A Custom To

We are an A rated Business
on [redacted] with over 100 reviews and have been an A+ Business rating with
the Revdex.com since joining in 2004. We are a member of NARI and a member of the
NRCA. We do not cut corners and we don't appreciate being bullied by someone,
who from day one has been trying to...

have the work done for less than we
proposed. The proposal was to cut-in and install a board along siding and replace
a few rotten pieces of trim around windows. He was given a price that was
concluded from our inspection and [redacted] detailed exactly which areas were to be
worked on (At the time no paint or caulking (putty?) had been scrapped).
I have proof of emails
between ACT LLC and [redacted] clearly stating his intentions, explaining he had
someone that would do the work for less and that he wanted us to do the work
for $1,500.00. We could not discount our price and we sent an email stating
that although we appreciated the opportunity to bid on his job and we would have
to pass on the work. There were never any
“back and forth” negotiations between us (can be seen in emails)! This was our
price and he could simply pass on the work if he chose. At the time we had no
signed contract and figured he would use someone else. Next thing you know, he
contacts us again saying to go ahead with the work because he is on time
constraints. The whole time we are confused because he told us he had someone
else who would do it for less, so why hire us? He states we had an unclear
scope and offered limited repairs, which again, why hire us! The bigger
question is why didn’t he ask questions before signing the proposal if things
were so unclear???
We have the proposal which clearly states
our scope of work, detailed to the exact windows we would work on, which boards
we would replace, etc. etc. (I have attached a copy of the proposal). [redacted] met
with [redacted] to go over the work upon completion and [redacted] had no
complaints. [redacted] proclaimed that he expected more, that all the siding
should have been fixed. Which, clearly there is no mention of replacing the
siding in the proposal. He also mentioned that he felt we should do the extra
work his painter had found (while scrapping the windows) to make up for how
much we charged and how little he felt he received. Again; before, during, and
after the project, [redacted] brought up the cost and kept telling us we should
do more. Nothing was found to be wrong with the work performed when a post walk
through was completed with owner present and [redacted]. [redacted] received an email later
on explaining his concern with a window on the back of the house being
"poorly" caulked, which we 100% agreed with him and had the guys go
back out to fix it ASAP. There was no other mention of any other issue's until
this letter to the Revdex.com was written or we would have addressed them! Even after
customers pay we are more than willing to come back out if they feel there is a
problem, we strive for 100% satisfaction. For the work proposed and completed
not additional work that isn’t listed in the scope.
Nowhere
in the above attached proposal does it talk about cutting shingles, but it clearly
states “Replace shingles as needed along wall.” As needed meaning; if the
shingles needed replacement we would replace them, but the shingles didn't need
replacement so why would we replace them? This is added to protect [redacted] in
case the shingles didn’t match up properly afterword. Isn't this a question you
would ask before hiring us? Shouldn’t all of his concerns have been brought forth
before he signed the proposal? He says we had an unclear scope and offered
limited repairs, but if you review the emails there is “no mention” of him
having any concerns with the scope of work or what was included with the
repairs.  All he wanted to know was when
we could start. He also states he was concerned about water issues. We offered
to run a hose when the work was complete to show him it was water tight, which
he refused. Why refuse? He had water issues prior to our work because the
person he hired (now in jail) to do the work didn’t follow “standard practice
rules” as described in the NRCA Roofing Manual for side wall installation.
Nowhere in the proposal will you see “replace a few boards/shingles as needed”
as that would be unclear and we make our proposals out so that any non-tradesman
can understand the terminology and scope to be performed. The repair is not
temporary and is standard practice used on complete roof tear offs by all
contractors. We offer this same fix on any house with multiple layers of
roofing to clean up the appearance of the siding. GAF requires Master Elite
shingle installers to wrap the ice and water up the siding in their extending
manufacture backed warranty “Golden Pledge”. He talks about the amount of
window boards replaced not being what he expected for the amount of the quote,
but the proposal clearly states “Replace cedar trim around window at front
bottom window right of door.” and “Replace sills on 2 windows at right side of
house.” Where is this confusion coming from? 
No mention of any other window is in the proposal. Also, he says we
wanted to “lay boards or a board over shingles.” which is not in the contract.
The contract clearly states “Cut back cedar siding 6” along side of walls.
Replace shingles as needed along walls.  Install
a 5/4 - 1”x6” cedar board along roof lines and caulk.”, so where is the
confusion.
We
should not have to justify our costs. Our price is our price and [redacted] has
the right to not chose our company for the work, am I missing something? The person who did the painting (and we are
pretty sure gave him a proposal for the siding work) is his industry
professional. I wonder if this painter will be biased in his opinion! Owner
continued to badger us about the cost explaining that his painter would charge
half as much, at which time we explained to him that we have higher WC rates
and pay a lot more for our insurance than a painter. This all could have been
avoided if he would have just hired the "other guy" whom he proclaims
was less expensive. There was never any conversation about breaking down
material and labor cost, which we have the emails to prove. With that said, it
shouldn't matter the cost, we gave a proposed price which he agreed too. The
proposal clearly states the work performed and we should not have to perform
any additional work without an additional signed contract with additional cost.
As far as his other
concerns; none where mentioned during or after our inspection until this
letter. All that was mentioned was the one corner not being caulked properly
(which we agreed to fix). If he wishes to have us look at these new issues we
will gladly come back and do so.  As far
as the time spent working on the job and material used, that is our concern not
his. Again, he could have used the “other person” whom supposedly gave him a
quote, especially after we passed on the work!!! One cannot compare the cost to
paint the house with the work we did, its two completely different professions
with different overhead costs.  Our scope
was clearly stated in the proposal and we feel no need to do any additional
work or discount the work. He chose to hire us; we didn’t force him to do anything.
He should have read the scope clearly and understood what was being done before
hiring us. It is our belief that this is his ploy to receive a money discount
or to receive additional work for free. If we did such a bad job (like a 5 year
old) why would he want us to perform additional work anyways???

