ComplaintsforDeGraaf Electrial Service, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Nov. 2021 I had Degraaf install outlets in the front of my home for landscaping lights, flagpole spotlight and a fountain. The GFCI tripped a few times but always reset. After a year it did not reset. I was told that moisture was causing the tripping because the outlets were too low to the ground. They said that is where I wanted them. If they would gave told me this would be an issue I never would have had them installed in such a low reference to the ground. They never stated this would be an issue. The company should have not installed them there if there was going to be an issue. They want to relocate them at my expense. I told them I wouldn't mind paying for a relocation of them but the more I thought about it the more I believe I should not have to pay for them to have them moved. They are the company I hired to install these outlets and they should have known if this was going to be an issue. They said it has been over a year and they may have been tampered with which is absurd. I paid a lot of money for this installation and now I have to go out there everyday and reset this GFCI. They have been out here several times. First they said the notch on the bottom of the cover where the cord goes through was altered causing moisture to enter the outlet box. I purchased two new boxes with the same opening and they installed them. It still trips. They are now making these absurd excuses to cover for there incompetence.

  

  Business response

  07/07/2023

  On 4 October 2021 we provided an estimate to the customer. On 1 and 2 November we completed the requested work. On 5 November 2023 we passed a Santa Rosa County inspection (permit number 2021-16188-000-E-0). This inspection would have made note if the outlets in question were installed at a non-code compliant height. We cannot know what water levels may be in a customer’s flower bed. We installed them in the location requested by the homeowner in such a manner as to also try to keep the homeowner’s association from causing the customer any trouble over it. Another thing that could be causing the GFCI to trip is the owner furnished equipment that is plugged into the outlets on the circuit. These items could be taking on water during rainstorms as well or could have a fault and be causing the GFCI to trip. On 31 January the customer called and stated that the GFCI outlet was tripping. We warrant our labor for one year. 31 January 2023 is more than a year beyond the original installation date of 1 and 2 November 2021. Despite this, because we always like to double check our work to confirm that the issue hasn’t been caused by an installation issue in order ensure the satisfaction of the customer, we did return at the next available opportunity which was 8 February 2023. At this time discovered that the homeowner had cut a large hole in the bottom of the box that the GFCI outlet is installed in in order to be able to plug in a large transformer for low voltage landscape lighting that the customer purchased from Amazon. We also noticed that the spotlight that we had installed to point up at his flag had been replaced. We did not replace this light. These two instances represent alterations to our work that generally void the labor warranty. We do not know what else may have been altered. The homeowner showed that he would alter our work during the original installation by taking a piece of grey schedule 40 PVC conduit that we had brought to the job site to use in running the wire for this job and began spray painting it to match the bricks on the house because he didn’t like the grey color. This would likely have resulted in a failed inspection because electrical wire must be run in a specific type of conduit and if the inspector could not see that we had used the correct conduit, then the inspection may have failed. This action resulted in loss of time on the job because I had to bring the electrician an additional length of pipe to replace the piece that we were unable to use because the homeowner started painting it in the middle of our job. At this time, during our site visit on 8 February 2023, we found that water had gotten into the box and caused corrosion on the GFCI outlet and inside the box, most likely due to the hole that the homeowner had cut in the box. We did charge a troubleshoot fee for this trip. However, because the issue persisted after the homeowner repaired the holes that he had cut and because this company has a policy of trying to be helpful to our customers, we returned on 20 March 2023, 31 May 2023, 1 June 2023, and 20 June 2023. On most occasions we just reset the GFCI outlet because it had tripped, usually after there had been a storm. On 1 June 2023, at the behest of Mr. DeGraaf (the owner of DeGraaf Electrical Service, LLC) in an attempt to satisfy the customer, we spent all day, at no cost to the customer, going through the entire set up in an attempt to locate anything at all that might be causing the issue besides rainwater. The electrician re-worked anything that he thought might have any effect on the issue including things caused by weathering. We also, on this day, replaced the GFCI outlet in question. After the final trip that we made to reset the GFCI, I emailed the home owner to let him know that we would no longer be able to return free of charge because we had reviewed everything we could think of that might have put us at fault for the tripping GFCI, re-worked anything, no matter how small, that we thought would have the slightest chance of causing the issue, and that there is nothing further that we can do beyond attempting to relocate the outlet from the location that the customer had requested. The homeowner had spoken with Mr. DeGraaf in person and said that he would pay to relocate the outlet. When I let home owner know that we would provide him with that estimate to relocate the outlet, he responded in an email that he had changed his mind and did not want to pay to relocate the outlet in question despite that fact that the outlet is in a code compliant location chosen by the home owner, installed in a code compliant manner, and despite the fact that we have returned outside of the warranty period to ensure that there was nothing caused by the installation that might be causing this issue.

