Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On April 3, 2023, I met with ********************* of AcuLevel to quote straightening a retaining wall, repairing cracks and slabjacking at my son's house at ***********************************************************. **** provided a quote of $6,549.00. I paid $3,274.50 with the balance to be due upon completion of the work. On May 2, workers arrived and supposedly completed the work. Upon inspection by my son and me, the retaining wall had been straightened and cracks repaired. The only slabjacking that had been done was on one set of steps. Neither the sidewalk by the air conditioner nor the front sidewalk had been done. Additionally, in fixing the retaining wall, the stair post was leaning to the right even more and a new crack had formed in the sidewalk. On May 2, I texted **** to advise him that the work was not completed as agreed. He replied he would get more information from the office. On May 3, my son received a package address to **** at AcuLevel. After texting **** about it, he stated it was a thank you gift, it was not. On May 3, ******** sent me a text and an email requesting final payment. I texted and emailed back stating the work was not satisfactory and needed to be fixed before I would pay them any more money. On May 5, **** had looked at the pictures from the company and requested pictures from me to see what needed to be done. I sent pictures the same day. About May 8, I received a call from ******** stating that someone would be at my son's house to work on May 11 at 1 pm. On May 11, I received a call from the worker that he would be there about 10 am. As I had a meeting at that time, my husband met with him. That worker stated he was only there to fix the crack in the sidewalk. Instead, he walked the property with my husband, taking pictures of the issues. On May 24, after not hearing anything more from the company, I called **** regarding the status and he texted me saying he forwarded the information to the office again. As of this date, I have still not heard anything.

  

  Business response

  07/06/2023

  After an extensive review of the property in question, we have confirmed that we have completed our contract with ******************** as agreed. 

  1. The retaining wall has been stabilized, as we promised (straightening was not the service chosen).  The column mentioned in the complaint was not part of the scope of work, nor is it not something we could repair. 

  2. All of the concrete slabjacking was completed, but the desired lift was only achieved in one section. The other portions were stabilized and should not settle further.  

  We would be happy to make an additional attempt at lift (under warranty coverage); however, we will require that invoice be paid in full before we will schedule additional service visits. It is our sincere hope that ******************** will agree to these terms, and allow us to schedule a service visit soon.  
  

  
  

  Customer response

  07/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear 

  This company continues to ignore the actual issues. The post was included in the original contract. Additionally pulling the retaining wall damaged the post so badly it has to be removed. According to the contractor we have had to hire to fix everything damaged by ******** the sidewalk shows no evidence of slabjacking and has sunk even further. It is impossible to deal with this company. I have spoken with at least 4 different people, each one asking the same questions and none providing answers. They still haven't said why a piece of equipment was sent to the house nor have they bothered to pick it up. The damage caused by the incompetent work is costing me $6000 to fix. At this point, I don't believe I should pay them any more money at all.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  
  

  

  Business response

  07/26/2023

  Unfortunately, we have been unable to speak with the customer further.  Our sales manager has made multiple attempts to reach ********************, without success. 

  Our goal is always to provide the best possible customer service, and to be fair and respectful in our interactions.  However, we do not agree that the column was included in our repairs.  We have uploaded the itemized portion of the contract, the drawing of planned work, and details given to the customer.  There are no discussions of column repair.  The plans were to stabilize the retaining wall next to the garage, by using a combination of helical tiebacks and wall anchors.  We also agreed to repair the sidewalk and steps leading to the front and back door, by slabjacking and crack sealing.  

  The column in question is built entirely out of brick.  We recommend that brick structures be repaired by masonry experts, as our repair methods are designed for concrete foundations.   We have provided before & after photos taken by employees that show no significant change in the columns location or condition due to our repairs.  

  As for the slabjacking at the front of the home, the attached photos show a series of drill holes that we created and used to inject the stabilizing foam below the concrete.  We understand that the desired lift was not achieved, but this is a possibility that is clearly noted in the contract.  We would be happy to schedule a service visit (covered by warranty) to make an additional attempt; however, that warranty is not valid until the invoice is paid in full. 

