Champion Waterproofing Company

Talked to an employee named Rich and he couldn't have been more rude. Going elsewhere

Review: We purchased a home that was serviced by Champion Waterproofing (warranty transferred). After a huge rain storm, our crawl space and basement still flooded. We contacted the company to service the sump pump and to replace/repair the vapor barrier that they installed. After a couple of last minute cancelled appointments (2), a wrongfully confirmed appointment, one no-show appointment by their supervisor, my unneeded use of vacation time, and rushing to get home to be there for the repair appointment in early April 2015, the technicians came out, spent less than 20 minutes with me to replace the sump pump, but did not assess any of the other damage because "it wasn't his job originally". We were left with a vapor barrier that needs repaired and a damp, smelly basement.

I did follow-up with their office manager to request follow-up repair. We received a message on April 30, 2015 that they would be contacting us in a week to complete the maintenance after the materials were delivered. Today is June 16th, and I still have not received a follow-up call after several follow-up messages.Desired Settlement: I would like for them to follow-through with the company promise. I would like our vapor barrier replaced/repaired correctly and promised service completed by the original technicians, if possible. I would like for them to reassess their work to be sure crawl space will not flood, to the best of their ability, standing behind their work.

Business

Response:

7-1-15To Whom it May Concern: Champion Waterproofing has a scheduled appointment with [redacted] on 4-9-15 with the owner of Champion [redacted]. Please call with any questions ###-###-####.Sincerely [redacted] ManagerID #[redacted]

Business

Response:

7-10-15 To Whom It May Concern: Howard had the opportunity to inspect the problem at [redacted] on 7-9-15. He spoke with [redacted] and they both came up with a plan to solve her problem with water in the crawl space. Please call with any questions ###-###-####. Thank You, [redacted] ManagerID [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] The resolution is still pending however contact with the owner is continuing.

Regards,

Review: We contracted Champion to waterproof our basement Jan 2012. They installed an interior French drain around the perimeter of our basement. In July 2013 our main plumbing stack backed up. We called a plumber and the stack was snaked at a cost of $150. Our lines then backed again on 8/26/2013 and we noticed water seeping through our foundation near the main stack where our French drain was dug. We again called a plumber who attempted to run a camera but the line was too impacted and could not be snaked clear enough to visualize the area of concern. We paid $350 for the labor. At this point we were unable to use our facilities so we contracted the plumber to jackhammer the foundation to repair the plumbing. When excavating they found that the main stack drain had been broken and repaired improperly by Champion waterproofing using flex piping and leaving broken pieces of terra cotta pipe clogging the lines and causing seepage of waste water into the ground. This is of concern as we have a well inside the ground beneath our foundation to supply our water. We paid $1985 for the repair. The owner of Champion came to my home after 2 missed appointments and explained to me that he believed due to the age of our home that the pipes were already broken before the waterproofing began. He also advised that if broken pipes are exposed by Champion they will use the flex piping to patch holes. I have no proof that the pipes were not broken prior,but the plumber that completed the repair did advise all the other pipes were in good condition and not in need of replacement. Regardless, I was never made aware the pipe was broken or given the opportunity to correct it before it was improperly patched and then recemented. My toilet was also removed and improperly roughed back in after the waterproof making it unusable. Champion agreed to pay half of my damages, but I do not feel that is an acceptable offer. I am also disturbed that other customers could be subject to this type of repair from an A+rated businessDesired Settlement: We are requesting a refund of the cost of the final plumbing repair in full or $1985. We think we are being more than fair in not requesting reimbursement for the prior two bills of $150 and $350. We also request that Champion acknowledge that this type of repair is never appropriate on a main stack drain and discontinue using that method without advising the customer.

Business

Response:

Champion Waterproofing, Inc. was awarded this internal French drain job in December, 2011. The work was to be done so that the house could be sold to our customer, as per a home inspection. The work was performed by our company in January, 2012. When our foreman opened the floor, he found that the dram was broken and in poor condition. He was able to determine this by the surrounding soil, which was black and had an odor to it. Also, sewer gnats were present, a telltale sign of past drain damage. Although the customer was not present for most of the job, she did stop by, and the foreman informed her that her drains were in poor condition. Our customer also told me about this on my visit in November, 2013. The foreman put a temporary patch on the drain with hydraulic cement and a small piece of plastic pipe. He did this so that our cement from the patch would not go down into the sewer line. The pipe was left in better condition than it was found.

The homeowner informs us that her lines backed up in July, 2013. This is eighteen months after our job

was performed. She had a plumber snake the line twice. This more often than not can cause more damage than good to original terracotta drain lines. She then had a plumber come to do repairs for $1,985. This is an extremely high cost for (2) rubber furring coes and 8 feet of pipe.

