ComplaintsforA Job Well Done Home Improvement

• Initial Complaint

  05/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On February 20, 2022 James Z******** of “A Job Well Done” handyman services sent a proposal for work to fix draining issues at my property at 5001 Springdale Road, Cincinnati Ohio 45251, see attached proposal. Additionally, Defendant submitted a drawing to illustrate how the work would be completed see attached drawing. A summary of the details of the proposal included an estimate of $5,200-$6,200 to solve the drainage issues of water flooding the front porch, yard and backyard of the property. My husband and I accepted the proposal and Mr. Z********** company began work on March 1 and finished on March 4. My husband and I paid Mr. Z******** $5,200 in cash. On May 6th, Cincinnati experienced its first big rain and the draining solution failed. Water flooded my porch and yard. See attached images. Mr Z******** was contacted regarding the issue and he stated that this was ‘bullshit’ that My husband and I are just complaining and that we just want a job done for free. See attached text messages. My husband and I never asked for any money back, we only wanted the solution we paid $5,200 to work. Then Z******** said that there was actually a second phase of the job we needed to do and that it was our fault for not hiring someone to do it. And that it was all explained to us. At no time was any second phase of the job ever mentioned in any communications, in the proposal, in the drawings or in the invoice. This simply never happened. Mr. Z******** was asked by my son in law to come over and see the failed work and he refused. My daughter reached out to him and he threatened to sue her and anyone who makes a bad review about his company and he refused to respond to her last email requesting for him to communicate his intentions regarding the failed job by the end of day, Monday. My husband and I want the job we paid for to be fixed, and we would like for the subcontractor to be the one to come because at this point, Mr Z******** has been extremely angry.

  Business response

  05/25/2022

  I was initially contacted by a so called old friend named **** ***** about drainage on Feb 18th via ******** messenger. He Stated "my mother in law has an emergency" I replied to him at the time that I have one guy I know that does them and could try to see if he could get out there to take a look. Let me add my company "A Job Well Done Home Improvement" not handyman services has never nor do we ever plan on doing any excavating work of any sort. I referred to them **** ********* who had worked for the City of Cincinnati doing this same work for over 20 years. I figured since it was for a so called friend I would go and try to help with the discussion process and introduction. At the very first meeting with ****** ***** we were told vehemently from the start that she wanted to do the work under the table for her husband **** does all his routes as CASH only. She furthermore explained to us she had numerous other work done to her property under the table and refused to pay taxes to dumb**s Uncle Sam. This did not matter to me at all since I nor my company was doing the work. I will also add at no point was there any work done by me on anything. Directly after this she wanted to walk the property and explained that their property (that is on a steep slope) always floods and not only does her basement flood on heavy rainfalls but they have an elevator which floods as well. ****** invited us in to take a look at the basement in which we found the elevator. When inspecting it was evident it was a fire hazard and the electrical work was exposed. I brought that to her attention immediately and posed the question "Do you guys have a sump pump"? She replied no and both Paul and I advised they get one right away especially after all the issues they had. It was explained to her right than and there by Paul that they needed to get one installed asap to help for doing a French drain on that slope can only help so much due to numerous weather variables. The rain does not always approach their home from areas with soil. The left side of their home is on a steep hill (driveway) that runs down and behind their home. Paul also explained that rain doesn't always come down straight and wind can blow it in all types of directions. She agreed however she stated they wanted to attempt this fix first before doing anything else. Next, we walked out their front door to the front porch in which she began to explain that on any rainfall her porch would flood sometimes up to 2' high. Paul inspected the area and there was evidence of foundation issues and cracks through the porch area. At this point he recommended adding a drain in the center to tie into a French drain sloping down to the side and back of her home. At that point she stated again she wanted to see if this French drain setup would fix the problem for they had a small budget to work with. The job that was done which Paul has lots of pictures of before during and after he stated he would have charged anyone else no less than $8k for. All receipts for all equipment rentals, materials purchased etc. are all in his name for he was the one doing the work. Again, my company had no involvement I only tried to help where I thought I could for a so called friend. Paul prior to us leaving explained everything directly to her and the importance of doing the other work necessary. He also told her directly that he could not guarantee with the grade of their land it would be a flawless solution. Paul even suggested to her to run a ditch near the porch but she did not want her flower bed/mulch bed to be touched. 

  When Paul and his helper completed the job he called me and asked If I would come and take care of collecting the payment for they were finishing up and was concerned they were not understanding everything. When I arrived I discussed with Paul what he needed to get out of the job for he originally worked up a quote of $5200-$6200. He told me at that point to just charge them $5200 if they were paying cash and that after explaining to her and **** both they wanted to hire him to do some additional work to their porches stucco and possibly the drain. At this point he said just leave them at the minimum that way they have additional funds to do the other work. Upon my arrival ****** invited me in and to sit at the table with her and ****. I took the info that was given to me by Paul and relayed it to them both. I told them Paul said to only charge the minimum since you guys were paying cash. Again, they stated they only deal in cash but I told them they could write a check if they wanted to as well. It made no difference to me. While in their home they had some sort of speaker that was playing in the background in which I could everything that was being said externally of their home. Almost as if they were listening in to what Paul and his helper were saying. I guess they have that right but I had never experienced that before. At the table I once again explained everything that was told to them prior to Paul starting and that the additional phase 2 of the job was highly recommended. I am not an excavation expert but Paul certainly is. Their home has no sump pump, is on a massive slope and the foundation of the porch has numerous cracks with no drainage. Include ****** wanting nothing to be done in the flower bed mulch area I only reiterated what they were already told. 

