Hi potential DMJ Asphalt customersBefore deciding whether or not to go with DMJ for your asphalt needs I would recommend you move on to the next asphalt companyBelow is an exchange I had with the owner of DMJThey performed work on my apron in recently a hole appeared in the apron that fixedI called to see if they would fix this under warranty or if we could come to a compromise to fix the holeThey searched every work in the contract to find a way out, which they didHowever, I challenged them on the contract stating that they did not use the material stated in the contract because they put a few large pieces of cinder block in the class baseCommon knowledge would say trying to compact class with large cinder blocks has the potential to fail over time, which on my apron it didApparently the owner disagrees and decided it was best to responded to me with personal attacksVery sad that the face of DMJ decided it was best to personally attack me instead of having a professional conversation to resolve the problemI would have been fine if we had a phone conversation where the end result would of not been in my favor, but at least we had a discussionObviously Kari ***, the owner, felt that was not an option, but the option respond in an immature mannerYou decide do you want to go with a company that does not stand behind their product/service and have an owner, who is the face of the company, act like immature personAnd if you have an issue after the service is performed do you trust DMJ Asphalt to come out and fix it? In my experience the answer is NOI am sure they will respond, but read the below and you decideHi Angie,
I meant to reply last week, but I wasn't able to get to this until todayI reviewed the two documents you sent and saw the "No Warranties" mentioned among the other disclaimersI would say that there should be a warranty ONLY IF DMJ would of done the job per the customer agreement which t I paid DMJ to doI took it upon myself to fix the hole in my drive where the apron that was fixed by DMJWhen I cut out the asphalt I was shocked to find loose pieces of concrete that DMJ used as a base to the apronUpon reading my agreement it states Class recycle base would be installed as a base at a minimum depth of 6"No where in the agreement does it state DMJ will also use broken apart pieces of concrete block mixed in with class to create a baseThese pieces were directly underneath the asphalt NOT under the class 5, which caused the asphalt to fail over time.This explains why the repair failed not some rodent and the other reasons I was givenFrom that perspective DMJ did not live up to the agreement I signedTherefore, DMJ was/is liable to repair that piece of my driveway in order to meet the agreement I signed and DMJ signedI had to repair this myself because of the fear of someone getting hurt by tripping over/into the hole or damage to my carWithout fixing this I would of never known that the base failed because of not properly building the base before laying the asphalt on topI have included pictures of the concrete pieces that I pulled out of the holeI now wonder what other parts of my apron has a similar base and will other parts start to fail??
Now that we know what the real issue is and the fact that this does not meet the customer agreement how will DMJ address?
Thanks,
Mike ***
Mike,
Good afternoon, I’ve received your emails and reviewed your contract The work DMJ Asphalt completed meets or exceeds industry standardsYour job was a repair project without a warranty, however, still completed to Minnesota Department of Transportation Specifications Your base work consisted of class recycled gravel base that meets state specifications Class recycled base is made from recycled asphalt and concrete, thus you may find concrete in your base work or it could be from the overflow of secrete from capping the blocks Furthermore, you can clearly see from the pictures that you are experiencing other areas/gaps between the brick and concrete which is outside our work area, and experiencing similar issues Natural earth movement, phenomenon’s , as well as rodents, can cause underlying issues and what you are experiencing is not caused by our installation We do stand behind all of our work and have been doing it for three generations, with the majority of our work referrals and repeat customersYou, without meeting with us as indicated in our email, decided to repair this miniscule area yourself Then email us with a bogus, rudely worded claim that a not only a person but a car could incur damage!! I’m not sure how you maneuver around planet earth on a daily basis, as there are many other areas that we pass over/on as the general public that could be much more dangerous than thisI am sorry that you feel the need to disparage DMJ Asphalt, and feel free to do whatever you deem necessary, as remember via social media works both ways We work with all of our customers in a professional courteous manner, however, in your case, I’m not sure you can comprehend professionalism or politenessThank You~
Kari ***
DMJ Asphalt Inc"Quality Paving For Generations"
*** direct
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2014/09/23) */
On 6/25/we installed the driveway at *** *** *** *** ***, *** Upon rolling the driveway the roller machine got stuck on the incline of the driveway, thus resulting in a small indentationThe home owner called to notify
