ComplaintsforR. Grace Interiors

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Nov 30th, Jan 3rd, Jan 17, & Jan 25 I sent/showed RGrace the photo of what I wanted my countertop to look like in our kitchen.We had ***** with NC Granite come to our home to give us a quote for countertops. This was on February 1st after I had sent the new inspiration photo and we had met in person to see the backsplash samples and again I reiterated and showed her the photo of the all white countertops. We also decided at this point that we were not going to paint the cabinets and therefore had more money in the budget for countertops. ******* quotes were $2425, $2555, $2316.61. Since ***** was great and the quote fit the budget we moved forward with him assuming she had accurately articulated our current countertop vision in order to even get a quote. In our contract it states:Scope of work: Design new concept, style, and selections around current flooring, wall color, furniture and layout. KITCHEN Selections/Design of: Countertops Since I signed a contract with her stating she would be in charge of making the selections, I again trusted she would select the countertop I had shown her I wanted. I reiterated to ***** during his inspection that I wanted all white countertops and he told me that she and him were discussing the selection. After further conversations with ***** on February 25th, I found out she had never even asked for a picture or sample of the countertop he quoted.February 25th, NC Granite installed ivory countertops with majority **** specks and shiny mirror pieces integrated into the stone at the cost of $2425. The final countertop selection was not approved, looks nothing like the inspiration photo, and does not match the description of "all white" that I gave her. To remedy this situation I am requesting a reimbursement from R. Grace Interiors in the amount of $2425 for the labor and materials NC Granite used to install the counters that I did not approve. This would have never happened if I had not hired her.

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  
  At the beginning of the communication on this project, the client came to me saying I was wondering if you had a minimum budget for some condo upgrades knowing that in the design world, our services alone often cost what this specific client gave me as a budget. Because of some personal reasons with this client owning a wedding planning business that one of my family members worked for, I agreed to do a job with them knowing that they only had a 4-5K budget and essentially that I would make almost nothing on it because for the amount of things they wanted done, my hours alone would eat up that budget if I ran the whole project like I usually do with my clients. We spoke on the phone and I explained that I really didnt do jobs this small but that I wanted to help her out, but that to make sure my hours didnt eat up her entire budget, I wouldnt charge for the little things and try to keep it modest, but most importantly that I would need her to do a lot of the leg work She agreed that She could do that. I also told her I was not taking on projects at the time that I took hers on because of my grandma being in hospice, and that we were buying a new house, but that I would help her out. I went into this job to help her with selections and contractors (as she stated that was the part she didnt want to do was look for contractors).
  
  I expressed numerous times that she couldnt afford my full services per her budget, and as we discussed, I backed off on a lot of my responsibilities that werent Skill or Talent related, but more project managing, ordering related and let her do those management and ordering tasks,simply because if I did on her job what I do on all my jobs, realistically, she would be stuck with a 3-5K invoice for just my hours alone on the scope of work that she provided that she wanted done on her home. We started the job with her list of what she wanted out of her 4-5K budget (Scope of Work below). Which I was very honest with her was impossible to do with the budget she provided me and that we needed to prioritize. She stated that she would rather stay at 4K but if we fit the bathroom in, she would consider 5K. Once we picked the priorities that we really wanted to do, I still was honest and told her it would be crazy tight but that I was determined to make some of it happen. I believe during the beginning stages of the job and seeing what selections, labor, raw materials, and my cost, etc cost, she became more realistic with her budget and we stopped talking about several items that she wanted to do (master bathroom) and just focused on the important ones. I told her I would put EVERYTHING on the contract that she wanted to do, but we discussed that we could only do a few of the important things, but over the years could continue to chip away at the list and get it all done over time.
  
