Ceramic Tile and Natural Stone inc

The installation of the bath room corner tops went smoothly and the finished product looked very good. The installation of the two cornertops on the bar also went smoohly. About 3 PM, the installation foreman, Rafael, said that they would have to come back tomorrow because the countertop or sink for the cabinets around the sink was not ready and left with the crew. A short time later, Rafael called and said they would come back and finish the job that day. They returned with the counter top and the sink and four men proceeded to bring the one piece counter top into the house. They were struggling with the weight and awkwardly placed it on the cabinets around the sink. When they laid the countertop down, I heard an audible crackimg sound. The crew acted as if nothing happened and proceeded with the installation. After the installation was complete, my wife and I looked at the counter top and it looked OK. We paid the balance on the contract (a big mistake) and the crew left. The next day under better lighting conditions, we could see that there were four hairline cracks, some of which extended laterally under the surface of the granite, in the counter top around the sink. The type of granite made it difficult to see the cracks at first glance. In addition to the cracks, the joints where the splash guards were joined together were uneven and rough. I stopped by the company office the next week and told the owner, Mr. Torres, that there were some problems. He said someone would come out to see what needed to be done. The worker that came out a few days later did not speak English and only made the problem worse by spreading epoxy over the cracks which failed to seal the cracks and left a hazy film over the flawed area. On Jan. 4, 2012, my wife and I went down to the company office again to discuss the problems with the cracks. Mr.Torres, the owner, said he would give us the option of allowing them to repair the cracks or replace the counter top around the sink but only as two pieces leaving joints or seams which he said would be much more noticeable than the cracks (which we knew would be true based on how their other joints looked). My wife said that was unacceptable as that was not what we paid for and we would seek legal means, if necessary, to get an equitable settlement. Mr. Torres became extremely angry and rude. We reluctantly decided to give them another opportunity to fix the cracks. It was agreed that Rafael would come out the next day at 1 PM to see what needed to be done but he did not show. He called the following day and we set a new appointment for Monday, Jan. 9 at 1 PM. He failed to show again but called at 1:40 PM and reset the appointment for 1 PM on Jan.10. He kept that appointment and looked at the cracks, took pictures and said he would bring out the crew and they would spend a day making the necessary repairs. Two weeks passed and nothing from Ceramic Tile & Natural Stone so I went by the office and Torres said he would send someone out the following week. A few days later, Torres and three helpers came out and worked on the problems for about 30 minutes smearing epoxy around and polishing the counter top. The next day, the counter top looked worse than before as the smeared area was greater and the cracks were more visible. On Feb. 28, 2012, before leaving town on a two week trip, I mailed a letter to Mr. Torres saying we were still dissatisfied with the counter top around our kitchen sink and would insist on replacement in one piece (no seams, joints, or cracks) if not repaired to our satisfaction. When we returned home on March12, we had had no communication (voice mail or cell phone call) from Torres. On March 15, I sent a FAX and included a copy of my letter of Feb. 28. No response! On March 19, my wife and I went down to the office again and told Torres we wanted the counter top replaced. Torres said he would replace it but only in two pieces with seams around the sink.. When we said that was unacceptable, he said, ' See you in court." At the writing of this review, we are using all available legal means to get an equitable settlement of this problem and to attempt to insure that others are aware of the unfair and unprofessional business practices of Mr. Marcos Torres and Ceramic Tile and Natural Stone Inc. of Las Cruces, NM. .