Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This business was contracted to put in the vinyl flooring for my home between May 22 and Jun 22. They then were contracted to do handyman projects from Jun 22 to Feb 23. They insisted on getting cash in the amounts of $5000 each list of 12-13 items that were tasks that were fairly easy but needed by the homeowner (me) because I am disabled. The business - ***** ******* - failed to put in an underlayment under the vinyl plank flooring as the planks did not have any padding attached to them. They failed to do this and the entire house was planked. Due to this, the house was so cold this winter that, putting a metal flashlight on the floor of the bedroom, instantly was so cold that it was difficult to hold it. The house was so cold and freezing it required me to wear outdoor clothing inside during the entire season. The handyman tasks were barely completed and overcharged for. For an example, under the kitchen cabinets I asked for the strip of LED lights to be able to see the countertops beneath them. ***** ******* installed those 99 cent plastic round battery operated stick ons, yet charged me full price of the LED strip. Then he was contracted to put in a hydraulic lift above the stairs to the basement but ended up just putting a piece of aluminum, made into a tube, cut into the floors to make a laundry chute. He said he had my cash in his pocket to refund me the price of the hydraulic lift yet kept it and tried to charge me $60 for the aluminum tube. He then was asked to not only finish the handyman tasks that he either did not do or did poorly and he said it was all operator error yet a board on the deck was bowing up, the flooring was not cut to the floor with gaps, the caulking was smudged over the old caulking and still gapped, etc.. I have pictures of these and the rest of the terrible job he and his coworker did all over the house. Operator error covers nothing they did in the house as there was no operation needed in all but one thing they put in.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2023

  ****** ****** hired me and my company a total of 5 times. Within those five time she added on additional work another two more times. I am disputing her claims and have attached five ot the invoices.  Your system will not allow me to add more.  First, regarding the flooring, this was vinyl plank with a cork back.  There is no need to add underlayment when the flooring has a cork back.  If she was so cold,  maybe she should have turned up the heat.  Flooring does not make your house cold in the winter, the weather does and if you do not turn your heat on the house will be cold.  I never install $0.99 lighting in her kitchen.  You will see from my invoices there is nothing there that states that under-cabinet lighting was installed. After the five contracted projects were complete, she then started calling me to fix things (that I didn't even do).  I did this a couple times.  She said that she was not going to pay any more money because she had already paid me enough.  I quit responding to her because she was calling me to fix things that I was not even responsible for.  As for the hydraulic lift, she wanted a wheelbarrel attached to her ceiling, allowing her to take her laundry downstairs so she did not have to carry.  I suggeted a laundry shoot. After talking to a friend, she decided a laundry shoot would suffice.

  - When she moved in the moving company broke some of her furniture--I fixed it.  Did she file a complaint on them?

  - She had a locksmith come in.  There was a lock that didn't work properly, I fixed it for free.  Did she flle a complaint on them? 

  - *** mis-wired the garage door opener. I fixed this for free.  Did she file a complaint on them?

  If my work was so bad, why did she keep hiring me.  She is only complaining now because I will not come back and do work for free.  She explicity told me that she was not paying me for additional work because she had already paid me for other jobs/tasks.

