We feel compelled to provide a warning about Bullseye the Granite Guy…read more
- Communication and service were excellent until we paid the 50% deposit. Communication and service then deteriorated.
- The template appointment occurred on March 5, with the installation booked for May 8; two months of lead time. Melinda cancelled the day before, via email, with no explanation and no rescheduled date.
- When I inquired about a rescheduled date by phone, I was treated with great hostility. I had to stop the conversation to address Melinda's tone. She acknowledged and apologized.
- Bullseye eventually rescheduled one week later. The installation on May 15 had issues: 1) One countertop was completed backwards; 2) The backsplashes for three bathrooms were not cut to the correct height; 3) One vanity opening was improperly cut and the sink forced through, cracking the top frame of the cabinets.
- The install was pushed into a second stressful day. That night, Melinda emailed, not to acknowledge the challenges of the install or to check on customer satisfaction, but to ask "where's my money".
- We explained that due to the last-minute cancellation, plumbers were not available until after the long weekend (5 days without sinks); and for us to be satisfied, plumbing needed to be completed.
- Melinda continued to pressure us for payment. We felt forced to fit the faucets at 9 pm. We discovered that the plunger-rods for the sink drains would not clear the space between the faucet and backsplash. Bullseye had the sinks during production. We offered the faucets to Chris to take back with him during the template appointment. He had declined.
- As a Google review identified a drop in communication and service following final payment, we made the (correct) decision to hold payment until the issue could be remediated.
- On quick return, Chris admitted that 1) He should have taken the faucets when offered; 2) He suspected that the issue would occur during dry assembly at the workshop (we believe the pressure for payment was because they were aware that the issue would shortly be discovered).
- Milling down the backsplashes by 1/3" was decided as the solution. Chris took back two backsplash sets, but did not take the third, citing he "did not have a budget for that; if you want it done, you will need to pay out of your own pocket." A good business absorbs the costs of any errors they make. A customer should not need to pay twice for the same job.
- When the third round of installation was complete, Chris became emotionally uncontrolled. He referenced "hostile communications" via email (I have shared these emails with friends, co-workers, and business contacts, who have all validated the professionalism and appropriateness of my responses). Chris also accused us of expecting him to "meet your expectations" (yes, that is in fact the definition of a business transaction). When he realized his attempt to intimidate and bully us was having no effect, he became increasingly incoherent before finally storming out of our home and slamming the door.
I am sure the owners will cite personal challenges as the reason for their unprofessionalism. While I have compassion for their circumstances, business owners cannot take out their stress on their customers - at best, we were treated as an inconvenience. At worst, we were treated as the enemy. And we were most certainly not to blame for their personal circumstances.
Bullseye has an interesting approach to customer service. I truly hope this works out for them.
If you choose to pursue Bullseye at your own risk, I recommend you hold final payment until you are truly satisfied. Be prepared to be accused of "hostile communications" if you do so though. I would also caution you to be prepared to pay twice for the same job. And lastly, I would ask you to consider that there may be other customers for which the intimidation and bullying tactics worked; customers who are now too scared to come forward with their reviews.
