Ashley's Quality Painting

Revdex.com spoke with Mr. [redacted] of the business regarding this complaint. At the time Mr. [redacted] received the complaint from the Revdex.com, it was the first time the business was made aware of the consumer’s concerns. Mr. [redacted] stated these items were ordered in June of 2015 but due to...

delays caused by the customer’s ongoing medical appointments and several rescheduled appointments due to bad weather conditions, the project had not been installed. The installation was scheduled for March 24, 2016.  The company was unaware that the customer had any concerns with the materials conditions until they received the Revdex.com notification.During the time the materials were maintained in the company’s warehouse, over the period of July 2015 to late March 2016, the materials had been moved several times and may have unknowingly been damaged.  All materials are enclosed in cardboard boxes, the storm doors had become bowed from standing against the wall at an angle for such a long period of time, the Garden Window also appears to have suffered a stress crack.  After becoming aware of the problem, the company contacted and spoke with the customer directly,  the business has agreed to have all products remade and reinstalled for this customer.

Paramount Builders would like to respond to the complaint filed by this homeowner. On January 18, 2017 we did have an appointment with this home owner.  After going through a thorough walk around of the property, a presentation of our products and company, this property owner wanted to...

receive a price for a new Timberline High Definition Shingle Ultra, the shingle style is NOT available through [redacted] or [redacted], as it is an ULTRA product, nor can it be purchased by a home owner through [redacted] or [redacted].  [redacted] and [redacted] do offer the regular Timberline HD shingles, but not the Timberline HD Ultra, which is 53% thicker than the regular HD Shingle.  For good measure this was confirmed on Friday January 27, 2017 with the local GAF Manufacturing rep, Mike Z[redacted], based in [redacted] Timberline HD Ultra is available only through MASTER ELITE qualified distributors, the warranty, which is known as a Golden Pledge also cannot be offered by [redacted].  Therefore the home owner is incorrect in his statement “which is comparable in every way (exact same materials and warranty)” however, the homeowner can purchase regular Timberline HD shingles from [redacted], with a standard 15 pound felt underlayment. We do not use the felt underlayment, instead we use a product known as Deck Armor.  Paramount Builders installs roofing system in accordance with the guidelines established by GAF Manufacturing to meet very stringent standards in order to be able to offer our property owners the best roof warranty in the business.  Our installers are factory trained and certified every 12 months.  Our roof systems include products that cannot be purchased by regular contractors from [redacted].  In addition, our roofs are subject to random inspections by GAF Inspectors for compliance.  [redacted] and [redacted] do not have an inspection process. Therefore the pricing was not inflated, and this customer is comparing two different products, with two different warranties.  He is correct that using a standard architectural shingle with 15 pound felt underlayment would typically run between $[redacted] with most big box retailers.  The installation would be done by a third party installation company who has never seen the home until the day they arrive to install it.  All of our projects are thoroughly vetted by the installation crew ahead of the installation to eliminate any issues arising during the installation. In closing I would like to address the three key components of the complaint:  The price was not inflated, in fact the price was in line with most nationally recognized roofing firms.  We are not a single guy in a pick-up installing roofs.  We are a state wide company who installs the very best products available in the industry and offers the longest warranty of any roofing manufacture.  Therefore, we believe in being paid for the expertise, high quality materials and quality of our installation. In fact, most roofs installed by Paramount Builders can be completed in one day versus the small, locally owned guy in the pick-up truck who takes two to three days. The Sales person DID NOT falsely advertise our company by stating we have superior products over any competitor.  The rep showed the property owner what products are available in the market from us, as well as others, and what we do differently than the rest to insure a properly installed roof that will stand up to the warranty that backs it.  A warranty that covers material and labor for the next ** years, backed by the world’s largest roofing products manufacturer. All companies use coupons, sales and discounts to incentivize customers to take action.  Our discounts are offered to all of our customers on the first visit.  If we have to visit a customer more than once then the discounts are not offered.  We believe that by maximizing the number of people we see one time, instead of visiting the same folks multiple times, enables us to be able to offer discounts to reward those who can make a decision and move forward.  If they can’t make a decision, for whatever reason, we offer a quoted price that is honored for 30 days. The $[redacted] may have been overlooked, or it may have been combined with a larger discount.  I will have to discuss that with the individual rep.  Mr. [redacted] contacted our Sales office by telephone and email to alert us that he wanted to cancel his contract.  He also came into the office to deliver his cancellation in person.  At no time was he told that he couldn’t cancel.  In fact, the company receptionist kindly thanked him for alerting us and informed him of how the cancellation would be handled and let him know that his down payment would be reimbursed [redacted]%. The customers desired Settlement is that his complaint be filed for all consumers interested in researching or evaluating Paramount Builders.  It is our believe that Mr. [redacted] was given a fair and honest estimate, and he may not completely understand the different products that Paramount Builders was using on his proposed project, and therefore he could not accurately compare our materials and services to another company of similar experience or reputation. Our Vice President of Sales met with the home owner on Wednesday January 25th and confirmed the cancellation and informed him that his down payment check had not been deposited and would be returned via the [redacted] from our corporate office in [redacted]In closing, I am sorry to hear that there was confusion on the product this homeowner was reviewing.  Paramount Builders takes great pride in offering only the very best materials the industry has to offer, and the very best installers to install it.  While we certainly do not apologize for our pricing we would happily honor the pricing if this property owner would like to reconsider. If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Regards, Bob S[redacted]Vice President of Operations

