LEE DOUGLAS INTERIORS INC

unknown

We just completed our first and last home construction.  It was an interesting process to say the
least.  LDI was recommend by a friend and
we were very sceptical to say the least about using such a place.  I went in and met with them and explained our
budget and was reassured that they could work with our budget.  They received a copy of our flooring
allowance and specific numbers we had to work with.  They said no problem.  We moved forward and I met with them to pick
out flooring and some accent lights for the house. 
I had two days before the electrical inspection and had
still not received the bid for the lights. 
I contact them and restated that I needed them asap.  They were out of town when I received a bid
for lighting of $9,500 for some accent lights for the bathrooms, living room,
etc.  Most of the lights for the bathroom
were over $400 each.  That was way out of
our budget and I was a bit upset as I had little time to find alternatives
myself which I did for ¼ that price.  We
had specifically discussed cost and even went so far as to define a price range
for lights.  They went way beyond what we
had discussed.
I expressed great concern over this and we discussed moving
forward on the flooring and was reassured that they had exact numbers on the
flooring allowance (actual contract for the house) and this would not be an
issue again.  LDI was given a flooring
allowance of $16,000 (which I will admit, I later discovered was too low but
nonetheless, that is what they were given and said ?not a problem?) and they
sent us a bid for $53,000.  Yep, and
nothing was said prior and this was just e-mailed and stated ?let us know if
you would like to move forward?.  I was
VERY upset and I think rightfully so.  I
received a call the next morning and was yelled at, told the allowance was
ridiculous and impossible, and I would pay their consultation fee or I could
deal with the collection agency.  I was
not offered an apology of any kind and was told it was all my fault. 
The really horrible part was they actually called my friend at
home that recommended them and involved them stating things that I had said
that I did not.  It would not matter what
I said, you don?t do something like that, EVER. 
That was so incredibly unprofessional I could not believe it.  Have you ever heard of a business doing
something like that?  I could have been
crazy and said who know what and you don?t call a reference at home and involve
them.  That is absurd! 
When the dust settled and we had time to calm down a bit, we
decided that we would offer them half their consultation fee just to be done
with it and move on.  We were building
our dream house and did not need the stress. 
We mailed them a check and they claim they never received it.  I sent the letter myself.  I did include a letter that stated we by no
means felt that we owed them anything as we received absolutely nothing for
their time.  That the check was a one
time offer to settle it without further dispute.  I did write on the check ?payment in full for
services?, I am guessing that they did not like that.  We lost time and money, as I had to take the
time and start all over with picking out flooring.  We used nothing from our time with LDI nor
did I use their ideas or flooring options, yet they believe we should pay them
for not staying in our budget that they were provided and said they could
do?  I ended up going with EMO flooring
and found better quality materials at almost have their bid.  They had told me that would never happen.
 
BOTTOM LINE:  I would
HIGHLY advise to avoid LDI as they are not honest, unprofessional, and
EXTREMELY overpriced.  If money is of no
concern, you most likely will be just fine. 
I am guessing that is the bulk of their business.  If you are looking for honest and
professional people to work with, avoid LDI. 
This was one of the worst experiences of the entire building process and
possibly the worst experience I have ever had with a business.  

We like the colors and the selections we ended up using and owe a thank you to the designer for that help.  The designer was aloof and did not make us feel comfortable.  We wish we had chosen a different designer--we wanted the experience to be less stressful and frankly, more fun.  She did indicate she was having some medical issues and we were sorry that she was experiencing problems.  However, we felt she used it more as an excuse for several errors that were made in ordering and communications than a true bid for sympathy.  I am hesitant to use a designer in the future as it ended up making us feel uncomfortable.  She has not asked us how we like the final product nor made any effort to see the finished project.  No call, no contact after selections were made--absolutely no follow up by her or by the company.