ComplaintsforKurb Appeal

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed a contract for snow plowing for the 23-24 season with Kurb Appeal, LLC. The amt pd was $954.38. The contract states that customers should read the "guide" that explains the way snow plowing works and help with the understanding of how the services will be performed. I text the owner on 1/3/24 at 3:40 pm because my driveway was never plowed, and it did meet the 3" trigger. The response was they come out once before 6-7 am and then typically before 5-6 pm. That is stated nowhere in the contract, and it was not done that way even after I was told that was the procedure. On 1/15 it was posted on FB that they were out plowing contracts. Assuming that it was started at the 6-7 am timeframe, my driveway would be cleared. That was not the case because 6.5 hrs later, Korie text me that their plows are useless, and they need to get heavy equipment. I was not able to get out of my driveway for work on 1/15/24. On 1/15/24, in the evening, I paid a 1-time plowing service so that I would be able to get out of my driveway for work on 1/16/24. His company was advertising that they were available for one time service and quoting jobs. Meanwhile not taking care of the already paid contracted customers. Right now, my driveway is still not plowed to the width that he marked with his own plowing stakes. I texted asking if his crew was going to be back and clean up and finish the job which was after the snowy days, but he never replied, and my driveway was never touched after the storm. Paying a plow service is a way to "insure" that your driveway will be passable. I paid for a service, it was not performed as per the agreement and then text updates. Due to this, I purchased a snowblower. I am not seeking a full refund as his co did plow a few times and cleared our sidewalk and front porch once which we paid extra to have done. Half of the total amount paid which is $477.19 would be acceptable. I would also not want any services from his company going forward.

  Business response

  01/29/2024

  Customer signed a contract for snow plowing. We plow at a 3" trigger. During storms where snowfall is greater than 3' during one event, customer agreed to an upcharge (in contract) because snow may become too much for a plow to get through and machinery may be needed. We make one initial pass to open up driveways during excessive snowfall events, so customers can get in/out in case of emergency, as well as clear the walkway (if signed up for this service), and then go back around to completely clear the driveway as well as do any sidewalks/walkways (if customer signed up for these services). During this particular snow event, customer had 7'2" of total snow fall in a single event that was plowed more than once per day, each day as a courtesy. Customer was not charged extra per contract. Contract states that the end (apron) of the driveway does not count as a measurement of the 3" trigger because after we plow the driveway down to nothing, the town plows may come by, which is out of or control. Customer called and text multiple times asking for an exact ETA which unfortunately we were unable to give due to the conditions. There were multiple driving bans throughout the event as well as white out conditions, making it almost impossible to ensure the safety of our employees and equipment, however, our guys were still out working nonstop, and we made sure all driveways were clear, more than once, each day of the storm. Unfortunately we cannot please everyone. This customer also called and text numerous times during 2 other snow events, prior to this one, in which less than 2" total fell both times (less than the 3" trigger where plowing begins, so no services were provided under the contract). While I understand and sympathize with the customer, no time frame was ever promised in the contract, and we did fulfill our obligations. We are more than happy to continue with service. The customer may refuse our services going forward, however, no refund will be provided. 

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
   I have security cameras that record every event near and in my driveway.  I am more than willing to share any and all of the videos recorded.  My driveway was plowed on 1/14/24 @ 6:25am and my sidewalk and front step were also shoveled at this time which I did not even realize until reviewing the videos.    After reaching out by text only, I placed one call (the only call I ever made to this business) to the business on 1/18/24 at 4:48 pm which was more than 4 full days from the last date of service.  At 5:51 pm on 1/18/24 my driveway was plowed.  I was told that my driveway was plowed between these dates but it was not.  I do believe this was a very busy time for the business, but my driveway was never plowed.  I can believe that this was an honest mistake as I was a new customer and maybe I was not on a master list for whatever driver was assigned to our address.  I have never filed a complaint against anyone.  I do not want to speak negatively about any business as I know that owning and operating a business is not an easy job.   I only want I feel is fair.  The service I paid for was not provided.  What I am asking for to close this complaint is not unreasonable.  

  Thak you for your time.

