Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am so so so sad and upset. We started the process of doing our backyard with a clear budget. We saw the guy three times and by the last meeting he clearly was not able to make any recommendation that would fit our budget and kept asking what I liked. I finally told him it makes a difference in the price and to please give me prices on all of these ideas.i then knew he would not work with me on the budget. When we tried to end the process, they would not refund our $5000 deposit. We offered them to pay for their services this far. No work done. No detailed drawings. Nothing. We don’t even have the drawings they brought to the meeting. We have literally nothing to show for OUR hard earned $5000.00. They claimed the estimate costs $5000. But that was never discussed beforehand so I’m not sure why we should allow this to happen. Buyer beware.

  Business response

  05/08/2024

  All The Way Group is also highly discouraged with the conclusion and actions surrounding this opportunity.  As the Manager of ATW Group, our last resort is to dissatisfy any client.  The lead was generated by ATW on February 28th.  We responded to the opportunity on February 28th, and made contact with the client on or before March 3rd, 2024.  We worked with the client on the request to develop an outdoor living space that included an outdoor pavilion with a fireplace and kitchen amenities on a concrete slab foundation, and a turf/concrete pad, checker-pattern, open patio area, and a renovation to the flooring of the back porch of their home.  ATW routinely and happily provides these home improvement services.  We offer every service from consultation and conceptual design to full design and drawings for construction, permits for the municipal and HOA requirements, and procurement and construction.  A representative of ATW Group met with the client on March 15th, 2024.  The results and action items from this meeting for ATW were to provide a price for the client's ideas and a conceptual design plan to develop their idea and produce plans to agree on and continue through to construction.  On March 22nd, ATW met with the client, presented their requested deliverables, and received a signature from the client to proceed with developing the price for their plans and drafting drawings for final acceptance by any engineers or permitting agencies prior to construction. ATW employed the services of its drafting services vendor, and assigned its developer to develop a full proposal and first draft of drawings for probable costs and schedules for all mobilization and travel costs, materials, labor, equipment, subs, vendors, and appliance allowances.  We provided several discussions with the client between March 22nd and April 5th to work to meet the requests of the client and their budget as well.  After the April 5th meeting, the client requested more changes that would help reduce costs, but also added features and improvements that increase costs.  ATW embraced the challenge as we had already been hired and worked to reduce costs with their changes and still provide what the clients wanted.  On April 10th, the client asked us to stop working on the development.  On April 19th, I called the client.  Due to mutually busy schedules, we spoke shortly before April 30th, and then the client texted me to inform me they would not be proceeding with the project this year.  My staff and I did not pressure the client about their decisions changing, we closed the files (2 versions of drafted layouts and elevations with detail changes, a 2D concept, and 3 proposals, an LOI, and multiple brochures for sourcing presented, emailed, and texted to client between March 13 and April 5th) and we saved our work and moved on to our other projects.  On May 2nd, the client texted me asking what they owe.  I informed the client in text reply that we were actually at a loss of $790.00 (Seven-hundred and Ninety dollars) but I was not going to request payment for the extra expense.  The client was very appreciative of that.  On Tuesday, May 7th, the client then texted me to ask if I was going to mail back the $5000 deposit he gave me to begin the development.  I responded to the client that the total expense incurred by ATW for his project to date was $5,790.00 (Five-Thousand Seven-Hundred and Ninety dollars) and we had already absorbed the $790 overage on their project.  The client responded in shock and demanded a breakdown.  I provided a breakdown on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.  The client does not agree with our costs incurred and has slandered ATW Group on social media and BBB and their peer network.  ATW has attached the signed agreement, both pages, and the breakdown we provided to the client.  The breakdown is both costs and a timeline of events, similar to the response here.  We hope to come to resolution and please understand we did not do anything we did not agree to with the client with clarity and due process.  I do not foresee the response to this complaint being received agreeable by the complainant, because all of this information has been explained and provided to the client, but the information only has upset the client more.  We did not do anything against their decisions made. 

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