ComplaintsforConcrete Hero

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Concrete Hero (**** Catalano) installed a new driveway for my home on 6/18/2020. I spent a significant amount of money and trusted their expertise. Concrete Hero damaged my curb and sidewalk and gave me a really hard time about coming back to fix it. They put some mismatched concrete in the damaged areas which has since crumbled away and looks horrible. Within a year, the entire concrete driveway was pitting everywhere, crumbling at the edges, and has many cracks. Although I have a 3-year warranty, the company is not returning ANY of my calls or emails (I've been trying for almost 3 years, not a single response).I also made a ****** review to which they replied that they came to my house to review and discuss. This is a lie. Despite calls, emails, and letters, they have not responded even ONCE. They also claimed this is wear and tear, which is also a lie. My driveway is crumbling at the edges and pitting an excessive amount throughout, and I don't use salt nor plow. Every year it is worse and worse. I wish I would have paid more for a company that knew what they were doing. My neighbors have even commented on the way it looks. When you invest this much money in something, you expect a good result that will last years. I've never had problems with any other contractors over the years, but this is an 100% shady business. They are not honoring their warranty, and I had a reasonable expectation that the driveway would have held up for years without these immediate issues. The fact that they didn't even return the a single call shows how much they don't intend to follow up with issues.

  

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  As the owner I would like to thank the BBB for having a process such as this to assist in giving both parties an opportunity to share their story and the facts of situation. Many *** look at these "complaints" as possibly a  negative; we view them as a fair way to bring a situation to rest.

  Its upsetting to learn about unhappy customers, as we put pride into our work and treat our customers as fairly as possible. While we do our best to settle issues that arise to make our customers happy, we also understand there are things beyond our control that *** at times lead to unsatisfied customers.
  
  Shortly after completing the driveway in question the customer informed us of concerns with gaps where your driveway meets the garage, and with hairline cracking in the joints.  The owners of the company visited and met with the customer to explain that the gap, which is referred to as an expansion joint, is normal and is not anything to worry about.  We also explained that the cracking inside of the joints is perfectly normal and expected with concrete, since those joints are purposefully installed to provide a place for concrete to crack uniformly. Hairline cracking outside of the joints is also a realistic possibility with concrete, and is not something to be alarmed over.  The customer also expressed unhappiness with wear and tear on the public curbing during the construction process, and wanted us to replace the curbing.  We felt it was an unreasonable request since the wearing did not compromise the integrity of the curb, and was merely cosmetic and is not an uncommon occurrence when large construction equipment and trucks are involved in a project . More importantly, doing so would have most likely damaged the new concrete.  We did, however, repair the area of concern and as she stated she was unhappy with the colors not matching.
  
  

  The customer is stating that we never met after the work to discuss her concerns which is not true.  Both *** and his son **** met with her. She is also making claims that we are not honoring the warranty. Our warranty for new concrete installations covers structural cracking, which is not present on the driveway.  It does not cover chipping, scaling and other surface issues which many times can be the result of excessive use of deicers, aggressive snow removal, poor drainage and other things not attributed to poor workmanship.   We feel our warranty is fair and inline with industry standard. Lastly, she is claiming we are a "shady" business.  Our 300+ 5 star reviews, A+ BBB rating and 16 years of business say other wise. 
  
  

