Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We hired Mr. ********************** to remodel our master bathroom. They said they were able to do everything except for installing new electrical outlets, wiring a new exhaust fan, and installing a new shower pan. They said we would need to hire an electrician and a plumber but they could do everything else. They did the demolition in March and then in May came back to start working on the floor (the electrician and the plumber were working in April and we had to special order the shower pan so Mr. ********************** did not cause this delay). A different tech arrived in May then we had been working with and he said that he wasn't supposed to be there and that he had told his boss not to take our job. He was clearly mad. A different tech came the next day to finish the floor and we discovered that some of the tiles were already loose. The 2nd tech said that the first tech should have used an underlayment and we were told that he would fix the loose tiles and we would not be charged. When he returned a few days later, we found that he had left the water slowly dripping and many of the tiles had to be removed and we were told they would be replaced. We were asked to buy more tiles and promised to be reimbursed. Over a month later and we kept asking for the floor to be finished. A 3rd tech came in to finish the tile and grout and he switched to a white mortar and grout even though we were using gray. So part of the grout is white and part of it is gray. The tiles are extremely uneven and we found out that the rest of the floor was completed without an underlayment. They claim that the underlayment is optional and they guaranteed the grout would be fine. We also asked for and purchased waterproof membrane to be used behind the shower walls and over the shower curb. It was not used and we were very concerned about it leaking. They said they had never needed the membrane before and would not put it on the curb. They said they would guarantee no leaks by using caulk. It just kept getting worse.

  

  Business response

  08/05/2024

  This has been a lengthy process that we have "bent over backwards" to try and make our customer happy. It began as a bathroom renovation with a custom shower pan. I told the customer we don't install custom shower pans and told her to find someone else. We cancelled the job. She called me back, said she found a plumber to get the pan done, and insisted we do the remainder of the work. I didn't want to let her down, so I agreed that after the shower pan was installed, we would install the shower surround (Flexstone), floor, toilet, and she added a curb to the list. We have had trouble throughout as ****** always seemed to question what and how things are done after the fact. We put in the floor out of order, before the pan was installed just to get things moving, and have had to re-lay some tiles (at our expense). We finally get it all done after "waiting forever" for the plumbers to get the pan set, and they are paranoid about any leaks that may occur. The pan is tiled, grouted and caulked all around. I told her I would come over to clean up the floor, so we can seal the floor and pan. She insists on doing herself. I send a Tech over at no charge to take care of a final drywall repair and seal the tiled shower pan. There were a few small tiles around the drain that weren't perfectly aligned, and I wanted our Tech to fix, or re-tile the area. ****** suggested we take all the tile out from the pan, have the plumber re-set the pan with a membrane, and then we can re-tile the shower pan at my expense. I agreed, and our Tech removed most of tile and will return to remove the rest. Now she sends one of her thousand word diatribes that says she doesn't want us back and she will sue, and carries on about anything and everything from her uninformed perspective. I can provide each and every invoice with photos throughout. She agreed to, and paid for each and every one of them except for two invoices she still owes. This entire process has been difficult with the customer constantly questioning our Technician (who has done this type of work for 35 years), referring to u-tube videos and suggesting doing things differently after the fact. Despite all this drama- I have steadfastly maintained we are willing to get this done right for her. Now she has changed her mind again - after we tear out the tile from the shower floor - as she asked. She also claims she has had several contractors come in and say it has been done all wrong, yet no specifics are provided. Again, my Tech that has done most of the work, has done bathroom renovation work for 35 years and would beg to differ. She and her husband are good people, but can be unreasonable and have unrealistic expectations of perfect work. I try to make ALL of my customers happy. We have had literally thousands of satisfied customers since 2020, and currently have 186 unsolicited ****** reviews with a 4.9 Star Rating!

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: Mr. **** did not address any of the problems. Our floor grout is two different colors and is already starting to crack because no underlayment was used and the floor is extremely uneven. We have tried to hire three other businesses to fix it and they all say that it cannot be fixed, but has to be replaced. In addition, our shower cannot be used at all. We also tried to hire three other companies to finish the shower and they all said no. They said it has to be redone because it is going to leak. We have expressed our concerns to Mr. **** several times. He claims that these other businesses are just expressing an opinion and his opinion is that waterproofing is not necessary. We disagree. He said he would guarantee in writing that the shower wouldn't leak for two years. So we agreed to let them finish the shower. When they said it was "finished", the tiles were rough and crooked. Some were sharp and protruding. We were going to let them rip out the floor and start over again but he still hasn't provided the written guarantee and he is now saying that if the shower leaks it will be because the plumbers installed the drain incorrectly. There were numerous other problems that I didn't report and those are the problems that Mr. **** is referring to. They did not install our vanity for free. Once we had paid the full price of the estimate and our vanity wasn't installed yet, he gave us a new estimate and initially refused to honor the original estimate. When we sent copies of the estimate and said we wouldn't pay them anything more for it, he finally agreed to install it (we had already paid for it!). One of his technicians ripped out all of our trim and then hauled it away without asking us. He damaged it very badly. When we asked Mr. **** what could be done about it, he said he would replace it. We still had to pay to have it installed. They charged us hourly to re-install it. He is making it sound like he did us favors, but they weren't favors. We paid for work to be done! Finally, he did do some "free" work at our home which was mostly cleaning because he himself is not a *********. Most of the time he was here, he was sitting in our garage trying to "stay out of the way" in his words. He came over to make sure the cleaning was being done because we had sent him pictures of 8 buckets that were left in our bathroom for several weeks that my husband and I had to finally clean up ourselves because some of them were starting to get moldy and some had trash in them. There have been so many issues and we have tried to give him several chances already to make things right. He has also promised to pay for the materials that were ruined due to improper installation but he hasn't paid for any of them. Our bathroom should have been done at the end of May, and we are still not able to use it. He says that his work is guaranteed but he isn't willing to fix it. He says he does all of these things for free, but he just won't make it right. He thinks we will just give up and he can walk away with our money. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** And ****** ******

