For any of those that believe D'Best Floorz & More will provide you with great service, be prepared for a long haul battle. Take your time to read this review to a general look inside the mindset of Dario Hernandez, the owner of possibly one of the worst customer service provided by a small business.
On August 12th I bought a set of cabinets from D'Best store, a contract was signed to complete the installation of the cabinets within one week. Their salesman Mike set an appointment to come by the house to do some measurements, however, he was a no show. And thus started a continuous monotonous habit of missed appointments. Several appointments were made for the next 3 weeks, sometimes phone calls weren't even picked up or returned. Eventually Mike showed up to make the measurements as well as have some of the cabinets delivered, but not before I had made an appearance at D'Best to speak to the manager about this issue.
I spoke directly to the store owner Dario Hernandez. He informed me that he had no knowledge of the situation but in good faith he was going to revise the contract and promise the job would be finished by the 30th (addendum to the contract). On the 25th I received a phone call by Mike and was told the cabinets would arrive at my house that same day, however, no one showed. It wasn't until the 28th Mike's installers arrived at my home with the cabinets. By the afternoon they begin to install 2 of the cabinets. The unprofessionalism of these installers were nothing short of disastrous.
Instead of using a stud finder (cheaply found at a Home Depot for about $10) they made holes in the wall with a pencil...!
When the wall cabinets were installed they left a big gap between the ceiling and the cabinets.
When they noticed that some of the cabinets weren't corresponding to the design, they wanted to modify the cabinets to fit the kitchen! At which point I stopped them and told them that wasn't what I had paid for. They told me they would come back the next day with the corresponding cabinets. However, surprise surprise, no one showed.
By the 30th the constant phone calls and promises to show up and failure to do so continued. The contractual deadline agreement was broken.
September came, I decided once again to drive to DBest Floors to speak to Dario. This time I went with my wife as witness to the conversation. Considering they did not finish the job by the date agreed upon and constant missed appointments I demanded a full refund. Mr. Hernandez refused to abide by his contract and wanted to keep a 35% restocking fee. This of course was unacceptable. After an hour's discussion we were talked into creating a new contract that would guarantee his installers would show up on the 5th to finish the installation with all corresponding cabinets.
When that Tuesday came I was sent a text message from Dario that due to an emergency Mike would not be able to complete the job that day. Even though at this point there was no need for Mike to show up at the house, considering he is not a cabinet installer but a salesman! No further date was given as to when they would finish the job.
On the 7th, I received a phone call telling me the cabinet installers would be at my house the very next day at 8am to complete the installation. No one showed and no further communication was made, another contract broken.
Sunday the 10th. Hurricane Irma hit the state of Florida. Dario Hernandez now used the hurricane as a reason not to have shown up to the last two appointments the week before... so the question is, why make appointments? Everyone knew it was coming! 23 days had already passed. Enough time to finish the cabinets before there was even a hurricane to begin with!
A week after the hurricane I was contacted by a Mr. Juan in part of Dario to finish the installation on the cabinets. On the 18th, Juan came to my home and through conversation informed me that he was a contractor whose profession is that of an A/C technician and not a cabinet installer. At which point it's only right I refuse his services, as I expect the installation to be completed by someone whose actual profession is that of installing cabinets, and not repairing A/Cs! It was then when I once again asked for Dario for a full refund. He then refused to comply with the contractual agreement, and just offer me a partial refund.
By October I contacted an attorney to see my options, since two contracts have already been broken. My three options were:
They can send him a letter asking for a full refund and if he refuses I would have this for my records if a litigation would occur.
Take him to small claims court and get the maximum allowed.
Contact BBB, and see if they can solve the issue through communication.
November came and I contacted BBB, and Dario's attitude completely changed. He communicated with me, set up an appointment to have the cabinets and granite installed, and the installers actually showed up with the missing cabinets and finally started to finish the job... about 95% finished. The cabinets were installed, and definitely not the greatest installation by any means. The installers managed to scratch much of the cabinet doors, installed the panels wrong, and when we asked for the last missing back panel and for a replacement on a warrantied broken cabinet (which is an obvious manufacturer defect) the installer said he would bring it the very next day. And that's when Dario's old habit kicked in. No one showed up and he refused to provide the back panel as well as replacing the cabinet.
