California Closets of Greater Washington DC

I chose California Closets based on the brand name with an expectation that the work would be high quality and low hassle. I learned that California Closets franchise out their brand without apparent concern for quality. Randy Fry, the franchise owner originally misquoted the cost of the work by almost $2,000 because he forgot to include one set of custom-measured sliding glass doors. I was notified less than a week before the start of work that Randy couldn't make the first installation date because his suppliers hadn't delivered materials. I ended up living out of boxes in my living room for three weeks. What was supposed to be an easy "done in one day, within two months" turned into a three month activity that required two installations and additional costs. After a two week delay from the original installaion date, two workers showed up and explained upon arrival that one set of doors were broken in shipping, so they wouldn't be completing the job in one day. They told me I was supposed to have known that -- they assured me that the owner had notified me that we wouldn't be done in a day, as promised. There was another month delay for custom doors to arrive. When the doors did arrive, I had to cut and provide a piece of wood from my local hardware store to anchor the door runners, despite repeatedly asking the original workers ahead of time about their bringing the special anchoring wood (different installers came for the second visit). During the original installation the work was rushed an poorly done. The cabinetry needed to be mounted into plaster walls. Again, the contractor new this after two pre-work site visits. The installation team broke four drill bits trying to figure out how to anchor the shelves, leaving chips in the recently-painted walls. Realizing I wasn't happy with the way the work went, the installer bolted in a wheeled tie holder into the far back corner -- the worst possible place for it -- assuring me that was "at no charge." Worth noting: the $8,000 I paid for the work did not include demolition or refinishing of the closet space -- this franchise does not do that preparation work, the subcontract the demo out. I probably could have gotten the exact same work done for half the price using a different contractor. The final product looks nice, but it was a huge mistake on my part for not reading the reviews before signing with this franchise and for thinking "name brand" for closets meant something. I'd recommend you contract based on recent reviews in Angie's List, not by name brands which are franchised out.

They did great work. Very responsive. Tori was a great designer. Spent a lot of time discussing out needs for closet organization. Looked at every piece of clothing to make sure the arrangement made sense. Met our schedule very well.

