Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We are officially filing a complaint against Reliable Shutters and Screens, LLC of *********, ******* who we contracted with to build a 12 x 30 screened enclosure with impact glass windows. The contract was signed and dated on 3/13/2023. From the onset, problems arose with the structure and our interactions with company personnel. Each step of the way we have both e-mails and photos of the problems/issues that arose. They are attached as addendums. The company was neither "reliable" nor professional in addressing our concerns and fixing the final issues in a quality and timely manner. It has been close to two years of unreturned phone calls, no-show appointments and disagreements about the issues and how to resolve them. The following are some of the problems we have experienced with this company.1. The main wall of the structure arrived damaged and it was left like that until they reversed it and the damage was on the outside not the inside. We should not have had to settle for damaged anything.2. A leaky roof happened early on and the company dragged out a resolution causing us great frustration and anxiety around the number of scheduled no-show appointments.3. Problems with the rubber strips constantly coming off and hanging from the windows because they were not installed and secured properly and attached to the windows.*4. ALL of the windows are missing a metal bronze cover that completes the look of the window. The hardware and manufacture's tag are clearly visible and should be totally hidden by the molding cover.*5. The metal borders on top of the ceiling inside and outside of the home over the double doors are clearly visible and they are white. We ordered bronze metal borders. The company wants to simply paint the white strips a bronze color rather than doing the job correctly and reordering the correct bronze metal ones. Even a contractor Reliable sent to assess the problem agreed that the bronze border needed to be installed.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/30/2024

  I, *************************, am the Project Manager for Reliable Shutters and Screens LLC*********************. *************************** is the owner of Reliable Shutters and Screens LLC, and he has asked for my input on this situation since I was the direct contact with *************************** from start to finish of his project. 
  ******************** enclosure was installed on July 18th, 2023. The custom impact windows were then measured from the newly installed structure and ordered from our suppliers the following day. The impact windows were then installed on September 27th, 2023. 
  After the structure was installed **************** reached out and stated that one of the wall panels had a dent. I ordered a new panel from our suppliers and had the install team go back and replace the damaged panel with a new panel. 
  A while after this, **************** contacted me and told me that the team did not replace the damaged panel with a new panel. "They just flipped the damaged panel around so it was facing outside".
   That is completely impossible because these panels are tongue and groove designed and only go one way. I have no idea how the new panel got damaged on the outside but if I were to guess I would bet it is from a lawnmower or a weedeater. We are not responsible for damages and our contract states that boldly. 
  
  
  The first time **************** mentioned a **** was in the middle of November via phone call, I do not have the exact date. I explained to **************** that our typical turnaround time for leaks/warranty repairs is ***** days. November 28th we received an email from **************** asking when we would be there to address his leak. The team was sent to seal this leak the following day.
  
  
  It was first on January 12th, 2024, that **************** was referring to his "issues" with us. **************** contacted me via phone on Friday, January 12th and explained there was a new leak and one of the plastic weather strips for one of the windows had come loose. He asked that I send someone out to address this immediately. I explained to him once again, that our typical turnaround time for warranty repairs/leaks is ***** days. 
  However, on Monday morning , the 15th, I called **************** and informed him that I had a team in his area and I am going to have them stop by and address these issues.
   **************** said it is not a good time because he has pickleball practice shortly and to reschedule. **************** sent a follow up email later that day, January 15th, reminding me to let him know when I can reschedule and also stating that January 17th would not be a good day for him.
   **************** then sent another reminder on Thursday January 18th, explaining how upset he is that no one has been there to address this leak and we must not be concerned about his issue or else we would have sent someone in a timely manner.
   I instantly replied to **************** that I have a team scheduled to be there first thing tomorrow morning and the team will address all issues when they arrive. 
  **************** then called me and stated that tomorrow (Friday) morning will not work for him because he has pickleball practice with his friends all morning and that anytime later in the day would be fine.
   I explained to **************** that his residence is one hour away from our warehouse, and I cannot just send a team at specific times to meet his schedule.
   I also explained that he does not have to be home for the team to address these issues. 90% of our clients are not home when we do our work for them, but he insists on being home so we will work with his schedule. 
  I agreed to have the team there later that Friday evening. 
  Meanwhile, our company has to continue operating, so the team was sent to begin a new project. Unfortunately, this new project is one hour away from ******************** residence. The team still insisted on trying to make it back to ******************** residence that evening.
   At 6:00 pm that evening our install team called me and stated that they are just now able to leave their current project and asked me if they should still return to ****************. 
  Our office was closed at 6:00 pm on that Friday night so I contacted our sales representative, *****************************, who has been involved with this project and this discussion from the beginning. (*** is also witness to these facts). ******** (***) contacted **************** to inform him of the situation and that the guys will return first thing on Monday morning.
  
