The cardboard piece on top is from a small crushed box that was taped on top of the cabs. Whatever was in it was long since gone.

Shrink wrap

Custom cabinets are cabinets that are made and finished locally by a cabinet maker to fit one's particular space and style. What you have order are stock cabinets or possibly what is called semi-custom but these come from a factory somewhere. You don't specify where you got them. I have never seen cabinets delivered that were not in a box with appropriate packing material to protect them. It was certainly wise to refuse the whole order. Hopefully you can get all of your money back and use someone else for your cabinetry.

Thanks, Deborah -- Yes. Semi-custom is the word they used. (The company name is in the title of my post "All Wood Cabinets AKA Home Decorators Collection.") It's good to hear that most cabinets are typically packaged in boxes for shipping. I believe I've learned a valuable lesson, and am looking at a local cabinet maker that gets rave reviews right here on Houzz. I won't really know the outcome of the refund for the cabinet nightmare until December, and as you'd expect the kitchen is in mid-renovation state. Should be an interesting holiday season :(.

What a nightmare. I have never heard of that company. Good luck to you.

They are a division of Home Depot, specializing in import merchandise, usually Chinese. I knew that HD had their own line of "Hampton Bay" Chinese cabinets, but not that they were also renaming them and retailing them through the Home Decorator's division. You learn something new (and disappointing) every day.

Thanks, all! All Wood Cabinets is company in Florida, separate and distinct from Hampton Bay. It's another vendor HD uses. (CostCo also uses All Wood as a cab. vendor, yikes.) I think you're right about the cabinets themselves being made in China. The sample door looked great, and the construction is all plywood. I had high hopes. They had a sale on the Home Depot.com website, what can I say? For all wood construction, I went for it. It was a *big* mistake. If you search on "All Wood Cabinets" they have a very bad reputation, but on the HD website hey use a different name "Home Decorators Collection." It was little bit of a trick, I think.

You were so very wise to refuse the entire shipment! Yes, it's a nightmare but a correctable one with a different company.

I have never heard of " custom" cabinets being delivered to a home on a pallet. Custom cabinets are made in a cabinet makers shop and installed by the cabinet maker. These sound like cheap pre fab stuff ordered from Home Depot.

Welcome to the world of "RTA" ready to assemble cabinets (not custom or semi custom cabinets), as a cabinet vendor and installer your should know that there are good and bad suppliers of RTA cabinets. I am not familiar with Home Depot's product but from the sound of it not the best quality. We use and install RTA cabinets daily but are selective in our suppliers, look for a good warranty and good construction, color matched interior and sides. Can be a great product at a great price.

I completely agree that these cabinets are awful. I did a complete kitchen remodel and had all sorts of problems with all of the cabinets. Glue on the outside doors, missing screws, screws through the side panels, etc... I wanted a better cabinet than the standard box store particle board cabinet. This is NOT the way to go. The corners on the doors and drawers are so pointed and sharp, my wife and I are afraid our grandchildren will get cut on them. I'm already looking at new door and drawer fronts.

I can't afford kraftmaid grade cabinets but don't want to be cheated like these people either. where do i go from here?