Steve C.
We have been a customer of Vanity Fair for over 20 years. The owner, Bill Carney, previously built two bedroom sets to our satisfaction. Upon deciding to remodel recently, we obviously contacted Bill believing he would again provide a positive service. This has not been the case. Be advised that everything about Vanity Fair and how they conduct business has changed dramatically since we first used them, and unfortunately, not for the better. BUYER BEWARE!
We decided to remodel a master bedroom and bathroom. Our bathroom is being completed by a long-time contractor, however, since Bill's expertise is in vanities, we asked him to do this part of the bathroom. As others have said, Bill initially approached the project with excitement and treated us like long-time friends.
Things went dramatically wrong immediately. My bathroom contractor provided Bill exact measurements and Bill advised that he would be more comfortable confirming the measurements with a visit to my home. Bill's completed vanity was too small. As Bill took the measurements for himself, building it to the wrong specifications was clearly his error. After belittling our contractor, using inexcusable and derogatory language to do so, Bill ultimately admitted his mistake in not using our contractor's measurements. PROBLEM #1 - Bill made NO attempt to compensate for HIS error. Instead, obviously frustrated by his own shortcomings, began his nasty tirade on everyone else. When it came to something as simple as choosing the door knob hardware for the vanity, Bill showed us catalogs, had us choose, and advised us that he would provide a price once he spoke with his distributor. PROBLEM #2 - Bill gave us a quote of $800 for the knobs. As is our right as the customer, we researched for ourselves and discovered that Bill was charging us 25% above the retail cost of the knobs. When questioned, Bill retorted that he requires at least a 25% designers fee on top of everything? REALLY? We picked the knobs out of a catalog. What exact design services were provided? PROBLEM #3 - We decided, against our better judgement, to move forward with Bill and requested him to come pick up the balance of the furniture to be refinished, as per our contract. Bill immediately advised that he was now changing the pick up charge from $185 to $650 (despite our signed contract). When questioned we were told that Bill's panel truck was broken down and someone had to pay for the repairs or for a rental truck. Umm....is this for real? PROBLEM #4 - When we told Bill that changing the terms of the contract because his truck broke down is really outside the scope of the norm we received a text message from him stating, "You two have crossed the line. I have had enough of you not respecting me as a designer. Come pick up your nightstands."
We had given Bill a cash deposit of $10,000. We agreed to part ways, pick up the nightstands, and pay him IN FULL for the work outlined in the contract for said nightstands. This totaled $6500. Bill REFUSES to return the balance of our down payment, having advised there is no refund and the balance is considered "design fees." He claims he came to our home over 10 times - which is laughable since he only came one time for measurements he screwed up anyway. Bill's breach of contract/cancellation and his changing the terms leaves us out over $3500 for which we are now pursuing legal avenues to obtain.
This man has NO RESPECT for the customer, NO RESPECT for his own business and I can confirm what all the other reviewers have stated. This is not the same company it was and it is a shame. If you make the mistake of choosing Vanity Fair Baths, have your checkbook ready and your mouth shut- because if you question anything at all, you will be in hot water! read more