Houzz
reviews and complaints

Long story short houzz is is a scam and will take advantage of anyone or any company if you give them the chance. This review is for service. If you are a company I highly suggest and recommend not to use Houzz services. It has been over 8 months since I've paid $2, 600 for their services which is a yearly contract you cannot get out of. They suck you into it and take advantage of you. Literally have not even gotten one single job when I was told to keep waiting and waiting for results and nothing positive came of it. I have been fighting with them to get a refund and to cancel it and they keep telling me that can't be cancelled and it gets better but nothing gets better their customer service is a complete joke and because of this I would love to tarnish the reputation of houzz. I even offered to pay the four months which is $200 a month to cancel the contract for $800 and they refused to do so. Right now we are battling them in small claims court. The whole process has been a disaster from the start when I was promised positive results and received not one single lead. Take HomeAdvisor for example or Angie's List over this company any day.

These bloodsuckin people reached out to my company last year, promising the world to us. Telling us basically without them wed fail they promised us crazy numbers and customers.

Made us sign a 250 dollar a month contract..one whole year not a sjngle person has even asked us 1 question. Yet alone get us jobs, noone has even asked one question. They promised you a team of workers who will keep working on your behalf.. all lies, they need a class action lawsuit.

This company is the worst ive ever came across. The cancelation fee is so high that its almost the same to just keep it.

Only companies that do that are those who know they provide little to no value. I hope nothing but the worst for them.

Houzz gave us a list of landscape architects in our area of Austin. We needed to redirect rain water away from the front of the house and we also wanted to do some landscaping in the back yard. Randolph Landscapes was the only one willing to respond to a project under $50, 000. Mr. Randolph came to our house on August 4 and looked at the project and told us that the fee for the design was $1, 000. He made three trips to our home and did not have the landscape design or the cost on any of the trips even though he was repeatedly asked for both. He had some rough drawings for the front and gave us some prices verbally. When my husband disputed the $50 per hour per worker charges, he accused him of being racist. The time from the first visit to the delivery of the design was two days short of two months. Other meetings were cancelled because of a "workplace injury" or finishing up other projects prevented him from keeping our appointments. On Oct. 2, we were scheduled to meet at 3:00 to go over the plan. The drawings were simply left on our doorstep at 11:30 and he did not show up at 3:00 but called at 3:30 to tell us that he did not want to work for us. When asked why, his explanation was difficult to follow. He did say that my husband had a tendency "to scalp the numbers" and that the conversational climate was stressful. Mr. Randolph is very verbose and his incessant talking is unnecessary and very irritating. No contractor should ever espouse their political preferences in their work presentations but Mr. Randolph did just that in no uncertain terms. Our major complaints against him are that it took him two months to produce a working plan and never supplied us with the cost for implementing the plan. We paid his fee in good faith but he did not show the same good faith toward us. After looking at the projects on his website, we discovered that there were no current projects listed and the ones pictured go back to 2006, 2008 and 2010. In our opinion, he is unprofessional and we believe that Houzz should remove his name from their website. This experience has caused us to wonder about the vetting of other businesses recommended by Houzz.

Attention: Executive Operations

This is the second similar FAKE opportunity I have received from "Houzz" since registering my business profile in the last several months.

See below.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 26, 2018, at 10:41 PM, Jane Khole wrote:

My name is Mrs Jane, I'm married and I have a 7 months baby call Sara. My husband is the most wonderful thing that has happened to me and I will always say that. He is a Software Developer and System Engineer to a company, we are moving back to the State from London, UK because he just secured a better job.

House description: 2 br, 2 bath with custom woodwork throughout. Parking space, Luxurious master suite, open-concept chef's kitchen with granite counters, SS appliances, skylight, custom cabinets. We will also send a floor plan and pictures when available for your review.

We have ordered for the furniture and home appliances, so all we need you to do is to make use of our supplies to do the interior decorating (furniture and electronics layout, artwork placement, kitchen utensils placements etc). We plan moving in October.
Kindly let me know your free time/chosen date between now and then so we can fix everything and our orders can be deliver at the house before then too.

Below are the items my husband ordered, I'll see if I can get the rest to you but these are the major ones:

Rug for living room 5' by 6' in size - 1
sofa
Clock
Cooking in the kitchen
3 Piece Coffee Table Set - 1
Chairs and Ottoman Set - 1
5 Piece Dining Set - 1
Curtains
TV, including something to put it on such as a TV stand
Handing on wall photo frames
Mattress
Bedside table
Bed sheets
Pillows
Alarm clock
Shower Curtain, bath towels, hand towels
Toilet brush
Fire extinguisher
Belmont Twelve Light Chandelier to replace formal one.

