Complaint Review: KraftMaid Cabinetry - Middlefield hio

After 3 bad experiences with American Woodmark, the Home Depot kitchen designer suggested that we use Kraftmaid as the supplier on our cabinets. The cabinets were delivered to the Home Depot on 12/6/05. So that there wouldn't be the opportunity for anyone at Home Depot to point the finger at me, in terms of damage caused at my home, during installation or during transit, I had the kitchen department manager (Roswell Road, Marietta, GA) open the boxes with me while still at the special services desk. After opening only 3 of the 12 boxes I stopped the inspection. The simulated wood grain veneer (over very cheap flakeboard) looked and felt like orange peel. 2 of the larger bumps had blistered; exposing the raw flakeboard beneath. All 3 of the shipping boxes were poorly constructed and made of very thin, 200# corrugated. For a product of this size and weight, 275# double wall corrugated should have been used. The only pads used were ridiculously thin foam corners. They provided so little insulation that all 3 opened cartons contained damaged product. I can not, in good conscience, blame the freight carrier. Had the cartons been properly designed and had the product been properly packed therewithin, damage in transit would not have been an issue. Doors on the cabinet in the second opened box were chipped. The right rear side had broken flakeboard. The panels in the third opened box were also chipped. The simulated veneer on all products was shameful. I told the kitchen manager, who was indifferent to the entire inspection process, that I would not be taking the cabinets to my home. I also asked that he and/or the Kraftmaid representative inspect all of the cabinets. I told him that I would not take receipt of any of the cabinets until such time that they were all free of damage, blisters and all imperfections. I expect my money's worth on all that I purchase. Kraftmaid, in this instance, failed to deliver.

I used to work for Kraftmaid last year. I worked one of the 15 lines, that they had at the time 2-16, that built the cabinets right before they were loaded onto the trucks to be shipped. Here's how it they have it set up. One 50' of rollers mounted to the floor. along the way the cabinets are built peice by peice moving down the line on on flat plastic sheets approx 4' x 6'. First is the stager they gets the parts in carts and put them on one of the plastic sheets. Then it goes to the two builders and they glue and nailgun the sides, top, bottom and the front frame are assembled here(Quick FYI everything other then the frame, drawers, and doors is cheap particle board prone to damage easily) then the cabinet goes to tracking. where they insert the the tracks for drawers and put in the little plastic nubs so for false drawers fronts can be attached later. meanwhile off to the side after tracking is hinging. Where the attach the hinges with a press or screw them on if its unusal like an EZR door. Then it goes to the door hanger who has to attach the doors the frame using templates to attempt tp set the doors in the general position they need to be in then they screw them on using four screws typically. After all thats done the door hanger if he/she has time will put drawers in if needed. Then the cabinet is inspected for damage(Almost always something went wrong on the way down the line). After the Inspector is done it goes to the first boxer. that person will get the correct box and place in on the cabinet along with styrafoam or cardboard corner cones along with plastic corner inserts for toekicks. After that the second boxer takes over and uses a small break in the line with a small ramp on the far side so the cabinets can be flipped over right side up(they start out upside down) and the coning is repeated then the cabinet is sent the the tape machine and rolled down to the loaders who load them on the truck. Now that you have an idea of how it works now i can point out alot of the problems. They really don't care about the cabinets typically the line will build 500-550 at night and 450-500 during the day. So very little time can be spent with each cabinet there is no time to be constantly fixing cabinets. The emphasis is on quantity not quality no matter what they claim. Several times I was told to take cabinets that were total wrecks and get them into the truck ASAP! so the perodic audits(walks around and will at sometime during the shift will open and totally go over approx 10 cabinets) wouldn't have a chance to reinspect the cabinets. Since that would look bad on the line if a ton of broken cabinets were taken off the line (also people get canned for damaging cabinets often). as is the line wasn't bad enough for the cabinets (and trust me its bad! Blowouts from nailguns, wrong hinges that had to be pryed out and replaced leaving holes exposed, the door hinges where they were screwed in the frame cracking the frame(which should have caused the frame to be replaced if they couldnt hide it with wood putty), drill marks from the air drills they use jumping out of the screw and gouging the wood, falling off the line (happens because the builders are in a hurry and push cabinets down the line even though the whole system is suposed to be pull only), etc. the loaders have the job of cramming the computed amount of cabinets into the truck(almost always makes for fun there because the computer assumes that everything is exact which often isnt the case) forcing them to shove, push, throw, slam, etc to get them loaded.

