ComplaintsforMr. Handyman serving Brandon to Bradenton Beach

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We noticed a leak in the corner of our patio roof and called Mr. ********************** to give us an estimate to repair the leak. My husband wasnt able to be home when the technician came, so it was just me. The repair man came and gave a quote to detach the super gutter, replace the rotted wood, and reattach and reseal everything. I reviewed the estimate with my husband and we decided to proceed.He completed the work, but managed to do it in an easier way that didn't involve having to pull the roof or gutter off. So he was only here for about two hours working.Not knowing any better, I paid and signed the receipt, not realizing I was also signing my life away saying I approved of the work. As soon as my husband was home and inspected the work, he realized what a shotty job it was and tried to contact mr. ********************** to come to a resolution, with no luck. The repair man did a terrible job and the gutter/roof is still leaking to this day. Weve also never received any receipt or copy of any of the paperwork that I signed even after calling and asking. The repair looks terrible. He used multiple pieces of wood because he was too lazy to go buy one long peace. And the leak wasnt even fixed. So more damage is being caused to surrounding fascia.Also, we had paid the estimate fee separately which he was supposed to have taken off the final bill, but he didnt. So we paid an extra $50.We even have a quote from another contractor to fix their mistake and its going to cost us over $1000.

  

  Business response

  04/19/2024

  Please accept my attached letter as our formal response to this complaint. It's always our goal to keep our customers satisfied with all of our projects. I apologize for the delay in getting back to you, I recently had a baby and am managing my part of the business from home. 

  I am writing to respond to case # ******** which was disputed by our customer, ******************. The
  customer hired us to correct an area of wood rot above their patio which connected to their super
  gutter. Our technician explained to homeowner the scope of work and the pricing involved with
  making the full repair. The customer called her husband and he suggested that we repair a smaller
  section of the wood instead but ultimately decided not to move forward. ****************** told the
  technician that he could leave without doing the work. She ended up calling the office back a few
  minutes after he left asking him to go ahead and do the work (call is attached).
  Upon returning to the house, the estimate was approved and signed at the agreed price of $933. The
  technician was able to do the work as the customer wanted and even managed to save him $124 off of
  that estimate. The office even gave him a $50 coupon for being a loyal customer and we refunded the
  $70 estimate fee, as we do for all of our booked customers taking an additional $120 off of the bill,
  making the total savings $244 off of the original estimate. Please see these lines on the invoice bringing
  that total down to only $755. The customer approved the work to be done and we completed the job
  as requested.
  After the job, ****************** called in to speak with our customer service representative where the bill
  was explained again and the process to complete the job was explained again. On this call, he
  complained about the price, which was $244 less than the amount that they had approved.
  After reading the complaint I looked very closely at the photographs and our notes from the technician
  that day. Our technician took pictures of the work prior to starting and after completing it to show that
  it was properly addressed and everything was left in excellent condition. The customer told our
  technician they would take care of the painting themselves, which again would keep the price within
  the estimated amount. The pictures that were submitted by the customer highlight caulking that was
  done to attempt to keep water out, not the overall condition of the work. As I stated, no painting was
   Were Re-inventing the Home Improvement experience!
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  done because of the homeowners request. If you look at the pictures that we took of the whole view,
  youll see a different angle and perspective of the actual work that took place, not just the caulked
  seam that the customer said they would paint themselves. Please see the attached photographs where
  youll find the new wooden beam that is a natural (unpainted) color and the existing white wood which
  had the water damage. While we do back our work for a full year, we cannot warranty water leaks. If
  you read the last page of our contract on the invoice it does state that there are no warranty on water
  leaks of any nature. However, we would have happily come out to troubleshoot the problem had the
  customer called in and said that water continued to leak but we didnt hear from them again. The main
  concern that the customer expressed to us was the rotten wood connected to the super gutter and
  that was addressed properly and professionally.
  In summary, prior to beginning the project an estimate was verbally explained and provided in writing.
  The customer agreed and signed giving us authorization to work on their property. The customer also
  acknowledged the satisfactory completion of services provided and authorized Mr. ********************** serving
  Brandon to charge the agreed amount to the card provided with a signature. We even managed to
  save them money. Please see the attached invoice with signature on 1/12/24 approving the payment.
  The pictures attached show that the work was done properly, leaving it ready for the homeowner to
  paint. GPS records and timesheets are attached to show that we spent more than half of the day at
  their house working on this project.
  Please let me know if you have any questions about this and Im happy to answer them.
  Sincerely,
  ****** Lembo