He then proceeded to write to BBB with continuous excuses, as well as texting us that he would never do business with us even if we wrote to Trump himself with a complaint. That if I wanted to sue I was welcomed to do so. This brings me to today, I am now looking at my legal options as well as warn as many people as possible to his way of handling business.
One of the funniest things Dario said to me was the following: "If you go to Home Depot you won't have the same attention as you would with us, you wouldn't even talk to the manager."
I can guarantee you, if I go to Home Depot, they would keep appointments. I can guarantee you, if a cabinet is damaged during installation or arrives broken, they would replace it. I can guarantee you, they would send professional installers to do the job.
There are many reviews out there of D'Best, but don't read his Facebook reviews since he just deletes the bad ones. If you like to see the true reviews of D'Best, I suggest read through Yelp, Google review, RipOffReport, and last but not least, BBB. These he cannot remove. If you were unfortunate enough to fall to his prey and he is playing the exact same game with you, I suggest first go to BBB, file a complaint and let them know how his business truly is. Yes, BBB gets paid by these businesses like D'Best to showcase their membership to it, so it would be very hard for his rating to change, but complaints can still be issued and will be marked on their site. Show Dario Hernandez that customers should come first. That he needs to finish jobs he starts 100%. Keep appointments. Hire actual installers and train them to do a professional job!
Atentamente a la policía de la UFI número 16
del Departamento Judicial de San Isidro.
Julio 6, un día como cualquier otro. Mi hermana en su casa, en la localidad bonaerense de
Virreyes, partido de San Fernando, cuidando de sus 2 hijos que tiene con mi
cuñado. Y el, trabajando en su peluquería en cual es dueño.
Mi hermana
en su cuarto segundo piso, con los niños, un recién nacido y una de 4 años,
escucha un derrumbe de la puerta abajo. Ella cierra la puerta por susto que
puedan ser ladrones, cuando escucha que gritan que son policías. Cuando se fija
afuera por la ventana hay 2 carros de la autoridad.
Los policías llevan a mi hermana y las niñas al piso abajo mientras los policías derrumban y rompen
todo lo que sea posible en el segundo piso. ¡Mi hermana pregunta que buscan!
Los policías le dicen “Drogas.” Mientras mi cuñado es arrestado en su negocio a
2 cuadras de casa…
¿A qué se debe todo esto?
Mi cuñado tiene su vicio de cannabis, o sea marihuana. El un tiempo
atrás decidió que, en vez de comprarlo por alguno de la calle, plantaba su
propio árbol. Y alguien (cual tenemos sospecha de quien pudiera haber sido,
pero eso es para otra historia) denuncio anónimamente que había un árbol de
cannabis en el patio del fondo.
Los policías entraron en la casa, fueron directamente hasta allá y cogieron el
árbol. Pero no fue solamente eso que cogieron. Robaron cualquier celular que
había en la casa, viejo y nuevo, su cámara fotográfica, y dinero que tenían
guardado. Mi hermana es argentina, pero también ciudadana de los Estados
Unidos, y tenía sus dólares guardado.
Y aquí empezó todo al armado esquema de la policía. Fueron a la cocina y encontraron
bolsas de ziplock. ¡A mi hermana le dijeron que firmara un papel en blanco! Cuándo
le pregunto porque estaba en blanco, le dijeron que era porque la impresora no
estaba funcionando pero que firme y no se preocupe que luego ellos llenan lo
necesario…
Con la presión de los policías, el estado en cual estaba, y quien sabe que le hubieran
hecho si lo negaba, lo firmo.
Luego ellos llenaron el papel como una confesión y arman todo para joder a mi
cuñado. Le plantan un montón de cosas que jamás sacaron de la casa, como una
microonda (para que se yo que mierda), y hasta una balanza. Ponen toda la
marihuana distribuida en las bolsitas, ¡y peor de todo ponen un ARMA!! Miren el
video abajo que divulgaron estos mierdas de policías:
Y porque hicieron esto?
