Kraftmaid

Very disappointed. Broken roll-out shelf, scratches on cabinets, missing cabinet door, missing hinges, missing drawer front, glue slopped all over the back of four cabinets that we had to remove, several dovetail joints had pulled apart and one cabinet had the finish on the wrong side. All of this added to the installation cost, installation time and frustration. Makes Home Depot look really bad. The Kraftmaid rep was asked by Home Depot to refund us some money to compensate us for their poor quality but was told "no". In other words, they do not stand behind there products and their customer service is horrible. We spent almost $17,000 on cabinets. We will never buy cabinets from them again.

Cabinet construction is good but the paint chips constantly and is very poor quality. Looks horrible. I should have known when so many doors had to be replaced at the time of installation that is was only going to get worse.

In 2011 I ordered a custom kitchen from Kraftmaid through Home Depot
and had a 100% positive experience. I felt that I received good value for
my money. When we needed another kitchen in a different house I didn’t
hesitate to go back to them again.

When the cabinets arrived we found that all of the doors and drawer faces
had splits at the corners. (Pictures of the showroom sample, and one of the
doors we received attached). I reported this problem to Home Depot, who
contacted Kraftmaid. An on-site meeting was scheduled with the store
representative and a Kraftmaid factory representative.

The first response was that it was normal for mitered corner doors to separate.
When I pointed out that I wouldn’t have ordered that door style if I had known,
and that the showroom samples weren’t separating, the next try was that
they would “probably” close back up after the cabinets were fully adjusted
to the temperature and humidity in the house. Although skeptical, I agreed
to wait and see.

10 days later, when it was evident that nothing had changed we started a
replacement order for all new doors and drawer faces in a different style that
was constructed with butt joints, not mitered corners.

Weeks went by. When the replacements were finally delivered I had to pay our
contractor to remove all the defective elements and return them to the store
for credit before the replacements were released. On unpacking the order he
discovered that one of the doors was a different style - which required a new
order and several more weeks delay. Electing to install what we had, we next
discovered that one replacement door was missing entirely from the order. A
new order was placed, with several more weeks delay. When that door finally
arrived it was the right style but the wrong size. Another order - with several
more weeks delay. That order was delayed because the company said the one
they
made didn’t pass internal “quality” inspection. The one they shipped a bit later
had
a large noticeable crack in it. We had to refuse it. Finally we have all corrected
elements - SIX MONTHS after the site meeting about defective construction.

I give high marks to Michelle and her team at the Rio Grande, NJ Home Depot
for trying to manage this mess with good humor. I never received any sort of
apology from Kraftmaid.

This custom kitchen is average quality at best. This time I don’t feel that I got
good value for my twelve thousand dollar investment. I wish I had contracted
with a local cabinet shop where quality still matters.

Like many things these days, Kraftmaid seems to have changed from the
company it once was. Things are missing - important things - like attention to
detail, craftsmanship, and customer service. I won’t ever buy another kitchen
from Kraftmaid, and I can’t recommend the company to anyone else.

DISAPPOINTED
We redid our kitchen in 2004 and ordered Kraftmaid Hickory cabinets. They were absolutely beautiful with a combination of light and dark grains. It was that contrast that made us buy those cabinets. However, they didn't stay that way. Over time the dark grain disappeared and it's original look was gone. Having called Kraftmaid to find out why I was told that that is what happens with natural wood. Not being a wood expert or carpenter I had no idea about that. Had I known the cabinets would not retain their appearance I would never have ordered them. At the barest minimum I should have been advised by the seller that this would happen so I could have made a more informed decision. Will not purchase Kraftmaid products again.