Review: I found this Company on [redacted] and submitted a request for quote.

I emailed the company describing the nature of the repairs requested..

Received a $2200 quote back for what seemed like limited repair and an unclear scope (no actual materials breakdown) Describing repair as "replace a few boards/shingles as needed)

After some back and forth and a desire to decrease the price as it seemed high, I accepted the job due to time constraints (in hindsight, a mistake) with intent on speaking with them prior to starting at the site to voice concerns about the scope/work planned.

They arrived and I made it clear at that time that I did not want to "patch" or "simply lay boards or a board over shingles as I was concerned about water issues (leaking). Prior roofer did NOT do roof at the exterior house wall properly (abutted shingles to wall) and therefore, posed potential draining issue..

A Custom LLC rep and workers were made clear at that time (prior to job start) of my concern for repair (s) and responded with a positive expectation in regards to the work they planned. (I relied on their professional opinion after having explained my concern) thus the repair work was started. I assumed that they would NOT do a potentially "temporary" fix by laying a board on top of the shingles (and cutting into the siding as opposed to replacing as I assumed was to occur..)

Upon final inspection and seeing the minimal amount of work done for the $2200 and the lack of concern for the type of repair(s) they facilitated, I told them of my dissatisfaction. The response was that it was not their fault that the roof was done improperly prior..And that the repairs they facilitated were normal and adequate. I disagreed and still had concerns. I also told them of my dissatisfaction with the amount of window boards replaced for the amount of the quote. Once I saw the actual amount of work done (separate from the write up/scope) I felt "taken" and was seeking some type of material expense breakdown and labor expense breakdown in order to justify the type of money that they expected me to pay..

Their response was "you don’t know our materials/labor costs/insurance expenses, etc." It made me feel like he could not provide any justification of what the job may have actually cost compared to what I paid and in line with the quote. It was unsettling after seeing the limited work done after the job was completed. I had another industry professional come to review the work/materials and he was upset at the fact that they would charge so much for the job..And said that he does the same work and would have been ½ to expense. I felt horrible about this.

At that point in speaking with A custom LLC rep at the site after review of finished job, No attempt was made to adjust pricing. No offer to do additional boards (that they missed and never included in the quote) was made. They pretty much stood by the quote and even though they implied that they "didn’t want an unhappy client"..Still left me unhappy and more or less expected me to simply be happy with the result.