  Customer response

  07/26/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  The damage caused by the retaining wall being straightened necessitated the removal of the brick post and replacement of the stairs. This should result in some type of credit. If the post was not in the contract, then the salesperson lied because we definitely discussed it. Additionally, the salesperson did not explain about any potential damage being caused by the retaining wall method being used by this company. No one has tried to call me in the last month. This is one of the most dishonest companies I have ever worked with and as a retired Contracting Officer with the ********** of Engineers, I have dealt with a lot of contractors. Additionally, they continue to ignore the machine part (valued at $500.00 according to the invoice) that was sent to the house. Based on this information, I would expect a credit of $2000 which is the cost of repairing the damage caused as discussed above.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

  

  Business response

  08/08/2023

  On June 21, our sales manager made an appointment to come to your property.  His goals were to review the work we had done and address any concerns you had.  ********************** made a 3 hour drive, called you when he was 30 minutes away, called when he arrived, and called yet again when no one would come to the door.  He eventually left, after photo-documenting the slabjacking of the front walkway that was discussed as a point of contention. You are correct that he has not called you since that afternoon.  He was confident that you had his contact information, and would reach out to him when you were willing to talk.  You have not done so. 

  If you did not want to engage with **********************, you could have reached us by email, office phone number, or via the contact us form on our website.  All of these options are readily available both in the official paperwork you were given and through the public domain. However, the only communication weve received has been via the BBB.  We have done our best to respond to your complaints and encourage an honest exchange of factual information.  You have not provided any documentation that supports your claims that the steps were damaged by our repair methods, nor do we have any proof the column was included in our scope of work.  

  Acculevel approaches every homeowner with a genuine concern for their wellbeing and the health of their home.  We sincerely regret that weve been unable to resolve this situation amicably, but we cannot progress if you refuse to engage in the process. 

  Customer response

  08/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  Wow! Your company continues to amaze me by not addressing the actual complaint and continuing to bring up new issues. The only reason I knew someone tried to contact me on June 21st was because of the area code of the number left in my records. ********************** did not actually speak with me on June 21st. There was a call at 12:39 pm at which time I was at work and could not answer the phone. No message was left. There was another call at 8:03 pm at which time I was at a family gathering and could not answer the phone. No message was left. At no time did ********************** make an appointment with me. Additionally, I did not return these calls because there was no name associated with the number on the call record so I had no clue who was trying to reach me and no messages were left. So I have no clue why ********************** would decide it was my responsibility to contact him. I did not start my complaint with BBB until I had spoken with 4 different people in your company, each of whom wanted to come and take pictures which had already been taken by 2 people. The salesperson promised the moon and couldn't even deliver the stars. There was never any mention of potential damage that could be caused by adjusting the retaining wall, and the one time I had an appointment with someone to come and fix everything they were only there to repair a crack in the sidewalk and had no clue about any other issues. As I mentioned in my previous message, the damage caused by the movement of the retaining wall left an unsafe issue that could potentially cause the homeowners insurance to be cancelled and needed to be fixed immediately. I spoke with people from your company during the months of May and June without anyone being able to address the issue or speak on behalf of the company. Each person I spoke with told me that they needed to speak with someone else before they could get back with me. The $500.00 part you had send to the house is still here and you have not addressed this at all. I spent $2000 repairing the damage that caused the safety issue and am simply asking that you discount my bill by this amount. That does not include all of the time and effort I had spent trying to get some type of resolution before going to BBB. You also continue to ignore this request. You can end all of this by giving me a $2000 discount on the bill and sending someone to get this part.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

  

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  Respectfully, we have to disagree.  We are not ignoring your requests, nor are we avoiding the issues you have raised.  
  1. One of our vendors incorrectly sent a part to your home; we believed they would send postage-paid materials for its return.  When that did not happen, we expected ********************** to retrieve it during his visit.  Since his attempt to meet with you also fell through, we had your project advisor stop by your home and collect it from your husband.  
  2. The front walkway and stairs were slabjacked, and we have uploaded photos that clearly show this was done.  As stated in your contract, while lift is attempted, it may not always be achieved.
  3. The column you accuse us of damaging was leaning significantly before we began work.  It is not part of the scope of work we agreed to, per the contract you signed.  We have uploaded a copy of this contract (with information redacted to protect privacy).  We have also uploaded photos taken before and after our repairs that show no changes to the column or its location occurred.
  

