THE GREAT INDOORS

We started in March trying to work with the designer and explained that we needed to do things quickly in order to get our house ready for sale. The designer was very nice at the first meeting and we were looking forward to working with her. Unfortunately, the designer was frequently out or unavailable, was very slow in returning calls and/or responding to emails. She also did not call when she said that she would or provide an itemized price lists for the jobs. For example, we were given one overall price for all of the work. Although we immediately requested an itemized estimate in April, we never received an itemized estimate. Additionally, Items that I thought she ordered for us were not ordered as agreed. Furthermore, she seemed unprepared for the meetings that we did have - like she had forgotten what we were seeking to do each time we returned. We finally got tired of waiting for the Great Outdoors to take this job seriously and hired someone else to replace our floors, lighting and cabinets. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend this service.

There was a lot of miscommunication in the beginning about backsplashes, sinks, costs, etc, but we worked it all out pretty easily. The workers were polite and professional. They forgot the backsplashes the first time they installed the countertops, so we had to wait an extra week to get those in. When they were installed, they didn't caulk them because they said our painters would take care of it. Overall the quality is great. The seams are invisible. I was really happy with the work the Stone Store did (they fabricate for the Great Indoors). If I had it to do over, I would probably see if the Stone Sore would do the work directly for less money.

Excellent service. The sale person for the range hood told me the installers would call to schedule a time. The installers called the same day, which surprised me because it was a Saturday. The installers scheduled a time to come out and do an estimate, were on time and told me when I could expect the estimate to be completed. The estimate was completed and I went back to the store and signed a contract for the work. The installers were on time, did EXCELLENT work, cleaned up after themselves. It was perfect. The range hood looks beautiful.

The work never was done, even though I paid $50 for the estimate (they were already there installing a dishwasher, which went OK even though they charged me $45 for a water line I could buy for less than $20 at a hardware store). Needless to say the installation price was ridiculous. They broke it down for me and the approximate 4-foot vent line was $330, which is more than $80 per foot!! An independent contractor will install it for much less. We had good luck with them installing a wall oven a few years ago, but things apparently have changed. The store seemed to have competitive appliance deals, but I'd suggest finding someone else to do the actual installation.

The designer told me the CAD drawings of the old space (the current kitchen) would have to be done in Chicago, and it would take a week to get those back. It took almost 3 weeks; meanwhile no work was being done on my project. I was told the longest part of the remodel would be the 6 weeks it was going to take for my order to come in. Three months after they said that, three months after I had paid my deposit, I didn't even have an order placed! I had no budget, no real design, no schedule, and a designer who kept taking days off and who was always difficult to reach. I canceled everything, and, thus lost five hundred dollars. I would NEVER recommend The Great Indoors.

The purchase experience was fine. The delivery was a nightmare. They promised delivery, then never showed. They promised delivery again, then when they came, they incorrectly installed the dryer vent. It took two weeks for installers to return. In the meantime, the company offered us a token $20 gift certificate. This is after unsympathetic phone calls, unhelpful e-mail responses, and our having to take off work for 4 hours at a time to meet delivery staff who never showed. It felt like a slap in the face. When someone did come to re-vent the dryer, they used a 6-foot hose for a 12-inch space, crimping the hose. After filing a complaint, we received two voicemail messages with ''urgent'' messages to call customer service. We called, explaining everything that had happened. We said that the dryer vent was too long for the space, and it would collect lint with the kinks. We were told that was the only vent hose they were allowed to install, end of story.

The process was not as smooth as it could have been, but I am not totally dissatisfied with the experience. The initial encounter when making the order was odd. The whole place is most apparently commission based, as you feel a bit mobbed as you enter. Bill the kitchen expert was a bit scattered. He lost the dimensions, and we had to resubmit them to him. The final product is good and the installers who came out were accommodating. I suppose if the ends justify the means we did OK.

The store didn't let the guy doing the kitchen work know that the materials came in like they were supposed to. So it took two weeks longer to do the work than expected. Other than that took longer than expected. I was extremely impressed with the professionalism and quality of work that they do. They didn't charge extra money for the extra time it took to finish the job.

WE WERE VERY PLEASED BOTH WITH THE SELECTION OF PRODUCTS AND THE QUALITY OF SERVICE. THE SALESPEOPLE ARE 100% COMMISSION PAID AND THEREFORE WORK VERY HARD FOR THEIR MONEY. GEORGEE LEFT US ALONE WHEN WE WANTED BUT THEN ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS WE HAD. WE ALSO DELAYED DELIVERY OF OUR PRODUCTS SEVERAL TIMES. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT DID THIS WITHOUT QUESTION.

I HAD A VERY BAD EXPERIENCE. I PAID THE RETAINER FEE FOR THE DESIGNER TO COME TO MY HOME AND MEASURE. HE MADE A MISTAKE WHEN HE MEASURED AND ENDED UP ORDERING THE WRONG CABINET. HE THEN SAID I SUPPLIED THE MEASUREMENTS TO HIM AND HE BILLED MY GREAT INDOORS CREDIT CARD FOR THE CORRECT CABINET WITHOUT REFUNDING ME FOR THE INCORRECT CABINET WITHOUT MY APPROVAL. THE MANAGER LATER FOUND OUT HE LIED. THERE ARE MORE TO ADD TO THE LIST WITH THE BACKSPLASH EXPERIENCE. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THEY LEFT A VERY BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH.