Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
09/06/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I paid a General Contractor $5000 for a service agreement, in which he did not fulfill his responsibilities as outlined in the contract. He also billed me for additional fees that were not approved by me ahead of time. I relied on his professional experience to guide me toward a project that fit within my budget. He did not do this and as a result, I incurred even more unnecessary expenses. I have paid out a total of $8,500 since engaging in business with this contractor, and nine months later I am no further ahead than where I started - in fact I am in the hole. He not only wasted my money, he also wasted my time. I was expecting to break ground no later than October 2021, and now I am having to completely start over again with another general contractor (who, by the way, is NOT charging me any money to advise me on the size project I can afford).Business response
10/05/2021
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/09/18) */ We have attached our Design Analysis agreement and our full response. In short, we fulfilled our terms of our agreement in full. We gave the consumer options to complete her project and responded to consumer in an email dated one day prior to this complaint that "in the spirit of goodwill we would refund the agreement fee of $5000.00". We went above and beyond for the consumer. we wish her well and hope that she can be satisfied with our resolution. Consumer Response /* (3000, 8, 2021/09/25) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) John says he prepared a preliminary budget based on customer's needs. Really - where is it? Shouldn't this have been done prior to finalizing construction plans, permitting, etc. He jumped the gun and assumed I was going through with the project regardless of the cost. Why else would he have needed to obtain permitting? We did not meet 11 times after signing the contract in January. We met three times prior to signing, and six times afterward. Of these six times, three of them consisted of John coming to the site with various trades (these were not client meetings). Instead of completing the Customer Project Book and after I asked for it twice, John handed me a notebook containing the original bids that were received. Not that I have any use for it now, but why wasn't the Customer Project Book ever completed per the agreement? I have the empty binder that was supposed to be filled. As far as I know, John did not work with the architect or engineer. He may have made one phone call to the draftsman. I don't believe John had any intention of reimbursing the $5000 that I paid him. I sent him an email on September 4th expressing my dissatisfaction with his service, and he blew me off. In fact, it wasn't until I informed him of the complaint filed with the BBB that he agreed to refund my money. See attached email. I never at any time agreed to pay for additional fees beyond the $5000, as evidenced in the attached email. Note that he agreed to reimburse me for the permitting fees that were incurred without my approval. To date, I have not been reimbursed for these fees. As I have already expressed to John, I still don't know why it cost me $8500 to find out my budget was nowhere near what it would take to complete the project. Attached is a preliminary budget that was given to me just a few days ago by an experienced general contractor. I met with him one time at the site while he took measurements, made notes, and asked pertinent questions. He did not ask for multiple surveys, completed drawings, permitting, etc. Within three weeks he presented me with a written estimated preliminary budget. I now have a solid starting place with which to make adjustments and scale the project to fit my budget BEFORE I move forward. Most importantly, I was not charged a single penny for this service!!! If John did not understand that this was the type of guidance I needed, then shame on him! He's in the business and should have been able to quickly assess my needs and then acted accordingly. Since I may in the future need to obtain surveys, I am willing to deduct the $1200 that I paid to have these completed, which brings the total to $7356.71 - see attached spreadsheet with breakdown of costs. Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2021/09/27) */ Consumer did not hire Rampart Homes for pricing alone, as she stated, which is why we uploaded our agreement which she signed and paid the fee. Builder offered several solutions for consumer to get her project done after explaining that consumer's wants and specifications were not within her stated budget. Without investigating the mechanics of the existing systems, pricing provided could not be close to accurate and put the consumer in a horrible position of being halfway into the build without the funds to complete. Consumer received 100% of the product we were to provide to her based upon that agreement. The 3 amounts consumer is wanting refund for ($1200 for survey and $1875.84 for draftsmen/engineers reports & plans) were not paid to Rampart Homes. Consumer concedes to the $1200 for site survey, but Rampart Homes is not responsible for monies that were never paid to Rampart Homes. These she paid directly to her draftsmen. Consumer verbally requested R.H. go in for permitting (we offered to transfer this into her name if she wished to proceed without us. Consumer indicated she wanted us to cancel this. We did.) We will also offer this money for the permitting (since we did not obtain written verbal authorization, but took her at her word) we will return to her $5,480.87. We, at Rampart Homes, wish her the best of luck in the future and hopes she will be satisfied with this resolution. Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2021/10/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
*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. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Customer Complaints Summary
1 total complaints in the last 3 years.
0 complaints closed in the last 12 months.