State Certified Contractors

Three months later, he has full payment and we have no kitchen!!!!!!!! On 10/15/11 we paid $12,500 by check to the owner, Gregor "Itzick" Kohn, & signed a contract where the terms of the contract state 50% deposit, 25% at halfway, 25% due upon completion of work. We were told that the project would take 2.5 to 3weeks to complete, but he deliberately did not write that in the contract. On 12/20/11 I received an email from the company stating that my cabinets were almost complete and would I like to pay my balance in full for a discount before the work at the house was even started. I declined the offer. We then got an invoice for $3000 for permit costs. I called my city and was told that a price had not yet been put on the job and that it most likely would be closer to $500. When I relayed this to Itzick, he said that the invoice was sent to us in error. Eventually the actual permit costs totalled around $300! Not $3000! The work did not begin until January 10th 2012 due to them not applying for the permits until a month after we had paid them!. Once begun, the work was slow and intermittent with no communication as to who was coming and when. On many days, no worker showed up. They came with no drawings, plans or measurements and would ask me what they were supposed to be doing, and where things were going.e.g the island. On 02/20/12 we were pressured to pay the balance in full or else our cabinets would not be delivered. Reluctanly, we paid, but, only some of the cabinets were delivered. We still have no doors or hardware, and we are missing some panels, drawers and shelves. On 02/24/12 Itzick threatened that if we complained to the BBB, he would "MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE A KITCHEN FOR 9 MONTHS!" On 3/1/12 we received an e-mail from State Certified Contractors, in error, that was meant for their internal staff stating specifically what happedned to our wood..." we didn't have the funds for material in the shop, so we took the panels made for X and had it painted for Y". On 3/5/12 we went to the office of State Certified Contractors in an attempt to have a live meeting with Gregor Itzick Kohn. He stated that he was busy and had us meet with Robert, the kitchen designer, who is an employee of State Certified Contractors. Robert told us that the granite would be installed on Thursday 3/8/12. To this day that still has not occurred. I emailed both Itzick and Rob asking when granite will be installed, and Itzick stated that he will meet with the granite fabricator and ?pin him down?. I asked when that meeting will happen. He did not respond. Rob did not respond at all to voicemails, text messages or emails. On 3/9/12 we contacted the granite fabricator directly and he said that he could not elaborate, but that our granite will not be ready anytime soon. Not on the 3/9/12 as promised by State Certified Contractors and not even by Monday 3/12/12. We are now at 3 months into a project that was stated will take 3 weeks!! I now have paid $29,250, and our kitchen is still nowhere near complete. On 3/19/12, upon receiving my complaint from the BBB Gregor Itzick Kohn called me and again threatened me by saying that my complaint to the BBB "does not promote faster work" to complete my kitchen. He then said that if I do not take back my complaint from the BBB he will not deliver and install my granite. I told him I would be more than happy to resolve my complaint to the BBB as soon as he finishes my kitchen, which has been paid for in full since Feb 20th. He then clearly stated that he had planned on my granite being installed the week of 3/19, but since I filed my complaint to the BBB he will not install the granite. He said that until I contact the BBB and take back my complaint, he will not deliver or install my granite. He then proceeded to hang up on me. On 3/1212 I received an e-mail, supposedly from Sal Mirabella, the president of State Certified Contractors who we had never heard from before or after. Salvatore Mirabella is the General Contractor's name on the company's state license. This email was sent from Itzick's e-mail account that stated "they will catch up and complete my kitchen project in 14-28 working days". This would place a completion date of March 30- April 19th. State Certified Contractors does not meet any timelines that they provide. On 3/19/12, upon receiving my complaint from the BBB,Itzick called me and said that my complaint to the BBB does not promote faster work; and that if I do not call BBB and take back my complaint, he will not deliver and install my granite countertops. I told him that I would be more than happy to resolve my complaint to the BBB as soon as he finishes my kitchen, which has been paid for in full since 2/20/12. There has been no futher work done on our kitchen since 03/19/12. We are still missing cabinet doors, shelves, drawers, granite, island panels, a closet door, all of the hardware, sink, faucet, dishwasher, hood and stovetop to be installed, our backsplash to be installed, the remaining electrical and plumbing work, and the calking and painting to be finished. Attempts to communicate or negotiate with Mr. Kohn only get a response of ?you know what I told you on the phone? ?you know what you have to do?. We are now at 3 months into a project that was stated will take 2.5 to 3 weeks! We have been given multiple timelines that have not been met. We paid a total of $29,250, and our kitchen is still nowhere near complete. DON'T LET ANYONE USE THIS COMPANY OR GREGOR ITZICK KOHN, as he has done this repeatedly in the past and changed the name of the company (per Ripoff.com)