Porque solamente por un árbol no lo encarcelarían por mucho tiempo y ellos lo
saben, y quieren demonstrar que están haciendo algo, coger más fondos
económicos de la ciudad como si estuvieran combatiendo narcotraficantes.
Dicen que estaban meses vigilándolo (mentiras), que lo vieron traficar drogas (mentiras) que detuvieron 2 cómplices a mas (no existen, mentiras) y todas esas cosas del video las cogieron de su casa (mentiras). Hasta le llamaron a mi cuñado del líder de una organización criminal en cual distribuía marihuana en varias zonas de la región con sus cómplices (mentiras). Estos perros hasta le dieron un alias, le llamaron “el Peluca”, como si fuera un cartel.
Lo único que es verdad es que mi cuñado tenía el árbol de cannabis, algo tan estúpido en cual en muchos lugares en el mundo se está siendo legal en tener en las casas, y Argentina sigue en el pasado, y siguen con la corrupción. Pusieron una buena persona en la cárcel, lo alejaron de su familia cual sostiene, y arruinaron la vida a un inocente. Policías que son malnacidos que no tiene conciencia, corazón, y ni alma. Como pueden esos animales ir a sus propias casas a sus propias familias, y estar en bien conciencia que jodieron la familia de una persona inocente?!?
Esperemos que todo se arregle, pondré actualizaciones de este caso a que se revelen.
Actualización: después de 3 años, finalmente pudo salir. Espero que algún día se haga justicia contra esos policías corruptos.
Well, it's been a fun 7 years with the Sonic. Today I sold the car. Bought me an Elantra N.
October 2021
I found a custom builder that creates parts for the Sonic, and I really like the grill he made. I purchased one from Beastlick Designs, and it arrived in about 3 weeks time. I took it to the body shop I've used previously and they had it installed for me.
I like how it shows the intercooler better.. There was a bit of white showing from the chassis behind the grill (where originally was a black bar across) so I had to do a quick black painting put on the chassis to hide it.
Everything considered, I like how it turned out!
Beastlick Design Grill
September 2020
I decided to switch tuner. I've been having issues with the Trifecta due to misfire cylinders, so I decided to try out HP Tuners instead. I had ZZP tune it for me since I have lots of parts from them.
HP Tuners
I also purchased their Mid-Pipe to complete the whole exhaust package as 2.5" diameter tubing.
ZZP Mid-pipe
After installing these parts the performance improved quite a lot, I got a best of 6.77 seconds on my 0-60 and no more misfire cylinders, which could've potentially damage engine parts. Very happy with everything!
Check out a video of my 0-60 below.
July 2020
I bought Performance Tires this time around. Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2. Quite amazing the difference in grip better tires make when accelerating and cornering.
Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2
June 2020
Decided this month to upgrade my front brakes. I've been using the stock brakes since I got the car, and though they still seem pretty good to me, I'm already at 65k! Think it's best to replace them.
So I went with some drilled/ slotted rotors and ceramice pads from Power Stop Brakes.
Living in a wet climate area out here in Florida, these drilled/ slotted rotors help braking power in the rain by allowing the water to escape into the drilled/ slotted areas, and the ceramic pads not only are more durable but also eliminates all that iron brake dust that's been staining the white finish on the car.
Power Stop front brake kit
April 2020
I've been having a bit of a rough startup after installing the injectors, so after some research I came across the solution. In making more power, more fuel is needed, and for this reason I bought a RacerX Fuel Pump Kit with a Walbro fuel pump that provides higher pump flow than stock.
RacerX Fuel Pump Hanger Kit
I also purchased RacerX Fuel Rail Kit, which provides the injectors with more fuel flow.
RacerX Fuel Rail Kit
UPDATE: It was a bit of a nightmare tuning this fuel pump. Walbro are Gerotor style fuel pumps, which provides a
static fuel flow. You need a Turbine style fuel pump, which is a
variable fuel pump like the one provided stock, but with higher flow. I also had to install a return line due to it being a static flow. I would suggest if upgrading the fuel pump, make sure it is a turbine.
