ComplaintsforMass Lead Removal, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired Mass Lead Removal LLC (MLR) to conduct lead paint abatement in our home. After having the house inspected by a licensed inspector (*************************), the results were sent to MLR and they began work on 7/24/23. We were notified the work was complete, and that the dust wipes conducted by the inspector had passed, meaning the home was supposedly adequately cleaned and no lead dust remained. When we returned to our home, we found several areas of concern. The chipped paint had not been corrected, the areas that were scraped were left rough and unsightly, and the areas that work had been done were filthy. Since we have a child in the home, myself and my husband started to clean so it would be safe. We then contacted the owner, ***** and requested he come back to finish was should have been done and clean the house again. He did come back, and they haphazardly painted over the scraped wood, getting paint all over surrounding surfaces, and they did not clean the areas we pointed out. Again, leaving us to make sure the house was safe for our son. We conducted at home lead test kits, which were positive, meaning there was still lead dust in our house and it was not adequately cleaned. We were disgusted with his work, which directly impacts the health of his clients, that we contacted the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) within the MA ***************** and filed a complaint against the inspector (which has been resolved) and MLR. The state also suggested having another inspector come out (ASAP ************** ***** to conduct more dust wipes to confirm our findings. When the results of this follow up test failed, it confirmed what we had suspected, that MLR was colluding with *************************, and did not thoroughly clean our home until dust wipes passed, and did not take measures to protect our home from dangerous lead dust. We are seeking a full refund of what weve paid MLR since we were falsely assured abatement was complete and the home was safe.

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  There are numerous and very serious accusations contained in this complaint. I will do my best to address them all individually.
  

  The most serious accusation is that ************************* and I somehow "colluded." ************************* is a licensed state lead inspector who has 33 years experience. I find it highly unlikely that *************** would risk his license, criminal charges, and the health of children to "collude" with anybody, when the work can just be done correctly. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose.
  

  You mention that the areas that were scraped were "left rough and UNSIGHTLY." I apologize these unpainted areas were unsightly, but they have to be left bare for the licensed state inspector to visually verify that those areas have been scraped. This is done per ************* regulations.
  

  When I was called, late on a Saturday, regarding the "unsightly" bare door jambs, I immediately drove an hour to address the concern. This was after working 10 hours and during a 90+ degree day. Repainting was not part of the contract, but I nevertheless still came immediately. The property was again cleaned after painting. We then did a walkthrough, and no areas of concern were pointed out.
  

  When I left that Saturday evening, I left a gallon of encapsulating paint, and explained how to apply it.
  

  I was contacted later Saturday evening and told the property was still dirty. I pushed back insisting that I had cleaned thoroughly, and was told in a clarifying message from ****(the client) that "the bedrooms on the other side look clean," and "in the master it does look like you moved furniture." However, I still offered to return on Sunday and clean more, to which ************************* (the client) agreed.
  

  On Sunday morning I began driving to the (client's) ********** property, which is over an hour from me. I messaged at 10:29 A.M. to say that I would arrive in an hour. **** (The client) responded 20 minutes later and told me not to worry about coming. I told him I was already halfway there, and asked if he was sure. He answered in the affirmative, said he was sure, and we will talk tomorrow.
  

  The next time I heard from ****, he stated he would pay "$2,500 of the remaining balance ($3,560) and move on." Contained in this same email was a complaint from **** that the work took longer than originally planned (this is factually inaccurate, and I sent **** screenshots of our previous email thread for verification).
  

  The at home lead test kits referenced in the complaint are not designed to check for lead dust, and are only approved to verify lead is NOT present *in* paint. Again, this test has nothing to do with lead dust. (please see attached pdf from 3M - the manufacturer - page 21 where it states that "The overall observed false positive rate for the technical operator was 70% while that for 
  the non-technical operator was 98%")
  

  The additional lead dust wipes were taken almost a month after the initial lead dust wipes were taken. In that time there were two large dogs and a cat, who came and went from outside to inside as they felt like. 
  

