[cabinet runner]

Heres a little story .

I get a call this morning from my a woman that lives in my parents (RIP) old neighborhood saying her cabinets had come in at Lowes and the guy she had lined up to install them (by the hour on weekends ) bailed on her .

Normally on a Sunday i wouldn't have even considered talking about it but I told her I'd shoot over before the 4:00 games kicked off and try and squeeze her into my schedule as best i could .

1st thing she says is she ordered 42 inch uppers I ask her to get the layout while I look at the bulkheads that will have to be removed .

It's obvious there is some kind of load bearing beam in the bulkhead in front of the sink window (split foyer house ) .

She comes back with the layout and I inform her there is a major problem and she tells me 2 neighbors did the same thing and nothing was inside the bulkhead . So I try and explain what I am looking at and then just walk out and get a drywall saw and ask her if she minds if I cut a few holes to show her .

Of course there is a double 2x12 beam supporting the main roof trusses and the short rafters for the kitchen bump out are also attached to this beam .
I nicely explain I wish she had called me 1st and I would've sent her to a decent cabinet showroom regardless of whether I did the install .

This woman is super nice and is actually in the carpet sales business and told me she is aware of the problems that come with dealing with Lowes BUT couldn't pass on the prices and the Zero interest for 12 months .

I explained to her that when she signed the contract which included the cabinet layout she is liable to pay for the order (which had not been delivered to her house yet ) .

I told her the designer was WAAYYY wrong to assume the bulkhead could be removed no problem just because she told him the neighbors did it so she may have a shot at getting this resolved but it won't be easy .

The only thing she has in her favor is she hasn't accepted delivery of the cabinets yet . I would've liked to see what would've happened if Lowes also got the install . I wonder what they would've done ? LOL

I'll let you all know how she makes out as she is going to have me install the job once they switch the 42's back to 30's . I can only wonder how much extra that is going to cost her .

 

[dkillianjr]

Yup she should have called you in the first place!

Keep us posted, I always like hearing how these things work out.


DAve

 

[Gus Dering]

I can make a guess at what would have happened if Lowes did the install and what still might happen if she gets another opinion.

They will hack off the ends of the trusses and move the header up flush with the bottom cord. Maybe they will even put a few hangers in there for good measure.

And they would have charged for the change.

Let me make another guess. No permit ?

We have all seen this type of thing time and time again.

 

[Cole82]

Tipical lowes.

I had to rescue a customer this past spring from lowes contractor. It was takeing an exterior french door out and installing a slider. So lowes contractor measures and orders the door. He measured wrong and the opening is to short and way to wide. The hack removed the old door and unpacked the new door and left. NEVER came back or awnsered the phone. They called me as they had a huge hole in the wall that was uncovered.

When I get there I see what was going on and noticed a bunch of rot as well. Ended up costing them a lot in the end for me to fix everything. They were happy and hope they learned there lesson. They even paid the guy upfront a whole $179 for the instal.

 

[Mike Finley]

Lowes, (couldn't pass up the cheap price)... guy who would install by the hour on the weekends...(couldn't pass up the cheap price)

um... yeah...

once they switch the 42's back to 30's . I can only wonder how much extra that is going to cost her .

Would have been cheaper to have just hired a company based on reputation instead of by low price as she has done everything so far.

 

[cabinet runner]

update

Well I got a call back from the homeowner tonight and I have to admit i was kinda suprised .

She took my advice and went right to the manager and they hit her with a restocking fee of $350.00 for the upper cabinets and ordered replacement 30 inchers to match what she currently has .

Of course the 30's are costing her what the 42's did since the sale is over (yeah right ) but what the hey I thought she might have to eat the uppers all together .

Good news is she really called just to confirm i will do the install and she said learned a valuable lesson . She admitted she was at fault though IMO the blame really fell at the feet of the designer that came out to measure . I guess going to Lowes what could one expect ? Does anyone think they have ANY qualified professional employees in their cabinet center or flooring /millwork departments ?

I'll try and post some pictures when I'm done . I think you all will laugh when you see where the beam is and how ANYONE calling themselves a professional would assume you could just remove this bulkhead .

 

[KG007]

Hate to say it...

Hate to say it, but ... she got what she deserved. Maybe not as much as she deserved.

1. She is in the flooring business. What does she think about Lowe's flooring sales and Installations?

2. She knows you. Why go to Lowe's when she KNOWS you, the person who is capable of doing it and now rescuing her? Think she would be miffed if you went to Lowe's for carpet?

3. Think she has ever quoted flooring against Lowe's? Then she has a pretty good idea they are nearly ALWAYS overpriced unless they are selling seconds or otherwise slopping up a job. Think that might apply to cabinets?

4. She couldn't pass up the price? Couldn't wait until she called you or went to one other place? And, of course, I'm SURE the Lowe's designer was out to her house within minutes of her being in Lowe's and that those cabinets and no other would be available at that bargain price ONLY the next 2 minutes.

Just to be honest, I hope you didn't give her the "nice neighbor" price break on the install because she sure wasn't keeping you in mind when it was time to do the type project you do.

 

[Jimmy Cabinet]

I'm new and late catching up here. I wish you good luck Cabinet Runner on helping that lady and showing Lowes up. Here is my speech to those who even mention those stores and buying cabinets in the same sentence:

The big orange who only wants your little green.

First off, the big box stores charge full list price for cabinets. List price is the same thing as sticker price or MSRP. The only consumers who pay sticker price on their new car are uneducated consumers. Or gullable ones. Most all small kitchen dealers discount from the list price. If they dont then dont buy from them. Typical discounts are from 35% to 50% off list price. Most all cabinet dealers discount heavy from list price today. My favorite customer is a customer with a Home Depot or Lowes estimate. I chop the price in half without even doing anything. And I still have 30% profit margin. Yes I buy on a .205 multiplier meaning I buy 80% off list price.

Next problem is your big box store does not employ Kitchen Designers CKD. Instead they employ Cabinet Salespeople who are given a 3 day class to use the design program. These Cabinet Salespeople are/were just floor clerks in various depts and promoted to sell cabinets, their only previous home improvement experience was hanging a curtian rod for Grandma and now they are attempting to lay out kitchens with the most expensive products in our homes. Man that sucks!!! AND THEY CHARGE $300 DOLLARS FOR THIS !!!

While probably very nice people, they are trained to design kitchens a certain way, and that way is fast and for profit. It’s about productivity, not creativity. Most of all, you will have no idea what you are missing in regard to design possibilities.You will be standing there for 30 minutes seeing your design progress from start to completion on the computer screen and never be aware of all the modern design possibilities because they dont know about them to tell you the poor consumer!!

A few other issues: The big box stores will not go to a customers home to measure or verify a customers measurement. They make the customer sign a waiver that says they are not responsible if your measurements are wrong and the cabinets dont fit. And as you know, the consumer must pay 100% down payment for cabinet orders. So what incentive does the store have to help the consumer? None because they have the consumers money already!!!

And why can I get Kraftmaid in 3 weeks delivered to my store and it takes Home Depot 14-16 weeks......yea yea yea I know they tell the customer about 8 weeks and are lying like a Politician. A small kitchen dealer will offer free basic design with a house visit and will be there long after you hand them your money. A Kitchen Designer will be there to guide you right to the end. And hold your hand in the process if needed.

We wait your finished pics which you should give to that store to post.

 

[Roberts Ren]

Jimmy cabinet PM or drop me a e-mail at mickey[email protected] I have a question for you. Thanks