Worst company ever!

[RosemarySoso]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

[frose]

another example of contractors taking advantage of people in the villages....

[fdpaq0580]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

Contact BBB and issue a complaint. Next, need to contact lawyer. May give crime against seniors a call. Not sure if they will be any help. Post on social media.
Sorry to hear of her troubles, but thanks for the heads up on this scam operation.

[Koapaka]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

Hopefully she was smart enough to have signed a contract that did not allow them to put a lien on her home. Then hopefully she was smart enough to have put the $6K on her credit card so she can contact them to dispute and recover the money.

If not, I guess the best you can do is blast everything you can online to warn others to be more careful. Everything we have done here in the way of contract work at the house we have given either a nominal deposit on OR required them to take credit card to protect ourselves. I am more than willing to pay by check or even cash once the work is completed to our satisfaction, and let the contractor choose if want the job or not. So far, I have only had one person who required full payment up front, and it is a local, big, established business many years old with an actual storefront. I went ahead because I felt the risk of prepayment minimal ($500 total), and paid by check.

[MX rider]

Hopefully she was smart enough to have signed a contract that did not allow them to put a lien on her home. Then hopefully she was smart enough to have put the $6K on her credit card so she can contact them to dispute and recover the money.

If not, I guess the best you can do is blast everything you can online to warn others to be more careful. Everything we have done here in the way of contract work at the house we have given either a nominal deposit on OR required them to take credit card to protect ourselves. I am more than willing to pay by check or even cash once the work is completed to our satisfaction, and let the contractor choose if want the job or not. So far, I have only had one person who required full payment up front, and it is a local, big, established business many years old with an actual storefront. I went ahead because I felt the risk of prepayment minimal ($500 total), and paid by check.

We just bought a home in TV. I was talking to a company about doing some work for us. He required no payment up front. Anyway, we got on this subject. He said the problem is, in Florida the laws are too lenient when it come to this type of situation.

He told me that as long as a contractor does some work, it's very hard to go after them legally. That's why you see these partially finished jobs. They can put you off and not have to worry about legal action.

[Mleeja]

I also have friends dealing with this company. They have been waiting on countertops for a couple of months. At least their current countertops were not ripped out!

[Packer Fan]

We met with us about our kitchen and we had 2 meetings with the results - the quote was WAY higher than it should have been, they would not share the cost breakdown, and they kept telling us that Quartz and Granite are about the same price. Well, Quartz may be, but the Cambria we were looking at is almost DOUBLE the price of quartz. We found that out from another contractor. My impression is they are highly disorganized, their prices are very high, and they are not forthcoming with information. I would not work with them. We are talking to Burns and Roberto's. Impressed with both so far.

[retiredguy123]

Never, ever, ever, not ever, pay a contractor any money in advance. It is a recipe for disaster. The worst thing you can do is to pay a contractor money for work that they have not performed. You will get ripped off. And, it has been said over and over on this website. My advice to the woman is to not pay them any more money.

[villageuser]

Contact What we do! - Seniors Vs Crime in The Villages (http://www.svcinthevillages.org/what-we-do). There’s another group that helps senior citizens who are being scammed by businesses but i don’t remember their name. Hopefully Seniors vs Crimes in the Villages can provide sufficient help.

[banjobob]

Why do people hire contractors that want money up front, a 25-30% of total job should be the very maximum security deposit required and then check the contractors references. Going for the “cheap” job can turn out bad.

[Enhancer77]

Please have her contact Seniors vs Crime in The Villages. They are located at the Sheriff's Annex on 466. We had an issue with CVS Windows that went on and on and I finally notified the BBB and Seniors vs Crime. CVS FINALLY replaced the defective window the next week. We had been calling them for months. So sorry this happened to her.

[thecinks1@gmail.com]

TIONS We just bought a home in TV. I was talking to a company about doing some work for us. He required no payment up front. Anyway, we got on this subject. He said the problem is, in Florida the laws are too lenient when it come to this type of situation.

He told me that as long as a contractor does some work, it's very hard to go after them legally. That's why you see these partially finished jobs. They can put you off and not have to worry about legal action.

We used Doc's for a whole house renovation last summer. Extremely professional. Every thing was done in a timely manner - no delays. Done in less time than expected.
They may cost more, but the peace of mind is worth it.

[snhmhg]

I used Burns for a complete master bath renovation. While they are not great at calling back and I had to call them, they did really nice work and only required installments as work was completed. I would use them again.

[noslices1]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

When dealing with any of these contractors, ALWAYS put on the contract a completion date and the phrase “Time is of the essence”. That way, if the contractor drags his feet you can take him to small claims court and win the case.

