Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been in constant communication with with Drees, the warranty department (covered under warranty), for over 4 months now and the response by them has been fair at best. It started off well but has significantly decreased as it looks like they do not want to help resolve the problem. These are issues that have gone back 2-3 years but the foundational issues are now starting to appear. (For reference, our home is ~3 years old). We have been in communication by phone and email with Danyelle J******* and Mary F*************** who work for Drees. We have land grading issues, which were brought up in 2021, within 1 year of the house being built. Drees has refused to acknowledge the issue and come out to fix the issue then. When we got Danyelle J******* to come out in 2023, she was supposed to come in 2021, she acknowledged in person that grading was not proper. We now have foundation, A/C unit water leaking issues, and crawl space damage to our home. The source of the problem has been and is still the grading issue. Water runs and pools directly behind the house and where the AC units lay. Drees has sent people out 2-3 times for the crawl space but we still have water entering the crawl space through the A/C unit. It is now getting to winter time and there is still active water in the crawl space and active water in the A\C ventilation because of poor sealing. The damage that could occur to our house is significantly greater than the warranty repair that was INCLUDED with purchasing the home. Danyelle J******* and Mary F*************** will not communicate back with me. I have text messages with no response from them. Emails with no response from them. And phones calls and voicemails left with no response from them. If someone is not at the office, another person should be helping resolve the issue. Whenever a response occurs it is always, we are attempting to contact contractors and will get back to you. Yet, they never do get back.

  Business response

  10/24/2023

  This customer is not a direct Drees Homes customer. This customer purchased a used home. However, Drees has worked with the customer since August 2023.  Drees also sent a Customer Service Tech to the home again on 10/23/23 to see if there are any current issues that need to be addressed. 
  
  In reviewing all the customers work orders, the first time that an issue was brought up was August 2023. Danyelle had a quick response with people onsite working and correcting the issue by August 24, 2023. On August 24, 2023 Drees Homes had a service technician uncover the crawlspace drain pipe and extend the air conditioning condensate line. On August 26, 2023 the AC lines were resealed, part of homeowner maintenance. On September 12, 2023 the crawlspace was inspected and tested for moisture. The reading was below acceptable measure. The reading was of 16%. Following the acceptable moisture readings the crawlspace liner was repaired  on September 14, 2023 by **** ***** ***.
  
  Furthermore, *** ****** *********** was at the home for a scheduled appointment on September 25, 2023 and the homeowner no showed for the appointment. To exacerbate the concern, the homeowner has added river rock landscaping to the home and never raised the AC unit. The additional landscaping without removing grade has created the AC unit to sit in a hole contributing to the water sitting next to the crawl space.
  
  As for the complaint about receiving no response, this is not an accurate statement. Mary reached out to Carl on September 21 at 3:36pm via email. As a follow up to a customer call, Mary also reached out to the customer on October 4 at 2:12pm via email, as well as numerous other phone calls.
     

  Customer response

  10/25/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  1. The Drees warranty is provided to the original homeowner and is automatically transferable to all homeowners who acquire the title. Below is taken directly from the Drees warranty book. To say we are not a Drees homeowner is completely false and Drees attempt at limiting their warranty. 

  
  "Transferable Warranty
  The protection under this Limited Warranty is provided to the original homeowner
  and is automatically transferable to all subsequent homeowners who acquire title
  within the warranty periods specified. No warranty period herein is extended by
  such a transfer of title or ownership interest, only the remaining original warranty
  periods, if any, is so transferred."

  2. As a homeowner, we spent $5,000 to have a french drain built around the A/C units to collect the water from poor grading. Instead of allowing the dirt to look like the photo posted, we added a french drain and rocks. I can easily move the rocks as they were placed to not hold water. As you can see in the photo, this is 100% of what Drees left us with in our situation. It is easily visible how much the water is pooling and causing issues to the entire area and crawl space. 

