ComplaintsforNorth Texas Living Solutions, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *********************** first came to my home following water damage from the freeze of March 2021. The damage was assessed and, through my insurance, each bill he charged was paid, including water mitigation, floor replacement, baseboards, painting, cabinet replacement, door trims, tile, and backdoor casing. The only thing I did not have a problem following his work was the flooring, which was done by two other men. Walls/property were damaged, the tile needed repaired, the trim was pieced together out of alignment, paint applied to walls even though it was entirely the wrong color, my new top mounted sink was installed undermounted without my permission and drilled through the metal instead so I will never be able to fit a different sink into that spot without also drilling though the metal of the sink, I was without a cabinet for a year and a half and when it was finally installed, it was not sanded and painted a different color. Each problem I had took many phone calls and texts that were either not returned or were days or weeks late, and when someone was finally sent out, the work was done poorly and new problems were created. The paint and holes in walls and baseboards from ladders and bad tile work were repaired by myself. One of my biggest problems, though, is the backdoor that was paid for in 2021. ***** charged the insurance company a substantial sum for "casing." When I said I would like the entire door replaced because the water leaked through the top and bottom, he charged me for a door of my choosing and I was assured it would then be bought and installed. I was told numerous times over the past year and a half that it was bought/would be bought and installed soon. When I finally received the door this month, it was a much cheaper one, opened from the wrong side, and already included the casing which constitutes insurance fraud. The workers switched it to open from the other side, so now it doesn't close correctly and drags on the floor. ***** never replied.

  Business response

  05/10/2023

  I have tried for 2 years to make this person happy to no avail. I have gone above and beyond to come and fix her nit picking and unreasonable requests even going so far as to work a year past our workmanship warranty. This person went from a moldy wet stinking cockroach infested kitchen to the kitchen of her dreams. I have spent thousands trying to make her happy and have gotten nothing but more complaints. In my opinion this person is just after money. I am a small business owner who has done hundreds and hundreds of jobs for people all over ************* and I have never met anyone who complains this much about anything. The house was a damaged rotten mess when we walked into it, which she refused to move out of while we were working, and I am sure it continues to be a damaged mess now due to her own lifestyle. This was turned in to insurance by her as a busted pipe due to the freeze however I and my workers suspect that she did the damage herself to get an insurance payout because we never saw any frozen pipe bursts. Just a lot of water damage. She claims the sink magically filled up with water and flooded the house without anyone turning on the faucet which I have never seen in my life. This was between her and her insurance company. We repaired the damage caused. As much as we did to make her happy this is what we ran into: Not enough, then too much. Over and over on every single thing we tried to complete. We were in her house way too long because of her own indecisive nature. There will be no refund. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars over anything I ever made on this job trying to satisfy this person. Now we have this new complaint and I am not one bit surprised. She has called my phone numerous times with all kinds of nonsensical complaints to the point that I have now stopped answering the phone. The last thing I completed for her was purchasing and installing a new back door and casing. Then, she complained (no surprise) that the bottom weather stripping of the door was scrubbing the floor too much, but, the weather stripping on the previous door was not scrubbing enough. The other thing she complained about was the strike plate, when we noticed the strike plate was not working as well as it should, on the new door her fianc told my workers to not worry about that, that he wanted to take care of it and it was not a problem. She also complained that the door was unlevel which I assured her it was because we use levels on everything we do. The reason she thinks its unlevel is because her house needs serious foundation work which I have told her many times. I do foundation repair so I know exactly what that house needs. I do not believe that the allegations in *************************** complaint are true and accurate and any "damage" done to her house, since we were there to fix it, was done by her own making.

  Customer response

  05/10/2023

  Well, every bit of this is a lie. My house was damaged in the freeze when the pipes froze, not burst, and the water I left dripping backed up through the dishwasher. The water buckled the real wood floors and needed to be replaced. The new floors took months to install and I certainly couldn't leave my home for that long, and there were/are no roaches, which was an odd insult for my exceedingly clean and organized house. *****, you are a coward. A coward who gave me a cutting board as a gift for being "a great client" because I was always kind, polite, and understanding no matter how many excuses you gave and how long you took. I only asked for the work to be finished- none of it was new work, and it was all very basic. I have no foundation issues of note; the door was installed by men wearing literal "Painter" shirts. I have hundreds of texts proving my entire complaint. You have zero, because I really was a great client. I've attached a list of the things I asked to be done. You'll remember they were all because of your negligence and/or ineptitude.

  Customer response

  05/19/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   

  Well, every bit of this is a lie. My house was damaged in the freeze when the pipes froze, not burst, and the water I left dripping backed up through the dishwasher. The water buckled the real wood floors and needed to be replaced. The new floors took months to install and I certainly couldn't leave my home for that long, and there were/are no roaches, which was an odd insult for my exceedingly clean and organized house. *****, you are a coward. A coward who gave me a cutting board as a gift for being "a great client" because I was always kind, polite, and understanding no matter how many excuses you gave and how long you took. I only asked for the work to be finished- none of it was new work, and it was all very basic. I have no foundation issues of note; the door was installed by men wearing literal "Painter" shirts. I have hundreds of texts proving my entire complaint. You have zero, because I really was a great client. I've attached a list of the things I asked to be done. You'll remember they were all because of your negligence and/or ineptitude.

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I hired Scott B***** and his company to pour new concrete and stain a deck. I paid $14,800 before the work was completed. It was not completed correctly, and significant damage occurred to our existing deck, fence, driveway, and pool area. Several contractors have provided bids to repair the damage and complete the job. All quotes received are exceeding the $14.800 I paid to Mr. Bufford. I am requesting a refund of $7,400, which is half of what I paid. There are numerous pictures detailing the damage and incomplete work.

