Thrifty Gypsy

This company is apparently “back in business.” It should not be. I advise those thinking of giving this company a chance to think again. I have posted my reviews on various platforms with pictures. This company’s work literally fell off my walls...almost hitting my husband. The owner never came out, stated via text, “We will be out to assess the damage when we have the time.” My husband’s response: Unacceptable.
So. I challenge this company as they try a new start to do what is morally right and fix what innocent customers paid her for... at this point, in my case... it would be a refund as I could not leave the work that fell off the walls and shattered just left as it was...I will continue to let innocent potential customers know to really do their “homework” if you are thinking of hiring this company. You owe that to yourselves. It may save you a lot of money and sadness in the end.

May 2020: negotiated with TG to paint my kitchen cabinets. Paid 1/3 of total deposit for June start date.June came - no work started. Got pushed out to July, then August, then September, October, then November. At the October date TG said she would stick to that date which came and was told they would start 4 November. Not acceptable. Asked for my refund to be returned. Haven’t heard from her since. Would like to get my refund back as she had no intention of doing the work.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! They were hired back in may 2019 to redo our kitchen and it has been an absolute nightmare working with them. They never showed up on time, nor is our kitchen even finished. Sometimes she didn't even show up when she said she was going too. Whitney's company is very unprofessional and takes advantage of people. When hired she said she had a small crew, well they don't exist. It is literally her and her boyfriend. Whitney lied to me on multiple occasions and can not be trusted. We had new cabinets added to expand our kitchen, and Whitney lied to us multiple times when are doors were suppose to arrive. She took our money but has not completed the job. We have multiple screws that are missing out of the hardware of our hinges for our doors, screws are falling out because she cracked the wood on our cabinet doors as well. Painting is unfinished, the toe kick under our cabinets does not extend to where it should, the paint on our cabinet doors is chipping because there is no protective coating, we have a door that is hanging on by one hinge, we had a draw that COLLASPED on my 3 year old's hand while she was trying to get a spoon out. We have backsplash that was left unfinished, a random screw that put in next to one of our draws, nails sticking out of our cabinets in the inside, we had our soffit extended and we were left with an unsmooth surface. She has her boyfriend working with her, and to my knowledge I am not aware that he is even licensed to be doing so. our kitchen sink is not sealed properly as well. Whitney has not been back to my house since June 8, 2019. While also at our house she STOLE one of my husbands power tool batteries and still has it in her possessions. my husband had his items in a separate pile on our table so not sure how you "accidently" take it. Whitney was made aware when the draw collapsed on my daughters hand and when the door broke and had said she would be back asap to fix them well that was 9 weeks ago. Do not use them for any type of work in your house. The work is poor quality and they will steal your money and not complete the job. She admitted she lied to me about ordering my custom cabinet doors, I was told they would be in may 30, they were supposedly only ordered on June 7. Well obviously they were never ordered because I still do not have cabinet doors on them.

Whitney said via text message and I quote " I just ordered, them the money has been coming in and going back out just as quickly. That's why we had to start other jobs. "
me " I thought they were suppose to come in this past Thursday" ( meaning may 30th, 2019)
Whitney " I dropped the ball. I apologize"
me " I don't understand why you lied to me though. I have been waiting to move back in once those doors were in that's what I have been waiting for. I sent you almost 8,400 (should have said 7,934) so far I don't understand why they weren't purchased with that
Whitney " I truly understand. I'm in debt out of my ears and although its no reason to lie, its shameful. I should have been honest with you from the start and I'm sorry. "

This conversation was held via text message and I still have the whole conversation as well. my money that was paid to her was obviously not used for my kitchen she took my money and used it elsewhere. Do not trust this business. This was suppose to be a 2 week job, and here we are the end of august and I still have an uncompleted kitchen. Their reviews are poor for a reason, trust the reviews and run away from using this company.

