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This company was hired to install Granicrete countertops in our kitchen and bathroom in January 2010. They were not trained by Granicrete and were purchasing the product through a 'friend'. The work done on our countertops is sub-standard, as confirmed by a Granicrete installer who has since come to look at it. The workmanship was inferior, with concrete dropped on the hardwood, epoxy resin not covering countertops fully and paint on the walls.
We have staple marks on our cabinets where they stapled plastic for 'protection'. We told them to clean up and leave, but as you can see the house looks a nightmare, as was the whole experience. The whole job was a nightmare and we consequently fired them. It has taken weeks to clean up the mess and we are probably taking legal action.
We have not responded to the comments of Jane Eurwen as it is in our best interests not to do so. If you are in any doubt of OUR comments, just look at the photographs of our kitchen.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I am a contractor here in Edmonton who unfortunately chose to do some work for Kay and Ian Manuel. They complained about the job I did and refused to pay me the remaining balance left owing claiming the job was not done properly. I have been in business for 18 years and understand there are people in this world that will do whatever it takes to get something for nothing. If any contractors in the Edmonton area are reading this do not do work for these people.
Similar situation with my counters.
First picture: The chip on the concrete counter top was caused by the customer due to pulling the protective covers without our authorization.
Second and third picture: this is the piece that has been approved by the customer before we laid the epoxy, customer's change of mind after the epoxy has been laid is out of our control.
Fourth picture: as you can see, all the plastic was still there on the side, it is a picture of the work in progress. The reason the paint got on the pipes and bottom of the cabinet is because the wet paint has pooled in the plastic that was used to cover it; therefore, when the customer removed the plastic once again without our authorization, the paints got on the pipes and bottom of the cabinet. The paint used on concrete counter top is water based paint and is very easily cleaned using a wet cloth.
As for the broken backasplash, we told Kay that the bottom row has to be removed so it will look better once the new tiles are installed.
There are two sides to every story.
We have done many concrete counter tops with many satisfied customers.
Before we started the job, we told the customer numerous times that the kitchen and bathroom will be off limits (not to be entered at any point) for a few days. All the drawers should not be opened due to plastic coverings that is stapled underneath the counter tops. When the customer decided to open the drawers, the damages occured is out of our control.
Here is an email to the customer that shows what really happened:
- EMAIL -
There are a few things that I need to clarify with you regarding the job that we have done in your house.
1. The invoice for both the concrete countertop for your kitchen, one bathroom, and mosaic tiles is $4200.00 + GST. That includes all the material for the concrete countertop and mosaic tiles plus our labour cost.
2. Before we started the job, we had spoken to Kay that after the painting was done, we will need her approval before we lay the epoxy down. She had approved the paint job on the one piece so we laid the epoxy. The next morning she did not like the color anymore which is not feasible to change after the epoxy has been laid without replacing the whole piece.
3. Before we started the job, we had emphasized numerous times that the kitchen will be unattainable until the job is complete; however, two mornings in a row we came in to find coffee stains on the countertop along with parts of the protective plastic removed.
4. For the island piece, Kay had shown us a picture of what she wanted and we informed her that we can not do exactly the same but we will do our best to recreate the countertop in the picture. After the painting was done on the island, she had stated that she loved it. However, a couple of hours later she changed her mind again. So we redid the paint on the island according to her specification and once again she said she loved it.
After you came home from your business trip, both you and Kay told us that the paint job is not what you had in mind. Therefore, Kay volunteered to do the paint on the island herself.
5. For any concrete and paint that got onto the floor and cabinets, we had notified Kay immediately that all of it will be safely cleaned during our clean up period at the end of the job.
6. Before the job was done, all the protective plastic was removed without our approval which damaged the concrete in certain areas.
Stated above are the facts that Kay, yourself, and I are aware of. Before you and Kay left for vacation, everything was still good to go and you both agreed to pay the extra cost for replacing the one piece in the kitchen that has been epoxied.
However, after the vacation, Kay had called us regarding the job and she felt that we have to replace the one piece in the kitchen and finish the rest of the job without paying the rest of the balance owed.
In addition, she had stated that she felt it was necessary for us to compensate her for her time spent on the island, which she had volunteered to do.
The maximum time spent in doing concrete countertop from start to finish is 30 hours. We had spent over 50 hours which is 20 hours over the maximum. This happened due to Kay's indecisiveness and negligence to follow instructions.
Our cost that had accumulated within 5 days working in your house with the 20 hours of unpaid work is more than the amount of the deposit that you have paid. Like any other businesses, the product is not the customer's property until it is paid in full. Therefore, we had taken the tiles back because it is still our product until the job is paid in full.
We have not once refused to finish the job even with the additional time we've invested, but we are not volunteers who work for free.
If any of the statements above are incorrect, please send us feedback and clarify with us.
Thank you.
- END OF EMAIL -
We still haven't received any replies denying any of the statements above.
Attached below is a picture of the coffee stains that we found a few mornings in a row.