  3. I have attempted to be or responded as quick as possible to Danyelle or Mary to be at every appointment. All the contractors that have come out, when I tell Danyelle I can't be there because of work, she has stated that I don't have to be. For example, Live Green has always come out when I am not at home because I have told them I am working at those times. There are times, like this week for example, I left work early to meet a James P**** and made sure my wife would also be available as well. I received a message Sunday evening and responded Monday morning as soon as I saw the message to let Danyelle know I would not be able to make it. Additionally, as you can see, I never received a response to that. With a 12-hour notice, it is extremely difficult to take off work, especially if you don't see it. Additionally, I texted Danyelle September 21, which we have communicated through text since August, with photos of water in the crawl space and did not receive a response or additional notification that someone may be coming out Monday, September 25th. I would have really liked to have been there because I do not want issues in the foundation or crawl space.

  4. Water that enters your home can cause significant and costly issues to the structural integrity of your house, including warped supports and joists, erosion of and cracking in the foundation, and more. Thus, crawl space water removal should be taken as action immediately once you notice any signs of the problem. Drees has a 10 year structural coverage. Which there are signs of small cracks on the foundation, which was brought to our attention my a crawl space expert. 

  We are trying to get the issue corrected before major damage occurs and just because the vapor liner was replaced, there is still water present in the crawl space. I will be happy to remove the rocks from the flower bed and it will be exactly how drees had it. Which again, you can see from the photo that there is significant pooling. Which was complained about the first year of the home being built by the origingal homeowner. We have email proof AND Drees replaced bushed in the back flower bed (which they said they never do but did in this case) because everything dies in that flower bed because water is constantly pooling from the grading issue.

   

  I will be happy to meet the contractor for the A/C, however, more than 12 hours notice would be a nice courtesy to us as we both work in our household.

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

  Business response

  11/01/2023

  Local management is working with the homeowner to resolve this issue even though it is not a warrantable item.  Drees will work with the homeowner to redirect the grading.  A solution has been determined and the action plan is being put in place.  

  Customer response

  11/05/2023

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

  we are working together resolve the issues present. 
  Regards,
  
  **** *********
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a new home from Drees in 2011. Lasiter & Lasiter Plumbing was the plumbing contractor. Lasiter had installed 5 Vortens toilets in the home when I purchased it. The toilets were subsequently part of a class action suit since they would crack without notice, flooding the home. I was never noticed about the suit by Drees or Lasiter and was not aware that one existed despite the fact that I spoke with both the Lasiter service center and their plumber came to house during the class action period. If I had been noticed about the law suit, I could have received compensation or replacement for the defective toilets that Lasiter installed for Drees. Three of the 5 toilets installed have cracks in them and all need to be replaced since they have been proven to be defective. A properly made toilet should last over 50 years. Vortens has settled the suit in which they provided compensation for the very toilets that Lasiter installed and acknowledged that toilets with tank model #3646 made in 2011 have “certain technical issues that allegedly caused fractures”. All 5 toilets in my home are model ****** are stamped Mar 2011 and would have qualified for the settlement.

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Drees has reached out to the customer to make an offer of supplying him with replacement toilets.  There was a class action lawsuit, but Drees had no involvement.  Due to this reason, customers were not notified.  Customers are only notified if there is a recall.       

  Business response

  09/19/2023

  Our warranty manager has been in contact with Mr. ****** multiple times.  Each time Drees has offered to supply replacement toilets, but Mr. ****** would be responsible for the labor costs for the installation.  Our warranty manager has also explained that this is a Vortens’ issue and he would need to contact the company directly if he is looking for something more.   The class action lawsuit was filed against Vortens, not Drees Homes nor Lasiter Plumbing.  Drees was not aware of any lawsuits against the Vortens company.  

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

   

  BBB response to Drees message
  See the exchanges below regarding the toilet replacement.  Drees wanted to replace the defective Vortens toilets with different Vortens toilets.

