BUILDERS SOUTH SURPLUS

I would avoid Builder's Surplus off Atlanta Road in Smyrna if you're looking for kitchen cabinets... you may think you're getting a great deal but it's not worth the mishaps down the road. Our initial experience with the designer was good and they were very flexible and patient as we designed our kitchen cabinet design. They also do this service for free. The problems began when we actually received our cabinets. Every single door of the $5,000.00 order and just about every drawer looked awful with cracks and bumps or dips. Some were to be expected in purchasing unfinished wood, but most were very noticeable. In the showroom their unfinished cabinets look perfectly fine and the designer said they were a good choice for our budget at the time of our purchase. When we went to return the doors and ask for replacements, multiple people said that we had purchased bottom of the line cabinets (which if we had known that up front we wouldn't have purchased them). They replaced the doors and drawers in maple instead of poplar because they said it was better quality which we appreciated, but instead of the replacements coming back in 1 week it took them three. When our installer came to install the cabinet boxes (so we could finally order countertops) he went to put in the cabinets and they didn't fit. The designer had put in the wrong measurements, so we then had to redesign the kitchen cabinets and reorder the replacement cabinets, return the ones that we now didn't need, and figure out the difference in cost. When we finally thought we were done with dealing with Builder's Surplus, we went to hang the replaced doors and drawers after we were finally able to have everything painted and figured out we didn't receive back what we had given them. We had extra doors that didn't match anything and were missing four pieces. We had already paid a painter to come a paint all the doors, so then I had to go back and ask for the correct doors and drawers and will have to pay a painter again to paint them. I asked that the 4 pieces be replaced in a two day turn around time so we would have time to sand before having them painted in 5 days and they agreed. The cabinet maker truck was a day late but we finally have the missing pieces. The process with Builder's Surplus has delayed us in having a kitchen by months at this point because our initial order was placed over 2 months ago. We will never buy anything from them again no matter how great the "Deal". Perhaps people have better luck with things that they can purchase directly out of the store where you can better assess quality, but if you have to deal with their cabinet makers off-site, I wouldn't recommend it. The Builder's Surplus staff is very nice, but they need a new cabinet maker; they are simply not reliable and it really reflects poorly on their business and is definitely making them lose our future business, as well as that of any of our friends in the Atlanta area. Whenever we share our story people can't believe all that has happened with these cabinets. The manager there, Matt, has been very helpful throughout the process though, which we are thankful for. My husband and I are not one to mar a business' reputation, but this is something that we would never want to happen to another person.

Overall, my experience the first time I dealt with Builder's Surplus was much better than this recent time. The first time I purchased the flooring (which needs no assembly) and the doors. Everything was ready to go on time, and I feel like I got an exceptionally good deal. I have received so many compliments on these items. However, my most recent experience with this company was awful. We were remodeling the kitchen and dining room, so I went to see about cabinets. I happened to walk in on the right day to find an amazing deal on some beautiful solid wood maple cabinets. Though I had my own plan already, a kitchen planner made a computer design for me to ensure that we were selecting the correct size cabinets. I am quite pleased with how the kitchen turned out. Please note: apparently they have no control over which way the doors open on preassembled cabinetry. My contractor had to rehang more than half the doors and fill the holes. Although I was quite upset when I first realized this, it turned out to be not nearly as big a problem as it seemed at the time, and the filled holes are not really noticeable. I just wish I had been told this ahead of time, as it was an unpleasant and stressful surprise. Also, I had to return a door and two drawers that had scratches on them when we unpacked them. So unless you want to drive all the way back, I would take the time to unpack and check all the cabinetry before leaving the store. Here is the awful part: They also had solid wood unfinished poplar in a style I liked, so I decided to purchase those, as well. Since I had to return a different day to buy the dining room cabinets, a different kitchen designer helped me finalize my plan for the dining room cabinets. Though they carry the poplar already assembled in stock, several of the sizes I needed were special order. I paid for everything and was told that it would take a week to 10 days for the special order items to arrive and that they needed 5 days lead time to assemble all the rest of the cabinets. After a while, I called and was told that everything was ready to go, so I got my contractor to meet me there when they opened. I let the contractor deal with getting the kitchen cabinets loaded and went to attend to the poplar cabinets. Apparently, no one had ever ordered the special order cabinets, so they weren't there. Also, the kitchen designer had not tagged the in-stock poplar cabinets I had purchased as sold, so they were sold to someone else. When I went back to check on the kitchen cabinets, I found out that all the pieces I had paid for were not there. It took another week before the rest of the cabinets came in, during which time no installation could be done in the dining room. They agreed to deliver the cabinets to make up for the situation. I should have measured the cabinets when they dropped them off because one of the special order cabinets was the wrong size - 84" instead of 90". Big problem as the height of all the rest of the cabinets had been determined by this one. I called and was told they'd get back to me. I had my contractor go ahead with the install because we couldn't wait any longer, and he just made a false front for the top to make up the difference. When I finally went down to the store because I couldn't get anyone to return my calls, I spoke with the manager. He said that the reason they hadn't called me back was because I had paid for an 84" cabinet, which is what I got, so they didn't see what the problem was. I told him that I was sorry that they had mixed things up because I wanted a 90" cabinet and thought that's what I was buying. When I explained the delay their mistakes had caused, he offered me $100, which I took. The $100 does not even cover the gas I spent driving back and forth, much less the heartburn caused by all the delays. My entire project was delayed a total of three weeks when all was said and done. So buy from them with confidence if you can take what you're buying the day you buy it. If you have to return to pick up items that must be assembled, check everything before you leave. Also, plan on spending at least 2-3 hours waiting for everything to be found and loaded. Also, stay at the desk to make sure that whoever is helping you get everything is actually working on your ticket and hasn't been sidetracked by some other problem, or you will keep getting bumped down the list of priorities.

This place is great for finding windows and doors. I have to tell you that if you are in the market for those two things, head over to this place. They have a great selection and the prices are really reasonable too. They had just what I needed and I think this place is real great.