Prior to the A Custom LLC rep leaving, I never walked around the specific windows after repair to inspect and did not review the quality of the repairs until after they had left the site. Once I did, not only did I feel that I paid to much, but was appalled at the quality of window removal/re-adherence..Poor Caulking of boards after replacement..Plus general "shoddiness" of the finished product.

1. Gap (s) in window frames from not fitting windows back into casement properly after board replacement. (Pictures available)

2. Using nails in the aluminum trip around windows to attempt to get the window frames "flush" again after removal, still resulting in non air tight gaps. (Pictures available)

Weather hazard! Non efficient!

3. Chunky caulking around boards and seams..Lots of them all over the repairs/boards. Looks like it was done by a 5 year old! (Pictures available)

4. Split board attached to the very area they repaired still remained split...it was right there! Easy to fix as part of the scope! Neglected to facilitate or calk it at least..

5. Board ran length of roofline and was achieved by supposedly "cutting shingles as needed" which did not occur as my spouse witnessed not only the length of time at the site (limited)..But also amount of materials used and subsequently any removed.

In closing, I feel that I paid WAY too much for what turned out to be limited and shoddy final quality of work and if it hadn't been for my inspection post finish to really see what I paid way too much for, I would have moved on dealt with the fact that I was in a way “taken”. I feel disappointed in them and myself for not inspecting what was planned on the scope and relying more on their professional opinion and scope for the job, than what I was really getting for my money.

I’m not one to complain about services but when I had my entire house painted just after A custom LLc finished and A custom LLC $2200 expense was over ½ of what I was able to paint my entire house for (2 coats) along with the overall poor quality of the final work A custom LLC did..Makes me feel that I overpaid substantially.

I’m willing to pay for what I received.I do not feel that this is unreasonable and would appreciate it if A Custom LLC would see their way through to assist with and truly leave me a happy customer.Desired Settlement: I’m willing to pay for what I received.I do not feel that this is unreasonable and would appreciate it if A Custom LLC would see their way through to assist with and truly leave me a happy customer.

Business

Response:

We are an A rated Business

on [redacted] with over 100 reviews and have been an A+ Business rating with

the Revdex.com since joining in 2004. We are a member of NARI and a member of the

NRCA. We do not cut corners and we don't appreciate being bullied by someone,

who from day one has been trying to have the work done for less than we

proposed. The proposal was to cut-in and install a board along siding and replace

a few rotten pieces of trim around windows. He was given a price that was

concluded from our inspection and [redacted] detailed exactly which areas were to be

worked on (At the time no paint or caulking (putty?) had been scrapped).

I have proof of emails

between ACT LLC and [redacted] clearly stating his intentions, explaining he had

someone that would do the work for less and that he wanted us to do the work

for $1,500.00. We could not discount our price and we sent an email stating

that although we appreciated the opportunity to bid on his job and we would have

to pass on the work. There were never any

“back and forth” negotiations between us (can be seen in emails)! This was our

price and he could simply pass on the work if he chose. At the time we had no

signed contract and figured he would use someone else. Next thing you know, he

contacts us again saying to go ahead with the work because he is on time

constraints. The whole time we are confused because he told us he had someone

else who would do it for less, so why hire us? He states we had an unclear

scope and offered limited repairs, which again, why hire us! The bigger

question is why didn’t he ask questions before signing the proposal if things

were so unclear???

We have the proposal which clearly states

our scope of work, detailed to the exact windows we would work on, which boards

we would replace, etc. etc. (I have attached a copy of the proposal). [redacted] met

with [redacted] to go over the work upon completion and [redacted] had no

complaints. [redacted] proclaimed that he expected more, that all the siding

should have been fixed. Which, clearly there is no mention of replacing the

siding in the proposal. He also mentioned that he felt we should do the extra

work his painter had found (while scrapping the windows) to make up for how

much we charged and how little he felt he received. Again; before, during, and

after the project, [redacted] brought up the cost and kept telling us we should

do more. Nothing was found to be wrong with the work performed when a post walk

through was completed with owner present and [redacted] received an email later

on explaining his concern with a window on the back of the house being

"poorly" caulked, which we 100% agreed with him and had the guys go

back out to fix it ASAP. There was no other mention of any other issue's until

this letter to the Revdex.com was written or we would have addressed them! Even after

customers pay we are more than willing to come back out if they feel there is a

problem, we strive for 100% satisfaction. For the work proposed and completed

not additional work that isn’t listed in the scope.

