ComplaintsforModern Remodeling, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  09/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The results of our kitchen renovation by Modern Remodeling are unworkmanlike and unsatisfactory. We hired a home inspector to review the project in its current state and major issues were found with the installation of flooring, cabinetry, and electrical. The issues seem to be a result of poor planning & lack of oversight. Major issues include: -Kitchen has a severe bow & dip in the center of the kitchen. Our contract we signed on Feb 20, 2023 says the subfloor would be evened out if needed. Project manager said a self leveler would be placed before flooring. This was not done before cabinets & flooring were installed so a fix would require removing the finished floor. This flooring was purchased by the homeowners and are not in production. -Cabinetry that is part of the peninsula is not level. Other cabinet issues are still on the work to be completed before final payment. -Ceiling lighting is not flush with ceiling because the drywall finishing done is not level & some other receptacles are not to code. Project manager suggested caulking to fix ceiling and General Manager said she would never recommend that. -The HVAC in both rooms does not have a full ducting enclosure from the floor to the cabinet toe kick vent. -Uninstalled cabinet that was ordered incorrectly has not been removed and refunded. They claim it was correctly ordered, but the plans were for an 18" cabinet and we have an unused 30" cabinet. -Permits were not pulled for the job which our inspector says is not correct for this project. County and Town websites mention the need for permits for new & replacement construction. We are communicating with the business, but are not reaching a mutual agreement. We had a meeting on July 3 to share concerns about their mishandling of our lead test which required us to hire an outside vendor to complete a certified lead stabilization. They wanted to do it without a certified professional. At this point our trust in the quality of their work has been eroded.

  

  Business response

  09/19/2023

  First and foremost, we apologize to Mr. and Mrs. ****** for any inconvenience in this matter. We understand that selecting a contractor to embark on such extensive remodels to one’s home is not an easy choice to make and sincerely appreciate you trusting us to work with you on not only a previous project in a full roof replacement due to storm damages, but most recently the kitchen remodel in which is the focal point of the current outstanding items that need to be addressed. We value your concerns and have all intentions on fully resolving to ensure your full satisfaction.
  
  Please note that this is not a formal response per say, but rather an update on the status, as the ******’s and Modern have been working directly together since they notified management that they had areas of dissatisfaction on Monday Sept. 4th (prior to notification on September 11th that a complaint had been submitted through the BBB on September 8th). Our goal is to ensure all outstanding items or areas of concern are properly addressed and the ******’s are fully satisfied and proud of their choice in choosing Modern to complete their kitchen remodel. We currently have a list noting all areas of concern from either the hired inspector and/or the ******’s which includes a preliminary means of resolution and are scheduled for Monday 25th at 11:00am to meet onsite to review these details together. Our goal in conducting this onsite evaluation is to formalize a plan of action in which both the ******’s and Modern agree upon.  Modern will be happy to provide a response directly addressing the complaint upon completion of our investigation of the issues at hand.
  
  Sequence of events to include highlights or topics of conversations:
  
  Labor day, Monday, September 4th – Email from the ******’s to management explaining their dissatisfaction in the project and notifying us that they had hired a home inspector to evaluate the project.
  
  Tuesday, September 5th – Email from Modern sent to ******’s confirming receipt notifying that time to review was necessary and that we would be in touch upon review.
  
  Wednesday, September 6th – Email from Modern sent to the ******’s updating them that we had completed our review and would be putting a response together to work towards resolution by the following day, Thursday September 7th.
  
  Thursday, September 7th – Email from Modern sent to the ******’s with response to each point (each response varied consisting of either explanation as to why or how, questions to gather more information or get input from the ******’s, agreement that it needed to be addressed with means of resolution proposed, etc) asking ******’s to call to discuss upon review.
  
  Sunday, September 10th – Email from the ******’s responding thanking us for the detailed response asking to set up a good time to speak in person and requesting further information pertaining to the response.
  
  Monday, September 11th – A series of emails exchanged between Modern and the ******’s confirming receipt of email sent over the weekend and coordinating a time to discuss on the phone that evening.
  
  Monday, September 11th – Phone call between Modern and the ******’s; discussed some of their feelings and experiences throughout the process, some of items mentioned in report that are most concerning, how they would like to proceed - proposed creating a list of items that are of concern or need to be addressed/fixed to review in person for the ******’s to decide if they are comfortable allowing Modern the opportunity to resolve/address. They asked to give them until the end of the week to discuss and decide.
  
  Friday, September 15th – Email from Modern to the ******’s following up to see if they had the opportunity to discuss and decide if they would like to move forward with my proposal in creating a list and reviewing in person. This email included an example of a list to that included open items/concerns and proposed fix to discuss and agree upon at walk.
  
  Sunday, September 17th – A series of emails exchanged between Modern and the ******’s. This included a list of requested fixes to be addressed by Modern from the ******’s and an agreed upon Meeting Date/time of Monday September 25th at 11am.
  
  Monday, September 25th – Agreed upon date to review list of concerns and determine plan associated for resolution. The meeting set at 11am.

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  Ashley N****** of Modern Remodeling met with homeowners on 9/25/23. We discussed possible solutions to all parts of the outstanding list of work to be completed, but research is still needed for the lights, toe kick vents, and final flooring choices as examples. Ashley is preparing a formal list of the plan moving forward and will provide to the homeowners for review. She also contacted Carroll County to pull permits for the work that will be completed. The permit process may take 2-3 weeks.

  Please provide next steps needed by homeowners related to responding to the business' response and action steps moving forward.

  

  Business response

  09/28/2023

  Good morning,

  Just a quick update, I (Ashley N****** - General Manager) met with the customers Mr. and Mrs. ****** on Monday 9/28 to discuss the outstanding issues and determine a plan of resolution. There were a couple outstanding items at the completion of that meeting in which needed to be researched as to how to best proceed. As of today, 9/29/23, we have provided resolution and been in communication with Mr. and Mrs. ****** who agrees to the proposed resolutions. 

  Attached you will find a copy of the list of items discussed to include the plan of action associated. At this point, we are waiting on the permit application to be processed (2-3 week process). Once that is processed and permit released, we will finalize some of the outstanding details such as flooring selection put together a schedule for construction and get completed. 

  Thank you,

  Ashley N******

  Customer response

  03/26/2024

  We worked with the general manager Ashley N****** of Modern Remodeling between September 2023 and January 2024 to address our concerns with their work on our kitchen remodel project. We came up with an agreed list of items to be addressed including getting permits and inspections from the county, redoing the flooring in the kitchen, and other steps to finish the remodeling process. Ashley was the project manager during this time and she was responsive and provided frequent and clear communication. She made sure that we were all in agreement about each step of the process and thoroughly researched options consistent with our vision of the kitchen to present us with before we made a decision. Modern Remodeling also provided credits to our balance related to some outside contracting and changes to the scope of work discussed between both parties before we completed our final payment on the project. There were no additional fees to the original contact to correct the items that needed to be redone. We commend Modern Remodeling for their professional response in this regard. 
  Though the items on our concern list were addressed, we will not use Modern Remodeling for another project in our home because we feel that some of the finishes are not up to our standards. The major issues with the project were a result of the initial planning and installation and it was not possible to fix them without starting from scratch. We understand it may be standard practice not to level the floor before installing cabinets but in the case of our home, the kitchen subfloor has a severe dip that was identified by both parties and it would have improved the installation of the cabinets had it been addressed earlier in the project. Many issues were a result of not completing this.
  Since filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau we agreed to the scope of work completed with Ashley N****** and paid the balance of our outstanding contract. Ultimately, we would not recommend Modern Remodeling to friends or family for a project of this nature or scale. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Since 2020 I have been incapacitated at times and unable to function. It has taken me a while to resolve and I request your help. MRI punctured my line set during roof installationand placed the burden on me to recover the damages from MIA, In 2021, I contracted with MRI for a roof replacement. PM Chloe M***** did not perform a pre-construction inspection in my attic to assess any potential issues that may occur relating to the install. Prior to the discovery of the punctured line set, I made an application for a loan with **** January 2022 to replace my AC as it was old and not functioning to its full capacity in 2021. I was referred to apply for a State grant for the replacement of HVAC. The AC was approved in Sept 2022. After my AC was installed in Dec 2022, it would not run. The tech discovered that MRI’s subcontractor punctured my line set. I contacted MRI immediately and MRI urged me to make another insurance claim for consequential damages which I did not want to do. Chloe falsely told the insurance company that my original line set was installed incorrectly. MRI did not inspect the line set. I was denied the claim. GM Ashley N****** of MRI wants me to contact MIA to contest the denial. The technician who installed the AC unit said my line set had been installed correctly. In his 30 years he has installed thousands of them in the same way. MRI said I did not have a metal plate above the line set. AACO said they do not require a metal plate above the line set. I had to pay $2603 plus fans ($90.08) due to MRI's damages. MRI stated that I could have gotten a grant for the line set only. When I applied for the grant in 2022, I had no idea the line set had been punctured by MRI in Nov 2021. My AC was 26+ years and not functioning properly. A contractor came to my home in Jan 2023 and stated that when MRI removed the plywood, they should have seen the line set and marked that area to prevent any damage. Please let me know if you need more info. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  05/10/2023