  Business response

  02/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2021/11/24) */ In response to her complaint. ***** hired me to install approximately 1,100 sq ft of concrete around her pool where an existing wooden deck was. She ask me to do the job for $10,000 claiming that's all the money that she had and her husband had passed away 2 months prior to her contacting me and that this was all the money she could get , begging me to do the job because she claimed there were snakes and spiders coming from under the wooden deck that was in place at the time. I instructed her to save up more money for several months as there was absolutely no way that I could get the job done for that price. I got 2 other bids for the job that were both over $28,000 each and that was just concrete work with broom finish and no texturing as that is a different process which would have an added cost involved. She pleaded with me to do the job for her as I came highly recommended and she didn't know anyone else who could do the job so, feeling her desperation and feeling bad for her and her situation , I agreed to help her. I spoke with one of my subcontractors who I had worked with several times in the past and had an excellent working relationship with ( until this job ) and he agreed to do the job at a cheaper price. I told her that we could do the job for $15,000 just for the concrete installation, she begged me to take $1,000 off that price which brought it to $14,000 and I reluctantly agreed to that price. She asked if her textured part of her pool area would look the same as the new broom finish concrete and I told her that there would be quite a contrast between her textured 20-30 year old existing pool pad and the new broom finished concrete , she then asked if we could texture it to be the same style as her existing pool deck and I told her yes, and that it would be an additional $2,200 to apply the texture and she agreed to that so, knowing that we were going to texture over the concrete that was being installed, we did not spend the extra time and labor to smooth the edges out perfectly because all of this would have been covered by the texture and would have looked flawless when it was complete however , she did not allow us to complete the job. Her Son removed all of the wood decking and my guys began prepping the area. I was there and had a few questions for her and needed to show her how we were doing things and what the outcome would be , she was working from home and when I asked her to come out to the pool area which was approximately 50' away from her computer she became physically irritated and said " do whatever you think " and walked away, so I had my guys proceed. I found out later that this happen a couple more times when my guys attempted to ask her for information pertaining to the work that was outlined. We started pouring the concrete and realized that the section under the pergola was deeper than we had anticipated because the wood decking was still in place when I gave her the price. This area needed several more yards of concrete which increased the price to $14,800 for the concrete portion of the job and she agreed to it. She then stated that the section of concrete where the skimmer was located was supposed to be removed because there was a crack and I told her that the price was for repairing the crack not, removing the 10' section and she became very emotional and screaming at me and crying at the same time stating that she couldn't pay for that so again, reluctantly I agreed to remove the section myself and it cost me approximately $2,000 of my own money to do that and while we were doing that she asked if we could adjust the skimmer and place a new top on it and also , install some pool tiles that had fallen off in the past and again, at my own expense. After the concrete truck had come , it was brought to my attention that the concrete truck had clipped her gate code pole and her gate ( which I had the guys go back and weld later). It was also brought to my attention that the weight of the concrete truck had cracked the driveway more than it was previously ( which it was not in good shape prior to the concrete truck), her adult Son was standing beside my guys when he stated that " he wasn't sure if the driveway would hold up under the weight of the truck and that he needed to redo the driveway anyhow". These concerns were never brought to my attention by the homeowner or her Son. ***** ( the homeowner ) arrived shortly after that and did not even notice the damage to the driveway until it was pointed out to her and she starting screaming at my guys saying " who's gonna pay for this" and walked in the house. I assured her that the gate code pole , the gate would be repaired and we would bring a steamroller to her house and steamroll the driveway , which we did and I have pictures and proof of this and again, this was all paid for by me. After this , some time had passed and the new concrete had cured and now it was time to texture the new concrete that we had poured and I asked ***** if we were still doing the texture which she had not paid for yet and she said no. Because , she was upset that those previously mentioned items had been damaged , even though I repaired them. The pool area looks unfinished because , she did not allow us to finish the job and that is why it looks unfinished. She breached our contract by not allowing me to finish the work I had started and I had every right to take her to court and recoup the approximately $4,000 of my own money that I spent on her property and I would most definitely win that judgement if I had proceeded but, being a good guy with a big heart and a lot of compassion and empathy for her and her situation , I decided to let it go and make up the monetary loss somewhere else. She used her situation to manipulate me and prey on me and my kindness to better her own situation and I seriously regret bending over backwards and spending my own money that was meant for my family benefit and not hers. She stated that I came highly recommended, which is very true and I have never had any negative or derogatory complaints posted on any social media network or with any agency. I guess the old saying is true, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. I learned a very costly lesson. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2021/11/29) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Thank you for the opportunity to respond. To make it a bit easier, I have used bullet points to address Mr. B*****'s claims. My husband indeed passed away shortly before I contacted Mr. B*****. This was the first time I have hired a contractor, and many people told me the price is often negotiable. Therefore, I asked about the possibility of completing the work for a lesser price as our finances were tied up with the court and probate. I disagree with the term "begging" as I was simply asking. Mr. B***** gave me an original price, and I replied with, "That is a bit more than I expected. Going to have to save up more for this fix, bit I really appreciate you coming out." Mr. B***** replied, "I am going to talk to a couple of other people I know and see if they can get some better prices and see if I will be able to lower the price for you." Again, I do not see this as "begging." There was never any pleading to do the job as I had others also bidding for the work (one who was even less than Mr. B*****). Also, it is not accurate to say he came "highly recommended." One realtor I spoke with said she had used Mr. B*****'s company in the past. She has since seen my deck and said she would never use him or recommend him moving forward. I asked her if I was overreacting. She assured me I wasn't and that the work is unacceptable. I indeed work from home via video calls most of the day. For that reason, I always asked when Mr. B***** and/or his sub-contractor would be here if they needed to speak with me. I was careful to schedule around my work. More times than not, they did not arrive on time so I was unable to leave my video meeting to speak with them. When they did arrive on time, I met with them as planned. In Mr. B*****'s response, he said the agreement was to repair the area by the skimmer. However, the contract says, "Remove & replace section of concrete at skimmer area." Additionally, it was Mr. B***** who said the skimmer box needed to be replaced and said they could put it in if we purchased it. There were conversations with Mr. B***** about replacing the few pool tiles that had come off, and we were told that would be no problem. I was told $800 more was needed for extra concrete then found quite a bit of it tossed behind our shed and left to harden there. After remarking about that, Mr. B***** asked the sub-contractor to come remove it. While they removed the large chucks of concrete, the area is still not taken care of as they did not properly smooth out what they left there. Additionally, there are huge chunks of concrete all along our deck fence and in the gardens. We have removed what we could but cannot get it all. It seems I paid for extra concrete that was not needed for the deck. The conversation with my son about the damage to the driveway was taken completely out of context. After the damage occurred, my son mentioned to the sub-contractor that we would have to redo the driveway (due to the damage). We did not have concerns prior to the damage, nor was anything mentioned about possible damage. Additionally, to say I never noticed is absolutely false. Mr. B***** called to discuss it with me as I was not home at the time, so I was definitely aware. He and the sub-contractor disagreed as to who would take care of the problem. The sub told me it would take around $600 to rent a three-ton steam roller to fix the driveway, so I am unclear how Mr. B***** said he was out $4000. When the steam roller was finally brought out, it was much smaller than three-ton and did nothing. As the contractor, Mr. B***** should have known what size cement truck was appropriate for the job as to prevent damage. Mr. B***** described me as "screaming and crying" at several points which is not accurate. I do not conduct myself in a manner that includes screaming at people as I am always respectful. I even provided drinks and snacks to the workers. Mr. B***** told me on more than one occasion that he did not blame me for being upset. He said he was disappointed in the work from the sub-contractor and would not be using him again. I do admit to shedding some tears during this process. I had just lost my husband, I had given Mr. B***** a ton of money, and I had a huge mess on my hands. A few things were not mentioned previously. Mr. B***** and his sub-contractor continuously contradicted each other. I was told by the sub that Mr. B***** was not paying him, while Mr. B***** would say his sub needed more money. Mr. B***** would tell me the sub would be here at a certain day/time, and the sub would say he never agreed to be here then. Both said they would not work with the other again. I was told the entire job would take about five days, and this went on for months. I have been advised by several attorneys to file suit for property damage, deception, breach of contract, etc. I have also been advised to share my story with news outlets as well as on social media. I do not wish to go that route as I do not want to possibly harm Mr. B*****'s future business. I just want to be able to fix my property and move on. Bottomline, I hired Mr. B***** to do a job. I did not hire the sub-contractor. It was Mr. B*****'s responsibility to ensure the job was done correctly and any damage was fixed. I am currently out $14,800 and will have to spend more than that to get everything taken care of. I think refunding $7,000 of what I paid is fair so I can put that toward getting the deck fixed correctly.

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