ComplaintsforChapman Drainage & Basement Repair

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  March 14, 2020 $1,165.50 Contract #**** French Drainage System Installation Agreement-Signed and Counter Signed by customer and Chapman Drainage. Installation of a French drainage system from the flowerbed bump out on east side toward the front pine toward the back. The system will be constructed of a 4" perforated pipe surrounded by 57" round, washed river gravel. The system will exit at a new curb outlet, the trench will be filled, lightly compacted, and seeded once the job is complete, 4" Downspout Drainage System (New Work*) Installation of a new 4" SCH30 PVC-PE drainage pipe system to connect the rear porch downspout to the new French Drainage System. The trench will be filled, lightly compacted, and seeded once the job is complete. The work to install an exit drain at a new curb outlet was not completed as the signed and countersigned Chapman Drainage contract stated. At the time of the work and then on April 23rd, 2020 I questioned that they did not follow the contract. I was told by Chapman Drainage that it was standard verbiage and should have been modified, it wasn't supposed to read like that. If I want the drain to run to the curb separately I would have to pay an additional $480.00 more than what was quoted and included in the signed agreement. The drainage system is not functioning from back to front. Chapman Drainage scoped the drain line from the front curb to the drain joint but did not scope from the back yard to the front joint. The back yard is not/has not been draining, I have property damage to my basement and foundation. The area is always wet and muddy. Chapman Drainage has indicated that it is my gutters (checked out ok), my basement foundation, yard needs aeration, etc. Anything other than their responsibility to provide their recommended solution to resolve the original problem, .

  Business response

  03/27/2022

  Every small business somewhere along the line encounters "that customer". This one is ours. The red flags were there from the beginning. From the very first interaction, we got to hear about the laundry list of complaints about seemingly every company she has dealt with over the years. I could tell right away she was a potential problem. Despite all of my instincts telling me to run away, I tried to help her. I was naive and I made a mistake by not listening to my gut and we bid on her project. 
  
  
  From the moment we started the project, the complaints began. They were minor and we dealt with them. Initially, we had an okay working relationship. She was very challenging, but we made it work. We worked hard to manage the interactions with her, knowing the potential for issues. We did the work, and things were seemingly on the right track. It was once the work was completed that the excessive complaining began. First it started with the tiniest service issues. The type of things that no other customer bothers with. We had to make multiple trips back to address “concerns”. Then it became more. The complaints got more intense and our worst fears were realized. Now, because we have had enough of the games and refuse to bend the knee and capitulate to this person, she has begun lobbing large accusations. It has now culminated in this complaint. 
  
  
  Regarding this person's newest complaint, we have had multiple conversations, made multiple trips to meet in-person, and have tried to deal with this customer fairly. We scoped the drain line she had questions about and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the drain line we installed is working just fine. We have offered common sense explanations for every complaint that this customer has invented and have tried in good faith to make her happy. The complaint this person is now lodging is from over two years ago, despite us providing satisfactory answers for all of her "concerns". Frustratingly, we have records of all of our communications with her and they paint a much different picture than is being portrayed in this complaint. 
  
  The facts are simply this.....This person paid for the EXACT amount of footage that was installed. She paid for installation of 70 linear feet of French drain system and that's exactly what she got. During the project, she asked the question about running the pipe to the street, we explained the typo in the original paperwork and she found our honest explanation of the paperwork typo good enough to say the job was done well and paid the invoice in full AFTER receiving the explanation. Now, two years later, she has convinced herself that it's now a problem. She’s now demanding additional work that she didn’t pay for. From the very first meeting, we told this customer that she may need waterproofing work in her basement if the drainage does not completely resolve the small amount of leakage in her basement. She doesn't want to hear that and has elected to lodge complaints instead. 
  
  
  Despite our best efforts, it is clear that this person is toxic and will not be satisfied. We have documented all of our communications regarding this matter and it is very evident we have done everything that we can to satisfy her. Every time a question she poses is answered, the goalposts move. It's very evident that further attempts to satisfy her will just create more issues. The situation is toxic and we are no longer willing to deal with this customer. It is a cycle of abuse that we will just not tolerate any longer. She needs minor waterproofing work and will not listen to reason. Under no circumstances is our company interested in doing the waterproofing work for this customer. 

  Customer response

  04/04/2022

  Thank you for your time on Monday discussing the situation with the work provided by Chapman Drainage. We discussed sending my response to you via your email in lieu of the website as there is more content in my response than the BBB website allows.
  
  I’ll provide you with a timeline and the facts of the agreement to show that there has been a breach of contract of the proposed solution by Chapman Drainage. The breach was caused due to the fact that the work was not executed as proposed by Chapman Drainage. Over the period of time of two years the drainage and property damage has grown progressively worse. I have emails, text history and photos to document the timeline that I am providing. The contract is attached which shows the drain is to run to the curb. If the drain needed to be more than 70 feet it should have been quoted that way by Chapman Drainage.
  
