Gorilla Islands

I had an absolutely horrible experience dealing with Gorilla Islands here in Corona, CA. I would rate them negative 5 stars if it was possible. Please take 5 minutes to read what happened... In June I paid them $40,000 for a custom BBQ Island and was quoted 4-6 weeks for it be built. It has been over 21 weeks and my project is still not complete, and I was scammed out of an additional $4,500. Prior to paying them in full the customer service was great and prompt however as soon as they had my money it all went downhill fast. In summary we missed 5 consecutive delivery appointments where I had to stay home from work only to receive a text at the last minute about some random excuse as to why its delayed. After the bare frame was delivered 17+ weeks behind schedule, I had another 6 no show or last minute cancelled appointments for equipment delivery and tile/stucco repair. Each time it was a totally different excuse blamed on others. To make matters worse I wanted a cover over my BBQ island and they said they had a contractor that could do it and to "save me time" they would simply add his charges to my bill. What they didn't say is they were going to add a $2,000 markup to his bill, collect the full $3,600 upfront from me AND force me to pay him directly in full at time of installation, so now I'm out $5,700 for something that only cost $2,100. Three weeks ago they promised me a refund of the $3,600 and this has not happened, and likely will never happen. On top of that, nearing the end of my project they sent me an invoice asking for another $2,000 worth of upgrades that were not on the written contract and claimed that I "verbally" agreed to and I had to either pay it or they will hold my entire $40,000 hostage while I sue them in court. I learned from some of their workers (whom now quit) and other companies they sent out to my house that this company takes in new money to finish the overdue projects and pay their bills, then when it comes time to complete your project it gets delayed until they are able to take in funds from a new customer and this is half the reason for the long delay. The owners don't want you to know but they are illegally living in the back of the shop and they don't even have a basic business license (Anyone can verify this online with the City of Corona). Their employees told me that the reason they cancelled the previous 4 appointments was because their paychecks bounced and they were not willing to work for free until they were paid by their employer. I honestly had to pay their own employees another $450 in cash just to get them to do the tile work because their own employer was not paying them and I just wanted this project over with once and for all! Their employees showed me text messages on their phone proving they were not paid and where Rhonda said "We took new credit card payments this weekend, please come into work" When it came to equipment delivery & installation they refused to pay the 3rd party company so basically I was faced to pay another $450 or refuse the delivery and potentially wait a few more months to get my equipment worth over 10K. I could honestly go on for another 5 paragraphs detailing all the lies and excuses they gave me over the 5 months I had to deal with Kevin & Rhonda Kline from Gorilla Islands. It was honestly, that bad! In summary I was promised 4-6 weeks, but after 21+ weeks its still not done with no known completion date. I had over 10 missed appointments. I had to pay their employees $450 to finish the tile work, pay the delivery company $450 to install the equipment and over paid $3,600 for the patio cover despite paying that company directly. Of course I kept receipts for everything for my day in court. Lesson learned here: Never pay for something upfront (they require 50% upfront and 50% after framing, which is like 20% done), always get a project completion date in writing (they refuse to do this) and always pay with a credit card (so that you can dispute the charges if needed) and of course always do your homework about a company before engaging in large projects (Online reviews, license verification...etc). I really hope that this review can help save another victim from Kevin & Rhonda Kline from Gorilla Islands. This has been an absolutely horrible and expensive experience!

Gorilla Islands has exceeded our expectation. The showroom is gorgeous and very well appointed. on our first visit we must have spent over an hour. taking in there various floor plans and vast supply of BBq Grills and accessories. We purchased and Custom Island with Lynx Product. Grill,Side Burner. Refrigerator . The step by step process went smooth and completion on time. I toured the factory set and appointment and with in days received a 3d cad of my backyard project complete with itemized estimate. Oh yea I received pictures as it was being built. I shopped many competitor's and found they had a service build there islands off site , we couldn't see the progress. Didn't feel comfortable investing a large sum of money . We will be back Gorilla to purchase a Green Mountain Smoker. You have the best display of smoker accessories and Rubs. Definitely Would Recommend Gorilla Islands of Corona . Thank You

I want to thank Debbie and the owners for the wonderful customer service. I am a military veteran and was very satisfied with how they assisted my needs for my backyard. I loved the explanation on the product I purchased, it defenetly changed my mind from buying anywhere else. I purchased a fire table and was shown many different options, I love my table!!! Purchase Oct 2013 :)

