HOWARD'S KITCHEN STUDIO INC

Purchased a Whirlpool dishwasher. He was supposed to deliver and install the next day. After looking and doing some research I found that the dealer did not have a good rating. I have contacted credit card company, they pulled the purchase.

I called Mark Kaplan, the same day of delivery October 28, 2011, and complained. Mark said he would come to look at the cabinets the following Tuesday November 1, 2011,  but he didn’t come. I called Mark Kaplan and he said to call him the day the contractor unpackaged the Green City cabinets and he would come and look at them, he assured me he would take care of any problem.  I called Mark Kaplan the day the contractor unpackaged the Green City cabinets and he didn't come. Mark Kaplan, then said to have the contractor go ahead and install the cabinets and he would come to our home and look at them.  The contractor with his helper worked two days and Mark never came to our home.  It was about this time I realized that I was paying for Mouser quality and getting a value line cabinet with inferior quality wood, workmanship and finish, that looked nothing like the sample we ordered. In fact our old cabinets looked better than the new Green City cabinets.  My wife and I went to Howard’s Kitchen Studio to select the hardware for the Green City cabinets and while we were there we talked to Mark and picked up the mahogany sample we based our order on with our promise to return the sample the next day.   Our contractor looked at the sample and told us the Green City cabinets, were nothing like the sample in wood, grain nor finish.  I again called Mark Kaplan and he came the following day.  Mark took pictures, and he took two of the cabinet doors with him. Mark asked for the sample and insisted we give it to him, because he said he had a customer coming to look at the sample. I gave him the sample and he took it with him.   The following week Mark requested we have our contractor remove one of the wall cabinets that was especially bad and remove all the doors and he would have them remade. The contractor came and did what Mark requested.   I had more discussions with Mark about the problems with the Green City cabinets and he thought it best that all the cabinets be remade in cherry. Mark then requested all the doors be put back on the cabinets and the other wall cabinets be removed and he would pick them up. We did as Mark requested. I had to pay my contractor $600.00 for the work that Mark Kaplan, instructed me to have my contractor do.

My complaint is with the sloppy plumbing and the failure of the owner, Mark Kaplan,to respond to my complaint. I am writing this a year after the work was done and after repeated phone calls and one letter 12/29/09 detailing my complaint. When the work was done, I noticed the flow from the faucet in the new Kohler sink fixture was slow ...and Howard's plumber, or whoever was there for the check-off, said "it's just old plumbing in the building." (I'm in a condo.) Soon slow became non-existent. I called my own plumber who said the faucet had not been installed properly, the valves should have been replaced, My plumber replaced them, still no flow, he took off the faucet and found brass and rubber caught between the valve body and the spout. And my plumber pointed out there was no aerator in my faucet.....and speculated the Howard's plumber may have removed it because it slowed the flow even more. It would have been an easy fix if Mark Kaplan had responded to my complaints. I spent $317 to fix this. I asked Kaplan to reimburse $217 of that. No response whatsoever. I had used Howards on two previous jobs, including a $20,000 kitchen remodel in 2001. Terrible way to treat a good customer.

Everyone they have sent to our home has been top-notch. They have a nice selection of better quality kitchen and bath things than I could find at the big home stores. (Naturally you pay higher prices for better quality items than you do for regular home store type items). You may have to wait for a returned phone call from time to time, but the quality of the materials and workmanship make it a great company with which to do business. They make sure it's done right.

I CLEARED $12,000 WORTH OF ITEMS AND/OR SERVICES OUT OF MY REQUESTS AND GAVE THEM A CEILING FOR THE TOTAL JOB OF $30,000. THEY CAME BACK WITH A BID OF $31,500 THAT INCLUDED MY $12,000 REDUCTION. HOWEVER THEY ONLY REDUCED THEIR CHARGES BY $2000 AND I WAS LEFT WITHOUT SOME ESSENTIAL FEATURES (LIKE A NEW RANGE). I FELT THEY GOT GREEDY AND DID NOT NEGOTIATE FAIRLY. THEIR KITCHEN DESIGNER WAS TALENTED AND A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH.