ComplaintsforChristone Enterprises Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our central air has been out for over a week. It has gone out 3 times and we have been given a different answer each time as to what the issue is. We were told the A coil needed to be replaced last week and that the A coil was not installed properly and that the HVAC company would contact the property owner to get permission to install it properly and replace the coil. We were left in 90 degree weather with no air and no estimate of when we could expect air. The technician said he would look into getting us window units and follow up in an hour. We never heard from him. We have a husky mix that was over-heating and fortunately my parents had a window unit to loan us because it was not until evening the next day after multiple phone calls to them that they delivered us window units. We made phone call after phone call that day with promises of returned phone calls only to hear nothing and it was only due to our persistence and insistence that they delivered those, which they left in our porch unannounced while we weren’t home. They will not return my phone calls to get an estimate for when I can expect central air and I am currently paying electric for 3 window units. I am livid. This is hands down one of the most unprofessional and worst managed companies I’ve ever seen.

  

  Business response

  05/23/2022

  We have read the complainant's report and are please to offer supplemental detail and clarification.  We dispatched our HVAC team and provided the property owner a report of required work and corresponding estimates.  The property owner has a Home Protection Plan that does not provide coverage on all of the items required.  The owner was in discussion with the Home Protection Plan provider and home insurance provider, which delayed action on this and regrettably her had no control over the timing.  We have since received approval and all items have been ordered.  Our team offered to provide window A/C units, we understand however the tenants were provided two units from a family member.

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Oct 8, 2021 I received rental assistance from IHDA and this company has falsely charging me rent from 2016 along with a multitude of late fees. This grant isn’t to be used to line their pockets with late fees and I can’t get the assistance ****** to understand I didn’t miss a payment in 2016. I worked right next door to them at the time. I had a check returned durning the change of bank accounts and replaced it with a money order totaling 565.00 which included their bank fees within 5 days! She refuses to check her bank deposits and my receipt from the money order was accidentally left in a truck I had sold. Also, she didn’t claim this was a problem until three years later in 2019!! My landlord received the payment 2016. She has taken all of my grant money for late fees that are mostly false charges!! Their office needs to credit me with the 3500 in rent assistance I was granted. They gave me one month rent off this! Took 3000 for fees.

  

  Business response

  11/02/2021

  The grant money satisfied back rent from 2016-2021, not late fees.  We requested proof of the missing money order and the tenant will not provide any detail.  We have attempted to contact the tenant several times and have not received a return call.  We have mailed  the ledger showing all financial detail and the tenant has not offered to discuss or dispute.

  Customer response

  11/02/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They are still not addressing the duplicate charge for Dec 2016 and not asking for it until three years later when I missed a partial payment.  I confirmed with my landlord he did in fact receive that payment. Also, the only rent behind did not total the amount taken. They need to correct their charges and they absolutely are taking it for fees! I did talk to ****** and she confirmed they were only covering one months rent with my grant. Her ledger clearly indicates the inclusion of fees. Also never asked to call them back.

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

  

  Business response

  11/02/2021

  We have audited the account history on this on more than one occasion and continue to believe it is accurate.  We were not provided confirmation of the money order reported lost which appears to be part of the misunderstanding on this.  

  Customer response

  11/03/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  They will not get a confirmation from me because the request for the money order receipt didn’t come until three years later. They need to check their bank records. I will not pay them twice , they should have notified me within a reasonable length of time. Also they still need to provide a corrected ledger with the credit for that amount along with the credits for their erroneous fees. I had already confirmed with the landlord that he did receive that payment. I will also be reporting this activity to the housing authority they are also stealing this money from.  The only way to resolve this is for them to do their research and and make the corrections
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* * *******

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  As an out-of-state property owner, we have been a client with Christone Enterprises (CE) for sometime; but have recently returned to the area, Since our return in the last year we have had the opportunity to have recurring follow-up on maintenance requests by the most recent tenant and actions by CE. Maintenance has been untimely, and/or maintenance members have made repeated visits (which we were charged for) without resolution. Since our return to the local area, upon detailed follow-up for non-detailed invoices we have had adjusted charges as the labor hours were billed inaccurately -- in both instances to CE's benefit; while appreciated, these "adjustments" only occurred once we asked questions following physical review of work. Several simple maintenance items were completed or facilitated by owner as CE was unable to accomplish or resolve -- items requiring action ranged from 4 - 10 months in length. In addition, I (owner) requested to speak with Chris M personally regarding the maintenance issues and was informed by two CE staff members (once verbally and once via email) that "he would be in contact", however after two months this has not occurred. There have clearly (to me) been issues that I am now able to personally validate and address as I have returned to the area in the past year. I believe these do not fulfill the expectations of the "management fee" that has been charged/collected in full despite inadequate maintenance support (when requested) and charged visits (in one case 3 times) without a repair.

