First, since I didn't notice this until after my experience with Stonecrafters (Bedford VA), this…read morecompany has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB states this is because they do not have a "required competency license" (referencing http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/) and they failed to respond to BBB complaint(s).
When doing official measurements, they spent no more than 5-10 minutes and all they did was a chicken scratch drawing of my counters with a pen and pad of paper, and used a tape measure to get the measurements. Once they left, something just didn't' feel right about how quick and easy that went. Having just researched this, I found that normal/best practice for granite installers is to do actual templates. On the high tech side, some can use laser/digital templating. Or, alternatively, they should construct a physical template out of either a wood or plastic type material that matches your layout exactly.
My concerns about their measurement process were realized. Both pieces of my stone were cut at the wrong lengths. They had to cut out my drywall to slide the granite another half inch into the wall in order to get the sink to be centered on the cabinet. Additionally, the end of that run the overhang was 3/8ths of an inch, it should be 1.5 inches. I let this go, as the real issue was with the other "L" counter.
As I was told when ordering, the L counter did arrive in ONE piece (roughly 5.5' x 5'). However, they cut it 1.5 inches too short, so the inner part of my "L" had a completely flush overhang on one side, while the immediate cabinet run to the left had a 1.5 inch overhang, making the corner way off centered and it looked really bad. I'm the one that had to bring it up, they were going to try and leave it as is.
They tried to give me a discount, and it was the most hilarious thing I've ever heard. They would give me a credit for the missing stone (literally 1.5 inches by a 3 foot run, and no more than 200 dollars). Of course that wasn't acceptable.
Eventually, they said we are going to remove it and order a new slab and get it recut. I received a call later that they'd have it cut and installed the very next afternoon. They show up, but they are bringing the counter up in two pieces. I immediately said this is unacceptable, and now they started saying that it's too dangerous to install it in one piece because they have to maneuver it around a 12x12 inch soffit at an angle. Of course, when it was the original one piece, everything is fine. But now they were claiming they couldn't do it as one and it's at their discretion.
I protested saying that they are just trying to pawn of remnants instead of cutting a new slab, and the installer told me it was a new slab, and he even knows for sure because they broke the other "L" piece taking it back. I later brought up video and pictures I took of the first bad one piece L that was too short, and I can match it to the piece they came back with exactly. This stone has very distinct and unique patterns, so it's easily identifiable.
So, to account for their mistake, they just cut the wrong part of my L off, got another 3 foot remnant and seamed them together. They were out virtually nothing except for the additional trip/labor. Even if I believe them that that it's too dangerous to install it as one piece (which I don't, any legitimate installer could use horizontal cart lift if needed), the problem is that I received a different remnant joined to the original piece, so now there's a distinct break in the flow of the grain and pattern. It's not just the seam line, which they did a good job on to be fair. Even if they cut the L as two pieces originally, I'd have a seam but the pattern and grain would flow since the entire L fits within the entire slab.
As soon as things went bad, they played the "we are the experts, we decide how it's installed" and denied any conversations about the seam with me. Get everything in writing, record all conversations, or go somewhere else (installed in Forest VA, 3/7-8/2021).