ComplaintsforPensacola Ironworks, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I started plans to remodel my kitchen in 2021. I contacted Pensacola Ironworks to ask if they made custom range hoods. Josh ******, owner, replied that yes he did. On Jan 12, 2022, I emailed Josh that ******'s, the GC for the project, gave a start date of the end June. Josh replied he needed a 2 - 3 month lead time. Josh provided a website and stated he could make anything on the site. I selected a hood. ******s provided him with the dimensions of the hood. Josh came back with a quote of approx $4K and asked for a $2K deposit. On March 23, 2022, I mailed a check for my deposit of $2K On June 29th, Josh presented Jamie (******s' designer) and I with several finish samples. We agreed to a color with a certain texture. The entire month of July, Josh was out sick with Covid. On Aug 18th, Josh came to my home with color samples and told me 'I don't like any of these'. At that point I stated that I had changed my mind and wanted a brushed SS look w/black trim. On Aug 24, Josh returned with 3 different brushed SS looks and black trim. Jamie and I made the selection and thought we were all on the same page. Since then, Josh has not delivered the hood. He has sent texts and emails saying he's working on it, but it's not going well. He even emailed that my asking caused him anxiety and not to contact him. He would let me know when it is finished. That was 6 weeks ago. Last week, per discussion with Jamie (******'s), I sent him an email with 2 options. Either give ******s a pickup date or refund my $2K. He has not replied to me or ******s. ******'s finished my kitchen remodel 2 months ago and I do not have a range hood. I have many emails and texts with him and CC'd ******s on emails. Jamie has many too with direct contact with Josh. Ron ******, Jamie and myself, have had a couple face to face meetings with him, but none since August. ******s had recommended buying a hood for they agree we have given Josh every opportunity to deliver.

  Business response

  11/29/2022

  Ms. *******s complaint is primarily accurate. The last communication I had with her was when I asked her to quit asking me when it would be ready. Every time she did, I tried to rush things, which always led to a mistake, which inevitably led to having to start over. I was unaware of the email she included with the complaint and the email she referenced with the two options until now. I have regularly been in touch with Jamie, and they were not mentioned. I will be the first to say that this project has taken much longer than it should have, and I am embarrassed by it. The time has not been from lack of attention, effort, or dedication. I did miss most of July due to being severely ill with COVID-19. As a sole proprietor with no employees, missing a solid month of work has created an indescribable backup of everything. When Ms. ****** decided she wanted a stainless steel look rather than a weathered acid-washed look, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. I was very much mistaken. The attention to detail required for a naked steel look is magnitudes greater than a weathered look.
  
  
  Everything has to be perfect because every imperfection stands out like a sore thumb on a silver reflective background. Usually, there wouldn’t be that many flaws, but after I welded the sides of the hood to the front and began to grind the welds down so all the metal would look like it was a solid piece of steel, I discovered porosity peppered all throughout my welds. Porosity happens when gas pores appear randomly in the weld bead. What I was finding was subsurface porosity. You can’t see it while you are making the weld, as the name implies, as it’s hidden under the surface of the weld. It presents as a bubble that expands as the rest of the weld is cooling.
  
  
  Nevertheless, it’s one of the less visible types of subsurface porosity. You can only discover it by taking X-ray pictures of the weld or grinding it down to look for pores. Grinding the welds down is precisely what had to be done for this project, thus exposing the pores.
  Source: https://********************************
  
  
  And when I ground the welds down, they were full of pores. They look like blackheads running down the seams of the range hood, and there was no way I could deliver the hood with a brushed steel finish in that state. Porosity is caused by several factors; dirty base metals, dirty wire, insufficient shielding gas coverage, and wind, among other factors. I went down every checklist trying to discover the cause. Nothing corrected it. I kept trying to repair it, only to find flaws in my repairs. Weld, grind, fail, repeat. Until finally, there wasn’t enough sheet metal left to work on, and I would have to take all the metal off and start over. 
  
  Since I sent the email asking not to be asked when it would be completed, I worked on nothing except the hood. I had committed to Ms. ****** a work of art for her kitchen centerpiece. I would provide it for her at the agreed-upon price, no matter what it cost me in time, material, equipment, or labor. I quit accepting any new business and refused to start new projects for customers already waiting. Unfortunately, I lost two large jobs that I was counting on for this winter. 
  
  
  The day before the 2nd to last time I spoke with Jamie, I finally discovered the source of the porosity. There was a small O-ring deep inside my machine that had failed. This allowed atmospheric air to get sucked into my shielding gas and contaminate the welds. In my 12 years of welding, I have never had this happen, and I am mortified that it took me as long as it did to track the problem down.
  
  
  However, as I told Jamie, every solution leads to another problem. I should have started over with fresh metal now that I had the porosity fixed. Unfortunately, that was not an option because I had exhausted my financial resources. Ms. ****** had told me multiple times that she was spread thin, and I didn’t want to ask her for money, so I was working with what I had. This involved blending pieces of steel into the hood, and although it was time-consuming, it was coming along rather nicely. I had just about completed that and was getting ready to start on the finish sanding and trim when the BBB contacted me. It was unexpected. As I said, I had not seen the last two emails, I had been in contact with Jamie, and thought we were still on the same page.
  
