Keith's Machine Shop

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this issue.  We, Troy Granite, work hard to ensure that every customer is fully satisfied with their countertop installation.  Unfortuntately, when working with large pieces of stone, sometimes issues can occur.  In this case, unfortunately...

a portion of the countertop broke during the installation and fell on the floor.  Our installers managed to control the pieces enough to minimize the damage to 3 small spots on the floor; however, it still did require leaving the customer without a countertop for a few days in order to fabricate a new piece.    Typically we are able to take care of issues like this in a timely manner, but unfortunately, this was just before a holiday weekend that also included a scheduled full system maintenance that left us without our machinery for 4 days.  The customer was understanding and while not thrilled, patient enough to wait almost a full week for their replacement countertop.  At the same time, we replaced pieces that had large variations in the pattern that the customer was not fond of.    In regards to the floor, we sent a contractor to replace the damaged boards; however, after a visual inspection he realized that the floor was quite old and replacement boards are not available.  Since, the individual boards could not be replaced, we offered to either repair the damage per industry standards or provide the customer a refund in an amount greater than the cost of repairs.  The customer refused both requesting a new floor.  We talked with the customer informing them that since it was only 2 or 3 boards that were damaged, replacing the entire floor was not necessary, but that it could be repaired by laminate flooring professionals to like new condition.  The customer refused to allow us to have someone attempt to repair it to see what the repair would look like.  The customer sent a follow up e-mail that we mistakenly overlooked.  After realizing that we overlooked their e-mail we replied advising them that we will replace their flooring.   We certainly believe that repairing the floor or offering a refund greater than the amount of the repair cost is completely fair; however, because of our delayed response to their e-mail, we feel it was right to cover the cost of the flooring.

I would first like to address the date of the worked performed, to clarify, the date of installation was Tuesday May 9th. And as with all service calls including yours we do have a process to follow to make sure that both management and the technicians know what has happened and how we can resolve...

it. From our records you contacted the office the very next day, Wednesday May 10th and spoke with one of our salespersons and shared photos of the areas in question, including but not limited to a gap where the countertop meets the wall, and sections where the cabinet panel had split and frayed from the interior. In situations such as these the salesperson escalates the service to management in both the office and the installation team to collaborate a solution and determine the best course of action. With it being difficult to tell to what extent the cabinets were damaged, or as to exactly why the best course of action is to revisit the jobsite to go through a full inspection to thoroughly assess what needs to be done. From our record, Friday May 12th at approximately 11:59 AM our receptionist had spoken to you and scheduled a return service date for this Wednesday May 17th to closer inspect and attempt to repair the areas in question. Being both homeowners ourselves and professionals in the stone & home renovation industry we fully understand your reluctance and disappointment in our workmanship based off the installation. However, we believe it is unfair to be critical and decisive with our efforts to keep you as our customer satisfied, until we thoroughly assess the work that needs to be done and come to a mutual agreement on a resolution.

We at Troy granite understand the frustration and inconvenience of project costs changing during the process. It would be accurate to say that this can happen often not only in the granite industry, but in any industry where estimates are made and final inspections occur. I can only reiterate what I addressed in the previous response, “it was notated on the paperwork that due to the differences of the measurements the sqft. area of the project had increased overall. This would normally increase the price for a job because we are now using more material and additional labor work. However, because we had performed an in home estimate we chose to honor the estimate that was originally quoted to you. This was not an attempt raise your cost, but to adjust an estimate to its true price.” Troy Granite as a good business practice and good moral ethics, does not disguise, hide, or mislead costs in a project to cover losses. In cases of errors in part of Troy Granite or the homeowner, we generally work with the homeowners to come to a resolution when applicable. In regards to the supports, a support for the overhang was, and is necessary to support that top. Again we admit that it was a foresight to not recommend our steel brackets ahead of time, but this was due to the countertop supports that were already in place. Upon removal it was apparent that this needed additional support to carry the stone. As a company with employees who all have families themselves, safety is a pressing concern. We would not install a countertop that would pose risk to injury on any part. Even though support is necessary for the countertop area, we do not say or imply that only our brackets will work. There are many different types of brackets and supports available and can be installed by homeowners or contractors. That being said, to have the same install crew installing the granite countertops also install your brackets adds a level of convenience to the homeowner. It was not obligatory to have Troy Granite install the brackets, and was an option given to the homeowner, but would require a return trip to complete the job if the brackets were to be installed by the homeowners or a third-party. To aid in the judgement and review of this complaint I have attached several documents. They are labeled by page and by each document for the signed agreement, and I also highlighted key points of the agreement that pertain to this particular case. I have included both invoices from purchase and from the day of installation reflecting the additional charge for the brackets and bracket installation. There is also the installation checklist, and an additional note written by the homeowner describing the installation experience. We at Troy Granite hope to help both the homeowners and the Revdex.com to understand the case at hand and the best way to resolve this. Although we understand the homeowner’s perspective of the situation, frustration and inconvenience should not directly translate into free material and labor. And we insist that the counter did need additional support for safety concerns, however if the homeowner should feel that the brackets were only a way to add to a project cost and a way to make up for a discounted project we can eliminate the remaining balance of $400 for the brackets and installation. Providing that the homeowner can sign a disclaimer saying that against our professional recommendation they will not accept our brackets and allow us to remove the brackets and return them to our possession. This way we are not charging for any additional goods or services and the homeowners will not feel they are purchasing something they do not need. Again, we will highly recommend against this, unless the homeowner has plans of installing their own supports at a later time. Please advise us on how you would like to proceed.

