Michelle Dupre Design & Company

Interior Design
New Westminster BC V3L 3A6
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Michelle Dupre Design & Company
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Reviews for Michelle Dupre Design & Company

Average customer rating:
0.7 10 (3 reviews)

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Nate
Nate
0 reviews New Westminster, BC
0/10

Apartment Renovation

I rarely write reviews but my experience with Michelle Dupre Design & Company has been so utterly terrible that I feel it necessary to warn others who are considering using this business. The extent of sheer incompetence and the inability to perform the simplest of tasks to meet a single deadline whatsoever is astonishing. Avoid using this businessthere are multiple others which are far more reputable and trustworthy that can be used instead.

I live in an 850sqft apartment and hired Michelle to install lighting, new flooring, new kitchen, bathroom and fireplace tile, and some basic drywall. Demolition started on Sept 23, 2022, and I was told the floors, electrical, and bathroom would be completed within approximately 2 weeks while I was away on vacation, with the kitchen being completed shortly after I returned. To my extreme disappointment, when I returned from vacation my apartment was still in demolition phase and nowwhere near livable.

It would be about another month and a half until I moved back in. Numerous weeks went by where no work was done whatsoever with no explanation at all. The whole time, I received little to no communication from Michelle on what was happening or when it would be livable again. There was obviously no concern for her client who was without a home, as it was up to me to inquire on the status of the project each time. During this period, I was forced to commute twice the distance, wasting my time and hundreds of dollars in additional fuel costs.

More recently, I was told my kitchen would be arriving mid November, and I paid Michelle thousands of dollars in deposit for this portion of the project. That date came and went, with no work done, and no explanation. Michelle failed to answer numerous phone calls and messages, only sending sporadic emails to schedule appointments through December where again, no work was completed. Starting January 25th 2023, I made multiple attempts to contact Michelle but she screened my calls and read messages without responding. Finally on Feb 6th, I received an email response from her after emailing myself. An additional appointment was scheduled for Feb 10th, which was once again missed.

So, to the date of writing this review on Feb 12th 2023, almost 5 months later, the project remains unfinished in what should have realistically taken only 2 months, with no end in sight. There are other examples supporting this terrible experience but there is honestly just too much to write. The constant missed deadlines, nonexistent communication, and lack of any concern whatsoever for a client has been an atrocious display of how a business should conduct itself. The entire project has been a display of sheer incompetence and complete lack of any professional whatsoever. Given the way Ive been treated, its a wonder that this business is still operating at all. Michelle may try to refute this, but other reviews can be found sharing similar experiences.

If you are interested in home design or renovation at all, use ANYONE else to avoid the constant headaches that others and I have gone through.

Approximate cost of services:
$45,000.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Sunnyskies
Sunnyskies
1 review Port Moody, BC
0/10

Horrible

I concur with the other reviewer. I had a similar experience with Michelle Dupre Design. On my Initial meeting everything seemed quite good but things turned sour very quickly. My experience was not the best. Some of the quotes Michelle Dupre Designs provided were misleading and she made a couple of invoicing errors. For example, we discussed repainting all the ceilings and even though the quote stated ceiling"s" she later claimed it only included one ceiling. Trims were also quoted but only included baseboards.
We had a couple of surprise invoices billed to us after the fact even though the additional costs were not discussed. Most importantly, as you will see from the photos below, her work was beyond armature. We spent thousands of dollars correcting her work. We hired a professional company to create a full professional report detailing the errors in work and I can send it on request.
Overall, as you will see from the photos below, I found the work displayed lack of care and unprofessionalism. Please contact me for the full professional deficiency report.

***Update: We took Michelle Dupre Designs to court and won, however, collecting the monies owed is difficult. If you value your peace of mind find someone else. Before suing, this woman kept threatening me how she would put liens on my home and sue me for slander etc but she never followed through. Check her history with BC Courts before committing to her work. You will find I am not the only one who has taken her to court.

Approximate cost of services:
$30,000.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

