Separate the service from the cabinet price
A Greenville cabinet proposal can include more than products. It may also describe design work, a site visit or a measurement service. Before comparing totals, ask what each service produces and whether its price is included, separately payable or credited only under stated conditions. Do not treat an informal promise of a credit as a reduction already earned.
Start with the Greenville kitchen planning guide for the overall project. For this comparison, give each seller the same project address and current scope so a quoted visit and drawing set refer to the same kitchen.
Compare the deliverables you will receive
Ask whether the service provides an initial arrangement, dimensioned cabinet drawing, itemized specification or another defined output. Record the number and scope of revisions only when the seller confirms them. A rendering does not answer who verifies final dimensions, and a site visit does not by itself establish which drawings can be used to order products.
The FTC recommends written estimates identifying work, materials, timing and price. Apply that principle to the planning service itself: name the deliverable, the person completing it and the step at which you accept it. Ask separately about your permitted use of the supplied files.
Make a conditional credit visible
If a seller offers to apply a design charge toward an order, ask which purchase qualifies, whether there is an expiry and how the credit appears on the invoice. Keep the full service cost visible until the written conditions are understood. Ask what happens if the final cabinet quote changes or you decide not to place an order.
A charge can be reasonable without being refundable or transferable. Compare the complete documented offer against your needs rather than assuming that a free-looking service is more useful or a paid one produces a better design.
| Check | What to record |
|---|---|
| Service | Name the design, site visit or measurement work being priced. |
| Deliverable | List the files, drawings or specification you receive. |
| Fee | Identify included and separately payable charges. |
| Credit | Record the qualifying order and any stated conditions. |
| Revisions | Confirm what changes are included and when additional work is quoted. |
| Decision | Keep unresolved terms beside the current product proposal. |
Worked example: a credit depends on an order
Suppose one seller includes a preliminary layout while another charges for a measured drawing and offers an order credit. First compare the outputs and measurement responsibilities. Then ask the second seller to show the credit conditions in writing. If you have not selected that cabinet package, keep the service charge in your comparison rather than subtracting a credit you may never use.
Questions to settle before ordering
Is a design fee automatically refundable?
Use the provider’s actual written terms. This worksheet does not establish a refund or cancellation right.
Does a measured drawing replace an installer check?
Confirm who accepts final dimensions and site conditions for the actual order; do not infer that responsibility from the drawing’s name.
What should I send for an initial HIBC review?
Send the proposal and identify the service fees or credit conditions you want to clarify, along with your project city and current kitchen information.
