ComplaintsforThornton Homes, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Thornton Homes was hired last August to renovate a cabin I own in **********. The project was costly and I paid half up front. As weeks went by, very little work got done, and the minimal amount of work performed on the cabin was shoddy. As it became winter, the pace of the project slowed down even more. When pressed as to why the project was coming along so slowly, Mr. ********************** only offered excuses. For instance, he was adamant that he couldn't continue the project until his hand-picked plumber was done with his portion of the work, but his plumber would not come to the property because of winter driving conditions, and refused to take measures such as using chains. I finally asked him to terminate the agreement and refund me for work not done. That was almost two months ago, and Mr. ********************** continues to insist that he hasn't had time to calculate what my refund is. I have attached a copy of our agreement, and several pictures of the cabin as it appears today, after many months of being worked on by Mr. ********************** and his company.

  Business response

  03/29/2022

  Thornton Homes LLC

  1307 **************

  ******* ** 99007

  Complaint ID #********

   

   

  To Whom It May ************

  I met with ************************* at the property located at **************** in ********* on Wednesday August 11, 2021 at 10 AM.  We discussed the renovation of some cabins located on the property.  After providing a proposal to ******************, he agreed to the terms and eventually paid the required deposit for the project. 

  I sent ****************** photos of some of the products that were going to be installed on the project.  I sent a photo of the tile to be installed and received approval on October 11, 2021.    
  I received approval for the tub and bathroom vanity on October 12, 2021.  I also received approval on the bathroom faucets and flooring on the 12^th as well.    I proceeded to order the products on the 13^th. I received approval on the 13^th for the kitchen cabinets and ordered them as well.

  I received text and phone calls from Mr. ******** partner, *******, stating that he was dissatisfied with the choices made on the products to be installed and proceeded to change the bathroom vanity, kitchen design and cabinets.  After discussing with ******* on numerous occasions and changing the design and layout of the kitchen cabinets (3 times), ******* finally approved the cabinets on October 27, 2021. I had to cancel the original layout causing delays on production of the cabinets.   

  ******* had contacted me via phone and expressed that he was frustrated that he was not involved in the design stage of the project advising me that ****************** did not have a good design ability and that he (*******) did.  ******* proceeded to change the faucets, vanity, sink and design in the bathroom causing delays. After reaching out to find out if the products that ******* had changed and ordered himself, he indicated that the products were a few weeks from delivery.  On December 30, 2021 ******* contacted me and stated the materials had arrived.  I advised him that I would speak to my plumber and get on his schedule. 

  On Jan 4, 2022 I reached out and asked how the access was to the property due to the location being a higher elevation and in the mountains.  ******* stated that they plowed regularly but that the plumber should bring chains.  My plumber does not have chains for his vehicle and would just wait till the road was passable.  We attempted to gain passage on the driveway to the property but it was so icy that even chaining my vehicle up, it was not safe for passage.  My plumber got stuck after sliding down the icy driveway and could not get up it.   I contacted ****************** and expressed that the driveway needed to be properly graveled/sanded for passage and he stated that he would check into it.  I contacted ****************** a few days later and he stated the driveway was graveled and passable.  I went up and discovered the driveway was unsafe still and not graveled.  I expressed the concern and he stated that graveling the driveway was not an expense they wanted to inure.  I told him that we would have to wait till the driveway was safe for travel before being able to continue. 

  ****************** had contacted me and asked when I was going to be back to install the tile.  I expressed to him that the plumber needed to complete his tasks before the tile can be installed.  I proceeded to inform him that there is a process for completing the project and things would be done in a certain order. 

  On Jan 30, 2022 I received a text from ****************** stating he wanted to take over completing the project and to drop off whatever material I had acquired for the project.  I expressed to him I would draft a rescission document and go to the property to collect my equipment that I had left.  I also expressed to ****************** that it was going to take time to compile the information for the rescission contract due to the many changes done by ******* and having to return product and cancel the production of product.  Suppliers charge a restock fee and a cancellation fee and they have to be compiled.  Anything ordered online was going to take time since the product had to be sent back and wait for the refund.  I expressed to ****************** on numerous occasions that it takes time and that I was compiling the information. 

