All Phase Construction

Firstly, we did not work in their house for two to three months as Mr [redacted] claimsThey contacted us in September and we signed a contract October 4thWe didn't begin the repairs and installing some can lighting in their Kitchen ceiling until Oct.12thMuch of the construction dust they complained about was created by the tile flooring and thin set they had demolished just before we started [redacted] mentioned it was really dusty from the thick flooring being removed a couple of days before we started the jobFrom our experience I know that fine dust can travel everywhere in a house, gets into the a/c units and is something that anyone would be cleaning for quite a while from a job like the one they had doneOur company sent the 2nd copy of our estimate and pictures to the insurance company on Oct.24thThe time lapse was because the insurance company fired the original adjuster and lost the first estimate and pictures we sent them [redacted] was well aware of this and actually filed a complaint to the insurance company's managementThe insurance company left a lot of repair and replacement items out of their estimate and it took us or more days to evaluate, itemize everything specifically that needed to be done, type it out in an estimate and then negotiate, representing the [redacted] s to get the claim up to a more favorable amount to do the repairs that needed to be doneWe went above and beyond for them, setting up and meeting with a new adjustor on Oct.30th and getting the insurance company to agree to replace the complete set of cabinets among many other additions to the original insurance estimateWe were also able to negotiate the repairing of their upstairs bathroom, getting the bath tile, bathroom flooring and their vanity cabinet replaced among many other things we did for themOriginally the insurance company agreed to replace only a 6' ft upper section and a 4'ftlower section of their Kitchen cabinets and reface the rest of the base cabinet units [redacted] signed an agreement with us that we would perform the work and be compensated for all amounts approved and dispersed by the insurance company and we also agreed to lower their out of pocket deductible expense by over a thousand dollarsWe fulfilled our part of the contract making everything very favorable to the [redacted] 's [redacted] was out of the country working in Africa for the complete time we worked in their homeWe did everything we could to make [redacted] as happy as we couldThey added other work they wanted us to do, removing an archway into the dining room area and bringing the opening up to the ceiling height, repairing and texturing the ceiling and wall areas around the removal, installing new can lights in her kitchen, moving their dinette light to center over their table, installing a special order barn door that took two or more weeks to get, removing and replacing the cased opening where we removed the existing door and we remodeled their fireplaceComing to find out that the [redacted] s didn't want to just go back and repair and replace what was there before but wanted to upgrade their kitchen to a designer style level with upper glass doors, pull out drawers, trash can pullout and a spice rack drawer and do it for the same money they were receiving from the insurance coto put back a basic style kitchen with none of those itemsThey also wanted to install granite counter tops for what the insurance company allowed to replace a tile counterThey wanted their cabinets to go to the ceiling and larger than the original with a custom wooden vent a hoodI could tell the difference in tone from [redacted] when I explained the reality of what she had as an allowed budget from the insurance company [redacted] in the meantime was counting on the additional $13,we negotiated for them above the original allowance so they could put in a much higher grade kitchen and somewhere he figured it would be better not to pay the contractor and they would have more to spend on their kitchenI am all for if someone wants to upgrade their house and thats why we put in a provision like that in the contract which gives them the option to pay the difference for those upgradesThey chose another route.Normally a customer gives us the courtesy of at least meeting, giving me a list of any items they are unhappy with and give us the oportunity to correct whatever they have a problem with [redacted] never met with me from before the time we signed the contract Oct4th to the day we were fired on Nov.18, [redacted] refused to sit down with me to go over what they wanted corrected, which is a accepted practice with most contractors and customers [redacted] refused to pay us for our work and my work negotiating in good faith the claim to repair their homeWe were taken advantage of and not given the accepted courtesies given in a situation like this and I hate to say it but I feel we were completely misled and taken advantage of by [redacted] and [redacted] [redacted] has an issue with timeMaybe being out of the country away from your family makes it seem longer then it isWe didn't start working until Oct.12th and they fired us and refused to pay us on Nov.18, They said it took to longWe were working in their home less than weeksA lot of the time was spent waiting on [redacted] to pick a paint colorWe gave her choices on Oct20th and she finally gave us her choice "Moon Shell" on the 2nd of NovemberOur guys painted the down stairs of their house and then [redacted] informed us that it was the wrong colorShe gave us the color choice of Moon Shell then contacted me after we painted the downstairs Family room, Kitchen, Dinette, Entry and Dining room, walls and ceilingsand said she got confused and made a mistake, the color should have been "Gray Beard" which we repainted the downstairs two coats and never received payment for itWhen Mrs[redacted] picked a tile for the fireplace she actually picked a stone which I recommended she not pick because of it not being thin enough to look right between the trim that existed on the fireplace but she insisted thats what she wantedThis is the same type of situation we experienced through the complete jobThe fireplace was out of square but our installers did the best they could with what they had to work with, squaring up the stone around the fireplace opening and leaving a standard amount of space off the concrete floor so the flooring could be installed under the stoneShe was not happy because of the upper stones were 1/" or less away from the top trim of the fireplaceWhen I tried to explain some solutions she got upset not understanding that sometimes you have to make various adjustments to make it closer to what she was looking forAs one of the solutions I told her I was willing to replace some of the top stone pieces but it looked as though the [redacted] s chose to use it as an excuse to dismiss us from the jobMr [redacted] was in Africa the complete time the work was being done and never gave us an opportunity to come back and repair whatever they had a problem withHe refused to meet with me and let us take care of any outstanding issueMy men working on the job were completely shocked when I explained to them what took placeThey told me [redacted] was always saying how happy she was with the work and they would show her as the did various things and she would give her approval.I could continue with some of the other issues that took place on this project but I won't go into everything we had to deal with while trying to help the [redacted] sI do feel very strongly that money was the reason for their decisionI've been in business a long time and have always been able to make it right with our customersIt leaves a bad taste when I worked as hard as I did and to be run over like we were Let me know if you have any questionsI attached a picture of the stone we installed around their fireplaceThey complained about small gaps at the top left area which I could have fixed easilyThe second attachment was the slat trim we installed above the mantleThe picture is in the middle of remodeling their fireplaceThis picture is before stone install and we also installed crown molding at the topI didn't have a finished picture but [redacted] said she was happy with the work we did.Thanks for contacting us.Sincerely, [redacted] All Phase Construction

