Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Kitchen quartz cut-out for gas cooktop improperly done and owner refusing to correct.

  

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  We tried our very best to explain to ************** the situation.  ************** cabinet had been pulled forward,,,,moved forward by someone (not Salinas) that caused us to have to put the quartz countertop forward. We have to set the countertop on the cabinet.  In order for us to put the countertop where ************** wanted it to go he would need to contact his cabinet installers to cut or move the cabinet back.  We DESPERATLY tried to explain this to him.  He blamed Salinas for everything because he does not understand.  After days of taking HIS condescending verbal abuse, we offered three options for resolution.

  1.  He could try and find another slab of the quartz as our supplier advised us there was no more and that we would recut and reinstall for FREE after he had his cabinet placed where he wanted the countertop.

  2.  We would issue him a credit.  THIS IS THE OPTION ************** ALREADY AGREED UPON. He stated $700 and this is the credit we already issued to him.

  3.  We would uninstall the entire job and could go somewhere else to get his work done.

  Note that ************** also filed a complaint with his credit card company and the amount he did pay has been deducted from our business account. Finally, we tried for two days to contact him again to find resolve but he will not take our phone calls, nor return our phone calls. 

  Thank you!

  *****************

   

  Customer response

  08/20/2024

   
  
  Complaint: 22102251
  
  I am rejecting Salinas Granite responses because of the following: see responses below.

  
  Salinas Granite: We tried our very best to explain to ************** the situation.  ************** cabinet had been pulled forward,,,,moved forward by someone (not Salinas) that caused us to have to put the quartz countertop forward. We have to set the countertop on the cabinet.  In order for us to put the countertop where ************** wanted it to go he would need to contact his cabinet installers to cut or move the cabinet back.  We DESPERATLY tried to explain this to him.  He blamed Salinas for everything because he does not understand.  After days of taking HIS condescending verbal abuse, we offered three options for resolution.

  
  Response: Salinas Granite is correct that I did have cooktop cabby pulled forward by 3 inches before templating. My complaint is not about the placement of the quartz yet is about the measurement the fabricator used to cut a hole for my cooktop placement. From what ********** told me over the phone is he tried to center cook top cut out based upon the cabby depth which is 24 inches as oppose to centering based upon the new counter top depth of 28 inches. He stated he did not have the room to move cooktop back further which I provided he and owner of Salinas the measurement to prove that wasn't true. Salinas initially offered to come back and cut an inch off quartz to move cooktop back 1 inch, from 1.5 inch in the front to 2.5 inches but never did. Ideally, the cooktop should have been placed back 3 inches to be in lined with the sides. I sourced several local fabricators in the area about this and they all said Salinas Granite did not do a good job. I have 1.5 inch of space upfront and a 6 inch gap in the back. 

  
  Sadly, owner is not being truthful with the statement " After days of taking HIS condescending verbal abuse, we offered three options for resolution". 

  
  Salinas Granite: 1.  He could try and find another slab of the quartz as our supplier advised us there was no more and that we would recut and reinstall for FREE after he had his cabinet placed where he wanted the countertop.

  
  Response: False statement. This is contradicting first statement. This option never was offered to addressed cooktop area. 

  
  Salinas Granite: 2.  We would issue him a credit.  THIS IS THE OPTION ************** ALREADY AGREED UPON. He stated $700 and this is the credit we already issued to him.

  
  Response: False statement. As documented in the complaint, Salinas Granite raised the price per square feet for the quartz install stating that the veining near my kitchen sink needed to line up using two quartz slabs. After agreeing to the last minute price increase, the kitchen sink counter was installed with the veining did not match expected. When addressed with fabricator, he stated that would be impossible to do. Since that i didn't get what i was expecting and that part did not look super bad, I agreed to a price reduction that I paid on 3rd quartz plus a little extra. It should be noted that the $700 has nothing to do with the cooktop cutout complaint. 

  
  Salinas Granite: 3.  We would uninstall the entire job and could go somewhere else to get his work done.

  
  Response: This does not have anything to do with this complaint. The cooktop issue came about after the kitchen sink issue was addressed above. 

  
  Salinas Granite: Note that ************** also filed a complaint with his credit card company and the amount he did pay has been deducted from our business account. Finally, we tried for two days to contact him again to find resolve but he will not take our phone calls, nor return our phone calls. 

  
  Response: I did file a complaint with bank regarding issue, but it did not favor me as bank stated that job was not considered fraudulent to get involved so that is why I file compliant with BBB. In regards to missed calls, I only received one missed voicemail and it was included in the complaint as in attachment. In it, the owner stated they was not returning to my house to do anything. 

