ComplaintsforGreen Home Solutions of Northeast Ohio

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *** was hired to remediate mold that was discovered on the first floor and in the basement of my home in 2020. *** says they completed their work but I have photos and additional test results that show they did not. Due to my health issues (which include asthma and an autoimmune disorder that are highly affected by mold), I have had *** come back two more times. My health was not getting better and it was discovered that they did not complete the job they were hired to do (or they completed the job but it was completed poorly). Here are the dates of transactions: 07/22/2020, 08/21/2020, 01/20/2021 and 02/22/2022. Amount Paid to GHS: $5,089 Work Scope: *** was to clean and remediate mold on the first floor and in the basement of my home. A copy of the agreement/work scope has been attached. Nature of the Dispute: *** only completed about 70% of the work and mold is still in my basement and affecting my health. They scrubbed the basement ceiling and air ducts. However, they did not scrub them entirely – they only scrubbed the bottom and sides of the vents (not the top of them closest to the ceiling). *** also missed several other areas that were attainable and part of the scope of work. I have asked *** to complete the job they were hired and paid to do. *** said they would clean the areas of concern for an additional fee of $800. I have tried talking with them and have not made any headway. Desired Resolution: *** should complete the job they were hired to do or refund money so I can have another company complete the job. I have included pictures and test results as well as invoices and scopes of work in support of my complaint. Please contact me for more information as I have scaled down the information provided to fit your box constraints.

  

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  On July 19th, 2020, this customer reached out to us because she was unhappy with the job another company was doing.  she was personally referred so we took on the scope of work.  We did an original pre-test, that is attached to ensure that areas outside of our scope of work were not cross contaminated.   the areas showed a normal fungal ecology.  we performed our scope of work that included not only mold remediation but a complete demo of her kitchen and removal of hallway flooring - none of which were necessary for mold remediation, but her insurance company was paying for it and she requested it, so we accommodated her demo request.  upon completing our work we provided a post test that showed a normal fungal ecology.  she was happy and even said she'd leave a positive review.  in Jan of 2021 she reached out again because she was doing more work in her home outside of our original scope of work areas.   she found what she thought was mold and cleaned it up herself before she reached out to us.   we went back out to test again and that report also showed a normal fungal ecology.  Her warranty expired in August of 2021 and we didn't hear from her until Feb 2022, a year and a half after our initial service.   She had a lot of construction in her home to put things back together after our work and it is entirely possible that the dust on top of the ducts in the basement could've come from the work being done upstairs.  she had new floors put in right above the basement.   she also has 4 dogs which contribute to dust/dirt and dander in the home.    the reports that she claims are evidence actually show a normal fungal ecology in the basement air sample, which is her main complaint (basement area) -  we went back out and tested at a reduced cost and the area we swabbed showed no growth.    we offered a reasonable, affordable treatment option to help clear up what may be present, but she has been very threatening (threatening a lawsuit).   At this point, she is out of warranty.  She has filed this complaint and is now harassing our corporate office in an attempt to slander us and get a refund which she is not entitled too.   We performed the work we were asked to do, we always followed up in a timely manner, we have been respectful to her every time.  We are not issuing a refund for work done a year and a half ago, which was not questioned until feb of this year.   I have emails to support everything I am saying.  I also have emails that show she wasn't happy with other contractors that were doing work in her home.   Please let me know if you need anything further.

  Customer response

  03/15/2022

  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.
  
  Hi ******,
  This whole situation is very frustrating and I appreciate the opportunity to respond. 
  *** was recommended to me by an associate. The areas did not show normal fungal ecology as *** has stated. The report that GHS provided only covers the kitchen and upstairs (see attachments). 
  
  In the report that *** provided, mold growth is shown in a swab test collected by GHS, and it shows problem fungi. Further, the pre-test provided by *** does NOT reflect the problem that occurred in the basement, where more than 90% of the work took place. Their work in the basement is the center of my complaint. Unfortunately, the basement was covered in mold and they charged me a total of $5,089 in testing and mold cleaning/removal services.  However, they missed about 35-40% of the mold when they did the cleaning and remediation in the basement. This is what needs to be corrected. I have attached pictures to show the areas that they missed. The pictures show an old problem, not something created by construction that occurred following their initial work. And, the pictures show areas that are attainable/reachable (language from their scope of work) and should have been cleaned when *** did the original remediation. 

  Yes, originally, I was happy with the work that they did because I thought they got everything. However, due to closer investigation and ongoing medical issues, I had to have *** come back for additional mold testing. My health was not getting better and I was concerned that there was a mold problem somewhere else in my home. I have asthma and an autoimmune disorder (which are highly affected by mold), so I wanted to make sure it was all eradicated. After having them back two additional times, I hired another company to conduct testing to get an outsider’s view as to whether or not the mold had been removed. This additional testing proved my concerns and that there were areas missed by GHS. I was able to point out areas in the basement that had not been touched by *** during the mold cleaning / remediation (however, it was part of the scope of work). Once tested, these areas contained mold. I did point out the same areas to *** and was told it was dust. The additional testing shows that while dust is present, there is a great deal of mold present. 

  I find it frustrating that *** continues to say that my areas of concern are dust related to construction and, now, my dogs. If you look at the pictures, this mess was not caused by either. Further, I am frustrated because *** did not swab the areas of concern. Instead, they swabbed away from the problem I pointed out or took air quality tests by a window or door (away from the problem). $800 might be reasonable and/or affordable to her, but I disagree.  Being charged more money to finish the job they were hired to do is unethical. I should not be further charged to complete a job they did not finish in the first place. 

  Because I could not get *** to complete their work (and, at their expense), I have had to pursue other avenues. Reaching out to BBB and their franchise headquarters falls under this purview. It is frustrating that a business has to make someone look like an angry or crazy person to avoid doing their job; and, I find it interesting that she is accusing me of doing the very thing that she is doing (I believe she used words like slander, harassment, threatening). As someone who purchased their services, I expected the job to be completed in full and I would have thought that they would want to stand behind their marketing. Instead, I feel taken advantage of. I had several conversations with Carly and her husband regarding my health and my ongoing concerns relating to the mold. I also have emails and pictures to support my stance. I did not wait a year and a half to voice my concerns with GHS, I went back in January of 2021 (less than 5 months after their initial work and ‘post-testing’ was complete). In fact, I have gone back to them multiple times because I thought I had a problem elsewhere and was looking for their help. Imagine my embarrassment when I learned that I did not have a new problem. Instead, it was an old problem that had not been resolved due to shoddy work. 

  At this point, I would not trust them in my home and I would like a full refund. I need to have the problem resolved asap due to my health and will need to use another vendor to do so. 

  Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business response

  05/05/2022

  RECEIVED VIA PHONE BY BBB STAFF MEMBER:

  The business has notified the BBB that they went to the consumer's home last week and applied a new treatment at no charge. They believe the matter is resolved. 

*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. ↩