This in response to Mrs [redacted] complaint ID [redacted] I have made many attempts to reach out to Mrs [redacted] sense I received her email 9/20/I tried again after I was contacted By [redacted] which is the lead company that sent me Mrs [redacted] contacted info I provided [redacted] with the info they requested As you can see in the attachmentsMrs [redacted] states that Myself and my husband were the only people that worked on her house but this was not the case as we did have a couple of helpers there, the reason we did not have more worker at her house is because she seemed to be very nervous about to much going on at one timeSo I told her we could work with a smaller crew but it would take a little longer Also Mrs [redacted] states that the contracted job would be done in to days, it also says weather permitting we had a lot of rain during this time in Mrs [redacted] has failed to mention that after the job was started she asked for additional work to be done or that I spent two and half days doing work for free as she had mention to me she would like to clean up the flower beds in front of the house and paint the front and basement doors but was to tired to do it because she had cancer and had a bad back from a car accidentYes we did go on a short vacation in septThis trip had been planed for mouth and was non refundableI told Mrs [redacted] about this trip in advance as with the rain and other work she asked us to do I new we might not be done before the date of the tripShe seemed to be fine with it We even sat on her porch and had what I thought was a nice chat before for I left The last day I was thereMrs [redacted] states that she had concerns about the work done in the complaint she states she had the [redacted] building official but in her email to me she said a Independent contractor Inspect her house Iv asked for a copy of any paper work from a inspection she has so I can go over it to see if there is anything on it that's not on my list of thing that needed to be finished Mrs [redacted] states that building permit was not issuedThis is true Mrs [redacted] said she wanted to get the permit as the home owner She said a permit was not need as we were not removing the old siding but just going over it after the hole from the birds had been fixedI looked on the [redacted] building department website and did find it to be there ether so I took her word for itI can't see how anything that's not done can pass a final inspection We were not doneAs for siding going in two different directions I'm not sure what shes talking about, You can only put it on one wayThe front door over hang is a easy fixI have pic to show the basement doors did not have siding on themJ blocks are something that can be use but its only one optionOn the upper lights it was not possible as the wire for the lights were not long enoughAs for the light shining in to the woods that is a simple adjustmentThe gutter made just need a little more sealant on the end cap All of the other things I see here are thing that would have been taken care of as the finish workI have pictures to document the condition of the house before and during the work being done up to the last day I was thereAs I have stated to Mrs [redacted] in my email and letter to her I would be happy to come finish the workI would like to be paid But I would need it in writing as she has made it clear I should not come on her property Other than that I'm not sure what she would like me to doThere has never been a reason for Mrs [redacted] to think we meant her any harmOur goal as always is to have happy customersI have respected Mrs [redacted] and not gone back to her home as she told me she did not want me to come back Mrs [redacted] is the only review on [redacted] that is bad Everyone else loves the work we do and most treat of like familyI can provide letter from my other customers if I need too Thank you for your time Donna G [redacted]