  
  All of this mix up has come from Salinas Granite not communicating what to expect from their install. I was relying on expert feedback only to find out later quality of work was not to par. All other businesses say they communicate first and then cut, not the other way around.  Salinas's fabricator stated he should have told me first about the cuts before he did any of them but he did not. 

  
  Regarding cooktop complaint, I think fabricator should have said what he thought was off as oppose to cutting and later finding out he did not measure properly. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  I no longer know how to respond.  At the end of the day ************** was unhappy and requested a $700.00 credit/refund.  This is what ************** requested and we obliged.  We cannot fix/correct his cabinets as we are not cabinet people.  We only install on top of the cabinets that are in place.  I am again providing our quality sign off sheet that ************** signed, additionally I am providing the credit memo we issued.  The funds in the amount of $6,015.40 have been withdrawn from our business account. The he said/she said does not get either of us anywhere.  He is requesting we fix his cabinet which is not in the realm of our expertise.  I don't know how to please him as we have been paid nothing! We paid for all the stone, labor, travel and numerous hours regarding this matter.  How can he ask for more money when we have never been paid.  There is nothing we can do until his cabinet is modified.  At that time, if he is willing to acquire another slab of stone at his cost, we will recut and install for free.  But his cabinet will need to be fixed.  Finally, I am the owner of Salinas Granite, ************** should contact me directly and not text or call my employees.  ************** has my number ************.  In closing, we have done over 300 installations with zero complaints, only **************.

  Customer response

  09/02/2024

  Not sure why I'm not able to respond to latest response from Salinas Granite.

  Owner stated she has not been paid because of the charge back, that is not true. The chargeback was reverse back in owner favor because the bank stated that I would need to deal directly with owner. Owner has not been pleasant to deal with so that is why I have asked BBB for assistance.

  Owner stated that she offered a solution on the cooktop cut out, that is not true. The $700 credit was a result of the veining not lining up on kitchen sink area. I had paid additional for that to happen and it did not due to fabricator error; Please refer back to complaint report. When it came to the cooktop area, the fabricator stated he couldn't make the appropriate cut because he did not have the clearance to do so. That was proven to be false and fabricator had offered to remake slab but owner told him he couldn't. This was addressed after the $700 credit for the kitchen sink area. 

  Owner stated if I buy another slab, the cooktop slab could be replaced. Owner knows that I want be able to purchase same color slab elsewhere as quartz are sold in lots. This is the reason I had to take the $700 credit for the kitchen sink area or have them tear out the whole project that was started. It should be noted that additional cost was paid for a 3rd quartz in which their should be quartz left over with Salinas to have fix area.   

  I recently paid a fabricator $200 to cut quartz back some for a more proper look on the cooktop. Fabricator stated cooktop is still over an 1inch away from being ideal. Initially Salinas had offered to do this as noted in complaint but later refused. Fabricator said a reputable quartz company would have made this right and that fabricator measurement was off. 

  As can see and if report is looked at closely, everything has a date all the way down to the end. 

  

  Business response

  09/06/2024

  We have not been paid. The funds were reversed/taken out of our account. As far as we are concerned, he has not paid for anything, he is not out financially.  We here at Salinas is out the cost of the stone which we have paid for, the labor, gas, etc. on and on.  

  We stand firm our work was acceptable, only he didn't like it.  Sorry, we asked Mr. ***** what he wanted for renumeration, and he said $700.00 we paid it. The veining and cooktop issue was seen the same day at the same time when our work was completed. Our credit was for everything settled that day. We didn't know he would repeatedly come back for more free stone, free work and price reduction. Per his own words he called another fabricator who couldn't put the cooktop exactly where he wanted it, which is what we tried to explain to him all along. 

  Mr. ***** has had a problem with Salinas, the electrician, the plumber. Mr. ***** is the common denominator. The aforementioned people plus his cabinet contractor, and our stone supplier have all reached out to me regarding his slander of Salinas which I am now considering a slander liability lawsuit against him. He now claims his remuneration was for the veining only, now it's the cooktop, what's next?

  The cabinet contractor called and advised me Mr. ***** talked to my fabricator terribly, he has spoken to me terribly.  Even his writings now are condescending! A reputable quartz company would have made this right!!! We have over 300 well satisfied customers and businesses throughout the ********** that will gladly attest to our work.

  Until Salinas Granite is paid the money for the work, we have already done there will be no talk of rectifying any further issues, once we are paid, we can discuss options for rectifying his issue.

   

  Customer response

  09/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22102251
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Salinas Granite: We have not been paid. The funds were reversed/taken out of our account. As far as we are concerned, he has not paid for anything, he is not out financially.  We here at Salinas is out the cost of the stone which we have paid for, the labor, gas, etc. on and on.  