us of this depressionAt this time I told the homeowner not to make payment until the repairs were completedWe repaired the area to Minnesota Department of Transportation standardsThe homeowner still was not satisfied with the look of the repairWe sent a representative from our company out to take pictures of the areaUpon review of the pictures by the owner's of the company, we offered the homeowner a complimentary seal coat which will cover the cosmetic blemishThe homeowner was still not satisfied with this offerWe asked him what he thought a fair compensation would be and he asked for a $credit on his balance dueAt that time we hired a certified engineer to do an evaluation of the drivewayI have attached a copy of the engineers letter and the pictures that were taken by our company
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 11, 2014/09/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Everything is correct in the responding statementAnd as of today I have not recieved any copy of the engineers letter or any pictures that were takenI do not question that the driveway meets DOT specsThe engineer they used represents the paving contractors and is not an independent inspection company
My main issue is that if I am ecpected to pay the full price then the work should be free of defectsAnd should not have to be sealcoated to hide them
I have shown pictures to general contractors and they also agree that this is not acceptable workmanship for a homeThey said DOT specs do not mean much when it is at your home and have to look at it every dayThe seal coat they offered has a value of $However I asked for quotes from sealcoating contractors and they are at $
Attached are pictures taken from different anglesThis area happens to be right in the middle of the driveIt is very noticeableI get comments from visitors that are not very supportive of the quality of the workComments range from "I hope they are going to fix that!" or "I can't believe they would leave it like that and expect you to accept it" There are more comments but you get the point I am making
If DMJ does not want to try to come to a better financial settlement then I would expect to have the driveway removed and done correctlyI would accept 15% reduction with the sealcoat
If this is satisfactory with DMJ I will make payment promptlyI will pay with a credit card so as not to hinder them from getting thier funds quickly
Final Business Response /* (1000, 18, 2014/10/21) */
Good Afternoon,
Anytime there is a complaint regarding installation or quality of workman ship on driveways we install, it is our standard procedure to hire a certified engineer to do an onsite evaluation of the drivewayThese finding are then forwarded on to the homeownerAttached is a copy of the engineers findingsIn our letter dated 8/26/it clearly states that if the homeowner is in disagreement with the engineers evaluation we recommend that the homeowner contact a third party certified engineer of their choice to do an onsite evaluation and upon receipt of their findings we would act accordingly, opposed to hearsay from other general contractors whom are not specifically trained in asphalt specificationsTo date we have not received anything
In out letter dated 9/22/14, we offered the homeowner a complimentary sealcoat ($value) and a credit of $or a credit of $if he decided not to have the seal coat doneAlthough this is a minor cosmetic blemish that will easily be covered by a seal coat, in an effort to put this matter to rest, we are willing to give the 15% discount off the balance due and apply a complimentary seal coat during the season (best applied July/August)
The balance due is $8,773.00., therefore the 15% discount would be $1,315.95, leaving a balance due of $7,There is a 3% surcharge if the homeowner chooses to pay with a credit cardThis is a fee that the credit card processing company charges us, which would be added to the balance due, or we will kindly wait for payment via mail
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/12/17) */
According to our sub-contractor who installed the concrete sidewalk, the rock pops the homeowner is concerned about are considerd a normal occurance with concrete and in no way will structurally harm the concrete.9(Please see attached...
photos) Since the homeowner is in disagreement with this evaluation, we would recommend that she hire a third party engineer that is certified in concrete to perform an evaluation on her driveway. Upon reciept of thier findings we will act accordingly.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/16) */
We are in receipt of the letter from Ms. [redacted]
A black emulsion seal coat which she purchased is clearly a cosmetic application. It does not prolong the lift of a driveway, it is similar to painting your walls. The longevity of...
a seal coat is usually a year or less with the Minnesota climate. There is nothing sub-standard on her project, and it meets industry standards. We do not warranty emulsion seal coats because they are purely a cosmetic application and the customer's choice to apply. We have spoken to Ms. [redacted] via telephone and did an on site evaluations. As a courtesy, we would be willing to refund $225.00 of her money, and she can hire another contractor of her choice, as indicated by the amounts of her other estimates ranging from $200-$225 dollars, and have it reapplied.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I would accept half of the amount I paid since I was so over charge for the job from the beginnning. And the quality of the work is not very good. I will accept $265.00 to close this case.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/23) */
We agree to refund her $265.00. The check will be sent in the mail tomorrow 7/24/15.
