Xpress Bath

The problems began with the permits.  They had difficulty getting them because did not have a New Jersey licensed plumber.  In addition their plan for the work was not going to be up to code with our town.  Therefore, they got a New Jersey licensed plumber to get a permit to replace valves in only one bathroom.  We were unaware of this at the time and were told that they were taking care of the permits.  They proceeded to tear apart our bathrooms and to start doing the plumbing work.  Luckily our Super came in when they did the water shut-off and recognized that the pipe they were putting in would not hold up.  We quickly called Xpress Bath to express our concern and they put in the correct pipe the next day.  They completed the rest of the job in a few weeks and then in December we had an inspector come in.  He only inspected one bathroom and only inspected the vents on the valves on the shower/tub combo.  What we came to realize at this point, when the bathrooms were complete, that Xpress Bath never did get the correct permits.  They only got permits for a few things to satisfy our building that they had permits to come in and do work in our place.  
We called them about the situation only to realize that since they did not do the work up to the standards that would be acceptable by a town inspector, they cannot help us with fixing the situation.  They basically stole $15000 of our money and we now have to re-do the bathrooms with a New Jersey licensed plumber and contractor.  The reason that they could not get the permits from our town is because the job they were planning on doing did not meet the building code standards.  We went back and forth about fixing the situation and realize that the only way to do it is to hire a new company and spend double what we spent initially.
DO NOT hire this company if you live in New Jersey.  They do not have a license to work in this state although they falsely advertise on their site that they serve Bergen County.  If they are doing jobs in Bergen County right now then they are doing them illegally and you are the one that will suffer if you hire them.  I would caution anyone to hire them even if they live in New York because they obviously try to get around the town building codes and cannot be trusted to obtain the right permits for completing your job.  If you ever then go to sell your place or have an issue with the work done you may have problems.
The key to doing a successful bathroom remodel is to find a local company and plumber that get good reviews on Angie's list or from people you trust and plan on spending closer to $30000 if you are going to re-do two bathrooms ($15000 for one).  If someone promises you less then it probably is not going to be completed well or correctly.  I would also recommend checking with your town to find out what permits are needed to do the work you are planning on doing.  Check to make sure that your contractor did get the proper permits even if it is someone that gets good reviews.
Xpress Bath is a terrible company that does not do credible work.  They lied to us about obtaining the right permits and I am sure will lie to future customers based on our experience.

Initially, began work quickly. As larger jobs came along, diverted workmen to those jobs leaving our job unfinished.  Use excuse that a window was installed late but the window was installed on time and their men were at work directly before and after the window installation finished  But time and again workmen were sent to other jobs. Charged the job to the finance company before completion and subsequently had to rebill.

They came the day they were scheduled, but were very late, they were over a half hour late when they finally called for directions because they couldn't find my house.  When they got there my husband had to go out to their truck because they didn't know which items were mine. My husband showed them what it was that we ordered and the installation began.  I was told everything would be done in one day...this was not the case (mind you this is our only bathroom and I have two small children).  Only one out of three wall panels were correct, the other two wall panels had the tile pattern facing the wrong direction!! They would have to get the correct panels and come back the next day. I am not happy...I called and complained, I beleive I spoke to Ralph, but am not 100% certain, but I was talking to someone at the top who was in charge. The next day they came, had the correct parts and finished the installation.  The workers were gone by the time I got home from work but when I walked in and saw the work, I was not happy!!  Granted, the walls and the bathtub looked nice, of course, they were new...but the grout job was awful!!  You could see the grout was applied with someone's finger because there were finger prints and finger indents all over! The grout was not applied smooth or evenly, there are many crevices and bumpy patches all over and spots where grout was done in one direction then started in the same spot and applied in the other direction causing a large lumpy glob of grout!!  NOT HAPPY!!! I called and complained to the same person I had already spoken to, (I believe Ralph) and told him I was very unhappy and that it looked terrible...he apologized and said I would get "a few hundred dollars as a refund" I was still not happy but didn't want to loose my tub/shower for another day (two days of work and a day to dry, to 3 days total for us with no tub/shower) so I said fine, by this point I was just so mad I didn't want to deal with them anymore. About a week or so later I got a check for $100!!  Talk about the final slap in the face!!! SO MAD!!! Dont' even want to deal with them anymore...but have told everyone I know not to use them and have told them all what happend...so now here we are...just under two years later...all those lumps and crevices in my grout...now have mold growing behind the grout!!! BEHIND the grout, because it was not applied correctly and water seeped in behind the grout...I call to get someone to fix, I am told I have to send in pictures so a tech can assess them and send someone out, they will call.  I sent out pics on 1/8/14...two weeks later still not call.  I call them and I have an appt for a tech to come and repair my grout!   YAY!!!   NOT...next day I get a phone call that I have to pay $150 to have the grout redone!!!  WHAT!?!?  The contract I signed says all materials and WORKMANSHIP are covered for 5 years!!! They told me that since it was over a year that its not covered???  My contract states something very different!!  Now they are trying to find the pictures that the installers took when they did the work and will get back to me.  I am very unhappy with their service and I am finding that they don't stand behind their work.  It is clearly an improper installation issue but they are still trying to make me pay to have it fixed! Unbelievable!! I complained about the grout issues the day it was done...but I am told because it didn't happen in the next few days that it's not their fault...I'm sorry last time I checked mold didn't grow over night, and that just goes to show that I did clean and maintain my shower as per their specs (which they do give you a list of cleaners you can and can't use and direction on the care of the shower/grout) its because the grout has now pulled that far away from the walls over time that water is able to seep behind it. I DO NOT recommend using them at all. They are overpriced for their quality of work. If I had this to do all over again I definitely would have chosen a different company and recommend anyone else looking to look elsewhere.