I originally was going to buy an island from their competitor but went for them instead because I saw that they had a very nice showroom. The deal was for $$,$$$. Before they even installed the island, they wanted the full payment paid. Now I know why. The way the island was installed and the quality of their items, one would not have paid any remaining balance. Not to worry in my case as the BBB and my attorney will make sure they perform as to the contract, with added court cost. Please follow BBB complaint if you are interested and I will also update here once the matter resolves. Now back to the issues. I ordered in early June to make it by my party in mid June. They ofcourse missed the promised date but it was OK due to the tight schedule. When they installed the island, everything went wrong. The grill which is the main part of the island had 2 large dents in front when they tried to shove it in place. The grill itself melts on the first fire test which according to the owner it is too hot. I have never seen that before with my other grills (I have one island in each house). To me, it is just cheap material. Next, the burners were not installed correctly and had broken attachment. My electrician was gracious enough to fix it as he was doing other projects in the house for me. Next, the sink and the soap dispenser were installed 1 inch off center and too far in, rendering it non-functional. The island marble surface had deep scratches all over the surface. The roof and supporting poles were not installed per code and not secured to the ground properly. The waterproof switch covers were not installed correctly so if there is rain, it is NOT water proof. The installer gutted the seals out of them!!! The stereo system malfunctions and only play radio. It will stutter with CDs/Ipod/Ipad play. They also left the leveling wedge on the floor, a potential trip hazard. The floor was damaged from the taping glues they used which melted and left marks. I mean, every single items installed had problems!!! After some complaints, they came out and fixed the floor, reset the faucet/soap dispenser. They promised to come out again to install the light switches, swap out the dented grill and the malfunctioned stereo but after 3 months and 6 no-show no call appointments, I realize they are not as trust-worthy as they had promised. At this point, I am forced to file a BBB complaint and will get my attorney to deal with them. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM.

We purchased a custom, natural gas fired, fire pit from Gorilla Island on April 29, 2013 for $2000. The pit was built on schedule and delivered when promised. It is truly a pretty pit. However, there was one glaring problem with it. The flame is ... well, the only way to describe it is that ...it is puny. We called several times and eventually they sent someone out to look at it. He pulled the burner and found that the orifice was undersized. He drilled it out and it helped...a little. The flame height went from 2" above the rocks to maybe 3" or 3.5". Still too small. Their employee agreed with this and that the flame would be much better with a "ring" type burner and promised to talk about it with Rhonda and Kevin. After a couple of weeks of no answers, I called and found that the employee in question no longer works there. We have made repeated calls and visits to the store and left messages, but the problem persists. We do like the fire pit, we just wish it worked the way a fire pit is supposed to. There is something really wrong with the burner they installed. Here we are in June, still waiting for Gorilla Island to make it right, but our calls are going unanswered. So far we are not seeing the good customer service referred to by other reviewers. Their reply: "I have researched the manufacturer specs and understand that your fire pit flame height is within their normal guidelines." Basically says, yep the burner we put in works the way it's supposed to, it's just the wrong sized burner for the fire pit. When I told them that they never gave us a choice of burner so we assumed it would produce a flame just like the photos on their web site, their response was that their photos are like the hamburger photos in a commercial. In other words, they admit to deceit and deceptive advertising. We have repeatedly asked them for the following: What is the BTU rating of the burner they installed? What is the BTU rating of the burner they now claim is needed to make the pit work as expected? What is the amount of credit for the returned burner? What is the price of the new burner? They never answer with hard data. CAVEAT EMPTOR

We were landscaping our backyard and was in the market for a BBQ , outdoor fridge, sink etc for our outdoor kitchen. Met the team from Gorilla Islands and knew that we had come to the right place. We instantly felt a warm welcome and all our questions were answered in a very professional and knowledgable manner. Debbie, Rhonda and Kevin were so warm and friendly and went out of their way to be helpful and to make sure that we got the backyard of our dreams. Will be very happy and proud to recommend them to all our friends.

Debbie and her team at Gorilla islands are fantastic!!!! It was my first Big Green Egg Grill and they made my experience fun and easy!!! I strongly recommend them they are very knowledgeable and can guide you in selecting the proper grill, island, accessories, or any other outdoor related item. Also they have an amazing showroom!!! Enjoy!!!!

Debi helped me do a propane tank exchange. This was her first, but she researched exactly what needed to be done and carried out the task perfectly.