ComplaintsforChicago Stucco Company

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This company completed stucco work on my house in September 2022, including waterproofing a chimney cap. I had a leak in April 2024 and had a roofer inspect the roof, who confirmed that the leak is from the chimney. I reached out to Chicago Stucco to share that I have a leak and asked for a call back to see if it was a result of their work. The owner's response makes it clear that the company completed work they had no business doing. They claim now that a roofer was needed to address the problem I came to them with. Rather than tell me that at the time, they completed the work and took my money. This is a direct quote from the email response to my inquiry that is very concerning and is what led to my conclusion that they should not have done the work: "Stucco was really never intended to be used on any horizontal surface. Chimney caps, window ***** ,or parapet coping." And a second quote: "our insurance no longer allows us to work on chimneys." I am not blaming them for causing a leak... My complaint is that they presented a solution to "fix" my chimney knowing that it would not fix anything, and they admitted to using stucco on a chimney in a way it's not intended to be used (and that they are no longer allowed to do by their insurance).Additionally, they pointed out that the contract was only for the chimney cap, yet they applied stucco to the entire chimney. In other words, the work completed did not match the work contracted, which further lowers my trust in this company and anything the owner says.They completed other stucco work as part of a bigger project and refuse to give me an itemized breakdown of the cost of the chimney work. I therefore do not know how much of a refund to ask for. I approached this respectfully and from a perspective of answer-seeking rather than demanding retribution and am disappointed that this company did not own up to their part.

  Business response

  04/17/2024

  I responded to the homeowner that, her chimney problem is not a stucco problem but a problem with the ***** vent on the chimney cap and/or ***** flashing at the roof line, But she insisted that the stucco was leaking because the roofer blamed us and would not admit his own roofing issues. Attached are 3 photos showing 1. the ***** vent on top the chimney, corroding and causing the stucco to crack. 2. the ***** flashing at the roofline and 3. another photo of our stucco work. From the photos the problem is obvious, what the problem is and it is not the stucco. She believed the roofer and refused to take my opinion and advice. So, we have an impasse, besides we do not guarantee leaking or partial patch jobs. Our work held up since 2022, but because of snow, ice, and a corroding vent, cracked the stucco. I would have helped this customer, but, our work is sound, just see the photos. We do not fix roofing issues. I asked for the roofers phone number but never got it. So we agree to disagree.

  Customer response

  04/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21588009
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The owner clearly does not understand what this complaint is about. It's not about the leak. The leak simply brought this situation to light. I reached out to Chicago Stucco letting them know I had a leak and that a roofer came to inspect the roof and determined the leak was coming from the chimney. Because Chicago Stucco repaired the chimney less than 2 years ago, the recommendation was to reach out to them to have them take a look and see if that had anything to do with it. (Note: this roofer has never done work on my house... He only inspected to help find the cause of the leak. I don't see the point in giving Chicago Stucco his phone number?) Rather than attempt to help or show any sign that he stands behind his work, the owner immediately got defensive and gave all the reasons why it wasn't his problem, which I think ultimately worked against him. 
  

  In the email chain I originally provided, you'll see that the owner said stucco is not meant to be used on chimney caps and that his insurance company no longer allows him to work on chimneys. He also said the chimney was in bad shape before they got to it and that I should have had a chimney company or ***** fix it properly. In my opinion, these statements indicate that Chicago Stucco knew that there was a bigger problem at the time, and they knew that slapping stucco on it wasn't going to help they problem I came to them to fix - they essentially" put a bandaid on a bullet wound,"  as a chimney expert who looked at it yesterday said. They did the work, said nothing, and collected my money, which I find to be extremely unethical. That, along with the fact that they refuse to give me an itemized invoice that says what the chimney portion of my project cost, is what this complaint is about... NOT the leak!

  Simply put, I reject this response because it does not address the two main points in this complaint.

  Attached is the original contract in case it's helpful.

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

  Business response

  04/18/2024

  I have not made any other offer,

  But, We are just sending her a check for $500.00 for her problem.

  No conditions.

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

  Customer response

  04/18/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  The owner sent a separate email with an apology, which I appreciate.

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

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