YEAH FRANCY I love a happy ending :)
M. Teixeira rocks

What a relief!

OK-- soapstone is back on my list for countertop!

Congrats on the right resolution!

And I second the kudos for M. Teixeira --- I made a trip from Minnesota to New Jersey to pick out just the right slab, only to return home and find my slab was going to be a wee bit too small. But, being familiar with what I wanted in a slab (after spending over an hour with me during my visit), Fernando picked out an alternative slab and shipped it to MN. I couldn't be happier with the stone!

They were just great to work with! And I would highly recommend them to all....even if you can't make the trip to NJ or CA, they will send samples, photos, and spend great amounts of time on the phone describing and helping you find just the right stone. You won't be disappointed.

I'm in New Jersey. Please tell me about M. Teixeira. Is that the name of a stone place?

Thank you, Francy, for updating us! How fabulous that you're getting intact stone for your lovely kitchen.

Kudos to M. Teixeira for the way they've gone out of their way to be helpful and also nice.

I am so proud for you and so very impressed with M. Teixeira and your fabricator. What great people.

Maybe I should have named my CabFiascoGuy by name before we headed to court. Hmmm...mm...mmm...

Helou: M Teixeira is the name of the company. They are a huge soapstone dealer. They have more varieties than any other company, which is great if you are looking for something unusual or particular (as I was). Their website is soapstones.com

The representative, Adriana, remembered quite well all the details about what stone I wanted, though I met with her back in August. We are going on Saturday to view the remaining slabs of Santa Barbara to see how they will work (they look different from the one I have now, and Adriana wants to make sure that I am happy with it).

I just can't say enough about how she represented my interests to the fabricator. She was great!

Francy

yay yay yay yay Francy! I can't wait until you can show us pictures of your stone and say "this is my PERFECT stone!"

I'm so glad you're getting a new counter.

So glad to hear this - kudos to all!

Francy, that's *such* great news...doesn't it feel better than having to come up with rationalizations and live with it? Good on M. Teixeira for their stand-up behavior :) :) The true professionals show their stripes in moments like this.

Francy, I am so so happy for you !

And I will PM you ... I have started talking with MTex about soapstone for my kitchen, in fact I emailed them my plans yesterday and am waiting for a detailed quote. I was kind of concerned about using MTex after hearing of your issue, and started investigating other soapstone sources, but hopefully I can go with MTex.

Unfortunately (fortunately ?) I live only minutes away from the SF MTex showroom, and it's HARD not to go in there and drool all the time, ya know ?

Again, I am so happy to hear that it's worked out so well for you. Sometimes things just work themselves out, ya know ? :-)

Francy-

This sounds like the closing lines of the final chapter of
a story that could have been a sad one - and instead, it
has a happy ending!

I think that alot has to do with the way YOU handled yourself
in this whole drama - you exhibited tons of class here on
the Garden Network - and I am not surprised that nice
begats nice in most cases....

But Kudos to M. Teixeira and their staff - sounds like they
"get it".... and fortunately - your Fabricator does too....

Way To Go Everybody!!!

kevin

Kevin M. Padden MIA SFA
Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry
www.azschoolofrock.com

Way to go M. Teixeira; it is great to know that businesses that stnad by their product DO still exist! Congrats...you must be thrilled!

Another cheer for a happy ending! So glad you pursued it, Francy -- and everybody handled it beautifully and professionally. Can't wait to see the new counters!

How great is that? I LOVE companies that stand by their work. Just think how much good "press" they got with doing the right thing. I'm sure karma will reward them and more than pay for the mistake.

I have to say that I, too, was impressed with the way you handled yourself in this situation.

Oh I am doing a HAPPY DANCE as I type!!!!!! You SO DESERVE this, Francy, and I am SO GLAD you didn't just accept it as is and live with permanent marker!!! Truly, I am BEYOND THRILLED for you!!!! YEA!!!!

That is such good news. I'm so happy for you.

I'm also pleased to see that M. Tex was so helpful in a siutation where, understandably, they could have offered nothing. As they said in the letter, there were many more opportunities for something to go wrong once the stone was in the hands of the fabricator. I can see why they would feel they had done nothing wrong; yet, they obviously see the overall picture of making sure their customers are happy with the product. I have no doubt their willingness to get involved in resolving this situation put pressure on the fabricator to get on board.

