Remodeling The Kitchen Week 9 - Desperately Seeking Beautiful Fire-clay Sink

Fireclay sink, fireclay sink - wherefore art thou affordable, beautiful 33" Fireclay sink.

I'm searching high and low for you, knowing you must be out there, but alas you are always just out of my reach. I thought I found you a couple times but it was always your distant cousin 29". Still, I pressed on- then I found you. Amazon.... can't you hear the angels sing? "Amazon".

There you were the beautiful Latoscana reversible Fireclay farmhouse sink, 33" LFS3318W ready to sit atop my cabinets (that I still haven't ordered because they are not in stock) and nestled with my lovely countertops I still haven't decided upon.

The price? $420 For once in this entire rehab nightmare renovation I am smiling. I email Mr. Cottage (the only way to get a hold of him these days as the frenzy of closing the company hits an all-time high). He is as excited as I am, and I do comparisons and find it other places for $700 to over $1,000. I am EXCITED -like jumping up and down excited!

I worry only slightly that this is not a good idea- what is wrong with it? Why is it so cheap? And something about the possibility of breaking, cracking, staining, or otherwise damaging a very $$$$$$ fire-clay kitchen sink. I can see it now, someone -who will remain nameless- will toss in a spoon, or a fork or some other object, it flies end over end and that sound effect they use in moves when time is slowed down and someone is trying to catch some priceless artifact before it crashes against the floor and shatters into a thousand pieces will play as I make a mad defying gravity and space-time continuum ninja jump at the sink arm outstretched to pluck that flying projectile from the air.

Mr. Cottage's emails come fast and furious, "Don't wait for me- ORDER IT NOW!".

I sit at the glowing screen of my desktop and head back to the sink. The picture pops up in all its glory, cue angel choir-

I go to hit the 'buy' button but see a note to contact them first before purchasing- "Uh oh!" That inner voice (you know the one that comes out whenever you are about to do something where the sentence "It seemed like a good idea at the time" is forever used after you did it) I'm fighting that sinking on the Titanic feeling as the strains 'Nearer My God To Thee' is playing somberly.

I open my email and type... I wait for a reply, having Mr. Cottage going crazy on his end.

Nothing...

Nothing...

Nothing...

The next day an email pops up. I noticed it ignored everything I had said and asked in my message (red flag #2) and it said:

I write Mr. Cottage and tell him my concerns and that I think it is a scam.  Then I contact Amazon.

At first they were confused but I sent a link to my pretty sink that was listed there and the text of the email and they were very concerned. As they investigated further it became obvious that it was fraud.  They told me that I was wise to be worried about it and that they were happy that I contacted them.  As they were looking into it the person that listed it pulled it off of their website. That was the nail in the coffin for them to know it was a scam.  Sigh... no pretty fireclay sink....

And with that titanic sunk.

I think I feel my soul dying... 

New to our remodel story? Check out weeks 1,2,3,4,6,7