  Initial Requested Scope of Work (On the Contract)
              KITCHEN Selections/Design of:
  -            Countertops
  -            Cabinet Paint Color
  -            Backsplash Tile
  -            *********************************************************************************** *********************** above
  -            K**** for Laundry Closet
              MASTER BEDROOM Selections/Design of:
  -            Back Wall Design
  -            Paint Color
  -            Shelving/Layout
              MASTER BATHROOM Selections/Design of:
  -            Vanity with Top and Sink
  -            Sink Faucet
  -            Mirror
  -            Vanity Lighting
              Lighting Fixtures:
  -            Kitchen Sink Pendant
  -            Dining Room Chandelier
  -            Living Room Fan
  -            Bedroom Fan
  -            Hallway Semi Flush Mount Light
  
  With the countertops, without all the details, selections,etc, we started off thinking we couldnt do them because with most (of any detail) white quartz slabs alone with NO fabrication being $1700-2500, it just wouldnt fit in our budget, but I said I would try to make it happen and at least get a few quotes on it because I told her how much awesome change it would make in the space.
  We started this project in late October. Overall, I had 3 of my countertop contractors quote her kitchen to see if we could get it done. In November, the first contractor quoted her on several different white quartz slabs with different details (veiny and solid white) because we INITIALLY started quoting a veiny white slab because thats what she wanted almost the whole length of the project ******** Velentin. I had a couple different veiny white slabs quoted and after seeing the price, she said we couldnt afford slabs because it would basically be the majority of the 4-5K budget So I said not to just write it off, that I would keep looking (none of which I charged for) I found a second countertop fabrication shop and sent the measurements from the first shop to them to see if they could get anything cheaper in a white quartz of any kind No luck, they basically scoffed and told me pricing on a couple slabs, but they were more expensive than the first contractor I told the client this but kept digging. THIS (end of ******** is when the client sed me a text (the very first mention) on wanting to do Pure White ****** (no detail)because she liked it in one of many inspiration pictures she set me, and I said I would look into it and let her know. Then I reached out to our final (3rd)contractor in the very first day of February who I have been working with for several years and given many jobs to, and asked him to just help me out with this small kitchen and fit me into a white quartz slab. He said he would do the best he could and was even willing to basically not make anything on it but had to pay his guys to fabricate everything at least and I thanked him. He then quoted a Pure White ****** off the bat because that was her latest request, and like everything else so far, she couldnt afford it. It didnt fit in our budget. THIS IS WHERE I handed this contractor off to the client (Mid Feb), introduced them over text to finish the countertops job because I was spending hours and hours trying to get these tops quoted of all different kinds from different contractors, and not making a dollar, and didnt want to be the monkey in the middle. Right away they were in communication and I mentioned it was best that they deal with it versus going through me for hours reasons, as we discussed many times throughout the job. They both talked through the details, and the client stated they were looking into damaged pieces and remnants (not solid white), but after enough rejected quotes because of cost, my contractor was just trying to get them into any white quartz. (Which, per the quoting process proved, they werent being picky on the detail within the white quartz they were being shown and quoted).So the part that really matters is after all of this pricing and pricing and pricing on DIFFERENT white quartz, with DIFFERENT detail in them, my contractor finally said he couldnt get the one they had talked about remnant or broken slab wise, but the material that he quoted, (MIRROR WHITE) was the lowest that he could find (said this both in text messages, and email See attachments)that accommodated her kitchen and budget, and even offered to send her samples,to which she did not respond to that specific offer, but just said Thank you for all of this info. Well, because this was now between my client and contractor for several quotes, I was not in the process of them going over and looking through damaged pieces or remnants. My contractor stated it clearly that he couldnt get the ones she was looking at and gave her the only other lowest price option he had left that fit into the budget, and even put the formal name of the slab in the communication TWICE. Again, because I was not involved in this process for the many reasons I stated above, she (the client)then said Thats totally fine! Thanks for looking! then conversated more and he sent over the quote a couple times with some edits made and she said The quote looks good. How do we pay the deposit? She signed off on the countertops with the name of the slab and detail in the name. That is a contract between them, not me. She wanted to do the leg work so she didnt have to pay my $150/hour fee but didnt look the slabs up, or accept the sample offer from my contractor, or a picture or anything. She then lost it on me when she received the exact material she signed off on and paid for, after rejecting the materials she liked a little better but stated she couldnt afford, which was probably about 7 or 8 other slabs.
   In that final cost she paid for slabs ($2425), we completed all of what she wanted in her countertops WITHIN HER BUDGET
  -            Demoed and dropped the high bar top wall
  -            Moved the plumbing and smoothed out and textured the wall
  -            Extended the length of the peninsula
  -            Made the overhang bigger to accommodate counter stools
  -            Did a cut out in front of your sink
  -            Got the client into a white quartz
  The only thing at the end of the day that wasnt exactly what she wanted was not the white quartz, but the detail within the quartz. Per the pictures I attached, you can see that the slab is most definitely a white quartz, but if you look up close, there is a speckly detail vs pure, or veiny. 95% of the full countertop job was perfect, but she wants me to reimburse her 100% for the slabs, demo, labor, fabrication, and ALL of it because I wasnt involved in that final selection detail, which I Verballyand Via Text handed over to her (so she didnt have to keep paying me past 3-4 hours that I had billed her, and also because I had already put **** hours on this job but only charged her for less than 4 full hours ($578.70) Which we did three 1-hour appointments, one which was a little over an hour that I didnt even charge her for at all, not including the hundreds of text and different communications we exchanged about this small project).
  