Thrifty Gypsy Co. took our money and did not do the work as asked and also the work performed has fallen apart and literally off the walls within 6 months. The response from the owner is always an excuse, or unprofessional. For example, one of the bar cabinets which was made and installed by this company fell off our wall just days ago (June 2019), and when pictures were sent to the owner of the damage, her response was, “When we have free time, we will come out and assess the damage.” I was appalled at this kind of customer service! The job was not cheap, yet the service and quality of the work by this company was. I feel as though we as customers were given poor service at an expensive cost, and that is just not right.

Very disappointed with this company and their professionalism. We went with this company on a recommendation from a friend and liked the idea of using a local business to finish our bathroom. From the beginning, communication was difficult. The contractor would not return texts or calls during normal working hours and would take two to three days to finally respond. Further, their contracts are vague and nonspecific, allowing the owner to claim costs that are not reasonable. We were not given the contract to review and sign prior to the initial start date. We only received the contract to review and sign after they began demolition on the bathroom. We have asked for an itemized cost of expenses and still have not received a copy to confirm accurate work and expenses. Mind you, we have made our final payments and the project is “complete”. When we asked about an increase in cost that was not listed in the original contract, we were met with vitriol and contempt from the owner. Instead of coming to a resolution, the contractor immediately requested her money without first finishing the project. Moreover, after a week of no communication and not fully having a working bathroom, we were finally contacted and the bathroom was finished. She immediately threatened to put a lien on the house if she was not paid following the final day of work. In short, we felt cheated with this outcome. In addition, while our bathroom looks beautiful at quick glance and in pictures, the work that was completed is nowhere near the quality I was expecting from seeing pictures of their previous projects. The calk between the wall and the sink we not level and sank in, the sink basin was damaged and chipped, the hand towel ring was not fastened adequately, and the paint was not finished on one side of the vanity. All of which, we are now fixing on our own. This has been an extremely frustrating process on our end due to the lack of communication and clarification from the owner. Needless to say, we will no be using this company ourselves or recommending it to anyone we know.

Whitney has done numerous remodels on my friends' homes throughout the area. All of the Before/After pictures that are posted are absolutely breathtaking - the transformations are always incredible and overall design of the kitchens are beautiful. She's a strong business woman who takes pride in her work, and it really shows in the finished products.

To summarize, Thrifty Gypsy was to remove our old kitchen countertops, paint our kitchen cabinets, install new kitchen countertops and backsplash, install crown molding on the cabinets and install new cabinet hardware. The full contract can be provided upon request.

While the work has been finished, we have made you aware that the quality of the work is not acceptable. Our two main concerns are as follows: (1) due to the timing and technique of grouting, your employees caused grout to become sealed under the granite’s surface and (2) the backsplash is uneven and poorly grouted. You acknowledged this on numerous occasions and offered to come out to inspect the work and make any necessary repairs and touchups. We also explained to you that no attempt was made to protect any of the surfaces in our kitchen, including our newly installed hardwood floors. Your one employee, Harley, disclosed that this was his first time grouting a backsplash, which is evident by the quality of work and the fact that he was using a utility knife to scrape grout off of our floors.

After our schedules appeared to line up, you advised that Thrifty Gypsy would return to our house on 9/25/17. This did not occur. I followed up with you and you apologized for the missed appointment, but offered to come out on 11/9/17. One of your employees, Courtney, came to our house on 11/9/17, but was unable to remedy the problems and only completed a few touchups with the cabinets and backsplash. You explained that you “preferred to finish it, just to be sure [the grout in the granite] is removed correctly.” You also advised that “the sealer hadn’t cured before the grout set into it,” and explained that this “is very rare,” which is why you would be better-suited to complete the repairs. You explained that you were merely waiting on the sealer to become available to start the repairs.

On 11/14/17, you advised that the ordered sealant had not yet arrived, but you should have it later that day. You offered to come the next day (11/15/17). We explained that we would be flexible and make that work with our schedules. Additionally, I wrote to you advising “I’m not sure what Courtney was doing was actually making it better. Looks worse. I just don’t want you to have unrealistic expectations before you see it yourself.” You responded “what she was doing just took the rest of the sealant off that area. Once we seal it back up, it will look better.”