  Response: A provisional credit was applied to my bank account on 28 June 2024 because of the dispute I raised in hopes of my bank intervening in this situation. On 29 July 2024, the funds were reversed to Salinas as the bank said it was a legitimate charge and to contact merchant regarding issue, this is why I contacted BBB for help. Please see attached photos to show that Salinas did fully get paid.

  Salinas Granite: We stand firm our work was acceptable, only he didn't like it.  Sorry, we asked Mr. ***** what he wanted for renumeration, and he said $700.00 we paid it. The veining and cooktop issue was seen the same day at the same time when our work was completed. Our credit was for everything settled that day. We didn't know he would repeatedly come back for more free stone, free work and price reduction. Per his own words he called another fabricator who couldn't put the cooktop exactly where he wanted it, which is what we tried to explain to him all along. 

  Response: The $700 credit was for the veining not lining up as was initially told it would during price agreement before work started. I did tell fabricator something was off with the cooktop cutout but he stated that he did not have the clearance to make cooktop more centered. I signed off with this information and ONLY after this was proven not to be true did I contact Salinas Granite. Salina's fabricator said he would remake slab after I called him but owner told him she would not allow it. After sending photos to prove my point via text message, she said she allow fabricator to come cut an inch off stone to get it more centered even though it would still be off an inch or more. Later owner calls back and left a voice message that she was not allowing her crew to come back at all. Owner and fabricator knows that cooktops should be centered. 

  As note in previous response, I paid another fabricator to cut the cooktop stone back some already. Thier is still room to clear for the cooktop to be centered but it would leave a bigger hole in the stone than the cooktop because Salinas Fabricator cut the stone so far to the front edge. The only way the cooktop can be centered is with a custom trim kit which would have cost an extra $200 to $400. This debunks the entire response of Salinas Granitie that thier was not enough clearance. The fabricator I used said that Salinas Fabricator probably was thinking of the standard countertop of 25.5 inch width when he did his cut out as oppose to the 28.5 inch counter space width I have. 

  Salinas Granite owner is thinking this is about money but what she has failed to realize, i could have turned the whole job down because of the veining issue and she would have been out the price of 2 or 3 slabs. I asked a couple of witness to come over to check out the veining area and they said it was okay and probably not worth having the owner to tear out what was installed at the time even though i paid for the veins to connect as documented in report. The witnesses stated that at the end of the day, it was up to me as I was paying for it. Yes, I did agree to the price reduction on veining issue ONLY. 

  Salinas Granite: Mr. ***** has had a problem with Salinas, the electrician, the plumber. Mr. ***** is the common denominator. The aforementioned people plus his cabinet contractor, and our stone supplier have all reached out to me regarding his slander of Salinas which I am now considering a slander liability lawsuit against him. He now claims his remuneration was for the veining only, now it's the cooktop, what's next?
  The cabinet contractor called and advised me Mr. ***** talked to my fabricator terribly, he has spoken to me terribly.  Even his writings now are condescending! A reputable quartz company would have made this right!!! We have over 300 well satisfied customers and businesses throughout the ********** that will gladly attest to our work.

  Response: Not sure what an electrician and plumber has to do with this dispute. This is false information by the way. Luckily I have witness regarding that way the owner talked to me over the phone. It should be noted as stated in report that the fabricator did cuss me because of the confusion but once I explained my side of the story, he understood. Initially owner stated cost of stone removal was $3 per square foot then it went to $5 then to $10 per square foot. When clarification was requested, fabricator said to call owner who later called fabricator to lower the price. I think in that call, fabricator could see how upset owner was and thought I was the cause of it. The fabricator initially sided with owner but later stated that Salina always charge $3 per square foot even though I paid $5 per square foot for the stone removal. It should also be noted, once job was complete, fabricator did apologize and I believe he tried to talk to owner about her treatment to customers.  

  **********************: Until Salinas Granite is paid the money for the work, we have already done there will be no talk of rectifying any further issues, once we are paid, we can discuss options for rectifying his issue.
  
  Response: Salinas Granite has been paid in full.

  ****** *****

  

  Business response

  09/20/2024

  Today I received an email the funds will be redeposited back into our bank account within two business days.  Once we receive the funds, I will text Mr. ***** with available time slots for the reinstall of the ONE AREA ONLY that he has an issue with. AGAIN, I want to reiterate the stone lot & block number he preciously bought is no more. We have to accept the stone the supplier has.  I need a response from Mr. ***** this will conclude all complaints and issues with Salinas Granite.  We will return only one time to rectify this one issue only. Finally, if ONE condescending word is spoken to me, my employees, or about our company we will exit the home again.

  Customer response

  09/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22102251

  I just want to make sure we are clear before moving forward. 

   Salinas Granitite: Today I received an email the funds will be redeposited back into our bank account within two business days.  Once we receive the funds, I will text Mr. ***** with available time slots for the reinstall of the ONE AREA ONLY that he has an issue with.

