Classic case of good service before deposit was paid, service starts to drift after first deposit then went completely down hill after second deposit paid.
We hired the Hemel Group in March/April of 2007 the kitchen was installed with deficiencies in Jan 2008. As of August 2008 we are still chasing Hemel Group (Garrett Hardy) to complete the repairs.
This kitchen was part of a $400K house renovation. We were quoted about $30K for the cabinets and island and this portion of the work has been the biggest head ache. The problem is Hemel Group is a one-man-operation who lacks skills in quality control and basic good business practice. Unreturned phonecalls and emails is to me a mortal business sin and this is where we are with Garrett Hardy.
After paying our second deposit of $15,000 in July 2007 we waited over three months for cabinet door samples. This delayed our selection of granite, flooring, backsplash etc...
We signed off on fabrication only to have the installed cabinets arrive with numerous deficiencies which included missing storage areas and different end panel frames on the peninsula compared to the island. To this last item Mr Hardy's response was "...we often do that that as clients like it..."?
Offers were made to repair/replace cabinets ..but still we wait for the final work to be completed with no supervision by Hemel Group - we are left to call the cabinet maker directly.
Following Garrett's recommendation we increased the height of the Vent-a-hood installation from 30 to 36" above the range. A big mistake as the smoke detector goes off every time I use the grill. Vent-a-hood clearly states 30" make for their unit.
I can't think of anything good to say about our dealings with Garrett Hardy and his Hemel Group.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $30,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Return telephone calls, follow up on deficiency list. Be proactive in resolving issues.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Hold back at least 30-40% of cost until after cabinets are installed and majority of deficiency items corrected.