I have been remodeling houses for years and I have only two complaintsWhich is a lot better than 99% of contractorsFirst of all the one other complaint that was originally on the Revdex.com was removedThose people never contacted me to let me know there was an issue with the homeAnd on this
situation there was only one thing left on the contract that was not done and that was a few pieces of laminate that were not matching in the living roomWe tried multiple times to find a match and we're unable to do soAs far as other things that I was hiding I'm not sure what that meansThe only issue we had with that house that I know of wasa sump pump was having problemsWe fixed it multiple times and before selling the house the buyers acknowledge that it was fixedeven though everything on the contract was done other than a couple pieces of laminate I still sent contractors over to the house for the first month or two when the buyers called me and said they had an issueThe contractors I sent over were independent contractorsI tried to find the best help I could getI tried multiple times to make the buyers happyI even have had multiple agents including the agent that sold the house say that I go above and beyond what most contractors would doAnd I have sold over remodeled home and I have had little to no complaintsI try my best to remodel homes that are in shambles and when I only own them 4-months there's no way for me to know every single problem the house may have in the futureBut I never purposely hide anything from anyone.I try my best

This in response to Mrs [redacted] complaint  ID [redacted] I have made many attempts to reach out to Mrs [redacted] sense I received her email 9/20/16. I tried again after I was contacted By [redacted] which is the lead company that sent me Mrs [redacted] contacted info.  I provided [redacted] with the...

