Sudbury Granite & Marble, Inc.

Absolutely awful experience with this firm I own an award-winning building & remodeling firm that is ranked within the top 5% of firms nationally and has been since I am also a highly-decorated Naval officer and fighter pilot that has been in business for decades We have built this business by going the extra mile to satisfy our clients Sudbury Granite sold us a stain protection kit that they promised would prevent stains on the new countertop The stain protection cost ~10% of the total cost Not insignificant, but we felt it was a very good investment for our client\'s top Within days of the installation, the client called and said they had a stain It took months, but the sales rep from Sudbury Granite finally came out to look at the stain, and suggested we either live with it as it was off to the side of the counter, or try some type of paste solution to remove it This counter cost several thousand dollars If it were my countertop, I wouldn't, "just live with it" and I would not expect my client to do so either Not being a granite fabricator, we were reluctant to try "some type of paste" for fear of damaging the counter We called the firm that warranties the stain protection kit, and they said THIS TYPE OF STAIN wasn't covered by the warranty They suggested I contact a granite fabricator for the stain removal, which we did This gentleman came out and was able to quickly & easily remove the stain, but we had to pay him as much as the stain protection cost Sudbury Granite would not refund our money for the stain protection, nor would they return our calls We were going to do whatever it takes to satisfy our client and I had hoped that Sudbury Granite would do the same for us Their business practices are deceitful Unfortunately, all they care about is the sale Once they are paid in full, the problem is not their problem We now have a client that is thrilled and their word-of-mouth recommendations will more than compensate us for the time & $ we had to expend to satisfy them I would not want anyone else to get burned by Sudbury Granite

Complaint[redacted], the [redacted] agreed to refund $150 to me, but in stead he told me "Go to [redacted]," and has not refunded the money.We ordered granite from Sudbury Granite for our kitchen. The granite was installed and our contractor signed that the job was completed on August 1, 2013. We subsequently noted that one piece of the granite was broken and glued together. It was obvious to us that a broken piece of granite was purposely installed. We were not informed by the company or the installer that the product was defective. On August 19,2013 I spoke to [redacted], our sales person. She assured me that the piece would be fixed if it was a flaw or replaced if it was broken. I inquired about the cost of the plumber, who would have to remove the plumbing from that piece and then replace it. She stated, "We will work all of that out." I was given an appointment on August 30 at 8:30 am for someone to come to my home and inspect the granite. My contractor and I waited seven hours for [redacted] from Sudbury Granite to come to my home. I called at least 5 times during the day to find out where he was and was repeatedly told "He is on his way," "He will be there in 20 minutes," "He will be there in an hour." He came 7 hours late. I had to pay my contractor for 7 hours while we waited for [redacted]. [redacted] was very nice and polished the broken piece, but it remained broken, which is no surprise. The following Day, [redacted], the [redacted] of Sudbury Granite came to my home to look at the piece. He treated us poorly. He tried to blame me for the broken piece. He stated that since I didn't see it on the day of installation he is not responsible. We didn't accept that answer and explained to him that his company tried to deceive us by installing broken granite and just because he successfully deceived us at first doesn't mean he is not responsible for replacing it. He then tried to blame my contractor. Of course, the contractor couldn't be responsible as he does not have the ability to repair a broken piece of granite. Finally [redacted] stated, it's not his fault because one of his employees broke it, not him, and he cannot watch his employees every hour of the day. During this conversation there was a lot of yelling and at one point [redacted] walked out of the house with his arms flailing in the air while he yelled that he will not talk to us any longer and he will not replace the granite. At that point I told him I would stop payment through American Express if he refused to negotiate. [redacted] returned to the house and we successfully agreed to replace the granite, and he would reimburse us for a portion of the plumbing expense, which would be determined after we received the final plumbing bill. The granite was replaced on Thursday, September 12th. On Friday September 13th I spoke to [redacted] by cell phone and we agreed to a $150 refund for the plumbing expense. As we were talking, the cell connection was lost. I was the one talking at that time so I was unaware that he was no longer on the line. The next thing I know the phone rings and it is [redacted]. He yelled "Go to [redacted], I'll give you nothing!" Then hung up the phone.I tried to call him back, but he would not answer his phone. I left him a voice message, but