   

  I've attached the estimate, invoices, pictures, GPS records, technician timesheets and the credit agency dispute which was dismissed. Let me know if you have any questions and I'm happy to answer. 

  Customer response

  04/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 21460119
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I read through Ms. *********************** response to our complaint, but our main issues are not addressed at all.

  First off, we never received any receipts or copies of any of the paperwork, even after multiple requests. When we looked at our bank statement, it appears the $70 estimate fee was not taken off our total.

  Secondly, she repeatedly mentions the wood not being painted - weve never stated that was an issue. We absolutely agreed to leave the wood untreated because the technician told me he would have to come back a week later and that it would be an additional charge that was not included in the estimate. So the painting not being completed was 100% not a problem.

  Our biggest issue is that the work that was done is not what we agreed to pay for. When the tech was first here to give the quote, I had my husband talk to him on the phone. We were surprised by the estimated cost, so my husband suggested another way of doing the job that seemed like it would be easier and take less time. Obviously my husband is not an expert, so when the tech explained why he quoted it the way he did, we agreed to have it done his way. But thats not the work that was done.

  We wanted the leak fixed and the rotted wood replaced. But the leak was not fixed. We realized it fairly quickly but by that point we had already disputed the charge with our bank, since we didnt get what we paid for, and did not feel comfortable having them come back out. Especially considering we had already spoken with them and also tried to get them to send the documentation and receipts (which they never did).

  Also, the documents that were attached all failed to download and open for me, with the exception of the letter from Ms. *********************** In regards to the amount of time the tech was here, I can say he left to go to ********** for supplies and was gone for a decent amount of time. What bothers me most about that is that he didnt even get the right size wood to replace the rotted piece. So one long seamless piece was replaced with two pieces and looked terrible by comparison.

  I just want to reiterate, we had them out to fix the leak. The leak was not fixed. Weve now had to pay an additional $3600 to fix the leak and repair even more areas that rotted as a result. 

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

  

  Business response

  05/27/2024

  Ms. *********************,
  I am writing as a second response to case # ******** which was disputed by our customer, ******************. As stated in the prior letter, the customer hired us to correct an area of wood rot above their patio which connected to their super gutter. Our technician spoke with both homeowners to try to come up with the best plan for them. We were under the impression that the leak had been resolved and we were fixing the residual wood rot as it states in the estimate and invoice summary. If you look at the original estimate which was approved and the invoice, which was signed, we were there to address wood rot created by the leak, not the leak. The caulking was done as a preventative measure but not to address any existing leak. If we had known that the leak was on-going we would have told them that it needed to be addressed prior to us replacing the wood rot to prevent damage to any new materials installed as we tell all of our customers who contact us with any existing leak.
  In summary, I hear that the customer is frustrated but we did our very best to accommodate their requests and to stay within their budget. The work was done correctly and securely. I am unsure of where the miscommunication happened with an on-going leak but we held up our end of the deal and corrected the wood rot as requested by the customer. Please note that it says in our estimate and on the invoice and estimate: Our 1 year workmanship warranty does not cover storm or water damage.
  Im adding the attachments on the next page of this file to make sure that they are visible to the customer.
  Please let me know if you have any questions about this and Im happy to answer them.
  Sincerely,
  ****** Lembo

   

  PLEASE SEE ATTACHED LETTER WITH PICTURES THAT DIDN'T UPLOAD PROPERLY LAST TIME. 

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