info they requested.  As you can see in the attachments. Mrs [redacted] states that Myself and my husband were the only people that worked on her house but this was not the case as we did have a couple of helpers there, the reason we did not have more worker at her house is because she seemed to be very nervous about to much going on at one time. So I told her we could work with a smaller crew but it would take a little longer.  Also Mrs [redacted] states that the contracted job would be done in 6 to 8 days, it also says weather permitting we had a lot of rain during this time in 2016. Mrs [redacted] has failed to mention that after the job was started she asked for additional work to be done or that I spent two and half days doing work for free as she had mention to me she would like to clean up the flower beds in front of the house and paint the front and basement doors but was to tired to do it because she had cancer and had a bad back from a car  accident. Yes we did go on a short vacation in sept. This trip had been planed for mouth and was non refundable. I told Mrs [redacted] about this trip in advance as with the rain and other work she asked us to do I new we might not be done before the date of the trip. She seemed to be fine with it.  We even sat on her porch and had what I thought was a nice chat before for I left The last day I was there. Mrs [redacted] states that she had concerns about the work done in the complaint she states she had the [redacted] building official but in her email to me she said a Independent contractor Inspect her house.  Iv asked for a copy of any paper work from a inspection she has so I can go over it to see if there is anything on it that's not on my list of thing that needed to be finished.  Mrs [redacted] states that building permit was not issued. This is true Mrs [redacted] said she wanted to get the permit as the home owner.  She said a permit was not need as we were not removing the old siding but just going over it after the hole from the birds had been fixed. I looked on the [redacted] building department website and did find it to be there ether so I took her word for it. I can't see how anything that's not done can pass a final inspection.  We were not done. As for siding going in two different directions I'm not sure what shes talking about, You can only put it on one way. The front door over hang is a easy fix. I have pic to show the basement doors did not have siding on them. J blocks are something that can be use but its only one option. On the upper lights it was not possible as the wire for the lights were not long enough. As for the light shining in to the woods that is a simple adjustment. The gutter made just need a little more sealant on the end cap.  All of the other things I see here are thing that would have been taken care of as the finish work. I have pictures to document the condition of the house before and during the work being done up to the last day I was there. As I have stated to Mrs [redacted] in my email and letter to her I would be happy to come finish the work. I would like to be paid.  But I would need it in writing as she has made it clear I should not come on her property.  Other than that I'm not sure what she would like me to do. There has never been a reason for Mrs [redacted] to think we meant her any harm. Our goal as always is to have happy customers. I have respected Mrs [redacted] and not gone back to her home as she told me she did not want me to come back Mrs [redacted] is the only review on [redacted] that is bad.  Everyone else loves the work we do and most treat of like family. I can provide letter from my other customers if I need too.   Thank you for your time Donna G[redacted]

Firstly, we did not work in their house for two to three months as Mr [redacted] claims. They contacted us in September 2017 and we signed a contract October 4th. We didn't begin the repairs and installing some can lighting in their Kitchen ceiling until Oct.12th. Much of the construction dust they...

