ComplaintsforThe Big Fish Contracting Company

• Initial Complaint

  02/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date signed: 9/23/2021 Amount: $13327.56 - Extremely poor communication, they did not do the job in the way that was described to me and was told that was my fault - Gaco application on our metal roofing was done so poorly that I could see the old roof with my own eyes, even though I was told it would have multiple layers and the thickness of a quarter. When someone came to "fix" it, they dripped black silicone onto my porch and stairs - Left visible starter shingles, exposed nails, and only did dormer step flashing on spots visible from the street. The ones that were not able to be seen from the street were not done, and we would have never known if our contractor hadn't checked - Roofers damaged window framing we had just completed by a different contractor weeks prior to their arrival, causing an active water leak that then leaked into our interior ceiling and caused damage - Verbally approved to have our contractor come do an emergency repair only to NEVER pay him - When they came back to "fix" the window again, they left trash all over my roof and yard - no walkthrough done or any communication with me - They still didn't fix it. They have now come back on multiple occasions to "fix" the situation while continuing to leave HOLES in my house. - They have accepted fault on MULTIPLE occasions, yet continue to refuse to fix the situation. - Spoke to me with complete disrespect and called me a liar saying that there was no way there could have been a leak because they checked the past weather and they didn't see rain in the forecast. - Bullying and unreceptive attitude towards any and all concerns, and then not calling back or responding to us when they said they would. - Eventually, our contractor had to come back AGAIN to stop the active leak as they were unable to do so in the AT LEAST 5 visits they made - Our project manager offered to do the interior work FOR FREE, but Big Fish said no. Out of the $1900 we are in debt for due to the repairs, they offered $250.

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  In response to the complaint filed by ****** * *** *******
  
  The ****** household has made many accusations against our company regarding improper work, poor communication, and money owed to them.  We would like to provide a timeline, documentation, and evidence of how we attempted to work with our customer & find a resolution to any issues.  We acknowledge that issues will arise when completing construction projects and that things do not always go according to plan, but The Big Fish Contracting Company prides itself on correcting any problems and leaving our customers feeling satisfied and happy with the work that was completed.
  
  First, we would like to provide a timeline summary of this job with The ******.
  
  In September 2021, The ****** had contacted our business to inquire about a full roof replacement.  Their roof was older, it was leaking, and some interior damage had been caused by the active leaks.  The ****** were actively working with a separate contractor who was completing work without any clear communication about his discoveries and ours. 
  
  THE BIG FISH CONTRACTING COMPANY NEVER ENTERED ANY TYPE OF CONTRACT, OR AGREEMENT, WITH THE OTHER CONTRACTOR INVOLVED WITH THIS COMPANY & WILL NOT CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY WORK DONE BY THAT CONTRACTOR.
  
  To address any active leaking, The Big Fish Contracting Company recommended that we replace the roof & address any found issues, and then the ****** should address wrapping the window and repairing the interior damage.  The ****** made the decision to work with their separate contractor and have the window wrapped & the interior work done before we replaced the roof.  The customer claims the repairs done to her window & interior solved the leaking and that there was no further damage until we completed the roof replacement, implying that we caused further damage upon completion of our work.  Unfortunately, the customer took on the risk of completing work in a sequence that was not recommended & did not have the multiple contractors communicating clearly about the work being completed.  Furthermore, there is no sufficient evidence to back up her claim that the work her other contractor completed had solved any active leaks.  We have weather reports that document no precipitation falling during the weeks she claimed the problem had been solved and we have no photos, contracts, or statements to document the work that was completed by the other contractor.
  
  The Big Fish Contracting Company completed the scope of work that was described in our signed contract with the ******.  After our work was completed, the customer called to raise questions about a silicone seal to all tin roofs & things that were not addressed with their gutters.
  
  We communicated clearly with the customer about any concerns regarding the Graco seal to the tin roof and made a follow up trip to address the work (10/23/21).  We provided documentation that there was no work in our contract to address their box gutters; we completed the signed scope of work.
  On November 15, 2021, the ****** called to address leaking in the window and that they were going to have their other contractor fix it and would send us the invoice.  We asked that they give us an opportunity to address the situation and that we would be there within the hour to inspect; ****** confirmed that she received our message.  When we arrived, the other contractor sealed everything with caulking and left and was attempting to bill us for the work.  We will not claim ownership of that invoice since it is not our work and we had not been provided an opportunity to address the issue.  Below is the report from our Project Manager explaining the situation:
  
  I called ****** and sent her a text message, that I would be over within an hour of getting her message. She didn’t answer or respond. By the time I got there, her contractor had already applied caulking to the openings in the picture she sent and was gone. She confirmed that she got my message. No reason for him to do what he did, with me on my way and then try to bill us for it. 
  
  This was a situation with 2 dormers having old slate side walls and 1x trimmed windows on the front that overhang the sides about an inch. In order to correctly flash the sides, the slate needed to be removed. Typical on sight solution is to remove the slate, step flash and shingle the intersecting roof line, wrap the side walls with felt buster and install shingles in place of the slate, which is what we did. Removing the slate in this case, exposed more of the backside of the 1x trim overhanging the sides. This should have either been cut back flush with the sides or wrapped along with the front, with a return bend onto the side walls, under the new shingles, leaving no way for water to get in. However, the trim was already wrapped with metal before we came to do the roof, so we couldn’t cut it.
  