  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  Customer entered in to contract with vendor for plowing/sidewalk services. Services were provided by vendor, within terms of the contract. In fact, vendor provided services above and beyond what is required under the contract terms. We are more than happy to continue providing service per contract terms unless customer would like to terminate service. Lastly, customer is aware and agreed to all terms of the contract, including a no refund policy. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9-14-23 the company came out to put edging for our landscaping. We told them we wanted curved corners and straight from one end to another. When they were done they rushed out as it was the end of the day and told my wife to sign a piece of paper. They did not ask once whether or not everything looked good as they can make adjustments. Once they left I came home from work and noticed the bed was not even close to straight and had multiple defects in it. I contact kurb appeal immediately. On Monday 9-18-23 I called and only got a text response back. Called again and finally got an answer in which Korie said she had to talk to her partner about a resolution and would get back to me. After more texts and call we are getting no responses any longer.

  Business response

  09/20/2023

  This job was completed on Friday, 9/15/2023. As standard operating procedure, we checked with the customer (wife) upon arrival and confirmed the exact placement and layout of the curb. When the job was complete, again as standard operating procedure, we let the customer (wife) know we were done, had her come outside to look at the completed job, and then sign off on the paperwork as satisfactory. Not only did she sign off, she sat on the porch and had a several minute conversation with our entire team about how much she loved it, how happy she was, and also about how much she liked our truck. Several hours later, when we were closed, we received a text message from the customer (husband), stating that he was unhappy with the the job. I text him back Monday morning, 9/18/2023 letting him know that his wife gave layout instructions which were followed, that we did not "rush" through his job like he believes we did, and that his wife signed off on the completed project as satisfactory. Customer (husband) then called me, which I missed, and I immediately called him back. He stated he was not happy, that his wife did not see the completed project, that she doesn't know what she's talking about or doing with stuff like this and that he was going to file a complaint with the BBB as well as leave bad reviews everywhere he could and dispute his credit card charges. I explained to him multiple times that if there were any issues, they should have been addressed during the final walkthrough, prior to signing off on the job as satisfactory because the curb was still wet and we could have made any adjustments necessary. At this point, the curb is hardened and no adjustments are able to be made. I also let the customer (husband) know that we would be happy to come out, remove and replace the curb to his specifications, however, this would be a chargeable job because there was not a workmanship error, or material defect. Customer (husband) continued being argumentative and making threats, so I told him I would speak to the other partners and get back to him in the next few days.  Customer (husband) text me on Tuesday, 9/19 asking for an update, which I did not have yet as I had not had a chance to speak with the other partners at that point. I did speak with them later that evening when they were done working and text the customer back first thing Wednesday morning, 9/20, prior to receiving notification of the BBB complaint.  To reiterate, this is a successfully completed job, which we are happy to stand behind as a company. There were no workmanship issues, or material defects. Customer (wife) confirmed layout prior to installation, and signed off as satisfactory after completion. We are unable to make any adjustments once the curb dries/hardens, and would have been happy to do so if anything was brought to our attention during the walk through.  

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.   Kurb appear is referencing that my wife liked the curves on the ends of the bed as this is what she asked them whether or not it should be a 90 degree or curved on the ends. She said she liked how the end curves turned out. Before they started the job she said we want it straight from one end to the other. This is not what was provided. At no time after the job was completed did they mention to her any adjustments could be made. All we have is a signed estimate sheet dated 7/24 for customers signature and dated 9/14 by kurb appeal. We have no final bill or anything stating acceptance of the final work. Also since we have no final bill it does not support anything they state about once accepted they cannot make any adjustments.  we would love to see this documentation. I have attached the estimate sheet where we accepted the estimate price, i also attached pictures of the work done where they did not properly install a straight curb like discussed. I also provided a picture from their ******** page where they mark with paint where the bed is going and shows they do not always follow the bed contour. We offered to find a resolution for them to fix the mistake as I would remove the improper installed curb but they want to charge us more money for something they did not follow directions of or properly inform us of adjustments being made etc.  Regards,  ******* *******  

