Granite & Kitchen Studio

Just renovated our kitchen in November and went through this dealer because we wanted to steer clear of unprofessional work that Home Depot usually subcontracts. Unfortunately our experience with this company was less than desired, what I thought was going to be a smooth sailing operation quickly fell into a horror show. Our cabinets were first delivered on November 16, 2021 we noticed that there was damage to an already installed base cabinet, which was unable to be removed. We immediately contacted the manufacturer and Granite Kitchen studio. The only way to correct this was to rip the base cabinet out, damaging the floor and other cabinet in the process or replace the side panel. We waited for the replacement side panel. Countertops were measured and a discrepancy was seen, so the owner Ahmed came to correct it with the laser. He explained there was a 1/4 of an inch discrepancy in the system and that when installing the countertops, the installers would need to cut into the concrete backer board. He stated this would be no problem and to not worry. We thought wow, this is great service and he is taking pride in his work, informing the customer. Flash forward to the countertop install, they could not cut into the backer board and proceeded to slam the piece of quartz countertop on the cabinets, causing the back end of the lazy-susan base to splinter upward, making the countertop be higher at one end. Afterwards, they stated that the carpenter did not level the cabinets properly which is why the countertop did not fit. They also found that the countertop was too long and needed to be cut 1/4 of an inch, so they proceeded to grind the quartz countertop 2.5-3 feet from our 2019 Ram 1500 pickup, rather than on the grass located to the immediate right of the door. It did not occur to me when watching them that the "dust" would have pieces of shards flying backwards toward the truck. On November 30, 2021 when this happened Ahmed was very respectful and serious regarding the matter and stated he would speak to his installers immediately to hear what happened and reach out to my husband the following day. My husband had to reach out to Ahmed and he had a whole new demeanor than from the previous day. No apologetic demeanor and instead said, "No harm no foul, my guys are professionals". Once damage was confirmed, my husband and I had track down Ahmed repeatedly to address the issue of scratches and damage to the clearcoat of our vehicle. Finally addressing the issue over the course of a month, Ahmed told me to not be so emotional regarding the damage to the truck and to think of him as a father figure and learn from his past mistakes of getting upset. Be grateful for your family's health and brand-new kitchen. Now never once did I raise my voice nor be disrespectful to any of his employees, yet Ahmed just told me I am "The worst customer" Ahmed has ever had (01/13/22). To be labeled this is just uncalled for. What was supposed to be my dream kitchen filled with happy memories, soured quickly and is now tarnished by the unpleasant relations with Granite & Kitchen Studio LLC. This is just the highlighted version of my experience with this company, as there is a list of issues I have dealt with from November 30, 2021-January 13, 2022. I would be happy to speak with anyone regarding my experience.

     I'm happy to report that the issues noted below were resolved in a timely manner, and I'm very happy with the kitchen and vanity countertops. It ended up being an extremely easy fix, without having the countertop recut, without having the plumber return, and they scheduled the work towards the end of the day to accommodate my work schedule. 
     It's a credit to Granite & Kitchen Studio that, even though this job did not go as smoothly as hoped for, they worked to fix all issues until resolved, and I'm pleased to upgrade my rating to excellent.  
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     I was referred to Granite & Kitchen Studio by another business. and confirmed the business's rating on Angie's List. I went there and picked out the granite for the kitchen. The salesperson told me that they would install bathroom vanities at the same time at a better price than if I had them installed at a later date, so I also decided to have my 3 bathroom vanities replaced, which I would have done later anyways; it was a good deal! Ahmed came to the house to measure, and we set an installation date.
    The installers were punctual, very professional and left the areas clean. The 3 bathroom vanities are beautiful! Based on my experience with the bathroom vanities alone, I would have given all 'excellent' ratings.
     BUT...
     I was told not to use the kitchen sink or run the disposal for 24 hours, so I pretty much stayed out of the kitchen until the next evening after work. When I was working in the kitchen I noticed that the sink was slightly off-center with the center of the base cabinets (about 1" to the left); there was also a 4"x10" area with scratches to the left of the sink, next to the wall.
     I contacted Granite & Kitchen Studio with my concerns, and the owner, Ahmed, sent the installation team to review the issues the following Monday. Again, punctual and very professional. Over multiple phone conversations with Ahmed, the installers took measurements again, and then more measurements. After much discussion, I agreed that Ahmed could try removing the countertop  and shifting it to the right, closer to the base cabinet center line, while  making adjustments to the overhang of an attached peninsula section of the countertop. The countertop will have to be removed, taken back to their shop for recutting one edge, and reinstalled.
     I'm not sure how the peninsula will look with the shift, and I'm not sure how the scratches will be handled. Ahmed has stipulated that he will not be responsible for the cost of the plumber returning ($280); separating the 2 sections of granite is going to be messy; and I will need to take additional time off from work. 
     This isn't a situation that makes either Ahmed or me very happy. Based on the other reviews, I would not have expected this outcome. How Ahmed responds to these issues will determine how I complete the review for Granite & Kitchen Studio re quality, responsiveness and professionalism. I'll report back when the work is completed- hopefully with an 'excellent' rating.

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We were extremely pleased with Ahmed's customer service.  We were re-doing our kitchen on a budget, and he was extremely patient with us, even though ours was the most expensive of sales.  He walked through the kitchen design a number of times, and convinced us to change our minds on some of the design layout.  His suggestions are our favorite part of the kitchen!  We also love the granite we purchased from Ahmed.  There was an issue with the granite initially (the way it was cut), but Ahmed did everything he could to make it right.  We had to wait only a few extra days for the installation, and we are so happy with it.  Ahmed was extremely apologetic.  Lastly, we were initially planning to install a tile back splash ourselves.  We ended up deciding to have a professional install it, and Ahmed was completely willing to accommodate us.  His team installed the tile the day after our counter installation, they used our supplies, did an excellent job, and at an excellent price!
If we ever need to do a kitchen again, we will head immediately to The Granite and Kitchen Studio!

Everything turned out nicely.  They had a good selection, charged an excellent price, and were easy to work with.