  Since the job was completed we have had rain on numerous occasions. The rain we had on Friday May 6th 2022 was by far the worst of the year and came fast. I contacted Paul and relayed exactly what he said to **** who I believe is the son in law of the *****. In my and Paul's defense **** ***** has contacted me numerous times in a threatening manner via phone being argumentative, threatening etc. Via ******** messenger not so much but the clients themselves had never reached out to anyone during the timeframe of when it was done. A matter of fact **** nor Tara was there for any of the conversations or work that was done. As a individual I was only trying to put two parties together to help and even prior to the date of May 6th **** was reaching out via ******** and telephone complaining and being threatening. 

  If they want a solution to the problem it's pretty simple do phase 2 (which was already explained) which means getting a sump pump installed, a drain in the center of the porch and make the necessary repairs to the slab and at the very least allow another run to go through the front area of the porch. That's it period end of story. Bob Villa couldn't even guarantee anything without doing phase 2 and even after that due to their situation I'm not sure anyone could. 

  The resolve I want is to stop being harassed and threatened for something my company didn't even do. In my companies years of existence we have never had any complaints or bad reviews EVER!!! Just go to our ******** page and see we have a perfect rating. I would never take on a job that we don't even have the capacity nor expertise in. I simply tried to help a so called friend out and again I NEVER did any of the work that was done there. NOTHING! Nor did my company.

  I would also like to add the ***** stated that one of the delivery drivers broke a septic lid and knocked over a wall. I honestly don't know if this is true but I replaced it out of my own pocket and even paid someone to go switch it out. It has been so aggravating and I will admit I have told **** and Tara via email/messenger that it was ridiculous and I stand by this. I am not sure if they are being told something different from the parents or what but I was there both times everything was explained to ****** and **** *****. Not **** and Tara *****. 

  Customer response

  05/26/2022

  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, reasons for rejection are included below a document with this reply and the referenced evidence in the reply has been attached. Please review the attached document to see the evidence.

  ****** and ******* *****

  
  RESPONSE: The response from the owner is false and bordering on defamatory.
  Mark ***** reached out to a few friends who own companies to see if they offered drainage work. James was one of them. James is the owner of A Job Well Done Home Enterprises incorporated on January 30, 2021 with the Ohio Secretary of state
  .
  
  James states “I was initially contacted by a so called old friend named **** ***** about drainage on Feb 18th via ******** messenger. He Stated "my mother in law has an emergency" I replied to him at the time that I have one guy I know that does them and could try to see if he could get out there to take a look”
  This is false. **** contacted James and stated “Do you do French drains”
  James responded “I have one guy who does them” see below.
  
  
  It is clear that James responded that he, as the owner, has an employee who does, as indicated above.
  James says, “Let me add my company "A Job Well Done Home Improvement" not handyman services has never nor do we ever plan on doing any excavating work of any sort.”
  This is also false, as indicated below in his response stating “We are a one stop shop”
  
  
  As you can see above, not only did James respond on behalf of his company for the work, he stated that he has other services.
  
  James states, “At the very first meeting with ****** ***** we were told vehemently from the start that she wanted to do the work under the table for her husband **** does all his routes as CASH only. She furthermore explained to us she had numerous other work done to her property under the table and refused to pay taxes to dumbass Uncle Sam.”
  This is absolutely false and defamatory and we will be taking additional actions against James for this  false defamatory statement. James asked us what method of payment we would be using and I responded that my husband will likely pay cash since he has a cash route with his company Grippos-they all pay cash, but I informed him that he may also write a check, that I wasn’t sure and couldn’t commit. Never have I uttered the words “Dumbass Uncle Sam” or tried to get ‘work under the table’. Not only is it not in my vocabulary, it offers no benefit for a consumer. It is an illegal tactic used by companies to avoid taxes.

  
   James stated: I will also add at no point was there any work done by me on anything. 
  As evidenced by the messages, James not only sent over the proposal and walked the property, he admits to subcontracting Paul, who works for him and provided a receipt with his company’s letterhead on it.
  
  
  
  James states  he “posed the question "Do you guys have a sump pump"? She replied no and both Paul and I advised they get one right away especially after all the issues they had. “
  
  James had no idea whether we had a sump pump as evidenced by the exchange between James and **** where James asked if we had a sump pump on May 6.
  This raises the question though, if a sump pump was necessary, this should have been included in the initial estimate. Why wouldn’t a company put that in the proposal and include it as part of the work to fix a drainage problem that allegedly requires a sump pump to work. James makes no sense.
  