Nowhere

in the above attached proposal does it talk about cutting shingles, but it clearly

states “Replace shingles as needed along wall.” As needed meaning; if the

shingles needed replacement we would replace them, but the shingles didn't need

replacement so why would we replace them? This is added to protect [redacted] in

case the shingles didn’t match up properly afterword. Isn't this a question you

would ask before hiring us? Shouldn’t all of his concerns have been brought forth

before he signed the proposal? He says we had an unclear scope and offered

limited repairs, but if you review the emails there is “no mention” of him

having any concerns with the scope of work or what was included with the

repairs. All he wanted to know was when

we could start. He also states he was concerned about water issues. We offered

to run a hose when the work was complete to show him it was water tight, which

he refused. Why refuse? He had water issues prior to our work because the

person he hired (now in jail) to do the work didn’t follow “standard practice

rules” as described in the NRCA Roofing Manual for side wall installation.

Nowhere in the proposal will you see “replace a few boards/shingles as needed”

as that would be unclear and we make our proposals out so that any non-tradesman

can understand the terminology and scope to be performed. The repair is not

temporary and is standard practice used on complete roof tear offs by all

contractors. We offer this same fix on any house with multiple layers of

roofing to clean up the appearance of the siding. GAF requires Master Elite

shingle installers to wrap the ice and water up the siding in their extending

manufacture backed warranty “Golden Pledge”. He talks about the amount of

window boards replaced not being what he expected for the amount of the quote,

but the proposal clearly states “Replace cedar trim around window at front

bottom window right of door.” and “Replace sills on 2 windows at right side of

house.” Where is this confusion coming from?

No mention of any other window is in the proposal. Also, he says we

wanted to “lay boards or a board over shingles.” which is not in the contract.

The contract clearly states “Cut back cedar siding 6” along side of walls.

Replace shingles as needed along walls. Install

a 5/4 - 1”x6” cedar board along roof lines and caulk.”, so where is the

confusion.

We

should not have to justify our costs. Our price is our price and [redacted] has

the right to not chose our company for the work, am I missing something? The person who did the painting (and we are

pretty sure gave him a proposal for the siding work) is his industry

professional. I wonder if this painter will be biased in his opinion! Owner

continued to badger us about the cost explaining that his painter would charge

half as much, at which time we explained to him that we have higher WC rates

and pay a lot more for our insurance than a painter. This all could have been

avoided if he would have just hired the "other guy" whom he proclaims

was less expensive. There was never any conversation about breaking down

material and labor cost, which we have the emails to prove. With that said, it

shouldn't matter the cost, we gave a proposed price which he agreed too. The

proposal clearly states the work performed and we should not have to perform

any additional work without an additional signed contract with additional cost.

As far as his other

concerns; none where mentioned during or after our inspection until this

letter. All that was mentioned was the one corner not being caulked properly

(which we agreed to fix). If he wishes to have us look at these new issues we

will gladly come back and do so. As far

as the time spent working on the job and material used, that is our concern not

his. Again, he could have used the “other person” whom supposedly gave him a

quote, especially after we passed on the work!!! One cannot compare the cost to

paint the house with the work we did, its two completely different professions

with different overhead costs. Our scope

was clearly stated in the proposal and we feel no need to do any additional

work or discount the work. He chose to hire us; we didn’t force him to do anything.

He should have read the scope clearly and understood what was being done before

hiring us. It is our belief that this is his ploy to receive a money discount

or to receive additional work for free. If we did such a bad job (like a 5 year

old) why would he want us to perform additional work anyways???

This is the most amazing contractor with whom that I have ever had the pleasure to contract a job. Although I was disabled and out of town when all the estimating and proposal of prices for work to be done; it was explained to me where ever I had queries about the standards or specs, Once agreed upon by me, I asked if we could set up a payment schedule as supplies were ordered and work portions done. He said I would pay the total figure once the work was completed to MY satisfaction. WOW!
Upon completion of the job and a few minor adjustments made I paid them gratefully.