  
  9/12/2023You want me to accept new toilets form the same manufacturer that made the defective ones which were installed in my home?  Correct?
  What is included with the toilets: wax ring, seat & lid, angle stops, water line, etc?

  9/14/2023  I think a cash settlement would be best for all.  Let know what Drees & Lasiter would offer.

  
  Drees replies: no cash settlement

  
  9/18/2023 My reply: The installation expense of a toilet far exceeds the cost of a new toilet.  Vortens has a history of producing poor quality, defective toilets.  The Vortens toilets that Drees/Lasiter installed in my home are prime examples; some failed in less than six years and a Lasiter employee was made aware of this in 2017.  Additionally, new Vortens toilets only have a five year warranty and Vortens ignores consumer complaints.  Thus, I will not gamble that replacing defective Vortens toilets which Drees/Lasiter installed for “new” (probably defective) toilets will produce a better outcome.  To do so would fit Einstein’s definition of insanity.  However, I will accept these toilets as replacements: KOHLER Highline White Elongated Chair Height 2-piece WaterSense Soft Close Toilet 12-in Rough-In 1.28-GPF with ¼ turn angle stops and water line for each or a cash settlement of $1,500 which I would have received if either Drees or Lasiter had notified me of the class action suit with Vortens regarding the very toilets that Drees/Lasiter installed in my home.  Your choice.

  
  I will accept either offer that I made.
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Background: Built our Drees house in 03/2021. In 01/2023, a window leaked & Drees Cust. Serv. Coord. (**) told us to call contractors. Contractors said the window wasn’t installed correctly & Drees should fix it. ***** said we needed this in writing with pics from the contractor before she would escalate to the manager (**) to decide if they'll fix (email attached). She wouldn't give us **** contact info, nor could we find it. No contractor would help us after this as they did not want to risk litigation by putting anything in writing for Drees. 3/22/2023: We found our HVAC room and carpet outside the room flooded from the drain pipe. 3/23: Plumber got out a clog ($239.99). Service came to clean & sanitize the damage ($2,043.43). 3/27: Drain pipe flooded again. Plumber did a camera and saw the master bathroom pipe clogged with sewage & unmoving. They tore up our concrete and found the pipe installed by Drees did not have enough fall. It was sitting level, stopping the water from flowing and sewage to build up. Plumbers pulled up carpet, cut drywall, and replaced the pipe with proper fall ($12,500). We sent Drees the final invoice that stated in writing there was not enough fall and the pics. ** moved this to **. We asked reimbursement for the $12,500 invoice (total cost $14,783.42). ** said he needed a video, which we sent showing the pipe clogged and unmoving. He denied reimbursement saying this was “not an indicator that there is not enough fall,” that he “wish[ed] [Drees] could have examined [the] plumbing issue before it was changed." We knew from the window experience they would not review or examine without writing and pics, and contractors would not give writing or pics for Drees. We could not wait with sewage water in our basement. I pointed out the written statement from the plumber. ** didn’t acknowledge this. My final email to them was on 4/25, explaining everything again, and did not receive a reply. Full chain attached.

  Business response

  08/01/2023

  Our Customer Care Manager has been in contact with the homeowner and explained to them that Drees did not have an opportunity to review the issue of the claim from Jolly plumbing before changes were made.  The pictures presented with waste in the pipe does not prove that the pipe was installed incorrectly.  

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****

  As the attached emails show from our earlier experience, issues are not escalated to the Drees Customer Care Manger for review or examination without writing and pictures from contractors. Contractors would not give us pictures or put anything in writing without knowing for sure what the issue is because they don't want to open themselves up to litigation. So, we’re put in this unfair, unanswerable circle where Drees won’t examine unless the contractor puts anything in writing and the contractor won’t put anything in writing unless they know for sure, but once they know for sure, apparently Drees has no responsibility. The pictures are NOT the only proof. The invoice definitively states in writing that the pipe was not installed with the proper fall.