  

  Business response

  08/06/2024

  Have sent all invoices including two that haven't been paid in the amount of $1,248.25. In addition to information/photos from invoices, the following notes are relevant to the overall process.

  5/14 - Replaced sub flooring under shower pan - NOT PLANNED - additional work / additional time.

  5/23 - Had to level floor with sub flooring 11/32 plywood - NOT PLANNED - additional work / additional time.

  6/10 - No charge for work on floor - re-setting tile - (-$393.20)

  6/14 - Shower pan still not installed - built curb around pan - NOT PLANNED - additional work / additional time.

  6/27 - Pan finally installed / drain installed by plumber. Mortared in - shower pan tile installed - not all the way to drain not sure of custom drain - removable?

  Tech ***** on vacation 7/1-7/5

  7/11 - NO charge for re-grouting floor and installing/plumbing vanity - 9.0 Tech hours - (-$1,208.00)

  7/22 - Final days to finish - installed membrane on wall as requested - NOT necessary - NOT PLANNED - additional work / additional time.

  7/23 - Cut / installed Flexstone shower surround - (one of the many times owner worked for free) - painstaking - template measured /  designed - huge time required - can make no mistakes!

  7/31 - Finishing work - NO charge - drywall repair on corner of wall - planned to seal floor - correct several un-aligned 1" tiles at drain.

  8/1 - Agreed to tear out all shower pan tile - have plumber re-set shower pan - we re-tile shower pan at NO CHARGE.

  8/2 - Customer out of town - can't finish tearing out tile as agreed - want to set up additional time at no charge as agreed.

  8/3-8/4 - Begin to receive email diatribes on our work, threats to sue my company, demands for refund, on previously approved, satisfaction indicated, paid for work - complaints to BBB. 

  Additional info: Throughout the process we have waived the daily trip charge of $65.00 for a total of almost $1,000.00. A portion of the delays were due to the customers going on vacation to ***** and several other times when they were out of town. The customers actually had an estimate to renovate their bathroom for $25K. (probably had others of $30K+?) The customers were constantly attempting to plan and interject them selves in the process. Although uninformed with no experience in the building process, they would refer to u-tube videos, and other ways for certain steps to be done, after the work was completed. For example; after the floor was done, they wanted to tear it out to "water proof" the floor - totally unnecessary! They had an electrician come in and install three outlets around where the vanity would be installed. The outlets were not GFCI as required by code, and one was installed 3-4 inched above the middle of the vanity, so the stone backsplash could not be used! The customers didn't believe that my Tech had used a wax ring when he installed the toilet. We know they lifted up/un-installed the toilet to see for themselves, because the bolts were very loose when ***** showed up one day and he had to tighten them back up! That would negate our warranty on the toilet leaking. My Tech ***** has been doing this type of work for 35 years, and had his own business for many years. He knows what he is doing and had to communicate that many times to the customers. I even put in writing that we would guarantee the shower pan from water leaks for two years - unheard of! I still maintain that we will re-tile the shower pan at NO charge to make it right. 

   

  Customer response

  09/09/2024

  We requested a partial refund from Mr. ********************** of $6,466.59. We sent a detailed account to them for how we arrived at this figure. We gave them the benefit of the doubt as much as possible and would still accept this amount if they would agree to it prior to arbitration. We have already paid someone else to finish the bathroom and need the money as soon as possible. We first learned there were problems on May 24, 2024 and were assured by Mr. **** at that time, that everything would be corrected. We allowed his technicians back to try to fix things 11 times and still it wasn't done and kept getting worse. I don't know how he can say that we didn't bring up issues until the end of July. We have plenty of documents showing otherwise. We tried to work with him so many times and he really took advantage of us.

  If we go to arbitration, the full amount we have paid was $10,655.44 and that will be the amount we request be refunded to us. 
  

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