Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Business was contracted to build and finish a large addition on existing home structure. Business owner provided poor workmanship and refused to fix issues, or would do bare minimum, when approached. For example, drywall screws showing throughout finished home, outlets were cutout too big and fixed very poorly, painting was unprofessional and all walls are rough showing roller marks, electrical panel does not fit properly with a one-inch gap around the face due to poor wiring inside. Overall poor workmanship and crummy ****************** owner permitted his employee to yell and cuss at homeowner. Business owner would regularly disregard homeowner's wants/needs and do whatever he wanted. Business owner did not show up to the job site for upwards of 60 days, communicating to customer only through the abusive employee who had previously yelled and cussed at homeowner. A toilet that was installed has been leaking for a year and the business owner has refused to fix, ignoring his own contracted warranty. I would add that as a customer the business was always paid promptly upon completion of work. There were times when payment was delayed until the contracted work for any particular phase of the project was completed but those and all other payments were processed promptly. There were also advances for work/materials that were outside of the original contract which were paid via personal check.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2024

  The owner was a problem from day one,his wife was very professional though.
  I approached him everyday that I was there to discuss any concerns or discrepancies. I conducted everything professionally throughout the entirety project.
  
  1. The painting: Painting was done by one of my subcontractors, who is a professional painter. When the painting was completed, he had his father paint over everything. The walls showed roller marks in rough spots due to his father painting. ( pictures attached)
  
  2. The wiring concerns: Owner hired my electrician behind my back, and electrician did multiple items that were not on the contract. This cost me time and money due to devices and light boxes to be cut out in drywall. Owner installed boxes that I had to deal with on the drywall install. I never charged him any extra for this!
  
  3. Owner at the time of ceramic tile removed the thermostat and put notices on the **** system. The temperature in the house was approximately 34 degrees. Subcontractors were delayed because you have to have a temperature of at least 50 degrees. It needs to remain at that temperature throughout the entire process.(pictures are attached of the thermostat and sign made by the homeowner.)
  
  4.Toilet issue: I had my plumbing contractor there 3 times and he said nothing was leaking, I also checked for leakage and found none.( I have documentation from my plumbing contractor)
  
  5. On a daily basis : Owner changed things throughout the entire project and I didnt charge them.
  I installed a patio door that homeowner was supposed to install at no charge. The day of door delivery, it was left by delivery company in front yard. I sent my employees to remove it and put it in a dry safe place. (Pictures attached)
  
  6. On the final day, before carpet install, homeowner decided to change location of basement door from where he originally told me to put it.( Picture of text message)
  
  7. Owner used my excavator without my permission.
  
  8. The statement about my employee yelling and cussing is a false statement!
  
  9. Customer called my vendors, and tried to get all of my pricing, and intervened with my deliveries throughout the entire project.
  
  10. Final statements: I was professional throughout the entire project.
  The only delays were caused by homeowner constantly changing things.
  My work was inspected by code enforcement of the municipality. The finance company also sent out inspectors, as the homeowner had a construction loan.
  My business has an A+ rating, and has never had a complaint!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2024

  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.
  
  Responses will address each line item and may reference attachments.
  
  I would have accepted an apology and acknowledgement of the poor quality of work performed.  All the contractor had to do was return my call to fix a toilet.  Instead, he ignored me for six weeks.  Now the contractor wants to air out the dirty laundry because his ego is hurt. So be it.
  
  If the homeowner was such a problem from day one why did the general contractor enter into a contract to build the home?  The general contractor was not onsite from 10/8/2023 - 11/26/2023 and any other such claims are false.  Homeowner
  
  1. The painting.  Only the trim and doors were painted by a subcontractor who started on 11/20/23.  Painting that was occurring and admitted on at least 10/23/2023 was being performed by contractors general labor.  My father (former professional painter) was fixing the walls that contractors general labor painted poorly.  (see attachment bbb-work-needed-before-hvac-who-was-painting.pdf for reference that painting was occurring and also reference attachment bbb-notice-when-painting-contractor-to-arrive.jpeg as to the arrival of painting contractor.) Problems with painting see bbb-disappointment-with-painter.pdf.
  
  2. The wiring concerns.  Owners brought to the attention of the contractor that we were unhappy with the planned amount of lighting and outlets and were told that was the plan and budget.  No offer for a change order or similar.  We then discussed with the electrician who quoted additional work which was accepted.  This was discussed with the general contractor and he did not have an issue.  He did however go to the electrician and ask for a cut of my payment.  His electrician that he brought in and spoke highly of is currently in jail on charges of theft by deception which occurred just before the electrician was brought to my home.  
  
