Debbie Stolle Interiors

Service Provider Response

Because we have not done much work thru Angie's List..... We were not aware that this review, was even here..... Angie's List, recently approached us, to be a 'Featured Home Improvement" company, in their February, 2017, magazine. We thought we would look at our "business page" and found this..... While we were shocked, to have this kind of review, along side the other "wonderful" reviews..... when considering the "source" we were not surprised. It would take entirely too long, to address all of the problems we had with this client. In an attempt to be brief..... I will have the designer/project manager on this job, address this client"s specific complaints..... "This was a complete kitchen remodel. Tile flooring and paint was done in the kitchen and dining room, all new cabinets, laminate countertops, plumbing, appliances and light fixtures. We also did a "facelift" to the 2 bathrooms in the house, painted 3 bedrooms, as well as scraping of popcorn ceilings and retexturing. As with any construction project, there was a fair amount of mess created each day by the trades. While our trades do clean up after themselves each day, early on in the project, it was apparent that their level of "clean"was not the same as this client's. Inasmuch as I lived in the same area as this client, I would stop by every day, on my way home, to sweep, vacuum, etc., to try to meet the client's expectations. As we do on all projects, I had presented this client with different "price points" of cabinets and countertops, for her to choose from. We then went to the cabinet manufacturer's showroom, where she "hand selected" the most "entry level"priced cabinet option, to stay within her budget. After installation of the cabinets she selected, the client expressed that she was not satisfied with the finish of the cabinets, as well as some minor issues. The owner of the cabinet company, the owner of my company, myself and the homeowner, all met at the house to examine and discuss her issues. We replaced several doors, and addressed all of the issues that could be addressed. The fact that she no longer liked the finish she selected in the showroom, was not something we could change. There were no new cabinets installed in the bathrooms. We painted the original cabinets, as well as the walls, ceilings and texture work in the bathrooms. The client was not satisfied with the appearance of an existing seam in the ceiling of the hallway. We re-did the seam to the client's approval. At the end of the job, the client could not come to a decision on the style of pendant lights for above her bar. This was the only work left to be done at conclusion of the project. The anticipated duration of the project, was six weeks.... We did go one week over..... with everything completed, except for the pendant lights...." It was clear to us, that this client did not want us to complete the project. She owed us a little over $3000. We issued her a credit for the pendant lights that she didn't get, including installation, and billed her for the balance. She wouldn't respond. We tried several means of contacting her, without success. There were legal remedies available to us, that we chose to forego..... This client, was never going to be happy..... no matter what we did..... We chose, to chalk it up to experience..... We have been blessed, to have "thousands"of happy, satisfied customers, in our 39+ years, in years in San Antonio. While we are not "perfect" we certainly "strive" to be..... and what we believe sets us apart from the rest.... is our commitment, to do whatever we can, to make our clients happy. Larry Stolle

Service Provider Response

I'm disappointed that this client chose to "maximize" a situation that did arise during this project, and "minimize" the success of the overall project...... Our regular"demo"man was not available, and we used a new gentleman, that came highly recommended to us, to take out the tile floor in this entry. He did not cover a/c vents while doing the demo, and he damaged the wallpaper, and walls of the entry, with flying debris. It was, an unacceptable, unfortunate part of this project. We had the a/c system cleaned/serviced, and the vents & air ducts cleaned. We had the client select a new wallpaper for her entry, and repaired & re-papered the entry..... All.... at no expense to the client. What shouldn't have happened in the first place..... was put back "better" than it was at the beginning of the project..... Larry Stolle