Clete Long Enterprises, LLC

Thank you for your paymentI understand you take issue with our agreement and my workmanshipDue to the nature of my business, I record all conversations concerning it, as many are authorized by a mere handshake and therefore have all of our verbal agreements recordedBelow I will address each of your issues in turnYour concerns are italicized below The walk that meets the driveway is too steep, causing a near fall while carrying groceries to the front door and not able to see the sudden end to the incline The walk that meets the porch step is more gradual Counting the courses of the inclines, I notice that the porch section includes courses of brick pattern; the driveway section includes only courses We laid bricks to meet your new driveway and shorten the rise up to the porch Due to the incline of your driveway, we laid the bricks with a gradual and reasonable incline to meet the height of the drivewayThe same occurred, as you have noted, to a gradual and reasonable incline from the walk to the porch stepWe were only able to address the approaches to the house and to the driveway because you did not want to pay the amount I quoted for the entire of the walkway Your bricks were not done according to “courses counted” but to a specification related to rise and pitch and therefore there is not the same amount of courses going in each direction The driveway section is not finished on the lawn side as it is on the garden side The lawn side is jagged and uneven This went unnoticed by me until I cleared away the pile of unused sand that was left on top of this area Both sides of the porch section are straight and neatly finished The walkway is not finished on the lawn side because those bricks would be rendered useless if cut in the event you decided to do the whole walkwayHowever, it will soon be overgrown and the “jagged” edge will be unnoticeableI left the sand for you for future use, upon your request The walk that meets the driveway is raised on that end and caught my foot, tripping me to a near fall This edge needs to be leveled off to be even This issue is addressed in my response to number onePlease see above The driveway walk pitches toward the house This problem is exacerbated by the downspout that ends at that section of the walk During the rain last week, a large puddle formed on the walk, instead of flowing away from the house as we had talked about prior to the walk being relaid This guides more water toward the house, encouraging more of the problem that the excavation was meant to correct And in the winter, melting snow will puddle there, held by the snow bank, freezing into a skating rink for a broken bone This needs to be corrected I also explained to you that you may have a water drainage issue because of your downspoutThe moss tells us that you had a water problem beforeThere is no standing water problem on the bricks I re-laid, which is the only guarantee I can give you with regards to water draining on your walkwayThe only ways to prevent standing water on the walkway would be to re-lay the entire walkway, which again you did not want because of the price I quoted and because we thought the moss was unique and charming, or if you would re-route or move your downspout The porch walk also pitches toward the house as of the third course, but not as dramatically There is one brick in particular that sticks out a fourth inch that catches the foot You were asked to and agreed to participate in the re-laying of the bricks per our conversationYou did not If you had helped in this part of the process, you would have learned what to do when a brick or two rises or settlesThis is a common occurrence, especially when not starting completely from scratch and just adding on to the present walkwayHowever, a simple resolution would be to tamp the brick down with a 2x to the level of the rest of the bricks The broken glass squares need to be replaced In talking with different glass block workers, they report that this is not uncommon when there is excavation work done on the glass block wall Reportedly, the damage comes not from hitting the glass directly, but by bumping into the wall that holds the glass block The impact on the wall is what causes the glass to break You shared with me that you had the same issue with your windows ten years agoI disagree that this was my doing but that in fact you have an issue with hydrostatic pressure which was exacerbated by the improper stone backfilled from your last foundation repair Hydrostatic pressure is the weight of water/fluid due to gravityThis pressure increases the farther down you go, as there is more water weight from gravityFeel free to share that information with your glass block specialist, although I’m sure they would have understood if you had mentioned the issue ten years ago to them as well I also spoke with my engineer; he stated the wall moved back ever so slightly after excavation due to the release of pressure on the wall, which may have caused the glass block to failIt was bound to happen eventually, it was just a matter of whenIn an effort to satisfy an unhappy customer, which I pride myself on, I would be willing to replace the entire window for an additional $or I would pay for half of your lowest estimate for replacement The broken wooden trellis from the south side of the entry, also damaged during excavation, needs to be repaired as to be usable The trellis was nine feet from the excavation site You admitted to breaking it, and said you would repair it, but have not yet done so The trellis was rotten and likely broke due to moving to it out of wayNeither myself, nor my team even realized it had broken because there was no noise or movement that indicated breaking It was literally rotten in the groundI offered to match the other trellis to the broken one, which would have only shortened the trellis by approximately inches, but you did not agree to that repairOur contract required that you bake a pie, which I have not yet received, and frankly do not want, so let’s call it even for the trellis You conveniently left out that I did admit I caused some damages – to the fence and your figurine lawn ornament – and fixed those things accordinglyMy integrity in this matter is what contributes to my A rating with the Revdex.com Finally, I wanted to let you know that I have used your job as a drireference for my workYour job looks perfect and others have agreedIt has already brought me two more jobs in your neighborhood because of the beautiful work, and I expect many more to follow I have forwarded a copy of your email with the concerns above and this response to the Revdex.com with regard to your complaint with themPlease feel free to contact me if you have further questions or concerns Happy Holidays, [redacted] *** Enterprises, LLC

