I was very impressed with Tom when I first met him. He seemed like a nice and honest person. I first encountered him when I took a a piece of mirror to be cut, and he convinced me that it was not worth the while given the scratches on the mirror. I ended up buying a new mirror glass from him at a reasonable price.
At this time I told him about an experience I had with another glass company, which charged me over $100 for a piece of 14" by 37" regular 1/4" glass for a coffee table top. (The frame was slightly bowed in the middle so I requested that it be cut to fit the shape). He pointed out that this was way to high and that the cost to me should have been around $40. After returning to the other glass company and challenging their exorbitant price they decided to take back the piece of glass and refund my money.
I then took the table top frame to Berkeley Glass. I requested 1/4" tempered glass that would fit loosely in the tabletop frame. We talked about cutting the glass to take on the shape of the slightly bowed table top, but he said that the bow was so slight that it would not be noticed when the glass was in the frame. I went along with his judgment.
He then asked how was I going to secure the glass to the table top. I told him that this was not my intention since all the coffee tables, with glass, that I had seen did not have the glass permanently affixed. He suggested that he could secure the glass with glue. I pointed out that this may be difficult because the frame was warped. He said that this could be taken care of by using shims. I gave the go ahead since he appeared to know what he was talking about.
When I got home I called the shop to speak to him, because I was concerned about the glue showing through the glass of the table top. He was not there so I spoke to his secretary explaining to her that I was concerned about the glue showing through the glass, and if this would be the result, I would prefer that the glass sit freely in the frame. She explained that there was no need to worry, since silicon would be used and that it dries clear like glass.
After returning from a two week vacation there was a message from the Secretary asking if I had clips and screws for the frame. When I returned her call to find out what she was talking about she told me that it was finished and ready to be picked up. I did not pursue the conversation anymore on the phone, and went immediately to pick up the tabletop.
I was in for a complete shock. The glass was not secured to the tabletop by glue, but rather by a set of six crudely applied silver clips, that were screwed into the exposed side of my mahogany finished teak frame. I refused to take the table top home and about one week later received a phone call from Tom wherein he took absolutely not responsibility for the horrible job done.
In our conversation I was trying to suggest to him that maybe there was some miscommunication, between us, about what should be done to the table top. He however insisted on laying all the blame on me, by totally misrepresenting and distorting our conversation about what I wanted done to the tabletop.
He insisted in a shouting and angry voice that I told him to use screws and clips. Another untruth was that we took the table top to the back of his office where he demonstrated to me how the clips and screw would fit. This is a total lie, because he took the frame from me and filled out the receipt in the front part of his shop. We never went into the back of the shop to do anything.
After doing nothing, but denying that he had screwed up, he reluctantly offered to remove the clips and screws and give me the glass. He however, allowed me to know that I was getting away with getting a piece of glass for free. This is after he ruin my table top.
I now must try to plug six screw holes in my table top and probably have to re-sand the whole thing in order for it to look half way decent. Additionally the glass that he turned over to me is not quarter inch as I wanted, it is badly cut and the edges are not finished as he had agreed to do.
What initially was a good reception turned out to be a very bad one in the end. After this experience I certainly will not be recommending anyone to Berkeley Glass. I felt very mistreated. Small claims court was an option, but I do not have the time. read more
