DORMAN LIGHTING & DESIGN

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My only disappointment is that the showroom does not always feature the kind of lighting I am looking for, although the website is extensive. Because of this, if the selection you make from the website has to be returned, there is a re-stocking fee. I understand this is a standard practice; however, it makes the selection process for the customer a little more deliberate--and delayed--because you do not want to have to return anything! I am very satisfied with all of the products I have purchased so far.

I walked into their store on York road wanting some information about light fixtures. The lady at the desk hesitated when I asked her for help, as if I was from another planet. There were no customers in the store, and still she didn't know if anyone could help me. Then she asked the owner, Rand Dorman, who was sitting there, if he could help me, and he also hesitated. Finally, he got up from his desk, answered a couple of my questions, but clearly had no interest in courting me as a customer. I was ready to spend $10-20K on lighting fixtures for my new home, and I have no idea why this store has such a bad attitude towards its customers. This honestly has never happened to me before. So, for this job, I will either order fixtures online or go to another retailer even if it means driving outside of Baltimore.

When two of the fans did not work, even though they could not accept them back for full credit because they had been installed, they refunded us all of the profit. They were extremely helpful and professional, and really cared about making the customer happy.

unknown

Lots of selection in the store but nothing that I fell in love with. Did not use this store but they do have attentive staff and a lot of selection. Prices seemed a bit high but it was still worth checking out.

Ally, their sales representative, was extremely pleasant and helpful; nothing was too much trouble! I was trying to decide between two styles (the side lamps and lamp post lights were a set for each of my two choices) when I initially visited Dorman's. Ally printed me "tear sheets" for each set so that I had all of the details, including dimensions. I was having electrical work done in my home the following week -- and the electrician compared the tear sheets and guided me to a very satisfactory choice. I placed my order at Dorman's and they notified me when the merchandise came in -- I picked everything up last Friday, July 26th. Again, the Dorman's personnel carried everything to my car and made sure it was safely and carefully loaded. And . . . I used the Angie's List coupon to lower the cost of my purchase! Dorman's is a beautiful store, with many wonderful choices; and I look forward to working with them again for additional lighting needs as I proceed with the renovation of my home.

We were recommended by our electrician to look for fixtures we needed regarding updating our kitchen. We walked into the store and there were 3 people sitting behind the counter and all 3 were busy doing work either on their computers or on their desk. No one looked up to ask if we needed help. When we asked for help regarding the lighting we are looking for, one of the people, she said she was the manager, stated they had thousands of items in their catalogs and asked if we had looked online at their site because there were many there. Meanwhile, the whole reason for our visit was to be able to see the products in person. She then pointed to the front of the store not bothering to get up and said some of the fixtures were there. When we came back to the front counter she mentioned that there were more at the front, above the counter, with the comment that these were very expensive. We asked her about other lighting, i.e. recessed, that we are also interested in. We think she finally got the picture that we were annoyed because she did finally get up and walked with us to answer a question regarding the price of one of the pendant fixtures we had seen and liked. She never bothered to make suggestions or recommendations and we had the feeling we were interrupting whatever it was she was doing. We feel that we received very poor customer service and that this is a great example of "sales prevention". We will certainly never purchase anything from Dorman Lighting.

See services performed.

We bought three ceiling fans from Dorman. Their selection was good, and since we had low ceilings, we needed low-profile fans. Sales staff was very helpful working with us to find the right ones. Our only gripe was that when we got them home and installed (by an electrician), one of the parts (the remote control switch for one fan) didn't work. That is a flaw of the fan company and not Dorman, but it was still a hassle. Dorman was understanding and swapped out the broken part for us without a hassle.

Please read above; that is the story.

After settling into our new house, we eventually needed to have pendant lights and ceiling fans installed. After doing extensive research online, I wanted to do some local shopping so I could see the fixtures before purchasing. Dorman's happened to have the pendant light I was looking for in the showroom and so we went to take a look in-person. Dorman's offers price matching, internet pricing included, and so we inquired about their installation services. The price for installation seemed reasonable, but we were still researching ceiling fans. We came back a week later and showed them the style we were interested in - After some searching through their various catalogs, we found a Minka Aire fan that met our price point and style needs. Since we were purchasing all five fixtures, they gave us an additional discount - Really, the price could not be beat! A few weeks later the order came in and after some initial back and forth, were able to set an installation date. A two man crew came to install the lights and fans; they were very nice and professional. The pendants were up quickly, but the fans proved to be a bit problematic. One of the switches malfunctioned and the crew was having a hard time getting the other switches to work properly (they were light / fan combos and the original rough-in was for the light and fan to be on separate toggles). Eventually the crew lead called their management and told me that they needed to order a replacement switch and have someone with more experience come to finish the job. Although not fully functional, they did leave the fans in working order. I got a call in the next day or two from the installation coordinator to let me know they had placed the order for the replacement switch and they would have someone out to finalize the job as soon as the order came in. About 2 weeks later the new switch came in and Jeffrey Rush from Rush Electric came with the crew. They were able to get all of the fans fully functional very quickly. I'm very pleased with my Dorman's experience and am happy that I was able to support a local company while also saving money. They sell quality products and will work with you to find the right item for you. The installation team was great and they weren't willing to leave the job half finished. They do quality work and I would definitely use them again.

This company went out of its way to make sure I was satisfied with the products they sell and the services they provide. Some creative thinking and skill made me a very happy customer!