balances paid regarding the incomplete items. We as a company cannot continue to keep this project active and firmly believe that the[redacted]es for some irrational reason really have no desire for it to be completed properly. We are auditing their account and will notice them in accordance with our written contract that due to their numerous breaches we are canceling this project with them.We regret that we cannot finish this project but find that to have any further dealings will not result in a successful outcome. It is unfortunate that the Revdex.com does not keep a complaint file on abusive consumers.