Olympia Marble & Granite

total disaster.

Kept changing the dates for the installation. Blamed it on a computer glitch.

We went to Olympia on the recommendation of a friend and had a very positive experience. We had originally planned to use quartz in our new kitchen but mid-project changed to granite. At the time we made the change we knew very little about the process and Stephanie was very helpful guiding us thru the steps. Throughout the process Stephanie's patience and expertise was greatly appreciated. Paul and the installation team were terrific; there was some concern about one section and returned after the appliance delivery to complete. The one thing that would have made the process easier would have been expanded store hours; we did source our tile at a different business due to the limited hours (for our schedule). Overall a very positive experience during a very stressful time/project.

Oympia Marble and Granite is a company that gets some things really,
really right ? and other things woefully wrong. 
The good news:  The
installation of our granite countertop was superior.  The fabricators did an impeccable job;  it was hard for me to find a seam anywhere until I realized that they had cut the stone in such a way that a single, small,almost invisible seam behind my kitchen faucet joined the two very large pieces.  They also showed up on schedule,and worked quickly and efficiently to get the stone installed.  It was truly an excellent experience.
Before I write the bad news. 
I want to say that if this company is able to hire someone to coach
their staff in the handling of customer service issues when customers run into
problems with their products, it will be an A+ company.   I don?t necessarily
think they don?t want to help.  I think
they don?t have skills for trouble shooting with customers, and these skills
can be learned by a staff willing to learn them.
 
Here is what I think they need to learn:
 
1.    
Listen to
the customer.  If there is a problem
or a question that the customer is experiencing, he/she will probably appear to
be concerned ? maybe even dissatisfied. 
Keep in mind that he/she is not coming to you to annoy or inconvenience
you, but to get your help in solving a problem.
 
What to say:  "I want
you to do X, Y, and Z, and if that does not solve the problem, call us and we
will schedule an appointment to come out and look at your job."
 
What not to say: " We install two or three of
these countertops every week, and no one else has had this problem."
 
Also, if said customer reports that
he/she has already used X, Y, and Z to try to solve the problem without
resolution, don?t say:  "We have customers who use X, Y, and Z all
the time to solve this problem, and it always works for them."
 
2.    
Keep
promises.  If you say you are going
to call or come to the customer?s house by Friday, do what you say your are
going to do by Friday.
 
3.    
Show
up on time.  If  you get tied up on a job, call the customer
to let him/her know.  If you forget to call:
 
What to say:  "My
apologies for arriving almost 2 hours after the time we scheduled.  I know your time is valuable.  I should have called you.  I?m sorry."
 
What not to say (especially with
incredulity):  "Why are you getting upset?  I
couldn?t get here earlier.  I was on
another job!"
 
4.    
Say what
is true. 
 
What
to say if the customer asks if the particular granite in which he/she is
interested is sturdy:    "The product is sturdy in this way (X,Y ,Z)  but  it
can be  vulnerable in this way (X.Y, Z.)""
 
What
not to say:  "This is indestructible" (especially since the product can be googled
by a customer who is somewhat wiser than I was.)
 
What
to say if the customer is concerned that the spray product you are
recommending to treat the kitchen countertop might be toxic: Consider his/her
concerns with an open mind, and reply "Can
you explain your concern about toxicity to me? 
We want to make sure you are satisfied with our product."
 
What not to say:  "It was approved by the Food and Drug
Administration" (especially if the label on the spray can reads
?WARNING:  Harmful or fatal if
swallowed.?)
 
5.   
Above
all else, be civil.   Do not raise your
voice and speak over the customer, especially in your showroom.

Mis meassured my granite countertop, so it didn't fit. They moved it around to get it to fit. They broke a slab of granite right in half. Took the granite out of the house and never heard from them again. Paul Pererra the guy who install the cabinet  was  very rude and unprofessional. Evan, the owner of the company did not return my phone calls or emails and still has my deposit and has not offered to give me my money back. His worker also cut out the top of my cabinet and he hasn't acknowledge or say anything about it either.

unknown

Paul was punctual, professional, respectful of our home. His work was impeccable.

The project went terrible.  
First off I received contradictory information from the showroom folks and the measurement folks, so I had to schedule two different trips out for measurement. 
Secondly, when I went to go see marble samples, they were completely unprepared for my visit and hadn't pulled the granite piece I wanted to see out of the inventory.  I asked for them to send me a photograph and they were unable to do that because it was 'technically' too difficult. 
Lastly, when they finally came to install it, they badly damaged the window casing and window sills and scratched up the walls. 
Overall it was the worst experience I have ever had with a contractor.  
Begrudgingly when my friend asked me where I got my granite from, I told her Olympia (and I warned her of how bad my experience was).  She ended up ordering from there as well ... and had a horrible experience as well!
DO NOT USE THIS VENDOR.  They are nice in the show room and have a huge inventory, but their quality is terrible. 

They did a very good job. They were responsive. I had no trouble scheduling. They had a large selection of products. There was a problem with the installation but they made sure it was fixed and corrected to my satisfaction. I would use them again.

They did a great job. Brian artistry and professionalism were outstanding. I would highly recommend them. They have a large showroom and use supplies that are very accessible in the area.

On the day that Olympia Marble was supposed to come and measure for the template, they did not show up.  When I called they made a lousy excuse about being busy, however they never called me to reschedule.  I had to chase them down and reschedule.  They did show up on the second day, and a workman measured a template to fit a granite countertop on our bathroom vanity.   I then called them with a request to also make some pieces that my contractor requested (very easy sized... a 12x12 inch granite square for a shelf and a 58x3 inch piece for our shower curb.)  

On the day that the workman came to deliver and install the pieces, not only was the 12x12 inch piece the wrong size (they claimed the contractor gave them the wrong measurements), but also the template THAT HE MEASURED was the wrong size!   It did not even match up to the dimensions that he had written down.   I was outraged and they assured me that they would remake the pieces and deliver/install them the following week.  

I was down to the wire with my construction timeline and really needed the countertop to be installed on a specific day as the plumber was scheduled to come and hook things up and we needed the granite to be in.   I was assured that the pieces would be in on time.

The morning that they were supposed to be delivered came and went without any trace of our granite OR a phone call.)  

When I called and angrily demanded that they come later that day they said they couldn't, they were too busy.

I finally got the owner on the phone and he was apologetic but could not send anyone to come that day.  He assured me that they'd come the next day first thing in the morning.

The next morning we waited around (the plumber was there waiting again) and they showed up, finally, about 2 hours later than promised.   The job did get completed and it looked good when all was said and done, but I will never use them again as I found them to be totally unreliable.

He was amazing! We had to call so much, and they were very responsive and hard working. He was able to find one whole piece of marble instead of having to seam pieces together. We didn't think that was possible. We went in his place with our blue prints and he worked very well with us. I was very impressed.

Person came two hours late, didn't know what he was there for, didn't answer any of our questions (little or no communication between sales person and the person who came to the house).

We had a very positive experience with Olympia Marble & Granite, from the initial discussions on countertop options through to installation. We were particularly impressed that we were invited to select the specific piece of granite from their supply yard & to indicate a preference on how it would be cut to fit our kitchen. They are very knowledgeable & professional, arrived for the installation as scheduled, & their prices were competitive with other suppliers we queried.

THEY WERE VERY EXPENSIVE, BUT VERY GOOD.

WOULD NOT USE AGAIN.