Solid Surface Specialists, L.L.C.

Review: I noticed pittings in the SSS countertops and requested an on-site inspection/recommendation. SSS refused to inspect and refused to return my calls.Since May 10, 2013, I have been requesting that SSS, at its convenience, come look at the pittings in the countertops; SSS has only responded twice with emails that indicate its incorrect assumption about what I want to be done to correct the pittings. During this three-month period, SSS has not replied to other emails, or to telephone calls or to a personal visit to its office all asking SSS to call me. In addition, SSS has incorrectly assumed that it clearly communicated to us the quality of this natural product (SSS did make us aware of color and pattern variations). I am concerned about the pitting. It seems to occur in the black portions of the countertop. And I would like to have an experts recommendation on how to deal with this issue. I had believed this would be best addressed in a short site visit by SSS. Since SSS furnished and installed the countertops earlier this year, it seemed reasonable that SSS would be the expert wed call upon. That is what I requested. I am extremely disappointed in SSSs email of Aug. 16, 2013; in it, SSS washes its hands of this entire matter and leaves me a very unsatisfied customer.Desired Settlement: I want a granite countertop expert to inspect the pittings and make an honest and realistic recommendation for dealing with the problem.

Business

Response:

We at SSS have already upon finishing the [redacted] residence spent the additional time, effort and money to send a crew to the residence twice for things that were absolutely fine but did so to go above and beyond to satisfy Mr. [redacted]. We are at this point unable to spend any further money on things that aren't problems or warranty items and have expressed that to Mr. [redacted] by not continuing to return to the jobsite for things that are known to positively not be an issue. I personally spent approximately 24 total hours on site during the finishing stages of the countertop, tile and paint portion of the job and am intimately familiar with the countertops in the home, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them or abnormal about them other than Mr. [redacted] obsessing over natural characteristics that were discussed during our numerous conversations about the attributes of natural stone that he seems to now to have forgotten. We spent an extensive amount of time going over why granite is predominantly resin coated prior to grinding and polishing, what natural attributes of stone the resin process helps to disguise as well as how making an appropriate edge profile selection could minimize the amount of eventual nicking and chipping of the countertop edge. The tops were in perfect condition for natural stone upon our departure in April 2013 so I responded to Mr. [redacted]s request in May 2013 by offering to be schedule him a service call which was to be billable as things outside of seam or bowl mounting failure are not considered a warranty item. I do not need to see the pitting in the black areas to know that it is completely normal, they are the same pits that were there when we fabricated and installed the tops and are the same pits that will be in 80% of the black areas of natural stone between now and the end of time. Please see the attached information regarding pitting from the Marble Institute of America. If in the future Mr. [redacted] has any seam failure or bowl mounting failure we at SSS will be happy to stand behind our installation of our product and will repair that for him at no charge for a period of 10 years dating from April 2013.

Thank you

16.4 Pitting of the countertop surface, particularly in granite material, is a commonly seen characteristic on natural stone. Granites are made up of several different minerals, each mineral having a different hardness. Granites contain quartz, feldspars, biotite, amphibole, ferrous titanium oxides, and other mineral combinations. On the Mohs Scale (see chart above), diamonds are the hardest mineral, with a rating of 10. Quartz and feldspar have a hardness of 6.5 to 7 and are very durable. Biotite (small, black minerals throughout the slab) on the other hand is very soft (2.5) and flakes easily. All true granites have biotite in their composition. Because biotite is relatively soft and flaky, the first few layers are often removed during the polishing process, causing pits throughout the slab. Some granites have more biotite throughout their composition than others. The higher the biotite content of the stone, the more pits it will have. Most polished igneous rocks will have varying degrees of pits, depending on the amount of biotite, muscovite, and phlogopite in their composition. The pits do not make the granite less durable or otherwise inferior, and do not in themselves qualify the slab for replacement. Pits are common in all granites and should be expected when dealing with a natural, polished stone containing several types of minerals with different hardnesses. It is usually best to not attempt repair of pits, as most repair techniques will not cosmetically improve the countertop.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

We are again disappointed in SSS’s response. We do not consider their handling of our request as an example of good business; the result is an unsatisfied customer that would not have them do any more work or give a positive reference to someone wanting their type of work.