ComplaintsforModern Stucco and Services Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I would like to file a complaint against a Business and have BBB help me get a resolution to my problem, Business is Modern Stucco and Services ******************************************,Phone ********** Desired Resolution Refund $750.00 On June 5 Modern Stucco met with me to discuss quote for Repair to Crown Moulding at our home.No Cotract was provided or signed,verbal estimate $5250.00,a deposit 60% for $3150.00 was paid.Scaffolding was placed working for 1 hour,he was to return the next day to continue work. Did not return on June 6,returned June 7,additional scaffolding placed for about 30 mts.Was rude to me and my wife when I asked him how he would repair moulding.He decided then not to proceed with the job and promised total refund of deposit via mail.After 1 week he mailed a check for $2280.00,subtracting #***.00 for labor for 7 hrs at @80/hr, Office labor 2 hrs for $160.00 and Logistic @150.00 ?? No repairs were done on moulding,scaffolding set up for days worked total one and half hours ,I am Requesting Refund of $750.00 from my deposit.The charges on invoice are clearly fradulent and baseless.This is clearly Modern Stuccos attempt to take advantage of Senior citizens.Thank You

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  Modern Stucco and Services Inc                                                             **************************************************************************
  **************************                                                                                                     PH ************
  *******, **. 60633
  
                                                                                                                                                                       07/18/2023 - 12/14/2023
  
  
  In regards to customer complaint launched by ********************************
  
  Modern Stucco Services started work on the project located at **** ************, ********* ******** on Monday June 5, 2023. Through SMS communications we agreed on a price in the amount of $5,250.00, with 60% payable as deposit. The customer wrote a deposit check for the amount $ 3,150.00.
  After having begun the project and having set up the scaffolding, I was approached by the customers wife who proceeded to persistently comment on how the work should be performed. As I felt I could not do my work according to my professional standards established after 30 years of work experience in this field, I returned the deposit and offered to remove the scaffolding and discontinue the project without charge. At this stage however, her husband intervened and told us to keep the deposit and requested that we continue the project, to which I agreed. The customers wife demanded a hard copy of the contract which I provided her with, as agreed, the next time I returned to the work-site.
  
  The work was temporarily halted as additional equipment was required in order to create a platform to get access to the damaged crown molding without damaging the **** tiles over the extended windows, and owing to an obstructing tree. After some initial difficulties setting up the scaffolding due to an obstructing tree, the work was temporarily abrupted as additional equipment was required. Additional scaffold was necessary in order to repair the damaged EIFS crown molding so as not to damage the **** tiles over the extended windows.
  
  No work was performed on June 6th due to adverse weather conditions. Work was instead resumed on June 7, 2023 at which point the customers wife was given a hard copy of the contract, as agreed during our previous encounter. She then proceeded to demand a discounted price, to which I did not agree. A few minutes later, the customer informed me that he had decided to go with another company as he deemed the price to be too high, and asked me to return the deposit. I informed him that the check had already been deposited at the bank, but that I would send him the remainder of the deposit after deducting the cost of labor for the hours performed so far on the project. This was further explained in an invoice that I sent them before leaving the work-site. Our employees disassembled the scaffolding and cleaned up the work-site before leaving. Please see attached pictures and screenshots supporting the information in this letter.
  
  I didnt take any picture of scaffolding set on the left side of the building in preparation for the repairs, but the owner has a surveillance camera and perhaps a recording of this. In my opinion, I have been fair and only charged the customer for the labor, material and transport cost for the work performed setting up the scaffolding, creating a platform to get access to the area needing repair and preparation of the crown molding. I therefore do not agree to returning the $870.00.
  Please contact me if you have any questions by email or phone at *************
  

  I sent the same explanatation to Attorney General of ******** where the costumer also submitted a complaint.

  In regarding to the customer claiming that he was being taken advantage of as a senior citizen, it may also be said that the owner of the company is a senior citizen, and we take offence at such insinuations. I would also

  I would also like to point out that the costumer repeated asked for discounted price, claiming that: "Every person that work for her has offer her discount."

  
                                                                                                                                         ***********************
                                                                                                                                         Manager

  
  

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  Modern Stucco and Services Inc                                                             **************************************************************************
  **************************                                                                                                     PH ************
  *******, **. 60633
  
                                                                                                                                                                       07/18/2023 - 12/14/2023
  
  
  In regards to customer complaint launched by ********************************
  
  Modern Stucco Services started work on the project located at **** ************, ********* ******** on Monday June 5, 2023. Through SMS communications we agreed on a price in the amount of $5,250.00, with 60% payable as deposit. The customer wrote a deposit check for the amount $ 3,150.00.
  After having begun the project and having set up the scaffolding, I was approached by the customers wife who proceeded to persistently comment on how the work should be performed. As I felt I could not do my work according to my professional standards established after 30 years of work experience in this field, I returned the deposit and offered to remove the scaffolding and discontinue the project without charge. At this stage however, her husband intervened and told us to keep the deposit and requested that we continue the project, to which I agreed. The customers wife demanded a hard copy of the contract which I provided her with, as agreed, the next time I returned to the work-site.
  
  The work was temporarily halted as additional equipment was required in order to create a platform to get access to the damaged crown molding without damaging the **** tiles over the extended windows, and owing to an obstructing tree. After some initial difficulties setting up the scaffolding due to an obstructing tree, the work was temporarily abrupted as additional equipment was required. Additional scaffold was necessary in order to repair the damaged EIFS crown molding so as not to damage the **** tiles over the extended windows.
  