Looking forward to pictures of your lovely new counter.

Hey Francy

That's great! I am so glad that this worked out for you. You have been such a lady dealing with this - good job and a great example of how to get more with honey than with vinegar.

I can't wait to see your kitchen finished.

You absolutely do deserve a happy ending, Francy! I am positively delighted for you. Thank you for letting us know what's beein going on -- you're someone about whom we all care. You're such a sweetheart!

This is fantastic news, Francy. You bet M.Tex has done the right thing; look how many of us are anxious to use them now!! So who put the idea together of having Adriana and your fabricator come out together? That was a wonderful idea, btw. And I'm just wondering whether your fabricator has been reading these posts. You know, you could have been quite nasty through this saga and you weren't, even though you were terribly disappointed. You certainly deserve the great service you've now been given. Enjoy your new slab and your new kitchen!
Erin

Francy, I am soooooo happy for you! Congratulations on sticking to your guns with class, you did a great job! I'm very impressed by M. Teixeira after your story, and I'm glad they came through for you.

Emmie

That's awesome, Francy! I couldn't be happier for you. You know, there's something about soapstone people. Every one I have encountered has been so helpful and kind, and it sounds like the M. Teixeira folks are no exception. Maybe it's something about the purity of their product. :)

When Joshua was at my house, he mentioned your situation and it was clear that he felt genuinely bad for you. He had nothing to do with your situation, but it seemed like he felt somehow responsible as a representative of the "World of Soapstone." For someone a continent away to be unhappy with their soapstone made him unhappy.

What's great is that M. Teixeira will get lots of good publicity from this. Anytime anyone googles their company name, this thread will come up, and people will know that they stand behind their product.

I'm happy for you and happy for them.

Kudos need to be given to the fabricator as well - they're the ones who'll be paying for the new slab. Yes I know M Teixeira is discounting it but the fabricator is standing up and taking responsibility and doing the right thing.

Is it true that the fabricator is paying for the new, discounted stone? If so, then I should have given them more credit above. I thought they just agreed to fabricate a new counter top and install it--which you still have to appreciate.

That's great! Congrats.

M. Tex's NJ branch put in my soapstone over a year ago and I couldn't be happier. They did a beautiful job on my seams and were very responsive.

Sharon

I am so happy for you Francy! And for sure kudos to M. Teixeira!!! I may end up moving in without a counter to wait until I can make the journey (at least 3 1/2 hours) to M. Teixeira.

At this point in the saga, I cannot comment too much on the fabricator. I am very glad he agreed (thanks to Adriana!) to replace the counter. I don't know if he is reading this thread. He mentioned at one point that his lawyer would be reading it. So all I will say for now is that he too has an opportunity to "play the hero." And if he does, he will get a lot of positive publicity! I have been very careful here not to slander his company. They made an honest mistake, and they have a chance to fix it.

This story isn't over yet. Right now, I can only share the happy M. Teixeira side with you.

Hopefully I will be able to tell you more soon. And hopefully it will all be happy!

Francy

Good job, Francy.

I remember way back when you had a floating DW and silly high cabinets you thought you were stuck with. Yeah you're getting a nice remodeled kitchen where you had to do everything twice through no fault of your own, but more importantly, you're not taking any more *&@# from anyone and I am delighted. Bad luck in remodeling has toughened you up I think!

And I bet you've been polite the whole time, too!

Hmm, if the fabricator and/or his lawyer are reading this board, they will hopefully note that most people here are aware that things can and do go wrong in kitchen projects. Also, 99.9% of those who post or read here recognize that it's not the problem itself that is at issue, but how the parties invovled eventually resolve those problems. As things stand now, once your soapstone is replaced and in one piece, this will be a success story because all parties managed to come together and fix things. I'm glad M. Tex was able to get everyone to come together and arrive at a solution.

I wish this board had a place to store classic posts. You have given us a monumental and instructive saga here!

As sad as I am that I will no longer hear your 'black crack' quips, I am THRILLED to death that you will be getting it replaced with the BEAUTIFUL unblemished soapstone you so deserve!!!

It is nice to hear that some companies still stand behind their work & pride in craftsmanship.

WTG to M. Teixiera for stepping up!

JoAnn

Great! :>)

One of the knots in my shoulders just untied itself!

