The Local INN.terior

[naturelustre 0]

Reply to yourliverisBLACK3310: of course you are happy with them, sounds to me you are one of them! Nothing evidential from your comments that is convincing. I wrote here to share my story, by default it is MY side of the story. People who read are smart enough to know that. It's funny all the good comments didn't get any reply from you, but only the bad one did. 

[yourliverisBLACK3310 0]

5 hours ago, naturelustre said:

On the contrary to some of the members here, I have a rather unsatisfactory experience with The Local Inn.terior. Instead of rambling on about my frustrations with them, I will list out some points why I would NOT recommend anyone to use them. I work with Jade Cham, an inexperienced young ID who seems to be very trustworthy in the beginning until things didn't work well.

The outcome of their work is ok, BUT...

1. There are many rectification works they do and do again. E.g. ID didn't monitor workers to check the pipes before installation of mortar base, which covered all the pipes, and thus the sink got choked when it was installed. I have to prove to them it is their fault and the problem lies within the mortar base before they are willing to rectify it. Another is painting, which I have to take pictures of areas to redo. ID showed painter the pictures ONLY, without further checking herself, and expect him to remember 20+ pictures. ID did not show up at the end of the day to check painter's work. I got to check again and ask for touchup AGAIN. Windows installation was late, even after much chasing from us, AND workers got the wrong measurement, which means they need to come back again... just to quote a few. Home owners, you have to understand that your presence is often required during these rectifications coz you really don't trust them to do a good job anymore since it just seems impossible for them to get it right. There goes your time and energy wasted on someone who does not uphold detailed workmanship and close supervision.

2. Whenever problem arises, ID's first reaction is to push blame. "Is it HDB", "it's the workers", "others lied to me so I didn't know", etc. Then it becomes my job to prove to her whose fault it is. To me, you are the ID and project manager I hired, settle it. 

3. Doesn't listen to you when you asked them to do "preventive" works - e.g. put on vanguard boards to protect the doors, lay out vanguard to protect the floors although no works is to be done for the room yet. In the end, one of my doors got scratched, then come and tell you they will polish my doors for free out of goodwill. What goodwill is that?

4. Poor project management - there is no schedule given to me, I don't even know which work comes after what, and when I need to make decisions on paint color, lightings, etc. When asked, she said her company does not have the protocol to give work schedules. But as a client, I am asking for one! (Now you see the way they handle professional responsibilities). Do note that when there isn’t a black and white schedule, each delay becomes no-one fault. I got a dateline from my carpenter, a dateline which was spelt out to her 1 month ago. In the end, everyone is rushing her - both me and my carpenter are rushing her 2 weeks before, and again 1 week before, but she does not listen! She believes there is still time for all the works to be done before carpentry until her electrician and painter told her they cannot fit her time schedule! In the end, I didn’t get painting behind my carpentry works.

5. Poor supervision work - lost an item after workers cleaned up my place, never did a co-check of defects with me, never bothered to look at details of defects and just reacted when there is complain from my side. 

6. Then when ID is incapable of reasoning, I am pushed to their "management", which turns out to be more frustrating than the ID. Basically, communication is "I speak, you don't speak" mode. He always wants to have the last say and controls the conversation. When speaking of my frustrations, he basically said renovation work is never perfect, it depends on many factors such as efficiency of workers and correspondences with HDB (which to him is inefficient), etc. So in the end, you are very much manipulated by him, with him pushing responsibilities to everything else except himself/his ID. Worse still, he was backed by a ridiculously one-sided contract. I have to admit it's my fault I didn't take the contract very seriously in the first place - coz ID seems trustworthy! Thus, I never thought things could turn bad. Do note, you would only be given the T&C upon final negotiations. I would advise anyone to NOT sign and take the T&C back to read and sit on it for a few days. Better still, ask for T&C when asking for quotation.

7. They only tell you there’s a warranty card AFTER all your payments. The date is fixed by them. I wouldn’t even know there is a warranty card until I asked. Imagine I didn’t ask and the hassle I may need to go through if there’s a problem in the future!

8. Attached is the highlighted areas, which I believe in the event you are dissatisfied with their service, there is no way you can get your money back. And they would sue you without qualms coz you are suppose to bear their legal costs!

At the end of the day, I can still live with the ID, there are good times we have together too, but I can never trust that she will get things right the first time, and I need to go in to "help" her in any rectification works. So, I could never quite get a peace of mind when working with her. But the worst nightmare is the management and the contract terms. For those who had good experience with their IDs, good for you, coz there is no reason for you to experience the bad side of things. But I do think home owners should engage a company that can ensure things will be settled fairly upon any problems.

 

I think I have to say something on my experience with this Co.

I do not know the issue between you and jade but for me, everything was smoothly done. (Each have its one sided story)

Very promptly done and the following up is very pro too. Im still keeping in touch with Keats & Jade. Although it might not be the cheapest, but satisfactory before, during and after sales...... My 2 cents worth!

