Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding's editorial director has some fun news to share.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
how did you pay for the cabinets? i hope with a credit card. If so call and stop payment. Its times like this why I like flat pack cabinets. Good luck with the problem.
*
Well the saga is nearly over! The reorder of July 16th arrived and was delivered today! They almost all came through OK. One decorative panel had a crushed corner due to the same improper packing that caused the first one to be damaged. Fortunately that corner could be cut out for the toe kick. Only have two vanities to install and it will be over!
The local dealer did a lot to make up for the poor Omega/Dynasty performance. Since my crew had to move on to other jobs I wasn't looking forward to a solo installation, especially on one wall. So,the dealer's cabinet/countertop guy came over as my "helper". We got them installed in good time. Sure does a lot to change my attitude toward the dealer.
But, I'll never buy or recommend Omega/Dynasty again. Guess it is summed up like this: Most transactions from most companies are going to work out fine. What makes you want to do business with them again is how they handle the problems. In this case they goofed once, were slow to respond and made the same mistakes the second time.
*Man, Fred, you said a mouthful there..."is how they handle the problems." I think that is true for any business. Anyone can look good when everything goes well. The acid test is what they do when something goes wrong, and we are all human. Things do go wrong on occasion. - jb
*I don't know about Omega cabinets but I do know about Great House Cabinets, just out side of Dallas. The worst customer service. I was talking to the owner of the company and I had to pay all the shipping on everything even though they had messed things up. They do not really care about future business. They just want your money the first time and they dont't care if you finish the project.Louis
*
Doing a kitchen remodel. Ordered some mid-level cabinets through my local dealer from Omega Cabinets of Waterloo, Iowa. When they got here some of the defects were: Missing toe kick, cracked stiles due to inadequate packing, bent door hinges due to factory error prior to packing, finish rubbed to bare wood, drawer glides not fastened(not even a hole for the screws)...
Three weeks have gone by and to the best of my knowledge they haven't shipped replacements. They sure seem to feel that when they get around to fixing the problems that will be soon enough. Meanwhile the kitchen is stripped out and my other half is more than a little Distraught and Irate. Thank God this is my house and not someone else's.
Is this typical of this company? Or, am I just lucky enough to get "special treatment"?
F-r-u-s-t-r-a-t-e-d!
*Fred, I don't know about Omega but if I were you I would call the company and find out who the President is , where he can be reached by phone, fax, and mail. I would immediately send him a fax or a certified letter with your complaints asking for an IMMEDIATE reponse. I would also call and try to talk to him personally but usually you only get to the secretary. relay your frustrations to her and be firm about immediate action. I have used this approach many times with amazingly good results. be polite but firm not an a**h**e. good luck
*Why is the "local dealer" being let off the hook?
*The local dealer tells me she is arguing with the company but they won't budge. I admit her role in this was to fox me into removing the old kitchen before I inspected the new cabinets. She said that if the shipping cardboard looked alright "they never have any problems with the cabinets". I was dumb enough to believe her.But the inadequate packing, missing parts and general poor quality control on the cabinets is strictly Omega's fault. Of course since I have had this problem have met other folks who have had the same problem. Too bad I didn't meet them first!I am emailing the company to get their response.
*Fred;I'm curious as to how much you saved going with a "mid level" cabinet from a dealer who got it from the manufacturer as compared to a "custom" shop locally? Include all those "extras" like filler pieces, toe kicks for dishwasher, etc.From my experience, a good local guy who can "dial up or down" on quality is always perferrable (you know where he lives!)Hope you get a response.Adam
*I get the impression that the competition among mid- and low-level nat'l cabinetmakers is pretty fierce, and that they're putting what money they make somewhere other than quality. Custom work may be more competitive than I'd thought. I like the idea of buying the doors and drawers from a millwork shop, then sidebuilding the carcasses and installing the hardware -- the two areas the supplier I used (Kraftmaid) messed up most often.Would it be too much to expect plywood boxes at a good price? As for "drawer glides not fastened(not even a hole for the screws)" they're using self-tapping screws now -- not as accurate but faster.Good luck. And contacting the company is a good idea ... say you're sure this is an aberration ... and that you're a builder. Maybe they don't care.P.S. If your wife is a bit annoyed, tell her that mine, um, almost fell through the floor during our kitchen remodel. She really was very nice about my attempt to give her a compound fracture ... and I HAD told her not to step there....
