Joel Dessaules Bespoke Design

Dear Miriam,In response to complaint #filed by Mr [redacted] , this is how the situation undolded.Initial Contact and Discussion:On January 10,we received an inquiry from Mr [redacted] regarding renovation work for his home in Victoria, British Columbia.I contacted him ans we discussed the project, he sent photos and some other pertinent information and documents.At that time, he indicated that he was also interested in doing some work in the greater Palm Springs area.Initial Metting:On January 19,2017, Jon Cordi, a senior design associate, and I met with Mr [redacted] and his partner Sheila at the their new Palm Desert condominium.We had limited time to discuss the project on site as the home had not closed yet and the real estate agent needed to stay with usAfter spending an to 1-1/hours at the condo, the agent needed to leave and Mr [redacted] invited us to the clubhouse for lunch to discuss the project further.We spent another 1-1/to hours discussing their projects, in both British Columbia and in Palm DesertI had tea and my associate Jon had a coffee.In Mr [redacted] 's complaint, he mentioned that he was billed for our time when he kindly took us to lunchThis was the lunch, a coffee and a teaThis meeting and associated hours show up on my time sheet as well as our employees, however we included this meeting on his monthly billing at ZERO DOLLARS.We billed ZERO DOLLARS for this meeting, got a free coffe and teaI spent my entire day and paid my architect his regular salary on top of itThis free meeting has an actual value of $945.Agreement & Retainer:In regards to Mr [redacted] 's remorse of paying a standard retainer, we work on contract and retainer and we cannot begin any job until the agreement is signed and the retainer is collected.When my business partner and CFO, Kevin Macey, tried to collect the retainer prior to the scheduled site visit and field measure, Mr [redacted] acted strangely and gave him the run around saying that he did not have his check book with him in the US and that he could mail a check when he got back to Canada.Since we do not start any project without a signed agreement and retainer, Kevin made an exception and agreed to accept a credit card for the retainer, which is always paid via check or wire transfer.Kevin sent Mr [redacted] a credit card authorization form and he said that he couldn't print it.We had a field measure scheduled for January 23,2017, and since time was an issue, our associate Jon printed the authorization form and brought it with him to the field measure.In over years with our company, Jon has never handled a financial transaction, so this was definitely out of the ordinary.When Jon gave Mr [redacted] the form, a short time later he gave the bank form back to JonJon, who has never handled a financial transaction, had to ask him to complete the form because we could not continue doing any work without the retainer.He hesitated and gave him the completed form and said that he has never been asked to pay for things in advance and almost wanted to cancel the whole thingYet, he did not and we continued to the work we were hired for.Kitchen Design & layout:Mr [redacted] had some hesitation on our original kitchen layoutPrimarily as they saw other renovations in the same community, all of which were not very good.As we always strive to satisfy our clients needs, we provided a few alternate layouts for the kitchen.Ultimately he came back to the original design which utilized the space to its fullest.Architectural Plans & Material SelectionsOur initial objective was to provide an idea of what the new home would look like and how to achieve that on the clients budget.Between January 23,when we collected the retainer through March 10,2017, we created plans, make numerous additions and clarification drawings requested by the tradespeople to finalize their quotes, collected samples and created budgets for renovations and furnishingsDuring this time, we were in constant communication with Mr [redacted] and made revisions to plans accordingly.On February 23, we provided additional plans for the HOA for client to increase rear patio size.On March 10,2017, after making revisions to plans based on meeting with contractor candidate, we sent the most current set of plans for their Palm Desert homeThis included pages of detailed design work, down to custom cabinet sizes, custom shower glass, new plumbing and electrical locations, everything you need for a successful renovation and everything the tradespeople had requested on the plans so they can finalize their bids.On March 10,2017, we also sent out front elevation plans and initial material selections for their British Columbia home.The Braking PointOn March 7, 2017, we sent Mr [redacted] updated billing for January and February.On March 8, 2017, the only response about the invoice was a confirmation that their contractor candidate would be meeting us at the home that afternoon.On March 8, 2017, my associate Jon Cordi and I met with their contractor candidateHe was asking about what materials we were using for floor tile, wall tile, counter tops, backsplashes, etcI told him that we had samples and alternates selected and would review them with Mr [redacted] for final approvalThe way that we always outline scope of work for the trades is we provide them with square footages of anything that they will need to provide labor quote to installOur contractors never provide these products, we do and that is what is expected of usOn March 11, 2017, Mr [redacted] in the same email he also stated: "You've nickel and dimed us for every possible item even billing us for the lunch we had when we paid." As