Basement Technologies of Western NY Inc

Dear Revdex.com,The [redacted] project was preformed above and beyond the call of the contract. A full perimeter Water Trek Aqua Route System was installed at the [redacted]'s residence at [redacted] in October 2017. I, the owner of Basement Technologies of...

WNY, personally estimated this project, installed the system, and have been in communication with [redacted] and [redacted] about their concerns. [redacted] ([redacted]'s father) met with me every day during the installation, representing the[redacted] family. Also, [redacted] was present at home on multiple occasions during the course of installation. I had conversations with [redacted] when [redacted] was present. The complaint fails to mention [redacted] and [redacted]'s agreement to not fill the weep holes and instead re-seal their radon system. They did not want to pay for the additional time to have it re-sealed, so on the 4'" day of the project, they swapped my time filling weep holes to re-sealing their radon system. I purchased the products and I re-sealed the system. Please know that the [redacted]'s had large deep puddles on the of water on the floor and water draining out of the bottom 2 courses of block around their entire basement. ALL of that has been rectified. These "weep holes" they refer to as leaking were not done by my company and are leaking in only 1 place in the basement. All of the weep holes (over 30 of them on every wall in the basement) werediscussed many times, their fate was determined by [redacted] and [redacted] by not wanting to pay for the holes to be sealed properly at the time of our system installation, and the full perimeter basement system they purchased is working perfectly.[redacted], the father of [redacted], oversaw the entire project on his son and daughter-in-law'sbehalf. I feel he was the General Contractor on the project. I have included the text messages I received from him as well. He was part of the decision making as well, was on the job site every day asking questions and getting clarification, and can be reached at [redacted].A full perimeter Water Trek Aqua Route System was proposed and installed at the [redacted] residence at [redacted]
[redacted] from October 17'" to 2 0''\ 2 0 1 7 because of the massive amounts of water that was coming up through the seam in the floor and dripping down the wall (by osmosis) due to the extreme problem of Iron Ochre. The water was moving through the wall and dripping down the face of it. There weremany puddles all over the basement and the dripping walls were prevalent on all sides of their basement. Their Iron Ochre problem was extensive. Iron Ochre is a by-product of iron bacteria and is a slimy, sticky substance that cakes the inside of pipes, drains, walls, sump pumps, etc. During the estimate when both [redacted] and[redacted] were present, it was explained that we had no way of knowing how much iron ochre was in the walls and, additionally, how much mortar the builder had filled the wall with. Both of those determine how water moves down the core of the wall. Water Trek Aqua Route is a high quality basement waterproofing system specifically designed to deal withIron Ochre. It is installed under the basement floor, up against the wall, and holes are drilled in the walls, below floor level, to allow the water to drain out of the wall and into the system under the floor. An option of Finish White paneling was discussed at the estimate. This white paneling is 12"tall and would be installed before final concrete. It would be secured to the wall and tucked into our newsystem, channeling the water down if the 30+ weep holes that someone else drilled leaked. [redacted] and[redacted] were adamant they wanted to do the cheapest route possible and said they hoped the new weep holes Idrilled would be enough to get the water flowing through the wall to the bottom and bypass the existing weepholes already drilled into their wall. It is definitely a possibility, but not a given. The way to guarantee it is tocover them with Finish White. Filling the holes with caulk will do very little or nothing. The weep holes inquestion are around all the walls basement. When a customer is adamant about dismissing a service or option,we do NOT put it on our contract. It causes customers to feel we are pushy despite their firm stance. That is why a new discharge line, sump crock, or finish white was not put on the contract as an additional option as well.I agreed to plug the weep holes, in writing, in an email before they signed the contract. I stated, very clearly,that it is for aesthetic purposes ONLY. Plugging the holes is not guaranteed to stop the water, and if it does, it will be for a very limited time as the water builds up and pops the seal. It will not work for that purpose. The only way to rectify this is to cover the weep holes with Finish White, as was explained, but just installing