  Customer response

  07/07/2023

  
  Complaint: 20276449
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This is a ridiculous response. There are no flooding issues in our flower beds for one so the water level excuse is just that. An excuse for their incompetence. They are the electricians and should have known there would be an issue. 

  As far as the huge notch cut out in the bottom of the outlet cover box, it was a divider that separated the two notches that were already there. These notches did not cause the corrosion in the boxes. The new ones from the factory have the same notches. Since then, there are two brand new boxes that I supplied, and they installed with the same exact notch that they installed. This notch is from the factory and no different from the one that was in the old boxes. It still tripped and I was charged as stated for nothing because the notches were not the cause. Another lie.

  I unplugged the landscape lights and fountain from the circuit for days and the GFCI still would not reset, so that excuse is also not correct. The spotlight they supplied was dimmer than the solar ones I had. I need the spotlight for a 20' flagpole as stated in the contract and they supplied one that would not light up a small tree let alone a 20' flagpole. They told me, after the fact, that the customer usually supplies that, so I purchased one and installed it myself. They had it apart when they corrected their mistake a few weeks ago, correcting the 10-gauge wire issue and never stated anything about it being installed incorrectly so once again they are using that for another false excuse. If there was an issue with the installation, I would have heard about it then.

  I never painted any grey conduit with any spray paint as they are indicating. I discussed it with the electrician because I wanted it to blend in with the brick and he told me about the inspection, so I did not paint it and it still is not painted to this day. It never resulted in any loss of time on this job because I never painted it. This is a lie. This really indicates they are grasping for straws to make any excuse for their incompetence at this point. What this has to do with this GFCI tripping I will never know.

  The only true statement was that I did state I would not mind paying a small fee to have these outlets re-located. I thought more about it and changed my mind. I believe the electrician should have known that mounting these outlets in such a low reference to the ground would be an issue. It is their incompetence that caused this issue. The way they are lying about the spotlight installation and the painting of the conduit should tell you everything you need to know. Like I said, they had the box to the spotlight apart fixing their mistake and nothing was mentioned about anything done incorrectly. My home has never flooded and there is a lot of sand in our soil, so the drainage is good. This company is grasping for excuses to cover for their incompetence. 

   

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

  

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  The only reason the painting of the conduit was brought up was to establish a precedent for the customer altering the company’s work. I drove up to the job site to deliver the additional conduit and saw the PVC pipe in question in the yard with the spray paint on it. I can’t prove it as I did not take a photo which is my mistake. I ought to have done so or to have brought that conduit in question back to the office. The statement is true nonetheless. The #10 wire mentioned cannot have been the problem if the problem has persisted since this alteration was made by the company. Any time that we returned to the property, as long as the box was dried out, we were able to reset the GFCI outlet. I will refer again to a passed Santa Rosa County inspection for permit 2021-16188-000-E-0. I will also refer again to the company policy of warranting labor for one year following the installation and that the customer’s complaint was made after that period and that despite this, this company still spent a great deal of time trying to ensure that there was not an installation issue that would cause the tripping of the GFCI and we made even the  smallest alterations that we thought might have even a slight chance of causing this issue and as the issue has persisted despite this, then the problem could not have been because of an installation issue. We cannot continue to argue. I have stated the facts of the situation and cannot continue to argue in circles. I have attached a copy of the passed inspection report from the county.

  Customer response

  07/10/2023

  
  Complaint: 20276449
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I do not remember painting anything so if it was painted at all it must have been so small it wouldn't have made a dam bit of difference, which I believe upon reflection, the electrician may have stated. Too bad you do not mention the time that was saved after I suggested going up and over the ceiling in my porch instead of the contract stated buried and routed under the sidewalk. Routing the cable up and over saved significant time but no price difference was made on the final bill. I asked and the answer was no difference in the charge.  The 10-gauge issue was not the reason for the tripping of the GFCI but that does not change the fact that it was done incorrectly. I'm pretty sure the inspector did not take the boxes apart. Last time you were out here the reason for the trip was the 10-gauge wire popped out of the GFCI in back and that is when it was noted the 10-gauge was not supposed to be ran right to the outlet. The two outlets in the soffit are still wired this way, the 10-gauge wire into the outlets, which is wrong. You can use any excuse you want, and I agree about the arguing in circles statement, but the outlets should not have been installed in the location that they were installed. The person that does this for a living should have known this and that this may cause an issue in the future. I guess since a year went by and not enough moisture was built up to cause the constant issue, it must be ok not to stand behind your work. I will be sure to spread the word about the way you stand behind your work. I will have to pay another company to repair you mistake. I already got one estimate, and this will cost me $500 to relocate your mistakes. You knew there would be an issue with the location of these outlets but installed them at this location anyway. Somehow this is my fault. Right.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ** ******

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