complained about was created by the tile flooring and thin set they had demolished just before we started. [redacted] mentioned it was really dusty from the thick flooring being removed a couple of days before we started the job. From our experience I know that fine dust can travel everywhere in a house, gets into the a/c units and is something that anyone would be cleaning for quite a while from a job like the one they had done. Our company sent the 2nd copy of our estimate and pictures to the insurance company on Oct.24th. The time lapse was because the insurance company fired the original adjuster and lost the first estimate and pictures we sent them. [redacted] was well aware of this and actually filed a complaint to the insurance company's management. The insurance company left a lot of repair and replacement items out of their estimate and it took us 10 or more days to evaluate, itemize everything specifically that needed to be done, type it out in an estimate and then negotiate, representing the [redacted]s to get the claim up to a more favorable amount to do the repairs that needed to be done. We went above and beyond for them, setting up and meeting with a new adjustor on Oct.30th and getting the insurance company to agree to replace the complete set of cabinets among many other additions to the original insurance estimate. We were also able to negotiate the repairing of their upstairs bathroom, getting the bath tile, bathroom flooring and their vanity cabinet replaced among many other things we did for them. Originally the insurance company agreed to replace only a 6' ft upper section and a 4'ft. lower section of their Kitchen cabinets and reface the rest of the base cabinet units. [redacted] signed an agreement with us that we would perform the work and be compensated for all amounts approved and dispersed by the insurance company and we also agreed to lower their out of pocket deductible expense by over a thousand dollars. We fulfilled our part of the contract making everything very favorable to the [redacted]'s. [redacted] was out of the country working in Africa for the complete time we worked in their home. We did everything we could to make [redacted] as happy as we could. They added other work they wanted us to do, removing an archway into the dining room area and bringing the opening up to the ceiling height, repairing and texturing the ceiling and wall areas around the removal, installing 6 new can lights in her kitchen, moving their dinette light to center over their table, installing a special order barn door that took two or more weeks to get, removing and replacing the cased opening where we removed the existing door and we remodeled their fireplace. Coming to find out that the [redacted]s didn't want to just go back and repair and replace what was there before but wanted to upgrade their kitchen to a designer style level with upper glass doors, pull out drawers, trash can pullout and a spice rack drawer and do it for the same money they were receiving from the insurance co. to put back a basic style kitchen with none of those items. They also wanted to install granite counter tops for what the insurance company allowed to replace a tile counter. They wanted their cabinets to go to the ceiling and larger than the original with a custom wooden vent a hood. I could tell the difference in tone from [redacted] when I explained the reality of what she had as an allowed budget from the insurance company. [redacted] in the meantime was counting on the additional $13,000. we negotiated for them above the original allowance so they could put in a much higher grade kitchen and somewhere he figured it would be better not to pay the contractor and they would have more to spend on their kitchen. I am all for if someone wants to upgrade their house and thats why we put in a provision like that in the contract which gives them the option to pay the difference for those upgrades. They chose another route.Normally a customer gives us the courtesy of at least meeting, giving me a list of any items they are unhappy with and give us the oportunity to correct whatever they have a problem with. [redacted] never met with me from before the time we signed the contract Oct. 4th to the day we were fired on Nov.18, 2017. [redacted] refused to sit down with me to go over what they wanted corrected, which is a normal accepted practice with most contractors and customers. [redacted] refused to pay us for our work and my work negotiating in good faith the claim to repair their home. We were taken advantage of and not given the normal accepted courtesies given in a situation like this and I hate to say it but I feel we were completely misled and taken advantage of by [redacted] and [redacted] has an issue with time. Maybe being out of the country away from your family makes it seem longer then it is. We didn't start working until Oct.12th and they fired us and refused to pay us on Nov.18, 2017. They said it took to long. We were working in their home less than 5 weeks. A lot of the time was spent waiting on [redacted] to pick a paint color. We gave her choices on Oct. 20th and she finally gave us her choice "Moon Shell" on the 2nd of November. Our guys painted the down stairs of their house and then [redacted] informed us that it was the wrong color. She gave us the color choice of Moon Shell then contacted me after we painted the downstairs Family room, Kitchen, Dinette, Entry and Dining room, walls and ceilings. and said she got confused and made a mistake, the color should have been "Gray Beard" which we repainted the downstairs two coats and never received payment for it. When Mrs.[redacted] picked a tile for the fireplace she actually picked a stone which I recommended she not pick because of it not being thin enough to look right between the trim that existed on the fireplace but she insisted thats what she wanted. This is the same type of situation we experienced through the complete job. The fireplace was out of square but our installers did the best they could with what they had to work with, squaring up the stone around the fireplace opening and leaving a standard amount of space off the concrete floor so the flooring could be installed under the stone. She was not happy because 3 of the upper stones were 1/8 " or less away from the top trim of the fireplace. When I tried to explain some solutions she got upset not understanding that sometimes you have to make various adjustments to make it closer to what she was looking for. As one of the solutions I told her I was willing to replace some of the top stone pieces but it looked as though the [redacted]s chose to use it as an excuse to dismiss us from the job. Mr [redacted] was in Africa the complete time the work was being done and never gave us an opportunity to come back and repair whatever they had a problem with. He refused to meet with me and let us take care of any outstanding issue. My men working on the job were completely shocked when I explained to them what took place. They told me [redacted] was always saying how happy she was with the work and they would show her as the did various things and she would give her approval.I could continue with some of the other issues that took place on this project but I won't go into everything we had to deal with while trying to help the [redacted]s. I do feel very strongly that money was the reason for their decision. I've been in business a long time and have always been able to make it right with our customers. It leaves a bad taste when I worked as hard as I did and to be run over like we were.  Let me know if you have any questions. I attached a picture of the stone we installed around their fireplace. They complained about small gaps at the top left area which I could have fixed easily. The second attachment was the slat trim we installed above the mantle. The picture is in the middle of remodeling their fireplace. This picture is before stone install and we also installed crown molding at the top. I didn't have a finished picture but [redacted] said she was happy with the work we did.Thanks for contacting us.Sincerely, [redacted]All Phase Construction