The salesman came on time and measured the shower stall. It is a fairly standard shower stall (~36 x 42"). He suggested to use their own set of acrylic tiles on top of my existing standard tiles since they are non-pourous. He said they do standard tiles as well but would not recommend them since they are pourous. I did not think the standard tiles have pours in them?
He said they would put a new shower base and a door. His cost estimate was around $5200 and few hundred dollars more (~300) to get permit (?) to do the work. 
When I asked him to break down the cost into parts and labor, he refused to do that. Their web site had a 50% installation off coupon but he would not try to apply to get a final cost since they go by certain standard sales figures. He said I have to agree to their services to find the final cost! Also, he refused to give me a written cost since he did not want me to shop. This was getting to be ridiculous. I have never seen contractors not giving written estimates. I had called bath fitters and other local contractors who all gave written estimates. I obviously did not use their services. Also, bath fitters said no permit is needed since its an existing shower space. I got the entire shower done via a local handyman with entire set of new standard and glass accent tiles (including new backer boards), shower head installation and nice glass shower door for around $3000. 

The experience was excellent. Ray was very professional, courteous and took the time to answer our questions fully. He was also very willing to revisit questions and items that we had concerns about with patience. I would recommend Xpress Bath.

1. On March 14, 2012 Salesman Dean Enquist came to our home to discuss the sale and installation of an acrylic shower wall system and bath liner. We agreed to purchase the materials and installation service from Xpress Bath for $5260.00 An agreement was made stating the specification with regard to color and style that we were requesting. Dean proceeded to take measurements of the bathroom walls and tub. The installation was promised to be completed in one day
.2. We were later contacted by installation supervisor Paul Capparelli to set up installation for the bath and shower system on April 25, 2012. We were again contacted by Paul Capparelli to change the date and the new installation date was confirmed for May 3, 2012.
3. On May 3, 2012 two installers, Mike and Jose, arrived at approximately 10 AM. They immediately began to measure and record the measurements of the walls and subsequently began cutting the panels. At 11:03 AM, we received a phone call from Paul Capparelli stating that there was a problem. He stated that the panels were not made to the correct specifications and the only remedy was to add an inch to one wall. We did no think that this was a proper solution but Paul reassured us that it would look fine. In the meantime, we told Paul that the installer had cut the panel but Paul insisted he had not and the mistake was probably due to the salesman?s measurements. We later discovered that Paul and the installer were lying since we checked our surveillance cameras and found that the installer had indeed improperly cut the panel. By 6PM, the installers still had not completed the work. We inspected the bathroom and were appalled  at the botched job at this point. The panels were all jagged and none of the lines matched up. One panel actually had a piece missing from the corner. The tub liner was also cut improperly and did not sit flush against the walls. In addition the installer made a hole in the wall while attempting to force the improperly cut tub liner over our original tub. We contacted the office and the secretary told us to tell the installers to stop working. She then arranged for Paul to come to our house the next day to view the botched installation. In addition, we sent an e-mail explaining what had occured and photos to Ralph Rossi, president of Xpress Bath.
