Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid $2200 for concrete repair and painting of two porches. The concrete immediately cracked and the paint is peeling. I contacted Source 1 about this complaint immediately and have worked for over a year to get them to repair or refund. I received an estimate to repair the damage of $1670 and return the porches to their original condition.

  Business response

  08/04/2022

  Ms. *****r contends that she has paid $2200 for concrete “repair” and painting two porches and that the concrete “immediately” cracked and the paint is peeling. She further contends that she received an estimate to repair the “damage” of $1670 to “return the porches to their original condition”.

   

  When Mr. ******** was originally contracted to repair the concrete and paint the porches, Ms. *****r and Mr. ******** discussed, at length, what the best method would be to make repairs. She opted against the more expensive and permanent repair due to the cost so they agreed upon cosmetic repairs, such as patching concrete and painting. It was her goal that she make the concrete and the porches look better cosmetically until she could have the concrete resurfaced. They also discussed, in detail, that there would be no warranty offered due to the nature of the project and concrete’s propensity to crack and paint’s propensity to blister when applied to old concrete. At that time, she communicated that she understood.

   

  Prior to Mr. ******** being hired, Ms. *****r had her porch lifted by Ramjack because it was sinking. Once that was completed, there were cracks in the concrete that needed to be either repaired or patched. They had discussed the difference between caulking and painting versus patching (with concrete) and painting. In either case, it was very clearly explained to Ms. *****r that absent resurfacing the concrete, that the fix was not a permanent solution and that it would eventually crack again, since concrete will settle and cracks. He also advised her several times that the epoxy paint that was used, which is standard in the industry, should not blister, but that it could.

   

  Ms. *****r has taken issue with a small paint blister that occurred on the old concrete painted slab one year later, however,  is not unusual for paint to blister on concrete. In fact, the very company that Ms. *****r used to get an estimate to “repair” Mr. ********’s work includes a disclaimer on the back of their contracts that expressly does NOT warranty paint on concrete because it blisters. That very same company also lists as warranty exemptions that they don’t guarantee cracks won’t occur in their coating and they don’t warranty their crack repairs. Yet, Ms. *****r is asking Mr. ******** to guarantee that the paint wouldn’t blister and the patches wouldn’t crack and is demanding a full refund for all of his work, including legal fees and paying for her to hire another contractor to patch and paint. In total, $4615.00.

                

  It wasn’t until almost four months after the work was performed that Ms. *****r reached out to Mr. ******** to tell him that the concrete was starting to crack. He offered to come back and caulk it and touch up the paint for no charge. Ms. *****r has refused to allow Mr. ******** to attempt to touch-up and caulk. He offered her a $400 refund so that she could hire someone else to touch-up and caulk, but Ms. *****r has also refused that.

  He has also offered to reconsider his position if Ms. *****r could provide a written report and legitimate estimate of repairs where the company offers a 100% refund/warranty on their concrete projects, but she has yet to provide this.

   

  Mr. ******** has made every effort to ensure that Ms. *****r was satisfied with his work and the re-work that he was willing to perform at no additional cost. She has refused to allow him to mitigate what she sees as damage and is now threatening to sue him and seek $4615.

   

  It is Mr. ********’s contention that he has done nothing against industry standards and has described the scope of work clearly to Ms. *****r and she agreed to everything.  She is now seeking to discredit him and his small business by making baseless complaints. Please advise if anything further is needed for you to close this file.

   

  I look forward to hearing from you regarding next steps.

  Thank you,

   

   

  

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

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

  Office:    ###-###-####

  Fax:         ###-###-####

   

  Customer response

  08/05/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because the information contained therein is patently false.  I do not blame Mr. *******’s attorney as he has lied to me too.

  I will address the patently false information below and have attached competent information to back up each response.

  First,  with response to the immediacy of my complaint,  I texted Mr. ******** the day of completion to let him know the work was not up to my standards and then shortly thereafter when it began to crack. Both of those communications are attached. 

  Second,  I was only provided two quotes by Mr, ******** and only one was on a quote template.  I chose the more expensive of the options he offered as he said it would “look better and last longer.” The quote and those texts are attached.

   

  Third, Mr. ******** told me that IF we did not use his method the paint would blister.

   

  Fourth, he rejected my offer to redo the work via email.  

  Finally,  I have attached the warranty information from five quotes that i received for the work.  All of these companies warrant materials brought to the worksite.  The business owner Mr.  ******** quotes also confirms that in the email that is the case for her company.  I have attached that email as well.

   

  As a final note,  Mr. ******** has given up his general contractor’s license according to the Contractor’s Board and I can,  therefore,  conclude that he never intends to complete the work within the bounds of his license. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****r

  Business response

  08/15/2022

  The complaints that Ms. *****r has waged have already been addressed in our original response. Mr. ******** has not lied and has already provided proof against all allegations. He has tried repeatedly to satisfy Ms. *****r's unreasonable demands to no avail. Mr. ******** has lied to no one and is considering an action against Ms. *****r for defamation.  In fact, Mr. ******** has NOT turned in his contracting license. His license is pending renewal and dues payment and is in no way being revoked or turned in. 

  Customer response

  08/15/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  To whom it may concern,
  
  I have received Source 1 and Mr. ********’s second response.
  
  Allegations made in the second response are, as were those in his first response, false and unsubstantiated. Mr. ******** has provided the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) no proof of his allegations beyond his own assertions. I, on the other hand, have submitted the full text of all communications with Mr. ******** to the BBB. Since he has provided no evidentiary proof to contradict any of the concerns raised in my complaint, the BBB should reject his response in its entirety and post my complaint as it was submitted. The integrity of the BBB should stand on the strength of evidence presented to substantiate a claim weighed against the strength or lack of a verifiable defense. Mr. ********’s defense fails to meet any evidentiary standard of proof.  
  In his latest response, Mr. ******** threatens a suit for defamation, but as I am sure Mr. ******** has been informed by his attorney, defamation requires that I state or write something untrue.   This may be Mr. ********’s attempt to intimidate me from continuing with my complaint, but the evidence as stated below accurate, verifiable, and in my favor.  
  I DID report the cracking of the concrete within three months.
  I DID report the peeling of the paint within a year.
  I DID rely on Mr. ********’s assertions via text message about the ability of his work to “last longest” and for the paint to “not bubble underneath.”
  I DID offer Mr. ******** the ability to redo the work.  Those details are below.
  I WAS informed by a woman named ***** at the ** ********* ***** *** ******* *********** on or about July 20, 2022, that Mr. ******** and Source 1 had chosen to not renew its license.
  With regard to Mr. ********’s allegation that he offered to redo the work and I rejected that offer, I have attached the April 26, 2022, email I sent to Mr. ******** attaching the quote that he requested as a condition of refund or repair.  I followed up with a second estimate on or about April 28, 2022.  On May 3, 2022, Mr. ******** rejected these estimates in writing because he questioned the credentials and warranty of the companies providing those estimates.   On May 11, 2022, I made another offer to have Mr. ******** redo the work.  He, again, rejected my offer later that day.   That email is also attached.   In a letter sent on or about June 14, 2022, which has already been provided to BBB, I provided the credentials and warranty information for four different companies who had evaluated my front porch.   I received no response from Mr. ******** which is why I felt it necessary to file this complaint.
  
  Sincerely,
  ****** *****r
  Attorney at Law
  

*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. ↩