the new system might have the desired affect.The contract was signed with a $500 discount and additional discount for cash price. The contract also states we are using their existing crock (container for the sump pump) and discharge line. This was requested by[redacted] and [redacted] to save additional money. Being the honest company we are, we did not try to up-sell them on products or force them to buy a complete new system in order to get one of the best products on the market for their Iron Ochre problem. We worked with portions of their current system to save them money.As written on the contract, a 30% deposit is required upon signing. I graciously accepted only 15% with thes igned contract to get them on the schedule and the another 15% I reminded them was due 2 months laterwhen they forgot. [redacted] also asked for a start date past October to acquire the rest of the funds. We werelater contacted by [redacted] stating that he was "demanding" a start date and that they had given us a significant amount of money up front and wanted to know why they hadn't heard from us. After calling him backimmediately and explaining that we were only doing what his wife had requested on their behalf, we movedup their scheduled start date to accommodate. Of course, now that they are unhappy with something different that wasn't done for free they deny this event taking place. We were happy to work with them so we obliged.My employees and I worked on their project for 4 consecutive business days, never starting another job untiltheirs was done. I was personally there, fulfilling this contract. [redacted] was on site every day and we had multiple conversations about the work.• An 8" gap is jack-hammered in the floor around the entire perimeter of the basement (over 100 feet)• The 4" floor debris was removed using 5-gallon buckets from the basement• The wet, mud and I[redacted] Ochre covered stone was also removed• New weep holes were drilled into the wall below floor level releasing large amounts of water• New stone was brought in in 5-gallon buckets• Water Trek Aqua Route System (a f01m of piping) was installed in the trench, with clean-out ports to clean the system, and gravity fed to the crock and sump pump• New stone was brought in to cover the system• New concrete was mixed and covered the new system, exposing the caps the for the clean out ports to maintain the system• Because of the messy job done when pouring the footer originally, it took us an entire day to level the footer, which I told and showed [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted] and told them that typically this wouldinvolve a change order, but I did not charge them for the additional day (approx. $2 000.00).I spoke with [redacted] many times during the course of installation. When the floor was opened and the stone removed, it was prevalent that the footer had been over-poured during construction and extra concrete would need to be removed. I showed her and [redacted] that was the worse footer I had ever seen, but Iwould not charge them additional money. At the end of day 3, after the system was installed and we weregoing to concrete the next day, [redacted] asked ifl would re-connect her Radon System. This was not part of the contract and had not been discussed prior. I explained that at least 30 tubes of P L Premium Caulk and 100feet ofBacker Rod was required plus Y2 day of labor. The product was $1 50. I offered that if she paid for theproduct, I would install it for free, but I would not have time to fill the weep holes too. I again stated the filling of the weep holes was for aesthetic purposes only and that if she was concerned, we should installFinish White. She did not want to pay anything additional and decided to swap the aesthetic look of the weepholes with the re-sealing of the radon system. The following morning I went to Lowes to buy the necessary items for the radon system.On the last day of work, I cemented the floor and took 3.5 hours to install the caulk and backer rod for herradon system. She was present and happy to have saved money by not hiring another contractor. [redacted] was present too. Both were extremely satisfied with the work and I was paid the 70% balance atthat time and the additional $ 1 30 for the radon sealing products.On Saturday, January 13'", [redacted] called and spoke with my Office Manger, Kansas, about water coming inthrough weep holes. As directed, Kansas immediately asked questions about the system: was the sump pumprunning, was the crock filled with water, and was any pipe of the new system filled with water. ( [redacted] hadto remove all the clean-out port caps and look down into the pipe.) All were working properly and I returnedthe phone call to the [redacted]'s and [redacted] answered. I explained that our system was working perfectly: nopuddles on the floor, no water coming up through the floor seam, no water in the pipes, and the sump pumpwas running. ( If water was in the pipes, that signifies a clog and a problem with our system.) ( Also, we had 3"of rain in 24 hours and 15" of snow melt in the 2 days prior to the phone call. The [redacted]'s system kept upwith extreme and rare amount of water as expected.)