1.     1.
 Sales person came to my home for quote for windows…This [redacted] him
off.As I discussed with you after I left the [redacted] residence on
11 APR 2016 at approximately 9 PM, I did not measure or leave a price because
Mrs. [redacted] wanted to speak with her workplace about...

pulling a loan from her
401k Plan. She informed me that her current loan would be paid off by JUL 2016.
I suggested that they go ahead and start the project and based upon their
credit, potentially I may be able to put a 90 day deferment on the payments in
order to meet her need to pay off the current loan. She agreed and asked that
she speak with her workplace about doing the loan again and also doing further
research of the product. I agreed and I rescheduled.I then showed up as scheduled at 6 PM on 12 APR 2016. They
directed me to a pamphlet that was printed out that had ‘Paramount Windows’ on
it. I explained to them that our company name was Paramount Builders, but we do
not have our own line of window and that our window was from the Preservation
line from AMI. They understood and I moved on. As I started to measure, Mrs.
[redacted] stated that she would not be doing anything until July and I then stopped
measuring. She kept asking me to leave her a final price that would be good
until July. I informed Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] that I would be more than happy to
leave them with a price that would be good for 90 days, but it would be
‘retail’. I explained that because of the nature of the marketing funds being
first come first serve; I could not in good conscious leave them with a price
that I would not be able to honor. She expressed multiple times that she did
not understand why I could not give her that price. I explained that if I did,
then she would expect that price later on and I would feel dishonest if I could
not honor it. Yes, the conversation did change. She went back on what she
said she was going to do, which was if her workplace said yes to giving her
another loan after July, she would go with my plan. The conversation took a
more serious turn because of the nature of the conversation. I did not become
angry or upset. I explained everything as I was supposed to, but did refuse to
give the price. As I was getting ready to leave, they said that they would be
calling us back and wanted me to come back specifically. I told them that would
be fine, but it may or may not be me the next time.2.     2.
 He first stated he can’t understand…African American’s take your
business elsewhere.During the initial warm up on 11 APR 2016 and throughout the
night we talked about their son being in the military, my being in the
military, and my father. One of them had made a statement about kids these days
and I made a comment in return. I said that specifically my generation, I felt
were split in two and I called this the Age of Entitlement. I said that one
half of my generation felt entitled to everything and didn’t want to work for
anything. I said that the other half of my generation were the epitome of the
American Dream, work hard, and lead great lives, much like her son and myself.
I applauded their son for choosing to become a part of the United States
Military. I did state that I didn’t understand why some people felt as if they
didn’t have to work for anything.Somewhere along the line, slavery was brought up. 
There was a brief political conversation talking about the Black Lives Matter
movement and being slaves to the Government. All I said about the matter was
that history states that over 100 years ago Slavery did indeed happen, but there
were Black slaves, White slaves, and Asian slaves. Even some of my Asian
ancestors were slaves, but it did not happen to me personally and therefore
doesn’t and shouldn’t effect me. On the subject of food stamps and welfare,
when it was brought up, all I said was that it was brought about to help people
in need and serves a great purpose, but some people do take advantage of these
government programs.  I do not believe that I said anything to personally
belittle or insult the Masons. I feel very sad that I have and would like to
apologize for that fact.3.     3.
 Next, my husband was wearing a t-shirt…need dollars from any one
of FAITH.I can neither confirm nor deny what Mr. [redacted] was wearing on
the night of 11 APR 2016. I did not pay attention to the clothing whatsoever.
We did have a small conversation about church and Christians. It was stated
that some people go to church and act a certain way and then leave and act a
different way. All I said on the subject was that I was a devout Catholic and I
have witnessed people that do that. As far as homeless people, when the subject was brought up,
I stated that I believed that there are able-bodied homeless people that refuse
to find work for one reason or another. Mr. [redacted] stated that whenever a homeless
person asks him for money he takes them to a store a buys them a loaf of bread
and some peanut butter and jelly. I stated that I will often offer to buy them
a hot dog or something else to eat, but if they refuse, I refuse to give them
any money if they will not give me a reason for needing it. That
is my explanation of the events that transpired between 11 APR 2016 and 12 APR
2016. I am very surprised that this has happened. I thought that we had a great
warm up and throughout the night we were all laughing and smiling. At no point
did I even have the perception that anyone was feeling belittled or offended. I
apologize that this has happened and I have learned my lesson about speaking of
sensitive issues, even when brought up by the potential customer. I
would like to thank you for standing up for me today. How Mrs. [redacted] depicted
my actions was not at all an accurate description of my character and how I
conduct myself in a potential customer home. It truly honors me to know that
you think so highly of me in how you defended me. Again,
I understand that this was neither needed nor necessary, but I wanted a chance
to defend myself and paint a clear picture about what happened. Please let me
know if you need anything else. Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response 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.
I categorically
refuse to accept Mr. Bob S[redacted] (representing Paramount Builders) rebuttal
as complete and accurate for the following reasons:
 