On 11/15/17, the day we were expecting you, you sent a message stating “I can come first thing tomorrow morning as I am driving to my granite supplier later today to get the sealer.” You explained how you ordered a matte finish sealer in error. I explained how we could make the next day work. You then wrote to me that night advising that your fiancé has eye surgery the next morning and you needed to drive him. You went on to explain “I am going to see if my granite guy can come take a look at the issue and resolve it for you. I will let you know shortly.” I responded “we still want you to take a look at everything since you haven’t seen it ‘completed.’” I wrote to you two more times that evening looking for a plan for the next day and you advised you were still waiting to hear back from the granite supplier.

Four days passed and on 11/20/17, I wrote to you looking for an update. You responded “Sorry, I’ve been out with a bad migraine. I just texted my supplier to see when he can come address this with me. I promise I will get back to you as soon as I hear back.”

More than one week passed and on 11/29/17, you gave us less than 24 hours notice that the granite supplier could arrive at our house the next morning, 11/30/17. We rearranged our schedules and you advised us that he would arrive at our house between 1-3pm on 11/30/17. No one showed up to our house and the next communication you sent was 4 days later on 12/4/17. You asked if you could come out 12/7/17 to “personally assess the work and make any necessary changes/touchups” and advised that “the granite won’t get done until my supplier can come, which may be this Thursday (12/7/17) or early next week.” Again, we rearranged our schedules and agreed to the changes.

Two days later, you texted me advising that you have follow-up doctor’s appointment and you would have to reschedule. You continued “I just want to ensure you that you are my first priority when I am fully up and running again. “ While disappointed, your health is undoubtedly more important than any job, so we agreed to wait to hear from you.

On 12/12/17, you advised “I can’t make this up…I have a virus which prevented me from going to my surgeon follow-up. I will now see him Thursday afternoon (12/14/17). I will let you know after my Thursday appointment.” We appreciated you keeping in touch and hoped that you felt better quickly.

The next response we received from you was on 1/17/18 (36 days later), which was apparently prompted by my negative review posted on Thrifty Gypsy’s *** page. You quickly replied “I just noticed your 1 star review. Would there be a possibility of you deleting that? I can’t delete reviews and I wouldn’t, as I like to be honest.” I agreed to remove the comment on the condition that our concerns get addressed quickly. As an aside, it appears you subsequently removed our ability to comment or review your business. As I’m sure you can understand, this doesn’t appear to be a coincidence.

You advised that you recently received a new phone and number and had no way of contacting us. You asked that we remove our review and advised “I will get you scheduled ASAP.” You then explained that you could be at our house personally on 1/22/18. You subsequently spoke with your granite supplier and advised he could come to our house the next day, 1/18/18.

You went on to state “if we can’t fix the countertop, I will pay to replace it. I will do whatever we can as quickly as I can to remediate these issues and wrap this up for you once and for all.” We stressed the importance of you coming to see the work first hand, but you sent your granite supplier on 1/18/18. You explained “he will just be assessing the granite and I will be there to address the remainder of the work on 1/23/18.” Additionally, you advised “I would prefer [the granite supplier] to see it before anything, so we k now if the granite needs to be fixed or removed. From there, we will proceed accordingly with a solution. If that solution is replacing, I would prefer to replace it the same day I am there, so all work gets done at once.” As we explained to you, the same granite supplier was already at our house once per your direction. The two gentlemen agreed that it needed to be replaced or at least resurfaced.

You then sent me a message on 1/19/18 advising the granite supplier “will have an answer for me as to when we will have the granite addressed. That being said, it would probably be best to wait until that’s complete, see if you’re happy with that and then I can come in afterward to address the remaining touchups and wrap it all up for you then. If that’s okay with you, as soon as I get a date/time for granite, I will let you know immediately and will also give you a day and time I will be there, which I prefer to be a day that will not inconvenience you or your wife.”

The next message we received from you was on 1/25/18 at 9:39AM advising “there’s been a change in schedule and we wanted to see if Fabio could come today and fix the granite…after 12PM.” I explained that we have two kids in the house, one undergoing in-home physical therapy, and that the short notice would not be sufficient.