  It was at this time that we received the longest, most hateful, disrespectful, threatening and completely untrue detailed email from ****************. 
  I replied to **************** on Monday morning and reminded him that we are doing the best we can to accommodate his schedule and reminded him that our general turnaround time for such issues is ***** days, and we are trying to address his issues within just days of his first complaint. 
  I also stated on Monday morning that, just as we had explained on Friday evening, our team is on their way to his residence first thing that morning. 
  Once again **************** stated that he has Pickleball practice again this morning and is unavailable until after 11:30 am.
   I lost half of a day of company time that morning because I had our installers wait until after 11:30 am for **************** to be available so we could fix this once and for all. 
  
  We finally got the team and **************** together at the same time on Monday the 22nd. Our team put the plastic weather strip back and the guys sealed where the leak was coming from. 
  The team called me after they left and explained that the type of leak that **************** is experiencing is a type of leak that we often see that is ultimately caused by the customer's existing house roof and not our newly installed structure, and if it leaks again then we will have to take different measures involving ******************** existing house roof.  
  When I explained this to ***************, he stated that it is most likely not his existing roof. 
  We then agreed to have the team return the following day to do a water test on the roof to determine where the leak is coming from. I told **************** that I would like to have them there first thing in the morning because their current project they are working on is one hour away, as is almost always the case. And again **************** had pickleball practice and we could not arrive until after his practice. 
  To which I ultimately agreed. 
  The water test determined the leak was from our roof and we're responsible. 
  This was explained to **************** and he was told that the team did not have the material to fix the leak right then and they would have to return the following day (Tuesday the 23rd).
   **************** originally agreed for us to return that Tuesday but later in the day called our office via phone and stated that he is unavailable until the 28th, a Sunday.
  Monday, January 29th, I received an email from **************** stating that he has had an ongoing leak without attention for "months" and once again explaining how mistreated he has been and how unreliable we are and just the same things as he has previously stated when he is specifically trying to be rude. 
  This time I was able to tell **************** that we are working in his area all week so pick a time and date and I will make sure the team is there. Ultimately sealing the roof and fixing all issues.
  
  
  February 16th, I received a text message from **************** stating that there were no leaks but the weather strips were falling down again. This is also when he first mentioned the white strip above the door that should have been bronze (6 months after completion of installation). 
  A couple of days later, **************** called me and stated that there was a downpour and he noticed a small drip of water around one of the window seals. I responded that I would just order some more plastic weather strips from our suppliers and install new ones since these keep having issues. 
  I also explained that I did not realize the panel above the door had been installed white, back in July of 2023. I explained that it is no big deal because we often have bronze panels that get scratched, and our suppliers that manufacture the panels have a specific color code that they offer, in such situations when panels have to be painted.
   I also suggested that we could cover the white panel with a thin bronze flashing and decorative borders.
   The only thing we can not do is replace the panel because the panel is glued in and the whole wall would be damaged if we tried to remove that panel. 
  **************** has made it very clear that he is not going to be happy until we agree to tear down the whole wall and replace that white panel with a bronze panel. 
  We have recently received notification from our suppliers that the plastic weather strips have arrived and are prepared for pickup and install.
   I have also discussed this with the owner of Reliable Shutters and Screens LLC, ***************************, and he has informed me that we could try to remove and replace the white panel and replace it with a bronze panel and try not to damage any additional material. 
  We are willing to work with ****************, as we have been all along. It is just almost impossible to have mature conversations without threats, demands and hateful comments. 
  This could have been taken care of long ago if he would just have a respectful conversation.
  