[redacted] stated that 2 weep holes besides one another were spewing water onto the floor. I explained again thatthose weep holes in question were not drilled by us. I explained our system was doing exactly what it wasmeant to do and had been doing so for 2 months. All weep holes should have been addressed with FinishedWhite, but her and her husband chose to and take a chance with just getting a new system, and with theextreme weather, unfortunately the new system and new weep holes did not work for those specific per-drilledweep holes that were discussed during the estimate, emails, and during installation. The extreme amounts ofrain and melting snow were too much for that specific spot. [redacted] and [redacted] hoped the new system wouldtake care of the weep holes, even in the most extreme instance. Fortunately for them, it has worked extremelywell for the other weep holes and even these few they still have problems with. The extreme weather was toomuch. [redacted] was irate with my answer and upset that I would not come out for free and redirect the waterfrom the weep holes that were leaking. She said I was degrading her and I was unprofessional. She wastrying to pay the "woman card" and I refused to bite. She was treated professionally, and directly like everyother customer. She hung up on me.Emails ensued with the same complaints from [redacted] and [redacted] regarding the few leaking weep holes andmy "un-professionalism". They contacted [redacted] ([redacted]'s father and General Contractor of theproject) to intervene and he reached out to me as well. He told me I had always been professional and that[redacted] and [redacted] chose to take a chance that the new system would rectify this specific issue and they didnot pay for the additional work they were now requesting. He said he could use caulk to cover the few holes inquestion and I explained how to do it. I have spoke and worked with [redacted] and [redacted] since day 1: theestimate, contract negations, acceptance of?? the deposit, acceptance of 2"d ?? of deposit, the requesting ofadditional free services, the changing of serveries, and the 5 days it took us to complete the project. It is sadthat when I stop doing more free things, a customer becomes irate and all the hard work, time, free items, and100% contract fulfillment are forgotten and I am labeled as unprofessional.[redacted] ([redacted]'s father and who I feel was the General Contractor of the project) has beenin communication with me since January 13111• He agrees that we did exactly what the contract states and that[redacted] and [redacted] did not want to spend the extra money to address the possible issue with all the weepholes. He is extremely pleased with my work, even to this day. Still understanding that filling these weepholes with caulk or hydraulic cement is only aesthetic or temporary, he says he will be filling them on his timeand pay the few dollars in materials for [redacted] and [redacted]. I agreed to speak with him on the phone if heneeded additional direction and he was appreciative of my help and helping the house despite [redacted]and [redacted] filing this complaint.This issue with the weep holes was in no way caused by me or my company. All options were explainedmultiple times and it is deceitful that [redacted] and [redacted] did not state the entire series of events, theextra work I preformed, and their decision to exchange the covering of any of the weep holes. It is alsodeceitful that they had a full perimeter system installed to handle so many problems in their basementand took the chance that all the weep holes would not leak water. Only 1 place continues to have anissue, despite their decision, and the rest are doing excellent by chance, and our system is workingexcellect for the water that was coming through their walls an onto the floor, but they are asking for a100% return on the entire full perimeter system. I am available any time for clarification or discussion ofmy contract and work performed and I hope you contact [redacted], [redacted]'s father, to validate the entireseries of events and discussions that have transpired. Frankly, I think it speaks volumes that the customer'sown father is appalled by both of their behavior and is on our side trying to convince them to do the rightthing. Thank you for your time.Regards,Patrick [redacted]OwnerBasement Technologies of Western NY, IncP.S. I apologize for the graininess of the pictures. They are meant for internal office use only for I use my jobsite cellphone. I labeled the back of the pictures as well. Thank you.

BTOWNY: Knowledgeable! Professional! Quality Workmanship!

