Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company was recommended to me from State Farm to repair my house from a fire. This company has done more damage to my house than what was started with. I have had my last meeting with the ** about 4 mths ago to show the damage their siding people have done on my house. They clipped my phone line, they took my water meter and now my town is charging me 680$, destroyed my landscaping lights, and broke my backyard gate. All the new floor in the house is either cracked or over cut to where the vents dont fit properly. My washer and dryer have fallen through the vent and into the wall. All the base board does not match, my doors do not close properly due to the way they installed the wood floor and placed wood putty to hide gaps and a lot of nails to try and hide the mistake. None of the windows are sealed outside and all the flashing was cut open and never replace it sealed. Some of the things they charged my insurance *** were mine from the beginning and charged them for new items. When the ** came he informed my insurance adjuster, my daughter and myself that the siding was completed when the front is still burnt with no siding. Since I have to hire a new contractor I want all my money back because the new contractor has to repair all the damage they caused.

  

  Business response

  02/29/2024

  To Whom It May ****************** started the repairs but were not allowed to finish them. The homeowner didn't want or even didnt try to understand how the process of the fire damage claim runs.
  The misunderstanding, miscommunications, and complaining from ************************************ started when she and her husband split apart, and the divorce started. When the clients husband ran the project, we didnt experience any problems with communication. Any complaints from ******************** side were fixed or corrected as soon as possible.
  
  In response to her message:
  1.     Yes, we are the preferred State Farm contractor and have worked for it for the last 12 years.
  2.     This is entirely not true. The house, especially the garage, was severely damaged by fire and smoke. This is completely gone now, and we did approximately 95% of the work that was invoiced, but we received only approximately 55% of the money we should accept.
  3.     The meeting occurred at the homeowners property on November 10th, 2023. The State Farm adjuster was also at this meeting. This can be confirmed anytime. The meeting was not about damages but about imperfections in the quality, but this project has not been completed yet.
  4.     Only part of the items presented by the client in her complaint were discussed at the meeting. Some of them were not even visible, for example, the clipped phone line, the cut water meter line, and the bill from the Village (which we would be willing to pay if she would let us know about that).
  a.     The replaced laminated floor is installed precisely the same way or better than the previous smoke-damaged laminated floor. The registers fit correctly and are aligned with the ductwork boots for proper ventilation. The over-cut openings are not visible at all and are not causing any problems with heating and cooling.
  b.     The washer and dryer were installed in the exact location before the fire occurred. We told the client at the meeting that this would be fixed.
  c.     The baseboards were not part of the scope of work for replacement. Only base shoes (quarter rounds) were replaced. It is impossible to match the fresh wood's stain, not the paint, with the old, degraded-by-year baseboards. We should only put one clear finish coat to refresh the look and match the new trims as much as possible. This was part of the State Farm estimate, and the client knew from the beginning that the perfect match could be obtained only by replacing the baseboards. Still, if the insurance provider doesnt cover it, the client must pay the cost of the replaced materials and labor from the pocket. They didnt want to do it.
  d.     The exterior work and the siding replacement were not finished because of the lack of the gutter system that we should replace. It is an unusual design, and nobody could find the same gutters. There were two solutions that were part of the meeting, and either one should be accepted and approved by the homeowner and State Farm adjuster. This part of the gutter system held the soffit and fascia installation, which held the siding installation at the front of the garage and sealed all the gaps and flashings around the door and window openings.
  e.     We do not charge and never charge any client for the items that we didnt do. We always discuss all the changes or unexpected steps of the project with a client and, in this case, with the insurance providers adjuster. It must be done to not over or under-charge anybody or anyone. At the end, we always prepare the list of credits and additional charges (if applicable), and after all is completed, the final invoice is presented.
  f.      We never told our client that the siding was done. Please read the explanation regarding the siding in paragraph D above.
  5.     We even didnt do a walkthrough with the client to prepare the punch list. At this meeting, we agreed that the homeowner will send us and the State Farm adjuster the list with all the items that must be corrected. At the same meeting, we asked the homeowner for another payment in the amount of $25,000, but not the final payment. At that point, the job was completed in 95%, but we received only $50,000 from the $90,000 project. We invested over $30,000 from our own pocket. Also, we tried many times to explain to the homeowner that the final invoice would be sent when all the items were done, all the imperfections were fixed, and the project would be inspected by the **************************** building inspectors.
  
  In summary, as Exact Builders, we attempted many times to solve all the issues and explain what is and is not done. Please read the two response letters to the client. The State Farm was informed and provided with these letters as well. We are happy to bring more documents, text messages, and email conversations to prove that we are not the cause of the complaints.
  In our opinion, ***************** couldnt handle this divorce situation well and just found someone to overflow her frustration at. Also, a few days ago, we spoke with the State Farm claim handler and were informed that ************************************ has more issues than our company and still cannot settle this claim with them.

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