This homeowner and her husband requested a consult regarding a purchase of a condo. They wanted to move in a month. We selected all the materials. Flooring , paint colour and had several discussions and send information regarding furniture. Initially they had an electrician but then changed to using our electrician. They only wanted a couple pieces of furniture sofa dining table and chairs and possibly other items but couldn't decide.
They wanted new pot lights for the ceiling. It involves removing the old kitchen ceilings and rough in pot lights and the. Re-drywall, sanding and painting We were told that we could have a few extra days for painting provided they could move in on their date requested which they were able to do. Problems arose with getting payments from them and changes to the scope of services agreed upon.
We demoed old flooring and carpets from their 1300 square foot condo and installed new vinyl plank including an additional bathroom not in the scope. had difficulty making decisions and changed her mind several times. When it came to furniture my custom furniture maker was in the 10-12 week mark and if she needed furniture by the end of the month we resourced other furniture options available immediately that would fit in their budget . We were under her budget on furniture and we had preselected styles that would work and available for immediate purchase. We sent her many styles of furniture for her review but it took a long time for her to get back to me on her ideas and confirmations. I even drove her to the furniture store and returned with her. The same is true for lighting. She had to be sent several emails to respond. They were difficult arranging scheduled payments and appointments. We had a meeting after the Reno and they were happy other than two painting spots. We went back in to mid those areas and needed to return for sanding and touch up paint.
They have not paid their bill and I don't believe they have any intention to pay their bill which is why we have to lien their property to get final payment. We have tried to set up this final appointment to no avail. They simply do not respond or pay their bill. The areas she is referring to have been corrected We have added several items at their request such as thermostats, a light in mechanical room, the tv plug and bracket install, additional flooring boxes, repainting of a fireplace wall which was painted initially the wall colour and was not discussed prior., the mechanical room, sourcing a fan remote that we later had to return, a hallway light that she finally selected a fixture which we purchased and now doesn't want to pay for. She hasn't paid the bills and is now complaining about items that were never part of the problem. All other invoices and parts of the project have been completed to her satisfaction. All painting deficiencies that she had, have been completed to the final stage of completion but we cannot get her to answer her phone or respond to any messages to complete it or paid her bill
The apartment was ready to move her belongings into and her bedroom was setup on the date requested . She stayed with her sister so it's not 8 days We tried everything to make her happy but she doesn't want to pay her bills so this is what comes up now. She never paid for a design plan only 15 hours of design and project management which she has exceeded . She had only required three pieces of furniture and a floor plan wasn't requested and not needed for a few pieces of furnishings. I did all the measurements and all furniture looks good in her space. As for all the invoicing we provided all invoicing before hand and with a payment schedule which they did not adhere to and failed to make payments on time. We had to chase them for payments and they always had excuses The only extra invoice was for the extras they requested and were approved of by them and not quoted for drywall and repairs . We stayed within their budget and were even under for furniture

Private User
Private User
Private User reviews New Westminster, BC

First Review

2/10

Condo remodel

It’s been hard for me to post this but I owe it to anyone interested to share my experience about the design services of Michelle Dupre Design aka Design with Confidence aka Colour with Confidence.
When we first met and discussed the renovation and redesign of my condo I was so hopeful. Everything we discussed was agreed to as if it would be so very easy. The job involved new flooring, bathroom tile, light fixtures, painting and blinds. I also discussed furniture selection and accessories to give the home a soft sophisticated look. There was no restructuring, system upgrades, cabinets, appliances or bathroom fixtures. I was told at first that it would be 2 1/2 weeks but that was adjusted to 3-4 weeks and I was assured that would be faster if I vacated the house and put most of my furniture in storage. There was less than 24 hours notice to pack up my things. I kept being reassured the floors only took 2 days, and they were right. It actually only took one. But it took them 5 1/2 weeks to get to that point. I came to see what was being done I was horrified to find young children along with the floor installers.If I hadn’t already paid a huge deposit on the work I would have pulled the plug earlier. In the time it took to have my possessions and bigger furniture returned I was sick of staying with relatives friends and at hotels. If I had been warned earlier I would have sublet a place somewhere. The final straw was being told they couldn’t move the furniture back or do the baseboards because the truck had a flat tire. I chose to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor.
But it wasn’t just the insane excuses and delays. I didn’t get the kind of design support or site monitoring needed from Michelle. Flooring choices were made from the limited number of small samples in her “showroom”. Many of the requests I made during our consultation were not communicated to the workers. I’ve worked with designers and contractors before. They monitored the work as it was being done. She also agreed to a number of changes here that either didn’t fit, couldn’t be done or were much more complex than she allowed for.
Even though I didn’t like many of the changes being made, like the flooring, and the tile work I can’t afford to have it redone. I kept telling myself that she was the designer and she knows what she’s doing but really I wasn’t listened to.
This review is getting too long so if you decide to work with Michelle Dupre make sure you do the following:
Get a written list of what’s going to be done. Include descriptions where possible.
Get a budget breakdown knowing that unforeseen things always come up.
Do the big jobs on your own. Life would have been much easier if I had the flooring and painting done by an outside company.
Monitor the work carefully.
In all fairness I should have been more vocal about my concerns on a daily basis early in the job. On the plus side her office assistant was very nice.
Financially I’m over budget without enough for new furniture and accessories. But it was also an enormous strain on my emotional and physical health. Some of the changes are fine but certainly not all of them.
If you decide to work with this company I hope you have a better experience.

Approximate cost of services:
$60,000.00
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

The owner did not have to move out it was an option for her which she accepted and we even arranged movers and storage for her. We even got her money back from another supplier she hired when she was unable and saved her 10,000 in the process. We went though all selections with her and she made decisions based on those selections I monitored her renovation and there were no children in a construction zone We worked in her budget and what she wanted to design. She also had an issue with the other designer she hired previously and the other company she hired for this Reno. She had a quote and the only other items were shower doors which changed from the original scope. We did not do a full remodel so sometimes due to a condo we cannot change what we hoped to change. We tried our best to do everything she wanted and provide her with the renovation she requested. The truck getting a flat was out of my control and it was done the next day. All our contractors and sun contractors are licensed and bonded with full WCB coverage and our company has its own liability insurance We make sure everything is done by code and within the scope of services. She appeared happy with all her choices and we offered her many opportunities if she was unhappy with anything. We tried our best with this client but she never voiced any of these concerns to us and we hope she is enjoying her home. We wish her the best.

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