Review: I paid Mr. Whitlock with All Phase Construction all funds due for a turn-key HVAC system installation, permit for the HVAC installation, fresh air return, and 1 year labor. Mr. Whitlock did not finish the job and wouldn't return any of my phones calls or texts after I had paid him. He assured me that he would be back to complete the job within the week after I made my final payment to him. He also used a breaker that was intended to be used by my electrician for my dryer and said he would pay me back or buy me another one which he has not done. He also has the key to my house and has not returned it as asked in my letter/complaint to him. I'm asking for a refund of the monies paid to [redacted] for their part in fixing and finishing what Mr. Whitlock was already paid to do, reimbursement for a new lock set for my home, reimbursement for the breaker he stole, reimbursement for the permit, and reimbursement for labor charges that has already come up and will come up before the year labor is up that I have paid him for.

Business

Response:

On April 26, 2013 there was a negotiation between myself and [redacted] regarding an installation of her a new HV AC system. I expected down payment of $4000.00 to start the job on 8/6/2013 and at that time we went over the contract, the design of the system and the materials that we were going to be using. At that time [redacted] was very much satisfied with the contract and the design of the system.

We started the job on 8/7/2013 which was a Wednesday and that day we delivered the material and prepped for the duct work which included cutting holes in the ceiling where the registers were going. At this time her house was still under construction. She had some missing ceiling boards, no flooring and some odds and ins throughout her house. The same day we started and I told [redacted] that she needed to finish up the ceiling boards because some of the registers were going in the same area that the missing boards were.

We continued work on 8/8/2013 which was a Thursday and we installed the main truck line, flex duct and hooked up all the registers except for the ones in the kitchen and one in the back bedroom because the ceiling boards were still missing and was not able to hook them up. We returned back to work on 8/9/2013 which was a Friday. We ran the copper line sets and set the indoor unit in the attic and set the outdoor unit to the left side of her house. It was welded (both the indoor and outdoor units). Installed the outdoor disconnect and whip which is the wire that runs from disconnect to the unit. Also a fresh air return was installed. That afternoon I told [redacted] once again that the ceiling boards needed to be finished. My planned completion date was 8/19/2013; otherwise there would be no profit margin. She called that afternoon and wanted to know if I could install the ceiling boards and I told her that I did not have time to do it and she would have to find someone to do it over the weekend because we were going to finish up on the following Monday which was 8/19/2013.

We returned back on Monday to finish up with the hope of her ceiling boards being installed and they were not. So I went on and pulled a 45 min vacuum, charged the unit and started the system up. I had to add about 2 1/2 pounds of 410·A gas to get the pressure where it was supposed to be. Before we left that day I ran the system through all cycles as we do on every job and everything checked out just fine. We left her house that day around 1:30. All that was left to do was to install the two registers in the ceiling where the ceiling boards were missing.

[redacted] met me at my house that afternoon with the final payment and seemed very well pleased with what we had done.

