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June 4, 2007
Don't Waste Your Time with Heights Woodworking
Friends -- Don't waste your time having Heights Woodworking come out to spec out any woodworking jobs -- they will not deliver estimates or follow up with you. Almost a month after the owner came to my house, they still haven't delivered an estimate on my job. The owner claims it's taking so long because the job is not "cut and dry." Basically, I need two doors made (plain doors, not pocket doors), and some pricing on a few other minor decorative items. I think it's pretty straightforward, and even if it's not, pricing should be a big part of what he does -- it's not brain surgery and it shouldn't take a month. I had read that the company is slow on the Forum before, but thought maybe that was a fluke. It's not. HEights Woodworking will give you a headache, and they won't ever come through! - Rachel
Comments
I had the same experience! They came over and seemed really expert; I was hoping they could give me a price to install new windows, either Marvin or their own (they make custom windows). It took a week to get me a quote on custom windows. (I think it was just a stock price.) But the proposal I really wanted was for installing new windows from Marvin. NEVER CAME. I called and called, and they kept saying "tomorrow", "we're very busy but tomorrow" -- and I never got it.
I wish they'd just said "We are not interested in your business." It was a big waste of time.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 12:27 PM
I had the opposite experience. I brought them a piece of the brick mould that I needed replicated. I needed about 50' and expected it to take a couple of weeks. It was ready the next day for pickup and was perfect. So there you go.
Posted by: raphael at June 4, 2007 12:34 PM
Hey, OP, what advice or services are you seeking by posting here? I ahd a good experience with getting a quote from HW. Like many, they have been around long enough that there will be satisfied and dissatisfied clients and woudl be clients. I just don't get when people -- OP isn't alone here -- use this site to slam a contractor or vendor as if their one bad experience is somehow unquestionably the norm for how that firm does business.
In case you missed it, below is the rule, posted in the sidebar, for use of this forum.
Welcome to the Forum. Posting in this area is restricted to individuals seeking advice or services related to real estate or home renovations. In addition, posts about architectural salvage or the recycling of unused building materials or appliances are also okay.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:07 PM
They showed me up for 3 appointments. I finally told them I wasn't interested in their business.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:10 PM
I am very happy that people post experiences like this on the website. There is nothing wrong with being too busy to do a job, but there is something wrong with all the contractors etc, who think it is okay to waist peoples time. Thanks for the post OP.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:23 PM
"Hey, OP, what advice or services are you seeking by posting here?"
You can only be Heights Woodworking, posting under the cover of anon like this..
I'm-not-gonna-take-it-anymore rants appear here weekly and for good reason! There is no other place for them, and we as consumers of shoddy services are empowered by articulate complaints that are backed up by others with the same issue. Nobody takes a single complaint about a company particularly seriously everyone knows even the best companies have unhappy and impossible to please customers but if we're not "allowed" to tell a story then a more accurate overall picture never emerges and the company can get away with poor service indefinitely.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:23 PM
I am anon 1:07. I am not Heights Woodworking and I did not use them, although they did submit a bid. Someone else came in at a lower price and I used the lwo bidder and was very happy with my rebuilt stairs.
I have seen a lot of these flaming posts trashing various contractors and vendors -- some I know and like, some I don't know, and some I don't even like. These posts, however, seem so often to be so overwrought and disproportionate, that I have to wonder (a) whether the OP is really a competitor, or (b) why the OP thinks his/her own experience is so reliably generalizable.
If you want a contractor or vendor who hasn't pissed at least one client off, don't renovate in Brooklyn, period. But it is sheer folly to use one person's angry and unsolicited vent on this site as a reason not to do business with someone. So no, I do not consider these posts informative at all.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:39 PM
Anon 1:07 here, again.
BTW, there are many other, and perhaps mroe productive, outlets to express dissatisfaction with a contractor or vendor -- Dept. of Consumer Affairs, Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, to name a few.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:44 PM
Heights Woodworking is amazing. They do incredible reproduction doors of which I have several. They have built weighted windows that look like they are original to the house. They have done an unbelievable job of restoring a bay of stained glass windows in my home. They created far and away the most efficient and clean worksite that I have ever seen. They are about to start the restoration of our parquet floor and I am sure that it will be incredible.
I had a window quote within a week and new windows within a month that were installed in three days. My neighbors are still waiting for their Marvins that were ordered 6 months ago.
Can't we have a separate blog for whining Slopers?
Posted by: drunkenstooper at June 4, 2007 1:45 PM
We had the same experience with HW as the OP did. I'm sure some contractors etc. get unfairly criticized on this site. You can kind of tell when a poster hits the nail on the head though when there is a critical masss of posters who've had the same experience.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 1:45 PM
Wow. I was not expecting to see such negative posting on Heights Woodworking. My experience with them was nothing but an absolute pleasure. I had them replace the stairs in our brownstone. They were quick with a quote. They were quick to start the job. They were professional, incredibly neat and fast. And the job was absolutely first rate. They were a bit more expensive than other quotes but I feel justified in having spent it - because I know I never have to worry about those stairs or the railings ever again.
