ComplaintsforTurnkey Utility Construction, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired this company to run underground electrical utilities for our new home. Turn Key dug a trench from our neighbors transformer to our transformer, and then across the front of our shop and to our house. I noticed after supposed completion, the trench was just filled in, but did not overfill to allow for settling. I assumed they had ar least packed the dirt, but after installing our asphalt driveway, and receiving rain, the trench settled, leaving a sunken trench all along the ditch. I contacted the company, sent pictures and after a couple of months, an employee came out and admitted fault. They said they would send an asphalt company to pack and repair the end of my driveway. I discussed with this employee that the entire trench would continue to fail and this would not fix the problem, This was in September 2022. Also, my gate has sunk along this trench costing me $600 to repair. I have attempted to contact the company continuously since November, sending more damage pictures and finally after several attempts, the Supervisor took my call on 5/31/2023.He then attempted to blame me and everyone else for their failure to properly complete the job. Last week, I showed the pictures of my damage to a ********************** company supervisor, which supplies my electricity, and he stated that this was the worst he had ever seen and if they had contracted with Turn Key, then he would be filing a claim against them for repair and damages. I am out $600 for gate repair, $185 for fill dirt for the transformers and ditch across my field between transformers. I have a sunken trench across the front of my shop, approx 1 foot deep and getting worse after every rain.

  Business response

  07/17/2023

  Turn Key Utility Construction, **** was hired in May of 2021 to install electrical facilities at **** CR ****. We dug a trench, installed electric and backfilled the trench. It is not common to tamp or pack down service ditches after they are backfilled, as they need to settle naturally. Also, this area was sand and not dirt. ******************** states he contacted us months later, however it wasn't until over a year later in June of 2022 that our office was originally contacted regarding this issue. On 9/29/22, we had AA Concrete & Sawing cut, remove and repair the driveway where it as damaged, out of good faith, because this damage was not caused by the work completed by our company. This repair cost our company $900. I have attached the invoice for this work. In addition, there is a roof drain that empties directly into the ditch line in question. This could have possibly been the reason for the ditch line falling after this amount of time.  If there were any issues with the original work we completed, the developer would not have paid the invoice for the work. We were paid June 6, 2021. We were never contacted by the developer, who was our customer, we were contacted over a year later by the homeowner. He has called our office multiple times demanding we repair this issue AGAIN and has been very unruly with the general manger for our company, when he tried to explain how Turn Key had repaired the damage, and we were not liable for additional repairs. It is our belief the asphalt contractor may not have properly packed the area where asphalt was being placed, causing the damage ******************** is referring to. We contract for several companies and have not had this issue with any other ditches from service lines installed. We have already repaired the driveway where the homeowner suggested. It has now been over 2 years since this work was completed. We believe this homeowner complained to the BBB because he does not have a rightful claim to these damages.

  Customer response

  07/19/2023

  Complaint: 20327205
  
  I am rejecting this response because: In regards to Turn Key's reply:

  My contractor contacted Turn Key about this problem on 6/6/2022, exactly 1 year from date of payment to company, therefore, falls within the 1 year timeframe. Contractor stated left message of which we kept phone record. On 6/20, employee ***** said he received damage pictures and was attempting to contact sub contractor that performed work.On July 28, ***** sent me a text that said he was waiting on Owner to make a decision and that they would get it fixed. I have the text. He stated that they did not want to repair without me being present and satisfied with the work. He was notified of more caving of the trench by text on 8/16/2022.Their asphalt contractor came out in September to repair only the end of the trench. He stated to me that this would not fix the problem and that, if it was him,he wouldn't sign anything stating that the problem was fixed, because the trench would eventually fail. I don't know of a company, that would send out someone out of the goodness of their heart, to repair something that they claimed was not their, or their sub contractors, fault.

  As far as the dirt being sand, not true. This trench was dug along the front of the shop pad. This was not sand, you do not build a pad of sand for a building.

  The drain that was referenced was plugged and rerouted to the back of the building after the first rain, I can get proof from gutter company if needed. All the damage after this was from normal rain drainage.

  The reason that we are at 2 years is because the company has failed to respond to any of my emails or text to *****, or my calls to office.

  The sub contractor, that was hired by Turn Key, failed to overfill or compact the trench as proved by the pictures sent to company. 

   

  ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************.

  The National Electrical **** ***** guidance section ***** titled "Backfill" ref 3E, states All backfill shall be mechanically compacted to the density of the surrounding undisturbed soil by means to prevent settling.

   

   

  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  We regret that the home owner is not satisfied and is having these issues with his asphalt.

   

  To address the installation:

  This job was completed on or about 6/11/2021 by a sub-contractor who had worked for us with no issues or complaints what so ever.

  I was contacted by the home builder (our customer, which we had done previous work for), that the home owner had contacted him about the problem, and I promptly contacted the owner and received pictures from him on 6-16-2021.

   

  The standard procedure for backfilling a service trench is to backfill approximately with excavated materials and then compact with the bucket (we use mini excavators) then to backfill to the top of trench and roll the machine tracks over to compact a little more, then cover the trench with remaining soil and leave domed on top for any other settling.

  This has been Turn Keys procedure for over 25 years and the same with our management leaders with over 140 years of combined experience.

  The only exceptions to this, is when its been specified by a contract or written request; and there was no such mention of additional compaction on proposal to our customer or no request from him to perform additional compaction.

  We were contacted about this after the area had a lengthy rain event and there was total ground saturation.

   

  As far as we know these procedures were followed on this job as they had by every other project this contractor worked on.

  The soil excavated was and is sand and I also have pictures the show the site prior to excavation, during excavation, and at completion.

  It shows that the trench was domed on top.

  Generally, with the other contractors various equipment driving over it prior to a final grade and cleanup it will compact the dome.

  In this case, the dome might have been bladed down and therefore, the dome was removed and allowed for final settling.

  We have no control what happens after we leave the site.

   

  Turn Key Utility Construction contacted a contractor to repair the damage and as the Complaint states, we requested the home owner be there when repair was to be performed.

  Due to scheduling conflicts the work was completed on or about 9/29/2022, at no cost to home owner. We wanted to remedy this situation.

  On the Text dated 8/16/202, there shows second location sinking. It appears to me that the Asphalt base was not compacted and with the uncompacted rock, it left voids that the asphalt has sunk into.

  This might have accounted for some of the sinking on the initial problem.

   

  In our opinion, we shouldnt be responsible for the asphalt problems, and we have repaired what was initially damaged out of our pocket in order to satisfy a customers request (home builder).

   

   

   

  Thanks,

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