*I disagree . i install Medallion and legacy cabinents and the quality is fine . This is mid level builder grade cabinentry . They send toe kick and fillers , if you order it . If not that is your oversight . Same goes for scribe molding , which I think should be included with every kitchen . I have also installed alot of Aristocraft brand . Not as nice but for the price they will do . Note on these boxes it clearly states they are in no way responsible for damage once the box leaves the factory . We haven't had any problem getting replacements though . Just threaten to never use the dealer again . Good luck
*Are they anything like Schrock ?(also spelled Sh*t)
*Well I now have my answer. It has been a month since the dealer and (the dealer says Omega/Dynasty) has been notified. As of now still don't have any of the broken/pieces missing cabinet replacements.The company's Distribution Head did call in response to my complaint to explain that they just don't build cabinets in a way that allows replacements to be put at the head of the line. If they,or the freight company, or anyone messes up the replacement order must wait until they do that style cabinet again in "a couple weeks".Then they don't ship by priority freight. No Air Freight. No UPS. Routine truck freight only, and they only keep track of shipping to the nearest week.Shortly after I made my last post I discovered that a rail on one cabinet had bowed. The dealer's shop man came by and made the repair. He also built the countertops and did a truly gorgeous job. In fact, thanks to him I now have a functioning, after a fashion, kitchen even though there are gaps and broken stuff showing. At least we don't have to wash dishes in the bathtub anymore.What is even more to the point is that as I tell my story to people I meet the uniform response is: "Gee you should have asked. We'd of told you not to buy them." Followed by their sob story.So, apparently this company counts on the word not getting around about their anti-customer orientation.As to why I didn't go with custom cabinets in the first place? I saw samples before ordering. They looked good,with good hardware and were priced reasonably. In fact there is little wrong with the design. What is wrong is that they don't care a wit about production quality, adequate packing for shipping, or taking care of any problems that crop up. That is enough for me to warn anyone to think twice and then don't buy!
*This is a good example of how the gossipy Internet may well help consumers out. The problem will lie in weeding out the cranks (not Fred!). Sometimes good companies go bad, too, and it takes time for word to get around. If I were the dealer, though, I would drop their line in a New York minute rather than suffer customers' anger for mfgr sloppiness.
*Andrew: Yep, it absoulutely boggles my mind that in today's age companies are still able to turn a profit on consumer ignorance. In my experience the vast majority of companies try their very best and put solving the occasional problem at the top of their list. When one doesn't one has to assume they are counting on the word not getting out about their poor performance.
*I have to admit to a bias here, as a small custom cabinetmaker, but I think in many cases the smaller local shop is clearly the best value, when you look at quality, time issues, and customer satisfaction and service issues. I've been thinking for some time about adding a factory line, so I can offer something at a lower price point, but all the problems Fred described come up all too often, and they are industry wide, not specific to one company. Baiscally, you have to figure out how to get their stuff into your space (even if they call themselves custom), you have to hope they are managing somehow with an industrywide extreme shortage of skilled labour, you have to pray to God there aren't any problems like wrong sizes and missing bits, especially if you are a low volume dealer or out in the boonies, cause then you have to look way up to see the bottom of the totem pole. A lot of headaches to get very average quality cabinets that look the same as everyone elses. I've seen defects in showrrom kitchens from very big names, some of them imported and sold at big price points, that wouldn't make it out the door of my little shop, cause I don't want my name associated with that.Except for tract and spec houses, I think the individual homeowner is better served in most cases by a local custom shop, where both parties can enjoy a relationship, and attention is paid to individual needs. It may cost a few dollars more than a factory cookie cutter kitchen (then again, it may not cost that many dollars more), but the payback in satisfaction is substantial.Just as an aside, one of the cabinetmaking trade mags mentioned in an editorial that when they moved their office, they had the cabinetry made by a big company they had profiled in glowing terms, paying a lot of attention to how quickly they could take care of goofups. They got a real heads-up when they received the finished product; tons of defects, and missing pieces that took weeks to be made right. And that was big ticket cabinetry made to go in the offices of a cabinetmaking journal. Makes you think.
*Sorry, but I still don't see why the dealer gets off the hook. They sold the product to you, and made some type of profit on the sale. In return for this profit, they should be responsible to the buyer, and take up losses with the manufacturer. They are the only ones who will have any real clout (by threatening to no longer sell that line). The end user is just a one time purchaser, but no manufacturer can afford to loose dealers.And I totally agree with Adrian's point about the best value not necessarily bein' the lowest sellin' price. Try callin' that factory up in 4 years when something breaks or the finish goes bad. Hell, what are the chances of that dealer even bein' in business 4 years from now? - jb
*Oh no they don't get off the hook at all! Conversations with folks from contractors to homeowners will take care of that.
*Sorry to hear about your Omega problems. I frequently see their trucks around the Quad Cities. I wonder if a person is better off dealing with a large box such as Lowes, or Menards. When I did WI, I used assemble yourself cabinets from some Canadian company. Two of the doors were for a 33" instead of 36" base. Upon notifying Menards, the doors were replaced within one week - UPS. We had a local company Brammer, go out of business because Payless dropped them as a supplier. Hope you get your problem solved soon.Dennis