Best Choice Home Improvements, Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
The window was not installed to codeThere is NO excuse for thisThis is the reason for the floodSeattle Building code clearly states (R310.2.2) that the window well needs to use an approved method for drainageThere was NO method of drainage providedThere is an exception for "approved" soil types, which incluce sand and gravelMy organic silt is considered by the Unified Soil Table as having poor / unsatisfactory drainageYou can't blame my gutters when you know the window was not installed to codeThere is absolutely no where in building code where a clogged gutter should cause a flood within a window well - this is the exact purpose for the having the drainage code which Best Choice clearly ignoredGutters WILL clog and window wells have drainage code to deal with this
I've asked over and over - if I am wrong and the window was installed to code - PROVE ITWhat did Best Choice do to meet the drainage requirements of R?
Never ONCE did I ask not to be contacted - I specifically asked in my last contact for Best Choice to email me, which they never haveI requested not to call me, but instead specifically to use email so that everything is documentedI have no desire to escalate this further and am trying to use the Revdex.com to settle this without all the hassle of a DOL complaint and small claims court.
Sincerely,
*** ***

Best Choice was asked by *** *** *** to install a window and well at ***’s home a year ago-- *** has been managing the property for the owner as a rental. Best Choice never contracted with or had any contact with the owner, ***. The window was installed to
meet egress and to code and billing was done on time and materials
Soon after the window was installed, we were notified by *** PM that the basement had flooded and we were also told this was due to gutters being clogged and overflowing plus the downspouts being clogged. In addition, the drain was plugged and the gutters were separating from the fascia board. We were told the owner was asked to have his gutters/downspouts either repaired or replaced Apparently, there wasn't any flooding till a couple of weeks ago, this despite record rains in the last year, Two weeks ago, we received an e-mail from the owner, ***, saying his basement just flooded and stating that the window installed a year earlier was the cause of the flooding In addition, *** asked for $to settle his claims and gave us hours to respond. At this time, the owner of Best Choice was out of town and we did e-mail *** and said we would have the owner of Best Choice look at his claim and get back to him the following Tuesday when the owner was back in town. In the meantime, *** PM responded, *** then decided to file this complaint before the owner of Best Choice was back in town *** has now requested $10,000. We would have been happy to talk with *** but he also requested that no one contact him as he was escalating his claim via the courts.
We do not believe the flooding is caused by the window that was installed. The homeowner needs to repair his property (gutters, downspouts) so water doesn’t flow freely from the roof Again, we were contracted by *** PM for the work regarding the installation of an egress window We were not contracted to do any other work and cannot be responsible for flooding caused by the failure to maintain properly working gutters, downspouts and drains

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
Notice that Best Choice didn't respond to a single statement in the document I attached. It included 17 references / diagrams showing clearly that proper window well drainage requires more than some gravel laid down. Best Choice created a problem by digging out a window well and not providing any channel for water to escape. There was no drain installed at all! By putting some gravel down on top of poorly draining soil, they actually created a problem that didn't exist - now the water in the soil surrounding the well leaches IN TO THE WINDOW WELL, since the gravel is better draining that the soil srrounding it. Absolutely nothing was done to move water AWAY from the foundation.Here's another reference from the Drainage and Erosion blog:
A window well without a drain is a disaster waiting to happen. Proper window well drainage prevents foundation seepage problems and keeps your home's interior dry.A proper window well drainage solution will consist of one of two aspects:1. They will be connected to either an interior or exterior drain pipe.2. They run away from your home to where the proper slope exists.
 
Obviously I was the one who paid for the window, regardless if it went through the former property management company. They have proven the window was not installed to code given my soil conditions and now are trying to use some possible technicality that the payment was released from my account through a 3rd party. Best Choice clearly has no intention of providing any resolution for the corners they cut while doing work which lead to significant water damage in my basement.
Best Choice did absolutely NOTHING to move the water away from the foundation - required by code and documented heavily in their industry.
Sincerely,[redacted]

[redacted] contracted with us and paid us -- we never have met [redacted] (the owner of the house) nor do we have a contract with him.  In addition, [redacted] is satisfied with our work and is the one who told us of the original flooding issue and the cause.