he did not return my call. I have tried to call [redacted] at the company, but no one at his office will answer when I call and no one has returned my messages. My husband tried to call him as well, but he will not return the call. In summary, my complaint is that Sudbury Granite knowingly installed broken granite and then tried to get out of replacing it. I will give [redacted] credit that when it was replaced, the job was done beautifully and the granite is in tact as far as a lay person can tell. However, we had a verbal agreement that he would refund me $150 and he now refuses to do so. Please assist me in obtaining the money he promised to refund.Desired SettlementI would like the promised $150 refund.Business Response Our salesperson clearly explained our Purchase & Sales agreement with the customer during the sale procedure. This agreement states that it is imperative that the customer or an authorized representative who can approve the final work to the customer's satisfaction is present throughout the installation process. It also states that we do not provide plumbing services upon the completion of the installation of countertops. This job was completed and approved by the customer's contractor on August 1, 2013. The homeowner subsequently contacted us that one section of the kitchen was broken. Sudbury Granite told the customer that a skilled fabricator would be sent to the job site and have the material examined. The fabricator was sent to the job site and attempted to repair the surface; however, it was discovered that the material was in fact, broken and the section needed to be replaced. A new piece was fabricated and installed and as quoted by the customer, "the job was done beautifully and the granite is intact as far as a lay person can tell." As stated on our Purchase & Sales agreement, an authorized person should be present during the installation process and approve the final installation work order. The work order states that the customer acknowledges and agrees that all work has been completed in a satisfactory manner and the authorized representative releases Sudbury Granite & Marble, Inc. from any and all liabilities in reference to material supplied and work performed. The installation work order was approved by the customer's contractor.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I do not accept this response for the following reasons. 1) there is absolutely nothing on the paper work that I received addressing plumbing. The purchase and sale documentation I signed and received a copy of does not say anything about plumbing nor does it say anywhere that Sudbury Granite is allowed to knowingly install broken granite. 2) The agreement to reimburse me $150 has nothing to do with the purchase and sale agreement. This was an offer made to me by [redacted] which is separate and apart from the p&s. He made this offer verbally and I accepted it verbally when we negotiated the replacement of the broken granite.This was offered to me to compensate me for the extra cost, time and aggravation that I incurred due to the shoddy work initially performed by Sudbury Granite. Please note that [redacted] does not deny entering the agreement to refund $150. He just feels he does not need to fulfill this agreement. 3)In addition, [redacted] seems to indicate that since he initially duped me and my contractor into thinking the granite was in good condition that he is not responsible for his shoddy work. Just because he initially got away with it does not mean that he is not responsible for replacing the broken piece. 4)Finally, just because the final product meets expectations does not mean he no longer is obligated to uphold his offer to refund $150. He quoted my praise of the final product as if that is a release from his obligation to uphold the verbal promise he gave me. It in no way changes the fact that he offered to refund me $150, and then told me "Go to [redacted], I'll give you nothing."Final Business Response Our records do in fact show that [redacted] did not sign a Purchase and Sales agreement in lieu of the fact that she was working with a Designer, however we did provide an information packet explaining all of our policies and procedures at the time of the sale. We would like to remind [redacted] that because she was working with her designer, yet paying directly, she received a substantial discount already from our regular retail price.While we acknowledge her frustration with the situation, the area of concern was a Natural Characteristic of Granite and Marble, what is called a dry vein/fissure. Which is defined as "a natural formation that appears and/or feels as though it is a crack. They are random and will vary from stone to stone. These visible veins are formed during the solidification process. Earthquakes or land movement can also cause dry veins." This information was on a form that [redacted] DID sign. We would again like to remind [redacted] that we replaced, at our expense, the entire countertop in question, in which her contractor and not [redacted] approved and signed off on the day it was originally installed.We suggest perhaps that [redacted] have her contractor reimburse her for the additional disconnect and reconnect of her plumbing after we, in good faith, replaced the countertop and he was the one who had signed off on the original installation.

