CasaLinda Designs

Casa Linda was a complete disaster. We were using some existing cabinetry for our kitchen renovation. Casa Linda is one of the few local vendors to carry the brand so we hired them for our project. Our kitchen renovation was only a small part of a major interior/exterior gut renovation of our home. Kim presented herself as the driving force of the company in initial meetings but soon became almost completely unavailable. She was never ?in? when I called and all messages I left were returned by her assistant, Joe. Customer service was extremely lacking and our apparently minor renovation project (as our $20,000 project was clearly treated) seemed unworthy of Kim?s time. Here is an excerpt from one of many unprofessional emails we received after expressing our frustration with Casa Linda?s performance. This was sent to my husband after Kim and Casa Linda stopped responding to my calls and emails. ?We actually discussed amongst each other that as pleasant and attractive as S------- is, it was surprising that she would be upset on this occasion, when she was consistently so difficult to reach.? I have complete records of repeated calls I made to Casa Linda that went unanswered. When my emails were answered, replies were often defensive and rude. One morning, I tried calling Casa Linda from my home 4 times in one hour. After getting nothing but a recorded message I asked my husband to call from an unknown number at his office. Amazingly, Casa Linda answered on the first ring. Although I have more complaints about Casa Linda than I have time to write, my biggest issue was that we ended up with 8 inches of extra cabinetry with no wall to attach it to. This was because Kim and her team only took one measurement in our home - before a wall in our kitchen was moved more than 4 feet out to create the new kitchen space. Kim simply went off the initial architect plans and ordered $20,000 of cabinetry based on the drawings. They never came back to measure after the wall was moved. And SOMEHOW, this was MY fault! I never claimed to have any experience or knowledge in renovating or architecture. She also unsuccessfully tried to blame my architect and contractor but clearly the blame was on Casa Linda. As my architect said, taking site measurements after construction is ?kitchen design 101.? Following is a typical email exchange I had with Kim at Casa Linda. My initial email: Good morning, I spoke to my contractor and he said some of the moldings have been preserved but it is hard for him to measure how much. Do you think it makes sense to order an amount close to the actual measurements knowing we do have some extra? I'll do whatever you think is best so we can get the order placed. My cell service is very spotty here so if you need to talk I can be reached at 207-636----- Thanks, A related email I sent after the installation began was the following: Also another issue has come up as we continue the installation. As you can see on our plan, on the refrigerator wall there is a continuous stretch of crown/facia for 10'. We only have 8' pieces of this material. This will create an unnecessary seam which I'm sure you will agree is not desirable. Therefore, we need to discuss ordering a 10' piece of crown and facia. And as a result, we will have 2 unusable 8' pieces of each (4 total.) We would like to resolve these issues before our meeting on Friday so please call --- or me to discuss Regards, The reply I received was as follows: You gave us permission to do what we think. We Ordered what we normally do. Especially in an instance where you continued to complain about rising costs, I did not think of inquiring about custom cuts and additional charges. You have the moldings to complete the job. If you would like additional longer lengths, you will be required to purchase them. I doubt your installer installs as many kitchens a year as we sell. EVERY installer has opinions and preferences for materials and methods for installation .All of our information was provided with plenty of time for changes. If I had to buy more material and replace cabinetry AFTER the order was delivered based on each person?s opinion, I would be out of business. I have attached just a few examples of cabinetry installed with 8? lengths in homes over 2.5 million. Installed properly, it?s seamless (unless of course if your installer brings it to your attention). If you want the pieces ordered , we would be happy to do so. Sincerely, Kim Amann-Ransom Clearly, my home being valued at less than the mentioned $2.5 million was not worthy of proper installation. This concept was clearly reminded to me throughout the duration of the construction. I have numerous email exchanges that similarly reflect Kim?s unprofessionalism and worse, incompetence, in the area of kitchen renovation. I would not use or recommend her services in any capacity whatsoever.