During the time we were doing the install she had met a guy friend and brought him to the house where we had done the system and [redacted] told me he was a carpenter. The time he was there he started inspecting over my work that she was already pleased with. So he gets [redacted] thinking that the job was done all wrong. [redacted] then starts calling me and questioning everything I done. I told [redacted] that I have done this type of work for 18 years and ask her to put her trust in me and not him that I was going to give her a warranty for one year of everything that I have done. If it was not done right or not working properly that I would definitely do the necessary repairs. [redacted] had asked me if I could meet with them at the job site so we could go over everything that her boyfriend said was wrong. So I met [redacted] and her boyfriend at her house where the install took place about 1 week later after the completion of the job. While at the site I noticed that her boyfriend had made changes to my original design. He had removed one of my return grills that I had installed in the laundry room and closed it back in and I tried to explain to him that it would not work. For one, it is restricting air flow which brings the efficacy down and loss of airflow over time would bum the outdoor compressor up because when he restricted the air flow that will bring your outdoor pressures up and the compressor would get very hot and over time would lock up. Even after saying that he still could not understand and I could tell that he was frustrated. It was like he was trying to show his intelligence to [redacted] and failed. I explained to [redacted] that I would not warrant any Labor or equipment because he made changes to the original design that she and I originally agreed upon. I cannot warranty no one's work but my own. I had enough faith in what I done and I know that it was done right. This was not the first system that I have designed. Like I said I have done this for 18 years. At the time that I met [redacted] the ceiling boards were still not in and I did agree to come back and finish the two registers. She recommended me not to work there at her house unless he was gone, I had scheduled in Jobs directly after hers, so between the schedule jobs and trying to find time that he was not there at [redacted]'s. I guess she got mad at me and in a text she told me not to come back on her property and wanted me to mail her key to her house. I asked her if I could just bring it to her and she acted very mad and said no. I also tried to meet her at the end of our road which is Gate 10 Rd and that would be on her way home from work and she didn't want to do that either.

I have in a text that she wished her boyfriend would just stay out of it. It was like me and the homeowner agreed upon things and then the third party came in at the end of the job and that's when it fell apart.

That was the last of our discussion. Then I received information from you. Please contact me if there are any concerns or questions.

Thanks

Darren Whitlock

Things that [redacted] wanted:

1. Key- I tried to take it to her and I tried to meet her and she didn't want to do either one.

2. Outside grill- the grill was fine because it had a roof over it and also it can be used for inside or out.

3. Filter grill- filter must be changed in unit, it has a built in filter grill if you use a filter grill you will not filter the fresh ari return.

4. Breaker- I really didn't thank it would be that big of a deal, the breaker never left your house, but I will mail you a check for it.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

April 4, 2014

RevDex.com

Re: Complaint No. [redacted]

All Phase/Darren Whitlock Response

[redacted] Reply

He

expected a down payment of $4,000.

The

down payment of $4,000 was given to him before work started on August 6, 2013. A total of $7,450 was paid for a turnkey

heat pump system, fresh air intake, and permit.

He

went over the contract and design of the system and I was very much

satisfied.

True,

we went over the contract and design.

I assumed that his design would not be faulty; being a homeowner and

not a contractor, I trusted that he would be a man of his word and his work

would be satisfactory. My only

conditions were that it be a 4-ton, 14 SEER system that would be able to heat

and cool my home efficiently.

He

told me that there were some missing ceiling boards that needed to be put up

before he could cut holes for the registers.

The

dates (August 20 and 21) that the ceiling boards in the small bedroom and one

board in the kitchen would be put up were already discussed; he did not have

to keep checking or reminding me that this needed to be done. One of Darren’s employees stood on a

ceiling board in the master bedroom during the week of August 12 and made it

fall. He told me that he would replace

that board but that never happened. My

carpenter fixed that as well on August 20.

He

continued to work on 8/8/2013.

He

did not come back until the following Monday, August 12 and then it wasn’t

him, it was two of his employees. I

called him asking where he was after he dropped off the materials on 8/7 and

he finally called me after I had texted once and called many times. He told me that he was working on the air

handling unit for my indoor unit, which is just a 3x3 metal box, and doing so

in his garage.

He

said I called and asked him to install the ceiling boards for me and he

didn’t have time to do it.

I

only asked him to replace the ceiling board that he said he would replace due

to his employee knocking it down. He

replied that he didn’t have the tools to do it so I got my carpenter to do it

(at my expense).

He

returned back on Monday, 8/19 to finish up and ceiling boards were not back

up.

Mr.