  After arranging to meet ****************** on Feb. 14, 2022 to get my equipment, I drove to the project to find out that my lockbox had been removed and my equipment relocated.  I contacted ****************** and asked where my items were and he stated that he had them moved to a shed.  I expressed to him that I needed them and he would not indicate the location of them.  I indicated to him that I would wait for the return on my equipment before finishing the final invoice due to there may be a charge for items either missing or damaged.  To date, I still have not gotten my equipment from him but I have sent the rescission contract to him.  ****************** has text me and stated that he has revised the rescission contract that I sent him, signed it, and mailed it back to me.  I to date have not received that document. 

   I have text messages to corroborate statements in this letter.  Thank you for your time and effort on this sensitive matter.    

   

  *** Thornton

  Thornton Homes LLC

  Customer response

  03/29/2022

  Complaint: 16889193
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  In order for this matter to be amicably resolved, I require a partial refund from Thornton Homes, LLC given that they did not complete the job for which they were hired.  ******************************** never received the contract recission form I drafted, I have attached a copy, signed by me, to this correspondence.  I have Mr. **********************'s tools up at my property, with the exception of the drill, which I could not find, and am ready to return them.  The pictures I submitted with my original complaint show that nowhere near $26,000 worth of work was performed.  Furthermore, the plumber who could not access the property because he was too stubborn to acquire chains left the crawlspace access open when he was last at the property, which caused freezing to the pipes, leaving the cabin in a more damaged state than before.  I never hired the plumber; he is a subcontractor for Thornton Homes, who could have, at any time, hired a different plumber to perform his portion of the work.  

  If Mr. ********************** feels that the amount of the refund I am requesting does not reflect what is actually due to me, I am happy to hear his counteroffer.  I would like this matter to be resolved as speedily as possible so that I don't have to pursue legal action.  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  04/19/2022

  ****************** has attempted to file a fraudulent claim against my insurance.  He claimed we did damage to the cabin we were renovating and did not contact me to inform me of any damage prior to filing his fraudulent claim.  My insurance company investigated and determined that ****************** was untruthful in his claim and very evasive, and no damage was caused by me or any of my subcontractors resulting in a denial of the claim.  My insurance investigator also stated to me that the driveway/road leading to the cabin was in poor condition and he could understand why my plumber could not make it up during winter/icy conditions due to it being unsafe and a dangerous pass way.

  ****************** also stated that he was not going to be returning my tools to me that he moved from the cabin and placed in in a different location, which contradicts his statement in his response to the BBB.  I have sent ****************** the final invoice showing that he has an outstanding balance of   $2697.82.  This amount is the original contract less deposit, less 1/2 the overhead and profit, and adding the replacement of the tools kept by ******************. 

  If you have any further questions, please let me know.  Thank you,

   

  *** Thornton

  Thornton Homes LLC

  Customer response

  04/19/2022

   
  Complaint: 16889193
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Mr. **********************'s contention that I still owe him money is preposterous, insulting, and unprofessional.  His claims against me are baseless and are distractions from the facts of our dispute, which is that he is a dishonest broker and an incompetent contractor who makes excuses for his own lassitude and inattention to detail.

  As far as the insurance claim is concerned, it is still under review.  I recently submitted a picture of a broken pipe, which is attached, to his insurance provider.  The damage resulted when Mr. **********************'s subcontractor left a crawlspace access hatch open in the middle of winter, causing freeze damage to the pipes.  I never hired this plumber - Mr. ********************** could have, at any time, insisted that his plumber ride up the driveway with someone with 4WD capability OR HE COULD HAVE HIRED A DIFFERENT PLUMBER ALTOGETHER.  Instead, his attitude was that I should put my remodeling project on hold for several  months in order to accommodate a random subcontractor.  Rather than performing the work for which he was paid in a timely matter, Mr. ********************** chose to treat me with disrespect for months.  

  To reiterate, Mr. ********************** promised that a range of projects would be completed in exchange for the nearly $27K I paid up front.  Very little got done.  The cabin he was tasked with remodeling still looks like a bomb exploded in it.  The flooring work was the only major accomplishment, and even that portion of the job remains incomplete.  Furthermore, I never refused to return his tools.  Our handshake agreement was that I would drop off his tools in the ******* area once he calculated the amount of the refund he owed me.  Instead, he spent weeks stalling and prevaricating, never disclosing how much money he owes me.  I still have his tools and have no use for them.  I would still like to return them but I have never gotten the opportunity.

  For months I was patient with Mr. ********************** and gave him the benefit of the doubt, even when virtually no work was done on my cabin.  If he is serious in insisting that upwards of $30K buys incomplete and half-hearted flooring work, then Mr. ********************** is worse than bumbling, he is engaging in crooked business practices.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

*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. ↩