Arbutus Closets Ltd

Disclaimer - Company was going through some ownership changes at the time of our experience. Things may be different now.

We had a great experience with the sales person. She was wonderful and made great recommendations. Unfortunately, we didn't hear from the company after we placed our order. As promised date for our units came closer, I called them. It was then we learned our order would be delayed. We were fine with the delay. Just not the communication. It required another follow up to get the team to come out, deliver and install the product. The installer team had one very savvy veteran and a new hire. They did a great job. There was a shortage of shelves and the company made good on replacing them asap. Even offered to deliver them.

The product is excellent. We would use them again. Just need to be proactive about communicating with them if you don't hear from them.

We had Arbutus closets redo our mud room and they did a fantastic job.
The designer knew what would work and we were really impressed with the speed at which it got done. There were a few adjustments that the installers had to make as our walls are not straight. But in the end the room looks awesome..

I visited the Arbutus Furniture and Closets showroom in December 2016, to look at closet organizers (entry, laundry, and the master and guest bedroom walk-in closets) and a wall bed with storage for the guest room. I mentioned that we were moving on January 14th, 2017, and asked whether the closet organizers/ wall bed could be installed prior to our move in date. I was told they would not be ready in that timeframe and it was more likely it would be the end of January or beginning of February. I was reluctant to order given that time frame, but after making some inquiries, realized every company had a similar time frame. Subsequently, my order was placed on December 6, 2016. What ensued was nothing short of frustration, which is why I am writing this review. I hope that my experience can inform other potential customers about some of the issues we faced.
On January 18th, I emailed to ask about the status of my order; 3 days later I received a reply, which was an “I know nothing” response and I was told “I’ll get back to you next week.” On February 3rd, 2017, I emailed a second time asking about the status…again, no reply…and emailed AGAIN on February 7th. I finally received a response on February 8th, with the same “we’re behind schedule” story and was told the earliest the install could happen was February 27th and 28th. Not only was this one month after I was initially told the installation would occur, but we were living in a 1050 sq ft condo that was surrounded in moving boxes (we didn’t want to unpack and put things into closets without the organizers and couldn’t set up our office/ guest room without the wall bed and storage). I emailed back on Feb 8th, expressing my frustration and disappointment about the delay and that I felt very misled about the length of time it would take for the installation to occur. Had I known, I very likely would NOT have ordered from this company. However, since they also had my deposit, I went ahead with booking the installation for February 27th and 28th.
The morning of February 27th (after hearing nothing about what time the installers would be coming), I called the company to ask when I could expect the installation. I got an answering machine. I then emailed the staff person I had been working with. No email reply. By this time, I was livid; not only was it apparent I was not getting the organizers, but my husband had taken the day off to help me move boxes and be here for the installation. It was late morning before someone from the company had the decency to call to let me know they weren’t coming. A rant ensued and at that point, it was all I could do to not cancel my order. What they agreed to do was install whatever was finished later in the week – which ended up being bits and pieces in every closet. The installers then came back several days later to complete the closets, but no word on the wall bed/ storage. On March 8th, a full THREE MONTHS after placing the initial order, I emailed again, at my wits end. I was told it would be another 6 days before the wall bed would be installed. The job was finally completed on March 15th.
Of course, it took no time for me to get a call asking for the balance of my payment. When I received the invoice, I was very disappointed that no financial compensation for the delay had been offered. When I sent this feedback in an email, I requested the name and contact information of the owner/ manager so I could discuss my entire experience with him. I was told on March 23rd he would contact me directly…I’m still waiting.
While we are satisfied with the product (hence the one star), I would NEVER recommend this company. The extreme delay, misleading information, lack of communication and the fact that the owner/ manager did not have the decency to follow up with me speaks volumes about this company’s character and lack of integrity.

Arbutus Closets was recommended to us by our designer as she said they had done good work for her in the past, would deliver quickly as they built their products locally etc. Our first indication that they would overpromise & under-deliver was when it took them over 2 weeks to come back with a proposal. Making 1 minor adjustment, we placed the order with Arbutus the following day and were told installation should happen 4-6 weeks later. We waited another TWELVE (12!) highly frustrating weeks during which we were given ZERO information from Arbutus whether or not they were even working on our order. After much badgering, our designer finally admitted that not only was Arbutus failing on our order, they had errors/half-installed closets on two of her other projects as well.
We finally had our closets done by a highly rated closet company that did a brilliant job and delivered on their 5 week installation date as promised. Perhaps Arbutus used to do quality work in the past but it is clear why they have not had any positive reviews for a long time.

I ordered wall bed from Arbutus Closets to add functionality to my den. Manufacturing process was surprisingly fast. The installer helped me with tricky process of inbeding the whole unit into the wall for very pleasing results. I find entire personnel and installation crew very well trained and knowledgeable.

Hi Ola,
MASTERFUL, EYE for DETAIL,
TOTALLY PROFESSIONAL. Please thank Zana and Michael.
I'm very happy with the results. This was project #2 and, at some point, I look forward to project #3.
Most importantly, THANK YOU for your hands-on attention to making sure the design of my kitchen cabinets was precise and high quality,
I'm very happy with the masterful job all around - you're a great team.
Thank again, Paul

Arbutus closets recently improved my old closets and built me new ones
Their work is excellent. The staff polite, prompt and professional. No compromise on quality of work! Competitive prices.

I purchased Arbutus closets several years ago...and then decided to move. I loved my master closet and wanted to take it with me . Arbutus reconfigured and re-installed it in my new home. Then I added matching closets all my other rooms. Arbutus were helpful, provided great service...and the quality and price represented exceptional value.

I contacted Arbutus to do a custom walk-in closet and pantry for our house during a renovation process. I am VERY pleased with the results. I love my new pantry and closet! Their product is high-quality, they have great vision, and understood my needs. They delivered 100%. My only criticism is their communication is lacking (during both fabrication and day-of installation), but I would still recommend them because of how great their product is.

I really love this furniture store. They feature a lot of unique designs and different kinds of furniture. Not to mention, the quality of their furniture is also very high and amazing. In addition, during my visit, the customer service was professional and they knew a lot of things about the store. They also gave good recommendations for me! The furniture I bought from there makes me happy and I am very pleased with it! I would definitely go there again to buy more furniture.