Dear Revdex.com,We had a very specific issue in our basement, which resulted in seeking out a basement waterproofing company to hire:Water was constantly entering the basement through existing weepholes. This issue was verbally discussed as well as questioned in writing on 4/30/14 - 5/1/17 (please see attached emails for our question and a response from the company) We were told by Basement Technologies that they had a solution to our specific problem. They would drill new lower weepholes under floor level & their “Water Trek Aqua Route System” would not give water a chance to fill up inside the wall and come out of the existing upper weepholes. They also said that they would fill in the existing upper weepholes with cement for aesthetic purposes only. This information solely determined the choice to hire and sign a contract with Basement Technologies. As of today, 2/12/18, we still have constant water entering the existing upper weepholes, regardless of the weather outside. Those same weepholes were never cemented. (Please see attached pictures from 1/13/18 when the water was first noticed).We invited more than 6 basement waterproofing companies into our home to educate ourselves and help diagnose our specific issue of water entering the current weepholes. A solution given to us in writing by Basement Technologies was exactly what we needed. Unfortunately, the functionality of their system as stated in their email from 5/1/2017 is not holding true, and it did not fix our issue. We now need to point out information stated by Patrick [redacted] in his response on 2/8/18 that is false. Please note that these items below are not listed chronologically, but follow the order of Patrick’s response: [redacted] (father of [redacted]) was not present every day during the installation process. He was present on the property one time on 10/18/17. He was not a decision maker nor a general contractor. He does not represent us, nor did he sign a contract with Basement Technologies to perform work on the basement of [redacted]. We, [redacted] and [redacted] were the decision makers and the contract was signed by us.  (See attached pictures of text messages between [redacted] and [redacted] on 10/19/17 which shows [redacted]’s lack of knowledge of [redacted] presence at the home) [redacted] & [redacted] were never simultaneously at the residence together. Therefore, Patrick [redacted] never had a collective conversation with both of them as he stated. (See attached pictures of text messages between [redacted] and [redacted] on 10/19/17 which shows [redacted]’s lack of knowledge of [redacted] presence at the home) No agreement was made verbally or in writing to swap time on the 4th day of the project for “money savings” (See attached pictures of text messages between [redacted] and [redacted] on 10/19/17) Kansas (office manager), not Patrick, wrote the email on 5/1/17 regarding the resolution of our specific problem due to the functionality of their system. Patrick stated in his response that he wrote the email. This is false. At no time did Patrick or Kansas state that there was no guarantee that their system would fix our issue. Options were not given to [redacted] and [redacted] to seal the weepholes with alternate products. The term “Finish White” is unknown to us, and was never presented to us verbally or in writing. (Refer to Kansas’ email response on 5/1/17 which promises resolution to our specific issue via their Water Trek Aqua Route System & cementing for aesthetic purposes.) Patrick [redacted] did not diagnose a problem of iron ochre verbally or in writing until his Revdex.com response on 2/8/18. [redacted] & [redacted] have no prior knowledge of iron ochre. At no time did we, [redacted] & [redacted], state that we wanted to take the cheapest route possible or that we “hoped” that new lower weepholes would be enough to fix our specific issue. A new sump crock WAS discussed verbally with Patrick, but not selected because the current one was functional and we, [redacted] & [redacted], were led to believe it was not a necessary purchase that would impact the functionally of the Water Trek Aqua Route SystemA new discharge line was never discussed verbally or in writing at any time between Patrick, Kansas, [redacted] & [redacted]. All payments were paid in full, in cash, when requested by Patrick and/or Kansas. [redacted] & [redacted] are financially stable and any choices by Patrick or Kansas to offer discounts and payment options was solely at their discretion. Voicemails from Kansas to [redacted] offering a discount to hurry and secure work can be presented if necessary. [redacted] agreed to delay the start date at Kansas’ request via email on 8/28/17. The date then pushed back at Kansas’ request from October to November at which time we, [redacted] & [redacted], requested that the project be moved up ASAP. A voicemail was received