SCOTT CASSIN'S CUSTOM COUNTERTOPS

We selected Scott from reports here on Angies List and visited Scott's showroom. We were concerned about the distance our home was from his shop but each time he reassured us that it was not a problem at all. He spent a lot of time with us explaining different surface choices and we picked a material called Livingstone. We also picked out faucets and sinks that are included in Scott's pricing. One reason we hired Scott is that everything was included, sinks, faucets and all plumbing done by his plumber. This way we did not have to hire a plumber to do any work for us. Scott came to our home and measured the countertops and we set a date that we needed to have this done. Four days prior to the installation Scott emailed me and said the balance of our payment would be charged to our credit card. I emailed him back asking why because I thought and according to his contract that the balance was due on completion. He told us that was his policy. I was not happy about that. Installation was on February 28th and everything went smoothly except that Scott's plumber was on vacation so Scott said he'd do the plumbing which before hand he told us he hated to do. The install went smoothly. Well, two days later, we had a leak under our sink and I called Scott. He assured us that this would be taken care of. I then received an email asking me to hire a local plumber and that he would reimburse us for the charge. He said that I was out of his geographical area and it would be hard for him to get back here and he proposed that if I hired a local plumber he would credit us. I was not in agreement with this and thought he should complete the job. In his email he stated he would not come back and would credit the cost of the plumbing leaving us no choice. This went from a great experience to one that we would never have expected, after all, in this economy customer service is of the utmost importance. We are now not happy and will not recommend his company. This is a response to Scott Cassin?s Custom Countertops: March 17, 2011 Scott asks ?What actually is the problem?? In his response he admits he wanted me to simply take the chance to hire another plumber. Why should I be responsible for taking a chance and Scott not finish his job to the customers satisfaction? When deciding to hire someone to do home improvements it is about having expectations of having it done right, and if something goes wrong that they would correct it without a hassle. Would you every hire a contractor to build a house for you and have him tell you ?if something goes wrong I?ll have you hire someone to fix it and then I?ll reimburse you?, I don?t think so. I believe you hire someone who stands behind their product and corrects mistakes if they are made. We did not expect or ask Scott to come here on the weekend as in our phone conversation he told me his plumber was getting back and wouldn?t be available till early in the next week. He told me it might be Monday or Tuesday. That was fine with us but after I responded to Scott?s email asking if it was agreeable that I hire a local plumber, which I didn?t agree to, did Scott email me and told me he would not return to fix the problem and he wanted to be rid of the situation. He then charged back to my credit card the cost of the plumbing labor before I agreed with that solution. As far as agreeing to the final payment before the job was done, what could I have expected if I said no? I had no choice as Scott had more than 50% payment, I was already invested without anything tangible from Scott. What if I told Scott that I would not pay until the job was completed? I don?t think it is to much to expect a company to deliver on their promises.

Scott was on time from start to finish.Soon I hope my bathroom tops will be on his list.

The job involved replacing formica countertops and cast iron sink that were originally included as part of an 18 year old black and white custom kitchen re-design and installation effort. I found Mr. Cassin's firm on Angie's List and followed up by checking out his informative and educational website. Scott's specialty is the design, building and installation of custom laminate countertops....which many people find as attractive and functional as more expensive materials and significantly more cost effective. I sent Mr. Cassin photographs of our kitchen and visited his Tariffville, CT showroom. Scott showed us updated countertop and sink options and several color and design combinations he felt would work well with our kitchen. We selected a textured Wilsonart countertop with decorative black Corian edge, white quartz undermount sink and combination sprayer faucet unit. Materials and colors were selected, Scott came to measure, I made a deposit and scheduled an installation/delivery date of 1 month later. Several days before the installation, the date was confirmed; work was started and completed in one day, as originally scheduled. Scott's attention to detail, eye for utility and familiarity with styles of kitchens and materials he works with are superb. [As a follow-up, in December, 2009 we noticed that the black corian edging was coming loose in one area. Scott returned promptly, removed all countertops and edging, re-attached all edging with stronger adhesive and reinstalled them.] The materials we selected are excellent and Scott's workmanship is superb. I would highly recommend him to all people in the market for countertops.

Scott Cassin is a very dedicated and meticulous craftsman. He politely answered my questions after I looked at his website and made suggestions about the details of the job. He is a specialist in laminate countertop and knows every detail about their manufacture. He is very detail-oriented and careful, and he really cares about his work. And it shows. It also makes him very easy to deal with. He returns calls promptly, and is happy to answer all questions, no matter how trivial. (In fact, he just seems to enjoy talking about countertops!) He showed up exactly when he said he would for the measurements and the installation. In terms of the countertops themselves, the installation went flawlessly. All the suggestions Scott made about the details were right on the money, and none of them cost extra. The finished product is beautiful, even more attractive than I had envisioned. At this level of quality, there's no need for Corian or granite. You just need Scott!