Remodelers Beware!: Good First Impressions:



The initial impression of this business was good. Palmetto Kitchens sells quality appliances. They have a nice show room in Edgefield, SC. The prices are competitive with other high-end appliance dealers. The experience was going well up to the point of installation.



Installation Service was Terrible:



We recently remodelled our complete kitchen. This included new floors, cabinets, counter tops, electrical, plumbing, and appliances. After shopping around, we decided to get all of the appliances from Palmetto Kitchens located in Edgefield, SC. We purchased a GE Monogram refrigerator, a Miele dishwasher, a Dacor 36" dual fuel range, and a Dacor 42" exhaust hood. Palmetto Kitchens was responsible for installing everything except the hood. The following is a summary of the work they did wrong:



1. The dishwasher was installed incorrectly because they failed to inform us that the new cabinet was not completely closed in on both sides. Instead of pointing out that there was a huge gap on the left side of the dishwasher, they decided to just get a longer screw (approximately 4 inches long) and "anchor" the dishwasher anyway. Unfortunately for us, this caused the adjoining cabinet to shift to the left thus breaking the glued seam in our granite counter top and causing a 4 inch long piece of granite to break off near the front. Palmetto Kitchens refused to accept responsibility for this damage. We had to make arrangements for the Granite Company to patch the cracked Granite and re-seal the seam. The granite Company advised that a countertop with that much damage should be replaced. After informing Palmetto Kitchens of this, they refused to even look at the countertop. We also had to arrange for the Cabinet Contractor to re-install the dishwasher properly so that it could be anchored on both sides and was aligned with the adjoining cabinet.



2. The refrigerator was installed out of level. It leaned back into the enclosure 1-1/2 inches from the bottom to the top. This resulted in a deep scratch in the cabinet. After Palmetto Kitchens made a second attempt to level the refrigerator, it was leaning forward by 1/2 inch. I ended up leveling it myself.



3. The Dacor range was installed without the anti-tipping anchor. This is a serious situation because the range could tilt forward if something heavy was placed on a pulled oven rack. Palmetto Kitchens reluctantly came back and "installed" the anchor. But, they did a sloppy job and they damaged one of the front stainless steel panels in the process. The panel was damaged because they used it as a handle to pull the range out. It clearly states in the manual not to pull on this panel. It had to be removed, straightend and re-installed. Even then, two of the mounting screws couldn't be replaced because they even bent the support bracket that holds the panel. Only three of the five screws could be replaced. Palmetto Kitchens did not do this repair. They claimed that they were not responsible.



4. We also found that the Dacor Hood had a defective light switch. When I called Palmetto Kitchens about this, they told me that the range was going to have to be pulled out again to work on the hood. I asked if the hood could be repaired without pulling out the range because I didn't want them to cause anymore damage. They refused to work on it. I had to call another appliance repair company to fix this hood. The other company had no problem replacing the switch with the range in place.



Summary:



Not only did Palmetto Kitchens do a terrible job of installing my kitchen appliances, but they caused very expensive damages in the process. When we complained, they refused to take responsibility for their neglegence. In addition, they treated me and my wife unprofessionally.



I would not recommend Palmetto Kitchens to anyone.