I was called to meet with the homeowner in November, 2013. We had no idea that there had been any issues up to this point. Since I was not present on the actual job, I wanted my foreman to give me information on the job. He was having a difficult time remembering which house was hers. Our foremen do many jobs, and it is difficult to recall them all by name and address alone. We called our customer to have him come out. We were denied this site inspection by the home owner. Our foreman then drove by the house and was able to recall the job well.

When I met with the customer, I did not have all the information from the foreman, I offered at that time to split the plumbing cost with her. I now respectfully withdraw this offer. In our experience, the effects of a broken drain are immediate, not eighteen months later.

I know that it is frustrating to have plumbing issue, on a house that was just purchased. However it was not a new home, and it had a pre-existing plumbing problem. Our company should not be held responsible for this just because we discovered it, It should also be noted that this home had a water problem that may have been caused by a failing French drain made out of the same terra cotta pipe.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-####.

Respectfully,

President, Champion Waterproofing, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

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

There is no offer being made by the business. They are stating that the pipe was found in broken condition already and was left in better condition than it was found. I feel it is extremely unlikely that the only place the terra cotta would be damaged would be in the area where jackhammering was done by Champion. However, I still should have been advised if a serious problem was exposed. I was present for the entire first day of work. I was not able to be present for the entire job but was available by phone. The foreman did contact me several times and I was able to come the home to approve a different type of material when they didn't have enough of the intended materials for my job. I was also called when the toilet was removed so that they could advise me the terra cotta was broken in that area. I believe this was also a result of the jackhammering. However, they advised that they "fixed" the plumbing, but would not be reinstalling the toilet. We then found that the toilet was roughed in so close to the exterior wall that it was no longer useable. The foreman also called and I returned to the site so he could explain why he felt we should dig a trench in the yard to improve the waterproofing for an additional $1200. The only issue we ever had was seepage through the block walls, which the owner advised me during his November visit can be rectified with can of dry-lock paint. Obviously, the foreman knew I was available should there be any concern.

As for the timeframes, I am also surprised it took so long for the drain to block due to the improper patch as was the plumber. When the issue started to occur I called a plumber not Champion because I believed all I had was a plumbing issue. The plumber was contracted to do a full replacement of all my terra cotta pipes originally for nearly $6000. However, when they started the work they found that all the terra cotta was in good condition and not in need of replacement aside from the patched area. We were prudent in preventing the additional cost by only having the 8 ft section replaced. The majority of the cost was labor.

I refused another inspection of the home as I had already made myself available for three appointments with the owner. The first two were rescheduled last minute due to his schedule. He had every opportunity to bring his foreman with him or take photos, but he did not. I don't see why I needed to be further inconvenienced. During the initial visit I was very uncomfortable as the owner was insistent on blaming all the issues on the age of my home and saying that the repair was too expensive and they could have done the labor much cheaper than my plumber. I don't know why I would be expected to allow them to repair the issue after how they handled it the first time. I'm sure that a large portion of the customers using this type of waterproofing service do have older homes. Terra cotta pipes are not uncommon this area. The contractors should be aware of how to handle these materials. The owner admits that they do this type of patch on other homes as well, subjecting other customers to problems like this down the road. The fact that it was concealed from me and patched is a clear indication that there was fault on Champion's part. I would have gladly called in my own plumber to fix the issue if I had only been made aware. They should never have taken it upon themselves to do a faulty patch on a main waste drain, and they are making absolutely no attempt to resolve the issue.

