DISTINCTIVE SURFACES, LLC

AVOID DISTINCTIVE SURFACES - If you buy quartz from Distinctive Surfaces and it has a LARGE FLAW, they will NOT avoid that when they are cutting AND if they do NOT cut that quartz according to the layout, they will deny it and will ignore your calls and emails. Furthermore, if you return items, they will NOT put that money back on your credit card. They still owe us money after 2 months. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of using them and I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. They made NO attempt to avoid a 42" flaw and the response we got from them was basically too bad. They make you sign a LONG contract stating you accept the quartz "as is" however, this is pure NEGLIGENCE, and their contract doesn't protect them in this case. In my case, the flaw could have easily been avoided if it had been cut 1.5 inches differently. They also did not cut the quartz according to the layout I signed off on, and now they won't fix the mistake. The veining on the upper right should be present to the right of the sink but it was cut off. They have ignored my emails to try to work this out, so I am having to write this review. It is clear the owner of Distinctive Surfaces, Christian Noesner, DOESN'T CARE ABOUT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION and won’t make things right if they make a mistake. Please don't support business, they don't deserve your money! This is just one of the multiple issues that we brought to their attention, and they were unwilling to do ANYTHING about ANY of them. They don't take any personal responsibility for errors their employee's make and do not attempt to satisfy their customers. This speaks volumes about the integrity of Christian Noesner and his leadership. If you read the other negative reviews there is a COMMON THEME that his company, Distinctive Surfaces, doesn't try to resolve anything for anyone. In addition to the above, they did a poor job caulking the sinks. This would be a minor thing to fix BUT THEY SAID NO. There were some seams that needed to be buffed out better because they left in a rush BUT THEY SAID NO. We spent a lot of money with them and purchased so many countertops that they were there all day and ran out of time. We asked if they could work with us on getting a replacement piece for that bathroom where they didn’t exercise common sense when cutting it to avoid that 42” flaw and didn't cut it according to the layout BUT THEY SAID NO. They claim their employees did "everything that was instructed" for them to do which is a LIE since the countertop wasn’t cut according to the layout I signed off on. I will be reporting them to the BBB, other search engines, and review sites to help others not make the same mistake I did by choosing Distinctive Surfaces. I will also be reaching out to Arcadia and the interior designer who recommended them to let them know of our experience. Distinctive Surfaces will lose far more in revenue because of these reviews than if they had worked with me to make this right. That shows a lot of incompetence and lack of integrity on the owner's part. I had to wait 3 WEEKS to get a response back regarding my initial complaint and only did after multiple emails and phone calls. We also have been waiting an additional 2 weeks for a response to my follow up email but since we had no response to this decided to write this review. My daughter has not been able to use her vanity for about 2 MONTHS since we can’t install her faucet or mirror until this is resolved. I ended up needing one more piece of quartz for a shower bench and purchased it from Michelle at Marble and Granite Specialties. The price was lower than at Distinctive Surfaces and the customer service was amazing. When I told her about the huge flaw on the vanity, she said “quartz is man-made and shouldn’t have flaws.” There was no contract to sign with them, and they made the process super easy. Save yourself a lot of headaches and avoid Distinctive Surfaces.

I purchased quartz from Distinctive for two bathroom vanities. From day one when I visited the showroom I was met with professionalism and knowledgeable help. My representative was Sam Maloy and he was very helpful and patient with me. I visited a few times to look at samples and Sam was again very patient and did not mind pulling out the samples again and again for me so I could be sure of my selection. I even visited their supplier in Charlotte, NC. The communication between Distinctive and the supplier about the quartz I chose was quick and precise. Sam was so thorough he even pointed out to me that the back splash may not fit with my choice of faucet. That there may not be enough space between the two. He was right. Even though this meant they would not make as much in the sale if I didn't install back splashes he was on top of all the measurements so as to avoid problems during installation. The installation went just fine and the installers were professional and courteous. They were running a little late for arrival but I did receive a phone call informing me of this. I would highly recommend Distinctive Surfaces and I will be using them again in the future for our next project. Hopefully I can work with Sam again when that time comes.

Do not use this company! They do not stand by their work or take responsibility for their own mistakes. We built a new home and were recommended by our builder to use this company. We picked our solid surfaces out and paid them in full. Everything was down hill from there. First, they put the wrong granite in the wrong bathrooms. The placement of the granite was in writing. They offered no apology or resolution. Second, the installation of the granite was horrible. The seams in both the flat surfaces and back splashes were not even and the bonding agent was applied very sloppy. After we addressed this with our builder they did come back out and work on it. The seams were improved but not comparable to any other house that we have owned(they did not do the granite in our other homes). We sent the owner/manager of the company an email to address our problems. We did not ask for anything free just to get what we paid for and to have a quality job. The owner never responded!!! Lastly, after the installation we noticed that the ends(approximately 8 inches)of all of our back splashes in our kitchen are discolored. This is where they apparently wiped something on the ends while they were installing. It Looks like possibly silicone or sealer. We addressed this with our builder at closing and also put it on our 30 day list. Distinctive surfaces called my husband yesterday and told him that this discoloration was due to something that we must have put on the surface and that they were not responsible. After a brief discussion they agreed to contact me and make an arrangement to come look at the issue in our kitchen. After they did not call today or show up to look at the issue I contacted them. They stated that there was miscommunication and that they would not be coming out to even look at the issue. Before you use this company please understand that we have not asked this company to do anything for free. We just want what we paid for. We are responsible adults. If we had stained or damaged the backsplashes in our kitchen we would admit to it and take responsibility. We are not internet bullies that write bad things about companies to get free services or discounts. In retrospect we should have done more research. Don't make the same mistake we made. Things don't always go right in business. The true mark of a business is how they respond when things go wrong. This owner hides behind their employees who don't speak very highly of him.

