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ripvanwinkle324

Holiday Kitchen Cabinets Beware

ripvanwinkle324
10 years ago

We waited years to have our kitchen remodeled because its expensive and figured it would be a once in a life time project for us. We were very excited about getting a new kitchen but the excitement wore off quickly and turned into a big headache. We decided to go with Holiday Cabinets because that is what our local kitchen shop carried and recommended and they had the color we wanted and the style with what we thought was a good price. The problems started from when we first ordered them. We were leaving for the winter and we wanted them in before we left so we could have our counter tops blue printed and made while we were away. We were assured they would be delivered on time and they weren't, then when we did receive them we noticed quite a few nicks on the edges, scratches, splits in the veneer side panels, along with a very poor stain job which didn't even get all the way to the edge of the panels in the doors on about half of them. Well they did replace some of the doors but three of them that had scratches in the doors the replacements they sent were in even worse shape. Also, the cabinet they sent with the bad veneer panel had a chunk of wood out of the side the size of a dime. Why they didn't fill this in before finishing it was beyond me so we ended up just leaving the first damaged one installed because we weren't improving things any. One of the replacement doors they sent was also worse then the one to be replaced. So we just left the damaged one on. We didn't notice it until later that one of the replacement cabinets that they changed out the inside edge of the cabinet was never even run through a planer so the edges are very rough and if you go to wipe it off the cloth or towel will snag on the splinters. This is just a few of the problems we have with our Holiday Cabinets. So If you are looking for poor quality cabinets with no help from the company in making it right these are the ones to buy. We contacted them several times and they did send their Rep out once and that is how we got them to send the replacements that weren't any better and even worse than the first ones. The contractor we used, Charlotte Cabinets wasn't any better than the cabinets they sold us which is whole another story. After the company sent the damaged and poorly made replacement cabinets they weren't any help in getting the issues resolved. I guess they just threw their hands up and walked away because they would never show back up and finish the job when they said they would. So after about 3 months of broken promises of not showing up and addressing the issues we hired another to finish putting the rest of the trim on our damaged cabinets. The only good thing is I didn't have them fully paid and they haven't asked for any more money which I think they know what kind of answer they would get on that. I wish somebody would have warned us so we didn't have to go through this nightmare but if you are lucky enough to see this before making your purchase you can't say you weren't warned. Good luck and I hope this doesn't happen to you. Do lots of research and don't just take the sales reps word. We live in a small town and went local and I never thought this would be our experience but it was.

Comments (28)

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our neighbors have Holiday Cabinets and are very happy with them. We almost went with them too but went with a different kitchen place that carried different lines. I'm sorry for your bad experience..I hope it was just a fluke and not the norm.

  • lennybean
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    looks like this is a problem

    This post was edited by lennybean on Tue, May 20, 14 at 15:07

  • idaa
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree with everyone!!! I also had the same experience myself. I purchased cabinets from holiday and it was a disaster. Spent close to 50,000$ on cabinets and got nothing but garbage. They arrived not only damaged and chipped but with missing hardware and doors.let me start with the customer service...rude,and unprofessional I've ever experienced in my life!! I spoke to to guy named Bill and two ladies named Barbra unhelpful and was transferred to another lady named Brenda who was always on a meeting or out sick and never returned one call after leaving several messages (seriously how many meeting can u have for cabinets...please) After months of trying to get the matter resolved nothing was ever accomplished. I had to pay someone to refinish the chips dents and cracks and had to pay to replace the undelivered doors again!! Please don't buy from holiday cabinets. After paying so much for cabinets I'm so angry at the customer service and wud not recommend them to anyone. No wonder why no one has heard of them.

  • Mags438
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    *Thank you* for posting your experiences. I wish you had included in your posts, the timeframe of your experiences. In time, things may change with a particular vendor and for whatever reason, they are not what they used to be. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.

    Again, thank you for posting your experiences.

  • xedos
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kompy

    When was the last time you ordered a Holiday kitchen ?

  • detroit_burb
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    someone else on this forum did what looks like a 50K + kitchen in Holiday and had all the painted doors crack shortly after install. I was glad I decided against using them.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0222280121952.html

    scroll to the bottom of the thread.

  • kompy
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Xedos,
    You asked when my last Holiday job was:

    I had a job ship in January, just a month ago. No issues. My store carries 7 cabinet lines and we only did 5 kitchens in Holiday last year. However, none of them were painted. In fact, every one of them was their frameless line and all were slab doors in cherry, alder or foil.

    I do not recommend Holiday to my clients when they are looking at painted or painted inset. I have two semi-custom lines that have more value, in my opinion and I have one high end custom that is perfection with their paint. So the only time I really consider Holiday, is their frameless line in wood or foil.

    The kitchen I had problems with several years ago, was a painted inset kitchen.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    kompy, how were they at resolving the issues with the painted kitchen you had problems with several years ago? It seems like the posters above are complaining about the lack of customer service. I suppose that wouldn't be a problem with an install that had "no issues," but I would think that the majority of installs have an issue or two that would require counting on customer service for resolution.

  • kompy
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jellytoast, In this business, if you have issues, you usually work directly with your dealer, not the manufacturer. So, I'm not sure why some of the previous posters said that Holidays Customer service was awful. Maybe the dealers were of no help to the homeowner.

    The painted job I had problems with, we got a couple of replacement doors in and had a professional furniture refinisher repaint two small areas that could not be redone easily. The homeowners were pickier than your average homeowner and they were very happy with the outcome. That has been at least 8 years ago and I've not heard one complaint from them so far on the cabinets and paint holding up. Trust me, if there was a problem, I would hear from her.

    It sounds to me like the dealers are the ones that dropped the ball. The factory is not used to dealing direct with the homeowner's. I'm curious to hear why the dealers didn't take care of these issues. Because they're the ones who are suppose to. Maybe the reason it took so long and was frustrating was because the dealer didn't help out. Holiday would have to contact the dealer and the rep to "find out what's going on". They fill orders for dealers, not homeowners. If these dealers didn't do their job, then Holiday should consider pulling their dealership for bad customer service.

  • RArbour
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Same thing, lousy customer service, both dealer and factory, I admit they are 13 years old but been problematic since new. Were hickory, turned a yellow, doors coming apart hinges that are too light for doors and need constant attention, STAY Away! Have some Merillat that are same age in the bath and are super, not a problem, obviously over the years Holiday hasn't done any better. 20,000 in 1999 dollars wasted. nuf said

  • Maryann LaSalle
    7 years ago

    We redid our kitchen in August 2012 using Holiday Cabinets from the Cabinet Studio in Cherry Hill, NJ. They are not even four years old and the paint is cracking in many spots. Wood splitting. Its terrible. They are antiqued white painted cabinets. Dont buy from Holiday.

  • erinaschneider
    7 years ago

    My husband and I remodeled our kitchen two years ago. We had Holiday Cabinets installed and from the beginning our cabinets had hairline cracks. The kitchen design company we used was very helpful in the replacement on our cabinets. When our new replacement cabinets were shipped, those had cracks and had to be sent back. After several months we finally had the custom kitchen we paid for. Now two years later I have three cabinet doors that have hairline cracks and the range top cover is discoloring. The kitchen design company we used no longer carries Holiday Cabinets and I have to deal with a representative from Holiday Cabinets. I am still waiting for her return call. If you are considering doing a kitchen or basement remodel, stay away from Holiday Cabinets.

  • mswift427
    6 years ago

    I used Holiday Kitchens cabinets in 2010 for a kitchen remodel. I chose Maple cabinets with a slightly darker "wash" finish (similar to a stain, but applied like "water". They arrived with no damage. They do need to do a better job when it comes to applying the wash finish. You can see darker "lines" on two of the insides of the doors (not all) where the wash was applied and that should not be.

    It's been 7-years now and the only complaint is the side of one of the cabinets next to the sink. The Maple veneer has a few small cracks at the bottom. To be fair, it is next to a water source and they do tell you to be carful and make sure you wipe dry any water residue on them. I believe the culprit was my teenage daughter not being careful when doing the dishes and occasionally washing her hair. Other than that they look great and I get many compliments.

    Remember folks, when people spend a lot money and have problems your going to hear from them a lot more than the people that spent a lot of money and had almost no problems (like me) I'll bet I'm not the only customer that's not totally upset with this manufacturer. EVERY manufacturer has problems. Ask a hundred people that spent $400,000 on a new Lamborghini sports car and you will find some complaints about the quality of their new car. Doesn't make any difference weather one spends $4.00 or $400,000 quality is quality!

    ...and no, I don't work for Holiday Kitchens and I don't sell their products. I don't recommend them and I don't say stay away from them. Buy what you want!

  • Susan Mller
    5 years ago

    I put Holiday cabinets in my house over 25 years ago. They were not cheap but they still look great. They were made in Rice Lake, Wisconsin so I hope we are talking about the same company. I would recommend them because of the quality I have lived with for a long time.


  • Donna Lerman
    5 years ago
    I had Holiday Kitchen “Moso” slab style kitchen cabinets installed two years ago. They are beautiful and I couldn’t be happier.
  • warrior
    5 years ago

    I posted the following review on this site under 'reviews of Holiday Kitchens'.


    February, 2019







    I hired a company who placed my cabinet order through Holiday Kitchens. I do NOT recommend using Holiday Kitchens for cabinetry. My order consisted of 4 large pieces and 2 smaller pieces. Every piece was dented, scratched and/or ink smeared. I paid extra to have the cabinetry painted and finished with a graphite wash. There is nothing to indicate that the cabinetry actually had a wash applied but appears more like a Sharpie pen was used to outline the mitered raised panels. All of the drawers are about 4 inches too short allowing for much dead space at the back of the cabinet. The sides are made out of pressed plywood not solid wood. These are not custom cabinets but rather stock sizes that are pieced together with large amounts of filler pieces.