 

Check out my T-BLOG 

 

 

[naturelustre 0]

On the contrary to some of the members here, I have a rather unsatisfactory experience with The Local Inn.terior. Instead of rambling on about my frustrations with them, I will list out some points why I would NOT recommend anyone to use them. I work with Jade Cham, an inexperienced young ID who seems to be very trustworthy in the beginning until things didn't work well.

The outcome of their work is ok, BUT...

1. There are many rectification works they do and do again. E.g. ID didn't monitor workers to check the pipes before installation of mortar base, which covered all the pipes, and thus the sink got choked when it was installed. I have to prove to them it is their fault and the problem lies within the mortar base before they are willing to rectify it. Another is painting, which I have to take pictures of areas to redo. ID showed painter the pictures ONLY, without further checking herself, and expect him to remember 20+ pictures. ID did not show up at the end of the day to check painter's work. I got to check again and ask for touchup AGAIN. Windows installation was late, even after much chasing from us, AND workers got the wrong measurement, which means they need to come back again... just to quote a few. Home owners, you have to understand that your presence is often required during these rectifications coz you really don't trust them to do a good job anymore since it just seems impossible for them to get it right. There goes your time and energy wasted on someone who does not uphold detailed workmanship and close supervision.

2. Whenever problem arises, ID's first reaction is to push blame. "Is it HDB", "it's the workers", "others lied to me so I didn't know", etc. Then it becomes my job to prove to her whose fault it is. To me, you are the ID and project manager I hired, settle it. 

3. Doesn't listen to you when you asked them to do "preventive" works - e.g. put on vanguard boards to protect the doors, lay out vanguard to protect the floors although no works is to be done for the room yet. In the end, one of my doors got scratched, then come and tell you they will polish my doors for free out of goodwill. What goodwill is that?

4. Poor project management - there is no schedule given to me, I don't even know which work comes after what, and when I need to make decisions on paint color, lightings, etc. When asked, she said her company does not have the protocol to give work schedules. But as a client, I am asking for one! (Now you see the way they handle professional responsibilities). Do note that when there isn’t a black and white schedule, each delay becomes no-one fault. I got a dateline from my carpenter, a dateline which was spelt out to her 1 month ago. In the end, everyone is rushing her - both me and my carpenter are rushing her 2 weeks before, and again 1 week before, but she does not listen! She believes there is still time for all the works to be done before carpentry until her electrician and painter told her they cannot fit her time schedule! In the end, I didn’t get painting behind my carpentry works.

5. Poor supervision work - lost an item after workers cleaned up my place, never did a co-check of defects with me, never bothered to look at details of defects and just reacted when there is complain from my side. 

6. Then when ID is incapable of reasoning, I am pushed to their "management", which turns out to be more frustrating than the ID. Basically, communication is "I speak, you don't speak" mode. He always wants to have the last say and controls the conversation. When speaking of my frustrations, he basically said renovation work is never perfect, it depends on many factors such as efficiency of workers and correspondences with HDB (which to him is inefficient), etc. So in the end, you are very much manipulated by him, with him pushing responsibilities to everything else except himself/his ID. Worse still, he was backed by a ridiculously one-sided contract. I have to admit it's my fault I didn't take the contract very seriously in the first place - coz ID seems trustworthy! Thus, I never thought things could turn bad. Do note, you would only be given the T&C upon final negotiations. I would advise anyone to NOT sign and take the T&C back to read and sit on it for a few days. Better still, ask for T&C when asking for quotation.

7. They only tell you there’s a warranty card AFTER all your payments. The date is fixed by them. I wouldn’t even know there is a warranty card until I asked. Imagine I didn’t ask and the hassle I may need to go through if there’s a problem in the future!

8. Attached is the highlighted areas, which I believe in the event you are dissatisfied with their service, there is no way you can get your money back. And they would sue you without qualms coz you are suppose to bear their legal costs!

At the end of the day, I can still live with the ID, there are good times we have together too, but I can never trust that she will get things right the first time, and I need to go in to "help" her in any rectification works. So, I could never quite get a peace of mind when working with her. But the worst nightmare is the management and the contract terms. For those who had good experience with their IDs, good for you, coz there is no reason for you to experience the bad side of things. But I do think home owners should engage a company that can ensure things will be settled fairly upon any problems.

[chameleon20 0]

Not so impressed. Met up with Jack to go through my requirements so that he could work out the quotation. After going through and eliminated quite a number of things, he gave me a rough estimated cost in total which are higher than other IDs' quotes and said he will come back with detailed quote.

However a few days later he text me and asked when I am convenient to meet again so I asked if quotation is ready and just email me for review first before arranging meet up. He MIA after that without any reply. Same as Rayxxxx from Finelxxe Desixxn.

If you are so scared of letting people see your quotations without meeting up, you better don't promise to work up a quote in the first place. And don't expect  / be so confident every customers are goons to go along with your sales talk even if they agreed to meet up to go through your quotation...

