ComplaintsforMacadam Floor and Design, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired Macadam to replace old hardwood and carpet with engineered hardwood. They told us the project would be totally completed in one day (Jan 16, 2024). We had told Macadam over and over that our floors were uneven. They said it was no problem, that they would grind down high spots and add a little leveler to any low spots. They stopped the project after all the old material was ripped out, OSB was installed (even though they quoted plywood), and them told us we needed to completely level the floors with 63 bags of leveler, it would take nine days to cure, and our warranty with the hardwood manufacturer would be void if we didn't do this. They told us to pay their sub directly for the work. The invoice from Macadam was $19,288 and the invoice from the sub was $8,316. We think Macadam was sloppy with their quote, unprofessional, and deceitful. They increased the scope (whole project area leveler), duration (by nine days), and price (by 50%) of the project after they had started work and we couldnt say no because all our old hardwood and carpeting had already been ripped out. We are devasted by the increase in price, and feel tricked by Macadam. Again, we told them over and over we had uneven floors, and they said over and over "no problem" and the project would be completed in one day. Please see the attached pdf for more information. We would like Macadam to reimburse us for the leveling project we paid to the sub ($8316) and a charge for more glue ($1,075) because their initial quote had glue included and the manufacturer a full gluedown.

  Business response

  02/27/2024

  Good afternoon.  We are currently in talks with the homeowner about getting this worked out.  A few questions:

  1.  If we respond to the complaint that we are in talks, will that take away our ability to respond to the complaint? 

  2.  Can the 10-day response time be postpone while we try to work this out with the homeowner?  Or do you suggest we respond to the complaint with the information that we have attached?

  The attached file is a word file of the communication we are currently having with the homeowner.  The oldest message is at the bottom of the document.  If we do need to respond by the 10th day (no postponement), do you suggest we respond with what we currently have (in attachment)?

  Thank you for response.
  

  *****************

  Macadam Floor & Design

  Business response

  03/07/2024

  Macadam Floor And Design was hired by these clients to perform various scopes of work in their home.Each scope of work and pricing were agreed upon prior to the work taking place and Macadam Floor And Design has all the backup documentation to prove this if you would like to see it. None of the concerns were brought to our attention prior or during our time in the home. If these clients brought these concerns to our attention prior to the work taking place, Macadam could have provided alternative solutions to address their concerns. Without having any knowledge of these concerns and not being able to address these concerns prior to the work being completed, these are issues that we cannot address now. It is unfortunate that these clients agreed to all the work prior, benefiting from our work and now have had a change of heart and are filing a complaint with the BBB without giving is a chance to ever address them. This does not seem fair. 