unknown

The nightmare started with the original install dates - the two guys that showed up were repeatedly hampered with the wrong and missing supplies.  At the end of Day 3 (July 24), less than half of our projects were done and not one was finished correctly.  We even custom made a section for ties that wasn't designed properly by CA Closets and the designer was rude enough to say via text "they do not drag in my opinion & of the installer" - so I texted additional pictures that clearly showed the ties dragging which she then acknowledged it was wrong and that "I'm going to have to reference my cad file & check against the actual length of the partitions, something is off."  I requested to talk to someone about my experience and she said "I've forwarded all pics, conversations, and requests to my manager Wayne and have asked him to phone you as well."  
(On Monday, July 27, I also contacted the National Offices of California Closets based in California and spoke to Debra Clawson, Operations Support Coordinator, based in Berkeley, seeking their assistance in working with the local Virginia vendor).  
On Monday, July 27, Wayne sent me an email and said he was on the way at 11:20 a.m.  At 1:59 p.m., I emailed Amy, the designer, and said I haven't heard from Wayne since his email 2.5 hours earlier.  She gave me his phone number - I dialed and left a message - Wayne called back and said he had sent a text or email and that he got called to another job - and he also said a Manager would be out Saturday, August 1 to look at the very incomplete work.  Wayne later changed his story to say he must have not sent the email before he left the office to go to the other project.  To be clear, there was no email or text received from Wayne.  
On Saturday, August 1, Robert did show up around 11:30 a.m. late (I had to send a text asking if he was still coming).  Upon arrival, we walked him through each project element and he took pictures of the incomplete work mess.  By Monday, August 3, the shelves in the pantry were falling down and I texted Robert a picture with a level showing the sag.  Two days later on August 5, Robert asked if he could schedule Friday for repairs and asked if Amy, our designer, had been in touch - I replied back "Yes on Friday. No word from Amy."  Robert's reply "After our visit, I sent her our findings.  She seemed like she was going to contact you, but I assume too much."  On Thursday, August 6, I texted Robert asking what time on Friday would the installer arrive - no response until the next morning when he sent a text message saying Dave and Trey would be there at 2:30 p.m. to work on the poor installation work.  Friday evening Robert texted asking about the repair work - I replied back the work completed looks good, but 4 key areas of the overall project were still unfinished.  
On Friday, August 7, Duval Reynolds with CA Closets confirmed meeting at our place on 8/8 at 1:30 p.m.  We walked him thru the remaining projects and all of the missing work, including the needed redesign of the custom tie area.  He took lots of pictures, notes, and measurements.  His response "Thank you guys for letting me right our wrongs."  On Tuesday, August 11, Duval did come back by our home to confirm his measurements.  After his visit, we were told we would be put back on the schedule to finish the install - the date set was for Friday, August 28 - over one month after our promised finish install date.  
Friday, August 28 arrives...the installers show up but were missing many parts of the needed pieces to finish the project.  I call and speak to Robert advising him of the many missing parts - I was told they were on the way.  At 3:30 that afternoon, I texted DuVal and let him know it was now 2.5 hours later and we still didn't have the parts on hand or the additional person here for the install (they had only sent one person).  Needless to say, the help and parts did not arrive that day.  I was promised that the parts and additional help would arrive at our place on Monday, August 31 to complete the job,  
Monday, August 31, I text Robert to confirm that Dave and a help would be at our home to finish the project.  Robert texted back "He will be there along with a helper."  2 hours later I texted Robert back saying no one from CA Closets had arrived to start work on the remaining projects.  Within 30 minutes, Dave and Trey, arrived and began working on the installation.  Even after 2 deliveries from the warehouse, the project was not done that evening.  To top it off, the drawers for the custom tie section were not the right size - missed on the drawings by the designer and DuVal.  Let me be clear, it wasn't the installers, it was the lack of product to do the job correctly!  
Tuesday, September 1:  The right size drawers are delivered and a few other little odds and ends are completed on the project, although we were still missing a valet rod, the cap for the bedroom nook installation, along with concerns about the design of installation for our bathroom drawers under the existing sink.  
On Friday, September 4, CA Closets finally completed our project weeks after the initial promised date.  It took several calls and emails to both the local VA franchisee as well as the national offices to get our project finished.  All along we took pictures, saved texts and emails, and made numerous calls to prod the completion of our $17k project.  
Our prior experience in Dallas, Texas, with CA Closets was a white glove experience; our DC experience with the local franchisee was a K-mart experience at best, weeks behind schedule.  Unfortunately, our DC experience would say find another vendor for your closet needs.  

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unknown

You get what you pay for.  Responsive, friendly, knowledgeable designer/salesperson.  Efficient professional installation.  High price.

California Closets did a good job installing shelves to my specifications.  It was a little pricey, but the quality was good and I am happy with the result.

There is no way that this could have been a better experience. The salesman/designer was on time, knowledgeable, understanding, polite, helpful....Installation was done in one day, exactly to order by an equally polite person. All debris was cleaned away. It's over a year now, and I love the storage unit. Was able to sell a couple of pieces of storage furniture and make my bedroom look much bigger and less cluttered.

The service was disastrous. The company is maybe okay, but this particular franchise, I think, was going through a difficult time and I happened to be caught in their difficult time. What was supposed to be a one or two day installation took weeks. Everything went wrong. The people they sent out were not equipped for the task at hand. We had three or four follow-up visits to correct what was not right and on a $10,000 job, they offered $900 in compensation for my inconvenience. It was a $10,000 job that was supposed to be one day and it took about 68 weeks. I tried to work it out with them and it was that we had to help the installer at one point because they sent only one person and they were not capable of executing that job by themselves. I think they sent installers that are not up to the job. I think that the office was going in transition. They were moving from one place to another. I do not think that management was overseeing the work in the way that they should. My designer quit the week of the installation. When I was seeing things were not right here, I e-mailed her and she said she was not working there anymore. If everything had been installed the way that I asked, the price would have been fine; it was a great price, beautiful, but it was not installed the way I asked. So, the price was fine. The product is good, the installation not so much.

