I had Topaz (will be changed to Van Nuys Improvement) remodel my kitchen/bathroom floors, 2 bathroom stalls and bedroom closet in Nov. 2014. Since then, they've had to come back twice (March and Nov 2015) to make various repairs that included grout that kept cracking in one of the bathrooms because it was improperly done, repaint balcony floor, shower door that came unhinged, etc. Contractor Avi Rubeni asked me to post a Yelp review. I told him I'd be honest, so here it is.
Major cases in point from the job done in Nov/Dec 2014:
1. Not covering personal property. Day one: dust was all over my personal hygiene belongings after my bathroom wall was cut as a test. Two weeks into the job, I had to ask to have my carpets covered after I saw the crew go up and down my carpeted stairs. When I asked foreman Shai if I needed to have my bedroom covered, he replied, "No, this plastic curtain will act like a shield and with the bathroom window open, all the dust will go out that way." Later dust was all over my bed, furniture, carpet and personal belongings. A reputable company should automatically protect personal property and not wait to be told by the client to do so.
2. The tile guy didn't cover things in addition to shoddy workmanship - chipped the paint off my balcony floor where the tiles fell (since repaired), scruffed up the bathroom floor; uneven tiles on the walls in some areas, grout that cracked months later (since repaired), uneven bathroom stall which resulted in the shower door to be installed unevenly by 1".
3. When moving my major appliances out of the kitchen, there was insufficient protection below and a huge gouge resulted on my hardwood floor. (Received a discount)
4. Setting priorities. In the middle of remodeling the bathrooms, Shai and Avi looked at other potential jobs to work on in my home. We decided on the closet. However, instead of finishing the bathrooms first, they had the crew delay both bathrooms to start on the closet, which was a major inconvenience for me because I was without a shower for more days than expected. When I asked Shai why this was done, he said he wanted everything to be done at the same time. Really? I needed my shower ASAP and that was clear when the bathrooms were first worked on.
5. Closet shelves. Shoddy workmanship, quality of wood, paint job, 3/4" turned out to be 1/2" plywood, overlapped shelves. I received a discount because I wasn't happy with the closet.
6. Unfulfilled promises. From day one, I was told I'd get an insurance paper with my condo's address on it and websites to vendors to get their company's discounts for faucets/water filter for the kitchen. After repeated reminders and promises to get them from Shai/Avi, I never got them. I've since gotten my water filter from Ferguson's and had someone else install it.
7. References. When I asked to get references, I was offered a discount on my job, plus kitchen and bathroom floors were thrown in, if I didn't contact their references and to get me to go with them. It worked, but not getting references should've been a red flag.
8. The team is not very organized. The main worker needs to get a copy of the work order to make communication more efficient in getting materials (solid door for closet turned out to be hollow, wrong dimension of plywood in closet, etc.). Seems that once the work order is written up, details are missed during foreman/contractor's rounds to check up on things.
9. In calling to get my last repairs, it was hard to get a hold of a live person in the office; constantly got a "not available" voicemail, not even the company's name is mentioned. It took 2 months of persistent calling and emailing to finally get my repairs done. A repair crew should be in place for more expediency if the current one is unavailable. Efficient response equals good customer service.
In summary, I wouldn't recommend this company. They tout themselves as a family-owned business with over 12 years experience and no blemish with the Better Business Bureau, but overall good quality workmanship and customer service is lacking. They need to hire conscientious workers, be more organized and efficient as a team. Get references and do your due diligence in comparison shopping. I'm regretting it now. read more