(and no, I don't work for them!)
Posted by: anon at June 4, 2007 2:07 PM
I also had a wonderful experience with Height Woodworking. My need was simple and they delivered quickly and efficently. Maybe their price was a little high but I had no complaints, problems or regrets and that's worth a lot!
Posted by: me at June 4, 2007 2:31 PM
OP: Thank you for posting your experience. You have every right to do so, as do the posters who are praising them (assuming they are telling the truth). drunkenstooper apparently thinks we are all too naive to actually take each post with a grain of salt, and he apparently believes that only his personal experience is important and anyone who has a bad experience with a contractor and tells someone else about it is whining.
If Heights Woodworking is as great as some posters say they are, I'm sure they have nothing to worry about. If, in fact, they are often lacking in following up with potential clients, maybe a post such as this one will make them think twice about continuing such behavior.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 3:13 PM
I'm a woodworker (not HW) in brownstone Brooklyn. I'm not here to praise them, or to bury them...I'm posting to rant a bit. I always show up for an appointment on time, and I spend hours preparing an estimate. I call in my bid within a couple of days...then wait for a response, and wait. A week goes by...then 2 or 3 more weeks pass. No phone call. Not even an email. On a typical job estimate, I may spend 5 hours or more meeting the client,looking at the job, drawing & estimating, and then calling it in.
My business is successful, and I'm booked for a couple of months in advance, so I'm not too concerned about getting every job that I bid. My rant concerns people that won't spend a few minutes (less time than it takes for me to find parking to see their job) to call and say no. So there's 2 sides to this coin. The next time you call someone about work that you want done, PLEASE...at least have the courtesy to get back to them one way or the other...in a timely manner.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 3:43 PM
Hi -- I am the OP. The services/goods I wanted were two doors made to fit existing original interior doorways. When he was here taking measurements, the owner of HW, Amor, suggested that his shop could also copy some wood detailing that has been lost -- for example the things that crown the banisters at each landing -- but he came over to measure the doors, and that was really what we wanted. The owner, who incidentally was a very nice man, said he would email me an estimate within a few days. That was four weeks ago. I have called the shop twice a week since his visit asking for my estimate. As for those who say we shouldn't review and share our evaluations with each other -- I don't know what to say -- that is the premise of most message boards, if not the free market system! My conclusion: Heights Woodworking, while owned by a nice man, does not follow through on providing estimates in a timely manner, and they do not have the infratstucture or staff to man a lot of jobs well. I mean please -- if they can't provide an estimate on two 5 panel doors that will fit into existing doorways.... I don't have much confidence that they could manage much.
Posted by: Rachel at June 4, 2007 5:18 PM
I'm still in the process of a complete renovation which as lasted far too long. In the process I had Heights Woodworking install red oak steps, popular rises thoughtout my brick house, they also stipped my rods and bansisters. They did excellent work. They arrived everyday (except Sunday) at 7:45 and left at 4:45. They made sure to cover all my belongings and doors in plastic and vacumned upon completion. I have already recommended them to my neighbors who view the finished stairs and they also hired from for a upcoming job. Great people to work with.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 5:59 PM
"My rant concerns people that won't spend a few minutes (less time than it takes for me to find parking to see their job) to call and say no. So there's 2 sides to this coin. The next time you call someone about work that you want done, PLEASE...at least have the courtesy to get back to them one way or the other...in a timely manner."
Yep. I get this a lot too.
--an architect in Brooklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 10:38 PM
Rachel,
If they were plain doors, why not go to Lowes or the Depot? I am in the remodeling business in the PS/BH for may years, I cannot remember ever hearing anything negative about them other than price. Usually a negative comment comes from a homeowner who is hit with the reality that they cannot afford what they want. You claim the time you waited for a quote was too long, I am sure Heights will say different. Three sides to every story you know. If you waited longer than you felt was necesary, too bad. To insult a mans business over it is another thing. Switch to decaf and take a deep breath.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 4, 2007 11:09 PM
Anon 11:09, We want the doors to match our existing doors. They don't sell them at Lowes or the Depot but thanks for the idea. To suggest that I have sticker shock is a ridiculous mischaracterization -- it's just not the case since we never got an estimate. If HW didn't want to do the work, they should have told me, rather than stringing me along for weeks. We have a small child, and we need these doors soon. Amor is a big boy and should be able to take the heat, so I am not issuing any apologies for my criticisms.
