Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *********************** punctured a pipe behind my wall and had no idea that was was dripping while I was gone on a business trip. **** did a very poor job laying the tile in my shower. I have communicated to **** about the problems with his work and he has refused to take responsibility. Here are the problems with my shower: (I have pictures to verify what Im saying is true. I dont know how to upload the video of the dripping behind the wall.)1-There are many places all over the shower with missing grout of various sizes.2-There is grout between the tile that is very messy. There is tile with ****** thick grout that looks bad. There are too many places where the grout doesnt look good.3-There are numerous cuts of tile that are not precise, and many cuts are jagged.4-The cut-out does not look like it was measured well. The cuts are not precise, the grout is messy, and the chrome edge looks bent all around the cut-out. Three sides of the cut-out has sharp metal points.5-The piece that you step on to enter the shower was poorly cut with gaping holes on both sides with missing grout underneath. The entry to my shower doesnt look finished.6-The shower floor looks terrible, because **** cut diagonal cuts all over the place. The cuts are jagged and not precise. I did not ask **** to install the tile like this with diagonal cuts rather I asked him to keep the tile as is (rectangular), and I asked him to keep it as big as possible.7-There are numerous tiles on the floor with sharp corners and some wall tiles by the entry have sharp corners because the tile was not installed flat. Corners are sticking up with sharp points sticking out.

  Business response

  07/15/2024

  Every small business has to deal with occasionally unreasonable customers who are basically "never satisfied". Same with this one. We first met *************** on June 17th, we were fooled by the fake kindness of her. But thinking about how she talked, she was complaining non-stop about everything, she was complaining about how the people sold her the condo lied to her, she was complaining about how her "friend" realtor didn't tell her things, she was complaining about the neighbors, she was complaining about the movers. First thing first, on June 17th, we performed various misc. jobs, liking hanging pictures, repairing faucets, repair the vacuums and dealing with sound system on the wall. She complained about the bathroom, and we told her we will give her an estimate of what it will cost to remodel her bathroom. She also requested assistance in picking out a dresser for her guest bedroom and a headboard for her guest bedroom, and also lights for living room and dining room. We spent time researching that for her and we sent her the estimate in the afternoon on June 17th. On June 18th, ******** called and left message stating she's ready to pick out her own tiles and go with the estimate. That's the way we do business. The estimate listed date, projects, and costs and when customer left deposit, that is to cover material cost and also when things go wrong, cover our cost. Customer also left town From June **************. During the time, we have finished everything but installation of the shower door for the customer, due to the shower door is being special ordered and takes time to deliver. On June 28th, we went to customer's place fixed a leaking pipe, touched up the ceiling in the shower, patched up drywall. At the end of the day, customer commented "everything looks great", and she also listed a final list of little things she wanted to add on. 

  Red flag 1: customer emailed company on Sunday, Jun 30th, demanding a "business agreement", which we didn't have a signed official version, but only the estimate I sent to her and the deposit she left us indicating she agreed with the estimate. Every small company owner I have talked to, knowing she asked for that, told me that "she is up to something and you need to be careful".  So I sent her a newly updated business agreement, and also an updated invoice, including the projects we have already finished (which she still hasn't paid) and the remaining work. Monday, July 1st, customer sent a rude email requesting the "original agreement she signed". At the point, we knew that she is playing the games and trying to get away without paying. We sent her an email back acknowledging her that there is no "agreement she signed", the estimate was the thing and she clearly read it, agreed with it, that's when she knew how much tile to get and what she needed to get, and left deposit.

  Red flag 2: We notified customer On July 2nd, the shower door will be installed on Thursday. There was no response until 1030pm, customer sent 10+ photos of things that she said either "caused by us" or she's "not happy about". At 1030pm, that is just not some normal mind people would do. Then also sent a text stating she is not happy with the shower. I guess she forgot she told me right to my face on Friday "everything looks so good". So we tried to contact her, she refused to pick up the phone call. After about 10+ calls, she picked phone up, and she said "you did a great job painting the rooms", then when we asked what's not good to her, she hang up. NEVER PICKUP. No communication after that. 

  Red flag  3: Customer doesn't know anything about remodeling or building shower. She complained about the slope for the niche we build, which I told her the slope was to drain the water and you need to have that. She also picked out large format tiles to put in her tiny bathroom, especially for her tile floor, without knowing the slopes and the drain feature and we had to work hard to get it to a way so the floor drains well. Then she complains to BBB? That's funny. On the first day, started work, when laying down the drop clothes in her bedroom, I noticed a scratch **** on her closet door right outside of the bathroom, and I even jokingly said to my business partner "she will probably blame us for that", and guess what, July 2nd, that night, the pics, she included one of the pic of the scratch on the closet door. At that point, we knew that this customer is just being unreasonable and we will not continue working with her. 

  Meanwhile, while we were there working on Jun 28th, customer complained, saying some wall corners were scratched and "it was not there before she left" and a little scratch on her dresser "that was not there before", indicating we caused it. It's just getting sickening and outrages, it's no big deal if she want some free work done, touch up paint if no big deal, but ****, you don't have to play this game.

  Red flag 4: ******** insisted us to repair her dresser which is not closing right. The issue was not caused by us, she said the issues was caused by the movers. However, we told her there's not much we can do, and she still insists us to do something. That indicates that she's setting us up to something. 

  Adding all the above, there is enough reason for us to terminal the work with ***************. A business should know when to stop losing money. For what we have done for ***************, and what she had paid us so far, we didn't take any extra money. She got her bathroom painted, bathroom painted, two lights/fan removed and replaced with new lights, a new dresser built, a new headboard built, furniture moved, shower remodeled for the deposit she left. I think at this point if it was me, I would keep my mouth shut for taking advantage of your contractors. I'm glad *************** file a complaint so in this way, in the future, every contractor ****** her name, they will see what she did, and dodge this bullet. ****, there's nothing more we will do for you, you are the one broke the contract by being lunatic and refused the communication. There's nothing we can do and we will not do anything. You got more than what you paid for, I think to you, that is fair. And good luck with your life. You said you teach, but you cannot even clearly tell us what you teach, I sure do hope you don't teach kids, because that will be pretty sad they learn that from you and grow up to be people like you.

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