  Response: I received a text message from owner yesterday on an install date. It appears funding are cleared?

  Salinas Granite: AGAIN, I want to reiterate the stone lot & block number he preciously bought is no more. We have to accept the stone the supplier has. 

  Response: On the day first install day, their was a cut for everything in the kitchen except the cooktop area. I was told once the new slab arrived, the cooktop area would need to be cut from it, the 3rd slab. Are you saying their is no more of the 3rd stone?

  Since i'm not an expert on the quartz, I reached out to the suppliers for understanding. I was told 2 slabs were purchased from lot 189 which were used for the kitchen sink area and coffee bar area, I verified these numbers on the stones. Lot 187 was used for the cooktop area and **************, this to was verified. If the cooktop area is replaced with another lot, that means I would have a total of 3 different lots of stones. Would that be noticeable in my kitchen? Or would it be better to stick with 2 lots and replace the cooktop and kitchen island area with same slab material? Just asking up front so their want be any confusion. Also, can you verify if new slab is bright white or dark white? I'm not sure how different things will be. See attached picture.

  Please note, I have paid thousands of dollars to have my kitchen cabinets painted and to have a new backsplash installed. Can Salinas guarantee that my new work want get damage? Please, I do not want paint ripped off cabinets due to not being careful in removing caulk and the stone. 

  In the text I received from owner yesterday, she stated that I'm having her replace the counter for 1 inch. Just to clarify, counter is being replace because cut was 1.75 inches off. What was left for me was 1.5 inches in the front of cooktop and 6 inches in the back. My newly installed backsplash covered 1/4 of the inch which left 5 3/4 inches in the back. 

  I'm not sure if fabricator is going to cut out cooktop at my residence again but I expect 3 1/4 inches in front of cooktop and 4 inches in the back after the install is complete. That means the cutout need to start at 4 1/4 inches from the front and be 19 inches deep so that cook top can be in line with the sides. The current cutout started at 2 1/2 inches. 

  Salinas Granite: I need a response from Mr. ***** this will conclude all complaints and issues with Salinas Granite.  We will return only one time to rectify this one issue only. 

  Response: I understand the firmness but if the work is done nicely, you will not hear from me. I do not want a rushed job! I would like a good slab replacement with straight and smooth lines etc. Also, not sure if seam can be touched up on kitchen sink area anymore but that would be great.

  Salinas Granite: Finally, if ONE condescending word is spoken to me, my employees, or about our company we will exit the home again.

  Response: Owner has not never heard me raised my voice to her or her employees. ***** has not been any slandering about company, just facts about the job completed in trying to figure out a solution. I do not entertain low vibrational energy. To be on safe side, I will see if I can have my neighborhood security to be present on the install date once above is confirmed. 

  Lastly It would be nice if owner would refund me $175 paid to other fabricator to try rectifying the slab issue plus an apology for the confusion. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

  

  Business response

  09/27/2024

  1.  Mr. ***** will need to come to our shop and look at the slab of Valiant Mayflower and approve it is acceptable for cutting and installing in his kitchen. Salinas Granite will not cut the stone until Mr. ***** visually approves.

  2. We won't address any other issues other than the one at hand as we have a sign off sheet initialed by Mr. ***** that there were no areas of concern, and he already approved the work.

  3. We won't reimburse any charges for work done by others. 

  4. We do not feel a kitchen countertop install calls for security measures, but Mr. ***** may do as he wishes.

  5. There absolutely WON'T be an apology given. We feel we have nothing to apologize for.

  Customer response

  10/03/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Salinas Granite: Mr. ***** will need to come to our shop and look at the slab of Valiant Mayflower and approve it is acceptable for cutting and installing in his kitchen. Salinas Granite will not cut the stone until Mr. ***** visually approves.

  Response: I stop by the business location in ***** and saw the stone that will be used for the replacement of the counter-top. I took a cut-out piece of stone left by Salinas Granite at my home and compared it to the new stone and couldn't tell too much of a difference so stone color looks good and I approve.

  Salinas Granite: We won't address any other issues other than the one at hand as we have a sign off sheet initialed by Mr. ***** that there were no areas of concern, and he already approved the work.

  Response: Okay

  Salinas Granite: We won't reimburse any charges for work done by others. 

  Response: I trust care will be taken in removing and re-installing stone. Request extra care be taken in removing all stone from cabinets and walls to protect investment.

  Salinas Granite:  We do not feel a kitchen countertop install calls for security measures, but Mr. ***** may do as he wishes.

  Response: Okay

  Salinas Granite: There absolutely WON'T be an apology given. We feel we have nothing to apologize for.

  Response: Okay
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