Whitlock and I discussed this already and he knew the boards weren’t going to

be put up until August 20 and 21. He

said he would be there that Wednesday which was August 22. He never showed up and he never answered my

calls or texts until September 5.

Before

he left on 8/19, he ran the system through all cycles and everything checked

out just fine.

It

could not have checked out just fine because four registers were still not

hooked up; one in each bedroom, one in the kitchen, and one that he thought I

didn’t see in the hallway (the duct was just laying up in the attic; the

register was up, but the duct was not connected).

He

says I met him at his house that afternoon (8/19) with the final payment and

seemed very well pleased with what he did.

I

was running late from work that day and met him at his house because he had

already left mine. He told me at that

time that he was almost finished and only had a couple more things to do and

could I go ahead and pay him and that he would get everything finished up

within that week, starting on the 22nd.

I did not see what he did that day until I got home which was after I

left his home and had paid him in full.

When I did get home, it seemed he had more than just a couple things

left to do. I could not have told him

I was pleased with his work since I hadn’t seen it yet.

He

says I met a guy friend who was a carpenter during the time of this event and

started inspecting the work and questioning the work. He noticed that the carpenter made changes

to his original design. He says he met

with me and the carpenter one week after completion of the job.

Guy

friend is an old friend of mine of many years and a carpenter who wasn’t sure

of the work he was seeing. And yes,

started questioning and making me worry that the work was not being done

right. Between his (carpenter’s) work

on August 21 and September 5 and no phone calls from Mr. Whitlock, everything

was inspected and many things were found such as a covered electrical outlet

in the air intake box that was spliced with electrical tape, trash left in

the attic from their work, and ducts not hooked up. So in order to ensure that I was getting

quality work, my friend/carpenter called his buddies at Blue Ridge Heating

and Air to inspect the work. Blue

Ridge came and said the design would not work the way he designed it. First, the outdoor register was not

correct; should be a register designed for outdoor, not an indoor

register. Second, he had two small

return grilles right next to each other; one inside the utility room right

next to the dryer. BR said this would

cause a negative draw. And lastly, the

return grilles were not large enough and should only have been one return

instead of two. We contacted Mr.

Whitlock and he met us at the house on September 6 and we told him our

concerns and what needed to change.

This meeting occurred before completion of the job because the job was

never completed by him. It was finally

agreed between me and Mr. Whitlock in a phone conversation on September 13

that carpenter would make all the changes to the design so that all Darren

would need to do is finish hooking up registers, get my permit, and ensure

that everything was in good working order before the winter as per our

contract. Darren agreed and said he would be back within the week. But he never returned after September 6 and

it was noticed that when he left that day, he took his advertisement sign

from the driveway, never intending to come back.

He

tried to come back and finish the work but he guesses I got mad and in a text

I told him not to come back on my property and wanted him to mail me the key

to my house. And I wouldn’t go get the

key from him.

When

it was obvious that Darren never planned to return to the house to finish the

work that I had paid him $7,450 to do, I wrote him a certified letter dated

October 4 which he received. I stated

in this letter that I would be hiring [redacted] to complete

the work that he left unfinished and that I would be sending him the bill for

the work and that I also expected payment for the permit ($50) which he did

not pull, and payment for my breaker that he used without my permission that

was intended for something else. I

also stated that if he didn’t return my house key via mail by November 4,

that I would also be charging him for a new lock set. I received a text from him asking what

“via” means. I replied that it means

“by”; send me the key by mail, that I did not want to have any more contact

with him. He said okay, he would send

it. I never received it. I saw him at [redacted]’s sometime after November

4 and he said for me to come and get the key.

I told him no…again, I wanted no further contact with him. This was admission to me at that point that

he never mailed the key; yet another thing he said he would do but did not.

I

sent him one final certified letter dated December 18 in which all receipts

for work done by [redacted] were sent and my bill to him for

that expense, the charge for the permit, the lock set, and the breaker. He refused the letter so I filed complaints

with the Revdex.com and DPOR.

Regards,