Dom Interiors - New York

Originally I wanted to reface my cabinets with a new palette. This was one of the selling features in the original kitchen, which installed only 4 years ago in a new construction condo. One of the selling features of as the kitchen was that the cabinet doors could be easily changed to update the design. As it turned out the kitchen I had was discontinued, so it became a much larger project very quickly. The showroom was inspiring, and I was excited to create something even better. As the design process progressed, it became apparent that there wasn't a tight process. I had to ask my sales rep Tal, multiple times for detailed drawings, renderings, and estimates. It was challenging at best, drawings never included any details of interior fittings. Estimates were completely unprofessional, and came only in the body of my sales rep's email, never on DOM or Valcucine letterhead, and it became impossible to manage the pricing as the design and specifications evolved. There was no way to track drawing versions to an estimate version, since nothing was numbered, dated or synced in a professional manner. I had invested so much time, that despite my hesitations that this would be a smooth project, I proceeded with the order. Once my deposit was on hand, my rep became less and less responsive, and it went downhill. Despite several site surveys by the rep, project manager and contractor, the island still came in two inches short, and did not align with the back wall cabinets. This was a critical design issue. Apparently, they never accounted for the main plumbing pipe, coming up from the floor. The only way to get the pipe to be under the island, resulted in the island being two inches different than it should be. The bottom line is, the install did not match the drawings I signed off on. Clearly, DOM Interiors did not want to have to pay to have another island made, and the ensuing conversations included the studio owner and sales rep, both calling me and my assistant, each blaming the other. Next, came multiple attempts to assuage the issue : A) cutting the main 6" water pipe and rerouting it so it would work with the shorter island. While this might have served their interests, it was not ideal or even possible. The condo prohibits working below the floor line, and it would have resulted in major damage to the finished hardwood floors. B) I felt strong armed into accepting the kitchen as is, in exchange they offered to give me "drawer inserts and accessories". I thought they should have offered that anyway, since the project was not produced to the design I signs off on, and I would have to deal with the inconvenience of another de-install / install once the new island came in. The studio owner was very curt with me, as if I was being unreasonable for not being willing to accept the wrong design. A few drawer inserts is hardly a gesture of good will. At this point, I was told the island would be here, from Italy, by the end of November 2012, and would be installed by the end of December. DOM Interiors has made no attempt to contact me. I emailed the owner, sales rep, and project manager on 12/31, requesting an update, and letting them know the project would need to be completed by January 11th. I seriously hope that they follow through. This has been the worst experience I've ever had with a vendor. I've done a number of construction and renovation projects over the last ten years, and have never experienced such ineptitude, and unprofessionalism. Additional requests, where I wanted to order additional ancillary items for the kitchen, have also gone unanswered since September. Punishing the client for holding them accountable I guess. I'm sorry I held up my end of the bargain by paying in full before the installation was complete. There were countless issues, including - being late for scheduled appointments, once Tal even said, "these things are not exact, the guys have to get to work, get the van, find parking." I would love to try that excuse with my clients and see how that goes over, so lame! - Patrick, the PM assigned to manage my install from start to finish, went on vacation about three days into the job. I don't blame him, I'm sure he had it planned, but as problem after problem unfolded, it was frustrating to not have the original contact on site. - the dishwasher, installed by DOM's contractor's, leaked requiring multiple return visits to correct the issue, and requiring me to be available. - one of electrical outlets they installed was not working, twice they sent a team of guys who were clearly not electricians, again, requiring me to be home. Finally a licensed electrician showed up, and said that it had been wired incorrectly, it was fixed in less than 10 minutes. - the seal between the backsplash and countertops is not what I specified with Tal, and continues to allow water to leak behind the cabinets. - the corner of one glass countertop is chipped, though Tal said since I'm getting a whole new island, not to worry about it. - The baseboards do not meet the floors throughout the install, as they did on the original Valcucine kitchen. I was told that there is nothing they can do about it, since the floors have an unevenness. When I reminded him that the Valcucine kitchen that was there previously had baseboards that met the floor throughout, there was no solution offered. This remains a visual and practical disappointment. By not meeting the floor, cleaning is a challenge, and it dilutes the overall design. Nothing would make me happier, than to be pleasantly surprised by DOM Interiors, and have a swift and thorough completion of this project by the 11th of January. I would consider amending my review to reflect any turn around in service and final product.