I don't like the "tone" of that wifey...

Don't let anyone push you around when it comes to your money, your counter, your ANYTHING! I work in retail and I believe in excellent customer service. "Vagueness" is not a good thing! I see RED FLAGS!

Then again...
Maybe I'm just PMSing today:)

Maybe I'm just PMSing today:)

I was wondering the same thing on my end, LOL :D

It's hard to quote someone a price per square foot and here is the reason why I say that...

Different things play key factors with this; one of them is how thick of the material 2 cm or 3cm (thicker is better) and how many inches of edge will need polished or profiled. It's better if they have a flat base price, but because they are a stone yard, their prices fluctuate like gas prices and most likely they will get higher now that we have more taxes on gasoline taking effect soon (thanks Obama. I work with stone everyday, I am a business manager and designer for a local fabricator- our prices stay the same because we buy from three main suppliers- the only time we buy elsewhere is when the customer has hand selected their stone with another supplier.
Another thing is- you don't need them in your house taking measurements- this will only pressure them into getting your sale faster and sometimes resulting in mistakes (if rushed). Give them a layout of your kitchen with both internal and external measurements and notate what edges will need a special profile. They will charge for things like undermount sink cutouts and stove top cutouts as well (if applicable).

I hope this helped- if not, opps!

All in all, he just wants to get as much information from you as possible to secure the sale- sometimes they even charge a measuring/templating fee if they want to be jerks!

I'm a TKO addict. I'd check out tons of stone yards -- whether your contractor recommends them or not. Screw that chick -- you want what YOU want -- YOU are the customer. She has what you want or she doesn't.

Go with another fabricator/installer.

Sometimes the most popular or best in the area or highly
recommended is not so great.

The nepotism bothers me, but worse her attitude toward you
and what you can afford is terrible. And frankly in my
humble opinion she needs to find another job.

Here is my guess.. as to what is going on with the
nepotism. I would bet she has not worked at the slab yard
for long. Maybe 1 or 2 years or less. She got the job
because her husband is a great installer. He and she need
the money. The economy is rough and business is slow.
However, she is not a salesperson. And maybe a streak of
jealousy showed when you looked at the Marble.

When I had my granite installed I took rough measurements
and via e-mail, phone or handed them to a potential
installers. They gave me a price estimate and from there
my DH negotiated and signed a contract. Not one of the 8
I worked with came to my home. Not until a contract was
signed with the installer we hired.

If you feel uncomfortable do not let them in your house.
They may be perfectly harmless but if you don't like them
don't work with them. You want an installer you can trust
because cutting and fitting granite is an art that needs
to be honored. You want the best or 2nd best to do your
kitchen. You won't regret working with a true artist
who is worth every penny.

Go with your instinct you know you are on track.
~boxer

I'd leave because of the woman's attitude, and I'd let them know that was the reason I was leaving.

I haven't bought stone counters, but, I don't see why they couldn't give you a SQ base price, excluding cutouts and edge detail. The big box stores list a SQ price.

Also, I know this has happened to people I know in Chicago, but some contractors base their price by how much they perceive you can afford. Also, by the town you live in. I wonder if they want to come to your house to see how your style of living is to base the price off of that.

Thank you all for your responses, they are very helpful.

His return call to me (voicemail) said, "She told me your favorite stone was "XYZ". It's certainly affordable, and *exhale* the cheapest on your list. I'd love to come by and measure for you." My "favorite" happened to be another stone, not XYZ. I just don't get it. I mean, I'm no Malania Trump, but I'm no pauper either. *sigh*

And clg7067, I think you are right about him wanting to see where and how I live to set a price, and that does not sit well with me. Aaaand, I have found another installer/fabricator that I will be meeting at the end of the week!

Thank you all again!

I would find another fabricator (actually get a few quotes) When I was pricing granite the price of the fabricators was extreme - from one end to another it doubled in price. I gave each fabricator my kitchen layout with edge type, and sink and hole info. I told them what granite slab I reserved at a specific yard and they all provided me a quote. Never stepped into the house until after a signed contract. My SIL priced granite in St. Louis and the difference in prices from fabricators was only $100.