  
   I have emails, texts, witnesses and invoices that can attest for this statement.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In March of 2021 We contacted with Reliable Shutters and Screens to have our Screen room taken out and replaced with a Sun Room. The walls were put in about July of 2021 and the windows and doors several weeks later. When the project was completed the room looked gorgeous. Fast forward to March of 2023 we noticed the paint chipping on the door and the door hardware discoloring. As well as the door is not hanging properly and it has to be pulled and lifted to lock it. We sent pictures and someone came out to look. He said that we use the door too much and that our house is crooked. We use the door multiple times each day. How often is too much? They did replace the door hardware, but said that they can do nothing about the paint chipping or the way the door hangs. We have a ten year warranty and two years on painted areas. They are obviously not willing to warranty their work or help. The problem with the way the door hangs is their fault in installing it. The paint should not be chipping. Its not even two years. How bad will this be in 2 more years?We also have a leak that we have mentioned several times. It only happens during heavy rains. They have said they would send someone out to caulk it, but never do.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/22/2023

  ************** has unfortunately left out some very important details regarding the complaint made against Reliable Shutters & Screens and this is unfortunate. ************** has a major issue with maintaining overall cleanliness with his sunroom door due the excess of filth that has accumulated from usage. It seems that the doors is used to door outside work with is why there is grease, grime, dirt and many other items causing the filth issues (see attached photos). The photos taken at the residence by Reliable Shutters & Screens along with the photos emailed by ************** show the depiction of the grease and filth all over the door and door handle. These photos were immediately sent to the door manufacture in which they denied the claim by ************** to warranty this door. The reason for the manufactures denial of this warranty not by Reliable Shutters & Screens is due to excessive wear and tear, sheer lack of normal maintenance and negligence. When ************** was notified his door is not under warranty due to his negligence and inability to clean or wipe the surface grease, dirt and unknown debris he demanded a new door at our cost. He insisted regardless of his maintenance issues the door paint should be under warranty no matter what and we needed to replace his $500 door not including installation for free. We asked ************** to reach out to the manufacture and he refused, instead decided to write a one sided review about Reliable Shutters & Screens not providing a warranty due to his lack of regard for personal property. Furthermore ************** has stated his door does not properly close without needing a hand to close it shut in order to lock it. Not once for almost a year did ************** have a problem from the day of installation of the sunroom ever have an issue with the way that the door opens or closes. ************** has two large dogs that constantly jump on the interior part of the door (See photos) causing gouges and issues with the door closure almost a year later. The door is not made to become a fence for large or small dogs to jump up and down on day after day. 
  As per the leak issue, not once has ************** contacted Reliable Shutters & Screens to resolve any current leak situation in which there is a warranty for. Our company went out to ****************** residence less than three weeks ago and the discussion about a leak was simply that he had thought he had a leak in the past, however there was no active leaks currently. When Reliable Shutters & Screens was at ****************** residence three weeks ago, he was told directly to contact our office should he have any leak issue which he has not done so once since then. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Though we began the process in 7/21, due to shortage of materials, the construction of our patio roof was not completed until 3/22. We paid approximately $21,000 for this structure, which measures 32' wide by 12' deep. From day one, the seams in the "Supergutter" leaked into our outdoor living space every time it rained. We called Reliable more times than we can even count, and on a few occasions they did come out - and they attempted to patch the leaks, however, no matter what they did, the leaks in the gutter seams still remained. So, we had to keep calling them.Though they had always been slow to return our calls, after awhile they stopped returning our calls altogether. So, we decided to just hire an outside gutter company to repair the leaks, at our own expense. The owner of that gutter company told us one of the reasons we were having such issues is because the gutter Reliable installed wasn't pitched correctly, so the water could only pool and overflow during a heavy rain. Therefore, the gutter company's attempt to patch the leaks also failed. We were also told that the Supergutter that was used by Reliable was notoriously difficult to seam and it should not have even been seamed over the living space to begin with. They should have used a 40-foot span of gutter, versus piecing together smaller segments. Now, here we are, almost 1 year after construction has been completed and we still have the same leaks and we still cannot use our outdoor living space when it rains. Meanwhile, since even a professional gutter company was unable to fix Reliable's shoddy work, we've continued to try to get Reliable out here to try again to repair it. At this point, we are convinced that the only way to fix this is for them to partially dismantle the roof and replace the "patchwork" gutter with a 40' span of gutter, which is pitched correctly and not seamed. However, since they will not return our calls, we can't discuss. We are considering legal action.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2023

  ************, 

  Unfortunately we can not warranty another companies work once we have completed our contractual obligations. We have a signed contract with your contractor and we did not have a direct contract with you. We are not sure what other companies were hired to do work in your backyard and we are not sure of the damages done to  our roof by other contractors. The work should have been done by our company in order to warranty your product. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 18940032
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  You had the contract with US - and you knew this because we fired our contractor near the beginning of the project, and therefore you dealt with us directly. All of the contracts are signed by my wife, not the previous contractor. You sat at our kitchen table and did the paperwork with us. In the paperwork, we do not see any indication of what would void a warranty. In fact, we don't even have warranty information on your work. Where are these documents??

