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awnmyown

Sink Scratched - Rant

Awnmyown
10 years ago

So it seems like granite is just a headache. Here's mine...

I ordered up my granite and quartz countertops February 3rd. Wanted them ready when I returned from a holiday in Mexico, so they came and templated on February 5th. When I signed and paid (90% down), they told me that if the templating came out to be larger then the quote, they would adjust the square footage accordingly (or down should my estimate have been too large). I assured them that I was just fine with this, since the cost/sq. ft. didn't change it merely reflected the accuracy of the situation.

So I left them with their template, their 90% down and assurances that it should be ready when I returned.

I came back to find that the template was 2' larger than the quote and they didn't start fabrication because they wanted my approval and payment of the extra $250. Okay. I decided to just let it roll, despite it setting everything back 2 weeks.

Today, I received an email that they went to do the cutout for the kitchen sink and they noticed it was covered in scratches.

...so of course, their templater had removed the sink, hauled it to his van and took it to the shop. It's been there for the last 2 weeks. I have photos of the sink in my kitchen, installed and with the templater's materials around it, and while it's a photograph of a stainless sink so questionable, there's no scratches. I also know that I was OBSESSED with it, and we only moved it to install it, and that was it. It was *never* face down to scratch and was only in place the day before they templated it.

I'm countering that if the scratches were there previously, their templater would have mentioned it to me, since he was responsible for taking the sink.

Did I mention they NEVER told us they'd be taking the sink in the first place? We *almost* plumbed it. And of course, we didn't have it packaged for them, because we didn't know they'd be taking it! The templater was in a big hurry to meet his wife in the city, so he just wrapped it in the bag it came in (cotton bag with no drawstring...he slapped a piece of tuck tape over the opening), and headed on out.

I'm miffed. Does it sound like I have any leg to stand on here??? I can't just take the sink back to the store because it was special ordered and I bought it from another country. It means customs, duty, return shipping, reshipping, returns claims...a HUGE headache for me. And I need the same sink, since the counters are now fabricated to it, AND I have all the accessories for it to boot.

GER. Why the hell can't sometimes things just work out flawlessly?!

...did I mention my sewer backed up into my basement on Monday thanks to 2' of drywall mud that solidified in the drain thanks to my mudders and my bathroom fan started leaking yesterday??! I'm SERIOUSLY heading right back to Mexico and staying on the beach until this is all over. >:I

Comments (9)

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    Awnmyown, in my experience, it is the rare thing that works out flawlessly. Most things in a remodel come with at least a headache or two.

    I do wish that more people would fight back when businesses insist on getting the majority of the payment up front. If you have paid with a credit card, you do have recourse through your credit card company. Cash or check and you are at their mercy. Wanting to get paid in full is a big incentive to complete the job in a satisfactory manner. Installation is just as important as fabrication so why should they be paid in full for work they haven't even done yet?

    Of course they are responsible for your sink as they had no business taking it without your permission (not to mention uninstalling it!!). If you had known they were taking it, you could have had them sign something stating the condition of the sink when it left your house. I did that when my templaters took my SS sink, and took pictures of it as well. It was returned in the same condition. Had it been a special order sink like yours that would be problematic to replace, I would not have let go of it so easily.

    Are they saying that you are responsible for the scratched sink? Have they offered any resolution?

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    Awnmyown:

    You're wasting perfectly good panic. Stainless steel sinks can be refinished easily. It's not a big deal.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    I'd think it was a big deal if some ding dong came into my home and scratched up my brand new sink out of sheer carelessness. Okay, maybe it's not such a big deal in the entire universal scheme of things, but when we pick out brand new beautiful things for our kitchens, we'd like the opportunity to enjoy them, at least for a moment, in all their lovely newness. Can't the OP be allowed a little rant to blow off some steam??

  • crl_
    10 years ago

    That sucks. I'm sorry.

  • PRO
    Granite City Services
    10 years ago

    "You're wasting perfectly good panic. Stainless steel sinks can be refinished easily. It's not a big deal."

    +1. easily done with a kit available at typical big box stores. Anyone competent to polish stone should be able to polish the scratches out of the sink.

    Re: the fabricator taking the sink; fabricators gradually develop a database of sink cutouts (we have well over 1000) but in the event a customer has a special order or custom sink the fabricator typically will take it back to the shop so it can be measured as a 1st step in creating the CAD file necessary to make the cutout.

  • iroll_gw
    10 years ago

    No one is challenging the need for the fabricator to take the sink (but they should have announced it up front!)
    However, taking it means they have an obligation to make sure that nothing happens to it.
    If they are so cavalier about something that belongs to their customer, I'd worry about the quality of their work in general.
    And they would never have gotten 90% down off me; that's another red flag.

  • dianne47
    10 years ago

    50% down is standard. They should repolish the sink to your satisfaction. No other solution is acceptable.

  • Awnmyown
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks all. I actually looked around and everyone up here is running 90% down. Just can't avoid, though yes, I paid by MasterCard for the extra protection.

    Likewise, half of it is a rant, and the other half, is the principle of the whole thing. They argued that "on site" in their agreement means I should have known they were taking the sink. It doesn't. That same agreement said we'd discuss seam placement, and when I asked, they said it wasn't something they discuss with me. The agreement also said the price would increase according to templating, yet they waited 2 weeks to get approval on that increase from me. Needless to say, I'm frustrated with them.

    They also required the faucet and cooktop "on site" and neither of these were removed from my home. The sink and cooktop BOTH have CAD files available online...when I asked about these in the showroom, they told me that they'd use them for fabrication...yet took the sink. Why not the oven? Don't know. Heck, they have to cut holes for the bar counter and didn't take the mounts...

    I like consistencies. I like companies owning up to their mistakes.

    In the end, yes, I can polish the sink, or have them polish it. But I like knowing that a company prides themself in how they treat their clients, and I was upset that this wasn't the case. I'm awaiting a meeting with the manager and owner, to figure out how we solve this. Yes, a quick polish by them is more than acceptable by me. I'm reasonable. I chose them based on two positive reviews by close friends, and another couple of positive reviews from online folks. I thought that would be good, but of course, I sometimes just have some bad luck.

    Ranting done. Hopefully we're able to sort this out and I can enjoy my pretty kitchen. And be less accommodating in the future.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    When I received my sink it came with a template that was completely "off" from the actual sink. The fabricator said they had the CAD file for the sink, but I didn't trust that it wasn't set to the inaccurate template. I WANTED them to take the sink because I was very particular about my cut-out. But I did expect them to care for my sink and not damage it, and that was their attitude as well. In your case, the cooktop and faucet likely fit over top of their respective cut-outs, so those cuts don't have to be exact. The sink cut-out does.