Edited July 21, 2016 by chameleon20

[buildingmyhome 0]

Hi upthetoon and chameleon20, I was indeed a client of The local INN.terior. While I do not typically try to explain myself in most situations as I've always believed that customers should have the freedom to experience their individual ID - searching process on their own,  I  feel a compelling need to clarify this as we have had a good working relationship with our ID. We did pay for our reno in full and this was a genuine review of our dealings with our ID. In them, I've seen what motivation and passion is. They may be a young team but they are true in what they do and for that, I feel they should not be faulted for something that's untrue. Thanks for taking the time to drop by their page and I do hope more like-minded young first time homeowners like me and my husband enjoy their reno process! It's no easy feat putting together a home from scratch but the satisfaction from doing so is beyond imagination. Hopefully everyone gets to work with a responsible ID like we did. 

P. S: I've attached the conversation we've had with our ID for everyone's reference.

[upthetoon 1]

On 7/10/2016 at 2:44 PM, chameleon20 said:

haha agreed

this is what is making renotalk not very reliable. many fake reviews.

[chameleon20 0]

2 hours ago, upthetoon said:

Such an obvious fake review. 

haha agreed

[upthetoon 1]

On Monday, April 25, 2016 at 8:59 PM, buildingmyhome said:

Having benefitted as a silent reader on renotalk for a long time now,  we just wanted to share more about our experience renovating our new home as a young couple.

I'm guessing many of you are currently going through the same dilemma we faced when we were just about to embark on our renovation journey. We had deliberated whether to work with a contractor/ID and we are really glad and thankful we found The Local Inn.terior. We had a wonderful experience working with Keats and Jack to construct our dream home. The entire process was worry-free as they are really professional and especially efficient. They ensured we were taken care of during every stage of the reno process. Our entire home renovation took approximately 2 months and they handed over the house earlier than the promised date. The quality of the workmanship,  from masonry to carpentry to electrical works was to our satisfaction. This did not come as a surprise as Keats and Jack had explained to us that The Local.Innterior only uses tried and tested carpenters, tilers, electricians etc. As a result of such stringent quality control,  we had minimum rectification to be done and we cannot be happier with our home. 

Apart from hearing what we preferred, they also provided us with practical and useful advice from time to time. They offered us new perspectives and were creative with their ideas.  They did not want us to 'over renovate'  our house and advised us against any unnecessary things which would have cost us much more.  This, we felt was commendable as we came across a few other IDs who tried to sell us unnecessary ideas. We feel this speaks a lot about the integrity of the team. 

Overall, we are really pleased with Keats' and Jack's work. For those who are contemplating and weighing your options,  you may want to consider reaching out to them. We trust your dream home will come to fruition in the hands of this aspiring team.

P. S : we are not obligated to promote their services but just wanted to share our experience from a consumer's point of view. 

Enjoy your reno process! 

Such an obvious fake review. 

[airportman23 0]

Take note that this is not an ads.. Just writing review for my id 

[buildingmyhome 0]

Having benefitted as a silent reader on renotalk for a long time now,  we just wanted to share more about our experience renovating our new home as a young couple.

I'm guessing many of you are currently going through the same dilemma we faced when we were just about to embark on our renovation journey. We had deliberated whether to work with a contractor/ID and we are really glad and thankful we found The Local Inn.terior. We had a wonderful experience working with Keats and Jack to construct our dream home. The entire process was worry-free as they are really professional and especially efficient. They ensured we were taken care of during every stage of the reno process. Our entire home renovation took approximately 2 months and they handed over the house earlier than the promised date. The quality of the workmanship,  from masonry to carpentry to electrical works was to our satisfaction. This did not come as a surprise as Keats and Jack had explained to us that The Local.Innterior only uses tried and tested carpenters, tilers, electricians etc. As a result of such stringent quality control,  we had minimum rectification to be done and we cannot be happier with our home. 

Apart from hearing what we preferred, they also provided us with practical and useful advice from time to time. They offered us new perspectives and were creative with their ideas.  They did not want us to 'over renovate'  our house and advised us against any unnecessary things which would have cost us much more.  This, we felt was commendable as we came across a few other IDs who tried to sell us unnecessary ideas. We feel this speaks a lot about the integrity of the team. 

Overall, we are really pleased with Keats' and Jack's work. For those who are contemplating and weighing your options,  you may want to consider reaching out to them. We trust your dream home will come to fruition in the hands of this aspiring team.

P. S : we are not obligated to promote their services but just wanted to share our experience from a consumer's point of view. 

Enjoy your reno process! 

[RahulKamath 0]

 

We previously worked with Keats and Sunny when they were at Dots n Tots and they did a fantastic job on our condo renovation. They helped us come up with a wonderful design for our condo and turned all our dreams into reality. Keats and Sunny were also a pleasure to work with. Very professional and top-quality work. They have been great about following up on any touch-up requests as well.

Now that they have shifted to the Local INN.terior we will definitely continue to work with them for any of our renovation needs. I would highly recommend them for any interior design or contracting work.

 

*Helping my designer to post review and this is not an advertisement for me or them thanks. 

 

Please refer to the link https://www.facebook.com/TheLocal.INN.terior/reviews/

 

https://www.facebook.com/TheLocal.INN.terior/reviews/

[yourliverisBLACK3310 0]

Anyone tried using this ID before ? Please advice !