The Master Craftsman

My wife and I have always had a preference for contemporaty style, in all aspects of home design, furnishings and decoration. Although it has drifted in and out of vogue over the years, we have always preferred the grey-black family of colours. When my mother passed away recently, we inherited a cedar chest, which had great sentimental value for a couple of reasons, but whose early 1950's "blonde" outside finish was a definite departure from everything else in our home.

Within weeks, almost as though it was meant to be, I happened upon a temporary display at our local shopping mall highlighting antique dealers and furniture restorers and refinishers. One of the companies with a display there was The Master Craftsman. They had on display a couple of "antique" pieces which were half-restored and re-finished. That is, literally one half of each peice was left in its original state, and the other half had been totally restored and refinished to show what was possible. The difference was quite amazing. The new finish was like new, yet the improvement seemed to have been accomplished entirely through refinishing. Thinking about our newest member of the family - the beloved cedar chest - I decided to sign-up for a "no-obligation" estimate, and went home to tell my wife. We agreed that we had nothing to lose by getting an idea of what might be involved to restore it to its original quality of finish, but also change the colour to fit in the grey-black world in which we live.

Soon after, we were contacted, and arranged an appointment for an estimator to come to the house, have a look at the cedar chest, and give us an idea of cost. He explained that many furniture refinishing companies these days use harsh chemicals to "strip" furniture of its original finish, and in doing so, run the risk of causing structural damage. The Master Crafsman, he assured us, was different. Things were done the old-fashioned way, with time-consuming sanding to remove the old finish. It took much longer, and was therefore more expensive, but surely this was the approach to take if you truly loved your furniture, and wanted to treat it right. He also explained that a total re-finish such as this would mean that changing colour would be no problem since you would basically be starting with a clean slate -- totally unfinished wood.

Now, for anyone who doesn't know, a "cedar chest" is basically a blanket box, usually placed in a large bedroom, often at the foot of a bed, lined with un-finished aromatic cedar, used to store bedding, keep it smelling fresh, and protect it from the damage of insects. Just like a cedar closet, the outside of the chest can be made of anything. In the case of our cedar chest, I have no idea what the wood is on the outside. I am no wood expert, but since the original finish on the outside looked to be virtually clear, and was decidedly "blonde" in colour (similar to natural oak or pine), I'm relatively certain it was not made of cedar.

At any rate, we proceeded to explain to our estimator that we would be interested in making the change to a black finish, in order to fit in with our decor. He explained that would be no problem, and showed us a few options, depending on how dark we wanted to go. We showed him some other pieces in our home finished in Black Oak, and explained that that was what we were after. He recommended an appropriate stain and finish, and showed us a sample of what it would look like.

Although we expected that he might have to call us later with an estimate, he proceeded to go ahead and give us the price on the spot. We were quite surprised at his estimate. Although we had never had anything refinished professionally before, we had not imagined it would be so much, and we said that we would just like to talk it over, and would get back to him. He replied that this estimate was a special offer, and was only available if we agreed to proceed at this time. He also said that the schedule at the shop, and also the pickup schedule, was such that it would be much better for them to pick the piece up and get started right away, and that was why they could offer a "discounted" price if we decided to go ahead immediately.

Although the estimate seemed high, we wanted to be sure that such a special family member would be well taken care of, so we decided to proceed. We even asked if they could correct the broken hinge on the lid by replacing it with a "piano" hinge - a hinge often used for such heavy lids, which would run the entire length of the lid.

Just as he promised, the chest was picked-up withing a day or two, and it seemed that everything would be worth the high price. Within a coupld of weeks, we received a call explaining that in addition to the harware replacement we requested, we might want to consider an "optional" protective finish. At that point, we decided that we should draw the line on the cost, and said "no". A couple of days later, we received another call, again offering the special "optional" protective finish, but because they already had a batch of it prepared just at that moment, they could offer it for a reduced price, as long as we agreed to proceed immmediately. Again, we declined. It was at this point that we finally began to sense that something was wrong. Ok, maybe we're a little slow, or too trusting. But it was just too much of a conincidence that twice now, we were asked to make a decision under the pressure of time which would theoretically "save" us some money.

Finally, we received a call that the cedar chest was ready, and would be delivered. Whether it was intentional, or just very convenient, it arrived in the evening, long after dark, so getting a really good look at it would have to wait until the next morning. Like a fool, I signed for the delivery, and the delivery guys drove off with my money.

Early next day. Daylight. We can't wait any longer. We have spent way too much money -- many times more than this cedar chest originally cost -- but we didn't want to trust it to anyone but The Master Craftsman -- the best! So, let's have a look at our wonderful "new" cedar chest. Surely it was worth the wait, and the expense, to deal with such professionals. But wait......Do my eyes deceive me, or is this not, quite simply, not black, but brown? I rub my eyes to be sure. Nope, it is definitely brown. A nice, dark, satin finish, but definitely brown! We open the lid to check out the new piano hinge. Oh.....what's this? The same old (and broken) original hinges. Inside a storage drawer, we find a pair of new hinges. Not the piano hinge I requested, but a pair of new brass hinges. Only problem is, I guess I will have to install them myself. All in all, a little disappointing for $1,600. We talk it over, and decide to call The Master Craftsman.

Getting through to sales is a breeze. Finding customer service was a little more complicated. However, eventually, I am able to talk to a real person, and convince them I have a problem. To make a long story short, I explained the colour problem, and the hinge problem, and after considerable negotiating, they agree to have another try. This time, after several weeks, I get a call to come in and "approve" a test finish. Nope, still brown. Now I am told I will have to speak with an "certified arbourist" who explains that there is no way cedar can ever be stained brown. Hmm. Only two problems with that. First, as you remember, I'm pretty sure the exterior wood is not cedar. (Of course, in its present "dark brown" stained condition, it is pretty much impossible to tell.) And second, with all these high-priced experts on the case, how come no one ever mentioned this before now?

After several more weeks of waiting, we finally begin to worry that maybe this company is simply going to sell our cedar chest, and then deny ever having heard of us. When they finally contact us to pick-up the re-re-finished cedar chest, we are simply relieved that we can get it back, in any state!

My wife and I are by no means agressive people. Although we are not stupid, we are not fighters. We don't like confrontation. We were relieved to have the chest returned, even sporting the wrong colour still, and with the new hinges of their choice installed, but misaligned so that the lid would no longer even close. We might have been content to write the whole thing off as just us being naive, or lacking education about the wood-refinishing business, except that a few months later, I saw an ad in the Toronto Star asking for anyone who had a bad experience with The Master Craftsman to please respond. I called, and spoke for over an hour to a gentleman who was in the process of a lawsuit against them. The similarities were incredible. The same story about "it will cost way more than anyone else, but it will be worth it". The same calls during the process about the special "optional finish", and later, the same "guess what -- we just hapen to have a batch of the finish ready to go for another client, so we can give you a special deal....if you go ahead right now!" And the same feeling that, by the time you finally see your furniture again, you are just relieved to get your hands on it again!

The sad part is that for some reason, I actually believe that the guy who originally started The Master Craftsman actually may have had the skill and talent I thought I was buying. But somewhere along the line, greed got the better of him, and this company has truly become a scam that is out of control.

As I said, I am not an aggressive person. And unfortunately, I rarely complain. But if I ever find out ahead of time that The Master Craftsman has a display at our local mall again, I will personally make a point of camping out there to warn any potential customers what is in store for them, and to run away as fast as they can!