ComplaintsforAdornment

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid a deposit of $1000 on 6/2/21. On 8/31/21 the job was completed and I paid an additional $5000, $4888.81 plus tip. Adornment came in to paint my kitchen cabinets. I went into their storefront and chose *********, which I switched from ***** *****, both ******* ******** paint names, for my maple cabinets. The finished job was a very textured, glossy finish, not what I was expecting at all. Apparently they use their own paint but use ******* ******* names. In addition there are very noticeable roller marks on a few of the cabinets as well as drip marks. I had to have them come in and fix my adjustable shelves that they had painted to my cabinets along with several other problems. A few days after they left I noticed more problems. I also had to pay another painter to caulk some of the noticeable gaps between the cabinets. I have had 3 different painters come in to see what I could do to fix the awful texture and several flaws in the job. The estimate to take off this paint and redo our cabinets would be $8000. I have had the owner of Adornment come in to see what I was talking about and she didn’t want to refund any money at all. She did offer to fix the drip marks but that’s about it. I feel that this awful textured paint has cheapened the look of my maple cabinets along with the several flaws in the job.

  Business response

  11/22/2021

  She picked a ******* ******** color, but as stated in the contract we do not use ******* ******** Paint nor ******** ***** but can color match. I want to be clear that we use our own paint that is not ******* ******** or ******** ***** but we color match both brands. This is explicitly highlighted on Page 1 of the contract #3. In regard to the finished job which was very textured and glossy and apparently not what she was expecting, that whole statement is completely false.  On more than one occasion she took 4 or more sample doors home with her for multiple days prior to decided on a color. These doors were finished in the same exact manner as her kitchen. The glossy finish is exactly what she chose. The textured finish is based on her cabinets and is outlined on page 4 of her contract under Realistic Expectations. With regard to her adjustable shelves that needed to be repainted as well as the several other problems according to her that needed addressing of course we went back and addressed all of them after confirming a date and time that worked for her.  We completed the job on 8/31/21. I have attached pictures of text messages that were sent from ***** upon completion of the job and the following day where she states she loves the job and loves all the people who worked with her and in her house. She even inquired about getting a quote for her mantle in another room within her house. She also stated some items that needed to be touched up and as I stated earlier we arranged a day to come back out and fix. We went back to *****'s house on September 8th, 2021 to complete any and all touch ups that needed to be done. She was pleased with the fixes and was happy with the results.  All the pictures attached to this response were pictures from before touch ups were done.  However, as stated in the contract on page 4 under Realistic Expectations it is not uncommon to see minor cracks or that cabinets shrink and expand hence the spaces between the cabinets and wall and the cabinets and the molding.  We got asked by ***** and also by many other customers why not just caulk these spots and it's because in our experience it's not a matter of if but when will the caulk will crack due to expanding and contracting. We always tell our customers that they are able to caulk the spaces themselves between the walls and cabinets or between cabinets and cabinets prior to us coming onto site but we DO NOT caulk. After approx. 5 weeks from when the touch ups were completed (10/12/21) ***** contacted me and wanted to talk about her cabinets.  One of my workers contacted her back and she insisted on speaking with me.  After the conversation that took place between ***** and one of my workers she had sent me pictures of certain things she wanted fixed. We then spoke again on 10/22/21 where I explained to her that the spacing she is referring to was there prior to us painting and is not something we fix as once again we DO NOT caulk.  We told her that the day we original did the job, the day we went back for touch ups, again on 10/12/21 and on 10/22/21.  Through back and forth text messages we decided to get together at her house to review in person and so I could actually see everything versus pictures. I met with ***** at her house on October 28th, 2021 at 3pm.  At her house I referenced the contract and our numerous discussions in the past and she admitted to me that she never read the contract and that she only signed it. She even said "who actually reads contracts". Upon reviewing the contract with her she became more and more irate and after being verbally assaulted about how I was supposedly a bad business owner and a bad person, I left.  Later that day I received a call from her husband who left a voicemail for me to call him back. I had my husband return the call as I unavailable to immediately call him back. Upon my husband speaking with him he asked for all copies of payment, receipt of payments and the contract.  My husband politely asked that ***** do it as she is the one who signed the contract and he responded with the threat that his business partner is an attorney and to be careful.  I sent the requested information to ***** after getting the same request from ***** and attached our attorney on the email as well. I will attach that email to this too.  We have never had a customer interaction or outcome where the customer was unhappy. This is an example of a customer who didn't read their contract and is unhappy with their kitchen due to their own choices and unrealistic expectations. 
  