  As for credit to your bill for damages done: 
  1. You have not provided documentation that the property was surveyed for damages after our repairs, nor any proof that any instability was found.  
  2. You have not provided quotes from contractors showing repairs were necessary, nor proof that such required work has been performed. 
  3. Until now, you have not mentioned any issues with homeowners insurance, and you did not include any documentation from your policy holder that shows our work had caused any concerns.
  4. Factually speaking, aside from your own statements, we have no indication that our repairs had a negative effect on your home. 
  We have fulfilled the contract as agreed, and payment was due at the time of completion.  Without any evidence that we are negligent, we cannot be expected to reduce your financial responsibilities. 

  Customer response

  08/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  You are correct in that the brick post was leaning; however the post was actually leaning toward the driveway. When you lifted the retaining wall, it caused the brick post to lean toward the porch steps and your photo indicates the cracks and damage caused that made it unstable. I do not have anything in writing from the contractor stating it was unstable, only his word. I used *******'s *************, **********, **. The work associated with the brick post included dismantling the brick posts which in turn caused replacement of the stairs because the brick post was attached. As you say, you performed slabjacking even though it did absolutely nothing in any of the areas that were done and your contract allows you to just say you did the work even though it didn't improve anything. So I also hired the contractor to replace the sidewalk that was supposed to be leveled with the slabjacking. The overall estimate for everything was $6500 so I was estimating the cost associated with the brick post issues. If need be, I can send copies of my cancelled checks. I am requesting relief for the issues with the brick post. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

  

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  Thank you for the offer, but sending ** copies of your checks is not necessary.  When one of our service technicians was in the area last week, we asked him to stop by and photo-document the new stairs & walkway.  This is enough to confirm that you had additional work done after our repairs were made (including the removal of the column).  

  We have uploaded a settlement & release form; we ask that you review it, then sign and return it to us.  Well then credit the requested $2000 to your invoice.  We hope this will conclude this situation to your satisfaction, and allow the BBB to close this complaint as resolved without publishing.  (Publishing the complaint would violate the agreement.) 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  09/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response/resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  

  Regards,

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  September, 2022 Acculevel came out to my property in ************. The original accessor/inspector **** came and did a full workup of my home and documented how to ensure levelness throughout my entire home as well as full encapsulation, **** also was questioned about water build up around the home and advised that a drainage system wasnt advised due to cost and my home sitting semi high on a hill. I agreed to his $26,755.00 contract. Unbeknownst to me, the inspector **** completely missed multiple areas of unlevelness throughout the home, and water build up has occurred in my brand new encapsulation! A second inspector was sent to my home, *******, I believe and he did affirm that multiple areas were missed upon the original workup, and that honestly it was going to be somewhere in the ballpark of an additional $10,000-30,000 to have everything done correctly. Absurd! I am a customer who trusted in a company who should know what they are doing. Since trusting Acculevel with their completed project I have continued my home renovations and replaced a roof, sprayed my walls of close cell insulation, installed all new drywall, *************, placed my trim and set my doors. The thought of having them come back out to fix any issues they drastically missed could cause $10,000+ dollars in damages to my home at this point. The encapsulation was completed following the first structural repair, however the crew who laid my water proof barrier down left so many materials below the barrier that attempting not to poke holes through the barrier is a daunting task, water build up has occurred on top of the new barrier due to very poor seams and their tape job, the dehumidifier has not been operable for over 3 months and they tied in their drain line to my HVAC pump system and its overflowing causing tons of moisture and mold to start up. I have much more to say but am limited on wording. I expect this company to accept the $11,000 Ive already given and forgo the remaining.

