Beware Expo Design Centers

[Charles Schuler]

This is a second post about the same subject ... a botched installation by The Closet Factory in Naples, FL. The Closet Factory was the subcontractor and they were located in Ft. Myers, FL, and that particular franchise has gone out of business. No relief possible from their headquarters in CA; they hang up on me.

The Expo Design Center in Naples, FL was the prime contractor and they also ignore my complaints. No exaggeration ... dozens of phone calls ... I now have a case number and all of that, but nothing ever happens. When I give my case number, the reps often say ... "Oh my, this is really very strange and must be due to some kind of error."

I'd suggest that folks avoid Expo Design Centers and The Closet Factories.

I now shop at Lowe's and will never, ever, visit a Home Depot (The owner of the Expo Design Centers).

The installation was in December 2005, by the way, and that's a long time ago ... soon they will tell me it is beyond the warranty.

[Al Bundy]

"Charles Schuler" wrote in news:VfSdnaXxuIRsJIjYnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

I assume you have contacted Home Depot and they say you have to contact the Expo Center?

The sub-k is none of your concern. You have no business with them. HD/Expo hired them. It's their problem if the sub-k screwed them. Your business/contract is with Expo center.

Again, you are not their customer and you have no business with them.

Write a letter. Not call. Not email. Put the entire story in it from day one to present. Include who you called. talked to and when. Send it to the people you had the contract with - HD Design Center I assume. Then in conclusion request a response by xx days after receipt of the letter. If they don't respond then you will be FORCED to....(whatever you are going/willing to do). Send it certified mail WITH A RETURN RECEIPT proof of delivery. Then wait. Then do whatever.

You must do it in writing or your rights are not preserved. The beyond warranty should be preserved.

Also, did you pay with a credit card? If so, you may have recourse there. Requires you WRITE a letter to the CC company.

I'm not a legal person or even savy on legal stuff. This is just my understanding based on life's experience.

[Toller]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you are probably doing something wrong. Go in and speak to the manager.

[sanchea]

my story with expo is the same. in 2001 i had a complete kitchen remodel done which dragged on much longer then the store said it would. expo did the job and the cost then was @ $60k. the project was done in the summer of 2002. within a year the finish on some cabinet doors started to get bumpy and delaminate on the edges of the stiles. in 2003 expo replaced one door. in 2004 expo replaced two more. i now have eight doors that have the same problem. in 2005 and 2006 i have gone thru the entire expo/home depot organization trying to get the problem corrected. i have gone from the store, to their regional,to their corporate customer serivice. this back and forth took almost two years. they even sent out the manufacturer representative (omega cabinets) three times to my house. the bottom line is omega cabinets does not want to honor their lifetime warranty. so expo says my problem is not warranty related. expo/home depot did send me a $200.00 gift card for "my inconvience". which i have not spent and will not spend until this problem is corrected. what gets me is when i was considering who to pick as the contractor the expo sales people repeatedly told me "if there ever was problem no matter how long it took expo would be there to correct it. no matter how long it was after the job was done." another thing that gripes me is that one of the replacement doors doesn't even match the kitchen. i didn't realize this until the omega rep pointed it out to me.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

If they say it's not warranty related, then what IS it? Are they claiming it's somehow your fault?

[Jeff Wisnia]

Assuming you didn't leave out any critical facts in your post.....

I'm thinking that $60K is a big enough investment that if that happened to me I'd find out the name and address of the CEO and send him/her a letter by certified mail, return receipt, detailing the problem. I'd tell him that if they didn't make things right fast they'll be hearing from my lawyer, and that I will be seeking attorney's fees in addition to a return of the full $60K I paid, because of their egregious refusal to honor their commitments.

If you try that you might be suprised to find out that favorable things start happening.

Jeff

[JoeSpareBedroom]

In many cities, the tv news organizations often struggle to find juicy stories. He might want to get on the phone with a few of them.