[banjobob]

I guess you are blessed with very deep pockets , good for you.

[Lindaws]

We used them and they were wonderful.

[Gunny2403]

The insiders of the industry call this: “spiking a job”.

[Petersweeney]

There has to be a small claims court in the county…..

[brianherlihy]

the villages is a good place not to du work her

[ThirdOfFive]

Contact BBB and issue a complaint. Next, need to contact lawyer. May give crime against seniors a call. Not sure if they will be any help. Post on social media.
Sorry to hear of her troubles, but thanks for the heads up on this scam operation.
Example of the value of this forum. It reaches thousands of people and with TV as a whole the residents here comprise a humongous buying machine. I know that businesses read TOTV. A complaint like this could cost them a bundle in lost business.

I hope the original poster pursues the actions suggested. One other thing I'd suggest is that a letter (NOT email) to the president of the company (that information can be found online: it is possible that this business is a subsidiary of another and the guy/gal on top of that particular heap may have no idea what is going on), with a concurrent complaint made to the Better Business Bureau accompanied by a copy of the letter to the business headquarters included. Include entire history of the incident and pictures if you have them. I've used this strategy a couple of times and believe me, it gets results.

[forebubba]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

Suprised
They did our kitchen and it was done on time with no problems. A beautiful job. This was 2 years ago. This past year they did our friends kitchen with the same result.
Got to wonder

[LindaMueller]

We met with us about our kitchen and we had 2 meetings with the results - the quote was WAY higher than it should have been, they would not share the cost breakdown, and they kept telling us that Quartz and Granite are about the same price. Well, Quartz may be, but the Cambria we were looking at is almost DOUBLE the price of quartz. We found that out from another contractor. My impression is they are highly disorganized, their prices are very high, and they are not forthcoming with information. I would not work with them. We are talking to Burns and Roberto's. Impressed with both so far.

Roberto’s just finished a job for us, and we are very pleased with the results - granite countertops in the kitchen and tile replacing carpets in the bedrooms.

[Oneiric]

We used Gingerich for our kitchen remodel, Aug.20-Jan21. Very professional, on time. Initial deposit, then paid in installments after each stage was completed. Due to Covid, we had to change our choice of electric oven. The original choice is still not being made but we are very happy with an alternative choice. This supply chain hell will cause a LOT of problems for all remodelers.

[Cliff Fr]

I think it's a combination of a disorganized company and a "qualified" labor shortage. The USA is becoming like France. 20 years ago a doctor friend from France told me that it was very hard to find people there that wanted to work or were even qualified to do the work.

[RErmer]

I have very mixed feelings about this company. We used them for replacement quartz countertops (plus sinks and fixtures). I was very frustrated by their delays and lack of responsiveness, and only got satisfaction after contacting the company president. That said, their pricing was competitive and we are extremely satisfied with the work they did.

[toeser]

Never, ever, ever, not ever, pay a contractor any money in advance. It is a recipe for disaster. The worst thing you can do is to pay a contractor money for work that they have not performed. You will get ripped off. And, it has been said over and over on this website. My advice to the woman is to not pay them any more money.

That's not always going to work if the contractor has to order special materials in advance. Then trust gets shifted entirely to the other foot. But, I would never pay for labor in advance.

[LucyP]

Report to BBB, crime against seniors. Write up on Yelp ect.

[Bonnevie]

one can also file a complaint with the state of Florida which takes very seriously treatment of seniors: Florida Attorney General - Senior Protection Team (http://myfloridalegal.com/seniorprotection)

also If you wish to file a complaint against a contractor, you may contact the Department of Business & Professional Regulation online at MyFloridaLicense.com – License efficiently. Regulate fairly. (http://www.myfloridalicense.com) or by phone at (850) 487-1395. Additionally, you should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office online at Florida Attorney General - Home Page (http://www.myfloridalegal.com) or by phone toll-free at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.

You may also file a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which acts as the State's consumer complaint clearinghouse, at Consumer Resources / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (http://www.floridaconsumerhelp.com).

losing one's contractor license is a great incentive to fall in line

[Warren]

Their telephone number is: 352 753 0727...........Seniors vs. Crime Project

[tophcfa]

Here’s a vote for S&itty Furniture (City Furniture) for worst company.

[retiredguy123]

That's not always going to work if the contractor has to order special materials in advance. Then trust gets shifted entirely to the other foot. But, I would never pay for labor in advance.
I would pay for custom materials, with the provision that I can use a credit card and the materials must be delivered within 60 days, or the credit charge will be disputed with the bank. If the materials take longer than 60 days, then a new credit card charge can be issued. That way, both the customer and the contractor are protected.

