ComplaintsforAlign Foundation Repair, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 12-27-2021 Align Foundation Repair hired to level foundation at ******************************************************************************************* *****. On the north end of house near foundation vent and gas line the foundation was raised one inch high causing foundation and vent to crack and brick to move one inch away from window and one inch past brick mold on north west top corner of house, also causing large cracks in brick and several bricks on north west wall to slide out about one half inch past other brick. There was several other large cracks in brick where foundation was not level. The northwest corner of house continued to lean so I called Align on three occasions to correct my foundation and was told by owners ***** and *********************** that my problem was not my foundation but that my brick was not attached to my house. after checking the grade on my house with a transit level off of the brick ledge it was from one inch to one half inch off level all around the house. I paid Align Foundation $5,713.00 to level my foundation and they almost destroyed the brick on my house and would not accept responsibility for it. There lifetime warranty is worthless as they care more about profit than a satisfied customer. On 1-28-2023 I paid ********************************************* ************ out of ****** ** $1,350.00 to dig and adjust nine existing piers to fix cracks and repair leaning wall on northwest side of house. Leaning northwest wall now back in place and back against window and cracks mostly closed but not completely.

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  In March of 2012 we were contracted to install 11 piers for ******************** as well as make some adjustments to the substructure of his pier and beam home.
  
  In December of 2021 ******************* reached out because he had a major leak/mold event and wanted to have the house rechecked for any foundation issues. At that time he noted new cracks had formed in his home. We inspected the home and determined that an additional 13 piers were needing to be installed. ******************** agreed and contracted Algn for that work. The work was completed in December of 2021. We also had a ***** Licensed Professional engineer provide an initial assessment and final letter after the work was completed. During the lifting of the home the brick in the front left area was reacting very poorly due to an apparent construction flaw.
  
  In April of 2022, ******************** requested we return to look at the brick in that area again. The house was measured and had not changed, nor had the condition of the brick. We explained again to ******************** that the house was level and the brick would need to be repaired. He seemed to understand at that time. At that time it was shown to ******************** that the bricks were loose (likely not attached via straps, or minimal strapping), and we used a piece of 2x6 lumber and were able to bump the bricks mostly back into place. It was also mentioned to ******************** that he still had all of the foundation vents closed and that he should open them to help dissipate unwanted vapor.
  
  In December of 2022, ******************** reached out again regarding the same issue and we agreed to meet him on 1/4/23. During that meeting the house was measured again and found to be in relatively the same position as in April 2022 and the brick was the same as well. We explained, in as many ways as possible, that the brick was the issue and not the level of the home. He said, "I do not care about the level, only the brick issue". We explained that residual damage can occur during leveling and he would need to have the brick repared. We explained that if we over lift to try to close the crack, which we would never do, then it will cause more harm than good. ******************** seemed to understand, but could not get past the issues with the brick. We reminded him that there are clauses in the agreement that he signed explaining this and it was signed off by an engineer. We also suggested that ******************** hire another engineer if he did not believe what we were saying. He said that he would have another company out to address it and we explained that only an engineer should make that decision. We also reminded him that we have always responded to his requests and only want to do what is right for the home.
  
  The assertion that the house was out of level based on his or some company's transit level (not the industry standard for measuring foundations or very accurate for this application) is inaccurate as I measured the home only weeks before. Not to mention, outside measurements or simple linear measurements ignore the foundation holistically and can cause damage to the home. If ******************** had measured the exterior with a transit, no mention or discussion of that was ever made since the Align work was performed.
  
  **We stand by our warranty and will make adjustments when appropriate. We perform proper due diligence when making a decision to repair or adjust, and have an engineer approve and sign off on repairs made. We provided a fully engineered repair for ********************, we are worried that the company that he hired did not provide this level of due diligence for him, did not hire engineering, and just made an adjustment based on Mr. ********* opinion. Additionally, if ******************** had another company make adjustments to piers installed by Align without engineering supervision, the piers have been tampered with, and the piers current condition is unknown.
  
  Despite of Mr. ********* opinion about his warranty -- we backup our warranties, and do what is right for the property. We don't make adjustments simply based on opinion, but on multi levels of due diligence. Any time ******************** has called, we have answered, met and discussed everything -- we made it known we would continue to do so. We would be happy to supply all of the supporting documentation we have to prove our claims and to dispute Mr. ********* opinions. We also look forward to reviewing ************************ supporting documentation as well.
  
  

  Customer response

  02/22/2023

  See attached.
  See Attachment/File: AdditionalInfo-Consumer.pdf

  Customer response

  02/22/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  BBB Case #********
  Tuesday, February 21, 2023
  
  Complaint filed by *****************************
  Against Align Foundation Repair
  
  Please find attached pictures showing damage to the brick of my house at ***************************************************************************************************. Align Foundation claims the foundation is level, but they have only leveled the inside floors and on a pier and beam house from the top of the floors to the brick ledge is not a perfect alignment. I know this because when I checked the level of the brick ledge it's all over the place from 1/2 inch to 1 full inch out of level with visible rises in the foundation. How many extra piers were installed because they used measurements off inside floors and not off the foundation? I think about the day they were jacking the foundation up by the gas line and the brick was cracking and the mortar was cracking above the gas line and if I hadn't stopped them how far would they have gone? I'm sure Align will say they did the job because they leveled the floors, but I hired them to level my foundation which they have yet to do. Align will never accept responsibility for the damage they have done because there is too much damage.
  See Attachment/File: Align Foundation Complaint 1 of 2