They took the complete payment and left us stranded without a kitchen. They removed the old kitchen and put a few cabinets up without doors or veneer on the walls and nothing else. No cabinet doors, no countertops, no backsplash tiles, no plumbing, nothing. Kitchen was supposed to be complete on Feb 16, 2012 (eight days after demolition of old kitchen). We cannot get them to complete the job. They lie and lie, or they don't pick the phone, or they hang up on us. They do not respond. We now don't have a kitchen. I can send photos and proof of everything noted in my complaint.

my wife and i hired sal and his team back in dec to completely gut/remodel two bathrooms and our kitchenwe had several estimates of varying prices and decided to go with state certified because we liked what we saw in the photos of their past workalso they were the only company to continually followup with us after the estimate. all other companies we had to chase them just to get the estimate the good communication continued pretty much throughout the entire job. the permit process was very long, but i think that is normal when dealing with the government. the girl in the office was always there to answer our calls and questions. in the end, we have two new bathrooms and gorgeous kitchen. they look very high end for the price. like something you might find in a very nice hotel in vegas. very pleased. we will use them again in the future when the need arises.

I called them in October and Itzick came out on November 2 and he was a very nice man. He came out for what I thought was an estimate. However, I found out every time that I call the office that I have a contract. When Itzick came out he told me what everything would cost. I assumed everything was an estimate and it turned out to be a contract and he was telling me the price of what I was going to be paying. He first gave me a price of $2760 and that included a new 30 inch vanity, half drawers, and half door. Then he was going to install new shower doors. First he was going to install a frosted door but then I advised I wanted a clear shower door. They hadn't even seen the tiles I was picking out, but they were going to do a half a wall of matching floor tiles and side walls. All of the listed items was going to cost $2760. My door hinges going into the apartment were discolored and they advised they would do that of no charge. I ended up cleaning that myself and they didn't need to paint them afterall. Then I was going to have a fan installed into each bathroom ceiling to take out the moisture in there. He was going to put the switch and all that stuff and it was going to cost $525 for each fan. Some time ago we had a new shower put in a bathroom and the mirror in that bathroom is set very low and they said they would raise the mirror for me and raise it 4 inches and that would cost $275. They were also going to put the vanity top over the toilet which was $525. Everything then came to $4,085 which included everything that I've mentioned thus far. Because of the reason I wanted a clear shower door as opposed to the frosted shower door the price jumped up to $4,185. Now mind you I thought all of this was an estimate but it was actually, according to them, a contract. Later in November a second guy came out and his name was Robert and he said he does the cabinets and he came out with some samples. I asked Robert, how did Itzick know how much everything would cost? Robert told me that Itzick has experience giving prices out and that's how he knew what to quote. I was advised that I would have to pay a deposit of $2,092.50 which would be half of the full price I was quoted, $4,185 and I was told that when Robert came on November 15, 2011. After I paid the deposit I called them and I wanted to cancel it because I thought this was just too much for me to do and they said I had already signed the contract and keep in mind I thought it was an estimate the entire time, not a contract. The approximate start date was November 29, 2011. I called on November 30 and spoke with Stephanie and I told her that I wanted the installation done in January because I was going to be going to Maryland for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they set it up January 16, 2012. I called Stephanie to confirm that installation date of January 16 and they confirmed that. They still don't know what kind of tile I was using nor the granite. I am wondering how they can come out and do the work and have stuff match the tile when they haven't even see the tile I am using. Stephanie kept telling me I had a contract and I thought it was an estimate. I signed what I thought was the estimate of the work to be performed. There were two charges on the final statement that I'm unclear of and the total bill came to be $4,603.60. When I called on Friday January 6, 2012 she said Robert would show up on January 9, 2012 between 11-11:30 a.m. I called the office today, January 9, and Robin said she'd call me right back and about 20 minutes later Robert then called me. He complained that I didn't have caller ID and he said that he called me this morning. I was on the phone at some point in the morning so he may have called, but never tried calling back. He said I could come to their show room to see more samples if I wanted. I don't have any time just to drive there and I have numerous medical appointments and the only time to do any of this with State Contractors was today. I shouldn't have to drive all the way down there, especially since the installation is supposed to be done one week from today. My biggest issue is that nowhere on any of the paperwork that has been provided with the price break down does it say anything about it being a contract. I was always under the impression it was an estimate.