  Customer response

  03/08/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The response from Macadam is untrue. The scope of the work involved removing hardwood and carpeting - about 900 sq ft. Macadam says that "each scope of work and pricing was agreed upon prior to the work taking place". It was not--they did not address the unevenness of the floors.  They say that "none of the concerns were brought to our attention prior or during our time in the home". Yes they were--both before they gave us a quote and the day the project began (we asked the installer if the project would be finished in one day and he said yes). The unevenness of the floors was visible and could be felt when walking across the floor. We mentioned this to each of the Macadam people we talked to about the project (there were four of them) several times. Macadam said the unevenness would be addressed on installation day with grinding down high spots and leveling low spots, and that the entire project (tear out and installation of engineering hardwoods) would be completed in one day. They mentioned nothing about any price increase to address the unevenness. It was not mentioned in their quote. Most importantly is that fixing any unevenness was not excluded. After all our hardwood and carpeting had been removed and they replaced some of the underlayment with OSB (even though their quote specified plywood and when we pointed that out they said it was the same thing and cost the same!) when they first brought up pricing, and then they told us that our 900 sq ft space needed to have leveler applied over the entire surface (63 bags of leveler), and that it would cost $8300 for the leveling and then over $1000 more for a full glue down (even though their quote already included glue) for a total of $10,000!!! We were shocked - absolutely shocked. This had never been mentioned before. Our options were to either do the leveling ourselves, hire someone else, or hire their installer (who was a subcontractor) and pay him separately. They also said if we didn't level the floors, the warranty for the floors would be voided. Another big, big shock was that this would delay the installation of the new floors by 9 days!! If we had known about the price and delay, or even the possibility of the price increase and the delay (they never breathed a word about it), WE WOULD NOT HAVE AGREED TO THIS PROJECT. It was over our budget and the time delay was too disrupting. We felt we had to accept their surprise add-on (50% of the price of the project) because we were worried that if we didn't it, they could reject the work done by others and refuse to complete the project. We were also afraid that if we started our complaint with the BBB at that time, they would not do a good job completing the work. We were under extreme duress and very, very wary. Our big furniture was in our garage, and our kitchen appliances had been placed on the back patio. All the rest of our possessions from that area of the house were crammed into the bedrooms and downstairs and we could only navigate through the house through narrow pathways. We have a pet. We needed the work to be completed as soon as possible (if we had tried to hire someone else at this point it would probably still not be completed) so our lives could get back to normal after this extreme shock. We were also afraid that after the work was completed and we received the bill that if we didn't pay while disputing it that Macadam would put a lien on our house or turn us over to a collection agency, ruining our credit. So we paid and started our complaint. We also have an additional complaint with them regarding the use of painter's tape on the floor even though the manufacturer said to avoid that. The tape left marks. Macadam has admitted they didn't follow directions. So, still addressing that with them. In conclusion, for Macadam to claim that they didn't have "any knowledge of these concerns" is absolutely ludicrous.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  03/15/2024

  We have had correspondence with these clients after the initial BBB complaint was filed. We do not agree with any of their statements or perspective on this transaction. We have offered to come out to the ******* and address any concerns and they declined a meeting. We have nothing further to add to our previous response. We are not sure where to go from here?

  Customer response

  03/15/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: First, Macadam never offered to come to our house for a meeting regarding the leveling of the floors. They are confused because we have raised another issue with them regarding the installation of the hardwood but that is NOT part of this complaint and we are currently corresponding with the manufacturer about that. Second, we stand by our complaint -- Macadam was well aware before the project started that our floors were uneven, they said several times that they could take care of it on installation day, that the whole job (tear out and installation) would take place on one day (one of the reasons we decided on engineered hardwood), and they never mentioned that it would cost extra, either in person or on their quote, nor was it excluded from their quote. After tear-out, they did a complete reversal and said they had to level the floors using 64 bags of leveler and it had to dry completely, and if we didn't do this our warranty for the flooring would be void, and that it would cost an extra $10,000 and delay the completion of the project by 8 to 10 days, and that we should deal directly with their subcontractor for payment (so they don't have it on their books). They did say we could hire someone else to do the leveling, do it ourselves, and/or pick a different flooring material after the tear-out was already completed. If we had gone that route, I have no doubt that this project would still be completed two months later. If Macadam had mentioned the pricing and delay before we agreed to START, or even the possibility of the huge additional price and very significant delay in the the project (and the extensive disruption to our lives), we would NOT have agreed to the project at all, and kept our existing hardwood and just replaced the carpeting. Macadam was not forthcoming with the scope of the project and pricing BEFORE the project began. We were very, very shocked at the turn of events, and felt we had to proceed to get the project done so our lives could return to normal, and deal with they way Macadam managed the project and pricing later. We have talked with three additional professional flooring installers about how Macadam handled our project, and they were all aghast. Where do we go from here?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  We have nothing further to add to our previous response.  We are not sure where to go from here?

  Customer response

  04/10/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Macadam Floor has made absolutely no effort to remedy their deceitful business practices in which they brushed off our concerns about the levelness of the floors and then, after removing and trashing all our old flooring they upped their bid by 50% and added nine days to the duration of the project, after telling us over and over the tear out and installation of new flooring would take one day. After the tear-out, they said if we didn't have the floors level the manufacturer's warranty would be voided. And they told us to pay their sub directly for the levelling, and so it doesn't show up in their accounting system. WE WOULD NOT HAVE *****  TO THIS PROJECT AT ALL IF WE KNEW THE TRUE COST AND DURATION. We have lots of experience dealing with contractors for large projects without any problems whatsoever, but our experience with Macadam Floor seems so outside the realm of an honest, customer-centric experience that It's quite incredible.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  1) Before the consumer contacted the BBB, Macadam initially offered a $500 discount when the complaint was brought to our attention, the Consumers countered with asking for $1,000, which we agreed to and adjusted the final invoice and we considered this matter resolved. 
  