  Business response

  03/04/2023

  We are attaching the customer agreement that was signed by ******************** as well as the engineering report certifying the repair (third party expert). Within the signed agreement we would like to point out section 6 of the terms and conditions. This section outlines the procedures to follow in the case of a warranty dispute. To our knowledge, ******************** did not contact an engineer to give an unbiased professional opinion. If he did, we would like to have access to this information. Align Foundation Repair stands behind our warranty and insist that the work was done in a professional manner.
  See Attachment/File: ****************-_5521_Kelly_Elliott_Proposal Signed

  Customer response

  03/12/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  Align Foundation claiming a engineering report certifying the repair was made. I can say not anyone came back until I finally got one of the owners to come back and look at their mess. I was told to read my customer agreement that stated ********************************************* was not responsible for any damage, what responsible company would have a customer sign that agreement? After almost $6,000.00 for their shoddy work, they want me to hire a engineer to show me that my foundation is cracked and I have one inch cracks in my brick. Had
  they leveled my foundation as they were paid, why did I have to hire another foundation company to repair their work. Like I stated in my original
  complaint Align Foundation will never accept responsibility for the damage they have done and there is a name for companies like them who prey on the elderly. If you are not responsible for your work, who is?
  

  Business response

  05/11/2023

  There was an engineer involved in the repair process.  That information was provided to the customer.  Our contract states that the resolution for a dispute is for the customer to hire an engineer to make a determination.    The customer agreed to the language in the contract and signed it.  The contract was provided to the last response that Align sent to the BBB.  We disagree with the customer's assertions regarding our work.  There was no new information in the latest customer response, so we have no more to add to this comment.

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought my first home in 2016 and was very happy to find out the foundation on the home was repaired and came with a warranty. this is great for a purchase of an older home because the foundations in ***** shift a lot so I've heard. in 2017 I noticed the brick on the side of the house were loose so I called to have the foundation looked at to make sure everything was ok. when the repair man came out, he told me everything was ok and to buy a socker hose for the foundation and water it regularly to keep up with maintenance. I did so. after another year the bricks moved further apart. so I called again to have this check. the repair person that came out said we should adjust some piers and would set up a date to do so by email. after not seeing the email I called again. later an email was sent but was not able to find it. since then have called twice a year to get someone to come out to set up a date to get a repair completed. Was told I would receive a call back which did not happen. I assumed due to covid happening there would be a delay but now after finally getting someone out to the house three years later, I'm being told due to time they can no longer keep the same repair as valid. Now I have to get the plumbing hydrostatic tested. I'm never the kind of person to put in complaints because I work in the service industry but this is incredibly frustrating. As a customer it seems as if my ********************** seems unimportant due to it being a warranty job. For it to be year after year and now this, it seems like without help of a bigger voice my concerns will not be heard. I'm going to move ahead with what they are asking of me but I think they are trying to find any way to not honor the warranty.

  Business response

  01/23/2023

  We find it unfortunate **************** felt that this needed to be his next step, we never stopped communication or ever mentioned of not honoring the pier warranty on his home. We first visited the house in 2016 after the ******' purchased the home. There was nothing wrong at that point, just some minor seasonal movement and mentioned a need for improved maintenance. It was not until 2019 we were requested to visit the property again. At that visit it was found that a minor adjustment to a few piers along the outer wall should take place. An email was sent to **************** multiple times with an agreement we needed signed to perform the adjustment, it was sent multiple times after **************** called in requesting it again. This agreement was sent to allow us to work on his home at a zero cost to them. We do not schedule any project until this is executed. At that point **************** did not call back, respond to the email, or send back the agreement, so the service was never scheduled.
  
  It was not until 2022 we received communication from Mr * ****************** At that time, enough time had passed we needed to revisit the property to observe if any additional changes in the home were present -- all agreements have an expiry time frame, so a new agreement would need to be created. At that visit, it was found the section agreed to adjust in 2019 had not changed, but a new section on the inside of the house and along the exterior were showing signs of movement -- some areas showing movement had pier/warranty coverage, some were new areas without coverage. Upon exiting the property, a brief explanation of the movement was discussed with ***************** and at that time a plumbing test was requested to identify if a leak was causing the internal movement. This is protocol so we can make an accurate assessment -- it would also potentially change the order of operations for the ******' to make the correct repairs to their home. A plumbing test was not sent to us to review, and at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 the ******' reached back out. Another email was then sent forwarding previous communication and added new notes. We wanted to make sure that they received the communication and to show previous communications were made in case they felt it had not been attempted. The email requested the plumbing test again, and mentioned that the original agreement was not valid and we needed to discuss the results before proceeding.
  
  As a company that honors our agreements and warranties, there are protocols to follow. When the ******' purchased the home they transferred the warranty into their name -- they signed the forms agreeing to the terms of the warranty, terms of service, foundation maintenance, and protocols. At no point in time was it ever suggested we were trying to decline warranty service, but as with any company there are terms and conditions, and protocols. We tried to make an adjustments in 2019, but cannot force compliance or responses. Instead of responding to previous electronic communication, and the most recent electronic communication (which it's assumed was received), assumptions were made prematurely without communication. We are happy to continue the conversation with the ****** Family, so we can help with their home.

*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. ↩