I stated in the initial Meeting section, we met with Mr [redacted] and his partner Sheila for almost hours, had a coffee & tea, and did not bill a penny for this meetingI have told this to Mr [redacted] on numerous occasions and he still is bringing it up in his dispute.On March 11, 2017, I tried calling Mr [redacted] several times and did not get an answerI left him a voicemail stating that I felt that there was some misunderstanding and that this issue would be much better resolved with a phone call, but wanted to provide some communicationIn my response, I included their January-February invoice and highlighted areas where my associate is working on plans with me, attending meetings with me, etc, yet none of my time shows up on their invoiceI could include phone calls, emails, text messages with client, tradespeople, etc, but I was more interested in nurturing what was a good client relationshipSee attached document.On March 12, 2017, Mr [redacted] was scheduled to arrive in Palm Desert and I was expecting that we would meet and review plans and material samples in personOn March 13, 2017, Mr [redacted] emailed stated: "I would like to have you remain involved in this project Joel, and would like to do others in the futureBut as it stands your billing protocol is unacceptable and my fear is this will only get worse if your are involved the whole wayI could be wrong and am happy to continue discussing it." On March 20, 2017, Mr [redacted] emailed stated: "I regret you are avoiding communicating with me or replying to my request to return a portion of my depositI have contacted the local Chamber of Commerce, The Revdex.com which is based in Fresno, and a local solicitor who specializes in business disputes in order to discuss options." On March 20, 2017, I responded that again, I felt there was a miscommunication and that there was too much to cover via emailOn March 22, 2017, Mr [redacted] sent another angry email that they hired another design firm and they did everything Mr [redacted] needed in days and for $and stated: "I want my money back Joel, this experience has been terribleAs I said I don't want to escalate this, I just want it over." On March 22, 2017, I replied and emailed the materials presentation that we would have gone over in person after Mr [redacted] arrived in Palm Desert on March 12, 2017, along with the actual physical samples that we had collectedOn March 24, 2017, Mr [redacted] replied and again very unhappy and asking for a refund for the third timeOn March 27, 2017, I replied that we were all at a loss and that as a design firm, we cannot recover our time and that they have a balance due of $2,for their January - February billingHere's The DealWe are a professional design firm with an office, warehouse, design and management teamOur work is featured in books, magazines and design blogsWe have rave client reviews and most of our work is repeat clients and referralsOur business is based on our reputation and we go above and beyond to gain and maintain our great reputationMr [redacted] hired our firm to design two residences and primarily only references the Palm Desert home in his dispute, but regarding Mr [redacted] 's British Columbia residence, there were two red flags; Mr [redacted] demolished all of the landscape, leaving the property looking torn up and had no plan on how to put it back together, which is not how people typically attack a major projectMr [redacted] had initially sent us a rendering a designer did for the renovation of the residence and shared things he liked and did not likeA few weeks later, he sent us another drawing from another designer with a completely different take on the overall designIt was becoming evident that Mr [redacted] was having difficulty expressing what he really wanted and was obviously having issues with other designers he was working withWe provided professional architectural plans, detailed budgets and selected materials all the way down to grout colorsOur timeline was extended due to changes and value engineering, and we were in constant communication with Mr [redacted] We met with several contractors to help Mr [redacted] get the most bang for the dollar out of the renovation budgetMr [redacted] had been very pleasant to work with, however when he was presented with an invoice for all the work we had done his behavior became erraticInstead of waiting a few days to meet with us in Palm Desert and review all of the plans, material samples, products, etc that we had to show him, he quickly angered and sent threatening emailsEven if there was a dispute over the billing, a rational person would want to see the body of work, and then bring up concerns of billing and come to an amicable resolutionMr [redacted] however, became angry and threateningFor Mr [redacted] to hire our company to provide professional services, take our valuable time, not pay an open invoice of $2,221.25, demand that we refund him $3,of his Non-Refundable Retainer, and now while I am moving into my new home, take up my entire day to review all of this and prepare this response is completely absurdWe are the ones at a loss and in the end, we did our job and Mr [redacted] owes our company $2,for his January - February billingPlease submit payment to: Joel Dessaules Design IncAttn: Accounts Receivable [redacted] ***Respectfully, Joel Dessaules President, Joel Dessaules Design Inc

Dear Miriam,In response to complaint #12074409 filed by Mr. [redacted], this is how the situation undolded.Initial Contact and Discussion:On January 10,2017 we received an inquiry from Mr. [redacted] regarding renovation work for his home in Victoria, British Columbia.I contacted him ans we...