Revdex.com of Delaware, I will ask that you please review the brief email conversation I have attached between Mr. [redacted] and I regarding his concerns with his sink issue and our service. All of this was explained prior to scheduling the service and accepting payment by one of my Sales Representatives...

and he had paid the service upon completion of the work on the day it was scheduled for. I would ask that you please take note to the last line of my conversation asking for clarification on what resolution or result Mr. [redacted] was expecting or asking from myself or Troy Granite. Thank you

On February 3, 2015, [redacted] purchased a countertop from Troy Granite.  The purchase included a full height backsplash in matching granite.  The granite countertops were installed on March 10.  At that time, we advised Ms. [redacted] to withhold her final payment until the entire...

project was completed.  We were scheduled to install the full height granite backsplash on March 13.   During the fabrication process, the stone for the full height backsplash broke.  This does happen at times.  When it occurs, we simply use a new piece.  In this case, unfortunately, there was no more of the same shipment of stone to replace the piece with.  We called the customer immediately to inform her and give her several options.  We had 2 other shipments of the same stone, but, as they were different shipments, they were not an exact match.  We suggested that Ms. [redacted] come to our showroom to see the options available.  We offered 1.) to use another shipment of the same stone, 2.) to use another stone of her choice as a backsplash, or 3.) to install a tile backsplash instead of the granite.  She selected a couple of stones and tile backsplashes that she liked; all of which were a higher cost than the original granite.  We informed her that we would not charge anything extra despite the higher price points.   Ms. [redacted] came back and made a final selection, electing to have us install a tile backsplash.  Three days after the tile was ordered, she called to ask if it had been ordered.  When she was informed that the tile had been ordered, she said that she had been thinking about doing something different, but that the tile would be fine.  On April 7th, Troy Granite installed the tile backsplash for Ms. [redacted].  After the last tile was set and installed, she stated that she did not like the tile and wanted us to remove it and install something different.  After telling her that we could not do so, she became very rude with our tile crew.  Finally, after much discussion we agreed to remove the tile backsplash.  We removed all of the tile.   After discussing the situation with Ms. [redacted], she said that she wanted us to install a different backsplash.  We let her know that we could do so, but that this time we would need to charge her for it as we had already installed the first backsplash at no extra charge.  She became quite rude and said that she would not pay for the backsplash since it was included in her original agreement.  We told her that if she was unwilling to pay for the new backsplash, that we would adjust her remaining balance to only reflect the granite countertops and would waive the cost of the backsplash, despite having ordered and installed the tile.  She said that she would call in a few days to make her payment.   After several days passed, we called Ms. [redacted] again to request the final payment.  At that time she said that she would not pay the remaining balance and wanted us to remove the countertops and refund her deposit.  We informed her that since the countertops were cut and installed, we could not refund her deposit and that the final balance was due.   After approximately 2 weeks passed with no payment, we called her again.  She again refused to pay the remaining balance and said that she wanted her deposit back.  We again informed her that we would not be refunding the deposit.  She said that she would not pay any more money and hung up the phone.   At this point, we have done everything reasonably expected given the situation.  We are willing to work with Ms. [redacted] regarding her backsplash; however, we cannot give her a full refund as the countertops were installed.   If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.   Thank you, [redacted]
 