M. Teixeira has done itself and the world of stone fabricators/suppliers proud!

Fingers crossed Francy that the rest of the saga unfolds just as well.

I'm so happy for you & glad you had the issue resolved. Sometimes it pays to be the squeaky wheel. And why shouldn't you be? It's your money.

Yeah for you!

I'm always happy to read a great customer service story. Kudos to Teixeira Soapstone! And enjoy yoor kitchen.

Woohoooo! I love a happy ending!

Dorado Soapstone is doing our job but kudos to M. Texeria!

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Oh, y'all are makin' me want some soapstone too! I did want it but couldn't find it when we had to pick out our counters. I like my black granite, but I'm still hoping I could get soapston for the landry room. Now why oh why can't a company with Tex in the name have a Texas location? LOL

Francy, I am so glad you are getting this worked out. I could not have lived with such a visible crack and something you could feel -- which means a gunk-catcher.

Not to hijack the thread, but ali, what marble subways did you use? and what is the 1x1 mosaic you used as a liner? Is it soapstone?

Looks terrific- and francy- glad you're looking towards a resolution!

lasatx!!! Dorado Soapstone is in AUSTIN TX!!! :) yay for you! and pecan pie, that is just a photo Dorado sent me, we are still waiting for our stones to come in :) and Dorado has a whole line of soapstone tiles coming in. They have 10 patterns and every shape :)

Hooray! It is so glad to hear.

We were at Teixeira yesterday morning and Adriana was off somewhere, then on the phone again whispering etc. I guess she was at your house. :)

She and Andre both are trying to be as helpful as they can so far with out soapstone story, too. I can't wait to hit the end and write my recommendations, too.

Ali, what is that tile in the backsplash? I love it. It looks soooo good. Can you please ask Dorado, if you get a chance. I've been trying to decide on backsplash forever now.:)

p.

Yippee! So glad for you that it is working out as it should. You are a class act and it is paying off.

Post pics of the new stone when it't in!

Pinar: are you able to share any of your story? I don't think I've heard about it. It sounds like you are working toward a resolution? You can email me, if you'd like. I'm really tempted to have M. Tex do my new install, but I just don't think we can lose any more money. Every penny spent now comes out of my "hood fund." And I have "hood dreams." Big hood dreams!!

:-)

Francy

the subways in the picture , i believe are marble but again that is just a photo that DS emailed me.... :) sry im no help!

Happy happy joy joy! I'm so relieved that you counters will be fixed soon! I agree with the other posters, you handled this with class Francy and the important part is not that there was an issue, but that it is getting resolved as it should. I would not hesitate to use a company such as Creative Soapstone, as long as I knew that they would take responsibility for any issues that occur. I'm glad that they are showing us that they will do this.

Hey Decodilly, just a quick clarification.. Creative Stoneworks in California did Francy's job..

not Creative Soapstone.. we would have caught the fissure WAY before install :) but we're on the other side of the country.. :)

Opps, sorry!

That's so admirable of M. Teixeira, even though the damaged slab was not in their hands for 6 months. I will definitely contact them when we evaluate soapstone sources for our kitchen countertops. Nice to hear of excellent customer service for a change!

Update:

Well, at least M. Tex tried?

When we had the meeting at my house (on a Wednesday) we discussed replacing with one of the large slabs that Adrianna had left. When we got there on Saturday, no slabs were left. Gone. Sold. And this variety--Santa Barbara--is no longer being quarried. I was told that there was none left to be found (even in NJ). Leave it to me to pick this rare variety of soapstone that has vanished from the planet.

Also, I spoke to them about having their fabricator replace just the damaged piece of stone. He quoted a very high price to install a new piece (almost as much as the initial quote for the entire kitchen) and seam it up to the old piece. And this was install only, not removal. Basically, this high quote told us that the fabricator really didn't want to do the job. This seems common: no one wants to try to fix another guy's mistake. New people always want to start fresh. I understand that. Sort of. He gave a more reasonable quote on installing both sides of the sink with new stone. But that stone couldn't be Santa Barbara. Cause it is gone.

Gone in THREE days! It was there on Wednesday. Gone on Saturday.

I have the absolute worst luck!

Anyhoo, just wanted to update anyone reading this thread.

Francy

Francy,

If Adrianna knew your situation, if she new how little of SB was left, then she should have held a slab for you or at least given you a heads up that it was going fast.