  Timeline of Events:
  
  In the summer of 2015 I had multiple improvements done on my property. The focus was to upgrade the areas of the home to improve the ability for water to be carried away from the house.
  
  The improvements include:
  
  ·         Installation of new 4” gutters and downspouts-Able Roofing
  
  ·         Encapsulate crawl space-Able Roofing
  
  ·         Drainage from house to curb and water seal interior basement walls-Chapman Drainage ($2,382.00)
  
  March of 2020 I contracted Chapman Drainage to install a fully functioning French drain system on the east side of the house along the privacy fence. The drain was to go from the back yard to the front yard and to drain properly all of the way to the curb, away from my yard. (attachment 1)
  While the crew was there I saw that they were not digging to the curb as the contract stated. They were joining it to an existing drain on the side of the house. I questioned it to the crew who stated that “that’s how Jeremy wants it done”. I questioned Jeremy in an email he responded:
  
  -----Original Message-----
  
  From: Chapman Drainage & Basement [mailto:[email protected]]
  
  Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2020 9:52 AM
  
  To: ****** ******** *************************
  Subject: Re: Chapman Drainage & Basement-Work Proposal Question
  
  
  We installed 70’ of French, per the quote. If you’d like the line run to the street, the extra 40’ or so feet would be $480 extra.
  
  That clause is standard verbiage and should have been modified. It wasn’t supposed to read like that.
  
  The extra flow will not overwhelm the line.
  
  Jeremy C
  Owner, Chapman Drainage
  
  www.chapmandrainage.com
  
  [email protected]
  --------------------
   
  My expectation was as the agreement read, ‘new line to the curb’. As far as the amount of footage I was under impression that the measurement had been done properly and included a to the curb drain system.
  
  In September 2020 the other issue was that within two months of installing the line the pipe at the back of the yard was not buried deep enough and was exposed (attachment 2) I requested that they bury the pipe and put an end cap on it. A crew person came and poured a bag of dirt on it.  My fear was that it would not drain properly and that the dirt would go into the pipe, clogging it and the drains to the curb.
  
  I brought both of these issue to Chapman Drainages attention right away. They didn’t take care of the issues. Over time the back yard drainage has become progressively worse leading to a muddy yard and water seeping into the basement (attachments 2-3). I eventually became concerned enough that I approached Chapman Drainage starting in November 2021. Jeremy looked at the drain area and I was told that:
  
  1.       The yard needs aeration-My response is that the ground is soft over the 2 year old lines.
  
  2.       The gutters don’t work-I had to pay for gutter inspection at my expense for gutters that are five years old. The gutters are fine per the gutter company recommended by Chapman Drainage.
  
  3.       I need to water proof my interior basement-This was done by Chapman Drainage in 2015.
  
  
  If water is draining  properly away from the house there should be no need for any of this. The work was not completed as described in the counter signed agreement. This has caused property damage and the need to have another company complete the work at my expense.
  
  On march 25th Jeremy Chapman came to my home to scope the drain. As my complaint says he scoped from front to back but did not look at the back yard where the problem is. I questioned him on it. He got defensive and belligerent and said “don’t call me again”.  He proceeded to send me 32 texts over the span of seven hours mostly explaining why I was wrong. Some sounded conciliatory but, it was clear that he had no interest in resolving the problems. I repeatedly told him that I would be referring him to a third party and eventually told him to stop contacting me. I reported it to the Gahanna PD as frankly it was frightening behavior.
  
  I have gotten an opinion from another drainage contractor. Their findings were that the slope is insufficient for a French drain to carry enough water at a rate that will empty it sufficiently. There is too much water running into the drain causing it to backflow into the back yard. They have made recommendations to resolve the problems that are similar to the original agreement from Chapman Drainage.
  
  That is basically what I have been asking for from Chapman Drainage since 2020 through 2022. Help with the still existing drainage problems. What I have gotten is excuses and wanting to charge additional for something that the proposed solution was  supposed to resolve.  The personal allegations by Chapman Drainage to the BBB that I am “that customer” and “red flags” and his inflammatory personal statements like “games and knee bending” do not stand as we have done business in 2015 and then in 2020. Chapman Drainage has taken my money on two different projects.
  
  In summary I had NO prior seepage into my foundation or basement and my yard has become progressively muddy and unmanageable after the work by Chapman Drainage in 2020.
  
  Chapman Drainage has made it clear that they will not resolve the problems so I am requesting a full refund of the $1,165.50 amount paid in 2020. This will go towards paying another contractor to fix the problem that Chapman Drainage caused.
  
