SAMI'S CLASSIC TILE & MARBLE INC

Horribly. We had to have his work redone.

My husband and I purchased tile from Ann Sacks in Los Angeles for our fireplace. After receiving a few estimates from installers / fabricators on the Ann Sacks preferred list, we selected Sami Volchuck / Sami?s Classic Tile for the installation. From the outset everything appeared to be fine. Though Sami was not doing the work himself, his crew arrived as scheduled and on time, and Sam made an appearance daily to oversee the work. I had asked that he follow the manufacturers instructions for the cleaning, sealing, installation, and grouting of the tile and he agreed prior to our beginning the work. Though I was met with some resistance to following precisely those instructions upon his arrival to start the job, he more or less tried to appear to meet my requests. I would not say that I was entirely satisfied with his follow through on the instructions. When it came time to the grout for the tile, I had asked him to use the non-pigmented, flexible, unsanded cementious grout by Laticrete as indicated on the manufacturer?s instructions. I was given a swatch of colors to choose from and made my selection. I was told that that particular swatch was from a different brand but that his team would match it with the appropriate Laticrete product. When they showed me the swatch on the box of the product it looked about right. However, when I saw the contents of the bag prior to them mixing up the grout, I expressed my reservations both to Sami and the crew regarding how blue and dark the color looked (I had chosen a light concrete gray color to match the gray on the tile). I was assured that when mixed, this would be the color I chose. Once they mixed up the color, I again expressed my reservations that the color looked very blue and very dark. I was told that this grout would dry the correct color and they had confidence in the product. Not being a tile professional myself, I did not know what else to do other than to trust them. In the end the grout dried a dark blue color; not the color I had chosen. Understanding that grout is a near impossible thing to redo, I was just thankful the color was not atrocious and somewhat matched the tile. I pointed the error out to Sami, but moved on with very little complaint. After Sami and his crew had left the job site after wrapping up a few loose items and collecting payment, I noticed that the surface of our patio dining table that was adjacent to where they were working on their tile cutter in our backyard had been damaged. The workmen had moved and covered the table in a light plastic, but they had left it in the line of the debris shooting out of the machine from the tile cutting. The discoloration on the table was in the exact spot where any debris would have settled on the table from the machine, in the formation of wet plastic, and there were also handprints in the same color on the bench and sides of the table from perhaps moving the furniture with hands soiled with some chemical, perhaps sealant. I called Sami to inform him of my discovery. Much to my disappointment, Sami immediately got defensive about the situation, raised his voice to where he was yelling at me in a tone in which no one should be spoken. In summary, he said that from the start he had a bad feeling about me (why I do not know), that he was doing me a favor by taking a job less than $10,000, accused me of selecting the dark blue grout color and then changing my story and saying it was not the color I chose when I did not like it (which is not the way it happened with the grout per my account above), that the damage to my outdoor dining table existed before he came on the premises and I was falsifying that this took place while his men were working in my yard, and told me to send him the bill for the table and that he never wanted to hear from me again. I have never been spoken to in such an unprofessional manner. I followed up with an email to Sami with pictures of the damaged table and said I was getting estimates to fix the table per his request. I think having some regret over his highly emotional and unprofessional outburst, Sami sent one of his guys to take a look at the table as a formality the next day and then responded to my email that he would not be accepting responsibility for the damage and that he would not be paying any bill that he previously told me to send him in his outrage. He never mentioned any insurance,which I know as a business owner you typically have for such incidentals. Unfortunately, the same table is no longer available for purchase so it cannot be replaced and I have not been able up until now to find someone who can fix it, even at my husband?s and my own expense. The most upsetting part of this whole ordeal and the reason that prompted me to write this review is the unacceptable way in which Sami Volchuck spoke to me on the phone when I informed him of the damage to my table. I am a very reasonable and calm person who understands that accidents happen and I was reaching out to him as a rational and cordial person to apprise him of the situation and work together on a solution. I was met with an accusatory and nasty response that I did not do anything to deserve. I would hate to see the same thing happen to anyone else with this installer. The integrity of the work was mediocre but the conduct was downright unacceptable.

It was a good experience. Aside from the inevitable dust associated with cutting & installing granite, they were pretty good about cleaning up after themselves. The work was neat & professional.