We signed a contract with Moscone Tile on January 15, 2010. While their quote was not the lowest we had received, we opted to sign with them as the timelines (as stated verbally to us) seemed reasonable and the quality of their workmanship appeared to be high. A week and a half after we signed our contract the site measure was conducted. All went well to this point.
From there, everything went down hill. Where the company fails miserably is on both their internal/external communication processes and their customer service commitments.
On February 16th (almost 3 weeks from the date of the site measure) we contacted Moscone Tile to determine if an installation date could be provided to us. We had gone ahead and removed the existing countertops, etc. in anticipation of the countertops being installed. The response to my e-mail was surprising…we were told that their timeframe for installation is 3 – 4 weeks from SITE MEASURE and that I should review my quote and contract. Upon their recommendation, we reviewed the contract and found no mention of an installation date but did find “install 3 weeks from site measure date” on their initial quote (based on this information, an installation date should have been February 17th.). When we pointed this out to our sales rep. he told us that the earliest he could provide an installation date would be Friday, February 19th. On the 18th, we received an e-mail advising us that the installation would be “some time in the first week of March”. This e-mail also contained a correspondence between our sales rep and the fabricating department where our sale rep questioned why we weren’t on the list for an installation the week of Feb 22nd. The response from the fabricating department was that we were responsible for the delay as we questioned something (we had sent an e-mail asking for clarification of the site measure dimensions of our kitchen island). How this was interpreted by them as a change or possible modification is confusing, as we never advised them of such nor did they ask. All we were doing was confirming their measurements so we could cut a piece of wood to use as support under the granite.
After not getting what we felt was a reasonable explanation or timeframe, we opted to visit the showroom to discuss these issues with a manager. After the manager again tried to blame us for the delay (thankfully we maintained a record of our e-mail correspondence), the first and only apology was offered and two solutions presented...1) we could still move forward with the order and have the countertops installed on March 2, with a token cutting board thrown in for our troubles; or 2) get a full refund of our $4000 deposit (our order was $8000). Finding it odd that they would offer a refund, we inquired as to whether the fabrication of the countertops had actually begun and were told that it was “being done the following day”.
We opted for a refund and left with the feeling that Moscone didn’t really value our patronage.
In summary, my recommendation to anyone doing business with this company is 2 things:
1) ensure you get EVERYTHING in writing (on your contract).
2) Make sure you follow up with them regularly
This is a reply to Moscone's Tiles response.
1) Our site measure was conducted January 27th. There is no mention of timeframes on the contract, however our estimate clearly states "install 3 weeks from site measure date". This would take me to Feb 17th.
2) The company's response states that they provided us with an installation date of Feb 22....below is the correspondance from Moscone which clearly details a different install date than stated.
From: Ian Cox <ian>
To:
Sent: Thu, February 18, 2010 3:24:40 PM
Subject: Install
Jim,
Please review the timeline of correspondence with your counter top. Anthony has you scheduled for first week of March install.
Ian
Moscone Tile | Moscone Marble
8830 Jane St., Vaughan ON
L4K 2M9
Just thought I'd clear up things up so there can be no misunderstanding.
T: 905-761-5722 x-303
F: 905-761-5622