  In my 15 years doing this type of work, this i the first (unsubstantiated) claim that has been filed against me.  I find this extremely troubling that a person can file a complaint just because I refuse to work for free.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/27/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: (Sentence by sentence or “point” by “point” of ******* response) He adv he was hired 5 times by me. Two times were added to first 3, totaling 5.  Said he can’t add more than 5 invoices as there was no more room to upload on site, yet only hired 5 times.  5 = 5 = 5.  I don’t see the point of these 3 sentences; The vinyl plank flooring installed over existing, (noted by him - previous substandard flooring), therefore needing an underlayment of at least 1/4” of plywood over top for flat, smooth surface and a modicum of insulation - his statement told on himself as not doing so; makes false and ridiculous assumption and statement that I didn’t turn on/up heat yet, not only witnessed heat on in winter when he installed the laundry chute door, but agreed as it being inadequate to make up for substandard installation of flooring but told me he wouldn’t give me a quote on installing insulation in ceiling of basement to make up for it because he was too busy to care, even though I told him I’d pay extra for it in desperation in a newly freezing-cold house; he adv “flooring does not make your house cold in the winter” - flooring without insulation from the freezing cold basement underneath does, and again, he does not negate that the flooring was inadequate as he just calls it “flooring” and not “insulated flooring” as he would have said if it was indeed insulated with this cork; lists on one of his posted invoices “puck light” installation under kitchen cabinets negating statement that BBB could see by his invoices that he didn’t install under kitchen cabinet lighting; adv after his work “completed” I started calling him to do free work - texts (still have & are proof in writing of our conversations - never called him) show I was having to request he return to finish the jobs already paid for or refund my money for not doing so, where he answered he would, he was sick, his kids were sick, he was too busy, etc.; he adv he came back and did a couple of free things for me and then stopped responding - he came back only once to finally install the prepaid for laundry chute door after me waiting almost 7 months for it and he “finished” two other jobs - hammering back four slats in the deck that he had purposefully dislodged so he could put the deck railing in and re-caulking the shower where his previous caulking job was gapped with over-caulking that was smudged all over the top of the shower - he knew, in advance that I was asking he do these while he was there; I never said I was not going to pay him anymore since I had already paid him enough - just adv him I wasn’t going to pay another and second time that he was requesting to fix jobs he did that were not finished or even done that I had already paid for; false recounting of how the chute came about instead of the hydraulic lift (who is this “friend”?) but it’s irrelevant as he still did not give me my money back even after acknowledging that he owed me it, bringing the cash to my home the next day after my day-before text requesting the change and instead of giving it to me from his pocket that he was patting, indicating my cash as he told me what was in it, he tried to charge me an extra $60 for the aluminum tube that he replaced the prepaid hydraulic lift with; even though no other company did the substandard work for me that he did (moving company did not damage anything but Brian insisted the furniture needed extended repairs yet he just shoved a board back into place but charged me for a full repair without repaying the overage), *** did not mis-wire anything but left a free garage door alarm and Brian removed it so he could have it, locksmith did fine - Brian had to fix it after he messed it up after trying to put in insulation in the door frame) whether or not I would have reported them is irrelevant to the reason why I am reporting him; questioned if his work was so bad why I kept hiring him - because he said he would either fix it, do it or refund my money and I believed him… subsequent handyman work should have been easy and straightforward which was, obviously, not the case in reference to him and his business’ job in doing them.  Didn’t know I’d have to keep pointing out that they were not doing, finishing or refunding the prepaid work; adv I’m only complaining now because of his unsubstantiated claim that it was because he wouldn’t come back and do things for free when this is clearly my adult and mature way to have mediation in this case, as dealing with him directly did not solve any of it; again, reason for not paying extra is because he was already paid for it and either didn’t do it, didn’t do it completely and/or correctly and did not compensate me for overpayment; He has been doing this work for 15 years - irrelevant; adv he’s never had an unsubstantiated claim before but hasn’t proved this claim is unsubstantiated, especially with his personal opinions, conjectures, irrelevant statements that do not address my points in my claim, and flat out BS; adv he’s “troubled” that someone can file a complaint on him for not doing work for free… he’s shown in his statement that he either did not do the work prepaid and contracted for, did not do it completely and/or correctly and did not repay any overage.  His being “troubled” is clearly, by his statements, because he is butthurt for my request for a public mediation in something that could not be resolved with him in person; adv that I purchased all the items myself for these projects myself except he negates that by showing on his own invoices that he uploaded in response to this claim that he was charging me for materials.  I could go on but my claim listed the few highlights of the many, many transgressions in his poor work and I have rebutted his posted response, line by line, 

  His statements are inadequate to the resolution of this matter by being conjecture, personally slanderous, obviously incorrect or outrageous, contradictions to his own statements within his response, and therefore should be considered invalid in solving these issues brought up in my claim.

  Thank you in advance for your time and attention.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *******

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  I do not know how to respond to a person who is not truthful. She purchased all of the material herself. If something was sub-par she should have purchased better material. You do not need underlayment when the vinyl floor has cork on the back. All work was completed that she asked me to do. I’ve been doing this line of work for more than 15 years and have NEVER had a complaint against me. If it wasn’t so ridiculous I would not have even responded.