    Our order arrived 2 weeks past the promised date which through off the scheduling of our installer. After many attempts to reach customer service at Holiday Kitchens directly, I was finally able to speak to a receptionist who told me Holiday Kitchens does not deal with the homeowner but rather with the company that placed the order.

    A rep from Holiday came to my house to assess the damages and said Holiday would replace all the damaged doors and drawers. That was 5 weeks ago and no replacement order has been placed.

    We are in the process of trying to get a refund directly from the company we ordered through. We are not having much luck with that....

  • heidi russell
    3 years ago

    Steer Clear!

    We ordered our kitchen in October.... still waiting and it's March.... we were quoted 7-8 weeks. Every week Holiday Kitchens says our cabinets will be on the next truck and every week they are NOT. We are STILL waiting. (This can't be a Covid issue. We ordered in the midst of the pandemic and were not given the slightest hint that there may be an issue. It's a convenient excuse though!)

  • heidi russell
    2 years ago

    1021 - THEY STILL ARE A TERRIBLE COMPANY TO WORK WITH WITH SUB PAR QUALITY

  • PRO
    The Kitchen Place
    2 years ago

    I don't carry Holiday but I heard they are 12 weeks out. I'm assuming the dealer told you 8 weeks?


    Covid is not a convenient excuse. It's a real problem for many cabinet manufacturers. The problem is they are located in a smaller town (population around 8,000) and the work force has been severely affected by Covid. Some employees have chosen to stay home and collect government $ instead of working. I have another cabinet line in a small town....same thing.

  • heidi russell
    2 years ago

    I was quoted 6-8... I banked on 12. Right now I've been waiting since the end of October. I got some of my cabinets on March 8, but the rest won't even SHIP until April 11.... that's 25 weeks!!


    When I ordered we were already 6 months into Covid so the Holiday Kitchen Cabinets should have KNOWN that they had a scheduling problem and given everyone the heads up. I never even knew there was a delay until Mid January when I called to see what day my cabinets would be arriving..... Boy was I surprised. I'm still surprised. Flabbergasted!

  • PRO
    The Kitchen Place
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    This sounds highly suspicious that the dealer didn't submit the order when they said they did. I'm not a Holiday dealer anymore....haven't been for many years. But maybe other Holiday dealers can tell you what's going on. My rep said 12. 25 weeks is insane!

  • heidi russell
    2 years ago

    I know he did because he had some back and forth with them for clarification in early November.

  • PRO
    The Kitchen Place
    2 years ago

    Clarifications and questions from a manufacturer doesn't mean it's actually in production.....A cabinet manufacturer lead time does not start once the order is faxed in. It goes in once all changes and add-ons are finished. Some manufacturers even require a release or a signature to final order paperwork. Once all of that is done....then it goes in to production and you can start counting the weeks. You are probably not at 25 weeks....but still a long time.

  • heidi russell
    2 years ago

    I think it means it's in the queue... at lease that's how Medallion does it. My designer was well aware of the timeline. Maybe take 2 weeks of back and forth off of that time.... so 23 weeks. That's still 3x what I was quoted.

  • heidi russell
    2 years ago

    Ok, well, the missing cabinets and fixes were supposed to be shipped yesterday. Now we're going on 27 weeks...

  • PRO
    Interiors by Lisa
    last year
    last modified: last year

    WOW! I only wish I saw all these comments about Holiday Cabinests 2 plus years ago. My cabinets arrived sort of on time. I think they were a month late. With that said there were a few damages, missing shelves etc. They " "bulider" was Haus Construction/Bob & Colin Lamond of Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Their kitchen designer at the time made a royal mistake. They tried to fix it but in trying to fix it a wall and my new wood floors had to be altered, they failed us terribly. After arbritration, which was a win for us monetarily,a lien was awared to the builder so it turned into a law suit, we were awarded financially again however I am trying to "fix" the mess that I was left with. I had dented molding over my hood, they came to replace it and it has markings on it from the factory. They left me with a jar of paint that is not covering the markings. I have shelves that are unfinished. And they worst of it all the cabinests are starting to get stress cracks. Of course we try to settle everything with our builder first. No reply to e-mails and/or text messages and quite frankly I dont trust them to do the right thing. I contacted (Jen Mormelo) the NJ Holiday rep to see if they she could help me. She told me it would be best to work it out with my bulider another words she was not helping me. I called Holiday and explained the situation to no avail. I finally got an e-mail from Lee Miner, he boasted about his years in the business and that he is on the Board of Directors of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Should I be impressed? I dont think so! I explained the situation, he to was not willing to help us. What happened to customer service? Holiday Cabinet has the worst policy when it comes to the end user. They protect their showrooms.

  • randibmarlo
    10 months ago

    Lisa, Im considering ordering Holiday Kitchen cabinets and wondering about the quality of the painted cabinet. Are yours painted? white?

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