discussed the project, he sent photos and some other pertinent information and documents.At that time, he indicated that he was also interested in doing some work in the greater Palm Springs area.Initial Metting:On January 19,2017, Jon Cordi, a senior design associate, and I met with Mr. [redacted] and his partner Sheila at the their new Palm Desert condominium.We had limited time to discuss the project on site as the home had not closed yet and the real estate agent needed to stay with us. After spending an 1 to 1-1/2 hours at the condo, the agent needed to leave and Mr. [redacted] invited us to the clubhouse for lunch to discuss the project further.We spent another 1-1/2 to 2 hours discussing their projects, in both British Columbia and in Palm Desert. I had tea and my associate Jon had a coffee.In Mr. [redacted]'s complaint, he mentioned that he was billed for our time when he kindly took us to lunch. This was the lunch, a coffee and a tea. This meeting and associated hours show up on my time sheet as well as our employees, however we included this meeting on his monthly billing at ZERO DOLLARS.We billed ZERO DOLLARS for this meeting, got a free coffe and tea. I spent my entire day and paid my architect his regular salary on top of it. This free meeting has an actual value of $945.Agreement & Retainer:In regards to Mr. [redacted]'s remorse of paying a standard retainer, we work on contract and retainer and we cannot begin any job until the agreement is signed and the retainer is collected.When my business partner and CFO, Kevin Macey, tried to collect the retainer prior to the scheduled site visit and field measure, Mr. [redacted] acted strangely and gave him the run around saying that he did not have his check book with him in the US and that he could mail a check when he got back to Canada.Since we do not start any project without a signed agreement and retainer, Kevin made an exception and agreed to accept a credit card for the retainer, which is always paid via check or wire transfer.Kevin sent Mr. [redacted] a credit card authorization form and he said that he couldn't print it.We had a field measure scheduled for January 23,2017, and since time was an issue, our associate Jon printed the authorization form and brought it with him to the field measure.In over 4 years with our company, Jon has never handled a financial transaction, so this was definitely out of the ordinary.When Jon gave Mr. [redacted] the form, a short time later he gave the bank form back to Jon. Jon, who has never handled a financial transaction, had to ask him to complete the form because we could not continue doing any work without the retainer.He hesitated and gave him the completed form and said that he has never been asked to pay for things in advance and almost wanted to cancel the whole thing. Yet, he did not and we continued to the work we were hired for.Kitchen Design & layout:Mr. [redacted] had some hesitation on our original kitchen layout. Primarily as they saw other renovations in the same community, all of which were not very good.As we always strive to satisfy our clients needs, we provided a few alternate layouts for the kitchen.Ultimately he came back to the original design which utilized the space to its fullest.Architectural Plans & Material SelectionsOur initial objective was to provide an idea of what the new home would look like and how to achieve that on the clients budget.Between January 23,2017 when we collected the retainer through March 10,2017, we created plans, make numerous additions and clarification drawings requested by the tradespeople to finalize their quotes, collected samples and created budgets for renovations and furnishings. During this time, we were in constant communication with Mr. [redacted] and made revisions to plans accordingly.On February 23, 2017 we provided additional plans for the HOA for client to increase rear patio size.On March 10,2017, after making revisions to plans based on meeting with contractor candidate, we sent the most current set of plans for their Palm Desert home. This included 10 pages of detailed design work, down to custom cabinet sizes, custom shower glass, new plumbing and electrical locations, everything you need for a successful renovation and everything the tradespeople had requested on the plans so they can finalize their bids.On March 10,2017, we also sent out front elevation plans and initial material selections for their British Columbia home.The Braking PointOn March 7, 2017, we sent Mr. [redacted] updated billing for January and February.On March 8, 2017, the only response about the invoice was a confirmation that their contractor candidate would be meeting us at the home that afternoon.On March 8, 2017, my associate Jon Cordi and I met with their contractor candidate. He was asking about what materials we were using for floor tile, wall tile, counter tops, backsplashes, etc. I told him that we had samples and alternates selected and would review them with Mr. [redacted] for final approval. The way that we always outline scope of work for the trades is we provide them with square footages of anything that they will need to provide labor quote to install. Our contractors never provide these products, we do and that is what is expected of us. On March 11, 2017, Mr. [redacted] in the same email he also stated: "You've nickel and dimed us for every possible item even billing us for the lunch we had when we paid." As I stated in the initial Meeting section, we met with Mr. [redacted] and his partner Sheila for almost 4 hours, had a coffee & tea, and did not bill a penny for this meeting. I have told this to Mr. [redacted] on numerous occasions and he still is bringing it up in his dispute.On March 11, 2017, I tried calling Mr. [redacted] several times and did not get an answer. I left him a voicemail stating that I felt that there was some misunderstanding and that this issue would be much better resolved with a phone call, but wanted to provide some communication. In my response, I included their