Purchased a countertop from the Company that was later damaged. Owner agreed to replace the product, made deposit payment, agreement never honored On 10/11/11 we purchased our countertops, from the Company, for our kitchen remodeling, which included a very large island of a material called White Zito. Subsequently, in July 2013 a very large section of the stone broke off as my son was getting up from the counter. I contacted the company to discuss the issue and the owner said he would come out to look at the situation. In early August 2013 he came out, looked at the stone and agreed to take back our damaged piece of stone (still very large slab even if the damaged part is removed) and replace it with a new piece and all we would have to pay for was the finishing of the stone (polishing, edges,etc.) and installation, which we both agreed to. At that time the owner told me he didn't know how much White Zito he had in stock but he should be getting a new shipment in a few weeks. I was later contacted by his office and informed the cost would be $500 and put down a 50% deposit at that time. A few weeks later in September 2013 my wife went to their showroom location (which is an hour drive from our home) to review their stock of White Zito to select a new piece of stone and was interrogated about why we waited so long. We told them that there was never a time restriction put on the agreement and that the owner had indicated that there would potentially be more selection in a few weeks. The owner then indicated to my wife that we could now only select from "remnant" pieces that had already been cut because we waited too long. Again there was no discussion of a time restriction and in fact the owner led us to believe waiting a few weeks would be better. In addition, there was never a discussion of only selecting from remnants which due to the size of the slab significantly narrows the ability to find anything. At that time there was no remnant product available large enough so my wife left. I later tried to contact the sales rep and the owner multiple times to discuss the timing issue and now only being able to select out of remnants. After many attempts the sales rep finally returned by call and indicated that it was now going into their "slow season" during the holiday and winter and they potentially wouldn't be able to sell my returned piece so the owner was concerned and wanted to pull the agreement and refund our money. I told her that if the slow season was the issue we didn't mind waiting until their business picked up again which she indicated would be around March or so (spring, now of 2014) to work the exchange. She indicated that might work and she would talk to the owner. I tried multiple times to contact her over the months but never heard anything back, but they never refunded our deposit so we assumed it was fine. As the spring came around I began contacting the sales rep again. After numerous attempts we finally connected and we picked up the process again. The sales rep sent me some pictures of potential products and my wife scheduled a time to go to the showroom again (another hour drive each way)to review their inventory. This obviously evidences that they were agreeable to postponing the exchange to the spring. When my wife arrived at the showroom the slabs shown in the pictures by the sales rep were no longer available so my wife selected a different piece and marked it with our name and left. I continued to reach out to the sales rep to see what the next step was and when we might be able to get our product and NEVER heard back. I tried reaching the owner as well but NEVER heard back. I finally reached a new rep and she indicated that the person we had been working with was no longer with the company and she would have to research our case. She indicated she had our agreement and would be back to me. We exchanged a few emails then very abruptly sent me a message that said they don't have any material for us and would refund our money. I immediately indicated that this was not an acceptable solution and I wanted the owner to contact me, which he NEVER did.Desired SettlementAlthough the company has agreed to refunding our deposit this is not an acceptable remedy after working on this for a year now and all the effort and time that we have put into this issue. We have continuously held up our end of the agreement and been very patient and understanding in dealing with the company. They should not be able to just give us our money back and walk away from the agreement. We want them to honor the ORIGINAL agreement to exchange our damaged slab for a new slab of our choosing, not a left over remnant or other undesirable piece of stone. We still agreed to pay the remaining 50% due on the agreement once the product is finished and installed.Business Response In response to the complaint, Sudbury Granite & Marble agrees that an island of White Zito was installed and was broken. However, when the owner of the company met with the husband to evaluate the situation, the husband admitted that his son broke the corner of the island. The owner inspected the stone and the installation technique to confirm there were not structural defects to cause the breakage.Based on the original contracted price of the island ($1,584) the owner of Sudbury Granite & Marble decided to assist the homeowner, by offering to remove and replace the island top with a new piece of White Zito at a discounted price of $500 total for material, removal and installation. He explained to the husband that in order to keep this price, a remnant of this material would have to be used. Based