Posted by: Rachel at June 5, 2007 10:33 AM
Rachel-
You hit the nail on the head. Most homeowners, understandably so, and myself included, get overwhelmed by the cost and stress of renovation and tend to take it out on the businesses, rather than realize that it is likely themselves who are to blame because they bit off more than they can handle. I'm an architect and a homeowner and I'm guilty of ranting and I'm guilty of overtaxing myself on my own renovation as well. I also have to deal with other homeowners all the time who get upset by schedules that can not realistically be met and by businesses that have other clients they need to attend to as well. Yes, it's a service industry, but you need to remember you are not the only person being serviced. And if your schedule is insane, it's not the servicers fault.
Breath.
Posted by: ranter at June 5, 2007 11:22 AM
Ranter--
I don't think it's too much for someone to actually give a quote in a timely fashion. OP said a month has passed and the business hasn't even furnished a quote. Don't blame her for the time crunch if the company can't even get a simple quote together. Yes, everyone knows that you need to budget a hell of a lot more time and money than the job should take, but what do you suggest? That she budget 6 months to get a couple of doors made? 12 months? 24 months? Plus, she's having two freaking doors made...how is that more than OP can handle? Are you kidding? I don't think OP's being unreasonable at all. If they don't want her business, they should just say so, so she can make other arrangements, instead of keeping her hanging for 1 month plus.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 5, 2007 12:08 PM
Thank you Anon 12:08. In what universe is it OK for a vendor to promise an estimate within a few days, and then blow it off for a month, leaving the customer hanging. And ultimately never delivering? In what business universe is that good service? And for what it's worth, we don't have unreasonable expectations about cost. We are doing as much exact replication and restoration as we can -- we're history buffs. We were not expecting the doors to be $59.99. As Anon 12:08 notes, it would have been just fine with me if HW had told me they didn't have time for my job at the moment.
Posted by: Rachel at June 5, 2007 1:31 PM
Ranter -
I agree with rachel and anon 12:08. I have had so many tradespeople pull the exact same stunt on me as with rachel. I don't see how it makes any of us unreasonable to feel its an unacceptable way to do business. If a job is too small or a tradeperson is too busy they should not waste people's time by making promises they can't keep. I know very good tradespeople that have simply told me they either didn't have the time or the project didn't make sense for them. I respect that and i think that's a legitimate way to do business.
Posted by: AnnaBee at June 5, 2007 2:52 PM
Woodworker, I'm a freelancer dealing with the public (not construction based business). I have my interviews, which yes, IS time consuming, and then I let people know that I'll give them a week to get back to me if they want to book me. If another party calls for that date (usually my jobs are date specific), I'll give them first refusal. If I don't hear from them, that's it. 80% of the people who don't hire me don't bother calling and I'm fine with that because I expect it. You have to let it slide. It's part of the business.
I haven't had the best experience with contractors. Half of them don't even return my initial call. Some of them come over for an estimate, spend an hour, and then never get back to me with the estimate. I don't chase after them, because if they can't even give me a price, how are they going to work on my house? Of those I've hired, some were good and some were bad. But at least they showed up to work.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 5, 2007 4:47 PM
To add a voice to the chorus AGAINST Heights Woodworking, i've posted before on them, and I'll do it again. I had a terrible terrible experience working with them. We've done extensive renovations to our brownstone in park slope over the last few years, and i have been my own contractor of sorts, and they were by FAR the least professional of any of the tradespeople I've dealt with in the last few years. That includes plumbers, masons, roofers, gardners, windows, heating, electrical, plasters/painters, woodworkers, kitchen design & installation, etc.
I tried to have my two front doors (standard brownstone type doors) remade out of mahogany, along with all the original shutters redone (built from scratch) on our parlor floor, and new flooring and floorboards on several floors. It was a huge job.
I had read some good things about Heights Woodworking on this site, so i didn't seek out a lot of other bids (2 others). Also, because i'd read good things, i active sought out their bid.
Alas, I must have called SEVEN times over the course of 1.5 months to try and get a bid submitted. The other two bidders took 2 weeks to get back to me.
I called several times and spoke to Amor directly and on the first two calls he promised he'd get to it. Then i called a third time, he picked up and he couldn't even remember that he had been at my house to take measurements!
I called so much that i got to know the woman Annie that answers the phone and i felt bad for her because there was nothing she could do to get him to fill out the estimate....i finally had to say that i needed it in the next hour or i wouldn't consider it (it was a very big job) and her answer was that he'd gone on vacation.
But because it was a big job, she tracked him down and they did submit a proposal that was so grossly uncompetitive, that it just simply wasnt worth the premium i might have paid.
Judging from what I've read over the last few years on this site and have heard from neighbors, IMHO Heights Woodworking was at one time a good carpenter to use, but that the quality of service have gone down tremendously over the years and thate there are a lot of other places doing much better work with customer service to match.
No contractor that I've dealt with in this renovation odyssey has been a perfect blessing to work with, but this experience with Heights Woodworking was at the top of my worst experiences list.
Posted by: breukelyn at June 6, 2007 12:46 AM
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