ComplaintsforTop to Bottom Construction, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Top to Bottom Construction replaced my roof, gutters and fascia last year due to hail damage. I now have a roof that is caving in because they did not replace a rotten board when they removed the old roof. I called The Village of ******** since I had a Building Permit and asked them why they did not catch this on their inspection. I was told that Top To Bottom informed the village no boards were replaced. Top To Bottom does this to avoid the Building Inspection. They replaced 8 boards on my roof. They have a 7 year workmanship warranty and refuse to repair my roof. I want my roof repaired by Top To Bottom Construction at no cost to me.

  Business response

  08/09/2024

  We came out for the inspection on the warranty request. We expressed to the client that we checked all of the work we touched, and that further steps needed to be taken in order to properly diagnose the cause of the damaged plywood. We recommended 2 companies for them to call to perform an inspection to determine the cause of the damaged wood before we take apart the roof. The insulation and intake ventilation are what we believe are causing the plywood to be damaged. Based on our review of the damaged sheathing, all damaged sheathing was replaced during the build. We asked them to have an insulation or mitigation company assess for further cause so that we could the repairs completely and properly. We never stated we would not complete any warranty work.

  The initial permit application submitted to Palatine asked if we intended to replace sheathing. We responded with "all plywood is inspected for damage, delamination or other deterioration and would be replaced with like kind and quality in the event there is damage". When the final inspection was requested, we were not asked if any plywood was replaced during construction.

  We will gladly service the warranty issue when the full scope of repairs are determined. However, if we replace the damaged decking and do not fix the root cause, we will be asked to do so again in the future. The cause needs to be determined and corrected before we tear open the roof again. We have received no follow up since we were there 3 weeks ago to address this.

  Customer response

  08/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 22114126
  
  I am rejecting this response because: First off TTB did not recommend 2 companies for us to call to perform an inspection. They did not give us any advice on how to fix/resolve this issue. And they certainly did not tell us that after we fixed the issue of ventilation, that they would repair our roof. One lie after another. They hung us out to dry without offering any solutions to our problem. 

  They are back peddling now because I filed a complaint to BBB. 

  I had two employees from this company telling me they would honor the workmanship warranty. Then I had a woman from the office yelling at me over the phone saying they would not repair the roof. 
  
  Secondly, The Village of ******** should have done the final inspection, but because of their lies to the Village did not come out for the inspection. 
  

  The solution is to refund our money that Top To Bottom gouged our insurance company for. Then we can hired a reputable roofing company to replace/repair the roof that TTB installed.

  They should have gone about this whole situation differently. They are incompetent and unprofessional and have made this very frustrating for my husband and I to say the least. 

  *****************************

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  I myself am the one who spoke to these customers, and was on the phone while our Production Manager and our Field Supervisor Manager were onsite. 

  If we replace the buckled plywood, we will need a hold harmless. We let the customer know that we tried to diagnose this issue but couldn't determine the cause outside of improper eave ventilation, but would do the repair after the cause was determined and fixed. Initially, we told her we couldn't do the repairs until we had access to the attic in order to see if a disconnected vent or insulation were causing the problem. The amount of insulation in the attic was too much for us to be able to see, it appeared all vents were in tact. We also told her we believed the issue is improper eave venting, which the company who did the insulation would be able to diagnose. We did recommend the two service providers who could handle that diagnostic. I let the homeowners know that tearing into their roof before the reason the issue is occuring would only replace the one bad sheet of wood. If we were to continue to be called everytime she saw a buckle we would no longer honor those calls because it doesn't make sense to keep fixing the plywood when we don't know why the plywood is starting to go bad. We recommended a mitigation company as they are skilled in this type of diagnostic. 

  These conversations are well documented in our records. We went to the property twice to provide assistance, and we never said we wouldn't or couldn't do the repairs. We have been an accredited business for 16 years and have solved every complaint amicably and reasonably. The clients have been very hostile in their dealings with us, naturally assuming this is workmanship issue. We understand that is their perspective, but do not want to keep putting a band aid on a bullet hole. It is like if your roof was leaking, you wouldn't paint the walls until you know the leak has stopped. This situation is the same thing. We need to identify what part of the ventilation is causing the plywood to delaminate, fix that, and then we can fix the plywood.

  A full refund is not warranted as we have never said we would not take care of this problem, only that additional participants were needed to diagnose the problem correctly.

  Customer response

  08/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 22114126
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I would like to thank Better Business Bureau for accepting our case. 
  

  Dealing with Top To Bottom with this situation has been very difficult for us. 
  

  Unfortunate for us Top To Bottom has received $29,000 from our insurance company. We have now moved on and hired a roofing company that took the time to educate us on roofing and ventilation. 
  

  We very much regret ever giving Top To Bottom our business.