DMJ provided a bid for my asphalt driveway in Minnetonka. I was in the process of gathering bids and they provided a good bid for the job. Another company called for a follow up and I explained DMJ had came in at the same price but better product. He for warned me that I would not be happy in the end. A few years later and I've been living with the consequences from day one. Class five gravel was important to me and was a key part of my bid. On job day when the trucks started pulling in and dumping dirty reclaimed asphalt I asked them to stop. Well, they can't stop a job without orders so I ended up on the phone calling in a panic to stop the trucks. When I finally said they can do what they want but I refuse to pay they stopped. This was a long process mind you with them telling me how much better clay and glass and cement and you know what is way better than class 5 gravel. Once we moved on from that class 5 started to arrive. Job was looking great! The prep guy was amazing and prepped everything ready for asphalt. Next day and the trucks rolled in with baby rollers. I asked about compact ability and they assured me this would meet MNDot spec when complete. Truck after truck of asphalt and guys running around working hard. Things were looking good so far. As the work progressed I went into the house and shortly after I heard this awful banging thumping sound. I came out and foud two guys running rollers over the driveway and skidding onto my brand new garage floor. I said stop you are going to ruin my floor and they assured me nothing would happend. This company seems to know all. The end result was badly chipped garage apron in several spots. Sickening. Job completes and off they go. Sales guy pops in for full payment and as we are looking over the job I looked and thought things looked off. I grabbed my tape and measured the width. Plan stated the 11 feet wide we had paid for but measurement was showing 9 feet. He looks at me and says don't you know anything. Asphalt is measured at the bottom of the driveway not the driving surface. I became upset and said why didn't you tell me this so I could have ordered two more feet in width. He then asks for payment and says he cannot leave without a check. My wife went in to get the checkbook and called the guy who said watch out. When he heard the measurement on the bottom statement he became quite and said I'm very sorry for your situation but that is a flat out lie. We did get DMJ to admit he flat out lied to us so he knocked off 50 dollars on the job. That was 2 feet by 150 feet of asphalt at a cost of 50 dollars. We argued for an hour over this and he refused to go. He said you know you don't always get what you ask for. You know the stones song. Then he sent us on the guilt trip that if we don't give him a check he wont get paid for the job. I have never regretted so much as writing out that check. Call us suckers I guess but he beat us down and threatened mechanics lien on our property. He his us when we were weak and that is too bad. Now a few years later as I look at my crumbling driveway it's a lesson to me that companies are still out there doing this sort of thing. I'm taking the time to write this not to try and recover my loss but to hopefully prevent others from buying into the snake oil salesmen.
Hi potential DMJ Asphalt customersBefore deciding whether or not to go with DMJ for your asphalt needs I would recommend you move on to the next asphalt companyBelow is an exchange I had with the owner of DMJThey performed work on my apron in recently a hole appeared in the apron that fixedI called to see if they would fix this under warranty or if we could come to a compromise to fix the holeThey searched every work in the contract to find a way out, which they didHowever, I challenged them on the contract stating that they did not use the material stated in the contract because they put a few large pieces of cinder block in the class baseCommon knowledge would say trying to compact class with large cinder blocks has the potential to fail over time, which on my apron it didApparently the owner disagrees and decided it was best to responded to me with personal attacksVery sad that the face of DMJ decided it was best to personally attack me instead of having a professional conversation to resolve the problemI would have been fine if we had a phone conversation where the end result would of not been in my favor, but at least we had a discussionObviously Kari ***, the owner, felt that was not an option, but the option respond in an immature mannerYou decide do you want to go with a company that does not stand behind their product/service and have an owner, who is the face of the company, act like immature personAnd if you have an issue after the service is performed do you trust DMJ Asphalt to come out and fix it? In my experience the answer is NOI am sure they will respond, but read the below and you decideHi Angie,
I meant to reply last week, but I wasn't able to get to this until todayI reviewed the two documents you sent and saw the "No Warranties" mentioned among the other disclaimersI would say that there should be a warranty ONLY IF DMJ would of done the job per the customer agreement which t I paid DMJ to doI took it upon myself to fix the hole in my drive where the apron that was fixed by DMJWhen I cut out the asphalt I was shocked to find loose pieces of concrete that DMJ used as a base to the apronUpon reading my agreement it states Class recycle base would be installed as a base at a minimum depth of 6"No where in the agreement does it state DMJ will also use broken apart pieces of concrete block mixed in with class to create a baseThese pieces were directly underneath the asphalt NOT under the class 5, which caused the asphalt to fail over time.This explains why the repair failed not some rodent and the other reasons I was givenFrom that perspective DMJ did not live up to the agreement I signedTherefore, DMJ was/is liable to repair that piece of my driveway in order to meet the agreement I signed and DMJ signedI had to repair this myself because of the fear of someone getting hurt by tripping over/into the hole or damage to my carWithout fixing this I would of never known that the base failed because of not properly building the base before laying the asphalt on topI have included pictures of the concrete pieces that I pulled out of the holeI now wonder what other parts of my apron has a similar base and will other parts start to fail??