The next response we received was 14 days later, on 2/8/18. You explained “I will get it scheduled and confirm a date with you tomorrow.” After days, we had to reach out to you again to get a response on 2/12/18. You explained that it might be the following week, but you are waiting for a confirmation and would be in touch. Later that same day, you advised that the granite supplier could come out on 2/14/18, to which I had to remind you that it wouldn’t work due to our son’s first birthday. I reiterated that we would make ourselves available any time the following week. You responded that you “apologize” and “misunderstood.” We agreed that you would call the granite supplier back to get another option.

I reached out to you on 2/22/18 (10 days later) and received no response. Again, I reached out to you on 2/26/18 and you responded stating you were “waiting on [the granite supplier’s] reply.” You then asked if Saturday, 3/3/18, would work. I immediately replied “yes.” The granite supplier arrived 2 hours early on Saturday, while both small children were in the bathtub. We adjusted and scrambled to clean the kitchen and move the kids to another area of the house.

The granite suppliers cleaned the counter and used acetone and color enhancer, but the white film (caused by the grout) was not removed. Both suppliers agreed that they didn’t believe there was anything they could do to get it out. They called their boss (George) and then left our house. This amounted to the third time that granite suppliers came to our house per your direction and we still had no resolution.

We had to follow up with you again on 3/4/18 as we received no response or update after the granite suppliers left. You replied “I’m away. I’ll talk to George [on Monday] and come up with a plan. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

4 days passed and we followed up with you again with no response. 3 more days passed and on 3/11/18 you replied “I’ll come out this week and address the remaining touchups. I can’t recommend anything for the granite until I see it in person. I’ll get back to you today with a day I can be there to address it.”

5 days passed and you reached out to us after we were forced to contact you again. You replied “I have Scarlett Fever. I will be there next week. I just have to get my schedule together when I am able to.” 4 more days passed and you sent a message on 3/20/18 stating “it will be either Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday of next week when I get there. Please let me know which day might work best for you and I will do my best to accommodate that.” We immediately replied advising “Tuesday or Wednesday.”

You never came to our house or contacted us. On 4/4/18, we sent you a message advising how disappointed we are and how you are forcing us to consider taking additional action. To be clear, you still have not seen the completed project.

This experience has been an absolute nightmare. If it wasn’t clear previously, this letter should make it so. We have been extremely patient and understanding of every excuse you have presented and inconvenience we have endured, probably to our detriment. In order to afford this project, we both cashed in our childhood savings bonds, something we were saving for the “right” time.

The reason we chose your company is because it is local and a small business that was in the process of building clients and experience. We hoped we would receive attention and communication that we wouldn’t receive from a larger and more established company. However, nothing but the opposite is true.

Contracted with the owner of this company, Whitney R, to remodel my kitchen. The work included a custom built pantry wall unit. I drew a very detailed drawing including measurements of the unit I wanted, which included two pantries and a bench, and gave her a copy for her carpenter. She told me she had a master carpenter who did high quality work at amazingly affordable prices. On 9/21/17 she emailed me an estimate for all of the work which included the wall unit. The estimate stated that the wall unit as described in the drawing would be built, finished and installed for $1,000. I accepted the contract based on this price. I sent her the required deposit for all the work as stated on the estimate which came to $1,575. It took three months to get on the schedule. Finally the start date was set for 2/5/2018. One week before the start date. on January 29, 2018, she texted me saying that she "misunderstood" the carpenter and that the price she quoted me was for only one pantry. Therefore the new price was $2,400 and it had to be paid in full that day or it wouldn't be built. She said this was not negotiable. I was extremely upset because I could not afford this. She said since I was so unhappy she could give me back my money and I could find somebody else to do the work. I agreed that this would be the best solution. There was no further communication from her. On February 12, 2018 I texted her and asked when she was going to refund my money. She said the money had been sent to the granite supplier and she was waiting for them to return the money to her. I have had no communication from her and no refund. I feel that she got me to accept this contract and send her money under false pretenses by quoting a low price and then drastically raising the price at the last minute. I feel that since I am a single senior with no one here to help me, she saw me as an easy target. She has had my money for over three months. Since she has done no work, it is her professional obligation to refund it.