If I may ask, in Which area or city do you live in?

There would be handyman/installer to help you. Agent/realtor should also be there delivery date to accept furnitures. The paintings have been done so you don't need to worry about that and I would like to know how much you are willing to charge for your services at least 2 days and if you accept Check for payment. I would appreciate it if you can get back to us soonest because we really want things sorted before our arrival.

I look forward to your response soonest.

Thank you.

*********************************************

The original text came from phone number

[protected]

Text message says:

I'm Mrs Lee from houzz, a cousin of mine need an interior designer to decorate their new apartment. Kindly email her at [protected]@gmail.com

*********************************************

This is the second time I have had a similar fraudulent contact (text) from someone with a nearly identical story; only it was from a woman who claimed to be a "deaf mute."

This is really unfortunate, as Houzz has been trying to obtain my business to advertise on their website for ~$550.00 per month.

I reported this to the sales department who reached out to me after registering.

He claimed the selling point was that Houzz generates qualified opportunities.

So far, all I have had are ridiculous emails from an illiterate person, that has no idea what design firms do.

We do not take delivery of furniture and setup a new household from a move without clients present.

That is not what turnkey design service is.

Houzz needs to follow up on this fraudulent activity and contact the FBI. This has been occurring repeatedly for the past 2 - 3 years. Google It!

I am going to call Washington DC, and report this to ASID's national Headquarters. Houzz does not deserve my business with this type of chronic fraudulent activity.

Regretfully,

K H Page
Haute Couture Home, LLC

This company is useless. I hope they close soon. Competitor has much better customer service, by far!
Ordered a couple mirrors for a bathroom remodel:
1) the delivery window given is like a week... unless you have time, it's always uncertain. The confirmation came after placing the orde but took almost 2 days to give a delivery date, a week after!
2) can't wait for the product since the contractor is working on the project an expected to finish before the arrival.. checked online and the order hadn't shipped, so I cancelled it.
Despite the cancelanton before the shipment the order was shipped and now I'm. Wing charges $29 for the return!
I worked with many carriers and never had any issue canceling an order before it shipped. They told me that I had 30 minutes (really) after the order was placed. But took them almost days to ship!
An online company, in 2018, with 1960's technology! That's not for me!
You shall receive a thank you letter from the competitor. I have a lot of business to give them (and already did)! Never again!

Dear sir/madam,

This letter is to notify you of a problem I am having with the vanity that I order online from your website. On...

I am extremely dissatisfied with the service I am receiving from your company, because the wrong product was shipped to my house. With the order #[protected] I ordered and paid for"enna 29.5 modeen bathroom vanity, rosewood", and what I received was "midern brich wood veneer vanity", a totaly different product".
It is almost 3 months that I am trying to return it and and get my money back. I spent hours and hours trying to talked to customer service to solve this problem, but I was not able to talk to correct person, and many times I was just transferred to different departments. I sent several email, after almost 2 months, I have received an email from conceptbaths claiming that they sent the correct item, but houzz made a mistake and shipped the wrong item. They are not taking any responsibility, and not offering any solution, and want me to talk to houzz. I am really frustrated, and disappointed from houzz.

I would like immediate help with this matter, since it is almost 3 months that I am trying to return a wrong product which was shipped to me, and get my money back. You are a reputed company and boast of great service. Please contact me with this email address, or my phone at
+[protected] as soon as possible.

Thanks
Anahid

I am a sub contractor for Home Depot, I did a job for a client of theirs where the material was ordered by them but not all there when we arrived and I needed to reschedule the appointment. We were rescheduled by Home Depot and showed up to the appointment on time with multiple workers and all of their tools and machinery required to get the work done. We worked with what we were provided. It was not to the home owners satisfaction so I got a list of his concerns and spoke to Home Depot Management and was given the approval to order a few more additional items to get his enclosure to where the home owner was completely satisfied. We came back and spent many hours getting the enclosure to exceed the clients expectation. We finished, the homeowner signed a customer satisfaction form and we went away. The homeowner several weeks after the completion of the work wrote a scathing review about my company that was filled with deceit and hateful lies, How do we repair the damage he has created for my company?