  James states “Paul inspected the area and there was evidence of foundation issues and cracks through the porch area. At this point he recommended adding a drain in the center to tie into a French drain sloping down to the side and back of her home. At that point she stated again she wanted to see if this French drain setup would fix the problem for they had a small budget to work with. 
  Again, this is false. At no time was an additional drain mentioned, why would a company send a proposal that specifically states “All of this work is necessary to stop the water from flooding the porch” NOT include these things that it now claims, after the solution failed, it NEEDED to stop the water?
  This is also a very new claim being made different from what James has previously claimed.
  Additionally, at no time was a budget ever discussed. We didn’t know what to expect quote-wise, but we would certainly not pay $5200 for a PARTIAL solution. We wanted the water to stop flooding our porch and the water still floods after we have paid $5200.
  James states: “The job that was done which Paul has lots of pictures of before during and after he stated he would have charged anyone else no less than $8k for. All receipts for all equipment rentals, materials purchased etc. are all in his name for he was the one doing the work.

  This is false. Paul informed us his charge was $3800USD. James collected the remainder of the $5200.
  James states, “Again, my company had no involvement I only tried to help where I thought I could for a so called friend.:
  James provided the proposal. James provided the illustration. James provided the receipt with his company letterhead. James provided the subcontractor. James company in fact, did the work.
  At no time did **** ***** ask for a friend discount or referral. **** asked for James’ company to provide a quote and work for our property. 
  
  James states “Paul prior to us leaving explained everything directly to her and the importance of doing the other work necessary. He also told her directly that he could not guarantee with the grade of their land it would be a flawless solution. Paul even suggested to her to run a ditch near the porch but she did not want her flower bed/mulch bed to be touched.
  This is also false, no reasonable person would agree to a $5200 job that specifically states it would correct the flooding AND agree to also do work separately. If additional work was necessary, it was never disclosed in writing, in the proposal, in conversations or otherwise. James is making false statements.
  James stated  While in their home they had some sort of speaker that was playing in the background in which I could everything that was being said externally of their home. Almost as if they were listening in to what Paul and his helper were saying. I guess they have that right but I had never experienced that before. 
  This was previously explained to James in another email, who is clearly paranoid without justification, that this is our Homes Security Camera system. Our home security cameras link to a standard hub where live camera feed comes through the home. This is very standard and everyone we know has a home security system. This does not have any relevance here, and James is simply making bizarre statements to convolute the matter.
  James states At the table I once again explained everything that was told to them prior to Paul starting and that the additional phase 2 of the job was highly recommended. I am not an excavation expert but Paul certainly is. Their home has no sump pump, is on a massive slope and the foundation of the porch has numerous cracks with no drainage. Include ****** wanting nothing to be done in the flower bed mulch area I only reiterated what they were already told. 
  James only brought up this ‘new phase two’ when we explained the solution failed. There is no phase two. There never was. If there was, it would be documented in the initial proposal (below0 in the illustration (below) and in the final contract receipt below.
  
  
  
  It was never mentioned because it never happened. No consumer would purchase HALF a solution and agree to a second phase they would have to figure out and pay someone else to complete. None of his statements make any sense because they are simply false.
  James states  In my and Paul's defense **** ***** has contacted me numerous times in a threatening manner via phone being argumentative, threatening etc. Via ******** messenger not so much but the clients themselves had never reached out to anyone during the timeframe of when it was done.
  This is simply outrageous. You can see the conversation exchange below between James and ****. It was extremely civil, **** was very kind and patient when James was not. The only person  who became aggressive was James when he called us complainers, bullshit and that we wanted work done for free. **** has never spoken with Paul, also evidenced by the text exchange below.
  James states “As a individual I was only trying to put two parties together to help and even prior to the date of May 6th **** was reaching out via ******** and telephone complaining and being threatening. 
  Again, this is false and supported by actual evidence shown above.
  
  James states I would also like to add the ***** stated that one of the delivery drivers broke a septic lid and knocked over a wall. I honestly don't know if this is true but I replaced it out of my own pocket and even paid someone to go switch it out.
  
  This is factual. It was a $20 lid that the subcontractors crushed when they pulled a large truck down our driveway. They broke a custom septic lid that needed to be replaced for $20 which is evidenced by the message exchange. This was promptly replaced and we have no motivation to seek a free $20 lid when we hired them to do a $5200 job. It’s simply outlandish to insinuate differently.
   They also knocked down a wall which we had to physically put back up--we never asked them to replace it, we simply let them know it happened.
  James states The resolve I want is to stop being harassed and threatened for something my company didn't even do. In my companies years of existence we have never had any complaints or bad reviews EVER!!! Just go to our ******** page and see we have a perfect rating. I would never take on a job that we don't even have the capacity nor expertise in. I simply tried to help a so called friend out and again I NEVER did any of the work that was done there. NOTHING! Nor did my company.
  We disagree asking for a repair to a $5200 job that failed is harassment or that using a mediator to resolve the matter is harassment. We have proven no one harassed James, no one threatened James, no one secretly recorded James, no one asked for a favor, or a discount or free work. We have proven James has lied multiple times and that he refuses to even attempt to resolve this matter.
  
  ******* and ****** *****
  
  
  
  

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