February 2020
I decided to do an upgrade to the car's ignition. Since now I'm making more power than stock with a much higher boost, I figured I provide the car with more voltage. I bought the MSD Coil Pack, this coil pack generates 50% higher voltage. I also bought NGK V-Power Spark Plugs, which are one-step colder.
Car does seem to have a much faster startup.
MSD Coil Pack
January 2020
Starting off the year with a cool upgrade. Ever since I bought the car in 2015 I wanted to buy the body kit for it, and now I finally got to do it. Back in September I purchased the body kit directly from Air Design USA; and this month I had it painted, I went to GC Auto Body & Paint out here in Orlando. I was able to install the body kit myself along with my father.
I did had to buy a new jack that is low profile and strong enough to lift from the chassis itself, in case I have a flat, since the one it comes with is now useless due to the side skirts.
Air Design USA Body Kit
July 2019
Time for the big upgrade! The ZZP Big Wheel Turbo V2. This is basically the same stock turbo used on the Sonic but with a few modifications made to it. The compressor wheel is 18% larger, the turbine wheel is 12% larger, and the wastegate diaphragm is 2psi higher than stock!
ZZP Big Wheel Turbo V2
More power means more fuel is needed. To accomodate this I bought Bosch 52# Fuel Injectors. The stock injectors max out at around 170whp, these injectors help sustain power beyond 250whp.
Bosch 52# Fuel Injectors
Once I had these installed, I had it tuned by Trifecta.
After a few 0-60 runs, my best time was 7.34s!! That is a gain of 3/4 of a second with this turbo.
May 2019
After 4 years of owning the Sonic I've arrived at 50k miles. Time to celebrate with 3 upgrades. The first being the stainless steel ZZP Racing Downpipe. With running on higher boost, a larger diameter tubing can help on the car's performance due to an increased exhaust gas output demand.
Once installed I got a Catalyst System error, since it is now missing the catalytic converter. All I had to do, was use the Trifecta tune to turn off the check engine warning. I tried a 0-60 run, and though not much of difference was made from 8.12 to 8.09, it will very much no doubt help on my oncoming upgrade next month. Stay tuned!
50k Miles on Sonic
ZZP Racing Downpipe
April 2019
With all the tuning I've been doing to my car, the one essential thing which I have forgotten to do was to fill it up with better fluid. The car's blood. So I chose Amsoil for the motor, transmission, brakes and coolant. By far tested to be the best fluid for a car.
Amsoil Motor, Transmission, Brake and Coolant fluids.
March 2019
This next update came as a simple one. Bought new ZZPerformance lowering springs, and dropped the car 1.25". Had these installed at Walter's and Sons, great PR mechanic. Now I'm contemplating whether I should buy the Z-spec 18" white rims... maybe one day when my tires wear out.
ZZPerformance Lowering Springs
Chevy Sonic lowered 1.25"
July 2018
This month I bought and installed the new Performance Intake Manifold by RacerX Fabrication. Steel made with O-ring gaskets. It provides an increase in HP and torque throughout the RPM band. My 0-60 timing has improved from 8.5 seconds to 8.12 seconds.
After it was installed I ran into a problem where the hose connected to the PCV was blown away by the high air pressure passing thru. So I replace the cheap clamps with some nice stainless ones, now it is held very tight.
RacerX Performance Intake Manifold
Performance Manifold on Chevy Sonic
March 2018
I've always liked how some cars have a front emblem on their grille, so I
figured why not do it to mine too? I went to the dealership, and bought
the same turbo emblem that is already on the trunk, and put it
onto the grille. To make sure it won't fall, I super glued the top and
bottom edge to bond the emblem and grille.
Turbo Emblem on Grille
January 2018
New year, new upgrade for the Sonic.
Introducing the ZZP Intercooler with Aluminum Charge Pipes.
A performance intercooler can go a long way in helping reduce the intake air charge temperature. I'm running a higher psi boost than stock due to a tune, so this helps the turbocharger air to remain cooler as it passes thru the IC, carrying more oxygen towards the engine, allowing to burn more fuel, thus (hopefully) creating more power. Plus is less likely to combust since the temperature is initially lower. Eventually I want to upgrade the turbo to put out more power, so then it will definitely benefit more from having a performance IC.