  2) After we received the original BBB response, we responded to the complaint. The consumer continued to reply with the same complaint over and over that we already responded to and our replys after the original response was to see our original response because we had no further comments. 
  
  We already agreed to a billing adjustment and we are not going to give any further billing adjustments. The reason the BBB should have under this complaint is that the two parties could not resolved this matter. Not the reason below.We have responded on a timely basis this entire process.

  Customer response

  04/27/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Macadam is so confused. The $1000 they took off the final bill was not related to the complaint. It was because of their errors on the bid. The complaint is about not telling us in advance that it was possible the leveling could cost $10000 over the original bid and the considerable delay in completing the project. We were told over and over the uneveness would be taken care of on installation day, and the entire project would be completed in a day. The complaint is about a considerable omission in their bid that they sprung on us after our floors were torn out and our house in a major state of disarray. They told us the warranty would be void if we didn't proceed. Macadam was sloppy at the leadt, deliberately dishonest at the worst. We would never have accepted their bid and agreed to this project if they had been forthcoming about even the possibility of a 50% increase in the price of the project. They never mentioned the it after we told them repeatedly about our concerns. They also told us to pay their subcontracter directly so that huge amount isn't even in their accounting system. This seems very sly on their part. It doesn't seem as if the Macadam representative responding to the BBB understands our complaint.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  Below in italics is the email that what was sent to *************************** in which explains the credits and that he agreed upon prior to paying the final balance. We have also attached (2) screenshots of *************************** agreeing to the additional charges for leveling the floor. Everything was agreed to ahead of doing any work or paying the final balance.  
  
  
  Hi *****,
  
  Attached is the final invoice for the project.  Please note that there are two credits on the second page of invoice. 
  
  Misc Credit for -$525.00 as per your email to ****
  Customer Accomodation for -$1000 as per our conversation
  
  We can use the same **** card you used for your deposit if you would like. Just let me know.
  
  Also, I received at our Macadam Ave location the Bona cleaning kit I ordered for you.Would you like to pick it up? 
  
  Please let me know if you have any questions.

  Customer response

  05/08/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: We felt we had no choice but to proceed because our home was already torn up and our kitchen appliances outside where they put them and our furniture in our unheated garage during extremely cold weather. Our issue with Macadam from the start has been that we told them MANY TIMES that we had uneven floors and they told us MANY TIMES that it was not a problem and they would take care of it on installation day and the entire project would be completed in one day, and there was never ANY mention from them that it would cost an ENORMOUS amount of money  and delay the project NINE days, plus we had to stay home to empty the dehumidifiers several times a day and keep moving them around. They were extremely loud, too. If we had told Macadam to not proceed and disputed the surprise 50% price increase that we wereb't told about unril our home was in ruins we truly believe our floors would still not be done. We felt pressured and coerced by Macadam because they threatened that the floors would not be guaranteed unless we had the leveling done. We felt our only option was to proceed so the project would be completed and complain after they were out of our home. AGAIN, we would NOT have agreed to this project if Macadam had been honest about the true cost before the entire project COMMENCED or if they had even mentioned the possibility of such a DRAMATIC price increase and major delay in completing the project. Instead, the bring this up  immediately AFTER they had torn  out all our existing flooring and left us with a huge mess and extra work for us to do. When they called us about that EXTREME price increase after the tear out they said they do lots of leveling (about once a week) yet AGAIN they never mentioned this before we agreed they could START the project. Also, we received no written estimate of the leveling, and they told us to pay their subcontractor directly to save 20% ( and so they have no record of this extreme add-on in their bookkeeping). The leveling was also NOT EXCLUDED from their original bid. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer response