Regards,

Review: My name is [redacted] I am writing this report on behalf of my parents ** and [redacted] (###-###-####, [redacted]). Back on January 6, 2015 Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] hired Howard A[redacted] of Champion Waterproofing Inc., 1216 Lowry Ave., Pittsburgh, (###-###-####), for the amount of $4,100.00, to install a weeping well and sump pump system within the basement of their home at [redacted], Pittsburgh, PA, 15209. Mr. A[redacted] was also hired to install window wells around two basement windows. The [redacted] had numerous problems with the contracted job. The most notable unacceptable problem was that the new portion of the cement floor was installed several inches out of level with the existing cement floor. The unlevel floor has not allowed the [redacted] to complete restoration activities in their basement. Mr. A[redacted]s first resolution was to shin the furniture and that was unacceptable. Mr. A[redacted] agreed to jack hammer the faulty cement and re-pour a new level floor. Since that time Mr. A[redacted] will no longer take phone calls from the [redacted] Family; therefore the [redacted] are asking for the full refund of $4,100.00 in order to hire another contractor to take the unlevel floor out and install a new properly level floor. Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] are prepared to take this issue to court for failure to fulfill the contract, and at that time, the [redacted] will be asking for double, or triple the original amount paid, or the highest amount the courts will allow.Desired Settlement: Please refund the $4,100.00.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern: This letter is in response to the complaint filed at your office that I was made aware of last week. There was a delay in receiving the complaint. I have been inquiring via email with the customer about the phone number they were using to contact me. {with no response) l would like you to inquire if possible, the number they were using to reach me. My office staff nor myself has received any messages from these folks in many months. Mr. [redacted] had my personal cell phone and used it many times right after the job was installed, but it has been quite some time since I have received any phone calls. The first complaint we received was that the concrete had small cracks in it. I told Mr. [redacted] that this was normal. All of our jobs do that because it is a patch, and it will shrink slightly as it cures. It is not a worry because it has a plastic vapor barrier under it so no moisture will bleed through it. This was not acceptable to him so we went out and put a coat of epoxy sealer on the cement. (a practice that we have never needed to do for any of our other 10,000 customers) The second complaint was that the epoxy was to tacky. So we went out and scraped it off. Wow, months fater the slope of the concrete is an issue. I have never received a call about this one, I will explain why this slight taper is needed. This was not accidental or poor workmanship, it is a necessary part of this inside French drain. Inside French drains use weep holes on the base of the wall to drain the concrete blocks. That water runs on top of the footer to then enter the pipe. Gravel is installed on top of the footing so the water has a route to make it to the drain. {see drawings) If we find a thin floor we must have enough gravel on the footer so the water does not run out onto the floor. The job is done correctly, that is why there is no mention of water in these letters. The Pgh area set records for rainfall in June of 2015, and this particular part of Pgh where this home is located had a massive amount of rain last month. It was the lead story on the news. (3-4 inches of rain in 1 Hr) This basement was perfectly dry. However amazingly we still have a dissatisfied customer. The only thing l can do to get a flat floor is one of two options. The first is to open up the whole system and jackhammer the edge of the footer off to make room for the needed gravel {#3} or take most of the gravel off the footing. However most likely it will leak on big rains. Mr. [redacted] would have to sign a waiver for structure damage and or no water guarantee. This work would be at zero charge. This is the ONLY way I can make a reasonable attempt to resolve this matter. If this is not an acceptable offer we will be looking forward to defending ourselves in court with this perfectly dry basement.SincerelyHoward J A[redacted] President

Review: I had contracted for service to be done. They scheduled an appointment for August 16. I had my mother wait all day for them to show up. They never came and they never called to let us know they weren't coming. Two weeks later they called me to schedule another appointment. I complained about them not showing up, the woman apologize and we rescheduled for Thursday, Sept 25. I waited all day, and no one called or came. How you can help me is by just filing this complaint against them. I will try to find another company to do the work.Desired Settlement: I know they are a member of the Revdex.com. I just want this complaint on their record!

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern;

We are attempting to reach Mr [redacted]. We had an appointment on Sat 8-16-14 our foreman was unable to make the appointment and apparently dialed an incorrect number to reschedule. We did re schedule the appointment but it is not in our schedule until 10-25-14. This was clearly communicated to Mr [redacted] incorrectly by Champion Waterproofing. We are attempting to reach him to correct this issue along with apologizing for the inconvenience this has caused him. We had already performed work for Mr [redacted] years ago and this is work that is to be added to the original work we performed. Please call with any questions ###-###-####.

Thank You[redacted] Manager

Consumer

Response:

Review: They did not want to honor their contract aggrement, I made multifull call for them to came back and fixed the issue, I have meet with zero responce, only empty promist to call back and never did, I still have water problem in my basement that was not address, I will not recommend them to anyone, they do not honor their so call LIFE TIME GUARANTEE aggrement. Their work has no quality to it.Desired Settlement: I want the water problem to be fixed I have mildue and water dumpness in my basement, I have had to use a dehumidifier to stop mildue and fungus in my basement.

Business

Response:

[redacted]:

Champion Had provided service for [redacted] on 6-12-14. There was a minor issue with the service provided. After speaking with Ms. [redacted] Champion went to her home on 7-22-14 and rectified the problem. We have spoken to Ms. [redacted] and will continue to provide her free service and honor our guarantee in the basement on the areas we treated. We still do recommend using a dehumidifier for dampness and condensation that can occur in the basement. Please call with any questions [redacted].

Sincerely, [redacted] Office Manager