Amanzi Marble & Granite Countertops

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Rep was unprepared and late to meetings. One of countertops did not fit properly. Company was not willing to address concern regarding countertop overhang.

Initially, I was very impressed with the level of service that Amanzi provided. They sent someone out to measure my countertops and provided an estimate almost immediately. The saleswoman was very prompt in responding to my calls and we spoke in detail several times over the phone. They also recommended an excellent stone yard for hard to find soapstone. After choosing my stone, I visited their business to discuss my installation and to leave the required 50% deposit. I was very clear as to the style of edging that I wanted - simple straight edges and angles. I showed the saleswoman (sorry, it has been a year and I can't remember her name!) examples and chose an edge in the store. I live in an old farmhouse -one reason I wanted soapstone in the first place - and had a very specific style in mind to complement my shaker cabinets and primitive antiques. I had been researching soapstone for months and had a wealth of photos showing exactly what I wanted. Well, when the two installers- very nice guys and hard workers- brought my cut stone in, I was sick! It had been cut with rounded corners and angles, giving it a much more contemporary look than I had discussed with the saleswoman. When I called her with my concerns, she said that they "had to cut it that way" to minimize breakage. Nothing about this was mentioned during our meeting in the showroom and I was extremely specific. In face, she had stated completely the opposite - that because soapstone was soft, it was a good thing that I wanted a straighter cut, as that was my only option! I had already paid my deposit in cash (maybe if I had used a Visa, I could have contested it!) and was stuck. Now, I have looked at probably 50 soapstone countertops online and in books and magazines and have not seen a single one cut with curved corners and edges, so I am not sure why mine would be the only exception! The second issue I had was with the holes that were cut to hold my bridge style faucet. I had the faucet on hand for the installers to measure, but when my plumber came, he discovered that the holes were much too large and would not support either side of the faucet. He eventually rigged a couple of black washers in and around each opening to hold the faucet upright and, while he did a great job camoflaging them on my dark counter, this would look terrible on a lighter color stone. I regret to this day not using Bloomday, but their initial estimate was slightly higher, and so, I went with Amanzi instead. Bloomday had previously done an excellent job cutting a slate top to fit beautifully over a Sheraton table base for use as a vanity in my bathroom. Since, I arrived at Amanzi's showroom and was told that my stone was actually $10 more a square foot than originally quoted (I agreed to split it the difference), I would have paid the same at Bloomday and been much happier in the end!

It went well until the salesman we dealt with unexpectedly quite on them. There was a delay in getting back with us and in scheduling the work. The installers were excellent. The granite was nicely finished. Seams are barely noticable and the custom edge was done well.The installers came late in the day, but stayed until the work was done. There was some confusion about the sink we ordered. The installer and Amanzi worked together to make sure we had a new sink. The contracted installer for the backsplash, sink and the garbage disposal did a good job. There were many options of granite and marble to choose from. We were treated with respect and they were very professional.

They did an excellent job! They were quick and understood what I wanted and showed me samples I would like. The installation went smoothly and the price was much better than their competitors.

LONG story; but to summarize: Sales staff was friendly, helpful, and put me at ease. (I knew what I wanted generally, but went in intimidated by the 'process' of it actually being measured right and completed). They assured me it was straightforward: select, measure, cut, install. And that they did everything "in-house so they had control over quality start to finish." I selected the perfect color, with little variation, some veining, it was perfect(!). Couldn't find it anywhere else local, so we paid more than we had budgeted and went with them. On installation day, guys were friendly, but didn't all speak English well enough, so I only felt I could interact with one of them. They didn't lay drop cloths or remove shoes to keep dirt out of the house. We weren't living in the house yet, so I didn't make a big fuss, but there was one young guy who seemed to be all thumbs, which annoyed me when dealing with a $2500 product. The tops installed pretty quickly, and looked amazing UNTIL I moved the cheese block when visiting the house a day or two later. Under it was a papertowel the novice had used to spread the sealant, and had stained about a 5x8 area. I contacted the sales agent we had dealt with immediately, emailed pictures. But even after weeks of emails, visits and calls back and forth, I could only seem to get the salesperson (not a manager, nor the owner.). That's not the customer satisfaction I expect when choosing to BUY LOCAL! I always had to initiate contact (which left me feeling like I was hounding them) to see what could be done, and to hear what they had thought of to 'try next.' It never seemed to rise to the level of 'We assure you, Ma'am, the owner is on top of it." Multiple attempts were made to burn it out, chemically draw it out, grind/polish it out...nothing really helped. What's more frustrating to me now is the warped reflection from the grinding -- it's even more ugly than the spot, which has faded some. When the owner finally did "have the time to come by and see it" he didn't seem bothered by the spot, or moved by how disappointed I was about it all. He seemed distant/detached like 'Well, we're sorry, but it's installed now, our attempts have failed, so here's what i can offer you.' Not quoted as such, but he just gave me the impression like he was just there to 'give up and negotiate', ya know. And to find out what it was gonna cost him. I didn't want the guy's money, I wanted it made right, and to know it wouldn't happen to anyone else. 2 resolution options were provided, but not realistic. I wasn't up for having the plumbers return to tear out the sink so the slab could be sent back to be re-ground, nor live without a counter/sink, pregnant with kids! So I 'chose' the discount off the price. He kept asking for a number, and I said I didn't know what was fair cause I had never been so disappointed with a product before. He cut my number in half and said if I couldn't accept that, I had to do the shop-repair. (He said nothing of what had been done in the passing months to make sure it didn't happen again.) I felt trapped so the number I gave in to was about 20% off, which was WAY too low for all the time, hassle, unresponsiveness, and frustration. He didn't seem willing to take a loss for what he considered a "blemish." He certainly didn't seem to 'share my pain' over the whole experience. **Note: It's too bad AngiesList doesn't enable pictures. Writing this out, I'm sure this all sounds trivial, but it still annoys me (enough to write a review about it.) When people see it and ask if it's naturally occurring, I answer "I'd rather not talk about it; sore subject." The whole ordeal left such a sour taste in my mouth, I mostly keep the spot covered with a placemat (definitely not why I chose granite!) and i wince when I see their trucks drive passed me :-( I just really hope that such a careless mistake never happens to anyone else, ya know...?

Described above. I highly recommend using Amanzi Marble and Granite. They stand behind their work and it shows.