  
  Rob & *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Its been almost a year since the our home was damaged by a storm, and almost a year since a contract was signed and still have no answers about when the project will be done. Im sure all the details about this matter are part of the company records. I have been following up multiple time time via phone calls with different staff members of the company. The field manager on this project was or is *****, thats the only information we have about him.Also ( *****) state to me on multiple of our conversations that they sent additional information to my insurance carriers, which happens to be a lie. Me talking to my insurance carrier, they state to me that nomothetic documents ( information) was sent to them In other to they can ***** the claim. Last time i attempt to call him. Phone ist not longer in service. I did contact the main office number, a staff member name ( ***** ) if Im not mistaken the name, was able to communicate to me , part of the conversation was that ( ***** ) its not longer part of the company, I asked u will be the person continuing with project , at that point ( ( ***** ) state to me that the company was working on assign a different field manager for my project ( 2 weeks ago), at this time we havent heard anything or nobody hasnt communicated with us that all. Just trying to following with the contract stipulations on regard la if this project. Hopefully we can find some answers and get the project done at our property. Before reaching out to legal matters. Thanks for your attention.

  Business response

  03/18/2024

  We spoke to this homeowner at the same time this complaint was filed. We were able to solve his concerns within 2 days and have set the file on a good path moving forward. We apologized for the delay and have moved forward progressively.

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company did the roof on a home, didnt complete work they were paid for and left the roof with huge waves ******* a high wind rainstorm. Them months after the job was complete they sent out an invoice for nearly $3800 after assuring me they were only doing work that they had money in hand for. Im addition they didnt do replacements that they were paid for. And are currently trying to commit insurance fraud on me.

  Business response

  10/26/2023

  We entered into a Contingency Agreement Subject to Insurance Approval to replace the roof, gutters, and wrap approved windows.

  The roof was replaced per the agreement. The only charge on the invoice is for the roof and the associated building permit per the final approved estimate in accordance with our Contract. The gutters and window wraps were credited back as we did not perform this work. This is detailed out in the attached invoice which has been sent several times. A manager with our company even met him in person and outlined this against the insurance estimate. It is simple to understand and clear as day. There are no charges in the invoice aside from the work we actually performed. 

  The remainder of the work was cancelled by myself. The provisions of our contract allow for us to cancel the work outlined in the agreement for cause. As you will see in the attached messages, the claimant is not the customer, but acted as a representative for his elderly father. He was extremely disrespectful, aggressive, and took it as far to make threats of violence against our laborers. We informed him that we would not return a crew to his property out of concern for the safety of our people. The hostility and verbal abuse thrust upon my employees were unnecessary and intolerable. My administrative team was in tears. I had to pull my Production Managers into the field in order to insure the safety of our crews to finish the roof as we could not leave the house open. The treatment of our people and the way that they were threatened was just wrong. Our work was inspected and signed off by the ************** and our project manager. The roofing work in the scope was satisfactorily completed. 

  The certifications that the Claimant is thrusting at us are not even from the state of ********. They are from the ************** which are inapplicable here. The requirements for building a roof in ***** vs ******** are drastically different due to the climate. The code requirements there are not as strict as those in ********. It really feels like we are trying to be bullied by someone for no reason, with half of the information and minimal ability to understand what he is talking about. So instead of working with us he is choosing to intimidate and bully little girls and laborers. I do not need to subject my people to that treatment. We have performed work and billed for the work that was performed. Any work that was not performed was credited back. There has been no legitimate contest made to the invoice, so I do not have enough information to address this concern any further than I already have.

• Initial Complaint

  10/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Top to bottom construction replaced my roof on 8-13-2022 for hail damage which was covered my insurance. They sent me an voice for $23,461.92, although my insurance gave me check for $19,404.65. They told me that there was no deductible or out of pocket expense to me. Shortly thereafter, on 10-14-2022, they sent me a revised bill for $25,402.86. They billed my insurance again for $5,998.21. The checks I received total the amount billed. I sent them numerous emails and asked for a detailed itemized list of additional services performed, which they refuse to give me. As a result, I'm withholding payment until I receive the itemized list. I further believe that this is an insurance fraud scheme of some sort.

  Business response

  10/28/2022

  I personally have corresponded regarding this matter and was not asked for the documentation stated. I have attached our estimate, our change order, and our Build Contract here. According to the Build Contract, the customer will be invoiced per the final approved estimate. **** initialed on the supplement line item that his field supervisor walked him through this process. In his first scope, there were code items not paid for as well as items paid for incorrectly. The supplement process corrects those issues. 

  There also seems to be an inherent misunderstanding of how the insurance company pays claims. The first check issued was for the actual cash value of the claim. Once the work is done, the insurance company releases the depreciation. The initial contract amount that was signed off on was $20,404.65. The final approved RCV was $26,402.86 because of the supplements listed above. 

  The work in the contract was performed, and then additional work was performed that he was not billed for. As his complaint states, his invoice matches the payments he received which was the agreement in the attached change order. There is no fraud here, as everything has been done and billed according to the signed paperwork. The customer not paying his out of pocket contribution to the claim is the only questionable event that borders fraud. We also have not received a dime from the customer, which is a breach of his contract. Not only is this complaint baseless, it is redundant. The customer clearly states his invoices matches the payments received from the insurance company, which was our agreement from day one. 

  Customer response

  11/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 18321931
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As a homeowner, I am entitled to keep for my own records an itemized list of work completed. This company failed to give my a response on the following. 

  1. How many sheets of plywood were replaced and did they bill my insurance ?  2. Did they bill my insurance for reattaching the antenna ? 3. Did they bill my insurance for reattaching the television Dish ? 4. Did they bill the insurance for any soft metal replacement around the windows ?

  I am giving this company the chance to correct any erroneous billing and forward payment after there response.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

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