Now that we know what the real issue is and the fact that this does not meet the customer agreement how will DMJ address?
Thanks,
Mike ***
Mike,
Good afternoon, I’ve received your emails and reviewed your contract The work DMJ Asphalt completed meets or exceeds industry standardsYour job was a repair project without a warranty, however, still completed to Minnesota Department of Transportation Specifications Your base work consisted of class recycled gravel base that meets state specifications Class recycled base is made from recycled asphalt and concrete, thus you may find concrete in your base work or it could be from the overflow of secrete from capping the blocks Furthermore, you can clearly see from the pictures that you are experiencing other areas/gaps between the brick and concrete which is outside our work area, and experiencing similar issues Natural earth movement, phenomenon’s , as well as rodents, can cause underlying issues and what you are experiencing is not caused by our installation We do stand behind all of our work and have been doing it for three generations, with the majority of our work referrals and repeat customersYou, without meeting with us as indicated in our email, decided to repair this miniscule area yourself Then email us with a bogus, rudely worded claim that a not only a person but a car could incur damage!! I’m not sure how you maneuver around planet earth on a daily basis, as there are many other areas that we pass over/on as the general public that could be much more dangerous than thisI am sorry that you feel the need to disparage DMJ Asphalt, and feel free to do whatever you deem necessary, as remember via social media works both ways We work with all of our customers in a professional courteous manner, however, in your case, I’m not sure you can comprehend professionalism or politenessThank You~
Kari ***
DMJ Asphalt Inc"Quality Paving For Generations"
*** direct
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2014/09/23) */
On 6/25/we installed the driveway at *** *** *** *** ***, *** Upon rolling the driveway the roller machine got stuck on the incline of the driveway, thus resulting in a small indentationThe home owner called to notify
us of this depressionAt this time I told the homeowner not to make payment until the repairs were completedWe repaired the area to Minnesota Department of Transportation standardsThe homeowner still was not satisfied with the look of the repairWe sent a representative from our company out to take pictures of the areaUpon review of the pictures by the owner's of the company, we offered the homeowner a complimentary seal coat which will cover the cosmetic blemishThe homeowner was still not satisfied with this offerWe asked him what he thought a fair compensation would be and he asked for a $credit on his balance dueAt that time we hired a certified engineer to do an evaluation of the drivewayI have attached a copy of the engineers letter and the pictures that were taken by our company
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 11, 2014/09/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Everything is correct in the responding statementAnd as of today I have not recieved any copy of the engineers letter or any pictures that were takenI do not question that the driveway meets DOT specsThe engineer they used represents the paving contractors and is not an independent inspection company
My main issue is that if I am ecpected to pay the full price then the work should be free of defectsAnd should not have to be sealcoated to hide them
I have shown pictures to general contractors and they also agree that this is not acceptable workmanship for a homeThey said DOT specs do not mean much when it is at your home and have to look at it every dayThe seal coat they offered has a value of $However I asked for quotes from sealcoating contractors and they are at $
Attached are pictures taken from different anglesThis area happens to be right in the middle of the driveIt is very noticeableI get comments from visitors that are not very supportive of the quality of the workComments range from "I hope they are going to fix that!" or "I can't believe they would leave it like that and expect you to accept it" There are more comments but you get the point I am making
If DMJ does not want to try to come to a better financial settlement then I would expect to have the driveway removed and done correctlyI would accept 15% reduction with the sealcoat
If this is satisfactory with DMJ I will make payment promptlyI will pay with a credit card so as not to hinder them from getting thier funds quickly
Final Business Response /* (1000, 18, 2014/10/21) */
Good Afternoon,
Anytime there is a complaint regarding installation or quality of workman ship on driveways we install, it is our standard procedure to hire a certified engineer to do an onsite evaluation of the drivewayThese finding are then forwarded on to the homeownerAttached is a copy of the engineers findingsIn our letter dated 8/26/it clearly states that if the homeowner is in disagreement with the engineers evaluation we recommend that the homeowner contact a third party certified engineer of their choice to do an onsite evaluation and upon receipt of their findings we would act accordingly, opposed to hearsay from other general contractors whom are not specifically trained in asphalt specificationsTo date we have not received anything
In out letter dated 9/22/14, we offered the homeowner a complimentary sealcoat ($value) and a credit of $or a credit of $if he decided not to have the seal coat doneAlthough this is a minor cosmetic blemish that will easily be covered by a seal coat, in an effort to put this matter to rest, we are willing to give the 15% discount off the balance due and apply a complimentary seal coat during the season (best applied July/August)
The balance due is $8,773.00., therefore the 15% discount would be $1,315.95, leaving a balance due of $7,There is a 3% surcharge if the homeowner chooses to pay with a credit cardThis is a fee that the credit card processing company charges us, which would be added to the balance due, or we will kindly wait for payment via mail
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/12/17) */
According to our sub-contractor who installed the concrete sidewalk, the rock pops the homeowner is concerned about are considerd a normal occurance with concrete and in no way will structurally harm the concrete.9(Please see attached...