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  Based on the information shared with Drees by the Homeowner, they had a photo of the backup on March 28, 2023.  From there they contacted and initiated work with Jolly plumbing that was invoiced on April 3rd, 2023.  Our records indicate that they reached out to Drees on April 5th, 2023.  At that point all of the repairs had been completed and Drees had no way to inspect the situation for construction defects or further issues.   The home closed in 2021 and there is no history of back-ups or plumbing problems.  A 3rd party verbal explanation that it wasn’t installed correctly is not evidence that anything was done wrong.  Our Warranty excerpt below states that Drees will be responsible for clogged drains for the first 30 days after closing.  Without having an opportunity to even examine the clog, Drees has no obligation to reimburse for homeowner expenses. 
  
   Misty I*** | Executive Assistant to David G. D****, President & CEO

  Customer response

  09/14/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****

  Again, as the uploaded records show, the issue was not verbally stated by a third party, it was put in writing. The written statement is attached to the original complaint. Further, the issue was not a clogged drain. The pipe was not installed with proper fall. Please see the $12,500 invoice to see this written statement. This improper fall was the build done by drees. They did not install the pipe correctly, which caused all the resulting damage. 

  Re: the timing. As I’ve already stated and showed, from our experience in January, we knew Drees would not connect us with the customer service manager or come inspect anything without a written statement from a third party. We have that in writing from Drees and uploaded it in the original complaint. Third parties do not give that unless they investigate and see what’s happening, which is exactly what we did. We were following   drees’ way. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Aside from the multiple building and structural issues our neighborhood, *** ******** ** **** ****** has been left with swamps for backyards due to poor grading and lack of drainage. Drees has continued to put us off for over 1 year placing blame elsewhere and trying to buy time for their mistakes by cutting corners to save a dime. It has become a safety and health hazard in this small development. We are unable to enjoy our yards. My animals cannot be outside without supervision and barriers set in place. I have dead trees. Mosquitos have infested the area. There are snakes, rats and crawdads in my yard due to the issue. Drees has continued to point the finger and put fixing the issue off. Now their excuse is that they need to wait until it “dries” up to work on it. It’s now been pushed off until the end of July 2023. This has been an ongoing issue since before I moved in over 1 year ago. The area will never be dry due to rain, neighbors watering their yards, the church behind us watering their grounds… Again, this has now become a safety and health hazard. Pictures: The first picture spans the entire length of the backyard. From the fence 4-5 feet in width forward. Second picture shows the pathetic orange barrier Drees put up. I’ve had to spend money, time, sweat and a lot of frustration installing galvanized barrier to keep my pets from going into the swamp and to hopefully keep what’s in the swamp from coming closer to patio snd home.

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  Drees and the HOA representing the homeowners met a few months ago to address this problem and create a plan, which has been put into place.  Drees has scheduled a meeting with the HOA and homeowners on 6/26/23 to explain the plan. Everything is ready to be repaired as soon as the weather cooperates and the HOA gives their approval to start the work.    

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our house that was built by Drees was very poorly constructed, and any complaint is met with someone in their office (Tammy?) that tells us it’s past warranty. BUT TODAY, this building fault is unacceptable! Our walking shower has large pieces of tile falling off the wall! And NOW we have to check for damage BEHIND THE WALLS GOING TO OUR BASEMENT! The Tile Is Falling Off the Wall!!! This is so completely unacceptable it’s beyond belief!

  Business response

  06/08/2023

  Customer Care Manager, Kevin K**********, met with the homeowners at their house on 6/7/23 and inspected the shower.  The shower was installed correctly; the waterproof membrane is intact, the framing is solid, and no signs of bulges or deterioration were found.  The issues they are having are not covered under their warranty, but Kevin will contact McSwain on the homeowners' behalf to see what can be done.       