  Furthermore, if there is indeed a warranty, then why wasn't it honored when the gutter was leaking since DAY ONE of the completion of the roof?? We called every week for repairs!  Also, us hiring a gutter repair company was on the recommendation of **** (the owner of Reliable)!! He stated in a phone conversation that he isn't a repair company, so we should hire a specialist. Not once did he mention a voiding of a warranty if we had another company fix it. Had he mentioned that, clearly we would have continued to ****** them to fix the leaks instead of letting a gutter company try. Not even a specialist could fix the leak because the gutter isn't pitched correctly, and the water continues to pool and work its way through the seams - and sometimes even spills over the top when the rain is heavy.

  A few months ago, Reliable did send a guy out to caulk it again, but all he did was make it worse - as his mountain of caulk created a dam, which caused further water pooling in our already un-pitched gutter. Plus he got white caulk all over our roof and gutters, which looks horrible - and it won't come off. And the leaks still aren't fixed.

  We just want this fixed - and it may require having them replace the whole span of gutter with one un-seamed piece. We paid so much money for a covered patio that we can't even use when it rains! How is this acceptable or fair??

  Sincerely,
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  ************, 

  Again we do not have a contract with you and per Palm Beach County Property Records you are not even the owner of the home. The home is listed in a name and has been of *********************************, so I am not sure where the true basis on your complaint lies. I have never once sat at your kitchen table to sign any contracts and I am the owner of Reliable Shutters & Screens and my name is not ****/*******, who is that? It seems that your assumed facts are getting mixed up with other contractors or workers that you have been interacting with at this residence. The signed contract on file was signed by the now "fired contractor" who we were in contract with and like all of my contracts the warranty is on the back of the signed contract. It seems that your hired contractor Mr. ******************************* of  A Custom Build did not give the contract to the homeowner Ms. ********************************** See both of the signed contracts below that were both signed by my sales Representative ******* when he sat at your table with the contractor you hired (A Custom Build in care of *******************************) to get your job done. It seems that you are having issues with your contractor and you feel that this is now somehow my problem a year later, due to the fact you no longer have a contractor to represent the contract at hand. Any company who does a project with a signed contract that fulfills that contract obligation by the purchaser would void work repairs done by some unknown third party contractor who decides to do faulty work on their project. I do not have a contract that states any purchaser can hire any third party worker to put up gutters or any material against my roof and expect me to fix an issue due to that contractors work especially not over a year later. This is very common practice and knowledge that no company would issue a warranty for someone else's work especially unknowing if they are even licensed or a specialty contractor dealing with this specific type of roof. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  My apologies for getting your name wrong, *****...."****" is the guy you sent out to our home on a few occasions to attempt to fix the leaks. I have spoken to you personally many times, as has my wife *******. In fact, either ******* or I called or emailed with ****, **** or you for months after the roof was installed. We still have every single email correspondence with all 3 of you, which discusses our leaks over the past year. So, pretending you don't know who we are is surprising.

  Also, If you look at your own contract that you sent along with your response, you will see MY WIFE, *********************** is listed as the homeowner. *********************** is the same person as *********************************. I'm sure you must come across this kind of discrepancy before, when an unmarried woman purchases a house and doesn't change the name on the deed after she gets married....

  We were patient and understanding when it took a year to complete our project due to materials shortages. We were understanding and accepting when you swapped the ugly "popcorn ceiling" ceiling panels for the wood grain ones we'd ordered (without even asking or telling us). We were also understanding and accepting when your crew installed a hideous, sloppy looking transom wall made of tons of patchwork pieces of aluminum and rivets - when what we'd ordered is a transom FRAME with screen inserts. So, you deviated from our contract quite a bit and we did not complain! All of those things did happen - and we have the emails to back it up.

  I just want to be done with this...and clearly you have no interest in doing the right thing or being helpful, which is disappointing. 
  
  Sincerely,
  ***********************