The granite portion of my kitchen remodel has definately been the most aggravating.
Ok, I too faxed my layout that included all of the cabinet sizes to 3 different fabricators. I then chose my fabricator based on the bids and had him hold the granite I spent 6 months looking for. So after I sign the proposal and give half down, they send their guy to measure. Then I get an email telling me that I owe them $1500 more because they went by my cabinet dimensions and their original quote didn't include overhangs. My husband always goes out and previews jobs before he takes them. This protects the customer and us. We know what we are getting into and we can give them an accurate price. And we don't base our prices on the value of someone's house(but I am still always worried people are doing that to me). I asked this particular fabricator to come and measure and he said it was his policy not to do that until the proposal is signed. I am wondering if this granite fabricating business is just a shady business. It's not like I could go find someone else. I don't feel like fighting to get my money back. I would probably lose more than I gain and to top it off they know they have you because they are now holding your slab.
I wouldn't hesitate to have anyone bid based on the actual job site. You are under no obligation to go with his bid. Even if he does his bid based on your house value, you will figure that out when comparing bids.
Make sure your bids include the square footage of each slab they are using. I noticed that all 3 of mine just said something like perimeter countertops:$5000.00 with no sq. footage.
I hope you have better luck than I did!

I had a long-established granite and tile fabricator give me a bid for granite installation before I decided on my granite.

I bought my slabs from a stone/tile/granite place that had a wide selection. The prices/sq ft were posted on the slabs.

I was easily able to determine the cost of the stone and the installation.

That duo you are dealing with sound very shady. I can't imagine what they would try to pull on you if the installation was not up to your standards. Stay away from them. You can get much better treatment from companies that value their repuation and want you to be a satisfied customer.

That way I knew what the

I found my granite at one of the places my fabricator sent me. I reserved the granite, and the fabricator gave me a price per sq ft based on my estimate of square footage and other specifications of what I needed. I have a pretty simple galley kitchen, so the only problem I had when looking for a slab was making sure it was long enough for my one long run. Templating wasn't necessary for a quote, but I had exact specifications so it was clear what I needed. (If you haven't already, maybe you should provide drawings or measurements) I wrote a check for 1/2 the countertop when they templated and the paid the other half after installation.

None of the granite yards I went to had prices on the slabs and none would talk to you about price other than maybe giving a high-medium-low description. Having prices on slabs may be a regional thing.

If you can provide measurements and specs, I don't see why he can't give you an approximate quote. If he doesn't have that info, then I could see why he wouldn't give you a quote. However, if he has it, then he is being totally unreasonable not to give you a quote. In either case, if you don't like who you are doing business with then walk.

We dealt with Pyramid Marble and Granite, located in Effingham IL. First class operation from A to Z, their employees love working there, are very proud of their work and it shows. We were 100% sure of what we were getting and absolutely could not be any happier with the results. I can highly recommend them, and I have never spoken with anyone that has dealt with them that will tell you anything different. We made several trips to the stone yard, changed our minds a couple of times, called and asked questions and was never made to feel that there was anything more important than making us happy. It was a great experience, and if you are close enough to use them, you will definetly not be sorry.

No need to come out and measure. They want to do that simply to pressure you to go with them since they will have already come out and measured. It's a low trick and you should run for the hills.

I got 4 different quotes just by faxing my kitchen layout and giving details (backsplash or not, seams or not, sink sizes, range instead of cooktop, etc). Two of the 4 quoted me just a price with no details at all (no sq ft listed, no countertop thickness specified, etc) and I had to contact them to extract that info. They all ended up being about the same amt of sq ft. So you certainly don't need to measure to get the sq footage.

Bottom line: NEVER work with someone you don't feel comfortable with. If they're like this before you pay, imagine what it'll be like after you pay.

Good luck!