- First,
I restate my initial claim that Paramount Builders uses misleading, deceitful,
and high-pressure sales tactics to coerce possible clients into buying their
products.
 
- Second,
while [redacted] does not offer the Timberline Ultra HD® Lifetime High Definition® Shingles, they offer the Timberline HD® Shingles. 
–I implore any interested parties to visit the GAF website to compare
the significant differences in
specifications between the two products. However, all other components of the GAS
roofing system ARE identical (again, please feel free to verify for yourself on
the GAS website); and, therefore, do not justify the significant price
difference.
 
- Third, regardless the hyperbolic “we are the best
and install the best” rigmarole, the product offered by Paramount Builders is literally
double the cost of [redacted], who offers very similar products and a good warranty.  Let me be clear: the quote of $[redacted] (the salesman
magnanimously came down from his first stated price of $[redacted]) for a 1,600
square foot roof was more than double [redacted] bid.  So if in the very unlikely occurrence that
[redacted] installed my roof incorrectly and then completely refused to fix or
repair it in accordance with their warranty, then I could still pay for an
entirely new second roof all for the price quoted by Paramount Builders.
 
-Fourth, the impetus for setting up a consultation
with Paramount Builders, a $[redacted] discount, was
conveniently overlooked in the final price.
 
-Fifth, the Vice President of Sales for Paramount
Builders did come to my house after I filed a complaint to the RevDex.com.  At that time we discussed many
issues, such as the fact that one of his sales representatives was patronizing
and condescending when I went to their office to cancel my contract—apparently
it is very hard for a layman to use a tape measure and basic arithmetic to
determine the actual square footage
of a roof.  Another topic we discussed
was how his measurements were different than those of the initial
salesperson by 600 square foot. I
also noted that the difference between the two measurements would have cost me several
thousand dollars, and I would have been none-the-wiser if I had not cancelled
my contract.  To this, the Vice President
of Sales had no justifiable response. 
The thing we did not discuss, however, which really stood out to me, was
an apology. There was no apology for
wasting my time, or for the initial bid that was, by his own recognition, too
high; not for the errant and inappropriate sales representative; not a single
apology in the 40 minutes we stood on my driveway discussing how unsatisfied I
was with the entire experience. 
 
-Finally, I find it laughable and slightly ironic
that Mr. Bob S[redacted], Vice President of Operations for Paramount Builders,
took the time to write a rebuttal to my complaint. I say this because before I
ever considered writing a complaint to the Revdex.com, I took the time to attempt to
contact him (literally the same person) via telephone to resolve the afore
mentioned issues.  Apparently, he was too
busy to take the call or to even to return one of the two messages I left for
him.
 
Regards,
[redacted]