  It truly is unfortunate that I had to step out of the extra leg work but I did for very real reasons. Both her request to not pay me too much for my hours, and also because no one works for free, but I was willing to offer all my people, not charge for many hours, not put margin on any material or make any money on the items selected but rather give her the links and my full discounts to buy them directly for the lowest cost I could offer as a design professional The client knew all of this and was fine dealing with my contractors just them and her (as we did with the other 2 of my contractors that did work in her home during that time), ordering on her own, and making decisions based off the things I offered and showed her. The client slipped on asking for a picture or looking it up, and again, when offered to be sent samples or see samples of the top from my contractor, did not accept or reply to. The culture of this job was one thing, and now that it went south, she is pulling things out of my contract as if there was anything contractual about this project and how it went. I can pull out a few extra things in my contract that we didnt follow because of her request that I just Help and give my opinion,and send some selections, and would try to stay within 3-4 hours of work, but that she would handle a lot of the leg work. I truly feel horrible that at the end of the day, my wanting for this client to have a beautiful brand-new looking kitchen did not work out Exactly how she wanted, because that is never my desire as a business owner for a project to go south, but I do not believe this to be my responsibility, financially. I was happy to do this project at a low cost and wanted to make a raving fan out of my client, as I always do,but the situation, budget (therefore my level of involvement), and this slip up on my clients end didnt allow for that. I went above and beyond to do as much for the client as I possibly could, even though I made well less than half of what I put into it, brought in my awesome guys who did me huge favors and didnt make really any money but were happy to help me out, found ways to get her the lighting, the countertops, the tile, all of it for a low budget for what she was asking for. I have contractors willing to send screenshots, communications, and any proof needed to show their facts and figures in the reality of this situation.
  
  There is now more information about chips coming up on the new countertops that werent there before. Per regular conduct, my contractor has the client feel all the edges and surface to make sure there arent any chips, issues, rough spots, etc. The clients husband was the one who swept his hands along all the edges and surface to insure they did a perfect job, and my contractor got the OK through a signed document saying that the client signed off on the condition of the countertops fabrication (In attachments), and they went on their way. Now the client is calling the contractor about chips and issues (none of which I have ever experienced working with this contractor before) and I feel there is unfortunately some manipulative things happening to get these replaced from HIM now, because she knows she signed off on them herself, and doesnt like the detail on them. That is where the situation is standing currently.