  

  Business response

  10/22/2021

  Our agency provided estimate for work to be completed.  Jim ******* approved the estimate and then complained about the cost after the work was completed.  We provided a significant credit to accommodate him even though he approved the price.  After providing him the credit, he now complains to the BBB and wants more.  Regrettably, we are no longer in a position to negotiate anything further.

   

  Thank you,

  CE Management

  Customer response

  10/22/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I appreciate the timely response and the adjustment on the work order, however the response is not wholly accurate.  I did approve the estimate to have the work completed, however upon review of invoice I requested further details with regard to the labor time/cost (as it was not noted).  Upon discussion with the CE staff they agreed to an adjustment as I was "billed for the estimated not the actual"; I verbally repeated this to the staff to be sure I had had heard accurately.  As noted in my original statement, at least in this instance, in this instance I was billed for the higher amount regardless of the actual time for repair.  The adjustment was only offered upon my request for details.

  My billing adjustment is not specific to this repair/invoice rather the lack of timely and adequate maintenance support as expected for the management fee.  As noted, several issues were months waiting for action, and upon failure of CE Maintenance to correct, I either repaired personally or addressed with another local business entity.

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

  

  Business response

  10/22/2021

  Understood and appreciated.  However, our industry standard and that of many other professions such as auto repair is that the customer is invoiced per estimated cost.  Should the cost have gone beyond the estimate, would Mr. ******* have offered to pay more?  We reduced the total invoiced to actual cost without profit and that is all we are in a position to offer.   Thank you.

  Customer response

  10/27/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  My personal experience in service industries has been contrary to that stated in the business response when actual service cost variance is "significant" -- in this single case, the adjustment demonstrates a nearly 30 percent "profit" in this case.  Also, in cases where the estimated repair cost was potentially below actual upon additional review, the industry standard practice (in my experience similar to auto repairs) has been additional contact to determine next steps and potential higher cost.  While this was noted in the business reply, this was not the case for this repair instance, and it is now evident that an overestimate includes profit margin which is not transparent.

  That being the case, based on delayed or uncompleted repairs, the billing adjustment is centric to a portion of management fees as the business' management (to include maintenance response) was inadequate while the issues continued for 4 - 10 months over the past tenancy.  While not explicitly disclosed, there is certainly a profit margin included in the management fee.  While some level of profit is appropriate (and is not required to be disclosed), I submit we did not receive adequate management of our property for the fee, most specifically regarding timeliness and adequacy of maintenance.

  
  Thank you.
  
  Sincerely,

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

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business is negligent on maintenance. The house I am currently renting has some issues. The roof is leaking. I have sent complaints for over a year now and they still haven’t fixed it. They come out 3 to 4 times a year for ac/ heat issues because they basically just do a quick fix instead of replacing it or fully repairing it. Bathroom flooded into other rooms joining and we had to clean up what we could. Asked them to come out to fix toilet and check for damages they came out but didn’t check anything. Halfway fixed toilet it still runs constantly. Walls are cracking and floor has soft spots. I have rented here for 3 years almost and have had many issues with maintenance since day one.

  

  Business response

  10/05/2021

  We are in receipt of ******** *****'s complaint and have reviewed it in detail.  We reported the roofing issue to the owner immediately upon becoming aware and the property owner is currently working with insurance to have the roof replaced.  We have followed up regularly with the property owner in effort to get this resolved and will do so again this afternoon.  The HVAC issues have been remedied as appropriate, though when they persisted, we did provide estimates to the property owner for system replacement which have not yet been approved.  We will again follow up with the owner on the HVAC issues and encourage immediate approval for replacement.  We regret our hands are tied on the time issues, though are working best as we can to get these corrected.  Thank you, Christone Enterprises Management.

  Customer response

  10/05/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Although I am glad that you are now fixing issues with have dealt with over the past year or so, christone/ (owners) have caused increase to my utility bills. My electric bill is ridiculous because the ac unit runs constantly because it can’t keep up which was part of the complaint to begin with. My water bill is high because the toilet that was “fixed” still just runs sometimes after flushing. I have had to pay exterminators to come out and spray the house because stink bugs are accessing the house through sky lights and other cracks. That was also a complaint when it came to the roof leaking. Main leak is over bathroom coming into skylight. You have had us living in a dangerous situation as to water leaking into our light fixture in master bathroom. I have paid my rent every month and sometimes 4 months at a time. When we were late it was due to Covid issues except 1 . During the Covid period where they had eviction moritium you charged us late fees that I should have fought at the time.

   

  I’ve struggled to keep up with bills but have done so for my kids to have a place that is safe to sleep. You have neglected your end of the contract to keep up with maintenance. I would like to have some kind of compensation and or an early Termination within 30 days to move out with fees and finishing contract. I have rented many places and this is by far the worst I have dealt with. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

  

  Business response

  10/06/2021

  Please let us know what you have in mind and we will consider your request.  Thank you, Christone Enterprises Management.