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

WE have a few comments on the explanation of this issue.Prior to this customer posting a complaint our service manager stopped by to take a look at the countertops. (manager came out after we demanded that someone come out and look at it). He agreed that while the seam itself was good, the epoxy in the seam did not match well and so made the seam stand out far more than normal.  ( That is not true.  Service manager said it looked fine. ) He suggested that they have a crew come to darken the epoxy.  (this was after we said it was not acceptable)  As well, he said that they would be replacing a granite windowsill that had chipped during the installation.  The customer was satisfied with the windowsill as it had been repaired; however, our service manager said that it would be better to replace this piece.  (that part is true)When the crew came out, they replaced the windowsill but were still unable to get a good color match on the epoxy.  (after the crew came out the second time we called Troy Granite several times and no one return calls is why we filed complaint with Revdex.com). The seam itself was cut well ( not true- it is chipped and could have been cut better) but without a matching color it was going to stand out.  The customer requested that we cut a new piece for one side of the seam.  (This was after 3 visits that did not resolve the issue.)  Our service manager let them know that a new piece was not going to fix the issue.  The existing pieces were good and were cut well.  He also informed them that removing an existing piece poses a high risk of breakage to the adjoining piece.  He said that they would send another crew out to remove as much epoxy as they could and replace the epoxy with a better color match.  If the customer still was not satisfied at that point then they would look at replacing the piece.After the second crew replaced the epoxy and polished the seam a bit more the customer was very happy.  (I don't know if you can say we are happy, it looks better and sadly we've accepted the fact that this is  is going to be as good as it will without replacing the entire counter top which means the tile backsplash will have to be redone as well.  All the while we were being told that this is a difficult stone.  If they can't handle it then maybe they should not cut/fabricate for anything other than a straight counter without seams or not sell this particular stone.  [redacted]At minimum they should notify customer of this.  Not just say, your counter will have a seam here so either side will not match together that has a busy pattern.  That we can live with.  A thick line directly down the center of the counter under a light and in plain view was not conveyed to us when we paid $4700.  We may have reconsidered selecting that stone or spending that much if we knew that.

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to respond to this issue.  Prior to this customer posting a complaint our service manager stopped by to take a look at the countertops.  He agreed that while the seam itself was good, the epoxy in the seam did not match well and so made the seam...

stand out far more than normal.  He suggested that they have a crew come to darken the epoxy.  As well, he said that they would be replacing a granite windowsill that had chipped during the installation.  The customer was satisfied with the windowsill as it had been repaired; however, our service manager said that it would be better to replace this piece.When the crew came out, they replaced the windowsill but were still unable to get a good color match on the epoxy.  The seam itself was cut well, but without a matching color it was going to stand out.  The customer requested that we cut a new piece for one side of the seam.  Our service manager let them know that a new piece was not going to fix the issue.  The existing pieces were good and were cut well.  He also informed them that removing an existing piece poses a high risk of breakage to the adjoining piece.  He said that they would send another crew out to remove as much epoxy as they could and replace the epoxy with a better colormatch.  If the customer still was not satisfied at that point then they would look at replacing the piece.After the second crew replaced the epoxy and polished the seam a bit more the customer was very happy.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer our perspective onthis situation.  We worked with thiscustomer to provide their bathroom countertops. Rather than selecting their countertops from full slabs, the customersopted (as many do) to utilize our remnant section in order to save money...

ontheir project.  The remnant section issimply pieces that are left over after kitchen countertops have been cut.  We sell them at a discounted price in orderto offer customers an affordable option for their small projects. This customer came and personally selected the remnantpieces for their countertops.  The pieceswere only slightly larger than the countertops, so the customer was aware thatthe majority of the pieces would be used. After the countertops were installed, the customer called saying thatthere was a crack in the countertop.  Wesent a technician out to inspect the countertop and upon inspection it wasdetermined that there was a fissure in the countertop.  According to the Marble Institute of America,a fissure is “visible separation along intercrystalline boundaries.  This separation may start and stop within thefield of the stone, or extend through an edge.  A fissure differs from a crack, in that it isa naturally occurring feature in the stone.” Fissures are naturally occurring variation in a stone and are notsomething that is avoided or repaired. The customer saw the full piece that was to be used fortheir countertop, including the fissure. After installation they realized that they did not like the fissure intheir countertop.  They demanded that wereplace the piece at our cost.  Weexplained that because the customer came and personally selected the piece tobe used, and because it is a natural fissure and poses no problems, structural orotherwise, that we could not replace the countertop for free.  We offered to replace the piece at adiscounted rate; however the customer was not satisfied with thisdecision.  They threatened to place astop payment on their final payment if we did not comply with theirrequest.  We again informed them that wewould not replace the piece at no cost. While we are grieved that the customer is not happy with theircountertop, we cannot replace the piece at no cost simply because the customerdoesn’t like the way that it looks. We believe in quality craftsmanship and customerservice.  We strive for these ideals withevery project and work hard to ensure that each of our customers are fullysatisfied.  Though we understand that nomatter how hard we try, we will not be able to please everyone, we believe thatquality will speak for itself.