Visited store and arranged for representative to visit our home to measure. Final quote was submitted and accepted. Crew arrived on time, assembled and installed beautifully constructed unit.

The guys did a good job installing the closets although I was not thrilled with the choice of materials and the follow up. I asked for an extra shelf but it was never delivered.

Randy Fry was the person they sent to and quot;designand quot; the closet and measure everything - he got a measurement off and the shelving is not the same distance from the window on either side - he blamed it on the installer!
Randy Fry NEVER returned a phone call! He was hard to get to answer questions and never followed up.
We changed a side piece which he delivered but never had the installer come back to put it in - I must have called him a dozen times to get it done and finally I asked a neighbor to do it - he NEVER called back - I'd be waiting till today if I had
The closet system is nice - it fits the room well and is what we wanted - BUT - California Closets are expensive and had I not been in a hurry to get it done I know I could have gotten a great system somewhere else, cheaper and not had to deal with Randy Fry!

We eventually called, they came out to see the closet, found record of the original install and repaired the closet at no charge! the people were very nice and we were pleasantly surprised as we didn't know/remember we had a lifetime guaranty.

We spent a lot of time designing over 20 closets and they were all installed according to spec.

Our closet installation took fifteen weeks to complete although we were promised a one-day installation. We did add three closets after the initial design but again were told these new closets would be a one-day installation.
We supplied our own closet door handles because we wanted them to match cabinets in another room. We provided the handles before the door fabrications, as requested, so screw holes could be factory drilled prior to installation.
We worked closely with the designer on the closet design and received printed copies however the installation crew did not work from the same design. The first installation crew put in a larger sized wardrobe than ordered jamming the closet so close to the window we could not close the window blind. The holes for the door handles had not been pre-drilled and the crew installed the handles on site, at various door heights. The closet rails were installed at different heights within the six hanging closets and also at an angle so they sloped downwards. Additionally, the hanging rails were positioned closer to the front of the closets as if designed to be open hanging; when clothes were hung on the rails the doors could not be closed. Not one rail was installed at the height we had requested.
The designer visited our home to document the problems and we waited two more weeks before any resolution was offered. California Closets wanted to re-position the hanging rails and door handles and fill the old holes. The filled holes would have been unsightly and unacceptable to us so there were additional delays while new closets were fabricated. The next three installation crews arrived without clear instructions of what was needed to be done and without the materials they required. One crew installed the mirrored doors and then attached the door handles at a completely different height than every other closet door handle in the room. It was beyond frustrating.
We got so frustrated trying to deal with the local California Closets franchise because of the delays, poor workmanship and lack of quality control we contacted California Closet's Corporate Customer Service representative at (415) 482-6445. Eventually the work was completed but only because we pursued the workmen until they completed the trim details properly.
It took visits by four different installation crews, numerous visits by the designer, and one visit by the Production Manager to get the job done. This is a condensed version of the numerous issues we experienced. The work was completed April 15th, 2013. This dream closet turned into our nightmare.

designed, fab and install closet

It went fabulously. It's absolutely wonderful. I couldn't be happier. People come over just to look at my closet. The designer was wonderful. He made sure I got everything I needed. The installer was amazing, as well. He was quick and efficient. He built a great closet and cleaned everything up very well. He even measured my purses to make sure the purse section would fit all of them. He arrived at 9 in the morning and it was done by noon. It was stunning.

unknown

I had a good experience dealing with them. They did a one consulting visit and then they did the entire installation in one morning. On both occasions they scheduled it and they showed up on time and went through all the options we had and did exactly what was discussed. The installation was well done. It was fast, professional and good clean job.

Fantastic! Amy was so wonderful to work with. She measured everything in the closet and was able to tell me exactly how much extra room I would have with their closet system. The 3-D design on the computer was fantastic and made it so easy to understand and visualize what the completed product would look like. Both the designer and the installer were very prompt and the installer kept the house clean and was very quick! I haven't had an issue and I love the look and design of the closet. I would definitely hire them again!