  Customer response

  04/10/2022

   
  Complaint: 16848406
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Please see the attachment labeled "Response to R.Grace Interiors" of my detailed response as the submission was not working otherwise.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  04/21/2022

  Hello,

   

  As my response, I have made it as a PDF format attachment labeled "BBB Response to ************************* 4.19.22", as well as attaching some PDFs of screenshotted texts and my commentary on them, the contractor ******* responses to some of my questions to him on this situations, as well as the only contact I have had with ************************* over email since the BBB has been involved.

   

  Thank you for your time,

   

  ****** Grace

  Customer response

  05/18/2022

  Hello,
  I did not know there was a time limit on denying or accepting the business' last response. I DENY the response and I have a new development. The business, R Grace Interior, deliberately broke her contract with me by telling NC Granite to not communicate with me and to not fix the chip (after accusing me of chipping the quartz, which of course I did not and have no idea how to do) in the counter top that they installed. This breaks the line item on her contract reading: 
  Homeowner shall have the right to inspect all work performed under this contract after completion. All defects and incomplete items shall be reported by H.O. immediately to be fixed.
  We really need a third party to review our case and help decide on a resolution since we just keep rejecting each other's responses. Please advice to when someone from the BBB will be able to review the case. Thank you so much for your hard work and deliberation!
  
  I have attached her contract again and highlighted the items she did not fulfill or deliberately broke. 
  
  Thank you!
  *************************

  Business response

  05/20/2022

  Hello BBB,
  
  I was under the impression that this "case" was now closed, because its been 1 day short of a month since my reply, and there has been no response from ******* When I needed extra time because of needing to reach out to third parties for this and get responses, I called in and spoke with someone and asked for an extension, they emailed me and I accepted that I was asking for an extension. On something this "important" I would think that it would be taken seriously and be urgent, not an, "I'll get to it when I can, in a month, kind of thing". This is something that has taken me a lot of time, in a situation where I already wasted a ton of my time, never got paid for that time, and is now being drug out into this ridiculous blame game on things that don't involve me directly... AKA, this last ************* of ************************* far as the actual chip goes, I did get a call from ***** (the countertop installer) and he told me that ****** found a chip, and I had my own opinions about how that could have happened, and also how it had been MISSED by both ***** AND the homeowner, and then the homeowner signed off that there were no defects (I have already attached that document), and then all the sudden there is a big chip on a prominent corner... Yes, I had my opinions, but regardless, I encouraged ***** to set up a repair appointment (per his usual process if there is a chip), and get it fixed... in which he called ****** and set up a repair on May 11th, they showed up and repaired the chip. All said and done. She has perfect, white quartz countertops. So, in the point out of my contract that ***** made, that work should be inspected by the homeowner and fixed if its not right, that is exactly what happened. Client found a chip, countertop company was notified, a repair was scheduled, and repair was made to countertop.

  I also want to point out, that the "chip" thing has absolutely nothing to do with me, my company, I do not employ NC Granite, they are just a company I work work with that I offer jobs to when I come across them, because they do a wonderful job and have for the almost 5 years I have been working with them. Their work reflects me in a way of "me recommending them" but they are not employed by me and the countertop chip does not reflect me as a business owner. ***** is a wonderful business owner and he takes care of business always, which is why I use him!
  

  I am in fact also wondering the same thing as *******.. ****** wanting to bring this "case" to a close and not waste anymore time proving the truth, but am also willing to ride it out to protect myself and my business from all these false accusations. Please let me know what we need to do to make a decision on this.

  I have attached a message that I sent ***** about the "accusation" of telling him to ignore her and not fix the chip, which didn't happen, and his response. Normally I just call because I am more of a phone person, but obviously due to the nature of the accusations coming from every direction with absolutely no backing or proof, I've made sure it was in writing. 

  Thank you so much for all of your time, and please let me know what can be done to finish this and close this case. I appreciate it!

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