  In addition to the animals possibly contaminating the interior, I am concerned that the (client's) ********** general awareness of lead is less than ideal. I was informed by **** (the client) that his child had slightly elevated lead levels. He explained that this could have been caused by him (****) power sanding down his child's door (which had lead paint on it) because it was sticking, or the elevated lead levels could have been caused by demolition work that was done in the kitchen without following lead safe practices (a full gut remodel). The animals, in addition to this general lack of lead safety could very well have lead to the lead dust found on the floor a month after the other wipes were taken.
  

  Once work is done, it is not a "lead free" property. There is no such standard in *************. Once a property has been successfully brought into compliance, it is incumbent upon the owner to maintain that compliance. The dust wipes that passed were a snapshot of the lead levels on the floors when the wipes were taken, just as the wipes taken a month later were a reflection of the lead levels on the floors at that moment.
  

  Per our contract, I was to receive the first ? payment on the day the work began,  which I did. I was also supposed to receive 2nd 1/3 payment on the day of the reinspection (7/27), which I did not. Nor did I receive it the next evening when we received verification that the wipes passed (7/28), which is when I was supposed to receive the third and final payment. Nor did I receive either the 2nd or 3rd payment the following evening (7/29) after I went down and addressed (the client's) ****'s concerns and he told me he would send it shortly. 
  

  The fact that (the client) **** neglected to send the 2nd payment as he was supposed to (on 7/27/23), and the fact he did not send 3rd and final payment upon clearance of dust wipes (7/28) as he was supposed to, despite not returning to the property until 7/29, make me question the possible motives. The lack of payments, coupled with the request for the initial third to be refunded makes me suspect this could possibly be about money, though I hope that is not the case.

  I am unsure why no additional payments were made, as outlined in the agreement, but I do know it was not because of any issues with the work done, as (the client) **** did not return to the property until days after the reinspection, which is when the second payment should have been made. Nor did the client return until 24 hours after clearance of the dust wipes, which is when the 3rd payment should have been made (neither payment was made).
  

  I did my best to address any issues, and was more than willing to work with (the client) the **********. Unfortunately, because I stopped short of giving a full refund, they were not satisfied.
  

  When communicating with clients, and people asking general questions regarding lead, I try my best to explain things in a detailed manner. I try to follow up to verify the point I was trying to make, and my intentions are clear and understood. I clearly failed with this interaction, and will do my best to triple verify that the deleading process is understood before proceeding. 
  

  I have several young children, and take the dangers of lead very seriously. I personally must get my lead levels checked every 3 months, and my levels are consistently below detectable levels.

  Customer response

  09/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  The fact that the contractor blames our dogs (which do not go upstairs where most of the dust wipes were doneand weve also had our soil tested) and our cat (who doesnt go outside) for the high levels detected, displays the lack of professionalism and accountability one would hope for when hiring someone for this type of work. We only wish we knew before hiring him. Our mistake is not thoroughly vetting him and hiring an inspector who works so closely with him (which we were warned not to do after the fact), we just did not expect to be taken advantage of. Weve consulted numerous professionals in this field before contacting the BBB to take further action to be sure we were not overreacting, and weve been widely validated. 
  

  Its also pretty low to blame our sons BLL on demo work that was done by a licensed contractor before we had even moved into the house. We do not lack education regarding lead, we just expect hired professionals to be competent. Of course we did not want Mass Lead Removal back in our house to clean after they had 3 prior opportunities including an extra day to clean while they waited for the dust wipes to come back. Thankfully we could afford to have the house professionally cleaned. 
  

  This entire situation has been so unexpectedly exhausting that I dont have the energy to hash out the rest of the remarks made. 

  We have huge regrets hiring this contractor and are grateful to have been supported by other professionals in the field in order to help us correct our situation. 
  
  

   

   

*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. ↩