  International Residential Building Code
  Section M1411 – Heating and Cooling Equipment
  M1411.7 – Location and protection of refrigerant piping
  Refrigerant piping installed within 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) of the underside of roof decks shall be protected from damage caused by nails and other fasteners.

  Modern Was hired to remove and replace the shingles on the home.  Modern relies on the premise that things we can't see behind walls or other obstructions are built as they are required to be.  Modern had no way to know that the AC line was in violation of the Building Code and in a place where it was not supposed to be.  The average roof can have over 10,000 nails used to fasten shingles to roof decking.  The Building code sited above exists for this very reason, as it is common knowledge that if a refrigerant pipe is installed within 1 1/2" of bottom of roof decking, there is a high likelihood that anyone installing shingles will puncture it with a roofing nail.

  Modern recognizes and sympathizes with the frustration of the homeowner in this case.  The roof replacement was paid for by the insurance company as part of an insurable loss.  Modern made extensive attempts to help explain this situation to her insurance company.   Modern is still willing to extend our services of a construction expert to assist the homeowner with her insurance company.  Her insurance company's refusal to cover this cost as part of the roof loss is the real issue here.   If one follows the Fair Claims Act MDL-902 Section 9 (sited below) it is my opinion that her insurance company is responsible for the cost she incurred to do this unfortunate situation.  Unfortunately, we are not a party to her contract with her insurance company and therefore do not have the ability to hold them accountable.  

  Fair Claims Requirement:.

  MDL-902, 1997 ***** Consequential Damage Stated Covered By The NAIC, Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices Model Regulation (MDL-902, 1997) Includes The Following Provision Section 9
  
  Section 9.
  
  Standards for Prompt, Fair and Equitable Settlements Applicable to Fire and Extended Coverage Type Policies with Replacement Cost Coverage
  
  A.  When the policy provides for the adjustment and settlement of first party losses based on replacement cost, the following shall apply:
  
  (1)  When  a  loss  requires  repair  or replacement  of  an  item  or  part<<<<<<<In this case there was a loss to the roof system, storm damaged Shingles, and the insurance company paid to remove and replace the shingles>>>>>>>,    any consequential physical  damage  incurred  in  making  such repair or replacement loss <<<<<<A roofing nail used to fasten a roofing shingle as part of a standard accepted installation method penetrated a non-visible refrigerant line below the roof deck>>>>>> not otherwise excluded by the policy,  shall be  included in the loss. The insured shall not have  to  pay  for  betterment  nor  any  other  cost except for the applicable deductible, if any. 

   

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