[DAVES]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

This post is second hand information. We typically get only one side of every story.
There is or should be a contract signed by both parties. It should spell out cost and payment schedule. It, is nice that you are helping a friend. She should surely have a copy of the CONTRACT. A guess. A typical bath remodel is like 10,000. If, she has paid 6.000 it is roughly 2/3 paid. I would think leaving 10% unpaid for whatever details need to be touched up or whatever on completion is fair and reasonable.

They can and may have put a lien on her home against the contract. FAIR is of course in the mind of the beholder. In a business, a major part is getting paid. Doing that well, doing that NICELY is truly an art.

An OLD joke. A customer calls the salesman and says I need a rush order of those shoes I bought six months ago. They flew out of here at a great profit. In fact double my last order. How soon can you ship them? HOW SOON CAN YOU COVER YOUR PAST DUE PAYMENT?

[Bilyclub]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

Worst company ever!

From your title I thought you were talking about me.

[DAVES]

There has to be a small claims court in the county…..

As far as small claims court, I used it twice in my life and I won and perhaps more important I COLLECTED both times. I've posted previously that it cost me like $18 to go to small claims court. It is far different in Florida. They charge a percentage of the amount you sue for. I don't know if they perhaps help you to prepare your case and to collect.

It is actually a lot of work to sue in small claims court. The original post by a friend of the lady involved in this. Implies to me that the person in the dispute is shy of for some reason unable to go to small claims court. Common problems, you need to sure the right person and or corporation. It is not uncommon for people to do business under a false name or corporate name. You do not want to waste time suing a ghost. Then there is collection. I recall reading a very low percentage of small claims court winnings are collectable. Most people perhaps wiser than I decide it is not worth the trouble.

[MrFlorida]

Thanks, I'll put them on my do not use list.

[DAVES]

Contact BBB and issue a complaint. Next, need to contact lawyer. May give crime against seniors a call. Not sure if they will be any help. Post on social media.
Sorry to hear of her troubles, but thanks for the heads up on this scam operation.

Re: contacting a lawyer
Having done that 3-4x in my life. Each time, well truth except for once, it was a negative experience. A guess, if an attorney got involved in this case being SMALL dollars they would charge you 2-300 an hour. The person you would sue would be well aware of this and would try to run up your legal bill. You would paying expenses.
Drive to the contractors place of business-so many miles at ???? per mile plus an hour
to get there at 2-300 an hour. Waiting to see the person at 2-300 an hour.

Far as a scam operation. I DO NOT KNOW EITHER PARTY. If, you read the post it is a friend posting not even the original person involved. ESSENTIALLY THIS IS HOW RUMORS START.

[retiredguy123]

The company seems to have very good reviews. The one complaint on BBB.org is from a customer who made a down payment of $10,000 for a $15,540 project, and the job has not been completed. I can't help but think that, if there had been no down payment, only progress payments, the project would have been completed. When you pay a two-thirds down payment, you may think you are expediting the project. But any contractor who asks for a large down payment probably has cash flow issues, and they will not expedite your project. Rather, they will expedite other projects where they have not received a down payment, to improve their cash flow.

[RayAmb]

Crimes against seniors is toothless. BBB is for it’s advertisers and I don’t have any confidence in them. Small claims court works best but is not cheap and could be difficult collecting. The State Attorneys Office is not processing a case (felony larceny) efficiently. They are going on two years on a criminal who is admitting. They are avoiding contact with the victim. If you want to hear the COVID word call your government. DONT PAY TILL YOUR DONE AND HAPPY.

[frank1975]

This whole story makes no sense. Nobody business should ask for any amount till job is completed. I just used Westshore Homes for a shower unit. They never asked for a dime till job was done and I was completely satisfied. Plus why would a business ask for $6000 up front and gut it out then ask for balance to finish job. I believe there's more to this story.

[dewilson58]

. Nobody business should ask for any amount till job is completed.

Buy a new construction house from The Villages, you will deposit up front.

:coolsmiley:

[EviesGP]

It just amazes(and baffles) me, that after being in TV(and on ToTV) for 3-4yrs, I'm still reading how people are paying money up front, for work that has NOT EVEN BEEN STARTED(let alone completed)?!!! I don't care what they demand(or require). If they can't front their labor and materials, they are not worth it!!!! Very sad!

[Jacob85]

Tell her to take her documentation and go to Seniors V Crime. Phone 352-689-4600 ext. 4600. Monday through Thursday from 10-2:00

[DAVES]

It just amazes(and baffles) me, that after being in TV(and on ToTV) for 3-4yrs, I'm still reading how people are paying money up front, for work that has NOT EVEN BEEN STARTED(let alone completed)?!!! I don't care what they demand(or require). If they can't front their labor and materials, they are not worth it!!!! Very sad!