  
  Since we were not on the same page, I was forced to put the range aside and work on other projects because of bills. Ms. *******s deposit for her custom order was all spent on materials that have been used. The change of finish created significantly more work than was initially estimated. Still, that expense was not going to be passed on to her. I will finish the hood at the original price if she wants me to complete the project. If not, I will return the blower motor for the hood to ******’s, but I will not refund the original deposit.

  Customer response

  11/29/2022

  Per Josh's response, it seems he accidentally deleted my email dated Nov 9th asking for a finished date.

   

  Today, I spoke with Ron ****** and we are requesting a completion date of December 9th, 2022.

  With all the work that has been poured on this hood, it seems it must be close to being finished.

  The hood must be completed to the agreed vision.  Josh will notify Jamie on December 9th when ******s can pick it up.

   

  If December 9th, cannot be met, we will move on to Plan B to procure a range hood to finish the kitchen.

  The deposit of $2K is expected to be refunded either in full or partial payments.

   

  Barbara ******

  Business response

  12/21/2022

  Ms. ******, I was actively communicating with Jamie when you blindsided me with your BBB complaint. Work stopped on your hood when I received it. That is the reason I didn’t complete your hood by December 9th. Since I don’t know who is sharing what information with whom,  I am communicating here. 
  
  When you changed your mind about the finish on the hood, stainless steel was at an all-time high. It would have cost several thousand more dollars to go with brushed stainless. I took it upon myself to try and create a faux stainless steel in an attempt to give you what you wanted at no additional cost to you, but at great expense to me. That was my mistake; I made it and I did not complain. 
  
  I would like to complete your hood. I am happy to deliver what we originally agreed upon, which is a steel hood with a weathered acid finish, for the original cost. 
  
  If you want the brushed stainless steel finish, I am happy to create it out of actual stainless steel for the same price as the CopperSmith quote, which is attached. I won’t continue trying to make mild steel look and behave like stainless steel. It’s an exercise worthy of Sisyphus.
  
  I can put the hood back into my work rotation and deliver it by the end of January, assuming we get this settled before the end of the year. 
  
  If you simply want your fan back, you may have it at any time. Jamie can come to pick it up, or I will drop it off at ******’s. I will not refund the deposit. Deposits for custom work are non-refundable. I purchased the materials and used them, and your hood was actively being worked on when you filed the complaint. You changed the original parameters of our agreement drastically and, as far as I am concerned, owe me for the work and time that I have invested in your project. 
  
  If you don’t want me to complete the project, I’m willing to return the fan, and we can both walk away. If you continue to insist on the return of the deposit, I suppose it’s time to get the lawyers involved, which is the last thing I want to do.
  
  I feel awful that this situation has devolved to this, and I hope we can come to an amenable solution that works for both parties.

  Customer response

  12/29/2022

  1.  Per your Oct 5th email request to 'not bother you', four weeks went by with zero communication from you.  I asked Jamie to text you. (So you were not 'actively communicating with Jamie). On Oct 28th, you responded "The change from weather finish to....I should have doubled the price.....I'll give you an update on Monday". On Nov 2nd your text to Jamie '....hoping to be able to give you a more solid eta, but I can't....I think I'll be done with it by the end of the weekend, it just depends on what goes off the rails".   Exactly how long should it take to build a hood?  Per your March email, you asked for a 2-3 month lead time.  We gave you ample time. It was your non-communication and your continual 'I am working on it'  that forced my hand to file a complaint.  You should have responded to the Dec 9th deadline email.  It seems to be another excuse to put me off.  Not once did you send a picture of the hood.  The last time I saw it in September, it was a big iron mess.

   

  2.  You are the expert in iron work.  If changing my mind on the finish was a problem, you should have been more adamant to what my options were and impact to cost.  Instead, every time each time Jamie inquired on the status, you laid blame on me.  

   

  3.  Since you have never been able to give ******s or me a completion date, why should I think it will be done by end of January?  Ron ****** advised me to give you to Dec 9th to complete the hood.  My BBB response stated that and if it wasn't met, I would move on and buy a hood to finish my kitchen. I have done exactly that.

   

  4.  I know you spent the deposit on material and have time invested, but I do not have a product.  On your estimate it reads: 'This is an estimate, not an invoice. 50% deposit due upon acceptance, remainder due upon pick-up or delivery on June 15th.'  No where can i find that the deposit is not refundable.  It's not on your website, at least I cannot find it.  Plus the June 15th delivery date was 6 months ago!

   

  5.  I feel awful about this too.  The many weeks of not hearing anything, you were in my morning prayers.  I prayed for God to give you the ability to finish the hood and that I would hear from you.  My excitement on having a new kitchen with a custom range hood was shattered!  ******s finished the kitchen 3 months ago.  Plus there is NO ventilation for cooking.  

   

  6.  I invested $2000 with a personal check to complete a range hood.  I offered to pay for the paint to go to a black finish.  Bottom line is I have zip and am out $2000.  In my opinion, if Pensacola Ironworks is a reputable business with customer satisfaction first and foremost, you should refund my deposit.  Finish it and sell it to recoup the money.  Let your conscious be your guide.  

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