ComplaintsforSno King Maintenance Construction Installation LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Around 9 months ago there was a leak in my basement ceiling, requiring me to have my slot and groove wooden ceiling removed so that the plumbers could look at the leak for a fix. At their suggestion, I called this business. The business answered on the 5th ring to a "hello", not identifying the business. After speaking a bit more, explaining the problem, and asking if i'd called the right place, the person on the phone informed me that yes, their business could send someone out to take a look and take down the ceiling, and then arrange to return to put the ceiling back up. I asked how much, and was told "$75 an hour." This seemed reasonable to me, so i asked how quickly someone could come out, and they said they would have their worker call me to give me an update.Two workers arrived about 2 hours later. They were kind and professional. Because i was on a budget and $75 is more than I make an hour, I timed them in their work with a stop watch. 33 minutes were required to take the ceiling down. 42 minutes were required to put the ceiling back up a few days later. a total of 75 minutes, or 1.25 hours.Months later, i received a bill, claiming i owed 6 full hours at $75, plus a $69.95 "Activation fee" simply for the call. I responded to their bill via email, but was met with fierce resistance that they'd done anything wrong in this bill coming in at nearly 4 TIMES the actual work quoted or performed. I offered them a full 2 hours worth of payment, despite that being outside of the original quote or scope of work actually performed, and that too was refused. They claim the work in question was accurately quoted at the time it was requested over the phone (if accurate i couldn't have asked for them to come, as it was outside of my budget - no mention of $75 for each worker, of an "activation fee" or that travel time was to be included). Only threats of being sent to collections (they had no contract...empty threat), and late fees to be applied.

  Business response

  05/21/2024

  We are a General Contractor based out of ******* and were contacted with a request to perform work on Time & Materials by ********************* in **********  This customer was referred to us by Beacon Plumbing, we have used Beacon as a subcontractor for over ten years and they have also used us as a subcontractor on multiple occasions.

  Due to the nature of this repair, and it coming via referral from a plumbing subcontractor we have worked with for over ten years, we accommodated the customer and fit the job into the schedule right away; we completed the work required two visits.  We billed for the Time & Materials that were provided and charged a one-time mobilization fee of $69.95 for each job.  As this job required two visits, our one-time mobilization fee amounts to a lower charge than most other contractors that bill a trip charge for every visit.  The total invoice for two contractors to drive from ******* to ********* on two different days amounted to a total of 6 labor hours (6 X $75/hour) and a one-time mobilization fee for a grand subtotal in the amount of $519.95 before tax.

  The customer immediately challenged the invoice, here is the response we received:

  "Last year I called your company for assistance in removing a section of my basement ceiling, as there was a pipe leak just above dripping through, and I had no experience with slot/groove wooden ceilings.  Over the phone I was quoted a charge of $75/hour.  Upon arrival, the worker sent was communicative and helpful.  Being an hourly charge, i set a stop watch on the worker's arrival and departure.  The worker stayed 42 minutes, saying to give a call back when the ceiling was ready to be put back in place.  A few days later, I called and the worker scheduled time to return, this time staying only 33 minutes to put the ceiling back in place.  Again, the worker was kind and personable and did good work each time.  No complaints there.  I see this invoice has charged me not for the total of 75 minutes (33 minutes plus 42 minutes = 1.25 hours), but instead, is requesting 6 hours of work be paid.  This is outlandish, as it does not reflect the work actually performed, and in fact invoices 4x that amount!  On top of this, there's a charge listed as "mobilization/service fee" of $69.95, which was not discussed over the phone as the worker's time was scheduled.  I'm happy to round up on the hourly charges to two full hours versus the 1.25 hours worked, but as the invoice stands, it's inaccurate and won't be paid.  Please revise the invoice and send to my attention and a check will be mailed."

  As is industry standard, we bill for travel time to the job as well as any time spent procuring materials; we do not bill based on a customer's stopwatch times, as our employees expect to be paid for all hours they work during each day.  Therefore, we do not bill based on entry and exit from the jobsite, we also bill for travel time to the job as well as any time spent procuring materials.  As is industry standard, we bill the customer for all labor associated with providing the services requested.  It is a simple and fair business model, we only bill for the labor hours associated with the job, the exact same number of labor hours that we pay to our employees for facilitating performing the work as requested.  The profit margins in the construction industry are already slim, slashing billable labor by more than half is not a business model that any contractor can accommodate without going out of business in a real hurry.