Jason, unfortunately not all dealers, regardless of who the cabinet manufacturer is, go as far as we typically do. We use this form to prevent these occurences. By no means is this form required to be used by any dealer, its just good to use it as preventive maintenance. You can contact me if you would like to. Not sure if this site will give you my information. You should find a way to post your photos to the internet so that I can see the product. You must know first, I am a very fair and just person. Once I see the photos, I will post my opinion. You should scrutinize the product yourself to make absolute certain that you have a problem. If I do not see a problem, I will probably come to the same conclusion as your KraftMaid representative. Think about it!

Lonnie, I totally agreed with your comment and dedicated work attitude. I think KM won't get my complaint if all KM workers are like you. My complaint was not regarding whether different parts of wood absort stain differently. It was about the residue of stain left on the drawer doors. The KM service man also admitted that the workers at KM won't mob and spread the stain evenly due to the cost of operation. I won't know how much more cost will have if KM workers need to spend a little bit more time on making the stain more evenly. I think this is something KM should ask their workers to pay attention to. Besides the stain problems, one of drawer in the base cabinet was not installed correctly. And the door on the pantry was not installed properly. All those defects just made me hard to belive KM has a serious concern over the production line. Neal, Home Depot never asked us to sign any Characteristics of Wood. I wish I could send you some photos on those drawer doors. Those stain residue has nothing to do with the wood characteristics.

Jason, it is consumers like you who made me leave Kraftmaid Cabinetry. I worked with the rep you are refering to and he was exatly right in his explaination. Unfortunaly you will never be able to understand that because you know nothing about wood and finishing. When you put a tone color on Maple it will not absorb it evenly due to the fact the wood poors are to tight. What you are seeing on the corner of the doors is "end grain". Each door consists of a frame..... oh why even bother to explain to you. I'm getting an Ice Cream head ache just thinking about it. The bottom line is Kraftmaid is a great company to work for and make an excelent product for the money (That's called value) there's not enough time in a year to explain that one to you. P.S. this is for all of my Kraftmaid boys. Keep up the good work and fight the good fight. These kind of morons would not know quality if it hit them in the head. God I hate you kind of consumers.

Jason, it is consumers like you who made me leave Kraftmaid Cabinetry. I worked with the rep you are refering to and he was exatly right in his explaination. Unfortunaly you will never be able to understand that because you know nothing about wood and finishing. When you put a tone color on Maple it will not absorb it evenly due to the fact the wood poors are to tight. What you are seeing on the corner of the doors is "end grain". Each door consists of a frame..... oh why even bother to explain to you. I'm getting an Ice Cream head ache just thinking about it. The bottom line is Kraftmaid is a great company to work for and make an excelent product for the money (That's called value) there's not enough time in a year to explain that one to you. P.S. this is for all of my Kraftmaid boys. Keep up the good work and fight the good fight. These kind of morons would not know quality if it hit them in the head. God I hate you kind of consumers.

Jason, it is consumers like you who made me leave Kraftmaid Cabinetry. I worked with the rep you are refering to and he was exatly right in his explaination. Unfortunaly you will never be able to understand that because you know nothing about wood and finishing. When you put a tone color on Maple it will not absorb it evenly due to the fact the wood poors are to tight. What you are seeing on the corner of the doors is "end grain". Each door consists of a frame..... oh why even bother to explain to you. I'm getting an Ice Cream head ache just thinking about it. The bottom line is Kraftmaid is a great company to work for and make an excelent product for the money (That's called value) there's not enough time in a year to explain that one to you. P.S. this is for all of my Kraftmaid boys. Keep up the good work and fight the good fight. These kind of morons would not know quality if it hit them in the head. God I hate you kind of consumers.

I have been a Kraftmaid Dealer for over 5 years. Your problem is not uncommon; though it most likely can not be remedied, there is an explanation as to why it looks the way it does. As with my company we have a form which must be signed by every customer before finalizing any sale regardless of the Cabinet line we are selling. The form is the Characteristics of Wood. Where some people know this, some do not, wood will typically not except stain in an even pattern. Regarding the Minerals in the area it grew, Graining patterns as it developed and Density of the wood itself; there is no way to get a perfectly evenly stained piece of Wood. Where some people may find this unacceptable, this is also the beauty of wood. The only way to get an even stain is to either go very dark (this doesn't always accomplish an even stain) or paint the product; in which case you would be better off having someone build your cabinets for less at a lower quality of craftmanship. On the other hand, when this problem arises with our company. I inspect the problem as well. Since there is no way for me to inspect your doors, here are some suggestions as to what you need to look for and do. What to look for in a door that KM will take care of without question: Stain build up in the corners of the door, bloches of excess stain in areas, Obvious stain streaking, broken or loose joints, damage to doors in delivery. Please note: the center panel of doors is made to float for expansion reasons, it is not a solid glued in piece. Things they will NOT exchange: Uneven staining on doors or cabinets. In a glance you will be able to tell the difference between an obvious problem and Acceptance of stain. Doors are comprised of many slats of wood that are glued together in an controled environment then routered to shape of the door style. Kraftmaid uses a toner that helps even the stain when applied. The only other thought I have unfortunately falls back on the dealer. He/She should have explained these characteristics of wood to you. Kraftmaid has been an excellent company to work with over the years. I am about to put Kraftmaid cabinets in my house that I am building. You can contact me via email for more information if you'd like, I would be more than happy to help in any way. Regards,

