I have recently had my new custom kitchen installed, and I have 3 major concerns that they are unwilling to do anything about. As kitchen designers there are some key things I feel they should have shown me or informed me of.
1. They say it is quite common to have a slant to the ceiling. If this is the case, they should anticipate it and do the measurements before finalizing drawings. I have a riser between the cabinet and crown molding that is clearly not level and they won't fix it (without paying for all new crown molding).
2. The design of the riser to crown molding was different (more professional looking) in the drawings and in show room than what showed up in my house. They say it is standard for them, but there is a reason why none of the kitchens in their show room have it... it doesn't look very good.
3. I gave them the model number of my fridge (a full sized fridge). They should have warmed me that with my brand new, custom designed kitchen, my fridge would then stick out 7" beyond the cabinet! I would have made different decisions on the design.
I was not happy with this at all. These seem like very common things to come up that should have been explained when finalizing drawings. When I approached the company to fix it, they said that "The cabinets that are there now are yours to keep, you have purchased them." I checked the contracts that I signed and nowhere does it say that the cabinets are not returnable or non-refundable. They would not listen. They were not willing to take them back. I spoke to my designer Paula and the manager Trish. Though Paula was still kind, she couldn't do anything, and Trish was very firm in her not being willing to do anything about my concerns. They only gave me the option of just keeping the cabinets I didn't like ($4000 spent), and buy new cabinets that fit better for another $2000-$3000! They said they are charging only for materials, but that is still outrageous. Their website says they will "ensure satisfaction"... I am not satisfied.