  

  Business response

  06/08/2023

  As of June 8th, *********** only unresolved complaint is the unlevel flooring in one section of his home.  Our QC manager met with ****************, reviewed the entire property with him, and they have agreed to the following:
  

  1. A $1000 discount of the final bill, for not including this section in the original estimate.
  2. **************** will pay the remaining balance of his invoice.  
  3. Once the original work is paid in full, we will install an additional support beam that is needed to fully address the section still needing repair. 
  

  It is always our goal to provide 5 star customer service to our customers.  When we make a mistake, we want to make things right.  We appreciate *********** cooperation and consideration, and we look forward to making the additional repair for him. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had Acculevel come to my home to give me an estimate for foundation issues. ***** came out, inspected my foundation around and under my house. He then told me how much it would be to have them repair it. We agreed on the price and signed a contract. He told me if I had any questions to call him anytime. For the first week all was good. ***** informed me what they were going to do. After that I could not get a hold of him. ***** would not return calls or text. I really felt like this was a scam and let him know that. I mean they took my money but had no contact after so what was I to think. After I told him I felt like it was a scam he finally answered. He stated that I had a special case and it took time to make the brackets that they needed. After about another month passed I reached out to ***** again. Guess what no response. I kept calling and texting for some time. He finally said I got a new phone and was not getting anything from you. Yea OK! ***** told me they were still working on it. Another month of trying to get in touch with him, with no response from him I had finally had it. I told him I was now frustrated and need to know when they were going to start the work. He text me that he had emailed me a cancelation form. That they were not going to help me, that I needed a ***** for total rebuild. Well you should have known that when you inspected the place if that was the case. He stated I had no sill plate to anchor to. Well acculevel was not the only estimate that I got. I had 2 other companies out before going with Acculevel. So I called the other 2 companies and asked about what ***** had said and they told me that was not true that I did have the sill plate. Acculevel was just wanting out of the contract. ***** is very unprofessional! I would not recommend this company to anyone and would never consider them for future work. They have still not returned the money to ******** that I am still paying on with interest. They could care less about anyone!

  

  Business response

  03/07/2023

  ***********, 

  
  We are very sorry that we were unable to repair your home.  When we install carbon fiber straps, our expectation is that the repair will be warrantied for the life of your structure.  **** is not only our promise; this warranty is also backed 100% by the manufacturer of the straps.  However, offering this warranty requires the carbon fiber strap to be installed correctly, to an exacting standard.  **** standard could not be met, given the condition of your foundation.
  
  Our project advisor made multiple visits to review the structure of your home, took numerous reference photos, and consulted with both our operations team and the product manufacturer.  Despite our best efforts, we could not determine a secure way to anchor the straps at the top of your foundation.  Under most circumstances, we use a healthy sill plate, but that was not an option with your home.
  
  We maintain a high standard of repair quality for our services; we aim to treat a customers home as if it were ours.  Because we could not promise you this same level of care, we chose to cancel the contract.  We apologize for this inconvenience, and we wish that we could have done more for you.  
  
  As for your refund, we are terribly sorry that you have been required to make payments.  We could not process the refund through Greensky (third party financial institution) until we received your signed cancellation form.  **** has been done on our end, and Greensky should be addressing this shortly. 