from Kansas on 10/16/17 stating an opening in their schedule and the first customer to call back would be able to have their project started. We, [redacted] and [redacted], accepted that opening. Voicemail on 10/16/17 from Kansas to [redacted] can be presented if necessary. At no time did Patrick notify us, [redacted] & [redacted], verbally or in writing any issues or hardships with the footer during the project.An additional day was not spent on the project, as it was originally estimated to last 10/17/17 - 10/23/17. The project was in fact completed a day early, 10/17/17 - 10/20/17, with Patrick collecting final payment on 10/21/17. (See text messages between [redacted] and [redacted] on 10/19/17)Again, [redacted] & [redacted] were not together on the property, therefore, [redacted] was not notified of any issues with the footer (See attached pictures of text messages between [redacted] and [redacted] on 10/19/17 which shows [redacted]’s lack of knowledge of [redacted] presence at the home) [redacted] did not approach Patrick at any time regarding sealing the radon system. Patrick approached [redacted] on 10/19/17, at which time [redacted] reminded Patrick of the verbal agreement to seal the radon system at the time of the initial walkthrough. Patrick quoted supplies costing under $100. (See text messages between [redacted] & [redacted] on 10/19/17)[redacted] was not present on the property on 10/20/17 during work hours, except to let the crew in between 8:15-8:30 am. At no time did [redacted] express thankfulness or emotion regarding Patrick sealing the radon system. [redacted] was not present at the time of job completion or during any monetary exchanges. The only 2 people present were [redacted] & [redacted]. [redacted] paid Patrick $130 for supplies to seal the radon system on 10/20/17. Only Patrick and [redacted] were present at this time. Account balance was paid in full, in cash on 10/21/17. We, [redacted] and [redacted], were present with Patrick at time of payment. No other parties were present. Despite all methods of communication on 1/13/18, at no time was “Finish White” or any resolution offered for water draining through existing weepholes. More than one area continues to have water leaking in existing upper weepholes. Patrick has not been to the residence to assess the issue. Patrick was last at the residence on 10/21/17. [redacted] requested for Ron to contact Patrick on 1/13/18 after Patrick continually raised his voice on the phone with her. [redacted] ended the phone call due to Pat’s aggressive nature and pursued contact via email. Pictures with arrows and writing by Patrick accuse that the upper weepholes were drilled by the customer ([redacted] & [redacted]). This is false. The upper weepholes existed when [redacted] & [redacted] purchased the property. (Home inspection report by [redacted] is attached.) [redacted] again was not a “general contractor”, but Patrick states that he is satisfied with the job & “appalled” by his son’s behavior. This is false. (Please see attached email response from Ron to Patrick on the day the water was first spotted in the basement of [redacted] expressed why [redacted] & [redacted] were upset. It was an extremely stressful day and we received no cooperation from Patrick to assist with the problem that they assured us would NOT happen)The numbered responses above depict factual information and proof of the events that have taken place. Patrick continues to make fictitious statements in an attempt to distract from the real issue at hand. To recap, our issue prior to hiring Basement Technologies:Water was constantly entering the basement through existing weepholes. Basement Technologies promised resolution:Drill new lower weepholes under floor level and their “Water Trek Aqua Route System” would not give water a chance to fill up inside the wall and come out of the existing upper weepholes. They also said that they would fill in the existing upper weepholes with cement for aesthetic purposes only. Current issue:Water continues to enter the basement through the existing weepholes, as it did prior to the installation of the Water Trek Aqua Route System.Patrick has failed to offer resolution to the failure of his installed product. What Patrick has done, is make entirely fictitious statements regarding the dates, events, conversations, and even down to the character and financial state of us, [redacted] and [redacted]. It is imperative that each and every word of our response and proof of events is diligently reviewed. This will reveal Patrick’s dishonesty and lack of willingness to provide resolution. We, [redacted] and [redacted], continue to move forward in requesting a 100% refund due to the failure of Basement Technologies Water Trek Aqua Route System and Patrick [redacted]‘s failure to provide resolution after numerous requests. Thank you,  [redacted] & [redacted]