We hired Tony to redo our kitchen in July 2017. Words I would use to describe Tony and his company are: Unprofessional, Rude, Disrespectful to women, Poor workmanship, Disrespectful to Our Home, and Not Trustworthy. The following is a list of only some of the things that occurred during our renovation to support our descriptions:
Unprofessional:
1. Tony used a blank piece of paper and wrote down a couple of items that was to represent a contract. *Note: With little information on the page we would have had no recourse later on if work was omitted and/or performed poorly. We rewrote the contract, with Tony, to include an itemized list of everything the job was to entail and typed it up , before signing!
2. We asked for coverings , in addition to our own, to help minimize the dust when the work began. When asked about the drop sheet and coverings when he came to rip out the old cabinets Tony's reply was "I forgot it". He really didn't seem to care one way or another.
3. Tony was given half the cost of the project upon signing. Part way through the renovation he asked if he could possibly have more money. We gave him an additional sum of money and created another contract which he signed outlining the remaining work to be done and the deficiencies.
Disrespectful to Women:
During any conversation that I had with Tony he would yell and scream if I pointed anything out or questioned anything that he did. He would talk down to me and act as if he really wasn't listening to what I had to say. I eventually had to tell him that all correspondence would be between him and my husband.
Disrespectful to Our Home:
1. Broke bulbs and parts of our Chandelier while bringing material inside. They (the workers) didn't bother to tell us. They picked up some pieces and put it on the hallway table. We discovered all the glass and pieces after they had left.
2. Put a large dent in our brand new dishwasher.
3. Put a large scratch on the floor. Tile was just installed.
4. Threw a pile of garbage (wood pieces, nails, etc.) on the grass in the backyard.
5. We made an appointment with his plumber to hook up the faucet. He arrived much earlier than the agreed upon time which meant we were not home. The plumber, who happens to be Tony's son, and another man entered our home after our underage son opened the door. They made a judgment as to how to hook up the faucet. They did not hook up the faucet the way I wanted it and when I pointed it out I was told that they would have to take everything apart. While they were working they ran into trouble and needed a bucket. They went into our dining room and took it upon themselves to take the bowl from our CAKE MIXER to use for their work!! They should not have entered our home! They should not have entered our home with only a minor present! They should not have begun work without knowing what we wanted! They should not have touched/used our property without our permission!
Not Trustworthy
1. I asked to see the handles for the cabinets so that I could choose what I wanted. Tony didn't want to give it. He said that he would surprise me with a handle. I agreed with one stipulation, that I not be given a particular silver handle that I have seen him use previously. We reminded him of this several times. When the cabinets arrived he did surprise us. He gave us the exact handle that we said we DID NOT want!!
When I spoke to him about it he began to scream.
2. I ordered a flip drawer under the sink. He didn't put it in. He said that they don't make them anymore. When my husband questioned him saying "I thought you were the one that was making everything?", Tony then said that he'd go back and work on it.
I wasn't given the amount of drawers that I asked for . He would say that we never asked for certain things until I showed him his sketch of the kitchen.
3. I asked for 2 decorative posts beside a cabinet. He did not do it. Once again he said that it wasn't in the contract. When I pulled out the contract and showed him that it was, he then just said that he forgot it.
4. He mentioned more than once that a piece of paper (in particular the contract with the list of deficiencies) didn't mean anything.
5. We asked for "soft close" doors. We only noticed after that he only put in a few at the top. He didn't realize that we would notice!
6. Though hauling away the garbage was in our contract, he kept making up excuses not to take it. We eventually made arrangements to have the garbage picked up by another company and told him that the cost would be deducted from him balance. He then agreed to take it. It remained an issue for months!
7. Cupboards were made much smaller than our original ones.
Workmanship
1. Attached cabinets to existing walls! Since there was no backing on the cabinets when you opened some cabinets you would see insulation, 2 colors of paint, and even pipes!
2. Left holes in walls and cabinets
3. Provided a white island with noticeably large black/dark spots and lines. Rather than replace it, Tony wanted to try to "buff" it out!
4. Spaces between cabinets and walls
5. An inordinate amount of glue on the top inside of glass cabinets that had pot lights.
6. Chipped or created dents in cabinets
7. After a couple of weeks the bottom for a pot drawer fell out!
8. Before completion of the kitchen, I opened the door to the Lazy Susan and it fell on the floor! Tony's son tried to accuse us of doing something to it!
9. Gaping seems where pieces of crown molding was attached.
9. He attached a cabinet onto the frame of the kitchen window ! We were shocked! When we pointed it out his response was, "Oh you only now see that? " We told him that it was not acceptable. When I told him that our custom made blinds would no longer fit on the window as a result, his response was "I guess you'll have to buy new blinds."!
10. Was affixing microwave below the allowable safety height above the stove. Another contractor came in and told us that it was a fire hazard.
11. Created cupboard over the fridge that could not be opened.
These items represent only some of our experience with V & T Kitchen. Work with this company was nothing short of a nightmare. I would never, ever recommend using them to anyone!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $10,000.00