California Closets of Pittsburgh

unknown

Not recommended.

The designer arrived at the appointed time & listened to the problem I had with replacing a linen closet I had in my previous house that isn't in this new house. She surveyed the area & determined the closet in the bedroom was vastly under-utilized and could be enhanced to hold the things inside it now + the items from the former linen closet. She measured the closet & then went to her computer to sketch-out a plan. In maybe 20 minutes she devised a storage system to insert inside the closet that would make better use of the area. It seemed feasible. She then presented various options for the shade of the wood, the color of the hanging rods, and the type of drawer handles/knobs; she needed this information to figure the price for the project. Including their cost to take-down the existing shelving, it came to about $3,000.00 I explained that I was going to get two other estimates & would decide the following week. I did get two other proposals - one very similar & another that would build a storage system in a part of the house that had the space for such an item. The proposal that was similar from a different company was several hundred dollars less + the cost of taking down the old shelving did not require an additional charge. I decided this other option was the way to go for this project. As the two designs were so much alike, and both used a 3/4" veneer for the shelves - there was no real reason not to go with the lower price. Since this is going inside a closet, no one will see it anyway besides those of us in the house. California Closets materials may have been a tad slicker, but not enough to make a $750 price difference.Both firms have about a 1-month lead time. If I ever decide I need this type of service in the future, I would not hesitate to contact California Closets again as I have no doubt they would have done a good job.

It looks nice. Quality is fine. They did not install on the original date. They were unprofessional. They did not explain things well. I would never use them again and would highly recommend you look elsewhere for a closet company.

unknown

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I arrived on Thurs. July 17th at their store in Wexford at 4:45pm to find the door locked and the lights out. A sign on the door stated that they were to be open until 5 pm that day. I called the sales rep. when I got home and she offered to come to the store to open it for my materials - I told her that I would not come back until the next morning. When I arrived at the store on Fri. morning, July 18th shortly before 9 am, I asked the receptionist why the store was closed before 5 pm on Thursday: she stated that she had to leave early, but OFFERED NO APOLOGY, or even offered any help to load some of the material into my vehicle. After I paid the remaining cost and finished loading the material, I asked the receptionist about a wine rack for the closet - she said that they did not have one on display but would try to contact their main warehouse if I would like - I told her that I would contact my rep. then I left the store with NO ATTEMPT BY HER TO APOLOGIZE FOR WASTING MY TIME AND EFFORT THE DAY BEFORE WHEN SHE CLOSED THE STORE EARLY. I called the sales rep. when I got the material back home that morning, told her that the receptionist was NOT AT ALL APOLOGETIC FOR HER ACTIONS - the rep. was apologetic and offered to get information about the wine rack. After opening the materials, I found that there were NO INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED - ONLY A DIAGRAM OF THE CLOSET LAY-OUT! I was able to assemble the closet shelves / hang racks by figuring out the diagram dimensions and finding info on-line to properly install the hardware. I called the sales rep. back the next week to tell her that there were no instructions included - she said that she thought that there were supposed to be instructions, BUT SINCE THEY WERE NO LONGER OFFERING D.I.Y. to customers, they must not have included them! She told me about the wine racks that they had, but made no attempt to offer me anything to compensate for the LACK OF INSTRUCTIONS OR POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

unknown

California Closets was not inexpensive, but well worth the price! The entire process was completely hassle-free, and the space looks fantastic. The designer (Alexis) was friendly and professional. She called well-ahead of our appointment to let me know that she might be a few minutes late, but she was actually on time. She spent a couple of hours with me, making certain that she understood exactly what I wanted, reviewing all of the options, and measuring the space, etc. She was obviously experienced, as she knew how things should be laid out right away. Within a couple of days of our meeting, she sent me her design and the pricing. She and I exchanged several e-mails over the next week or so, because I had lots of questions and a few changes that I wanted to make. Alexis was very responsive and more than willing to answer any question. At the same time, there was no pressure at all. Once I made the decision to move forward, an appointment was set for just a couple of weeks in the future. I was told that it would probably take just one day for the installation. There was a confirmation call from the office the day before the scheduled installation. The installers arrived on time (in fact, about five minutes early). I apologize, as I cannot remember their names, but they were both very nice and extremely professional. They even took their shoes off when inside the house, so as not to mess up the floors. This meant that every time they had to go out to the van for more materials, they had to put their shoes on, and then take them off again to go back into the house. But they never even grumbled about it. They finished in about half the time estimated. They made certain that everything was cleaned up afterward. They made sure that I was happy with everything before they left, and answered any questions that I had. They did wonderful work. I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out!

The designer/estimator came when scheduled and was friendly and professional. She sent the initial design promptly and changed it slightly as soon as I asked. The installers came promptly on the first available date, which was three weeks later. They did a professional job. Part of what you pay for with California Closets is the franchised delivery/construction system. This makes the job go more smoothly than it might with another contractor, but it limits your choices in some ways and is probably more expensive. I found a look and color I liked and was willing to pay extra for promptness and professionalism, which I got.

The work was great and the company easy to deal with. The workers knew what they were doing and were very polite and tidy. I did feel that the company was rather expensive for the work done but satisfied to the point that I would have them back.

Smooth process. Took measurements and designed a system based on the clothing we have and the desired look we wanted.

VERY HAPPY WITH EXPERIENCE. I AM GOING TO HIRE AGAIN.