  Thanks Very much for your assistance,
  
  *Four attachments
  
  *Email documents available on request
  
  *Text message documentation available on request
  

  Business response

  04/09/2022

  I will state again.....this customer has provided zero evidence that either of the drains are not functioning properly. We have asked multiple times for pictures or video of the drainage system malfunctioning (water geysering back out of the downspout connection, washed away mulch, etc.) and have received nothing. A video or picture of that specific thing happening would be evidence that the system is not working and would directly explain the water she is seeing in her basement. To this date, we have received nothing of this sort. The pictures that have been sent are not of any use, as they are not of any components of the drainage system that we installed. Additionally, we have scoped the line in question in an attempt to allay this customer's concerns, and have found that the system is in perfect working order. Every time we have visited this customer's house, we have not observed any visual evidence of a malfunctioning drainage system. We inspect 10+ systems on a. daily basis and we know exactly what the signs are to look out for. The customer has been made aware of this fact on multiple occasions, but is determined to continue down the path of conflict rather than accept fact. 
  
  Ms. ******** needs to understand that the offending corner of the basement needs to be waterproofed from the inside. The order of operations we suggested this customer follow (from our first meeting in 2015) should be: fix the gutters > fix the downspout drains > fix surface water directly against the house > seal the basement wall with paint > cut the floor and install interior waterproofing board if all else fails. We suggest this exact same course of action to every client with this type of problem, and we certainly suggested this course of action to this customer. Doing things in this manner in a lot of instances can save a customer from having to do expensive and intrusive interior work and can save money. This way of doing things has gotten us a lot of compliments and happy clients over the years and it's the core belief by which we conduct ourselves on a daily basis. 
  
  It seems that this customer is under the false impression that outdoor drainage work in and of itself is a silver bullet for interior basement leakage. Were that the case, the entire basement waterproofing industry would not exist. All of the basement waterproofing companies would be out doing gutters and drainage. Sometimes basements leak despite all best practices being done outside. We see it all the time. The logic of fixing any potential water sources outside before you waterproof the inside is sound. It's unfortunate when the outside measures do not cure the issue, but it happens. We would again suggest that the customer allocate her time and resources to taking the final step, which is the interior waterproofing of the offending corner. If she wants the water in the offending corner to go away permanently, this is the final, and necessary step. 

  Customer response

  04/15/2022

  I am rejecting this response because: Chapman did not follow the agreement as written and countersigned. The original problem has not been resolved. This is breech of contract.

  The problems are in fact worse since the drainage was put in to resolve the water ponding in that specific area. This is resulting in damage to my yard and a wet foundation on that side of the house.

  They have not made a VALID attempt to assist me with resolving the issues. Only looked at the yard and scoped from front to back without looking into the pipes in the back where one of the problems is. The other problems being that too many lines are tying into the main line to the curb the slope is too high to carry the water. all of these are contributing to the lack of drainage from back to front at the tie in joint. This is why the second line to the curb was in the contract I assumed.

  Chapman pointed to me other areas placing the blame on invalid issues that that are not in fact a problem per the other companies that looked at the areas as Chapman directed me to have them do (Aeration and gutters).

  Chapman should finish and resolve the job as the contract states or refund me the amount paid as I will have to pay another company to correct the work.

  Business response

  05/10/2022

  I’m willing to go into mediation, but given this person’s clearly stated aversion to any information that runs contrary to her very false assumptions, I don’t know what good it will do. 

  
  Jeremy C
  Owner, Chapman Drainage & Basement
  [email protected]
  www.chapmandrainage.com

  Customer response

  06/27/2022

  I have received the settlement cashier check in the amount of $480.00 from Chapman Drainage. I’ve provided a PDF copy for BBB’s records. The complaint is closed so I am contacting you directly.
  In reviewing the check, the Customer ID is coded K1R5N which would indicate a derogatory term “Karen” as The owner of Chapman Drainage has already called me during this situation.
  My understanding is that Chapman Drainage (as well as myself) per item 3 signed in the mediation agreement that:
  “The parties further agree that neither will offer any public comments regarding their prior, current or future relationships with each other. That no comments or statements will be written in any form, including, verbal or written, in general conversation , social media format or otherwise.”
  
  I would like this to be part of the record of this case as an example of Chapman Drainage’s breach of the mediation agreement wherein no comments in any form are to be made. This is written on the cashier check (by Mr. Chapman in what looks like his hand writing) and is clearly a statement intended to harass me further. As a result I’m requesting that the A+ rating of Chapman Drainage be reduced by the BBB to a lower grade.
  
  I’m hoping that other potential consumers can be made aware of the conduct of Chapman Drainage before they agree to have business dealings with them.
  
  I do appreciate the BBB’s assistance with this and hope that from here I can move on and find a resolution to the problems created by Chapman Drainage.
  
  Thank you very much for your assistance,
  

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