We remodeled out kitchen in the summer of 2015. We felt the highlight of our kitchen would be granite counter tops. We looked at a number of providers in the Columbia area and settled on Distinctive Surfaces.  They carry a large selection of surfaces and have a beautiful showroom.  There staff was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and attentive (specially Stacey).  I may add patient, because we were there at least 4 or 5 times before we actually selected the counter tops.  The pricing was quite reasonable and the install was perfect.  If you desire a quality product, with excellent service and reasonable pricing they are a must see.  You really don't need to go anywhere else.

I appreciate the apology but still will not use. Best of luck.

Perfection is their business. Everyone in this company is about customer service. Highly recommended.

unknown

They measured or kitchen and bathrooms in the middle of December. The install was on 1/9/13. They removed the kitchen counters and vanities while my wife and I were at work. Christian sent pictures of the before and after as soon as they were done. They removed the old sinks and left them by the trash. They left the area spotless.

I worked directly with Christian, the owner, when I wanted new counter tops installed. I priced out several of the granite companies around Columbia and Charleston and ultimately decided to use Distinctive Surfaces because they offered me a price which was within my budget and they were the only company who took the time to understand my situation and offer suggestions on how to improve my current counter situation (i.e. add surface area) with my existing cabinets. They went above and beyond what I would have expected from a granite company as his suggestions helped me turn my kitchen into something I want to be in all of the time...and my guests want to be in.
Although they had what appeared to be hundreds of slabs in stock, they special ordered a slab of exactly what I wanted. To my surprise, it was quite affordable to get exactly what I wanted vs. using what was in stock. When Christian came to measure my kitchen, he arrived at the scheduled time and the measuring process took a very short period of time. It took longer for me to tell him about my dog than it did for him to measure my cabinets. Because I am a dog lover, he shared with me about his 2 Great Danes...they sound like wonderful dogs.
On the install day, I had other contractors at the house. Even though he told me that the other contractors had to be finished before he could install, the other companies were running behind. They were there and ready to install my counters but I had to delay them for a few hours due to the other contractors. Although it was highly inconvenient, Distinctive Surface's installers called Christian and he told them to leave and come back the next day. I was relieved that he did not charge me a fee because it was my fault that the install did not take place as scheduled. They showed up the next morning and the install when quickly and easily.
I am happy how my granite counter tops turned out and would certainly use them again if I ever have the need.

We have used this company for 2 projects now. They came in the first time when we were in a pinch and installed our kitchen in time for the holidays last year. Christian put some additional touches in at no charge, like rounding the edge of our kitchen bar (called an eclipse maybe?) and even offered advice on other parts of our kitchen. It is still looks amazing and we are constantly complimented on how nice our kitchen is. Then last month, we decided to redo our upstairs bathroom and the little bath downstairs. We went back to Christian at Distinctive and were once again very happy with the work and the price. We actually had to push him back because of the tile being installed. He was ready before we were! None of the other contractors we worked with were on time except for him. We have recommended him to several friends and family members since our first project with him (they all asked for his information after seeing our house!), and they have had great experiences too. I've been really impressed with his work and his ideas, and compared to other quotes we got, he came in far below with more "extras" than the others offered.

The service provider did a good job in terms of installation. What was not good was the quality of materials. Now, Jan, 2011, the granite is spotting and when I have called to get this and some other minor repair work addressed the provider ignores me. Considering what I paid for the materials and installation, one would hope to get better level of service. Hence, buyer beware.

Did not show up to install when suppose to, did not call. Broke the granite when trying to install scratched new cabinet. The granite was cut to large and it broke while they were trying to force it down. Mr. Noesner would not answer phone calls. Contracted a different installer. When he looked at the granite Mr. Noesner installed he pointed out that the sink was set to far back. Holes for fixtures were in the wrong position. He should have put a seam at the sink area but did it in one piece that caused the granite to be weak. After researching we found out Mr. Noesner and his brother had Cosa Bella that was on the news for taking peoples money they are con-artist. As Distinctive Surfaces Mr. Noesner has a "F" rating with the BBB. This info can be found on the internet.

Any type of granite or stone work we need done, Christian is the only professional we'll use. He's incredibly creative and has a real eye for design. He's reliable and afforable and we know if he does the job it will be done right.