  Customer response

  10/07/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  1.) Late fee’s returned that were processed throughout Covid shutdown would be nice.

  2.) Deposit returned ($875)

  3.) Early Termination of contract without penalty. ( End of November), with no payment of final Month. ( Will pay for Oct)

  4.) $150 for exterminator that came out. Pest had access to home through broken skylights and unsealed windows.

   

  For the saftey and interest of my family I would like to move out of this home and terminate business with Christone. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

  

  Business response

  10/07/2021

  We are actively working to resolve these issues.  Please let us know what you have in mind and we will consider your request.  Thank you, Christone Enterprises Management.

  Customer response

  10/07/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
    I received a notification about a response but didn’t see anything. My previous response as follows

  1.) Return of all late fees processed on my account starting back to the Covid relief date.
  2.) Deposit returned ($875)
  3.) Early Termination of contract without penalty. ( End of November), with no payment of final Month. ( Will pay for Oct)
  4.) $150 for exterminator that came out. Pest had access to home through broken skylights and unsealed windows.
  
  For the saftey and interest of my family I would like to move out of this home and terminate business with Christone. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

• Initial Complaint

  10/01/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I RENTED PROPERTY OWNED BY ****** ******** ON JAN 27, 2021 WITH MOVE IN FEB 5. CHRISTONE REPRESENTED MRS WESTOFF. I DID A VIRTUAL TOUR DUE TO COVID.TOLD IT WAS NICE.THE DAY BEFORE MOVE IN I WENT IN PERSON TO FIND THAT IT WAS VERY DIRTY AND IN POOR REPAIR.OVER 6 MONTHS I CALLED 50 TIMES WITH ONLY 8 ANSWERS. MY MESSAGES WERE NEVER RETURNED. MAINTANENCE CAME 2 TIMES FOR 3 MINOR REPAIRS. OWNER REFUSED TO MAKE REPAIRS. AFTER THE WATER POURING INTO BASEMENT AND NO REPAIRS, I CALLED CITY INSPECTOR. HE FOUND SILL PLATE NEEDED REPLACED, MOLD ON INSULATION. I HAD 3 SINUS INFECTIONS CAUSING CONSTANT DIZZINESS. ANT INFESTATION,BUCKET UNDER KITCHEN SINK FOR 5 MONTHS,ELECTIRCAL SHORTS, AND UNSTABLE DECK. HE GAVE THE OWNER 30 DAYS TO MAKE REPAIRS. NO REPAIRS. I WAS ALLOWED OUT OF LEASE. I HAD PAID 1250 DEPOSIT. 400 PET DEPOSIT. THEY SAID I PAID 300 IN PET. THEY KEPT 250 FOR CLEANING. I CLEAN DAILY.I CLEANED AFTER MOVE OUT. ON FINAL WALK THROUGH NOAH FROM CHRISTONE TOOK PHOTOS SHOWING CLEANINESS.

  Customer response

  10/04/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I did not want to leave, but the issues that were not fixed was causing me to be sick and not able to live there. If the issues were taken care of, I wouldn't be moving out. I took pictures when moving in and the company took pictures when I was moving out. The person who walked through the house complimented how clean it was. I kept the home in better shape then when I moved in. They can compare the pictures. They claim there was carpet needing to be cleaned on the stairs, my dog is old and sick and does not use it.  I should not be charged $275 for this cleaning. I also paid $400 for my pet deposit, I only received $200 back. In the lease, they do state only $300 of this is refundable. So I understand not getting the $400 back, but I should have received $300 instead. They claim I originally only paid $300 for the pet deposit when I know I paid $400. I should be refunded $375 back in total.

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

  

  Business response

  10/04/2021

  We have reviewed ***** *****'s complaint and respectfully disagree with her assessment of initial occupancy.  The property ***** ***** rented had new flooring installed, was professionally cleaned and passed all mandated municipal inspections.  ***** ***** reported her dissatisfaction with the faucets and toilets because they were not brand new, although our agency did not promise to install new fixtures as they were not broken and in good operating order.  Our agency retains 60+ photos of the property which reflect the good condition and professional standard of cleanliness.  Our agency nor the property owner are in a position to provide compensation to ***** ***** though she is welcome to explore lease takeover options should she choose to do so.  Thank you, Christone Enterprises Management.

  

  Business response

  10/04/2021

  Hello, the pet deposit was $300.00 and the additional $100.00 difference is a non-refundable pet fee for total of $400.00.

   

  Thank you,

  Christone Enterprises Management

  Customer response

  10/05/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: What is that $100 used for. I have been charged $150 to clean carpet going to an unfinished basement. My dog did not use carpeted steps. I have been charged $275 to clean a very clean property. My dog doesn't dig holes. He has cancer and sleeps most of the day. What is this $100 non refundable dog fee go towards.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

*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. ↩