on the popularity of White Zito at the time, a variety of remnants were available in the size required to fabricate the new island piece. The homeowner was encouraged to visit the Mendon warehouse to inspect and select the remnant material that would be used for the replacement top.A deposit of $250 was provided by the homeowner in July 2013 by credit card. However, the wife did not visit the warehouse until September of 2013. Unfortunately by this time, there were no White Zito remnants available that were the proper size required for the island. She became upset when the owner explained the verbal agreement he had with her husband. She became further upset when the owner explained she would not be able to select a replacement from a slab of this material and keep the agreed upon $500 price. She left the facility without making a selection.Several attempts were made to contact either homeowner to request the credit card number originally provided for the deposit in order to process a refund. For security reasons, card numbers are not kept on file. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)This response is not acceptable because some of the facts are inaccurate and the company did not address the issue of the complaint and that is performing on the agreement. First off the owner of Sudbury Granite at the time of the agreement NEVER indicated that either 1) the replacement of the stone would have to be from a remnant or 2) that there was any time restriction on when we would have to select the stone. In fact, he implied the exact opposite, indicating that he was not sure how much White Zito they had in stock but he had a delivery "on the water" in transit and it might be worth waiting for the delivery to be made. Therefore, leading us to believe 1) that we could select from a new slab and 2) that waiting more time would be better for both of us. Regardless of all that, when we were later informed, at their shop, that according to the owner we had to select from a remnant we inquired as to the price difference between remnants and original pieces and told it was 15% discount for remnants. At that time, we told the company that we would be willing to pay that small additional markup to be able to select from a new slab. Moreover, the response only captures the first interaction/visit to the warehouse and not the numerous follow up calls, requests, agreements & visit we made to the company over the follow months following that visit. After learning the new rules of the agreement, regarding the remnant issue, we were also later informed that the owner had a concern regarding them going into their slow season (late fall & winter) and having an issue reselling our returned piece. We told the company we completely understood that concern and we were willing to wait until their business went back into it's high season (spring & early summer) to work on a replacement, which we did. The company agreed and the waiting game began. At that point, we felt as if we were being extremely flexible and accommodating to make this work for Sudbury. When the spring came around we began contacting the company about the replacement. After numerous attempts (well over 10 calls & emails) we finally got the process started again, albeit it extremely slow and hard from our point of view. We visited the warehouse again and selected a replacement piece but never heard from the company on the installation or schedule. Again after numerous phone calls and emails I got an email from the company saying they didn't have any material for us and would like to refund our deposit. It is obviously not the case that they didn't have any material; we selected a piece. The company just didn't want to perform on their agreement.Again this response is not acceptable because it only addresses a very small portion of our interaction with the company. It is only through the initial warehouse visit, it does not include the months and months for calls, emails, conversations and agreements we had with the company following the first meeting when all the rules of the agreement changed. And again, regardless of all these rule changes, we were very accommodating to their changes and concerns but still they didn't perform. It has been a complete year now that we have been working on this issue and the company still refuses to perform on their agreement. It is not acceptable after all this time and effort to just offer to refund our deposit and walk away from the agreement like nothing happened. That is the easy approach to try and "sweep everything under the carpet" as if they were meeting their obligation and making us whole. The fact is that we had an agreement, we made a deposit, they changed the rules of the agreement after we agreed, we worked with them on all the changes and concerns and we still have a broken piece of granite and nothing to show for it. Lastly, it is irrelevant as to how the granite was broken because we had an agreement to replace the piece after all the honest facts were given to the company. The company will give you a long speech about how it is a natural stone and it's natural characteristics and they can't be responsible for the stone. However, there is no way for us to evaluate the installation technique to confirm there were no structural defects to cause the breakage. The fact of the matter is that there is NO way a 12 year old boy should be able to break off a significant piece of 1 1/4" thick piece of granite by standing up from a center island unless there is something wrong with the installation or the product. It doesn't happen to other granite companies.