  No work was performed on June 6th due to adverse weather conditions. Work was instead resumed on June 7, 2023 at which point the customers wife was given a hard copy of the contract, as agreed during our previous encounter. She then proceeded to demand a discounted price, to which I did not agree. A few minutes later, the customer informed me that he had decided to go with another company as he deemed the price to be too high, and asked me to return the deposit. I informed him that the check had already been deposited at the bank, but that I would send him the remainder of the deposit after deducting the cost of labor for the hours performed so far on the project. This was further explained in an invoice that I sent them before leaving the work-site. Our employees disassembled the scaffolding and cleaned up the work-site before leaving. Please see attached pictures and screenshots supporting the information in this letter.
  
  I didnt take any picture of scaffolding set on the left side of the building in preparation for the repairs, but the owner has a surveillance camera and perhaps a recording of this. In my opinion, I have been fair and only charged the customer for the labor, material and transport cost for the work performed setting up the scaffolding, creating a platform to get access to the area needing repair and preparation of the crown molding. I therefore do not agree to returning the $870.00.
  Please contact me if you have any questions by email or phone at *************
  

  I sent the same explanatation to Attorney General of ******** where the costumer also submitted a complaint.

  In regarding to the customer claiming that he was being taken advantage of as a senior citizen, it may also be said that the owner of the company is a senior citizen, and we take offence at such insinuations. I would also

  I would also like to point out that the costumer repeated asked for discounted price, claiming that: "Every person that work for her has offer her discount."

  
                                                                                                                                         ***********************
                                                                                                                                         Manager

  
  

  Customer response

  12/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20909871
  
  I am rejecting this response because:    
  
  In the first paragraph of his letter, ***** states "....I was approached by the customer's wife who proceeded to persistently comment on how the work should be performed. As I felt I could not do my work according to my professional standards.....I returned the deposit and offered to remove the scaffolding and discontinue the project without charge."  ***** correctly states that they removed the scaffolding when they left, but they DID NOT return the deposit without charge; they kept $870, which ***** attributes to 'labor on project', 'office labor' and 'logistics.' Plain and simple, the contractors, of their own volition, decided they didn't want to do the job because they did want to deal with someone who would "persistently comment on how the work was performed." If a customer is paying $5,250 for a contracting job, he/she is *********** ask basic questions on how that work will be done. The fact of the matter is, Modern Stucco did want to answer to someone asking about how the job was going to be performed - in fact, one of the contractors quickly retorted when asked about the molding project "are you a heart surgeon? do we tell you how to operate?" The contractors not want to deal with the type of customer that would be vigilantly overseeing the quality of their work; it wasn't worth the trouble or hassle.  It was acceptable to us that ***** wanted to walk away from the project at this point, as he had promised that he would "return the full deposit"-- these words verbatim. "Without charge" as stated in his letter.  He later went back on his promise, sending an invoice deducting "the cost of his labor", "office labor" and "logistic charges." These are overstated, fraudulent charges. ***** and his partner were here for a total of 1.5 hours. We live in a gated community that records when people enter and leave the premise, and they provided us with this information. Modern Stucco claims labor on the project was 7 hours. In an effort to reach an equitable agreement, we are willing to pay Modern Stucco for 1.5 hours of labor, or $120 (even though no work whatsoever was performed on the house), and request a refund of $750. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  As explained in my previous letter, the reason that the work was finally terminated was that Mr ******* informed me that he had decided to go with another company as he deemed the price to be too high. In Mr ******** response, quoted statements from my previous letter are taken out of context to suit a false narrative to suggest otherwise by distorting the timeline of events. At an early stage, I handed over the cheque for the deposit and offered to remove the scaffolding without any charge for reasons outlined in my previous letter, but I was subsequently persuaded to proceed with the project after further discussion with Mr ******* who requested that I continue. It was days later, after our work on the site had resumed after adverse weather conditions, that Mr ******* informed me that he had decided to go with another company, after first issuing demands for a discounted price. He was then informed that the remainder of the deposit would be sent after deducting the cost of the work performed thus far.
  
  I have made a fair and accurate calculation of the cost for the labor, material and transport for the work performed in preparation of the crown molding and setting up the scaffolding in accordance with safety regulations. This included creating a platform to get access to the area needing repair, that was not easily accessible, and having an obstacle in the form of a large tree in close proximity to the house creating additional challenge.
  This took a total of several hours to complete and required multiple trips to the work site. The notion that it only took 1 hours may not have taken this into account, as it is certainly not accurate, plus I didn't charge them for my extra time I had spend on explaining other not related issues to the project they had and didn't know how to taker care of.

  Customer response

  01/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 20909871
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Work was Terminated(am on 06/07/23 when ***** decided not to proceed and REFUND FULL DEPOSIT,note Check For $3150 was cashed on 06/05/23

  REASON line 3 on First Response "Customers wife proceeded to persistenly comment on how the work should be performed." As I Felt I Could not do my work I returned the Deposit and offered to remove the scaffolding and discontinue the project WITHOUT CHARGE I never was given the Deposit as he did not have the check,which was already cashed on 06/05/23

  LIE: I Never informed Pawel I was going with another company. HE decided to Discontinue the job for above reasons and RETURN FULL DEPOSIT

  LIE: No Inclement Weather on 06/06/23 asked why he did not return,***** stated he had another job at ******** that day, ********* Temp on 06/06/23 78 degrees and 0 precipitation and no rain

  LIE:Never ever mentioned Pawel needed additional Equipment

  LIE:No Tree obstructing front of Stucco damage area, see photos, never mentioned any tree was a problem

  Was at work site on 06/06/23 for 1/2 hour,no work 06/07/23, work 06/07 1 hour,TOTAL One and Half hours Labor which I am Willing to pay leaving a balance of $750.00

  LIE; NO Multiple TRIPS to Work Site and only 2 workers were here

  I am Demanding the Deposit Refund $750.00,No Work Whatsoever was performed,
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

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