Stone Source, Inc — Local services in Plymouth

Product Ok. Installation below par. Service bad. Overall not a very satisfying experience.

Start to end experience: We went to showroom to select and order. Cora was very good. She patiently walked through a lot of samples we picked and ordered. Marla from scheduling called later and setup the date / time schedule for tear up (or demo) / counter top install / back splash install. Marla did a good job. She even sent a google meeting invite. The installation team came in, tore up the existing tiles and in the process broke a bunch of stuff. Then they drained a lot of tile powder for which I had to call a plumber to unclog. The countertop installation team came next day. They were good. Spoke little english (except one person who was fluent). But they did the job ok. There is only one join (as designed) and they sealed it well (barely noticeable) Backsplash install was just barely Ok.

Overall there is a big difference on the demos in the showroom vs the finished product at home. There is no ownership of the actual install. There is no drive to make it look good for the customer in their home.

Called stone source to address the breakages. I was promptly connected with Cora, who again took down my concerns and told me I will get a call back.

The manager called to address and started yelling on the phone.

We did not ask the team to touch anything that they are not supposed to do. The manager claims in response that we asked them to disconnect plumbing etc. That is not true. The team came, inspected the kitchen. We removed the top drawers and all kitchen ware from the counter top. They proceeded to take it apart. Nobody mentioned that we had to remove the plumbing, not even during the sale.

Bad management / after sales service. Find a different place if you can. Also definitely avoid if you are redoing your existing setup. May be ok for new installs.

Response to the manager who was yelling and responded to my review:

You cannot do whatever you want and then claim you did 500 dollar worth of service or 1000 dollar worth of service. You first had no right to remove plumbing if you are not a licensed plumber. I never signed off saying please come and break shut-off valves and lights.

Also here are some more "facts". Your salesperson never said that plumbing needs to be disconnected. All she said was that we need a plumber to fit the new faucet after install. You did not visit the work site even after complaint. Instead you called and started claiming that you did a lot more work than you promised which is a lie (and oh, the yelling). The first day when 2 people came, first one showed up 15 mins before the second one. Both individually and together came up to see the kitchen. Neither said anything about the connected plumbing either. As they proceeded with their work, they just asked one question the whole day. "Where is the water main?". They had to shut it off because they broke the shutoff valves under the sink. Whether they removed the trap first or later, I honestly cannot tell because I was not watching their work. All I know is my kitchen was working very well. We came to your shop for upgrade, not repair. The emergency plumber had to be called just 4 hours after your install team put the counter top the next day because it is not draining. I have the receipt to show if you want to see.

And lastly, don't yell. You don't want to pay for the damage and you can say...

My wife and I choose Stone Source USA for our new kitchen countertops and couldn’t be happier with the results.

We looked at several different companies but kept returning to Stone Source as they had the best selection and we really enjoyed working with Interior Designer Cora. After picking out our slabs (Madre Perla Quartzite), Cora walked us through the measuring, cutting, and installation process.

Measurement was scheduled and performed on time. We had custom made cabinets with a corner sink, and I explained during measurement that we wanted the sink moved as-close-as possible to the edge of the countertop. With a 29.5 x 17 double-bowl sink, it was going to be a tight fit, and we didn’t want to stretch to reach the faucet.

Once measurement was complete, Cora contacted us to review the slabs prior to cutting. We had two and a half slabs to work with but only needed one and half slabs of material. It’s important to note at this point that, unless you plan to buy all of the slabs, Stone Source (as well as anyone else) is going to get the maximum material out of each slab. The review process let us to pick our “favorite” slab, as well as note areas we wanted to include / exclude from the cuts. A day after the review, we received an email from Cora showing the proposed cuts for our approval.

We had a couple questions regarding the proposed cuts, so we stopped by Stone Source and Cora pulled up the cuts on the computer. She explained the alternate layouts they tried and why they felt this was the best layout. It was apparent after 30 seconds they knew more about cutting stone than we did. They were open to trying another layout, but after hearing the reasons behind the design, we agreed the proposed cuts were best.

With the cuts approved, our installation date was set. The day before, we had brackets installed for our 12” overhang. As with the measurement, bracket installation was scheduled and performed on time. The next day, the installers showed up. I was nervous with the new cabinets and walls, but installation was quick and painless. The countertops looked flawless and the walls and cabinets were untouched.

A day after installation, I did find one minor glitch with the sink mounting. Prior to hooking up the plumbing, I inspected the silicon seal and noticed that one corner appear to have a small gap where the silicon seal didn’t appear complete. Rather than patch the seal myself, I contacted Cora and Stone Source sent another crew to inspect the seal the next day. The second crew determined that the clip in that corner could have been snugged a bit more (it was in a difficult location due to the corner sink), so they dropped the entire sink and remounted it again. That did the trick and the seal is now perfect.

Overall, we couldn’t be happier. The glitch with the silicon seal was just that…a minor glitch…and Stone Source promptly fixed it, no questions asked. Stone Source and Cora delivered everything as promised and our new countertops...

Got a remnant of quartzite for our laundry room. Measuring and install went well. It looked great. However, immediately after install, I noticed some stains on the stone that were present at install (I hadn't used it yet). They sent out Sergey to remove the stains. He got out some, but said others were best left alone. Some of the marks were perhaps imperfections in the stone. That was fine and I let it go because they were minor.

However, once I started using the laundry room, several new stains started appearing. Turns out the stone was not sealed! It is so permeable, that a single drop of water will leave a dark mark, even when wiped up immediately and it takes days to evaporate and may still leave a stain behind. The stone is polished, so it doesn't appear porous.

Because it took me a couple weeks to notice the water stains, there are several new stains now that I cannot get out. Stone Source had told me that the stone comes sealed. Now they tell me that when they say the stone is sealed, what they really mean is that they apply one coat of sealant to the stone before it is installed, but the stone may need multiple coats of sealant to be fully sealed properly. There is a big difference between applying one coat of sealant that may or may not be enough to seal the stone and actually ensuring the stone is sealed! There is no way I could have known that my newly installed "pre-sealed" stone would immediately need more coats of sealant prior to use!

They told me I need to add more sealant myself, but to first get the stains out so they are not permanently sealed in. I bought the products they recommended online (almost $100 in materials for the stain remover and sealant), but I was unable to get the stains out. Then, I asked them to please send out Sergey out again to remove the new stains so I could add more sealant. They said it would cost me $300 for a service call. We went back and forth via email and they asked for photos. I sent photos of the new stains and they insist that they are simply part of the stone. (They are most definitely not!)

I now cannot use my laundry sink or counter at all without adding more stains. I cannot seal it myself without sealing in the current stains.

I am very disappointed in Stone Source and their unwillingness to make things right when clearly they should have either done a simple water-drop test to ensure the stone is fully sealed OR they should at least inform all customers to do a water-drop test before use and add more sealant...