FURNITURE CRAFTSMAN

Description of Work: Stripped and restored a table

Description of Work: My wife asked them to restore a family dresser that had water damage. The veneer needed to be replaced, the piece needed refinishing, the hardware was not complete and needed pieces added or all replaced and the drawers needed to be worked on as they did not open and close easily. The piece also lacked a back. After having the piece for approximately THREE MONTHS, they returned it yesterday. The top veneer had been replaced but it has defects in it. Another furniture repair company told me today that it appeared that glue had been put into the deformities as a filler. They put the piece in our bedroom. I asked them why they returned it since it had not been restored? It is un-useable as it is because you cannot pull the drawers out easily at all. They told me that they had not been hired to completely restore the piece and that if they were to do that it would cost us $2,000!. They said they had 'looked at over 60 companies' hardware and had not found any matching pieces for drawer pulls or casters.' (They did not bother to even ask if we then preferred to replace the hardware, so they left it where we lacked one drawer pull completely thus making it difficult to open the drawers. He then proceeded to open the bottom drawer and while attempting to do that he broke off a piece of veneer! I commented that i would be ashamed to return a piece unfinished as it is - completely unusable. I brought in another furniture repair company this morning. They explained to me that the piece is lacking completely one 'runner' for the bottom drawer which causes the drawer to pull out sideways and not straight out. The bottom sides of the drawers had worn down over the years. The drawers need sanding - a new runner needs to be installed - antique style new hardware needs to be added, locks need to be taken out, oiled and then put back - keys need to fit the locks - new veneer needs to be put on the top - casters need to be added where the old ones were damaged and not to be duplicated. Their website states: "At Furniture Craftsman we guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with the quality of work you receive every time. We understand the significance and value that special pieces of furniture have to our customers; so you can be sure that any furniture trusted in our hands, will be treated and cared for as if it were our own. " This was not the case at all. They were rude, their explanations were not accurate, it was apparant that they did a half-_ _ _ job. We also had them insert a woven or reed seat in an office chair. They used a kit that comes complete and costs maybe $50 or less to them. They charged us $185 for that. DO - Look for other companies and not this one. - If you insist on using this company, get your estimate in writing, signed in blood. . (Make sure you have enough documentation concerning each and every item you expect.) - Inspect the returned item(s) carefully before you pay them. - Expect to be overcharged. DON'T - Don't believe them by their word or handshake. -Don't hold your breath if you expect any sense of urgency.