We just received the KM cabinets ordered from Home Depot. We just cannot believe the quality we received and the quality we've been promised by Home Depot. We ordered the color of Honey Spice Maple. The stain on the doors are terribly done. It seems to me that the stain over the corners are NOT wiped evenly. We could see extermely dark stain residue on most of corners. Also there are many black spots on the doors. The KM service man came to my house on 8/12 to inspect our complain. He just said that's the quality we deserved!! If we expect all stain to be done evenly, we will be expected to pay more and this is not KM low-wage workers can do. He even said all KM products in all showrooms would have the same defect as we have. If we even see those defect in the showrooms, we would never ever order cabinets from KM. We end up getting some 'kindly' service from the service man saying he can re-order couple of worst-looking doors for us as a one-time deal. He guaranteed we will recived the same uneven-stained from the same factor and the same workers. That's the final deal we got. Sounds funny!!

For the sake of argument ... fine, let's agree the buyer may have made an error by not carefully reviewing the installation requirements. But how do you explain away the string of complaints that followed? Not everyone is a disgruntled employee or a consumer that didn't follow directions. Defend all you want ... seems like a losing battle to me. Truth be told ... the day you walk out the door there, you'll have your own laundry list of trash to say about them. Every chance I get I tell people to avoid Kraftmaid like the plague. The few decent people working there can't make up for the rest. Go ahead now ... get back to work.

The last response was ridiculous! The employee must have worked here back years ago because we have one of the best benifit packages and treat our employees with respect. We have quarterly meeting with the CEO how many people can say that? During a time of record high unemployment rates we are hiring over 900 employees within the next 2 years. The factory doesn't work every Sat. usually if it is required only 2 a month. Workers are limited to 12 hr work days max and that doesn't happen often. Anyways back to the issue at hand. We do state that cabinets are to be properly installed in our paperwork that we supply with the cabinets so everything about this complaint is wrong. If this was an issue that we would need to deal with we would have! As we did in past....Sorry you feel the way you do about us but in the future be sure to read all of you literature before doing your own work.

I worked for Kraftmaid or should i say Shaftmaid for four years. they dont care about their employees or products. ive seen this first hand. when i worked there they would force the workers to work very long hours, were talking 12-14 hours a day Manadatory. they didnt care about what other plans you had or if you had a doctors appointment. all they cared about was getting their junk cabinets out the door. most of the supervisors are stuck up a$$holes. all they do is write up employees for petty stuff. and they seem to "pick on" certain employees. seems like its a game to see how many people they can get fired. I regret even working there at all. I will never buy any kraftmaid products as long as i live because of the way they treated me.

It's pathetic that nearly everyone appears to think the person filing the original complaint is out to get something for nothing and is invalid in his complaint. That none of you others have had a bad experience with Kraftmaid means YOU'RE LUCKY!!!!! Surely you must have been ripped off at some point in your life and you should know how heartbreaking it is to lay down hard earned money for a product that is so much less than it was protrayed to be. We, as layman, can't be expected to become experts overnight ... we're at the mercy of the so called experts that are the customer representatives for the manufacturers and the stores we purchase the product through. I've done a fair amount of remodeling, learned some lessons the hard way, I spend quite a bit of time evaluating and researching to try to become as educated a consumer as I can be. But still ... I've got my own issues with Kraftmaid ... and I'll file my own complaint about my $14,000 in cabinets that ONE YEAR later, I'm still trying to resolve. Give the person a break ... don't be so ready to trash someone ... next time it could be you.

