This is a review of my experience with Safe Showers. They removed our old shower/tub and replaced it with a walk-in shower. We were very impressed with the sales representative. He was friendly, confident and obviously experienced. After our discussion, he rapidly and clearly replied to texted questions about the emailed contract.
The workmanship on the shower remodel seemed masterful. We were delighted with the final product -- until I took my first shower. The installed shower valve controlled the water temperature, but when I tried to reduce water flow by pushing down on the handle, it seemed stuck. The valve adjusted the water temperature and turned the water on and off, but there was no way to control how much water flowed.
I assumed the valve was defective and contacted Safe Showers. Turns out the shower valve functioned exactly as intended. I was astounded to discover this wasn't a mistake. I would expect to find a rudimentary valve like this in a home built in the 60s, or maybe in a cheap motel, but certainly not in a shower remodel valued by Safe Showers at $18,954.
When Safe Showers inspected the valve and advised it was working as designed, I was upset. In anger, I blurted out that I would pay to have a modern valve installed, as I couldn't imagine using the one they installed.
Safe Showers acknowledged my concern about the valve and expressed a desire to resolve the problem. In fact, as a secondary issue, they rapidly and expertly installed a second corner caddy, at my request, after the shower install was finished. This is a valid additional expense I'll gladly pay for.
However, the main issue, the shower valve, is another matter. Safe Showers offered a significant reduction in cost to install a replacement shower valve, but they insisted I received the valve I contracted for. To be clear, shower valve design was never discussed during contract negotiations. Had a "valve upgrade" been offered, I would have agreed to the additional cost. It never crossed my mind this would be an issue.
When I step back and considered the overall situation, I feel naive for trusting this company. They were outstanding in many ways, so installing an environmentally-unsound and conservation-unfriendly shower valve wasn't something I anticipated or expected. It's like buying a new car, only to discover at delivery that the installed tires are rated for speeds no greater than 25 MPH. The paint job may look great and the interior may be comfortable, but what good is a car that tops out at 25 MPH?
I'm still upset. I try not to make important decisions when I'm unhappy, so haven't decided how to handle this yet. This is a problem that shouldn't exist. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. I'm annoyed at the prospect of yet another day of construction and waste of our time, not to mention the impact on my shower if installing a new valve means cutting another hole in the shower wall.
Nope, not a happy camper. Safe Showers provided excellent, responsive customer service. Their workmanship, from what I can see, was excellent. However, that doesn't excuse their underlying design shortcomings, especially since they don't acknowledge them.
In my case, that resulted in an a unsophisticated shower valve that controls whether the water is off or on, but nothing in between. That leaves me wondering what design decisions they made that impact things I can't see.
During contract negotiations with Safe Showers, it never occurred to me to discuss the type of shower valve they planned to install. I trusted they would install something appropriate to a remodel that was valued, in writing by their staff, at over $18K. The primitive shower valve they installed doesn't even come close.
Should you select Safe Showers to remodel your bathroom, you can avoid my mistake by specifically discussing the kind of shower valve you expect, and specifying it in any written agreement. read more