I had been looking at a vanity for some time and when "only 2 left" came up I decided to purchase for a bathroom remodel, knowing it was not going to start for another month after purchase. That was in June. We opened the box to see if there was damage and there was not so we closed it and waited until it was time to move the vanity inside. One vanity was fine, the other vanity top does not sit level on the cabinet. We checked the level of the cabinet and it is fine, so it appears that the top is somehow warped. With a shim under one corner it is stable. The problem with that (per our contractor) is you risk damage/cracking the top piece. I contacted Houzz to advise of the problem, noting that the item did not appear to be damaged in shipment or by customer abuse, and that it appears to be a faulty top. I sent pictures and a video of the problem and the response verbatim was "Unfortunately I am unable to offer a replacement vanity top at no cost due to the amount of time since the item was delivered, our hands our tied and due to the amount of time it has been I am limited with the resolution I can provide. That being said, I am happy to check with our vendor and see if they have a replacement top available and what the cost would be. As soon as I have any update on this I will be sure to let you know." What? I certainly understand the 30-day policy, but a faulty product? Houzz can replace the top if they wish to; they do not wish to, obviously. I am extremely disappointed in the attitude of Houzz. It is otherwise a lovely cabinet, but be sure to check everything about the product within a 30-day time period or risk this sort of customer service, or lack thereof! Houzz: You can do better than this.

I received a text from this person (don't know how she got my cell number) Asking if I would be interested in a staging job. I sent a reply back of yes, but would need more detail and I received this reply...

Lisa Bryan
2:43 PM (20 minutes ago)
to me

Hello Sharon

I really appreciate your response and I'm glad to read from you. I'm Lisa Bryan, I'm married and I have a 6 months old son, Mike. I am a Graphic Artist, I work independently. I get hired by advertisement agencies, printers, etc It's a good job. My husband, Nathan is a Software Developer and System Engineer, we are moving back to the States from Hammersmith, West London W6 8JF, because he just secured a contract and he's to resume Last week in October, Oct 22nd 2018.

We have ordered furniture and some home appliances, so all we need you to do is to make use of our supplies for the project to stage (furniture and electronics layout, artwork placement, kitchen wares placements etc) once the orders are delivered. I can send you images of the ordered items and house description along with the floor plan.

The paintings have been done so you don't need to worry about that. Where is your location or city? I would like to know how much you are willing to charge for your services and if you accept Certified Check for payment. I would appreciate it if you can get back to us soonest because we really want things sorted before our arrival, our arrival date is Saturday, October 20th, 2018.

I look forward to your response soonest.

Best Regard
Lisa Bryan

I googled this type of request and discovered that it is a scam. I thought it was when she did not know my location and wanted me to take a certified check.

Thought you should know that scammers are targeting your designers.
thanks Sharon Goodwin

Beg June to September.
Got Level Up Home Remodeling from your site. What a bunch of crooks. How is Houzz okay supporting this type of construction company?
We wanted to get done our Kitchen, lower bathroom, add a room, remodeling our master bathroom, repipe. We were able to get done the bottom bathroom and repiping which were not done to code and were not complete.
Our brand new toilet had poop in it from the guys who worked there. We were on vacation and found this upon our return. They ruined our carpet, there was water damage to our hard wood floors. Our repipe was not insulated as city code states. The contract we signed said permits were going to be pulled and never were. Most importantly, there was never a licensed contractor on site. Not once did we meet him.

I received my sink/faucet kit and paid to have a person install it and the faucet leaked by the handle. They sent me a new valve for in the faucet no questions asked which makes me believe that they know they have an issue. I paid a person to switch the valve and the faucet still leaks! It was told to me that they would not be requiring me to return the item and they would refund my money. Then they turn around and went back on their word by saying I have to return the items. The plumber bills exceed any savings I may have gotten by buying this way so I am done. The whole thing is such a disappointment. I could scream! Houzz and MR Direct Sinks and Faucets can count me out in the future. Their loss as I make a living fixing up houses and reselling them; as well as, having rental property. Bye Bye

No response after 4 days emailing their Support/ Customer Service email. Email sent on August 4, 2018. Specific issues (with pictures attached) of my email to Houzz with an action item request:

I am emailing to express my dissatisfaction with the product order per Order # below. It has been a very busy time moving into a new home and waiting patiently for furniture pieces to arrive, only to find issues after we unpack and assemble. We are looking to purchase more furniture for inside and outside home, but i am raising caution if purchasing from Houzz.

I am attaching some pictures for your review.

1- the middle seam is not flush on one of the ends because the wood cuts were off. This is positioned after the locking the clips. So, there is a slight gap on one end and flush on the other end.
2- there are visible paint bleeding (dried) off the edge of table. and eye sore and not clean-looking
3 - underneath on one side, there are two wood dents with exposed wood. Not sure if this at manufacturer error or from delivery.
As we expect family and guests to visit our home soon, we do not intend to send back the table, as it would be more of a hassle and added stress; however, i do believe this is a faulty piece of furniture sent to us for the high price.

