Cityrock By Vostone INC

I was nervous about our first granite installation. But James Vose and his team did such a great job from start to finish that I actually felt like writing a review. My way of thanking them. At the same time as we were getting granite, we also got hardwoods installed and boy, did that company's attitude help me appreciate James and CityRock/VoStone. First of all, James sat with us on multiple occasions to help us plan our kitchen. He even offered us advice on the flooring, paint and other things we were working on. Secondly, he's not in a hurry to make a sale and move on. He stayed involved throughout the project. His personality is laid-back but he's action-oriented. I liked that. Third, he's got great people who work for him and with him. I would suggest you write down a checklist of your own just to track what you have planned to do. I've made some suggestions to him too, on opportunities to make Type A people like me happy :-) I like my lists, and work orders, and sign-offs. Best of all, his contractors and employees cleaned up after themselves. The hardwood people -- well, that's another story. Again, I came to appreciate VoStone/CityRock so much because I saw how other vendors are. Fourth, when we asked him to fix a minor issue or two, he came by immediately. Most granite companies will be great through the sales process, then disappear once they have their money. He wants a customer who is so happy they are willing to refer him to friends and family. At least, that's my observation. I read that negative review below before I signed up with James. But please don't let that affect you. I think you should expect a few things will need your input during the process. THAT""S NORMAL and ACTUALLY A GOOD THING. For example, when the tile installer came here, I realized that I wanted to stop the tile at the cabinet, not at the end of the countertop. So we made that change by consulting back and forth. If you are getting granite countertops installed, and spending all that money, you need to stay involved and flexible. Some things are clearer when you see it coming together. Our tile looks fabulous too. VoStone sent Joey Andrassy who was just a delight to work with. If you do end up choosing James (we got quotes from other places and found they hide everything in the fine print, whereas he's upfront), mention the coupon code **NM2011** to get his current promotion offer! However, I would encourage you to do your research -- we did ours. By the time I picked CityRock, I knew none of the other companies were right for us. We feel it was money well spent. Now on to painting.... aargh! Where I think VoStone can improve: 1. Have more structured work order process and sign offs for clients -- I think this would actually protect them from clients who forget what was agreed on or get busy and can't participate in decision making as the project is coming together. 2. Advertising and Marketing. I only heard of them by accident, after I had already contacted the other vendors. James informed me that they get most of their work via referrals so they are under the radar screen. As a marketing geek, I think they may be able to do more to reach the Triangle market. Anyway, that's my two pennies, hope it helps someone. I depended quite a bit on web reviews to make my decision so I wanted to give something back :-) All the best with your project. more

I saw their showroom about two weeks ago so I decided to drop in. Their designer Merrit was so nice to me that I decided to have her out to my home to measure. She was on time and very proffessional (she even had a great idea for an accent wall color that I have been struggling with). Her price was VERY good. I picked Tropic Brown and it was installed yesterday. I was very apprehensive about having a seam (my kitchen is too big to do it in just one piece) but I have to say that now that they are done, I can barely see it. more

Vostone installed granite in my kitchen. The price was good in comparison to other companies. They were also very friendly. But, it took over a week longer than it should have. There were a couple problems that probably could have been avoided had they been more attentive. First, there were some snafus with the initial measures that caused delays and could have been avoided had they been more careful. Second, during the demo, they took the plumbing materials required to hook the faucet and disposal back up. I tried to get it returned, but again after I initially contacted them, they never followed up with me. They ended up returning it much too late to make a difference (~$50 to replace). I would have had no water for at least 3 more days for an already pretty lengthy delay. They recommended a plumber that was at least 2X as expensive as what they estimated. They indicated that they would provide another plumber referral but never followed up and I had to find one on my own. There was a little chip in the granite that they were supposed to have the installer fix, but never communicated to the installer and I had to once again get involved needlessly. There were several times throughout when they were pretty unresponsive with returning calls or would just let things go. I would have to constantly follow up. So, I would say that they are pretty good price-wise, but you need to watch them closely to keep things on track. more

Vostone granite and marble installed countertops in my parents house last hear. My mother has had nothing but good words for the owner sense that time. About three weeks ago they installed our kitchen. We thoroughly enjoyed working with James and the company. His insights were very helpful and he helped us not only stay on budget but actually save money. Pros: Service, Price, Timing. Cons: Did not accept American Express more

