For a relatively small job of a modular kitchen, cupboards with sliding shutters in 3 bedrooms and a couple of crockery cabinets, it took Homelane over 6 months to effect closure. What happened to their 45 day promise, I really don’t know.
From Day 1, communication with the team [whose names were given with designations in their company jargon Eg. Site D2, (I still haven’t been able to figure out what that meant - was there a D1 also?)] in Chennai was non existent. Calls remained unanswered for a day at least and some were conveniently ignored.
Their workforce used to come and go as they pleased taking days off whenever it suited them. No intimation was received from the Team in-charge which resulted in my having to be at the site hoping against hope that some work would start. They didn’t clean up their work area after finishing the day’s work. I could go on for ever, but it reflects very poorly on their work culture.
The job completion was end September 22(started in March 22) and already 90% of the soft closers on the Kitchen cabinet drawers don’t work as they should. one has to close the drawer up to the last 2 cm or so and then give it a slight push for it to close. The oil bottle drawer is wobbly and does not shut at all unless it is manhandled into position. This was reported earlier and the carpenter who came said the rails fitted were of some other brand, not Hettich which was promised and so would have problems!
The delay in completion of the work was because the sliding shutters which came from Homelane Bengaluru, were flimsy, wobbled on its tracks and were not heavy enough to engage the Hettich closers. The Hettich technicians visited the site and informed the Homelane IM(Installation Manager) that heavier shutters were required. When I requested the IM to have the 8 shutters changed for all the cupboards, he refused to consider the proposal and decided to do makeshift repairs which had the carpenters making a mess of the house and achieving nothing. It didn’t work and what happened is that I had to do with sliding shutters in all the bedrooms which had to remain open and couldn’t be shut and the shut ones couldn’t be opened. It was embarrassing to say the least especially when friends dropped in to see the new apartment and when one had house guests.
This ordeal finally came to an end when I called up the Homelane CEO, Mr. Srikanth Iyer and spoke to him of my plight. He was extremely receptive and got the team in Chennai going. Within a week or so, new shutters arrived from Bengaluru and the cupboards are now operational. If it was not for him, I would be still living in a house with non functional cupboards.
I now have to figure out how to get the Kitchen drawers to close as they should.
Anyway, less said the better. I only hope they keep to their promise of a 10 year warranty on some of their work/materials used.
Would I use Homelane again for interiors of another property, the answer is is an emphatic NO.