  The customer unreasonably demanded that we slash the hours billed down to two hours instead of the six hours that we paid to our employees to provide the services requested, this was not a reasonable request and would result in our company losing money to provide services that were requested.  Therefore, the customer's request was denied.  The customer has refused to pay anything for the services provided and is acting in bad faith, he even argued after the fact that we should have only sent one employee instead of two, despite the fact that he raised no objection two contractors showed up to perform the work on two different dates.  After confirming he is satisfied with the work performed, this customer has  refused payment; he has essentially stolen services from us without payment for the services provided, and has now filed an unreasonable complaint through the BBB to attempt to smear our reputation.

   

   

   

   
  

  Customer response

  05/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21590175
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The response from the business lays out their costs in a reasonable way, now that the action is complete and invoices sent.  However, none of this was shared prior to the company sending that invoice!  Would it have been, another company would have been called!  

  Saying things like, "We pay our employees based on full time hours" has nothing to do with me - I don't have a say in how any company pays their employees.  Nor do i have a say in what an industry standard is, etc...

  But what i do have a say in is understanding the costs associated with a job at the time it is requested.  What was shared was $75/hour.  There was no statement made about that $75 being "per person", that they'd be sending two people to each charge me this much.  There was no talk of an "activation fee".  There was nothing about travel time or costs being billed separately. (I've repeated these points to apparently deaf ears).

  This is essentially extortion, claiming they don't base their services on actual time worked, but time spent going to and from jobs (on a stopwatch only they can see and report), deciding on their own, for their own benefit, how much time is to be billed afterwards, regardless of time actually spent on the job itself.  "We don't work off of customers stopwatches" is a clear message: this company is actively saying they don't keep time on their own employees, and customers are charged whatever the company would like to bill them for, as opposed to actual time spent on a job.  

  The FACTS are these:

  1. There was no "activation charge" mentioned at the time of scheduling these services - it will not be paid.

  2. The costs of their service were explained as $75/hour (again....not per person, not including travel time, etc....)

  3. The work itself (both removing and replacing the 5 foot by 6 foot slot and grooved ceiling (a VERY small area), took far less than 2 hours total, while the company's bill totaled 6 hours (more than 3x the actual time for the job to be performed).  Their bill will not be paid as it does not reflect the work completed, nor the original quote shared. 

  I am willing to (over) pay the company for 2 hours work performed, but not any more.  I regret hiring this company - not just because of the other BBB complaints or very poor ****** Ratings connected to their services (which clearly shows this type of poor work and shadiness of the company), but because I'd tried to be reasonable, kind and patient with them in finding a resolution, which they fail to take responsibility for.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  09/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was charged for the bill that this company gave to my condo association, and the association put a special assessment of $2,913.30 on my unit which I paid on Aug 11, 2021.In return I forwarded it to my ***************** and then heard nothing. My insurance company (USAA) informed me that they contacted Sno-king ******************** asking for an itemized bill.***** ** this date they got nothing.I asked the management company to provide itemized details, and I got nothing. I need help to get Sno-King to send USAA the itemized charges.This company is hired by *************************** that manages my condominium building. *************** and Sno-king ********************** have been ripping off residence of my building. I had experience through 3 other occasions, that I let them do the work and what I ended up was, living for months in a hotel and they charged the insurance to the *** with a horrible outcome. But this time I refused to use this company to fix my condo, so I got a special assessment.These 2 companies are criminals Here is my bank statement:ACH ************************ ***** LTING Conf #*** Amount: negative two thousand, nine hundred thirteen dollars and thirty cents $2,913.30 Expand/Collapse Statement Description:ACH ************************ ***** LTING Conf #*** Date:8/11/2021 Type:Debit All I want is the itemized bill to be sent to me and USAA. That is why I have insurance.

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

  Dear BBB,
  I finally got detailed information about the bill through the management company.  And forwarded it to USAA.
  Thank you so much for helping.  I think you were crucial to getting the result.  T
  ***************************
  ************
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I flooded the unit below me. My condo Association called Sno-King to fix the damage. ******************************* gave a quote for $1,456. I asked him to add to the quote a new light/heater/fan for there ceiling. $485. I was to go buy it myself and install it. Then pay him the original quote of $1456. . Upon completion He sent the new quote of $1941. To my condo Association. They paid it. Now I have to pay it back to **************** I sent him a check for $1456. He did not cash it. So I will be paying for the ceiling fan/light twice and I installed it. ******************************* Owes me $485. He will not return my calls or emails. Thanks for your help *******************************.

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