Avrio Surfaces — Local services in Redmond

I was referred to this business by my neighbors. This was before they changed their name to Avrio.

As a small business owner I take this very seriously. I do my best to address my clients issues and if necessary do what ever it takes to address their concerns (including full refunds).

I am sharing my experience after trying to work with the business and the owner since the start of the project on December 10. Communication was poor from the start. The crew was scheduled for a demolition of tile and install of a quartz countertop. When they arrived they were not aware of the demo for the tile and had to contact the office to start the project. They did stay to complete both.

The next step was the tile installation. The worker arrived and after examining the tile found it was defective. We decided to return them and order a different tile. He had to return the tile all the way to Redmond and then go to Seattle to pick up the new tile. I approved the tile. He had to wait until the office was contacted about releasing the new tile because it wasn't yet paid for.

Three hours later he returned to begin the job. I left for quite awhile and came back to see the tile was much larger than I anticipated. I take responsibility for that. When the grout was applied I waited til the next day and noticed it was dried in different shades. I called the tile worker and he came over and told me it needed to dry more. It was the same the next day. It was agreed that he would come back and redo the grout. At that time he noticed a crack in the countertop.

In the mean time. The seam on the countertop was very visible and they sent someone back to repair. They were also going to put a bracket on my dishwasher because it was coming out of the wall after the install. The next day when I went to use the dishwasher I discovered it wasn't closing properly. I took the bracket off to see if that was the problem and discovered the handle was broken and the dishwasher was unusable. The seam was still very visible and 2 different colors.

I reached out to the project manager Christian and he was going to take my concerns to the owner. We scheduled a time for the owner to come look at the job. He promised to get back to me that day or the next. Two weeks later I called Christian back to say I had not heard from him. Two days later the owner finally called back. He said he would give me a credit for the tile but discounted the seam and the crack and said it was too bad but my dishwasher was older.

We scheduled a third time to come repair the seam and the crack. That was done yesterday. It was suggested that the seam be elsewhere or cut in one piece. He also noticed the grout cracking. They did the best they could do with the seam and the crack.

As of today, the bill is paid the job is still not finished. The support staff have been helpful and it is not their fault. I hold the company liable. I do not recommend this...

NW Granite & Marble told us that the seams in the granite would not be visible. I repeated that I do not want seams. They pushed that the seams would not be visible and that it is easier to install when the countertop is in multiple pieces: less risk of damage and less manpower required. Their pre-project measurer had told us that it was logistically possible to get a one-piece countertop installed. NW Granite installed the countertop, and ...surprise... the seam is very, very visible. I talked to the installer: he said that there was nothing that he could do about it. I called NW Granite office: they claimed that they told us that a seam would be visible and that it would be 1/16" wide and that the seam color would not necessarily match. That is not okay to change the story: just tell it true from the beginning. They did not offer to improve the seam or seam color. That was very strange.

Update: In NW Granite & Marble's response below, it mentions that my countertop in question is a L-shaped piece of granite. It is not: it is a rectangular quartz countertop. So, apparently their response is on the wrong project. I had also offered to pay the extra costs of having the two extra workers that it would take to install it as one piece. However, I understand how someone in their shop would have overruled the pre-installation guy that I talked with: unfortunately, that was not relayed to me. And, yes, one of their employees did tell me that the seam would not be visible. I am upgrading my stars from 2 to 3 considering that they were trying to be conscientious. However, note that the response from the owner to my review is months later. At the time of the project, there was no apology given: only stark defensiveness and claims that they were not responsible. Hence, still only 3 stars rather than higher. For the reader here, on the plus side, the countertops are holding up very well...

Do not use Northwest Granite and Marble for counter sealing! We paid over $750—in advance—to have our granite counters sealed. Two guys came on January 16th and were in and out in 15 minutes or less. When they left all the previously inconspicuous hairline cracks were white and rough. I called and Malea told me the sealer just needed longer to dry. The following morning the cracks were still white and rough, so I called Malea again and left a message. Despite my daily messages she still had not contacted me 6 days later.

When she finally called back, I explained the situation and she said the boss, Sergio Bekthiu, would “be out within the hour”. Three hours later he arrived. He apologized for the lousy job and said that Malea would schedule a redo. She never called. He also promised to provide a $330 partial refund for the poor job.

Two days later a guy showed up unannounced and redid the counters. They were somewhat improved, but the cracks were still white, just not as bright a white. Four days went by and we had received no credit, so I called on January 28th and Bekthiu told me he would check and get back to me by the end of the day. He didn’t.

Two days later I spoke to him again. He told me I would have the refund run through that day and would send me a copy, but he didn’t. The following day I left a message with his answering service, but got no response. As of today, Feb. 5th. and despite my calling several times and leaving messages, no one has called, I have not received the promised refund, the counters look worse than they did before sealing, and they are clearly ducking my calls.

If I could give this outfit negative...