Learned my lesson, $500.00 later.
Long story short, I was in the process of having my kitchen redone and of course contacted a few companies to obtain some quotes. After having some numbers already in mind, we came across Interior Nation and decided to see if we could have a better deal, as the prices advertised in a a local classified seemed quite good. Initial quote presented by Sapna was quite lower than other companies, and after some discussion it became clear it was not as complete as the other companies, so Sapna asked for a few more details so that she could provide a more detailed quote with the finishes we wanted. That revised amount turned out still being at least 20% lower than a competitor, but nothing was given to us in writing, just a verbal quote. So, after some consideration we decided to proceed with Interior Nation and asked Sapna to come over our place, where she could verify the details and possibly make suggestions.
After her consultation, we paid the $500.00 fee she charges for that visit, and we were asked to wait a few days as she would prepare a more detailed quote.
A week later we went back to the showroom to see the numbers, and to our surprised, the initial quote without ANY changes made was now much higher than the verbal quote. When we inquired why, the answer was that "something was missing n the first quote" and that to get what we wanted (which is what we presented on the first visit - we even had drawings showing the measurements, etc - as we had already visited several kitchen companies beforehand) that would be the actual price. So, while company ABC quoted us a given amount for all work including countertops, etc, Interior Nation quoted us the very same design, including all countertops, etc.. but that amount was revised and found to be missing some important details, only AFTER we had already paid the consultation fee.
Long story short, we paid $500.00 to have someone quote us a higher price than what was presented at the time of the first consultation.
Lesson learned - NEVER agree to pay their fee until you get something in writing. I had to eat a $500.00 loss and decided to proceed with a different company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $8,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hello Andre,
We hope to use the Homestars platform to clear up this matter.
1) We would like to point out that the first quote provided to you was per your measurements and requirement given to us by you. We based our quote on all the information that you provided us. When we discussed in detail we realized you were expecting certain services which you didnt mention at the time of initial quote and we revised our quote to include all those things and provided you final quote. WE VERY CLEARLY MENTION YOU IF YOU LIKE TO GO WITH YOUR INITIAL PLAN WE CAN OFFER YOU SAME COST WHAT WE GAVE YOU IN OUR FIRST MEETING.
2) When you asked us to come to your home for a professional measurement and a design consultation we told you that it has $500 non refundable charge that can be totally adjusted towards your final invoice
3) Once we made the house call we realized that your measurement of island and requirements for kitchen were changed and there were quite a few inconsistencies which led to an obvious increase in the quote. At this point we would like to point out that if your measurements would have stayed the same your quote would not have changed one bit.
4) At this point you told us you wanted your money back as you do not like the price and this is where we reminded you that $500.00 fee was non-refundable. This fee was for the house call, design consultation, and all the time we spent working on your kitchen design. This fee is adjustable towards your quote but at this point after all the design work is done you decide not to pursue the project with us then that fee is non-refundable.
5) Lastly then you told us that as the price quoted was out of your budget and you have decided to put your renovation on hold and we offered to honor this fee for the next full year if you decided to take up this project again.
We cannot be any more clearer on the fact that the $500.00 fee is totally adjustable towards your order and the first quote is always based on the measurements and requirement you provide to us. Please do not hesitate to call us as we still stand behind our offer of honoring the $500.00 fee for a full year if you do decide to do your kitchen.
Deepak Malik