Response from Lifestyle Group Residential Remodeling
This member is neglecting to share the entirety of what we did for her. We redesigned a complex island using part of the cabinets she had and another part with new cabinets. We also priced several other renovations within the kitchen. What we did NOT do was redraw all of the existing perimeter cabinets that were staying in place. We would politely share with anyone reading this what we share with everyone at the home... there is no value in spending many hours redrawing what you already have in place that is not moving or changing. You see it every day so you can easily visualize it. We will draw anything that changes. In the case of this island, it was changing and we drew it and showed several different views for the homeowner to visualize and understand. In terms of price, this is yet another example of a member not understanding the cost of granite and adding lighting which requires ceiling drywall which in turn requires ceiling painting until that ceiling comes to an end. She unfortunately did not understand that changing her island led to refinishing her floors (and therefore she didn't understand the costs associated with that). We offered our very best service to this member. We didn't late to arrive at the appointment. We didn't rush a visit... conversely, we distinctly remember being at her home for a very lengthy period of time trying to explain all the scenarios to her. We then met with her at our office and walked her through all of the options and the pricing associated with the work she requested. In the end, she wasn't happy and we are very sorry for that. We would politely ask that you take a moment and view this situation from our side as a remodeler. Someone buys a special offer for us to come to the house. We have never met them and know nothing about their project, so we go in not knowing what we will see. When we are there we help every member to the best of our ability. In many cases, we know it will never turn into a project for us from the moment we leave their home for the first time, but we still try to help. We complete the design for the changes they are requesting. We price the various elements they ask us to help them with. And, we take another hour at our office and review it all. We do this 400-500 times a year and we are fortunate enough to sell many projects. We never know which ones we will sell, so we try our best with every single one. Occasionally, we hear the complaint about our price being too high. I know most contractors hear this, but our response is generally, "Our price is too high compared to what? Compared to what you hoped it would cost? Compared to what you thought it should cost? Or compared to a work out of his truck contractor using subcontractor labor that will only see your project through until he isn't getting paid anymore, at which point he disappears?" We have sold almost 3,000 projects in 15 years. And, we are "A-rated" with Super Service Provider Awards every year since 1999. Are there that many suckers out there just paying us way too much money and then turning around a complimenting our efforts on Angie's List after the fact? Would we have survived in this business for 15 years (especially through the downturn) if we weren't competitive? We definitely don't think so and we believe if you talk to us yourself, you will find the same thing to be true that most of our clients find. We are polite. We are helpful. We are knowledgeable. And, we would be a great partner for your project if choosing the right partner is an important piece of the process for you. If it is solely about price, we will still be kind and competitive, but we may not be the cheapest. We will, however, be the best partner we can be at the most competitive price we can offer... and this has worked out quite well for many, many families over the last 15 years. Thank you for taking the time to read this response.