photos) Since the homeowner is in disagreement with this evaluation, we would recommend that she hire a third party engineer that is certified in concrete to perform an evaluation on her driveway. Upon reciept of thier findings we will act accordingly.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/16) */
We are in receipt of the letter from Ms. [redacted]
A black emulsion seal coat which she purchased is clearly a cosmetic application. It does not prolong the lift of a driveway, it is similar to painting your walls. The longevity of...
a seal coat is usually a year or less with the Minnesota climate. There is nothing sub-standard on her project, and it meets industry standards. We do not warranty emulsion seal coats because they are purely a cosmetic application and the customer's choice to apply. We have spoken to Ms. [redacted] via telephone and did an on site evaluations. As a courtesy, we would be willing to refund $225.00 of her money, and she can hire another contractor of her choice, as indicated by the amounts of her other estimates ranging from $200-$225 dollars, and have it reapplied.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I would accept half of the amount I paid since I was so over charge for the job from the beginnning. And the quality of the work is not very good. I will accept $265.00 to close this case.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/23) */
We agree to refund her $265.00. The check will be sent in the mail tomorrow 7/24/15.
DMJ provided a bid for my asphalt driveway in Minnetonka. I was in the process of gathering bids and they provided a good bid for the job. Another company called for a follow up and I explained DMJ had came in at the same price but better product. He for warned me that I would not be happy in the end. A few years later and I've been living with the consequences from day one. Class five gravel was important to me and was a key part of my bid. On job day when the trucks started pulling in and dumping dirty reclaimed asphalt I asked them to stop. Well, they can't stop a job without orders so I ended up on the phone calling in a panic to stop the trucks. When I finally said they can do what they want but I refuse to pay they stopped. This was a long process mind you with them telling me how much better clay and glass and cement and you know what is way better than class 5 gravel. Once we moved on from that class 5 started to arrive. Job was looking great! The prep guy was amazing and prepped everything ready for asphalt. Next day and the trucks rolled in with baby rollers. I asked about compact ability and they assured me this would meet MNDot spec when complete. Truck after truck of asphalt and guys running around working hard. Things were looking good so far. As the work progressed I went into the house and shortly after I heard this awful banging thumping sound. I came out and foud two guys running rollers over the driveway and skidding onto my brand new garage floor. I said stop you are going to ruin my floor and they assured me nothing would happend. This company seems to know all. The end result was badly chipped garage apron in several spots. Sickening. Job completes and off they go. Sales guy pops in for full payment and as we are looking over the job I looked and thought things looked off. I grabbed my tape and measured the width. Plan stated the 11 feet wide we had paid for but measurement was showing 9 feet. He looks at me and says don't you know anything. Asphalt is measured at the bottom of the driveway not the driving surface. I became upset and said why didn't you tell me this so I could have ordered two more feet in width. He then asks for payment and says he cannot leave without a check. My wife went in to get the checkbook and called the guy who said watch out. When he heard the measurement on the bottom statement he became quite and said I'm very sorry for your situation but that is a flat out lie. We did get DMJ to admit he flat out lied to us so he knocked off 50 dollars on the job. That was 2 feet by 150 feet of asphalt at a cost of 50 dollars. We argued for an hour over this and he refused to go. He said you know you don't always get what you ask for. You know the stones song. Then he sent us on the guilt trip that if we don't give him a check he wont get paid for the job. I have never regretted so much as writing out that check. Call us suckers I guess but he beat us down and threatened mechanics lien on our property. He his us when we were weak and that is too bad. Now a few years later as I look at my crumbling driveway it's a lesson to me that companies are still out there doing this sort of thing. I'm taking the time to write this not to try and recover my loss but to hopefully prevent others from buying into the snake oil salesmen.