SHONTERE RESTORATION

Dishonest as they come. They were hired by a moving company to do an estimate. They claimed everything was existing damage to get a kickback from the moving company. This company disgusts me. Am filing a formal claim for defrauding a goverment agency.

Really impressed by the technician skill.

This service was paid for by the moving company. We weren't given a choice in restoration companies, but after having a time getting started, the work we have seen was excellent. A rough start: I was contacted by Shontere, before I even knew that Movebuilder had contracted for a restoration company. Shontere was trying to book an appointment to come evaluate our items. What I didn't know at the time (and no one informed me) until the rep from Shontere arrived, was that they were coming to evaluate all the items on our claim, not just the furniture items to be repaired. So it was a long and winding appointment as the items he needed to evaluate were all over the house, as I didn't know about the real purpose of the appointment. I don't really blame Shontere for this, I blame Movebuilder. But someone should have thought to mention that "hey, we're going to need to lay eyes on everything in your claim." There was a miscommunication between myself and the rep and he noted that I was refusing repairs. I wasn't. I simply wanted some point of reference for the kind and style of work that they perform. I had asked for references. I had to restate this several times, to Movebuilder and in turn to Shontere, and between their schedule and the ever multiplying snow days it took almost two weeks to get photos and letters from recent customers. We then decided to try a few pieces and see how the work was, and that took another two weeks and change to get on the schedule. A better middle: The day of our appointment our service tech was Dale. Dale did excellent work on our modern furniture with it's matte black finish that had been gouged and rubbed raw in 3000+ miles of a badly packed trailer. Then he moved on to our antique drafting table, which was really a test, as I had an heirloom antique bedroom set that was BADLY damaged in the move and each component of it needed major work and I was loathe to let anyone touch it! Dale did an amazing job on each piece he touched, seeing flaws I couldn't and working to perfection on each. Then when he got through with what he came to do, he went back through the entire claim with me, explaining what choices had been made, and what choices we still had. Then with great care and concern went through every bit of damage on the antique bedroom set and explained how he would approach fixing it and why. I was so impressed with his thoughtfulness and quality of work, that I let him take two more pieces that needed to be worked on (in a shop environment) with the promise to return them on the next scheduled visit. The end: Last visit, entailed finishing up a fairly modern armoire of cypress, a older china hutch of pine/oak, the antique bedroom set of mixed woods and the master bed frame. As with the first visit, Dale was professional, detailed and artistic in getting the pieces to a "fixed" and sometimes, where possible, better than 'fixed' state. I have no complaints about the work done and feel there is a good professional rapport with Dale. I inquired about a separate bit of work, to have several other 'antique' pieces restored and he was very informative. When the time comes I will call and inquire about getting those pieces restored as well. The summary: A lot of miscommunication on the part of the Movebuilder/ABF company led to a lot of confusion with Shontere about what we needed and a lot of angst on our part about who was doing what and when. This was not SHONTERE's fault. When all was done, t he work was good, the pieces are beautiful and I don't know about everyone in the shop, but I would hire Dale to work on any furniture in my house again. I was impressed with his knowledge, demeanor, professionalism and behavior in my home while working on items that are SO dear to me. As I said to them, the antiques I have are worth nothing in the dollars and cents world. They are not historically significant, but they mean the world to me, as they are piece of my grandparents past, and someone's story. To have them fixed, by someone who seemed to value the story as I did, was very important. I don't even know if Shontere works outside the realm of moving damage claims, but I would hire Dale to work on my furniture as it needed restoring.

The owner worked with me, the response was highly professional. They fit the work around my schedule, arriving early in the morning. The pieces look great. The owner is very knowledgable and I was completely satisfied.

This company was contracted by the moving company who was resposible for damages to my furiture that occoured in a move from out of state. I'm going to spare myself the time in describing this company's performence.. Rember this "D" .D for performence, D for don't use.. Call the boss if you want to be abused.. doesn't have a clue how to deal with customers...

Disaster.