  3. There were terms to the **** being turned on and those were not met.  Contractor stated, in attached email on 10/23/2023 bbb-work-needed-before-hvac-who-was-painting.pdf, that the furnace would be enabled on 11/10/2023 but he turned the furnace on 10/30/2023 without notice to or permission from the homeowner.  Also see attachments bbb-conditions-to-enable-furnace.pdf, bbb-Guzzo-admission-that-work-needed-prior-to-furnace-enabled.pdf, and bbb-hvac-disabled.pdf where conditions to enable the furnace were outlined by the homeowner and admitted to by the contractor.
  
  4. Toilet issue.  Contractor never sent plumber to the house.  Homeowner called the plumber himself.  Contractor was only engaged after the plumber did not fix the issue.  Homeowner fixed the problem himself because the contractor was unresponsive and not honoring the warranty clause in the mutually agreed upon and signed contract.  
  
  5. On a daily basis. Owners would approach the contractor with ideas outside of the original scope always asking about costs to complete the work.  We never expected to get anything for free.  A simple change order was expected and would have easily handled the issue.  The example left by the contractor regarding the sliding door installation was done at no charge to resolve a dispute within the statement of work (see attachment bbb-sliding-door-install.pdf).  The installation of the sliding door is almost 1/2 out of square. My father-in-law helped trim out the door and could not believe it was installed by someone who does this work for a living.
  
  6. On the final day.We asked about modifying this basement door on recommendation of the subcontractor (hired by this general contractor) installing the doors and trim, but it did not occur.  Door did not move.
  
  7. Contractor offered use of the excavator (see attachment bbb-excavator.jpeg).
  
  8. Screenshots attached of text exchange between my wife and contractor about employee arguing and upsetting my wife. See attachment bbb-guzzo-employee-arguing-with-and-intimidated-wife.jpeg
  
  9.  False statements.  I never called for pricing or intervened with deliveries.  I had asked the contractor to supply things where he would get a better price than myself and I would reimburse the contractor.  Contractors delivery personnel tore up my yard with vehicles.  I called one vendor to find out why delivery of garage doors were taking months to learn that the contractor ordered late and lied to me.  At the end of the day I was the one paying for things.  The contractor acted like I worked for him and he was the one paying for my work.  Very condescending man.
  
  10.  Contractor was far from professional throughout project.  On several occasions he yelled at me and my wife on our property, told me I didnt have any business questioning what he was doing and regularly misrepresented himself.  His job site was messy and not kept clean, both inside and out.  Sub contractors threw used chewing tobacco on the floor (see attachement bbb-snuff.jpeg).  Sub contractors also used our yard as a bathroom until we as the homeowners paid for and supplied a portable toilet.  The contractor had promised us he would provide such facilities but after six weeks nothing showed up and we grew tired of seeing the evidence in our yard.  This is unacceptable when we homeowners have young children and a dog.  
  
  Delays were caused by contractor refusing to come onsite for nearly two months, poor planning and scheduling.  
  
  Code enforcement failed the contractors final occupancy permit inspection because he did not put a nut on a single sill plate bolt.  My entire house was not bolted down and could have had serious structural issues due to negligence on behalf of the contractor.  The bank inspections were to ensure work (any work) was being done to meet the financial draft requirements for any particular stage of the build.  The bank did not come to inspect without my explicit request.  On more than one occasion, bank payments were withheld due to the quality or lack of work performed.  The bank was always kept abreast of the progress and informed why scheduled payments needed to be delayed/withheld.  
  
  I have plenty more work to be done at my home but after seeing the conduct and quality of the product produced by this contractor I do not want him near my home.  I want to warn others to not waste their time or hard-earned money with this man.  His ego is the most important thing to him, not bringing in the best subs, doing the best work or putting out a quality product.  It is talking about being so good and high quality but getting away with every shortcut possible and being a generally crummy *********.  
  
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2025

  1- PAINTING
  Painting done by professional contractor
  2-ELECTRICIAN
  Wiring was done by uniform code
  I had no knowledge of the electrician having charges against him at the time of the Crooks project
  3- HVAC
  HVAC contractor was concerned of unit being not turned on due to freezing temperatures at that time
  4-Toilet
  That was never advised on the issue with the toilet until after He called my plumbing contractor
  Spoke to plumbing contractor said there was no evidence of toilet leaking
  5-Door install
  I was never responsible for the door install. That was the homeowners responsibility.
  6-Door relocation
  Basement door was approved by him and his wife on the location
  7-Employee
  Sorry about my employee. He was reprimanded and is no longer with my company.
  8- Suppliers
  Project was done in a timely matter and done within year that was specified in his proposal
  

   

  In my final comment, Ive never had a complaint in 25 years of business. This gentleman is a complainer from day one to the final day. There is none of my subcontractors or the contractors in the area that would want to work for this gentleman. this battling  back-and-forth is doing nothing but taking time away from my clients and my family.
  
