Cabinets & Interiors Inc

BEWARE, do not do business with Matt Chapman under any business name. Please learn from my mistake and use your Angie's List membership to double check before you refer a contractor or anyone else to others. Had I done so, these poor friends would not be suffering from my recommendation.

Below is the complaint I filed with the BBB.
Failure to honor contract in regards to start date,
completion date, and delivery of product. I had to hire another company to finish
the project.
 
 
On June 12th 2012 I gave Matt and Sharon Chapman who are the
owners of Cabinets & Interiors, Inc. a deposit of $4400.00 to start my
bathroom remodel. I later found out they go by other names as well (CBI, AML Cabinet Company, AML Manufacturing  Inc.)  I
was told they are in the process of changing their name again.  I was told the project would be finished
in 8 to 10 weeks. After 5 months of practically nothing being done I had to
hire another company to do the project which cost an additional amount money.  First they tore out my old shower and
installed a couple pieces of the new shower.  I couldn?t use my bathroom for months. They said
that they spent my money on other projects and didn?t have any left to proceed
on mine. For what little work they did do I was forced to pay their sub-contractors
and suppliers direct. They said no one will give them any credit terms
now.  I now have $7500.00 invested in a
small shower that should have been done for less than $4000.00 based on other
estimates. They wanted me to continue paying their suppliers and contractors
direct because they say said they still didn?t have the money I gave them for
them deposit.  They said in order to
proceed I would need to pay approximately another $6000.00 to their suppliers
and contractors. I would then have $13,500.00 in this project and still no way
to know what the total cost will be or when or if it would be completed. The
contract total cost was $11,000.00.  They
have lied to me through this whole ordeal more times than I can count.  I would have to call them several times to
even get a chance to discuss all these unbelievable issues and problems.  I wish I would have checked with the BBB
before giving them my money.  If I had I
would never have signed anything with them. 
I?m not the first or second person they have done this to, I have
verified this.
 
 
As I stated above the contract price was $11,000.00.  I received very little materials for the
$4,400.00 I gave them for the deposit. Then because of their inability or lack
of concern to fulfill their end of the agreement and having no other choice but
to change remolding companies in the middle of the project it took $15,000.00
to complete the remodel.
 
I want a refund of $4,000.00 to recoup the addition money it
cost me to get this project done. This still won?t cover all the hours, headaches,
lies and months I wasted!

Money paid, goods and services not provided. Pressured to place order and provide 2/3 payment up front, but no calls returned or returned after multiple calls after the fact. Promisses made but not kept-we're at 6 months on a 6-8 week quote. No longer a trustworthy company to do business based on our experience despite reviews from two years ago.
At this point, legal action seems to be our only option. Homes in our area are being built from the ground up in 3 months. 6 months to supply materials and complete work which is yet to happen is more than excessive. Taking money and not providing product is common theft and will be delt with accordingly. My only intent in writing this review after being solicited by Angies List is to prevent others from being ripped off or subjected to the same experience. There are several reputable companies to choose from, do your homework.

In January 2011, we began designing our new kitchen and bath  We worked primarily with Melissa, who was a professional in all respects.  She was patient, knowledgeable, had lot of ideas and options, and was flexible enough to work around several last-minute layout changes our contractor threw at her. Her attention to detail was remarkable.  By February 8th, 2011, our plans were set and we placed the order for the cabinets for the kitchen and bath, and countertops for both (sink and drawer pulls were ordered later). The transaction was reviewed and approved by Matt Chapman who is one of the co-owners.  We placed a deposit for 1/2 the total amount (the check was over $11,000) and were told we could expect delivery in about 8 to 9 weeks (approximately April 8th thru 15th). The check was cashed within a few days.

As the delivery date drew near, we called every few days to check with Matt on how the order was coming along.  We were assured everything was on schedule, so on March 31, we ripped out our entire kitchen to the bare walls - sink, appliances, cabinets, everything.  (We had already ordered new major appliances from another source and they were to be delivered to our home late April). As April 8th came and went, we called Matt again to check on our order.  He informed us there had been a slight delay, that the manufacturer was almost done.  Then the 15th passed and still no kitchen cabinets. By the 22nd of April, the BATHROOM cabinets were delivered, but not the Kitchen. Another call to Matt; another delay, he says.  On the 25th, I called the manufacturer myself to find out where my cabinets were.  I was told the orders for kitchen and bath were separate, and that the kitchen cabinet order had not been received by them until April 8th and that they wouldn't be ready until late May at the earliest. I was dumbfounded.
I took this information to my contractor (he had suggested this company in the first place), hoping to get some kind of leverage, but Matt never did provide much of an explanation.  I decided against seeking legal redress with it's inherent expense, and we eventually came to a settlement of sorts, but I was still without a workable kitchen for 9 weeks.longer than we expected (a total of 14 weeks!)

I want to stress that, with the exception of the long delay in placing the order, their conduct was professional in every way.  They still provided service after delivery (some holes had been drilled incorrectly and they got the manufacturer to replace the affected panels). Melissa was wonderfully helpful. The cabinets, countertop, sink and backsplash look great, Same for the bathroom.
 
I hope this was a one-time event.  I hope it does not happen to someone else.  In retrospect, i could have called the manufacturer much, much earlier to see if the order had been placed, but who does THAT?  I assure you, I will, if there is ever a similar scenario in the future. Lesson learned.

We began working with Melissa, an interior designer for Cabinets & Interiors in Jan 2011, to remodel two bathrooms. Midstream, I required surgery which delayed progress. It seems that all the while Melissa was working on our behalf with her design ideas, & w/our contractor so that when we could resume the process she had done a lot of homework for us. Our overall budget for these two bathrooms had to be as lean as possible. Melissa helped us with the designs. Her skill as a designer and her product knowledge has been invaluable, (she is not the run-of-the-mill 'task specific' designer). She respected our budget situation, and worked very hard to help us prioritize our material/fixture choices through the practical information she made available. Melissa came to our home a few times. She was dead-on with all her measurements, according to the contractor. She really listened to our concerns, likes,& needs (that she remembered those issues in her presentations is what we most appreciate). Melissa spent hours with us helping us select the plumbing fixtures, vanities, shower, bath and wall fixtures, etc. We appreciated her practical pro/con instructions. Those discussions helped us save here, splurge there. It is obvious that a great deal of time, thought, research was invested to help us with our bathrooms; the budget, finding inches, and beautiful end result. Cabinets & Interiors has a small but well presented quality showroom of finished design ideas in storage, kitchen and bathroom arrangments,etc., including,plenty of samples and catalogs of counters, cabinets, fixtures,plumbing, showers, toilets, flooring,hardware, etc. They offer several options for cabinetry that provides fine quality choices in a wide price range. On 3/25/11, the owner of Cabinets and Interiors, Matt Chapman, along with our contractor delivered all the materials for the first bathroom remodel. Installation begins on 3/29. As soon as it is completed we will move out of our master bedroom and the master bathroom work will proceed. Every phone call and e-mail was returned immediately. Every appointment was kept and promptly. Professionalism, courtesy, excellence, product knowledge and customer service well represent the owners, Matt & Sharon Chapman and their Interior Designer(licensed), Melissa. I know that often I must have put her through the paces with my questions and indecisions. Never once did I sense impatience or irritation, always respect and courtesy. O'Fallon isn't that far from 270/40 at all, I have learned. I think you will find this company to be an asset to you and your contractor for any kitchen, bath (not limited to) remodel you may be considering. We are very pleased to introduce this company to Angie's List.