  The notes in sales to pro say that this area leaked prior to the new roof. The homeowner told me yesterday that right before the roof install, she paid her contractor $6000.00 (absolutely outrageous) to fix the leak and repair the interior damage, which included “replacing framing and repairing a bunch of drywall”.  Work that she said her contractor told her was ruined because of the “new leak we caused“.
  
  I asked her if she could send me pics of the damage and the repair he did. She didn’t have any pics. After asking her several more questions about the work, she agreed to let me go in and see it. When I got inside, the only indication of work was a small patch on the ceiling, about 3 square feet. I asked what framing he had to do and she said she was referring to the metal on the outside of the window. The interior doesn’t have any noticeable new damage, but her contractor says the drywall seemed soft. I would recommend primer and paint, if nothing at all.
  
  She said her contractor claimed to have fixed the leak by wrapping the window trim. The pics she sent clearly show that the water leak was never fixed by his work. You can see exposed rotten wood behind his metal. Rain water is running down the roof and hitting the backside of the exposed wood overhanging the side of the dormer. He only wrapped the face of the trim. He said we didn’t flash the dormer, which caused a new leak. We definitely step flashed the dormer. Nothing we did would have caused the leak.
  
  We continued to communicate clearly & make service visits to the ****** throughout the months of November & December 2021. 
  
  On December 11, 2021, the customer contacted us & made accusations of a continued leak coming from the roof, we were able to investigate and identify that the leak was coming from the box gutters on the home.  We did not complete any work on the box gutters and it has been advised that the customer have their box gutters inspected & repaired at least three separate times throughout the life of this project.  Pictures were sent to customers to show the damage to the box gutter.
  
  We made several trips to the ******’ home to address work done by their previous contractor and stop any active leaking that was taking place.  All of the visits, communications with the customer, and any description of work completed are documented.  We did not bill the ****** for any of these billable services.
  
  On January 17, 2022, the customer asked us to come visit his home to check out an active leak & informed us that his contractor had already cut a hole in his ceiling.  When we scheduled a time to investigate, he informed us that he would have the other contractor repair the damage & seal the hole.  We advised against this and explained that he should not seal the hole until we can make sure any exterior repairs are addressed.   We made our final trip to the home and repaired the exterior portion that could have caused any leaking.  It was reported to us that the leaking had stopped.  
  
  On February 11, 2022, the customer called in asking where he should send the invoice for the interior work.  Rob Tokay (owner of The Big Fish Contracting Company) reviewed the entire file and made the decision that we are not responsible for the work done by another contractor outside of our recommendations.  We were not informed of the work being completed and could have advised differently in addressing any outstanding issues.  The other contractor has no documentation of the work he completed, why he completed it, or what solution he found.  The Big Fish Contracting Company will not take ownership of that work because we did not agree to it, nor did we have the ability to advise or dispute.  Rob Tokay ended the final communication with this email:
  
  Good morning, ****  Thanks for sending this over.  After discussing the issue with the team, we made the decision not to reimburse you for anything.  Here’s why:
  
  1. Your invoice assumes Big Fish Contracting is at fault, which it is not correct.  I don’t see any instance where Z&Z performed any services at no charge.  In discussing with our service lead, the window wrap was installed poorly.  Quite frankly, we should be sending you an invoice for the additional trips we did not invoice you.
  2. Your interior work was performed prior to the roof installation.  We take no responsibility for that decision.
  3. Working with us and another contractor.  Having 2 contractors working on the same issues puts everything at risk.  Had you used us exclusively, we would have 100% taken ownership of the work.  There were things the other contractor did that we cleaned up (on our dime) to try to work with you.
  4. ******** Facebook post.  We feel we have done everything we could have to make this experience positive, including the numerous (non-billable) visits.  To make poor accusations about our company and our work is wrong so to ask us for anything is an audacious request. 
  
  As it stands, this issue is closed on our end and I’ve informed my team the same.  I wish you and your family well.
  
  To address the customers’ original accusations:
  The Big Fish Contracting Company has communicated very often and very clearly with the ****** and there is documentation of these communications.  We have never ignored them as a customer.
  The Big Fish Contracting Company Completed the scope of work that was listed in the contract that was signed by ****** ******.
  When she wasn’t happy with the original work (Graco Seal), we corrected it by fixing the application to her request.
  We never advise working with multiple contractors on projects, especially when we are unable to communicate with the other contractor. 
  We never entered any agreements, or contracts, with the other contractor.  We do not take responsibility for any work he completed, especially since it was completed against our recommendation.
  There was no ill intention in any of our communications with the customer.  We have always spoken very respectfully with the customer and very clearly about our findings.  When we shared the weather report in regard to a solved leak, it was only to provide a record that we couldn’t guarantee the leak was solved.
  To say that we could not fix the customers’ leak in all 5 of our visits is misleading.  We made several visits to the home to address different issues; most of which involved previous work by another contractor or work that was not completed against our recommendation to have it checked out. 
  
  
  The Big Fish Contracting Company has always prided itself on its commitment to excellent customer service.  We are sorry it has been a bad experience for this particular customer but we did everything we could to resolve this situation and have only gotten poor communication, misinformation, and verbal attacks in return.  

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