We have been a Kraftmaid dealer since 98'. Kraftmaid, simply put, is the leader in the kitchen cabinet industry. Cabinet companies will have problems every so often with manufacturing; though Kraftmaid unlike some cabinet companies is very responsive to all problems large or small. Whether I'm working with a Kraftmaid customer service representative or with my local representative there has never been a problem that hasn't been resolved as of now. I have had customers who have had small defects such as cracks in the face frame before; and Kraftmaid has always been more than willing to replace these items free of charge and in a timely manner! Replacement is always your best option if local repairs can not been completed on the cabinet. If this person did not except the option of replacement then it sounds to me like they were just after some sort of a credit; which they probably got. We at BCS firmly stand behind Kraftmaid for their due deligence in servicing our customers and offering the industry and excellent product.

I can't imagine that Kraftmaid wouldn't resolve any complaint. I ordered Kraftmaid from a local cabinet man, Wayne Hovey, giving him $7000. for specific Kraftmaid cabinets. I know that he got at least one bid, but he never produced the cabinets. Months later I e-mailed Kraftmaid...the cabinets had never been ordered and they called and were very concerned. They gave me the name of a cabinet man in Mtn Home, AR, who immediately came to see me...now I have a beautiful kitchen. Tom was very helpful Wayne Hovey still has our $7000. One door had to be exchanged and I still need the ref. panels, but otherwise we're all set.

I am a former employee of KraftMaid. I was with the company for fifteen years. I started my career on the sanding line and worked my way up through the company to the production control office. Throughout the course of my career at KraftMaid, I had the opportunity to work in the customer service department for two years. I have never before or since encountered a company so dedicated to both manufacturing a quality product and satisfying the ultimate consumer. I personally have witnessed the lengths that the company has gone to to continuously improve customer satisfaction. KraftMaid has spent literally mmillons of dollars improving manufacturing processes and administrative processes. They were the first company to even consider manufacturing semi-custom cabinets on a one to two week production cycle. The customer sevice department, in it's evolution, has strived to solve all customer concerns with one phone call. Every employee at KraftMaid understands that the product they manufacure will be a part of someone's home for decades to come. The employees all have the theory of "Would I want this in my home?" Many issues that consumers encounter often stem from shipping damage. KraftMaid has in the past, and I am sure continue to do so, explored new packaging products to not just limit this damage but prevent it all together. Although I am no longer employed at the company (I left my position there two years ago) I still consider KraftMaid to be the best product in it's class and the best company in any class to deal with. I would welcome the opportunity to re-join the company because of their high standards and dedication.

I worked at Kraftmaid for a number of years. I myself have gone to the showroom and looked at kraftmaid cabinets in comparasion to other companies. Kraftmaid builds a high quality product. As a former employee on the assembly line I can tell you that all complaints are addressed. Quality control personal are give a list of all complaints and try thier best to fix all the problems. Most of the time a new cabinet is made to replace defects that are not fixable. However we are dealing with wood here and not all pieces can be perfect. Kraftmaid builds 1000's of cabinets a day and there are only 2 complaints listed here. I think thats pretty darn good. I think they should keep up the good work.

We just purchesed a kitchen full of Kraftmaid cabinets. The corner unit was not square. a tray unit side was not seated into glue grove, a wall unit had a major split at hindge,a shelf unit has a major flaw that was poorly repaired and the unit is three shades darker then the other units.We bought the product through Home Depot The rip off starts with trying to work around these defects. Use them as they are or delay your project. Your held hostage. We are working with Home Depot trying to get a new shelf unit. For $8,000.00 I thought I would avoid this aggrvating junk shuffel.

We just purchesed a kitchen full of Kraftmaid cabinets. The corner unit was not square. a tray unit side was not seated into glue grove, a wall unit had a major split at hindge,a shelf unit has a major flaw that was poorly repaired and the unit is three shades darker then the other units.We bought the product through Home Depot The rip off starts with trying to work around these defects. Use them as they are or delay your project. Your held hostage. We are working with Home Depot trying to get a new shelf unit. For $8,000.00 I thought I would avoid this aggrvating junk shuffel.

We just purchesed a kitchen full of Kraftmaid cabinets. The corner unit was not square. a tray unit side was not seated into glue grove, a wall unit had a major split at hindge,a shelf unit has a major flaw that was poorly repaired and the unit is three shades darker then the other units.We bought the product through Home Depot The rip off starts with trying to work around these defects. Use them as they are or delay your project. Your held hostage. We are working with Home Depot trying to get a new shelf unit. For $8,000.00 I thought I would avoid this aggrvating junk shuffel.