  Customer response

  06/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  Company stated there was no indication of bulging tile, look at the photos again. The person that came out to look at the damage was very nice, and he did say everything was intact, and he did say he's never seen anything like that before and it was very unlikely something we had done. So we have a 3-year-old house and tile is coming off the wall and may have water damage. Again, It's a 3-year-old house. I'm sure if it happened to their house they would not be satisfied with this either. Now we have to repair tile in a 3 year old house walk in bathroom.
  Regards,
  
  ******* *** **** ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had our home built by Drees company in 2021. Prior to closing we hired a private home inspector who noted that the install of the gutters was done incorrectly. We immediately made Drees aware of this. We were lied to and told that this was their standard detail. Since then we have had water that leaks into the soffit of our home causing damage. We have reached out to Drees company on multiple occasions, have been promised contractors who never show up, and given the run around regarding these issues and they have now told us they refuse to solve the problem.

  Business response

  05/31/2023

  Warranty manager, Kevin K**********, reviewed the drip edge installation prior to meeting with the homeowner last week to ensure the gutters were installed correctly; which they were.  During the meeting, Mr. K********** told the homeowner the gutter was installed properly, but offered to add a “gutter apron” for extra protection.  The homeowner declined the additional protection and told Mr. K********** to leave before he could discuss anything else with the homeowner.  If the homeowner would allow Drees to examine any construction deficiencies, we will address anything within the warranty.   

  Customer response

  05/31/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below. Despite the claims made by the company the gutter apron is not installed properly and the resolution provided by Drees would not resolve the issue. I have attached the report from a license home inspector as evidence. We paid for our home to be built properly and will not settle for anything less.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****
  

  Business response

  06/01/2023

  NKY President, Ben T*****, will meet with the homeowner on 6/16/23 at 1:00pm to see their specific situation and to demonstrate proper installation.        

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We moved into our new Drees built home in 11/2021. We immediately began noticing composite flooring planks separating in several places on the first floor. It was noted as part of our 60-day walk thru. Drees had a contractor from Drexel Interiors address the issues on 2/25/22. By 7/22 the flooring began to separate again in 14 new areas, and it began flexing in two spots on the main floor as well. Drees still had several critical open items from the 60-day walkthrough open, so we contacted the warranty department on 7/8/22 and sent photos of the new flooring problem areas. Drees sent a representative from Drexel to assess the floor a week later with no resolution or further contact. On 11/2/22, we contacted Drees to schedule our 1-year walkthrough. We used this opportunity to re-address the flooring issues since we never heard back from Drees or Drexel since July. The floor had gotten much worse since July. On 1/18/23 **** from Drees and **** from Drexel came out to inspect the floor. They noted the next step would be to have the manufacturer's representative inspect and submit a report. This inspection occurred on 2/6/23 and the inspector said they would submit a report to Drees within a week. Since that time, we have followed up numerous times with Drees with no response, only promises for a quick follow up after they tell us they will be getting their report from Drexel, "In the next few days", or "When ***** (from Drexel) gets back from vacation", or many other reasons. As of late, we are not receiving any responses at all. On 5/21/23, We finally contacted ****t at Drexel and asked about the report from their inspector ourselves. She explained that the only information Drexel knows at this time is that they needed an "independent inspector" and that she was going to find out what was going on. Drees could have told us this information months ago, but we now feel they are avoiding the issue.

  Business response

  05/23/2023

  The homeowner is correct, a manufacturer’s claim was filed and delays were beyond excessive.  The manufacturer did not visit the home, they instead sent someone from the distributor.  Upon receipt of a bogus claim denial from the distributor indicating they would reconsider with an independent flooring inspection, Drees engaged Drexel as Drees was not accepting the response. 
  Recognizing further delays, and the need to draw conclusion for the homeowner, Drees re-engaged Drexel last Wednesday, 5/17 and informed them the floor needs to be replaced.  We will have an independent inspector onsite on the day of removal, but determining fault could no longer take precedence over resolving for the customer.  On Thursday 5/18, Tom Leonard (Customer Care Manager) asked **** Shetler (Customer Care Rep.)  to inform the customer of replacement and the need to re-select.  **** left a message Friday, 5/19  with Mrs. ******** and spoke to Mr. ******** on Monday, 5/23.  The customer is aware of the decision to replace the floors.  **** is to return communication by end of day Wednesday, 5/24 with dates or options  for re-selection.