I saw this company on Google and was impressed with their web site. I sent them my info and received a call within two hours. The next afternoon the owner was at my home measureing. The following day he sent me a price, which I accepted. We then met a second time at a stone yard and made selections (amazing selection on hand there). The installers did a great job and I was extremely happy with the service, the value and the end product. Pros: Friendly, Honest, Easy to Reach, Do what they say. Cons: Didnt take AmEx more

I called their office and was put in touch with James Vose. He called me and arrived promptly at the time we set. He was by far more educated on granite and the process than any other company (and I met with six others) I met with. His price was the best, and he did what he said he would. I was able to select my slab and was EXTREMELY happy with the installation as well as the process. Two Thumbs Up. Pros: Price was the BEST, Service was EVEN BETTER more

We recently upgraded our kitchen counters with Vostone. It was not a smooth process at all. The granite itself was beautiful. The installation was a nightmare. First we were told that we could keep our sink, then got a different story two days before the install. We had to purchase a new sink for 250 bucks. They do not touch any kind of plumbing. You need to hire a separate handyman to disconnect the plumbing and then reconnect the next day. My advice....Be at home during the install!!!! My husband and I had obligations at work and could not be there. Lets just say I was in tears when I came home and saw the installation. We had to hire a carpenter to touch up the trim and redo the caulking. Definitely the best price in town. Quality granite. Just be prepared to play general contractor if you go with them. Pros: best price beautiful granite Cons: they only do granite and just granite more

VoStone was the lowest bidder so I thought that I would use them. All of the staff was polite during the layout of the template. I wanted a chiseled edge put on the stone and from what I was told; this edge was new for them. The problem started on the day of delivery. They were supposed to be here to install at 9am. At 9:30 I got a call from Zac telling me that they were running about 1 hour behind ?We got behind last night and didn?t finish the fabrication?. Around noon, I got another call from him telling me that they are still working on it because ?The air compressor for the cutter needed to be cleaned out, we?ll be there in 30 minutes or so?. At 2:30 they finally showed up (I had to miss an appointment later in the day because they were still here past 5pm). When the stone was still on the truck, it was easy to see that some of the edges looked machined while some of the edges looked like they were chiseled really poorly by hand. Instead of a straight edge with chisel, it looked like someone used a hand chisel and chipped away the edges, very wavy. Once the largest piece of stone was put in, I noticed that a large 5? or so wide piece of a corner had been broken off with a long fracture leading up to it. It was epoxied back on. Another area about 6? long was also broken off and epoxied back on. The cut out for the sink was off about a ?? so that they would have had to cut into the wall of the backsplash to push the counter top into the wall. I called the office and spoke with Zac while the installers were still on sight... I was angry that they tried to deceive me and sell me a piece that they had damaged. I?m sure that all of the delays during the day were actually due to the time it took for the epoxy to dry after they broke it. They removed the stone and agreed to replace it. No counter top, or sink for a week. Luckily, we were out of town. Later that night, I checked over all of the remaining pieces again and found that the same type of damage was on the island piece. This piece was also cut 1/2? too narrow which didn?t allow coverage for the corbel and another was cut too wide. So the island piece is getting replaced as well. As I type this I am waiting for them to show up with the replacement pieces. They are already 1 ? hour late. ?We?re on our way?. Advice? They are considerably cheaper but you need to watch their back. Make sure that you have everything in writing concerning the job spec?s and closely go over all of the stone especially the edges for any cracks / broken areas before they leave your home. Very unprofessional that they lied to me and tried to cheat me. But now it is their loss, they definitely did not make any money from me after they needed to purchase another slab. The epoxy that they used looked very clean and professional, it was actually difficult to find. If they would have been honest with me, I might have kept the piece with some sort of agreement. Its 11:00 and they just showed up 2 hours late. Pros: best price Cons: deceitful more

I received a last-minute referral to VoStone from our accountant, during casual conversation about our desire to remodel our kitchen. I had been out for quotes on having our kitchen counters replaced with granite for some time. When I contacted VoStone, I was fortunate enough to correspond directly with the owner during the question and quote process. His commication was thorough, honest and timely. He gave me the most competitive bid (up front, no haggling) compared with three other companies (same granite, better edge choices, etc.). And even though the price was competitive, I still expected top-notch service. Their turnaround time was excellent (delivered in less than the quoted time), and the install staff was on time and courteous. Mr. Vose has a very professional organization. He is very concerned about the customer's happiness. We have a gorgeous kitchen and I could not have asked for a better experience. Pros: Organized, competitive, reliable, quality more