Next Level Austin

Meghan,
On behalf of our entire team, thank you so much for your kind words. You and Matt have been a delight to work with, and it has been an honor to help you create your dream home!

I’m sorry that Ms. Waldron felt that her complimentary design consultation was a negative experience.
As a design professional with over 30 years overseeing complex remodels, I appreciate the financial and emotional investment that a client makes in deciding to work with Next Level. I work hard to gain my clients’ trust and to exceed their expectations in terms of both design and customer service. When a potential client contacts us as Ms. Waldron did, I offer an initial consultation at no charge. Ms. Waldron contacted our office on a Friday and, due to her limited availability, I arranged my schedule to meet with her on the following Monday. During the consultation, I remember spending over an hour walking through and discussing possibilities for the space, including the kitchen and master bath layouts, ideas for two living areas, and determining the best location for a home office. While it is always my intention to listen and respond to a client’s wishes for their home, I also offer multiple perspectives based on my experience with design, timelines, and budgets. Our clients are usually pleased to receive so much information and expertise at no cost. Often they are delighted to be presented with options that they might never have considered. While I regret that Ms. Waldron felt unheard, I do not believe that my manner was in any way disrespectful or dismissive of her wishes.
Ms. Waldron noted in her review that Next Level did not provide an estimate for work to be completed. I take my clients’ budgets very seriously and am determined to provide clear, accurate assessments of project costs. This takes time, and in the case of a major remodel like Ms. Waldron’s, a general contractor would be required to provide an estimate for the majority of the work required. When I learned that Ms. Waldron did not already have a general contractor in mind, I explained to her that Next Level partners with several trusted local contractors and that the next step, should she decide to work with us, would be to meet with a contractor and begin getting estimates on the work.
Once a project’s scope of work is clearly defined, Next Level does as standard practice estimate the number of design and project management hours that will be required and include that figure as part of a client’s personalized contract. We also create detailed proposals for all materials or items to be purchased by Next Level on behalf of the client, and no purchases are made without prior approval by the client. Our clients appreciate the transparency of our processes and our close attention to established budgets.
Ms. Waldron also states that Next Level asked her to “blindly sign” a contract. This is simply not true. Two days after our meeting, I sent an email to Ms. Waldron expressing gratitude for her choice to contact Next Level and for the opportunity to meet with her. I attached a PDF version of our contract, as many of our clients appreciate the opportunity to review our policies and operating procedures in detail before they finalize their decision to work with us. My email stated, “I’m attaching a copy of our standard client agreement for your review. Should you decide to work with NLA, we would collaborate with you to turn the notes taken during our meeting into a project memo that would be attached to your contract.” As was explained in my meeting with Ms. Waldron, we never request signature of a contract until the final scope of work has been determined and we have compiled a comprehensive project memo. Only after a client has decided to hire us do we create a contract, attach the project memo, and email it to them to be docu-signed.
Unfortunately, Ms. Waldron never responded to my email following our consultation. I certainly take very seriously her complaints, as one of the guiding principles of Next Level is to provide not only excellence of design, but also an unparalleled customer service experience. As our multiple five-star reviews, awards, and repeat clients attest, our team works hard every day to ensure that our clients are beyond pleased with their decision to hire us and with the results of their projects. I regret that Ms. Waldron was disappointed with her experience and wish her the best with her remodel.

Janice Hanks

Thanks Knox and Debbie! We enjoyed working with you too.