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We went under contract to purchase a new home in St John’s County, Florida when the market started to take a downturn with high interest rates and lowering home sale prices. We were told many times by the agent on site that if we were not able to sell our current home in enough time we should be able to get our 15k deposit back. We listed our home in June of 2022 and we kept asking our lender for an extension of the rate locks. Every time an extension happens it costs me more money. More money out of pocket equals less money towards the purchase of the new home. It was to the point where I would have needed an additional 20k out of pocket to purchase this new home. That was to partially cover the ridiculous closing costs. Again we were told we should be entitled to our deposit back if we needed to back out of the contract. Many times we were told this by the site agent because we knew the market was getting tough to sell in. Once our rate lock expired and I needed to reapply for the same home, this time for a much higher interest rate. This left me completely out the affordability range of the new house. At this point I asked for a refund and then they changed their tune knowing they were losing a customer and could resell for a higher cost. (House is still for sale). I was told since the new home was built in “good faith” with anticipation of selling my house (which did not sell before my rate lock expired) I was not entitled to any money back. I was told to present a letter of denial from the mortgage company to prove I could not afford the new home. I provided that document and was still told no about getting my deposit back. I went to an attorney for some proper guidance and see if I had a chance to get some or all my deposit back. He replied back today that Drees’ attorney said basically, it is what it is and there is nothing to negotiate. I never signed anything to release the property for resale since I was technically still under contract with them.

  Business response

  04/27/2023

  Drees was empathic with the buyers’ situation and tried to work with them as much as possible, but at no time did Drees agree to refund their deposit.  The buyers were contacted via email to notify them they would forfeit their deposit if they decided to not move forward per the terms of the contract .  Drees offered to cover the rate lock extensions and move the closing date back to give them more time to sell their current home; a design center incentive was also provided.  While the contract was not contingent, they did need to sell their current home in order to qualify.  Later, a denial letter was sent from an outside lender stating the buyers could no longer afford the Drees home.  Upon receiving the letter, the buyers were considered in default of their obligations pursuant to Sections 11 and 21 of the agreement by failing to secure financing to meet the financial requirement to close on the home.  Per the agreement, Drees retained all sums, including the deposit.        

• Initial Complaint

  03/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  According to my home warranty, under the section regarding four year coverage Drees is supposed to fix anything that is faulty due to workmanship. Please see link: ***************************************************************************   Last week I noticed my sump pump is draining near where their contractors put a wood stair post in the ground. I was able to notice because we had a large amount of rain in my area and my sump pump was hard at work. Typically, the sump pump rarely runs hence is the reason I had not notice it before. I've been in the house for a little over three years now and this was the first time we've had inches of rain. I reached out to the warranty contact, and I was told I had to fix the damage. I didn't think this was fair since I had not done anything to damage the pipe. I then reached out to the warranty manager, and no response from Drees It has been over a week and no communication. I believe Drees is at fault because of the negligence of the contractor who damaged the pipe when possibly putting in the post. This issue is within the four year coverage and they should fix it. I have a video of the water spewing out near the post but it is to large to send. However I did include a still image of the water spewing out of the post. Thank you.

  Business response

  03/21/2023

  The Customer Care Manager, Tom L******, has followed up with *** ***** via phone and email.  Although the two-year material and workmanship warranty has expired, Drees has agreed to repair the line given the deck post was clearly driven into the sump line.     