  
  

  Customer response

  02/03/2022

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.     When we built our home 20 years ago we installed custom, high-end *********, stained maple cabinets with glaze that we loved. The quality and style have lasted and we’ve never experienced any problems at all with them. When we decided to update our kitchen, we only wanted to change the color to a white. There are no sagging frames or hinges or anything else wrong with the quality of our cabinets. We’re not sure what Casey is referring to, we never asked her to repair anything or drill any holes. We would expect that when they were painting our adjustable shelves that they would remove them first instead of painting them permanently to the wall. We would think that would be a realistic expectation. We were glad that after we pointed that out they came back out, removed the shelves and repainted them, even though they are beginning to chip. Casey did come out and I pointed out a few more problems. She did offer to fix those as much as she could but after having out a few cabinet refinishers and painters for their opinions we were advised not to have them touch the cabinets again. It seems the only solution is now to replace the doors since the paint is so badly cracking. Even cabinet painters are advising this even though they would be loosing our business. Apparently it’s common practice to caulk the panels before painting and this was never done. Not knowing anything about cabinet painting, we were unaware of this. Although it states in her contract they don’t do that, we think it’s a realistic expectation to paint the cabinets the correct way, we’re relying on their knowledge and expertise. We don’t think it’s a realistic expectation to have our cabinets cracking after just a few months! Now we’ll have to spend at least double what we paid Casey to have our kitchen done right, with the additional time and hassle.   Casey is absolutely right about us loving the transformation of our kitchen, it is a nice change from the stained maple. And we also loved her team, they were very friendly and enjoyed having them. We think it’s important to support a local business who happens to be all female. But after living in the kitchen a few days we started noticing many problems that we had to point out to Casey. A couple members of her team came back out and fixed some of them but as time goes by there are many more problems that are becoming apparent, especially the cracking of the paint on many of the panels. There are also very obvious roller marks as seen in the photos.    We would love to know what Casey is referring to when she said we threatened her. I did tell her I have several pictures of the work they did. We would like her to clarify that. Casey also stated I sent numerous texts on how beautiful our kitchen looks. I sent one when they were finishing up referring to the color, and another when I was asking if they could come back and fix some of the problems, such as paint on several hinges, on the hardwood floor, on the wall……. I do have the string of texts if anyone wishes to see them. After Casey came to the house she told me not to contact her again and she referred me to her attorney. Every professional cabinet painter, contractor, or anyone else who has seen our cabinets have advised us to ask for a full refund. We think it’s only fair that we get most of our money refunded due to the expense we now have due to their work. Regards, ***** ******

  Business response

  02/14/2022

  First and foremost, when I went back to *****'s house to inspect what ***** was unsatisfied with she couldn't show me because of the time of day and/or the way the light was in the kitchen. After offering to come back and fix anything she deemed unsatisfied, she repeatedly denied my offer. The pictures of the cabinets provided by Mrs. ****** do not show paint cracking or peeling but demonstrate exactly why we do not caulk space in between the cabinet door panels and door frames. What is seen in the photos is the movement of the wood, the wood breathing, exactly as is mentioned in the contract. Had we caulked that area, the caulk and paint would crack. Again, all of this was discussed prior to the job because as we have stated before and what is described in our contract, We DO NOT CAULK. It WILL crack and thus we don't caulk and paint over it. It is not common practice to caulk cabinets in this area. We also DO NOT caulk between cabinets or between cabinets and the wall as it will crack as well due to the temperature and humidity fluctuations in the Western NY area.  We offered to come back and fix any and all areas she all of a sudden had an issue with 2 months after the job was completed but Mrs. ****** did not allow us to do so. I have attached her contract, email with her and text messages illustrating how much she loved her cabinets on multiple occasions during and after the job was completed. I understand Mrs. ****** is seeking a refund, however we completed the job according to the contract that Mrs. ****** signed.  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