M&T Marble & Granite

Review: The delivery/installation of the granite countertops that I purchased from the company was scheduled for delivery on 7/23/2013 between 1pm and 3pm. By 2:30pm I made my first call to the company to confirm that they would be on-time. I was told that the installers were running behind schedule and would be late. At 3:30pm I called back to get an ETA and was told that the installers would be there between 4:15pm and 4:30pm. At 4:45pm I called the company back and was informed that they would arrive momentarily. The installers finally arrived at 5pm. This was aggravating because I took off work so that I could be at my house between 1pm and 3pm and wouldn't have needed to had I known that they weren't going to get there until 5pm. The installers brought up the countertops and my wife and I noticed that they brought us the wrong granite. The installers called the showroom and confirmed that our order was incorrect. I was given the option to accept the granite they brought at a slightly discounted rate or reschedule and have the correct granite delivered at a later date; my wife and I opted to have the correct granite delivered. I was told that someone from the company would be calling me to setup the delivery/installation of the correct granite first thing the next morning, 7/24/2013. By 10am the next day I had yet to hear from the company so I called them. The representative that I spoke with showed very little sympathy for the mistakes that they had made and for the time of mine that they had wasted. I was told that the delivery would be setup sometime in the near future but that they wouldn't know for sure until sometime on Friday, 7/26/2013. I passed this information onto my wife which she was not satisfied with so she called back and demanded that this issue be remedied ASAP. She was then informed that the new delivery/installation date would be set for 7/27/2013 between 9am and 11am. Never did the company offer any sort of preferred times for this new date which meant that I had to take off another day of work. By 10:30am on 7/27/2013 the installers had still not arrived so I called the company to get an ETA. The company informed me that they could not get ahold of the installers for an ETA but that they should be at my house by 11am. By 11:20am they had still not arrived so I called the company back and was informed that the installers would be there momentarily. The installers arrived at 12pm. The installers brought up the granite and one of the pieces was noticeably lighter in color than the others with which I expressed my dissatisfaction. The installers informed me that the one piece was lighter due to the fact that the warehouse forgot to seal the piece before delivery and advised that they could seal the piece themselves and assured me that the colors would match after the sealer was applied; my father was a witness to this as well. I made it very clear to them that if they couldn't get the colors to match then I wouldn't accept the delivery/installation. The installers sealed the piece and it appeared to match. Later in the day I noticed that the piece was starting to get lighter again and eventually it got back to being just as light as it when it initially entered my house. By this time the company's office was closed so I had to wait to call and complain until the next business day. I called the company back at 8:30am on 7/29/2013 and explained the problem and that it needed to be resolved and that at this point it would probably be best if I talked to a manager. I was informed that the manager was not in yet and that I would receive a call back when he got into the office. I asked for a time at which I could expect to receive the call back and the representative, with very little empathy nor concern for customer satisfaction, said that she didn't make his schedule and didn't know when he'd be in. By 3:25pm no one had returned my call so I called again and was informed that the only thing that they could do for us was offer a discount off the original price because they didn't have any more of the granite. I offered a picture in which you could see the obvious differences in colors of the pieces but the representative seemed uninterested. I explained that I currently have a countertop that is two different colors and that I wasn't sure a discount would be acceptable. The representative went on the add that the installers had misinformed me when they advised that the sealer would darken the granite and that there's nothing that can be done at this point. I explained that I would have to consult my wife about the proposed discount before I made any decisions. My wife called back moments later and further explained our dissatisfaction with the service and product that we received and that something needs to be done to make it right. The representative said that she could offer us a $200 discount. My wife said that wasn't acceptable and the representative informed that she would have to talk to the manager and then put my wife on hold. The manager picked up and said that the best thing that he could do was offer us a $250 discount which my wife regretfully accepted. In my opinion this is not a fair reparation for a countertop that is two noticeably different colors and for the poor customer service that we received throughout this entire transaction.Desired Settlement: Ideally, I would like to get countertops that match but at this point I really don't know if I can waste any more time or patience on this company, so I would be happy with a partial reimbursement on top of the minuscule discount that they already provided.

Review: The worker taking measurements arrived 2 hours earlier than expected, and I wasn't prepared for the time he arrived. Also, included in the cost was the choice of 3 edges, and when the countertops arrived I was told that a pencil edge was the standard and that's what I would have to accept.

A week later my countertops arrived ( 4 sections). The one cut section was incorrect in size, so it had to be re-cut. The larger 3 countertop sections were installed with 2 seams. The seams were very visible (black granite with gray seams) and I was told that was the best the workers could do. The installers cleaned up and left.

I contacted [redacted] and sent him pictures, telling him I was not pleased. He said the seams could be repaired. When the installers came 2 weeks later to install the newly cut section, they attempted to repair the seams. After their repair, the seams were not noticeable because they left a black gook all over the countertop which made the imperfection look like it had disappeared. When the workers left, I began wiping the countertop off and that's when I discovered the gook.

They did not clean the countertops, and I had to clean myself with mineral spirits (which I had no idea how to get this mess cleaned up because soap and water did not work...I resorted to finding the solution on the internet). I discovered that when I removed the black gook, the seams were still visible and still look terrible.

I attempted to call [redacted], which all I got was voicemail. I sent him an email and he responded the following day. He said his workers did clean up (which they had upon the first visit, but not the second). He discounted my balance due by $50, and did not offer to repair the seams.

I contacted another granite craftsman, sent photos, and he replied back that the granite was most likely cut with a dull blade, which causes chipping of the stone. He would not accept the job to repair. I sent [redacted] another email with the updated photos and all he did was refund me an additional $200. I'll need that (and most likely more) to pay for repairs.

I am still searching for a craftsman to repair my countertops that I have waited so many years for. I would not recommend this company to anyone.Desired Settlement: I would like the 3 countertop sections replaced, and a sharp blade used to cut the seams. I would also like 2 expert craftsmen to install the sections properly.

If this can't be completed I would like a refund for the 3 sections.

Business

Response:

To respond [redacted] Voeglein

complain;

Yes, she is right that there was a wrong measured piece and

we re-cut it and installed back with the time frame she agreed on. She also

mentioned about the seam and seam color needed to be fixed. We went a second

time to replaced the re-cut

piece and repair the seam and seam color. We use very high quality blade to cut

each stone. Chipping along the seam will occur, as a result of sawing

operations. The use of a arris will make the seam appear wider than its actual

dimensions when filled. Larger chips maybe repaired with epoxy or polyester

resin, if the completed repair is consistent in color and texture with other

general areas of the slab. However, some stones are naturally more brittle and

susceptible to more chipping due to relatively tight seams used in countertop

installations, even minor amounts of lipage are noticeable. Seams are

unavoidable and noticeable due to permanent warp in the slab stock.

- We

completed [redacted] installation and fixed any problems that

[redacted] had.

- We went

back a second time to fix the seam and to take the re-cut piece. We gave her a

total of $250.00 refund for the inconvenience in which she agreed upon.

- Finally,

there is no problem at the job we did for [redacted] and we will not accept

no more argument about this and we will not offer any more discount

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

The seams were not repaired to my satisfaction. The workmen left black gook all over the countertops which initially made the seams look dark as though they were repaired. They left and did not clean the countertops. When I finally cleaned the stone myself, I found that the seams were still light and not repaired at all. I forwarded [redacted] the photos of the repair and he offered me an additional $200 refund. I will need to spend at least another $900 to have the tops removed, repaired correctly, and reinstalled. I have a person coming to my house today to see if the seams can be repaired onsite, and if not, the tops will be removed and recut properly.

Regards,