  Customer response

  05/23/2023

   
  Complaint: 20032252
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  When Concrete Hero states that they came out shortly after installation, that is true.  Within a couple weeks they relunctantly came out to attempt to repair the curb and the apron they damaged after arguing with me about it.  However, when I contacted them the following year to report the excessive pitting, crumbling, and cracking of the driveway, not to mention the terrible repair work of the curb and apron, Concrete Hero never once responded to my many calls, letter, and email. They are flat out lying. When a consumer has a contractor perform work, there is a reasonable expectation of the quality. A $16k driveway last more than a year without a ton of crumbling throughout. I am not complaining about simple hairline cracks or normal wear and tear. I have many photos I can provide.  My neighbor's concrete driveways which are significantly older than mine do not show this kind of wear, and my neighbors have told me they would have also taken legal action if this happened to them. I NEVER salt nor plow my driveway, and water NEVER pools on my driveway. So Concrete Hero attempting to use those excuses as a way to avoid honoring their warranty is not valid. All of Concrete Hero's reviews are for the concrete repair and lifting work they do, not new driveway concrete installation.  I question whether they had the expertise to install a new driveway, as I now realize this was not their usual area of work.  They were probably in over their heads. So although their warranty doesn't cover normal wear and tear (which I understand), the level of degrading to my driveway is excessively beyond normal wear and tear.  I have been told by another concrete specialist that they must have mixed the concrete incorrectly.  Perhaps Concrete Hero knows this which is why they will not even come out to see it.  If a company stands behind their work and reputation, they would at least have the decency to come out and talk to me about it.  I have hired many contractors over the years to remodel, build, repair, etc., and I have never had any issues or claims or seen unprofessionalism like this before.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  We feel our warranty is fair and above industry standards. With that said, the customers claims are not items covered under the warrant and therefore we are unable to provide any refund. The warranty provided for the work was as follows:

  Our Warranty
  We guarantee that structural cracking (cracks in excess of 1/16 in width) will only occur in control joints.

  This guarantee is only valid for 1 year from the date of your installation. If structural cracking occurs within 1 year of installation outside of a control joint, we will return to repair only the affected section of concrete. This guarantee does not include any damage caused by de-icing chemicals, frost heaving, acts of God, nor intentional or accidental damage caused by human negligence. Pop-outs, scaling, color variations and other surface issues are not included in this warranty. All repairs covered under the warranty will be made during the months of August and September.

  NOTE: Hairline cracks outside of the control joints are not cause for concern, because of the mix design we use and the reinforcement built into the concrete.

  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the limited warranty contained in this agreement is extended only to the original customer and is not transferrable. And is the only warranty extended by Catalano Concrete in connection with the work and is in lieu of all other guarantees or warranties, express or implied, statutory or common law, including warranties of merchantability, habitability and fitness for particular purpose. Catalano Concretes obligations upon breach of warranty or other provision of this

  agreement or as imposed by law shall be limited to the repair or replacement of the damaged section and in no event shall Catalano Concrete have any liability whatsoever for payment of any consequential, incidental, indirect, special or tort damages of any kind. Catalano Concretes liability hereunder shall not exceed the original agreed purchase price and in the event of a breach of the warranty or other provisions hereof by Catalano Concrete, Catalano Concrete shall have the option to repair defective work or refund that portion of the purchase price paid therefore.

  Limitations of Concrete

  In spite of its strength and durability concrete is not indestructible. We cannot be responsible for things that are beyond our control unless otherwise noted on our guarantee. Cracking, scaling, setting, heaving and other types of damage *** occur despite the skill of our workmanship and the quality of our materials, and some of the causes of this are listed below:

  • Frequent freezing and thawing common in this climate *** cause cracking, which is beyond our ability to prevent.
  • Salts and other de-icing chemicals *** cause pitting or scaling if they are used on the surface. This is especially harmful during the first winter.
  • Parked vehicles with road salt residue on them and poor water drainage are additional causes of pitting and scaling that we cannot prevent.
  • Driving on or otherwise using new concrete within seven days after pouring *** also cause damage.

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Operating Under Concrete Hero ********************************************************************************, we contracted a driveway extension and side of garage sidewalk replacement in the total amount of $7,970.The work was completed in early October 2020. When asked about any maintenance for the concrete were told by ************************* (son of the owner) to not use salt on the driveway this first winter.During the first thaws of 2021 (mid to late March, after the late snows of February hit, I noticed peeling and scaling/flaking in areas across the driveway. We contacted **** to come out and take a look which he did Late March early April. He said that there may have been a defect in the cement mixture. He said he would contact ****** to come out and inspect. An associate from ****** came out and inspected the troubled areas and took photos and we have not heard anything since April after multiple calls and emails to Concrete Hero.

*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. ↩