Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction Date: March 2022 – May 2023 Paid to Buckley Builders: $132,000 Owed to ***** **** by Buckley Builders (for incomplete work, and delay costs): $36,203.04 Buckley Builders committed to provide: A completed renovation of 70 Pinkham Road Nature of the dispute: Time and money owed by Buckley Builders to ***** **** Has Buckley Builders tried to resolve the problem: No, causing additional living expenses for March – November 2022 and May – June 2023. ***** ******* gave me a start date for my project of March 2022. He began 8 months later, the last week in November 2022. Because of this, I incurred the cost of supporting 2 households, costing me $12,000. During my project, ***** continually asked for up-front funds but did not supply me with invoices for completed work. After 3 months, I finally convinced him to send me invoices. ***** continually asked for money, until I finally told him that I would have to find an alternate way, to pay him. ***** walked off the project in May, accusing me of owing him money. Comparing ***** invoices to my payments – with bank proof of all my checks signed by ***** – he owed me money. Again, ***** accused me of owing him money, he couldn’t “find” 2 of my checks that he deposited in his bank account, totaling $25,000. A week after being confronted with real numbers, ***** “found” the missing checks, and walked off my project. My renovation sits unfinished. My house has no floors. The kitchen has no cupboards. None of the appliances have been hooked-up. The front door has no handle, the steps to the 2nd floor have no treads, and the sink and toilet have not been installed in the 1st floor ½ bath. The house is unlivable. ***** invoices total $110,796.96. I have paid him $132,000. ***** owes me $21,203.04 in labor and materials. Adding in the cost of the March – November 2022 + May – June 2023 (10-months of living expenses equaling $15,000), ***** owes me $36,203.04 in labor, materials and additional living expenses.

  

  Business response

  06/14/2023

  Our response is we did not have a contractWe had a pay as we go agreement.The customer has bounced checks We feel our former client has simply run out of money and is trying to get us to cover the cost to finish her project.Never have we run into a situation  like this before with any other of our clients with an arrangement such as thisShe has claimed all sorts of allegations against us with alot of finger pointing and threatsShe's been difficult ,at bestAnd still we've tried to do right by herThe last we spoke,I said I would be back at her place to help her with her kitchen at no costClearly this wasn't enough.Shes apparently going through a divorce from her "abusive husband" and has been playing  on our heart strings for a year nowIn short we had a clerical error and a little time had passed and we didn't sent her a receipt  for one of her installments and now she's out of money ey she claims we owe her what wad initially  13000 and change and now has grown to 36000 in a couple weeks

  Customer response

  06/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # 20178864. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered.  SB = ***** *******KS = ***** ****SB: Our response is we did not have a contractKS: We had a verbal contractSB: We had a pay as we go agreement.KS: AgreedSB: The customer has bounced checksKS: Untrue. Please see copies of all checks to ***** *******. None of them bounced.SB: We feel our former client has simply run out of money and is trying to get us to cover the cost to finish her project.KS: This is irrelevant. I refuse to pay ***** more than he has invoiced me. My payments to ***** total $132,000.00 (see copies of checks from my bank). ******* invoices total $110,796.96. He owes me $21,203.04.SB: Never have we run into a situation  like this before with any other of our clients with an arrangement such as this.KS: This is irrelevant and I have no way to prove or disprove this!SB: She has claimed all sorts of allegations against us with alot of finger pointing and threats.KS: No allegations, just hard facts, such as copies of checks from my bank and copies of ******* Invoices. I have never threatened *****, although he threatened me 2 times. Each time, he threatened to stop work because (he thought incorrectly) that I owed him money. If you look at the dates on the checks, you will see that I prepaid *****’s company for all their work, and that he still owes me $21,203.04 in labor and/or materials.SB: She's been difficult ,at bestKS: If ***** (incorrectly) defines "difficult" as someone presenting him with proof (again, see copies of my Bank Checks and ******* Invoices). Oddly enough, 2 months ago, ***** told me I was one of his easier clients to deal with!SB: And still we've tried to do right by herKS: Does ***** think (again incorrectly) that "doing right by me" means overcharging me by $21,203.04?SB: The last we spoke, I said I would be back at her place to help her with her kitchen at no costKS: Untrue. The last we spoke, ***** said he would do 1 day of work for me, and that was it. That was early May. It is now mid-June, 6 weeks later, and he has not been back.SB: Clearly this wasn't enough.KS: No, one day is not enough to cover the $21,203.04 on labor and/or materials that I am owed. Outstanding projects include, but are not limited to, installing cabinets in the kitchen, hooking-up all kitchen appliances, installing a toilet and bathroom sink.SB: Shes apparently going through a divorce from her "abusive husband" and has been playing  on our heart strings for a year nowKS: I told ***** this, not to  play on his heart-strings, but to let him know that I needed him to finish my project quickly, as my abuse counselor at Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center told me she was concerned for my safety if I stayed in the same house as my husband. Instead, ***** delayed the start of my project for 9 months.SB: In short we had a clerical error and a little time had passed and we didn't sent her a receipt  for one of her installments and now she's out of money ey she claims we owe her what wad initially  13000 and change and now has grown to 36000 in a couple weeksKS: Fact, I pre-paid each and every one of *****’s invoices. I have supplied him with legitimate proof, provided by my bank, totaling $132,000.00. Fact, I have proof, supplied by *****, of invoices for his work totaling $110,796.96. He owes me $21,203.04. Fact, the amount of $15,000 is additional living expenses I incurred paying for 2 households due to ******* 9-month delay in starting my project.Please note: (a) ***** has verbally acknowledged receiving my pre-payment, a Registered Bank Check from TD Bank, for $10,000 as a deposit to begin my project.See attached copies of all other checks to SB (spreadsheet below).Payments to ***** *******On My TD StatementPaidCh #WrittenDepositedAmountRegistered TD Bank Check3/18/2022Apr-22$ 10,000.001045/26/20226/1/2022May-22$ 10,000.001089/14/20229/14/2022Oct-22$ 10,000.0012112/12/202212/13/2022Jan-23$ 5,000.0012212/14/202212/14/2022Jan-23$ 5,000.001271/24/20231/25/2023Feb-23$ 10,000.001292/3/20232/6/2023Mar-23$ 10,000.001312/15/20232/21/2023Mar-23$ 15,000.001343/8/20233/9/2023Apr-23$ 15,000.001384/13/20234/13/2023May-23$ 5,000.001404/19/20234/19/2023May-23$ 10,000.001414/21/20234/28/2023May-23$ 2,000.001056/25/20226/29/2022Jun-22$ 15,000.001241/3/20231/9/2023Feb-23$ 10,000.00TOTAL PAID:3/18/2022 - 4/21/2023$ 132,000.00See attached copies of all SB's invoices (spreadsheet below).Invoices from ***** *******ReceivedNumberDatedAmount5/26/2022INV00175/31/2022$20,101.509/14/2022INV00307/18/2022$13,598.8012/12/2022INV00246/23/2022$11,570.001/3/2023INV004512/28/2022$9,284.281/16/2023INV00471/10/2023$9,443.462/3/2023INV00482/2/2023$11,714.112/20/2023INV00492/20/2023$9,125.714/17/2023INV00503/5/2023$25,959.10TOTAL INVOICED:$110,796.96Copies of 9 months of additional living expenses incurred, due to ******* 9-month delay can be supplied if necessary.

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