This intercooler comes with aluminum tubing which is a good reflector of heat. When installed by the mechanic, I ran into 2 issues with pipes which I only noticed later on.
The oil filter is located under the charge pipe. The stock charge pipe since it is made of rubber it could be easily budged out of the way to remove the filter, however, the ZZP tubing is hard aluminum, which made it impossible to remove the oil filter.
The tube was touching the car's chassis around the bend, which made a constant vibration noise when driving.
So to solve both issues, after a few calculations, I removed engine mount which kept the engine still (while securing it at the bottom) and played with the tube which made it movable. I placed the mount back on, and voila, both problems solved. The pipe is now out of the way from oil filter and the chassis.
ZZP Intercooler with Aluminum Charge Pipes
April 2017
It's been quite a while since my last modification but bills always
comes first. I still have many other plans for the Sonic in the
performance department, but for now just sticking to some visuals.
I checked out Chevymall to see any accessories they may carry for my car, and found two things that I liked so I purchased them.
I purchased a license plate frame, it's made of solid brass
material and has the Chevy and Sonic logo across it.
Chevy Sonic license plate frame
March 2016
I'm very excited about this new install. I added extra gauges to the
dashboard. What I most like about this, is the location they were
installed in. The Sonic comes with a useless coin holder (or whatever
you put there), mounted in the center dashboard. So I bought a gauge pod
from ZZPerformance that installs in that very location. Couldn't ask for a better spot!
Turbo Boost and AFR gauges
I installed two gauges on it, a turbo boost gauge and air/fuel ratio
gauge. It's a narrowband AFR, and although a wideband would give me a
more accurate reading, the way the car is setup, it won't allow for a wideband unless I change the downpipe, and I'm not ready for that yet. Both gauges are from
Autometer, I mainly bought these because they are licensed by Chevy, and it looks really nice with the Chevy bowtie logo on it.
The gauge pod came in black and with a rough texture, so I took it to Service King Collision
body shop and had them sand down the texture to smooth it out plus
match the interior color of the car. Next, I took it once again to Starling Chevrolet
to get them installed. This part didn't go down as smoothly. The boost
gauge worked just fine, no problem there. But the AFR a whole other
story. I ended up having to take it back 3 times because it wouldn't
work properly. First time it would stay on lean, second time it stayed
on lean and rich at the same time! But third time was the charm, it
worked as it should, bouncing back and forth when cruising, rich when
accelerating, and lean when decelerating.
February 2016
This month I installed two new features on my Sonic. On the front and back.
Projector Halo Headlights
Beautiful Project Halo Headlights by Anzo. They're much nicer
than stock, it seems all the chrome was removed and instead filled with
black nickel. Double halos but not a strong LED light as a BMW, however
it still can be seen very well. And the projector lights brightens up
nicely by evening. I went back to Starling Chevrolet to get them
installed. I wanted to install them myself to save money, however, just
to remove the headlights I would also have to remove the bumper.
Honestly, not something I want to mess with, rather not take the chance
of breaking something. So they installed it and once again did a great
job.
Chrome Tail Lights Cover
The next addition is for the tail lights. As I mentioned on a previous
post, I very much like the blacked out tail lights of a hatchback, but
since no other kind of tail light was made for the sedan and they're
very normal looking, I wanted to change it up. So I found these glued
on chrome covers for it. I love the look of it, it's different, and
matches the chrome trim found throughout the car.
January 2016
New Year, New Tuning. Bought the Trifecta Powertrain Calibration!
Wow! What a difference it made. They weren't exaggerating with the
amount of power gain. I gained 1.5 seconds from 0-60! Considering it
used to do 10 seconds flat and now I'm running 8.5 seconds, I say it was
worth every cent.
Installation was easy, grabbed a laptop, hooked it to the car (they
shipped me a OBD II adapter), downloaded the files from their site,
followed video instructions and within 20 minutes or so, it was fully
installed.
Of course not everything went as smoothly, but it was to be expected.
