ComplaintsforEthical Air

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 7/7/23, I paid $2700 to A-Stone to change bathroom faucet and replace bathroom floor pan that was leaking.A-Stone told me that after they finished their job, I would be able to tile the floor.After they finished, I could not tile the floor because they put tarpaulin on the floor.I had to hire another contractor to remove the tarpaulin and replace it with foam.A-Stone staff told me they know there was no way for cement or tiles to go on top of tarpaulin that was done for me.Tarpaulin is used for a house that is newly being built so it could be tucked behind the walls.My 3 walls are solid and built all the way to ceiling. I couldn't pull them down to tuck in tarpaulin.In essence, they collected $2700 for one faucet, 4x4 feet tarpaulin and for demolishing 4x4feet bathroom floor tiles. The contract says I will be able to tile the floor when they finished.I couldn't do this.I attached copies of the contract, how much I paid, the replaced faucet, the floor before demolishing, the wrongly placed tarpaulin and the correctly placed foam (which was done by another contractor.)I had to hire another contractor to redo the work for $1400.I attached his job estimate. I drove 70 mins one-way to A-Stone office on two occasions to discuss the issue.The owner asked the manager to tell me that the tarpaulin is their preference/choice.THEY KNOW I CAN NOT PROCEED TO PUT TILE OVER TARPAULIN.They were suppose to give me (simple) cement or (professional) foam.I am asking for refund for $1500 for payment to another contractor to fix the mess they left, pain and suffering over this aggravation, cost of travelling 4.8 hours to speak with them because they refused to pick my phone calls and for 4 weeks wage loss in this room which I normally use as BNB.

  Business response

  08/27/2023

  Hello, please be advised we have been accommodating from the very beginning. The customer requested we go onsite to assess a leak in the bathroom and we did so and sent an estimate to replace the shower pan and the shower valve. The customer was unhappy with the price so we discounted the price by $250 even though she lives out of our normal service area. We also advised many times over the phone and in writing that the tile repairs would not be included and that she would need to have the tiles repaired after the plumbing repairs. After receiving approval from the customer, we went onsite and installed the new shower pan and replaced the shower valve and shower trim. Our company policy is to collect payment from homeowners upon completion and the customer did not have the payment to us until about a week after completion, however no late fee was charged. Though we advised multiple times that the customer would be responsible for all tile repairs, the plumber advised the customer that he knew a trustworthy tile ********************** he could recommend and we provided her with the phone number so she could coordinate with him if she would like.
  
  
  Weeks passed and our office received an email from the customer questioning the work we completed because the tile company she hired made remarks about our work and said they could not install tile over the shower pan without a kerdi pan. A kerdi pan is not a requirement, but a tiler's preference. We explained this to the customer and advised again that the plumber who did the repairs knew a trustworthy tile company who could do the work if she would like a second opinion, however the customer advised she already paid a deposit to the tile company to remove our work and install a kerdi pan instead. If we had been notified by the customer prior to her approval of the tile company's proposal, we could have informed her that the kerdi pan was not required, or also installed a kerdi pan for an extra charge- however we were not notified of any issues or concerns until after the customer paid a deposit to a different ********************** to remove our work.
  
  
  The customer has come to our office requesting to speak to the owner and because he is typically in the field, we advised it is best to make an appointment with the office prior to avoid any unnecessary trips. We have also provided the customer with multiple contacts to reach our office to do so. Our office has spoken with the customer multiple times both over the phone and in person to try to remedy any concerns and explain that our work was not defective. The customer has sent multiple rude and threatening emails and text messages directed towards our staff which we have documented proof of.
  
  
  We have tried to be as accommodating and transparent as possible, however we are not able to provide a refund as we completed our scope of work correctly and made the customer aware multiple times that we are not responsible for the tile repairs, which she approved of.
  

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