Ccidc

I’ve learned the hard way that there are two types of interior designers in California: 1) Those who are certified by the state/​CCIDC and are held to a higher ethical standard, and 2) those who are not certified, and are held to a lower ethical standard. I’ve known a lot of people who have been hurt by un-​certified designers, and therefore I now always recommend that people looking for a designer look for one with «CCIDC» after their name. Having «ASID» after the name won’t cut it in my book, nor will the designer advertising that they’ve been on TV.
Before I learned this, I hired an interior designer who was NOT certified by the CCIDC, and it was a nightmare. The un-​certified firm did very unacceptable work in my home — I didn’t keep any of the products they bought. I nevertheless paid them a lot of money, but then they sued me to try to get even more. They said it was their «policy» to charge a bunch of extra fees that were not agreed to in advance and were not in any contract, but were just what they demanded I pay. They tried several times to settle the lawsuit with me, but I thought it was so outlandish that I chose to go to court instead. That’s when I called the CCIDC. The CCIDC explained a lot to me about how the design industry works, and also hooked me up with an excellent expert witness to testify for me at the trial. Needless to say, the judge told the unscrupulous, un-​certified designer that I didn’t owe her any more money.