  05/08/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: We felt we had no choice but to proceed because our home was already torn up and our kitchen appliances outside where they put them and our furniture in our unheated garage during extremely cold weather. Our issue with Macadam from the start has been that we told them MANY TIMES that we had uneven floors and they told us MANY TIMES that it was not a problem and they would take care of it on installation day and the entire project would be completed in one day, and there was never ANY mention from them that it would cost an ENORMOUS amount of money  and delay the project NINE days, plus we had to stay home to empty the dehumidifiers several times a day and keep moving them around. They were extremely loud, too. If we had told Macadam to not proceed and disputed the surprise 50% price increase that we wereb't told about unril our home was in ruins we truly believe our floors would still not be done. We felt pressured and coerced by Macadam because they threatened that the floors would not be guaranteed unless we had the leveling done. We felt our only option was to proceed so the project would be completed and complain after they were out of our home. AGAIN, we would NOT have agreed to this project if Macadam had been honest about the true cost before the entire project COMMENCED or if they had even mentioned the possibility of such a DRAMATIC price increase and major delay in completing the project. Instead, the bring this up  immediately AFTER they had torn  out all our existing flooring and left us with a huge mess and extra work for us to do. When they called us about that EXTREME price increase after the tear out they said they do lots of leveling (about once a week) yet AGAIN they never mentioned this before we agreed they could START the project. Also, we received no written estimate of the leveling, and they told us to pay their subcontractor directly to save 20% ( and so they have no record of this extreme add-on in their bookkeeping). The leveling was also NOT EXCLUDED from their original bid. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  05/22/2024

  Our active and current Oregon CCB number is 198560
  
  Here is the correspondence regarding the text message written approval for extra work they approved. 
  
  
  December 19th 2023 – Client approving the original quote
  
  ***** ******** “Rick- the quote looks good. Ill change the credit card number via text. 
  
  Rick C***** (Macadam employee) “okay, got it. I will email you a copy soon. Thank you 
  
  January 16th 2024 – Client approving the extra scope of work
  
  ***** ******** “Rick – please go ahead with the leveling. Ill pay Ivan the $8600.00 directly, Brian. 
  
  Rick C***** (Macadam employee) “yes I will order all the full spread bona glue. I will add It to your invoice. Its roughly $1,100 for all the buckets you need. Sound good? Thank you. Ivan will do a great job. 
  
  ***** ********” Yes, go for it”
  
  

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Macadam just can't figure this out! The attorney we have retained does NOT apply to THIS complaint -- it's a separate issue regarding the actual installation and we have not complained to the BBB about that issue, though we may.

  This complaint, from the very, very start, and that I keep repeating, is that Macadam completely brushed off our concerns about our visibly uneven floors, said they could be fixed on the tear-out and installation (which would be done all in one day), did not say there would be any extra charge for leveling on the bid, and did not exclude leveling from the bid. All this was repeated over and over, including on installation day. And then suddenly, after the tear-out, we were suddenly told that extensive levelling had to be done and extra glue ordered, and it would cost us $10,000 or else our flooring warranty would be void. We felt strong-armed and bullied to accept their price increase so the floors would be warranted. We feel that Macadam was extremely sloppy in their bid process at the least, and dishonest at that worst, and we want compensation for the increase in price. The $1,000 is not enough. We agreed to have Macadam finish the job because our kitchen appliances that they had placed outside were being ruined by the cold wet weather, and our house was barely livable and we couldn't leave because we had to take care of the humidifiers during the nine day extension to the project that was to take one day.

  It was in retrospect that we felt that we had been treated very, very unfairly by Macadam, though we were also incredulous when they first told us about that horrendous price increase, too. We feel it is our responsibility to make others aware of how Macadam conducts their business -- by performing a "bait and switch" by brushing off a consumer's concern and giving a false low bid and then raising the price of the project by 50% after the point of no return has been reached on the project. Not only that, Macadam is not a licensed contractor, and did not provide a written contract (just a bid or estimate), did not inform us that subcontractors would be doing the work, or provide written paperwork regarding the change order for the leveling. They actually told us to pay the subcontractor directly so it's not in their accounting system.

  By the way, we are not enjoying the new floors -- they are just a reminder of all the pain Macadam put us through.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

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