The designer was on time for the initial appointment. The design and cost estimate were emailed to us within a week. The design was creative and met all of the needs we had expressed. Via email, I requested small adjustments to the design. A revised design was emailed to me within a few days. I had no trouble scheduling an installation appointment at my convenience with a few weeks. The installer arrived on time and did an excellent job of installation. The installer noticed that one shelf had a flaw. He called the shop, and a replacement shelf was delivered before he was finished with the installation. He cleaned up well before departing. A few days later, we noticed that a plastic cover for one of the mounting attachments was missing. It was a small thing in an out of the way spot but we wanted the cover, which was easy to snap on. I emailed the designer about the missing cover, and they mailed us two covers, which we received in less than a week. Overall, we are delighted with our new closet.

The installer was quick and professional. Satisfied with overall experience.

Our experience with California Closets was by far the most disappointing
I have ever had in terms of work done on our house. I expected top
quality from this company given its national reputation, but was quickly
disappointed by the work of this franchise.
This project, which included 1 master, 1 nursery, 1 guest, and 1 laundry room, was supposed
to take two days in October. The project was just completed February
16th, 2013 - it took 4 months and 5 visits to our home, to complete. Not
only did our sales representative incorrectly measure two key components
of our systems AND sell us pieces that didn't work or don't exist, but
for the initial installation the company brought pieces that were
damaged - burned and scratched. The installers proceeded to install
items until my husband questioned them on it, at which point they
claimed they and quot;didn't notice.and quot; He told them to stop installation and
they had to pull out the damaged pieces. They stopped at 3PM that day
and instead of working on other closets, they left. The manager, Wayne,
was supposed to come out to our house on November 14th to meet with
me. When I arrived literally 9 minutes late (after texting the sales
rep that I would be), there was no one at my home. The sales rep said
the manager would turn around - but by 5:15PM he still hadn't arrived,
so I left to run errands. This lack of communication was never
explained.
Fast forward to December when we scheduled a time for them to
come and quot;first thingand quot; on Saturday, December 8th. They came at 11:26AM on December 8th completely
unprepared. They did not have materials for laundry room and knew
nothing about materials being prepared. After 2 phone calls to our sales
rep, it turned out the manager Wayne was going to come by with the
materials. Wayne brought the materials around 1PM. He did not speak with
my husband or enter the house, he simply gave the materials to the crew
(Louis and Chamien) and left. The crew did not have all the materials
to complete the punch list. I asked the crew if ours was a unique
experience and was told that and quot;most people just don't notice.and quot; I was
horrified by this comment that customers and quot;didn't noticeand quot; when damaged
pieces were installed and that they found this acceptable business practice. The crew told
my husband someone would follow up with him on the missing pieces. We
did not receive any follow up until December 18th, when Wayne called and
asked about the magnetic locks (which, even though they were sold to us, weren't designed to work with the specific drawers we ordered).
We were also sold a felt backing for a jewelry closet (that we were finally told did not exist).
The communication we received from Wayne, the general manager, was the LEAST professional I have ever seen in my life including emails with misspellings, incomplete sentences, and a complete lack of professionalism.
On February 16th, the crew came to do the final install. One of the crew members arrived at 9AM but then had to wait for the other. We were very clear that this would be the LAST time they were allowed in our home and they did complete all remaining work. However, the 2 crew members literally spent over an hour standing outside until my husband asked if they were waiting for something - no, they were just talking. He asked them to finish and they did. They had no respect for our time - and this was the 5th time we had them to our home.
To the owner Richard's credit, he gave us a 10% discount for our troubles. At that point, 4 months later, we did not have the energy to negotiate and were happy to just be completely finished with California Closets. We will NEVER use them again.
We hope this is helpful and no one else has to go through the experience we did.

I had problems with California Closets Fairfax; the guy who did the measurements did not do it correctly and it took a number of visits to get it done.