  Customer response

  03/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I would like to thank the Better Business Bureau help on this matter because I would not have gotten this addressed otherwise.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were in contract with Drees Homes in September 2022 to build our house in ****** ****** for completion date summer of 2023. Right after signing the contract we were trying to work with our bank to get extended loan which is require for pre built homes and since the interest rates has gotten really high, it made it very difficult for us to proceed with this transaction since the monthly payments would been out of our reach. On top of all that, the design studio kept raising their prices on their products. Drees would Not let us amend the structural options so we can bring the purchase price down without making us loose the design credit. Due to the financial difficulties we were not able to move forward with this contract but Drees Homes Refused to refund our deposit of $19,500. We are already facing financial difficulties and on top of that, Drees Homes is retaining our deposit. At this time we want our deposit back since the circumstances were not under our control.

  Business response

  11/23/2022

  Division President, Jerry D*** has been in contact with *** ***** ******* and *** ***** ******.  
  

  *** ***** ****** first initiated contact with Drees Homes Market Manager in July 2022 . *** ***** ****** decided not to go under contract until September 19, 2022. During this time Interest Rates did rise. Drees Homes cannot control the interest rates. However, had *** ***** contracted earlier Drees Homes could have locked in his interest rate. According to the mortgage company *** ***** ****** still qualifies for the home with the higher interest rate without issue.
  

  The agreed upon amount of deposit was $39,000. As *** ***** ****** stated, he only provided Drees Homes ½ of the deposit amount at the time of the contract. The second ½ of the deposit was due to Drees Homes on November 2, 2022. *** ***** ****** never made his second deposit. This action placed *** ***** ****** in breach of contract. Drees reached out to *** ***** ****** and provided a grace period on the second deposit until November 7th, 2022. This date also was not met.
  
  There is business expenses that had taken place between the time *** ***** ****** had written his contract and the time *** ***** ****** requested his ½ deposit returned. Plans had been drawn and completed with his customized changes. The customers had met with the design consultants three different times, plans had been engineered, Surveys had been drawn and permits had all been applied for.
  
  As for the *** ***** ****** claiming that Drees would not allow them to make structural changes to bring the price down this is a false statement. After *** ***** ****** claimed, almost two months after contract that the cost was to much, Drees Homes extended the following offer to them via an email from our Market Manager – “An additional $10,000 design incentive or the option to instead reduce structural options on home to lower purchase price. *This option is one or the other – not both.” This option was made available to *** ***** ****** via an email and also via a phone call with Drees Homes Market Manger Amanda A********, Drees Homes Sales Manager Tyler K*** and Drees Homes Division President Jerry D*** twice. The first time on November 7th 2022 at 1:00pm and the second time on November 17th at 1:00pm.
  
  A few other notes that *** ***** ****** may have forgotten is that Drees Homes allowed them to change lots from their original contracted lot without penalty. Drees Homes allowed additional design center incentives over our stated amounts. Drees Homes waived a $15,000 lot premium on the newly chosen lot after the original contract.

  Customer response

  11/23/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

   

  As the bussiness is mentioning that they gave us $10k in credit but we had mentioned them that it will not help at all based on our monthly payment. 
  

  Drees mortgage company is claming that we can still afford the home, is false,  while they are charging even higher interest rate than other banks on top of all that, they are charging the  customers close to $40k in closing costs, which is ridiculous. 
  

  They mentioned we have paid half the deposit, and the other half is not paid, which we understood was suppose to be paid after we finalized the designe options, which even that they kept raising the prices. 
  

  The lot they changed for us was their call, we didn’t ask them to change our lot. 
  

  They forced us to even signed the contract by stating, IF we want any credit towards the purchase of this house we have to sign the contract. After signing, we couldn’t even make any structural changes.
  

  They are claiming that architecture work was done, which is false. They do this structural plan for any customer that comes to them for building their house, regardless they sign the contract or not. This is Not a custom builder, hence All of their plans are already planed. 

  There is no construction started on the lot, and we were told by the design studio, that they cannot start anything until we finalize the design options and meet the construction manger, which did Not happen. 
  