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
My complaint clearly stated for resolution to reimburse me or give me Clete Longs insurance informationHe did not complyHe was supposed to give it my homeowners insurance and again did not comply Germantown Ins *** Carl ext The one thing I will contest is the fact he spoke to me when he did not and hope he can supply his phone records as proof .I highly doubt that otherwise we would not be discussing this issue. The only reason I am involving the City of Oak Creek in this is due to the fact Clete Long made derogatory comments about myself on their behalf, I would request that you ask him whom he spoke toIn my complaint I stated that I spoke to the City and did so to ascertain policiesI am from Illinois and not all policies are the sameSo again I would again ask for Clete Long to supply his insurance information as I stated in an earlier email my contractor will be out Wednesday and will have a full report for you at that time until he opens it up he cannot tell you how much damage until thenand what Clete Long didI followed protocol and had Wisconsin Diggers come out all facilities included even the City of Oak Creek came outI hope we can get this resolved quickly and hope that no legal action will have to be taken. Sincerely,*** ***
Regards,
*** ***

I was called to [redacted] residence approximately the time she referenced, she had a water issue in one corner her basement , mold growing in one corner walls were straight and plum . I indicated to her if she would just replace the outside improperly pitched concrete at that exterior corner of her...

home that it would be up to 99%effective in displacing the water from said corner.I would then go down and sanitize the interior corner and back plaster the interior  lower corner foundation wall. No permit was required for this type of work because it was not a foundation repair,  I provided a concrete service and some cosmetic back plastering to her inside Lower foundation wall. She agreed to this , I further explained to her that if water continued to find its way in the foundation , interior drain tile would be required and a sump crock would have to be installed , this is inspected work and a permit would be necessary, the costs still far less then her pervious foundation estimates. furthermore in completing the concrete work there was a concrete shortage last year many contractors including my self were not able to purchase concrete for a period of time so after her concrete was removed I covered the site with a concrete blanket which is proper procedure to hold the ground warmth in when preparing to pour in cold weather . It has rained over a dozen times since the concrete service was provided all was well until we received approximately 3 1/2 inches of rain in 24 hours ,I personally received 30 calls for water in basements  however not one from an existing customer that I have provided foundation services to , not one call , except for [redacted] is not a nice person she was very difficult to work for , she called me over 45 times during her job which was extremely small, The city of Oak Creek is actually fed up with her, furthermore she called me another 20 times after that 3 1/2 inches of rain . when I tried to talk to her she would not listen and that is part of her problem she does listen . My work was done properly and in a timely fashion with no money down and I was paid in full upon completion. In her attempt to contact me I received certified mail which I never opened and  my son and I took back to her home and threw it over the fence , I never touched her mailbox , how unwise would that be. so [redacted] is lying. She has saw fit to talk to the city the mayor the police the Revdex.com other agencies in her effort to be satisfied,  if she would have just listen to her contractor  at the on set of this ordeal she would be getting another great deal on interior drain tile work which would have came with a warranty . I will never return to [redacted] home . NEVER . In closing I do every job as if it was for myself that is why the name of my business is Clete long Enterprises ,it helps keep me accountable for all work preformed .I hope to maintain my  A  rating with the Revdex.com, and will continue to respond to any and all agencies who she has felt the need to contact to maintain my good standing in this community and enjoy my operating privileges in the state of Wisconsin.   Sincerely and respectfully, Clete longClete long enterprisesSent from my iPhone

Thank you for your payment. I understand
you take issue with our agreement and my workmanship. Due to the nature of my
business, I record all conversations concerning it, as many are authorized by...

a
mere handshake and therefore have all of our verbal agreements recorded. Below
I will address each of your issues in turn. Your concerns are italicized below.
1. The walk that meets the driveway is too steep, causing a near fall while
carrying groceries to the front door and not able to see the sudden end to the
incline.  The walk that meets the porch step is more gradual. 
Counting the courses of the inclines, I notice that the porch section includes
13 courses of brick pattern; the driveway section includes only 10 courses.
 
We laid bricks to meet your new driveway
and shorten the rise up to the porch. 
Due to the incline of your driveway, we laid the bricks with a gradual
and reasonable incline to meet the height of the driveway. The same occurred,
as you have noted, to a gradual and reasonable incline from the walk to the
porch step. We were only able to address the approaches to the house and to the
driveway because you did not want to pay the amount I quoted for the entire
re-do of the walkway.
 