  Customer response

  03/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.] If this was the case then they would not have continually lied about what they were doing. The text and calls would have been answered but they were not. I also have cameras around my house and nobody came out here other then ***** on the day we signed the contract. So once again another lie from this company. My best guess is I signed the contract then they decided they didn't want to do the work because of the lifetime warranty and needed to find a way out of the contract. So they ignored my calls and text until I finally gave up. The contract cancelation was signed over a month ago but no return of the money. So yes I'm still paying on it and paying interest on it while you all sit on your a** and do nothing to return it. Again another lie of having to wait till cancelation documents signed to return money. You have had plenty of time to return the money. But hey it's not your money and you are not paying interest on it so you could care less about returning it in a timely manner. This company is a joke and I hope they go out of business. Keep treating people like you do and it won't be to long before you do. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My complaint against this company is in regards to work performed on August 9th 2022. They installed an egress window and a drainage system and sump pump in my basement. They also quoted me for doing slapjacking and cleaning up some concrete around my walkway in my backyard. They charged me around $16,000 for this job.They sent out 3 workers and quoted the job for one day. The amount of work would have required at least two days to accomplish with this crew. The crew did not even do the slabjacking at all which was about $3,000 worth of the quote for the job. And the concrete work they did was so sloppy that it was completely unacceptable even to the salesperson who returned to look at it. Of course he was not willing to do anything to fix it, but he did say that it looked terrible.All of the work they did do was done haphazardly and sloppily. My entire basement was covered in mud and dirt and they left an enormous pile of dirt with *************** mixed in laying in my front yard, which I did not anticipate having such a huge pile of dirt to deal with. To top it off they did not hook up my air conditioning condensation drainage pipe to the drain in the basement floor and so after 2 days of having it open onto my basement floor I discovered flooding in my basement. The ******* damaged my property and didn't care about cleaning up after themselves or keeping anything protected or clean. I was lied to in so many ways that I can't detail it on here because I know there is a word limit.When I requested that I not be charged for the slab jacking I was told that even though they weren't able to do it, they still had to charge me for it. They were not willing to negotiate a proper price considering all of the damage that their workmen did to my property. I found them to be completely unethical and would never recommend them to anyone. They should not be allowed to continue this disreputable way of conducting business.

  

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  We are sorry to hear that you are so displeased with the quality of work that was performed, but you have refused to correspond with us since filing this complaint.   Our service technician has been out to your property multiple times to verify that the repairs are sound, and that you have had no further issues.  He was there as recently as the morning of Friday, November 4th, when you confirmed that the problems had been resolved.  
  
  You filed this complaint shortly after he left, and refused to take his call when he attempted to contact you for clarification.  You have also since refused to respond to your project advisor, his supervisor, and our operations director.  
  
  It is unfortunate that it had rained before your repairs were made, which contributed to softer soil and the resulting ruts in your yard.  As for the large amount of dirt left behind, this was fully disclosed to you before the project began.  You elected to have us leave the soil and receive a discount on your invoice.  (This is something we offer all customers who require excavation services.)
  
  We did perform the slabjacking, but were unable to produce the full degree of lift that you desired.  We have already provided you a partial refund for the ruts in your yard and the insufficient slabjacking results.  As the egress window and water drainage were fully and correctly installed, we do not believe a full refund of your invoice is appropriate. 
  
  We feel we have done our part to resolve the situation amicably, and regret that you do not agree. 

  Customer response

  11/10/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
  I protected by anyone except for ******* who was the customer service representative. So listing all the people that I have refused to communicate with is a flat-out lie. I have not communicated with ******* because I had a family emergency that I needed to deal with.

   

  With regard to the work being of lesser quality, there were many places where things were misrepresented to me including the soil on my yard. I feel that I was told things that were flat out lies and some things that were done in order to make life easier for your company and your ******* and not provide the quality of work that should have been given me. Your practice is around the slabjacking work are completely unethical and you need to stop doing business. That way. You can't tell someone that you're going to perform a service and then come out that day and decide you're not going to do it and then still charge them for it.

   

   

   

  I also feel that you have not been fair in compensating me for the issues that I have encountered. I believe you're responses yet another example of how dishonest you are in your business dealings and it that disappoints me even more. My hope is that if enough people speak up against your company that you will either change your practices or you will go out of business.

  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In April 2020, we had Acculevel install jacks in our crawlspace. It is mostly inaccessible, so we have been physically unable to see the work. The results from the jacks should have lifted and supported one of the rooms in our home. We had two adjustments completed, in hopes that it would lift our room and do help acheive our original goal. However, after a November 2021 adjustment, we learned the jacks were placed on the improper side of the room. The guy that was here was wonderful and committed to providing this information back to get the problem resolved.I've called three times since the November appointment with no return call to resolve the matter. I just want the jacks put in the right place as originally contracted.

  

  Business response

  03/02/2022

  We are scheduled to go back on 3/9/22 to try to resolve this issue. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