ComplaintsforHomestead Doors

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased seventeen new factory finished doors from Homestead Doors in February 2021 to replace damaged doors for a total cost of $19,024. On March 10, 2021, we received damaged wood doors with scratches, chips and gouges.on 14/17 doors. Only three doors were not damaged in the shipment: Guest Entry, Master Entry and Garage Door. We are asking for $14,630.89 because we do not intend to hire an expensive carpenter to replace damaged doors with newly damaged doors. Also why should we be expected to spend our time and money to refurbish new doors. Homestead Doors has to take accountability for the door damage because it chose the shipper and it was responsible for shipping the doors to us without damage. First, the doors were not shipped in a heavy crate but were enclosed in a thin plywood box that according to the ***** driver was falling apart. We received two earlier shipments from Homestead Doors to the same delivery address and these doors were shipped without damage because the doors were shipped in a sturdy crate built around the doors. Second, there was no warning on the carton telling the ***** driver not to remove the particle board box. Third, we did not purchase damaged doors at a discount but purchased first quality factory finished doors and this what we should have received from Homestead. After seven months, Homestead has offered us $2,400 for the damaged doors and some unknown amount for cosmetic damage. Scratches, chips and gouges are not cosmetic damage (see photos).

  Business response

  05/05/2022

  [BBB Transcription via Email]

   

  **** ** ********* ***** <***********************>
  Attachments
  11:28 AM (3 minutes ago)
  to me
  
  BBB response to complaint ID ******** from **** *********
  
   
  
  Good morning.  I am responding to the complaint filed against our company by our customer, **** *********.  She purchased 17 custom wood doors from us. They were delivered to her in March of 2021.  She notified us that the doors had some damage from shipping.  We spent most of last year trying to get a full freight claim from ***** Freight, of which they paid a partial amount.  We have not been able to reach an agreement with the customer.
  
   
  
  In reply to the customer’s comments on the complaint:
  
   
  
  1. We shipped the doors in the same fully protective heavy duty crate as we have done on all shipments for 20 years.  The customer acknowledged that the doors were fully crated, but that the carrier, ***** Freight dismantled the crate on the truck.   It’s very frustrating for both the customer and us when something like this happens.  We have shipped thousands of jobs over 20 years with a very low percent of damage.  Unfortunately the freight carriers occasionally damage jobs no matter what we do. 
  
  2. We always instruct the carriers to handle our crates with care.  Our special instructions on the shipping documents always state items including “Fragile.  Handle with care. High claim goods. Do not stack on top of, do not break crate”, etc.  We place stickers on the crates stating Fragile, do not stack, do not break, etc.  Sometimes they decide to rip our crates apart for no reason other than ignorance and disregard for others.  The shipping industry is notorious for handling freight with terrible care no matter what you tell them. 
  
  Unfortunately 2021 was the worst year ever for shipping and shipping damage.  The carriers were all overloaded and shorthanded and became very difficult to work with, particularly ***** Freight.  We were not aware of that yet at the time we shipped this order.   We had at least a ten year history with ***** Freight. We considered them the most honest caring carrier available. They handled at least 65% of our loads – 100-200 shipments per year.  They took care of almost every load with no damage, and on the occasional shipment that they damaged, they always quickly took care of it and paid the claims in full.   However last year, ***** completely changed course.  They started damaging a lot of loads (this job was one of the first). They blamed us and would not pay claims. They became impossible to communicate with and did not care at all about their customers.  After many months of fighting with *****, they finally offered us $2400 for this damage.  We no longer work with *****.  Had we known this would happen, we would have chosen another carrier. We definitely did not want this job to be damaged.
  
   
  
  3.  So, the main problem is how to take care of the damaged doors.  We never want damage and never want unhappy customers.  We want all our customers to be satisfied and to work out any problems that might arise.  The customer has asked us for a $14,631 refund on these damaged doors, and she also wants to keep the doors.  She is asking that she keep 14 out of 17 doors free of charge.   That is a very unreasonable request, because based on pictures we have received, many doors have very minimal damage that will not even be noticeable or seen.  Some of the doors do require some sort of refund for the scratches, but some do not.  So far we have offered the $2400 ***** payment to pay for repairs to damage.  We have not heard from the customer as to the current status of the doors and if they were able to be repaired and what costs were incurred.  We did not have a discussion as to which doors will be acceptable and can be repaired, only a request for a full refund.  This type of situation has happened in the past on rare occasions, but in those cases, we work with the customers on how to remedy the situation and save every door possible, and then work on a larger refund or even replacing some of the doors if required.  Sending a full refund while the customer also gets to keep the doors is unreasonable.
  
  Yes, there is damage and yes, some doors have some scratches that will be difficult or maybe impossible to fully repair.  However, based on the pictures provided to us by the customer, some doors appear to have more minor rub marks that might be able to be polished out.  Some doors have a very small amount of damage, or even no damage, on a very top or bottom edge, where it is not visible once installed.  We can not possibly offer a door free of charge that only has a very small scrape or rub mark in a corner that will not be visible or barely be visible.   We also need more details from the customer.  We need a list of the damaged doors by size and then a picture of exactly what is wrong with that door.  We will provide stain and finish touch up and some help on how to attempt to remedy the problem.  We need to narrow down to a list of which doors are truly damaged and can not be repaired.  I am working with our finisher to see what other guidance we can offer to attempt repairs.
  
  I have attached several pictures to add to this response. These are additional pictures previously provided to us by the customer.  I want to show some examples of doors that show us no reason to refund all 14 doors.  Some of these pictures show zero damage or such a small line of damage on the bottom edge that it can’t be seen once installed. The top and bottom edges of doors are never fully finished the same as the faces and sides.  There will be some spots where there is no stain or roughness on the top and bottom edges. There are holes drilled in the top and bottom edges to hang the doors on our finish racks.  That is standard by most door companies.  The edges of a door are not visible once the door is installed.  This is standard.  We can send a stain touch up pen and spray to touch up these doors in the pictures attached.  There are a couple of other pictures that show a very small defect. It’s unfortunate, but we think it can repaired or at least attempted to be repaired.  It does not result in a full refund.   Also, in a worst case scenario, our warranty/contract states that if a resolution can not be reached, then the products must be returned to us.  This is a very rare scenario, and we would have to work with the customer to do that, and would try every other remedy first.  But we can not fully refund use-able doors that the customer is going to keep.
  
  Yes, all this is a big hassle for the customer.  It’s a pain.  I know the customer wanted undamaged doors, and that is always our goal.  However, we need to work on a solution and try to find a way to repair and salvage all the doors we can first.  Once we do this, if there are some doors that still can not be repaired satisfactorily, then we can work on other solutions such as possibly a further refund, return for repair, or use the ***** claim money to help pay for a replacement where required.  I will be reaching out to **** soon to see if we can work towards a solution.
  
  Thank you.
  
   
  
  **** ****
  
  Homestead Doors
  
  -- 
  **** ****
  Homestead Doors
  ******** ****
  ************
  **********************

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