Your bricks were not done according to
“courses counted” but to a specification related to rise and pitch and
therefore there is not the same amount of courses going in each direction.
2.  The driveway section is not
finished on the lawn side as it is on the garden side.  The lawn side is
jagged and uneven.  This went unnoticed by me until I cleared away the
pile of unused sand that was left on top of this area.  Both sides of the
porch section are straight and neatly finished.
 
The walkway is not finished on the lawn
side because those bricks would be rendered useless if cut in the event you decided
to do the whole walkway. However, it will soon be overgrown and the “jagged”
edge will be unnoticeable. I left the sand for you for future use, upon your
request.
3.  The walk that meets the driveway
is raised on that end and caught my foot, tripping me to a near fall. 
This edge needs to be leveled off to be even.
 
This issue is addressed in my response
to number one. Please see above.
4.  The driveway walk pitches toward
the house.  This problem is exacerbated by the downspout that ends at that
section of the walk.  During the rain last week, a large puddle formed on
the walk, instead of flowing away from the house as we had talked about prior
to the walk being relaid.  This guides more water toward the house,
encouraging more of the problem that the excavation was meant to correct. 
And in the winter, melting snow will puddle there, held by the snow bank,
freezing into a skating rink for a broken bone.  This needs to be
corrected.  
 
            I also explained to you that you may
have a water drainage issue because of your downspout. The moss tells us that
you had a water problem before. There is no standing water problem on the
bricks I re-laid, which is the only guarantee I can give you with regards to
water draining on your walkway. The only ways to prevent standing water on the
walkway would be to re-lay the entire walkway, which again you did not want
because of the price I quoted and because we thought the moss was unique and
charming, or if you would re-route or move your downspout.
5.  The porch walk also pitches
toward the house as of the third course, but not as dramatically.  There
is one brick in particular that sticks out a fourth inch that catches the
foot.  
 
            You were asked to and agreed to
participate in the re-laying of the bricks per our conversation. You did not.
If you had helped in this part of the process, you would have learned what to
do when a brick or two rises or settles. This is a common occurrence,
especially when not starting completely from scratch and just adding on to the present
walkway. However, a simple resolution would be to tamp the brick down with a 2x4
to the level of the rest of the bricks.
6.  The broken glass squares need to
be replaced.  In talking with different glass block workers, they report
that this is not uncommon when there is excavation work done on the glass block
wall.  Reportedly, the damage comes not from hitting the glass directly,
but by bumping into the wall that holds the glass block.  The impact on
the wall is what causes the glass to break.
 
            You shared with me that you had the
same issue with your windows ten years ago. I disagree that this was my doing
but that in fact you have an issue with hydrostatic pressure which was
exacerbated by the improper stone backfilled from your last foundation repair.
 
            Hydrostatic pressure is the weight
of water/fluid due to gravity. This pressure increases the farther down you go,
as there is more water weight from gravity. Feel free to share that information
with your glass block specialist, although I’m sure they would have understood
if you had mentioned the issue ten years ago to them as well.
 
            I also spoke with my engineer; he
stated the wall moved back ever so slightly after excavation due to the release
of pressure on the wall, which may have caused the glass block to fail. It was
bound to happen eventually, it was just a matter of when. In an effort to
satisfy an unhappy customer, which I pride myself on, I would be willing to
replace the entire window for an additional $150 or I would pay for half of
your lowest estimate for replacement.
7.  The broken wooden trellis from
the south side of the entry, also damaged during excavation, needs to be
repaired as to be usable.  The trellis was nine feet from the excavation
site.  You admitted to breaking it, and said you would repair it, but have
not yet done so.
 
            The trellis was rotten and likely
broke due to moving to it out of way. Neither myself, nor my team even realized
it had broken because there was no noise or movement that indicated breaking.
It was literally rotten in the ground. I offered to match the other trellis to
the broken one, which would have only shortened the trellis by approximately 10
inches, but you did not agree to that repair. Our contract required that you
bake a pie, which I have not yet received, and frankly do not want, so let’s
call it even for the trellis.
 
            You conveniently left out that I did
admit I caused some damages – to the fence and your figurine lawn ornament –
and fixed those things accordingly. My integrity in this matter is what
contributes to my A rating with the Revdex.com.
 
            Finally, I wanted to let you know
that I have used your job as a drive-by reference for my work. Your job looks perfect
and others have agreed. It has already brought me two more jobs in your
neighborhood because of the beautiful work, and I expect many more to follow.
 
            I have forwarded a copy of your
email with the concerns above and this response to the Revdex.com
with regard to your complaint with them. Please feel free to contact me if you
have further questions or concerns.
 
Happy
Holidays,
[redacted] Enterprises, LLC