  Business response

  09/22/2023

  As previously stated, customer (wife) provided installation instructions, prior to the job starting which were to curve the edges of the bed and follow the current bed which is what was done. The bed was/is not straight as it comes out by the porch, goes back inward, and comes back out towards the other end of the house. This is not out of the ordinary for a flowerbed. Even if the bed was perfectly straight which is very unlikely, it is impossible to make a perfectly straight line with a concrete curb which is extruded from a machine, and then hand finished. At the end of the job, when the customer (wife) came out, saw the completed job, and signed off, she told our guys how happy she was with the job and how much she loved the way it looked. Customer (husband) was not home.  We did not mention, and would not mention that adjustments could be made, because there were/are no adjustments to be made as far as we are concerned. We would not have notified the customer that the job was complete if there were any issues or concerns on our end. This is a successfully completed job that we see zero issues with. We've received multiple compliments on this job from other customers. If the customer (wife) was not happy with anything as she was the one present for the final walkthrough, and would have mentioned any issues to us, we could have/would have been able to make adjustments at that point as the concrete was wet and moveable. She did not mention anything other than being happy with the job, loving how it turned out, and liking our company truck.  Customer (husband) states in the last response that (wife) did not sign anything other than the estimate in July, however, in the original complaint, he confirms that the (wife) did in fact sign off on completed job where he states "they told my wife sign this". Estimate was provided in July, at that point, nothing is signed by the customer or company. Customer called to schedule installation from the estimate, still nothing signed. We arrived, installed the curb, finished the install, had customer (wife) do a walkthrough and sign off on 9/15 when job was done, before we left. We do not provide a final bill of sale (we are not selling anything), or any paperwork other than a second copy of the estimate/work order to the customer upon completion.  As far as marking lines before a job, this is not something done for every job as each job is 100% different and cannot be compared to the next. This is something that is not done often at all. We typically only mark when a customer specifically wants to change the existing bed, creating new lines, or when a customer has no existing bed and we are creating a new one (because there is no existing bed to follow).  We have offered to remove and replace the curbing for the customer at their cost because there is no workmanship error or material defects. The customer is not happy with this resolution which I understand, however, we are not willing to absorb the cost of this as we as a company did nothing wrong or out of normal operating procedure. Unfortunately we are not able to please everyone although we do try.  

  Customer response

  09/25/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.   There are multiple blatant lines in kurb appeals stories on this. We never told them to follow the contour of the bed. They were instructed to go straight which they failed to do. We have attempted to make resolution with kurb appeal such as I remove the curb they installed incorrectly and then have them redo the work like they were instructed. Cured edges and straight from end to end but they are refusing to do so. Kurb appeal said they offered time for adjustment but now say they would not be able to adjust even if my wife pointed out an issue. At the end of the day, they did not follow directions, have improper documentation which is not our fault, and have continued to twist and manipulate what actually happened in a class he said she said situation. They want us to spend another $1200 to redo work that does not cost them that much to do. We have offered to rip out the improper job at no cost to them and redo the work. It only took them 2 hrs to do it the first time so clearly it wouldn’t take them any longer the second. They have offered no resolution to meet at any middle ground and instead continue to twist what truly happened on that day. At the end of they day, they did not perform the instructions they were told. We have no finished completed job sheet notifying us that no adjustments are able to be made nor any notification that adjustments are able to be made before they leave the job in which kurb appeal has mentioned multiple times. For a business who has a BBB rating, this is highly unprofessional on multiple levels. In court they would have zero documentation to back up anything they are saying as all we have is an estimate sheet. No final paperwork, not terms of the work, no final work as is once they leave the job site and no sign off of acceptance and competition of job. We are prepare to take next step measures which will not be of benefit to kurb appeal as it would cost them money to defend themselves when we are attempting to come to a resolution before we reach that level, but necessary steps will be taken if needed.      Regards, ******* *******

  Business response

  09/26/2023

  Kurb Appeal was hired to do a job, which we did to industry standards. Customer (wife) provided instruction which were followed and also reviewed and signed off on completed job. We are prepared to defend the company against any legal action the customer may want to take. We will not replace the curb at no cost. 

  Business response

  10/03/2023

  Picture 1 shows our estimate form. We take this blank for with us to the customer's location when we do the estimate. The July date was the day the estimate was done. Nothing is signed by the customer at that time. Customer confirmed they signed off on the job when it was done, 9/15/2023. her signature is attached. Also note that customer paid for job, 9/14/2023 with credit card which is noted on paperwork.  Picture 2 shows customer sitting on the porch while the guys were taking pictures of the completed job. During this time, she saw the completed curb, signed off on the job and had a conversation with the guys about the quality of the work.  We are not interested in any arbitration as this is a successfully completed job, done to industry standards.  

*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. ↩