These threads tend to feed on themselves. The original post says it is a friend starting this for someone else. It is, second hand, bad mouthing a contractor who may or may not be guilty of ANYTHING inappropriate. The secondhand information says the other party has paid 6,000 and the work is not completed. It sounds like some or most or??????? has been completed. It is interesting and ?????????? how these things quickly turn into a lynch mob

[retiredguy123]

These threads tend to feed on themselves. The original post says it is a friend starting this for someone else. It is, second hand, bad mouthing a contractor who may or may not be guilty of ANYTHING inappropriate. The secondhand information says the other party has paid 6,000 and the work is not completed. It sounds like some or most or??????? has been completed. It is interesting and ?????????? how these things quickly turn into a lynch mob
No. The OP says that the woman's shower has been "gutted and that's it". So, it sounds to me like the contractor has done very little work for $6,000. And, the contractor is demanding full payment or he won't continue the project. The OP may be inaccurate, but that is what it says.

[lpruettusa]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

You're a good friend to help her with this issue. Please stick with her until it is resolved. There have been several good suggestions: BBB; The Seniors vs. Crime Project; the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation; Small Claims Court (without using an expensive layer); etc.

Some people have great skills in certain areas and may be a deer in the headlights when it comes to other issues. And, dealing with an issue like this bad contractor, is one area where many people are the deer.

Again, please stick with her (maybe recruit some other friends to help, too) until she is 100% restored, either with her money back or the job perfectly completed.

[Debbiedeluca]

I certainly don’t want to be dragged into a dispute on how to handle this situation. I can just share my current personal situation with this company. It is not pleasant having your home demolished and then having your contractor fail in his responsibilities.

In my contract with K&B there is a prevailing party attorney fee provision written in favor of the contractor. Under Florida law, that provision becomes reciprocal. So if I prevail (in my case, the attorney is confident I will - that’s why he took me on as a client) I will recover fees and costs.

I suggest you tell your friend to educate herself with a no cost conversation with an attorney.

[MrFlorida]

If a contractor asks for money in advance, I move on to another contractor. Never would I pay anything up front.

[Jerseybob]

Why do people hire contractors that want money up front, a 25-30% of total job should be the very maximum security deposit required and then check the contractors references. Going for the “cheap” job can turn out bad.

Check references FIRST, before you invite them to your home.
Then you can decide if you want to hire them and leave a small deposit.

[wisbad1]

Contact BBB and issue a complaint. Next, need to contact lawyer. May give crime against seniors a call. Not sure if they will be any help. Post on social media.
Sorry to hear of her troubles, but thanks for the heads up on this scam operation.
Need to hear the rest of the story

[Dust Bunny]

A good friend is going thru hell thanks to KITCHEN AND BATH STUDIOS OF OCALA. Her job was supposed to be done but she sits with a shower that was gutted and that’s it. People are supposed to show up— they don’t. No calls! She has paid them over $6,000. They won’t continue until she forks over the balance. In my opinion, they are exploiting a single woman. Not nice.

Also, file a complaint with the Attorney General's office. They can pull their license to do business.

[JoInTV]

I feel your pain as we recently had a similar experience with KB Studios. We will not use them again and can't recommend them. We were without the use of our master bath for 26 days. This was not due to supply chain issues, but plain and simple screw ups. They made the shower base in the incorrect color and had to recast it. They “lost” our original slab of quartz and had to go looking for another one. After 26 days when they finally delivered the vanity top and sinks, the top had a straight edge, not the beveled edge specified in the contract. At that point, we were so frustrated that we didn’t even care! Just install it and get the hell out. Oh! They also “forgot” to bring the vanity top & sink for the guest bath when they delivered the master bath top. After blowing off the rescheduled date, they finally returned and, lo and behold, they installed a rectangle sink, not the oval one we requested.
One of the subs told us that the owner was very ill. For his sake, I hope that he recovers quickly otherwise there won’t be a company to come back to if this how they are now doing business.

[Mjsmithx]

We used Paul (owner of company) to remodel 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, laundry room and lanai in 2018. This work was a complete demo and install including flooring, cabinets, countertops, sinks, showers, etc. The contract detailed the work requirements, the scope of work for each area, what was being demolished, purchased and installed. There was a complete payment schedule with milestones. As I recall, there was a milestone payment due when demolition was complete. I spent a lot of time with Paul and his staff, so I suspect that there is something more to this story than what has been presented. Many of my neighbors also used Paul for major renovations both before and after our job and I never heard any complaints of this nature. I researched multiple contractors before I signed with Paul, because he was simply outstanding compared to others.