Upstairs Downstairs

It was a frustrating and disappointing interaction. Undoubtedly, Upstairs/Downstairs has a beautiful excellent selection of tile, but vendor is not transparent about the pricing on selections like many other shops. We spent considerable time consulting with Diane at the shop regarding tile selection. When we left the store, Diane informed us that costs would be $3-5K for our 5'by 8' bathroom, that she would reconfirm the prices and provide us with a design sketch within a week. At the time, we thought it was odd that having given our dimensions that she couldn't provide an accurate estimate. . Three weeks later, and after much chasing down for the information, we received a revised price quote of $10K+ with an less expensive (not as nice) alternative for $5K, and no sketch. Additionally, while price quote detailed the selection, it also identified almost $900 in shipping and handling fees - shipping only to the store, not our home. Our contractor had also called several times to follow up and told us that the shop was unresponsive to their inquiries and keep delaying on delivering the sketch and pricing to the contractor, causing us a delay in scheduling the start of the remodeling effort. Also, Diane had asked us to stop by on a Saturday to confirm our selection. When we got there, we (and about 5 other folks who also were stopping by on a sunny Saturday afternoon) were met with a sign and quot;sorry. gone fishin;and quot; Cute, but obviously we weren't the priority that day. Frustrating because we had cancelled plans to make sure we got to the shop in time to discuss the selection. Overall, it was a very frustrating experience for us. So much so that we cancelled the tile job with upstairs/downstairs and went with another shop in Nashua (Tile Gallery of Nashua - excellent shop, better pricing, and responsive/accountable for doing what they said they would do. We had used Upstairs/Downstairs for our kitchen remodel. Overall, we were pleased with the effort. We did have one issue with the pricing - $300+ shipping and handling fee - seemed expensive considering tile was not shipped to our home, but to the store and we had pick it up and load it into the care. Again, lack of clarity of pricing is a consistent issue. We are thinking that the size of the project made us less of a priority. Diane is quite knowledgeable on tile, but on smaller projects, perhaps she is less attentive and accountable. (Say what you are doing to do and then do it)

The consultant who was there was dismissive of my budget from the get go and didn't really make much of an effort to help me. He went to other people who clearly had more attractive budgets. I was left to pick out my own choices and didn't really folllow up with thme because of that. I had a much better experience at the nearby Forever Tile in West Concord.

From beginning to end this was a very pleasant experience. Picking out tile is never an easy project, especially when you are trying to match existing counter tops and cabinets. From the sales staff/owners to the tile installer this company was definitely top-shelf. They could not have been more helpful or professional. There was a minor glitch with one of the decorative tiles. I called and the installer was there the very next day. The issue was resolved to my complete satisfaction. The owner called me a day later to make sure the job was completed per my standards. When I assured him it was, he and quot; askedand quot; if he could submit the charge to my credit card. Amazing service!!