January-February invoice and highlighted areas where my associate is working on plans with me, attending meetings with me, etc, yet none of my time shows up on their invoice. I could include phone calls, emails, text messages with client, tradespeople, etc, but I was more interested in nurturing what was a good client relationship. See attached document.On March 12, 2017, Mr. [redacted] was scheduled to arrive in Palm Desert and I was expecting that we would meet and review plans and material samples in person. On March 13, 2017, Mr. [redacted] emailed stated: "I would like to have you remain involved in this project Joel, and would like to do others in the future. But as it stands your billing protocol is unacceptable and my fear is this will only get worse if your are involved the whole way. I could be wrong and am happy to continue discussing it." On March 20, 2017, Mr. [redacted] emailed stated: "I regret you are avoiding communicating with me or replying to my request to return a portion of my deposit. I have contacted the local Chamber of Commerce, The Revdex.com which is based in Fresno, and a local solicitor who specializes in business disputes in order to discuss options." On March 20, 2017, I responded that again, I felt there was a miscommunication and that there was too much to cover via email. On March 22, 2017, Mr. [redacted] sent another angry email that they hired another design firm and they did everything Mr. [redacted] needed in 5 days and for $250 and stated: "I want my money back Joel, this experience has been terrible. As I  said I don't want to escalate this, I just want it over."  On March 22, 2017, I replied and emailed the materials presentation that we would have gone over in person after Mr. [redacted] arrived in Palm Desert on March 12, 2017, along with the actual physical samples that we had collected. On March 24, 2017, Mr. [redacted] replied and again very unhappy and asking for a refund for the third time. On March 27, 2017, I replied that we were all at a loss and that as a design firm, we cannot recover our time and that they have a balance due of $2,221.25 for their January - February billing. Here's The DealWe are a professional design firm with an office, warehouse, design and management team. Our work is featured in books, magazines and design blogs. We have rave client reviews and most of our work is repeat clients and referrals. Our business is based on our reputation and we go above and beyond to gain and maintain our great reputation. Mr. [redacted] hired our firm to design two residences and primarily only references the Palm Desert home in his dispute, but regarding Mr. [redacted]'s British Columbia residence, there were two red flags; 1. Mr. [redacted] demolished all of the landscape, leaving the property looking torn up and had no plan on how to put it back together, which is not how people typically attack a major project. 2. Mr. [redacted] had initially sent us a rendering a designer did for the renovation of the residence and shared things he liked and did not like. A few weeks later, he sent us another drawing from another designer with a completely different take on the overall design. It was becoming evident that Mr. [redacted] was having difficulty expressing what he really wanted and was obviously having issues with other designers he was working with. We provided professional architectural plans, detailed budgets and selected materials all the way down to grout colors. Our timeline was extended due to changes and value engineering, and we were in constant communication with Mr. [redacted]. We met with several contractors to help Mr. [redacted] get the most bang for the dollar out of the renovation budget. Mr. [redacted] had been very pleasant to work with, however when he was presented with an invoice for all the work we had done his behavior became erratic. Instead of waiting a few days to meet with us in Palm Desert and review all of the plans, material samples, products, etc that we had to show him, he quickly angered and sent threatening emails. Even if there was a dispute over the billing, a rational person would want to see the body of work, and then bring up concerns of billing and come to an amicable resolution. Mr. [redacted] however, became angry and threatening. For Mr. [redacted] to hire our company to provide professional services, take our valuable time, not pay an open invoice of $2,221.25, demand that we refund him $3,000 of his Non-Refundable Retainer, and now while I am moving into my new home, take up my entire day to review all of this and prepare this response is completely absurd. We are the ones at a loss and in the end, we did our job and Mr. [redacted] owes our company $2,221.25 for his January - February billing. Please submit payment to: Joel Dessaules Design Inc. Attn: Accounts Receivable 5[redacted]2 Respectfully, Joel Dessaules President, Joel Dessaules Design Inc.

I am rejecting this response because:This long and windy response, complete with its condescending tone and patronizing language typifies my communications with Joel Dessaules. I would caution others to expect more of the same in their dealings with this firm.That being said, the facts remain:Our contract called for Joel Desaulles to deliver on their commitments within 2 weeks of the contract being signed. That contractual obligation was broken by Joel Dessaules and other than a poorly conceived kitchen layout, nothing was delivered to us after 8 weeks of waiting and numerous requests.It was 5 days after we finally fired Joel Desaulles that he cobbled together some images off the internet, called it his body of work, and emailed it to us.We have nothing of any value that we can incorporate into our project and I have little hope of recovering our $5000 deposit. I would advise other potential clients to avoid paying any monies upfront to Joel Desaulles in the future, and to reign in their expectations when it comes to Joel Desaulles honoring their client commitments and delivering on their promises.Regards,[redacted]