CREATIVE WOODWORKS CONSTR

The custom built-in bookshelves that we have longed for for quite some time are still not done. We initially talked to Flavio about this project in July 2013. Our hope was to have the project completed by the end of 2013. With that in mind, I spoke with him again on September 24, 2013. However, since he was always too busy with what he called "bigger projects," he did not make himself available to discuss the specifics of the project until January 2014. At that time, we showed him pictures of the type of built-in bookcases that we were interested in. He said he could do it and all he needed were the measurements and a schematic of what we wanted. He even showed us several pictures on his cellphone of projects he had recently completed that were similar to what we were planning. When he realized that the bookshelves would be used to store my classic movie collection, he scoffed and made a snide comment that I could get ?all of that online? (meaning that I could download all of the movies I wanted online and did not need a movie library) and subsequently save money. The schematic was completed by us on November 29, 2013. I then called him on January 14, 2014 to inform him that we were ready to go forward. He said he would call me and stop by some night after work to review everything. More than a month went by, so I called him again. He told me once more that he would stop by one night after work. Since I did not hear from him, I called him on the 14th of March 2014. At this point he assured me that he would definitely call and stop by. He finally came on March 23, 2014 to review the schematic, measurements, and discuss when we would start the project. I spoke to him on March 24, 2014; he stopped by that night to pick up the deposit so that he could buy the materials he needed. He said he was going to take a week off in between projects, but instead would work on our project. I wondered how he could possibly complete our project in a week based on what we wanted done; obviously I was right. He arrived on April 2 to begin the installation of the shelves. When my wife and I saw the shelves that he was installing, it was nothing like we had imagined or discussed with him. We were, very frankly, flabbergasted. I called him that night and told him how disappointed we were with the work that he had done so far. I instructed him to stop all work until my wife and I had a chance to discuss the situation. We were truly disappointed with him, particularly since he came so highly recommended and bragged about timely and reliable service. The next night I called him to inform him that we were extremely unhappy with the work he had done and that we were cancelling the project. We asked him to come on Saturday, April 5, to remove everything and restore the walls to their original condition. I was further dismayed by his response. Rather than apologizing or volunteering to rectify the situation, his immediate response was that he ?had to start a big project the following Monday,? indicating to us that our project was not particularly important to him. We asked him why he accepted the job when it was obvious to us that he had not allowed enough time for it. He insisted that he did exactly what we had asked him to do. In truth, he actually changed the design of the bookshelves from the schematic that we had given him to simplify the job to suit his own purposes and speed up the work. The fact is that he did not even come close to duplicating the type of built-in bookshelves that we showed him pictures of. These shelves were supposed to be custom-made, built-in, and furniture-quality, not thrown together shelves that one would put in his garage or unfinished basement. We even specified on the wall where we wanted the electric fireplace unit to be centered (as labeled on the included photo). Clearly, the shelves he built and installed would not allow for the fireplace to be centered at that location. He kept insisting that ?we had not told him exactly what we wanted.? It would seem that both the pictures we had shown him and the pictures of bookcases that he had actually built and had shown to us provided enough examples of the type and quality we were expecting. A picture is worth a thousand words. He simply was not focused on our project, contradicting his claims of reliability and the highest level of integrity. Throughout the discussion, he refused to admit that he had made a mistake, which demonstrated what an arrogant, narcissistic person he truly is. We mention this to caution anyone who might be thinking of hiring him. It?s going to be imperative that you be very specific and detailed about your desires, what the cost will be, and how the situation will be handled if the work is not completed to your satisfaction. We say this because after everything was removed on that Saturday, he still insisted that he be paid for his labor. Who expects payment for totally screwing up the job?! In the end, this fiasco cost me $2,000 with nothing to show for it. I?m not even sure he returned all of the materials that he initially purchased with the deposit I gave him for the project. What?s further upsetting is that he was not in the least distraught by the fact that we were so upset with the outcome of the project and his apparent insolence.