  We had made countless trips to the design studio and to the lots, whihc is one hour away each way, just so we can try to work this out, but due to the financial circumstances we are unable to move forward. 
  

  Drees Homes should understand that and refund our deposit which we had paid them. This amount of money $19,500 Will Not break Drees Homes but it will for sure breaks us financially . 

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

  ***** ******

  Business response

  11/28/2022

  Not only did we offer to provide this customer an additional $10,000 in design incentive, we also provided an option to instead let them amend their structural options to lower their purchase price.  This is something we do not allow per our purchase agreement.  Doing so would have allowed the customer to take substantial cost out of the home should they have desired to go that route.  Unfortunately the customer decided they wanted both additional design credit and the ability to amend their structural options which was not an option we provided.
  
  We do have a great in house lender and should our customers choose to use them for financing we provide closing cost incentives which are at this time a minimum of $6,000.  We also provided the customer the ability to use a portion of the incentive we offered them towards the ability to buy down their interest rate or use it to lower their purchase price should they want to.  This was also us showing our flexibility with the customer as the design credit was originally only allowed to be used in the design center.
  
  Per the purchase agreement, the customer agreed to finish all design selections within 21 days, which we kept extending due to the customer cancelling their design appointments multiple times.  The customer also agreed to pay their second deposit by November 2nd 2022 which they failed to do.  Therefore there were numerous breaches in contract. 
  
  This customer originally started their process with Drees in July of 2022.  They had been to the design center before contract and reviewed pricing and options.  Due to inflation and increase in material costs, we had restructured our pricing in the design center by the time the customer went under contract at the end of September 2022.  This is a common practice for most businesses given the times we are in.  Our team always encourages prospective clients to go under contract as soon as they feel comfortable due to the risk of pricing adjustments.
  
  The comment about the lot change being our call is completely inaccurate.  The customer informed us that they needed to change lots after contract because they were concerned of their child’s allergy to trees.  Changing of lots is also something that is not typically requested nor accommodated.  However, we were doing everything in our power to provide over the top customer service and keep the transaction moving forward.  There was only one other lot the customer would consider (no trees) which came with a higher lot premium than the previously chosen lot.  We waived the additional cost per the request of the customers in an effort to help them financially.  This was then signed off on by all parties.
  
  We did not force the customer to sign anything.  We cannot legally force any customer to sign documents, however, the customer chose to make an offer to purchase which included accepting the terms of the agreement, as well as a substantial incentive.  The customer signed via DocuSign on their own time after reviewing the paperwork.
  
  We do not claim to be a custom builder.  We do consider ourselves more of a semi-custom builder, which focuses on taking the best aspects from both a custom builder and a more production builder.  This allows the customer to take a base floor plan and customize it structurally and design wise. This provides a more streamlined process to take away some of the difficulties one can encounter in a true custom building process.  This customer made several changes to the base floor plan.  Once changes like this are made it requires us to have our architects redraw a custom floor plan which requires custom engineering as well.  There have been several other costs incured up until this point which include but are not limited to: custom septic design work, plot plan work, design center appointments, lot scraping, staking house on lot for footings, processing of paperwork, estimating, and work prepared by permit coordinator including applying for permits with the county.
  
  Our intention is to always go above and beyond the commitments we make to each and every one of our customers.  This has not changed with this customer which we have shown through our countless accommodations of their requests.  We made these accommodations after listening to the customers concerns in an effort to help as much as possible which exceeded the legal requirements of our purchase agreement.  We feel these efforts continuously went unnoticed and were never good enough for this customer. 
  
  We really tried to make it clear to the customer that we truly wanted to continue to build this house for them that we had worked hard to prepare.  Our team has now spent hundreds of hours working on this project and we are disappointed that the customer has made the decision to not continue working with us.  We are not pursuing the total deposit which we are entitled to per our agreement and instead only retaining the first half of the deposit to help offset the costs we have incurred thus far in the process.

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