4. On Friday May 4, 2012  at 9AM we were contacted by Mr. Rossi who stated that the job was ?totally unacceptable? and this was evident to him just by looking at the photos. He promised that Paul would come to our house and make arrangements to rectify the situation. We proceeded to advise Mr. Rossi that the supervisor and the installer denied that the panel was cut and that we had video of the installer cutting the panel. Mr. Rossi stated that we would be compensated for our distress and inconvenience. At approximately 12:00 PM Paul and the two installers arrived at our house. Paul immediately agreed that the job was unsatisfactory and needed to be redone. He promised to remove all the panels and the tub liner, repair the damage to the walls and install a new tub liner and wall system. We  requested that all this be put in writing with the amount on compensation we were to receive. We proceeded to show Paul the video of the installer improperly cutting the panel, which was originally custom made to fit our wall. Paul agreed that the panel did not need to be cut and he would return to the office and reorder all materials and set up a new installation date with a new crew. Later that day Paul contacted us and told us that he had ordered a new tub liner and all new  panels. He had also arranged for a different crew to return on May 15 and 16, 2012.  He explained that two days were needed to remove the botched panels and tub liner, repair the damage to the walls and install the new tub liner and  new wall system.
5.On Monday May 7, 2012 we once again spoke to Ralph Rossi who assured us that the situation would be rectified and he would provide us with a credit. He promised to put the details in writing.  We agreed and he subsequently faxed a letter to us confirming the details.
6. On May 15, 2012 two Xpress Bath installers once again arrived at our home at approximately 10:00 AM. One installer Jose, was previously here on May 3, 2012 the other was a different installer named Matt. We asked if they knew what needed to be done and Matt claimed he did not. At this time Matt called supervisor Paul to clarify what needed to be done. We were then told by the installer Joes that they did not bring a new tub liner. We told them that we had it in writing that we were to receive a new tub liner. We then contacted supervisor Paul who proceeded to tell us that a new tub liner was not promised. We advised him that we had it in writing at which time Paul agreed to send a new tub liner from the company warehouse in New Rochelle. Then the installer Matt advised us that they would not remove the damaged panels or repair the walls as promised by Ralph Rossi. Matt  advised us that Paul directed him to place the new panels over the ones that were improperly cut on May 3, 2012. We once again contacted Paul and advised him that this was not what we had agreed to and what Mr. Rossi promised. We told Paul and the installer that we would only accept the work to be done as promised. Paul proceeded to hang  up on us during the conversation. We then advised installers Matt and Jose that if they were not going to do the installation as was stated in Mr. Rossi?s letter they must remove their materials and replace the sheetrock walls which they damaged. They once again contacted Paul and then proceeded to remove the improperly installed acrylic panels and put up new sheetrock. However they agreed to leave the damaged tub liner since removal would leave us with our original tub which was now not usable and damaged due to the glue and black primer painted onto it. The installers left at approximately 3:30 PM and we did not have any further contact with any Xpress Bath representative.
 7. Our bathroom was left unusable and looking horrendous. The Xpress Bath installers did more damage and left us with unfinished walls in the shower. We  had to hang plastic liners around the showers walls in order to utilize it. They also left us with a damaged and ill-fitted tub liner. In addition, the original tub was damaged and unusable. It was necessary to remove and replace, at an additional cost, everything that Xpress Bath did.
8. The Xpress Bath president and employees have shown themselves  to be incompetent and inexperienced, but most importantly dishonest. . Xpress Bath is responsible for damaging our bathroom and defaulting on their part of the signed agreement which was to ?measure, furnish and install? a renovated bathroom in one day.
9. We suggest that anyone considering this kind of bath renovation stay,stay,stay away from this company.

It was a free estimate but we didn't use them. They were fine. As soon as they started explaining we knew that we didn't want to use them because they were not using real tile and it wasn't anything new. It didn't appeal to us but they were fine. The salesman was okay. They were punctual. We didn't like their product.

Was presented with a thorough explanation of their products & services when being given an estimate. All members of the company were polite and punctual. Installation happened without a problem and in the time frame promised.