We just purchesed a kitchen full of Kraftmaid cabinets. The corner unit was not square. a tray unit side was not seated into glue grove, a wall unit had a major split at hindge,a shelf unit has a major flaw that was poorly repaired and the unit is three shades darker then the other units.We bought the product through Home Depot The rip off starts with trying to work around these defects. Use them as they are or delay your project. Your held hostage. We are working with Home Depot trying to get a new shelf unit. For $8,000.00 I thought I would avoid this aggrvating junk shuffel.

I am a current employee of Kraftmaid (7years). I am a field representative in Florida, Servicing Home Depot, and deal with people like this daily. It is clear that this person is looking for a pay-off. It is people like this that make it necessary for us to put the restrictions in our warrantee. As a Service Rep. for Kraftmaid I try to look at all situations, and act in the best interest of Home Depot; Kraftmaid; and the consumer. The person making this complaint is not only insulting the integrity of a company that has been providing quality product, and service for over 30 years, he/she is insulting my integrity as an employee of that company. Kraftmaid is a great company to work for, and Home Depot is the best place to purchase them. Sincerely, J.W.

I am a current employee of Kraftmaid (7years). I am a field representative in Florida, Servicing Home Depot, and deal with people like this daily. It is clear that this person is looking for a pay-off. It is people like this that make it necessary for us to put the restrictions in our warrantee. As a Service Rep. for Kraftmaid I try to look at all situations, and act in the best interest of Home Depot; Kraftmaid; and the consumer. The person making this complaint is not only insulting the integrity of a company that has been providing quality product, and service for over 30 years, he/she is insulting my integrity as an employee of that company. Kraftmaid is a great company to work for, and Home Depot is the best place to purchase them. Sincerely, J.W.

I am a current employee of Kraftmaid (7years). I am a field representative in Florida, Servicing Home Depot, and deal with people like this daily. It is clear that this person is looking for a pay-off. It is people like this that make it necessary for us to put the restrictions in our warrantee. As a Service Rep. for Kraftmaid I try to look at all situations, and act in the best interest of Home Depot; Kraftmaid; and the consumer. The person making this complaint is not only insulting the integrity of a company that has been providing quality product, and service for over 30 years, he/she is insulting my integrity as an employee of that company. Kraftmaid is a great company to work for, and Home Depot is the best place to purchase them. Sincerely, J.W.

We also bought KraftMaid kitchen cabinets, an entire set from Home Depot. Not only are they well-made, but when one door finish did not match perfectly, the factory sent us another, no charge, and immediately with one phone call. A few months later, one cabinet door hinge failed. Again, the same instant response, and polite, too. They sent me 2 hinges, no charge, no shipping charge. That turned out to be a good thing, because another one also failed. They agreed that they had a problem with that hinge design, and this time sent me 4 replacements, again, no charge, no shipping, and promptly. I don't expect any company to be perfect, but these folks made it right cheerfully. I'd unquestionably buy from them again.

I AM A KITCHEN DESIGNER THAT WORKS WITH KRAFTMAID ON A DAILY BASIS. IN THE FOUR YEARS I HAVE SOLD KRAFTMAID I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT BREAKING LOOSE & FALLING APART & I SELL ALOT OF FREE STANDING FURNITURE PIECES WHICH IS THE IN THING RIGHT NOW. IF YOU READ THE INFO PACKET IT ALSO GIVES YOU A WEIGHT RESRICTION. I FEEL KRAFTMAID IS A GREAT PRODUCT, IT'S NOT PERFECT BUT, YOU WON'T FIND A SEMI CUSTOM LINE THAT OFFERS YOU AS MANY CHOICES & COLORS AS KRAFTMAID FOR THE PRICE YOU PAY. T SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU WERE AFTER THE MONEY & A FREE PRODUCT TOO!!!

I found instructionbs to the cabinets in the box I received. I read them and they stated that the cabinet had to be fastened to the wall. I would think that the support of the wall would have helped in your dsituation for two reasons. 1. The factory said to do it and therefore would have to warrent the product and 2. It would have been stablized and would not have any wobble to it. Let's face it. It is a kitchen cabinet. not a chair or table. ALL kitchen cabinets need to be fastened to the wall. I think you are lucky the thing didn't tip over oin you shattering YOU all over the floor! I had a cabinet that had the side caved in and they sent me a new one at no charge. They also gave me the option of getting the cabinet for free and repairing it my self. I suspect you took the money and wanted it fixed too! As for the so-called BS Warranty... It sounds to me like you screwed up and do not have the intestinal fortitude to face up to it.

It is quite clear that your cabinet should have been fastened to the wall. If you performed the work yourself I would suggest getting a contractor next time. If a contractor did the install I would not use him again. I have dealt with Kraftmaid on several occaisions and find them to be the most reputable cabinet maker out there.