Any Cabinet Makers Around? - Page 2

Beverly · #11 05-27-2004, 01:12 AM

Actually, found out that the stand making is already in progress and should have them in about a week. Last week I was waiting for a call from AI to confirm price, but never got one, thus the confusion. Sure happy to know the stands are on the way

Thanks, everyone, for your help and suggestions

Quinn · #12 05-27-2004, 01:53 AM

Glad to hear you got it worked out Bev.

Beverly · #13 06-03-2004, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teevee

Glad to hear you got it worked out Bev.

Well, the plot thickens with my tank stands from AI, I'm afraid

Yes, we were told last Wednesday that the stands were going to be done "next week" when we went in to tell the lady owner that we'd found another cabinet maker. So, we went into the store the following Saturday, all excited, and asked for a time frame for when the stands would be at the store so we could look them over, pay for them and set up a delivery date.

She became very flustered and said she couldn't be phoning this guy every day about our stands and he's got to redo a portion of a skirt for a customer and didn't know exactly when they would be ready. We went home confused and rather pee-ed off thinking she'd lied to us about the stands being ready "next week".

The following Tuesday I phone and ask what's really going on with the stands in a very non-confrontational way. She said she wasn't sure where he was with the stands, that he might have the materials already, but didn't know if he had actually started them yet and that she would call him that night. She also wanted me to come in the next day to go over the plans once more to make sure everything was just right.

Cr*p, I'm thinking, she's been stringing us along all this time with false promises and un-truths

As mad as I was, I didn't get upset with her because that only makes this lady more unreasonable. I said if he hasn't started, I want to know, and if he has started, I would like to know some sort of time line he has in mind for delivery. Very reasonably, she said she would do that and I said I would call the next day to find out what was going on.

Right after this conversation with her, I get on the phone with the cabinet maker I had lined up the previous week and asked him if he would still be able to do our stands in the event we were no longer working with AI on them. He said sure

The next day I phoned AI and she says she no longer wants to do our stands because of all the changes we had made to the original design and that her cabinet maker was not able to understand what it was we actually wanted. Well, we had made 2-3 modifications from the time of the original order, which all had detailed drawing accompanying the minor changes, but there had been no changes for two weeks prior to "the stands will be ready next week" time. I actually don't think she even talked with her cabinet maker and was stringing me along some more. I guess she wanted to fire us before we fired them.

Anyway, we will be getting a Visa refund on the money we put down on the stands. But if she had told us the truth in the first place, we'd have our stand half finished by now by the other cabinet maker

Moral of the story: talk to me if you want stands made for your tanks and I will give you the name and number of the cabinet maker we're going to be working with. His prices are not cheap, but I've known him for awhile and I believe he's going to do an excellent job for us. Plus, he is upfront about costs, what he can and can't do, and I trust him.

End of miserable AI stand story.... I hope

mr_alberta · #14 06-03-2004, 03:47 PM

Wow. I'm surprised you got your tanks so soon from IA. With all the bad publicity they get on RC and other forums, I don't think I'll order anything from them ever.

Quinn · #15 06-03-2004, 06:09 PM

I think she means AI as in Aquarium Illusions, not IA as in Inter-American. I've never had problems with IA and I know a number of Calgarians have bought from them as well. And I've never bought a tank or stand from AI so I can't comment on them.