When driving, the intake seemed to suck a lot of air before switching
gears, causing to stall. Within 2 hours an engine code appeared, car was
running too lean. Meaning, the engine isn't burning enough gas for the
amount of air being drawn in, hence the intake issue I mentioned. A
precedent to engine failure if not fixed.
I got back to them, they asked me to datalog the car with their program by driving it, and within 2 days of sending the file
output to them, they provided me with another recalibration file. Once
installed the car ran smoothly. Greatly satisfied!
Watch the video below of my 0-60 mph run in 8.5 seconds.
October 2015 Exciting day! Was looking for an exhaust and intake for power
gain. Though there are lots of manufacturers who do this, Chevy
actually makes their own performance parts for the Sonic.
Yes, they are overpriced (what isn't at a dealer) but they do one thing
which no other manufacturer can do - guarantee my car warranty won't be
affected, considering I'm using GM parts and installed by GM dealer
technicians. Another reason to buy from them, getting the car
recalibrated is already included in the price.
GM Performance Cold Air Intake
Intake:
Great sounding intake. Well designed and boxed to prevent the hot air from being sucked in. No doubt it gained a bit of HP.
GM Performance High Flow Exhaust System
Exhaust:
Purrs when starting up and roars when accelerating. A low-restriction
exhaust with a stainless steel tip, giving a 10HP gain and 15 lb-ft
torque.
I got both parts installed at Starling Chevrolet, they gave me a better price than Autonation. They did a great job. I will go back to them for any further car need.
Ran a 0-60 and the car gained a 1/2 second advantage from both parts.
Next I am eyeing some nice projector halo headlights, as well as a
powertrain recalibration which states the car will gain a whopping 44whp
and 51 lb-ft torque! Stay tuned!
July 2015
Bought a brand new 0-mile 2015 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ sedan. First car I own :)
Probably should've bought a hatchback (HB) instead, since I have no true
need for a 4-door car.
But the sedan is about a grand cheaper than its counter-version.
My goal is in time to tune the car, as a hobby. An expensive hobby, but it's fun.
my 2015 Chevy Sonic LTZ 1.4L Turbo
Got it at Autonation Chevrolet. Terrible dealership, but I got a
good price on it. They were trying to overcharge me for $600;
half for window tinting, half for a strip line on the vehicle side... I
got cheaper window tinting somewhere else (blacked out tints), and I
don't need any strip line.
Always check what they are charging you for. The saleswoman kept
trying to change the conversation so I wouldn't dig any further as to
what they were charging me for.
Sonic Review
Mechanical:
I enjoy the maneuverability of the car. Mine is automatic with 6-speed. I tend to switch back and forth between Drive and Manual, depending on how traffic is playing out. Very smooth transmission.
Turbo - 10psi boost
The LTZ has a small engine, a 1.4L, but
to make up for its size they included a small turbo to push it at 138HP,
and give it a torque of 148lb-ft.
Exterior:
Love the look of the headlights, but not a fan of its tail lights...
will have to change that. The HB has a more interesting look to it, as
it is blacked out.
I noticed an assembly issue with the Sonic, the doors and hood are not well aligned. I went to the dealership and noticed that all Sonic vehicles are this way... Poor manufacturing attention to small cars I guess.
Other worth mentioning exterior specs: car comes stock with 17" rims, a
spoiler w/brake light, chrome trim around the car, and a blacked out
grill in which the front mount intercooler can be seen through.
Jet Black/ Brick interior
Interior came with great options.
All automatic (door locks, side mirror, windows).
Heated seats.
Leatherette seat trim.
MP3 player.
Bluetooth/ USB/ Wi-Fi connection.
LCD screen.
Rear-view camera.
Remote start and entry.
10 air bags.
Traction control.
6-speaker audio system.
Tilt steering wheel.
Gauges: it has a digital gauge speedometer. I always liked the
needle gauge type better tho. It also comes with a RPM gauge which I love the look. I will eventually
get a turbo boost gauge and air/fuel gauge hooked to it.
Right now the car runs at 10.5 seconds 0-60 mph. Eventually I'll start tuning it to make even quicker than a RS.