I would like to know what Houzz will do to remedy this situation

This man is extremely rude. He started barking questions at me about why I contacted him. Houzz recommended him. I clearly specified "mid-century modern" in my request. Mr Pershing, when he arrived here, said "what is mid-century modern? I've heard of it but I don't know what it is". So why did Houzz recommend him? Why did he even make the appointment? Why did I wait 2 months for this jerk to show up?
He told me that I needed to learn how to communicate.
This man has no people skills, at least with someone like me. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, maybe it's because I don't have a fortune to spend on landscaping, maybe he was having a bad day.
Regardless, this man is extremely rude, tried to bully me, and I will tell everyone I know never to work with this guy. And I don't know why Houzz has him as The Best of 2018 for Service?! What a joke!

I hired John Grande of Grandfx Concrete to resurface the concrete walkway surrounding my house. This contractor assured me that he was competent to do the job, and selected a product by Mapei called Concrete Renew. According to the datasheet, Concrete Renew, when applied correctly, should create a uniform finish. It also states that this product must be sealed after application to ensure that it is protected from the elements, particularly water. John applied this product in a non-uniform manner, which apparently was caused by inconsistent ratios of product to water throughout the walkway. In addition, John did not seal the product after application, so that when it rained, the finish was blotchy and looked worse than when he had started. He also left concrete renew in the cuts between concrete slabs, which was supposed to be removed once the walkway was dry. John assured me that he would come back to correct these problems, and I waited for several months over the summer and fall for him to do so. He never returned, and he refused to provide a refund. In addition, he left a large pile of concrete renew on my grass, left concrete renew along the edge of my driveway through lack of protection, and trailed concrete renew along my neighbour's sidewalk, all of which he failed to cleaned up. Lastly, he took personal equipment of mine, namely a long electrical cord I was using to mow the grass. I paid him $2000 to do this work. I paid John's price in full because I was too trusting of the referral and of contractors in general back then. Based on my experience, I believe John to be unskilled in working with concrete and lacking integrity.

order number [protected] June25, 8am in the morning, I advised Houzz the second sink top they sent me was wrong. Two weeks earlier they sent me a broken one that was returned with this one (which was wrong) It was a single sink instead of a double one. It is now Friday 2pm and I still do not have a tracking number for a new sink to be sent to me. Wednesday I was told by a rep it was being shipped to that day which was not the case. I have called them at least 15 times and sent a dozen emails. They are very kind on the phone and yet have done nothing. I was told a manager named Wes would be calling...still waiting.

Do not use Benjamin Wood of Benjamin's Flooring and Construction. He came out with his subcontractor and gave a bid for bathroom remodel. Appeared to know what he was doing. We visited his showroom and discussed tile. Later that day we signed a contract and gave him a deposit of $2875.00. He has yet to show up with materials to do the work. today he assured us the tile would be delivered. Still no tile. Our job was to be completed on June 17th but he has yet to start or delivery any materials. We want the deposit returned and contract cancelled.

Hi
My name is Ona Schissel And I am in Interior designer with Ona Designs. & I do not advertise on this site. I
received a scam text message for staging / interior design services. I googled complaint scams on Houzz and I am not alone: they are trying to scam other designers !
The name given : is Lucie Howard .[protected]@gmail
She gives a phone number that goes right to computerized voicemail . I had my phone trace a number of [protected].

I

i'm extremely upset about my orders through you. I purchased through Houzz a large order of chairs (6) . They were $399 each so not cheap. The warranty states that if it rusts within 5 yrs they will be replaced, it's only been 4yrs. . Apparently, the company is not reachable for whatever reason. My expectation is that these chairs will be replaced by Houzz since I ordered these through YOU not Surfside Patio. Your customer service dept is saying you can't do anything about this but I don't believe that is a satisfactory answer. In addition, I ordered a patio umbrella through you. It came in with missing pieces and the umbrella cannot stand on it's own. Why would I order anything from you? Social media is great forum to voice these issues but I prefer to spend my time working towards a resolution with you. Please consider replacing my chairs with something comparable or refund my money as I mentioned I prefer a solution not a war on Houzz. I would like this to go to the highest level of management as I will continue to pursue that level of support. I can be reached at [protected].I'm happy to send photos but unfortunately for some reason i can't seem to get it to upload it.

This company misrepresents what it sells. We purchased bathroom items both marked with the color "espresso" when they came they don't even come close to matching "espresso". We express our need to return and they then inform us we must pay for return of $165.00. There is no information on the site stating colors may vary etc. Who would think that if you purchase items to place in a bathroom that this company expects you to keep it even when it doesn't come close to a match. Their customer service isn't even willing to work with you in regards to their policies being none existence in such cases.