  (Long after the job was completed 1-8-2024 my wife and I ran into Mr. ****** at a restaurant,bar (******* dont know exact date) establishment.After that evening when the complaints were addressed to Better Business Bureau)

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2025

  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.
  
  1. Painting the doors and trim were the only parts of the home a painting contractor touched.This professional contractor did not remove a single door to paint as evident in attached photos. I cant believe a professional would ignore painting the top and bottom of doors, voiding the warranty. The walls and ceilings in just about every room were painted by the general contractors labor. The general contractor also touched up walls all over the home so poorly that I now need to take time and repaint everything.
  2. My previous statements about electrician stand.
  3. HVAC contractor is avoiding the evidence previously submitted that explicitly show when he agreed to enable the furnace on a specific and that he did so prior to said date and therefore with my permission as the homeowner.
  4. **************** contractor was called due to previous calls to contractor for items needing fixed and contractor would direct me, as the homeowner, to call those responsible, directly. I contacted the general contractor directly when the leak issue still remained. He ignored me for two months and when I did see him in person on 11/21/2024 he admitted he intended to give me a call after the holidays to work on the problem. He was likely never going to call and planned to string me along until he was no longer contractually obligated to fix the problem.
  5. Door install I previously provided evidence that the contractor offered to install the sliding door to resolve a dispute over other work not performed. Contractor appears to be admitting that he knowingly installed the door incorrectly/poorly and is trying to blame someone else for his work. This continues to be a theme with this contractor.
  6. Basement Door I previously stated the door was installed in the location agreed. This is a non-issue. I do not understand why the contractor is bringing it up again.
  7. Employee Thank you for the apology. This is the first admission from the contractor that the event occurred. He was previously adamant that it did not.
  8. Suppliers Are you admitting that you were gaslighting and I did not call your suppliers to get your pricing? Lest not forget the contractor failed final inspection due to the sill plate not being bolted to the foundation. The inspector had to return weeks later to reinspect.

  I wanted to hire a general contractor (and chose you based on referenced) to be the one to ensure all other contractors were doing things correctly and to the plans. Very early I realized I had made a mistake and I needed to supervise the general contractor. This guy was paid several hundred thousand dollars to do a job that, in many cases, is causing me more work.
  
  Contractor was not onsite for nearly 8 weeks of the project.  During that time his employee that cussed out my wife appeared to be running the job.  This employee was constantly taking pictures of my property and other contractors.  My family and I lived at the property during the entirety of the project so this was disturbing and made my family uncomfortable.  This project was supposed to be a partnership between the parties and before the end I was treated like I worked for the contractor.  He seemed to think it was his house and he was paying for everything.
  
  The amount of time I have been taken away from my family to ensure the work was completed to my wife and Is standards will never be recovered.  This is not to mention the amount of time that I need to invest going forward to fix all the mistakes made by the contractor and others he hired.  Maybe if he was here those 8 weeks he went missing, fewer things would have fallen through the cracks.
  
  I would not hire hardly any of the sub-contractors back to do any work at my property.  From the tile guy revisiting to address some cracks in the grout and pooping in my master bathroom while he was there to the drywall installer using my floors as a place to discard his used chewing tobacco to the drug addicted electrician.  Not one of them would I hire back.  I could not recommend this general contractor in good faith.  He constantly argued,lied, misled, and never took ownership of anything.  It was always someone elses fault.  Even regarding this issue, hes not responsible for faults even though I have provided evidence to the contrary.
  
  From day 1 this contractor was doing things and making decisions for me without my consent.  That kept up throughout the project and when I would bring these things to his attention, he would gaslight or blame someone else.  When it got to a point that I began calling him out he came undone, screaming at me on my property in front of the other trades.  Maybe Im not a complainer but the first ******** to hold him accountable.  At the end of the day, this contractors character is where the problem rests.  He is not who he sells himself to be, does not produce the quality he claims, and will become a victim when things get tough so you are distracted from the original problem.  He regularly dismissed legitimate concerns and believed that if he told you a problem didnt exist, it didnt exist.  This is inappropriate, insulting, and completely disrespectful.
  
  He appears to hold a BBB rating in very high regard yet, of the 10+ contractors he hired for my house only one is BBB accredited. 
  
  P.S. This complaint was opened on 11/19/2024 and we ran into each other on 11/21/2024.  Contractor was the one to engage in the conversation that evening, which was pleasant tell ***** I said hi - but I was perfectly content ignoring you.  It is pretty apparent you are deficient at tracking timelines and writing things down (as you previously stated you do not have time for).  Which is how we got here.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******