Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have a contract with Chris Malone to build an addition onto my existing home. The contract states that the estimated time to complete the work was six months. The contract began in January 2023, and it is now April 2024, more than 14 months. The work has proceeded very slowly and with many serious mistakes that had to be torn out and redone. At one point the ceiling of our kitchen (outside of the scope of the work, part of our existing home) was, as a result of the poor work done, flooded and collapsed literally on top of us. We were forced to clean this up ourselves, staple plastic over the ceiling, and try to get by until he finally looked at it. The (shoddy and still uncompleted since last July) work on the kitchen caused us to have to do all of our cooking and dishwashing on our front porch for nine weeks. The kitchen is usable now but still needs repairs. The main part of the project is still incomplete. Work that is done is faulty the majority of the time, and remains unrepaired so far. There have been many alarming incidents, such as a worker almost dying from a bad fall caused by the lack of safety precautions, an entire wall being dropped from the second story onto a neighbor's fence and into their yard (where their child usually plays but thankfully was not that day), and many more. Chris lies to us about the availability of his subcontractors, doesn't tell us when to expect them (or does, and then they don't show up), never answers his phone and only answers texts after many many attempts to reach him, if then. Workers, when they do show up, have arrived as early as 6:30 am and as late as 8:30 pm, usually on weekends. Once there was a 5-week stretch where no work was done and no communication was answered by him. I just want this work over and to never have to deal with him again. I have paid all invoices promptly, but I can't afford to hire someone else to complete this work. I am basically doing the job of a project manager, which is very stressful.

  Business response

  04/13/2024

  While I am disappointed the client feels this way. We are working towards a solution. I dont want to end this project on a negative note. There are outside factors at play here but that is not the concern of the client and we will get the project wrapped up in a timely manner.

  Customer response

  04/19/2024

  After being notified of the complaint, Chris agreed to give a schedule for completion of remaining tasks, with date that he would commit to. He offered to remove those items from the final invoice if not completed by the specified dates. However, some items were marked as already completed that were not, some items he would not give a date for, and some items were completed after the date. Most items are still pending, and he has just told me that several will not be completed by the specified date. I very much doubt he will actually remove those items from the last invoice, as he has already requested to be paid in advance for the remaining uncompleted work. I have no faith that the work will be completed at all if the remaining invoice is paid and the only incentive to complete the work is removed. I will be happy to close my complaint when the work is actually finished, but so far, it has not been.

  Business response

  04/29/2024

  My invoices was not a request for money to be paid in advance and it never has been.  The project is probably about 95 percent complete, while the client has almost 15 percent of the money from the cost of the project so simply math says that the invoice referenced was for work completed. I asked for a PORTION  of the final amount not the entire thing. Those comments are just flat out not accurate.  If the client wants us to be done then when we are given a final list of things to be complete then the client cant keep adding items to the list. If she doesn't want to be notified or wants to call me a liar when there are scheduling issues that's fine but if I don't communicate what's happening behind the scenes there are complaints about that too. 

  Customer response

  05/06/2024

  I am confused by the response from the builder. I told him that I am happy to pay for work that has been completed, but will not be paying any portion of uncompleted work, based on the way things have gone since this contract began. He has so far not given me numbers for deductions he has agreed to for work specified in the contract that he's not doing, which I have requested several times, so I don't have a good way to know what amount even remains to be paid. No invoice has been received, just a vague text request for a payment. 

  
  I have not added items to be done except when problems are found with the quality of the work (for instance, when the shower head is turned on and I realized that water sprays out of the side of the pipes). He may be referring to the difference of opinion we're having over who is responsible for repairing a vent damaged by his workers. 

  
  I have also not complained about being contacted, and in fact have repeatedly requested to be updated as to when work will be happening, so I don't understand that response either. 

  
  His initial response to my complaint here, as I've explained, was to give me a spreadsheet of remaining tasks to be completed, with expected dates of completion, all of which have passed. All I am asking is that these items be finished in a timely manner. I will be more than happy to close out my complaint just as soon as this is done. 

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