Continental Siding Supply, Inc.

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Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:The dates and circumstances of the gutter installation are incorrect as stated by the responder for Continental Siding Although a plan for installation was made and communicated to the onsite siding installation crew, as I stated in my initial complaint the gutter installer came on site, looked at the job, stated he was going on vacation and then left without performing the install The original gutters, which were removed by the siding installers in anticipation of the install, were not put back up The rains began on Tuesday evening and the siding installers did not come the following morning We noted water in the basement and approximately square feet of our carpets were soaked We tried to contact the siding installer, and left messages on his phone, in hopes that he could put the gutters back up We also contacted the local office We elevated our request to the Project Manager who stated he was out of the area, but would try to find the installer The installer came later in the day and put up the old gutters It was at least one week later before the new gutters were installed Please check your records We have the gutter installer contact information if you need it.We also contacted our insurance agent on May 6th, and he recommended the basement restoration company which we contacted It was unknown if our homeowners insurance covered this type of loss My husband told the Project Manager that we were working with our insurance company When we learned that the water was not covered, my husband asked the Project Manager if the company would cover the damage, and was told to submit an itemized bill The Project Manager came to our home to pick up the signed completion certificateWe were reluctant to sign off on the job completion due to the basement restoration bill not being addressed and the leftover construction materials piled in our yard, however the PM stated that the company could place a lien on our home if we did not sign the completioncertificate The Project Manager took the copies of the restoration bill and told my husband to wait several weeks before contacting his supervisor.I do believe that all of the contractors involved in the rain gutter installation used poor judgement in leaving the old gutters down We have had hard rains prior to and since this incident without any basement water We believe we should be reimbursed for the expense of the basement restoration
Regards,
*** ***

It is the professional and moral opinion of our management, taking in to consideration the levels of rainfall that took place this year and during this project that the gutters being on or not being on would not have contributed to a basement leak. If anyone on our staff believed the gutters being on or not being on affected the basement water, Continental would reimburse for the leak, but that is not the case. It is Continental's position that the basement would have had water come in whether we were doing a project or not. Simply put, it rained an awful lot and a lot of damage was caused by the record rain falls and it is unfortunate this basement leaked but Continental did not contribute to it. If the [redacted]'s truly felt Continental was at fault, why did they ever consider turning it in to their insurance company?  It was expressed to Continental the [redacted]'s understood it was not Continental's issue and had no problem taking it up with their insurance. It only became a continental problem when they found out their insurance didn't cover water damage. Just because their insurance doesn't cover this damage, doesn't mean Continental should pay this bill either.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
We will be working through our attorney.
Regards,
[redacted]

Continental is pleased to hear Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] are pleased with their siding project. From the point of sale to the project being completed the total timeline was just over 9 weeks. As discussed at the point of sale, it is typical to have jobs complete 8-10 weeks from the date of sale. Most of...

that 8-10 weeks is simply waiting in line and allowing our installers to get through the backlog in front of them. The actual jobsite install did not take 2 months. So, the timeframe for this job fell right in line with typical scheduling and typical expectations. Every working jobsite at Continental has a lead installer and a project manager to make sure the customer is happy and satisfied with all aspects of their job. There are 26 time stamped notes entered in our computer system that tracks all customer interactions between any of our employees and the customer, on this particular job.  On Tuesday May 5th our project manager notes that the gutters will be installed on Thursday May 7th.  Mr. [redacted] called our project manager on Wednesday May 6th and told him about a l"leak" in the basement. During that conversation our project manager told him his basement did not leak due to his gutters being down, and that it had to be some other factor contributing to the leak. Record rainfalls at that time were causing flash floods and basement leaks worse than any year prior, and had been compared to the great floods of 1993. They both agreed that it was unfortunate the basement leaked but there was nothing Continental did to create the issue.  Mr. [redacted] took responsibility and said he would turn it in to his insurance. The gutters were in fact installed on Thursday May 7th only two days after they were scheduled, and one day after the initial water issue in their basement. The gutters were completed one day before the siding was completed on May 8th. At this time the entire project was complete with the exception of a window repair. Pieces had to be ordered for that window repair, so at that point the job was again in a waiting period until lithe material was received. When Mr. [redacted] spoke with our project manager on Wednesday May 13th he brought up the leak again, which was now described as a  "basement flood" and wanted to know if we were going to pay for his damages. Our project manager said he was happy to investigate the issue further to identify where it was coming from. Our project manager also requested a written receipt from the water damage company. He did not admit we had anything to do with the problem but merely requested the information so he could conduct a full analysis as a service to our customer. This particular project manager has over 10 years of experience building sunrooms, connecting roof lines, and installing gutters, before he was a project manager for Continental, so his assessment would be as trusted as any person's assessment in the home improvement industry. At this time Continental still had a window repair to correct at the [redacted]' home but was waiting for the material to arrive. Continental completed the window repair on Friday May 29th when the material had been received for the repair.  On Monday June 2nd our office manager called and requested the [redacted]s to sign and mail in their completion certificate. Mr. [redacted] asked our office manager at that time what was going to be done to compensate them for their "basement flood". She referred the question to our project manager. Our project manager visited the jobsite again on Thursday June 5th. After his assessment and discussion with Mr. [redacted] they again agreed that the issue was not the fault of Continental and they agreed to give him the completion certificate. The completion certificate is dated for Tuesday June 3rd. Having signed it two days before our project manager even arrived, it would appear that Mr. [redacted] knew the results of the inspection would again prove Continental was not a contributor of his basement leak. If Continental is ever guilty of costing a customer extra money for any reason, (ie. cut internet cable, cut air conditioner cable, drilled into electrical line, common construction related issues) it is standard operating procedure to reduce the amount owed to Continental from the customer and settle it fairly before Continental is paid for the job. It is evident, due to the fact the [redacted]'s siding and gutters were installed in early May, with the exception of a window repair, and the fact Continental didn't request any money at all for the entire project until early June when the window had been repaired,  that Continental was not in a hurry to collect this money until everything was totally done and settled completely and fairly. On the customer's completion certificate it states they should not sign until the project is finished in full to the complete satisfaction of the customer. With no collection efforts made until the window was repaired and the warnings on the completion certificate, and the conversations with our project manager, it is apparent the [redacted]'s felt the project was done completely and in a satisfactory manner with no further business to be done between the two parties. Furthermore, it is the opinion of our construction experts that Continental did not contribute to the basement leak. Meteorologists will tell you there was record rainfall this year that has caused millions of dollars in damage to residential properties. Continental, and at several points in time prior to this complaint being written, Mr. [redacted] agreed with this assessment. If Continental had caused or contributed to this issue, our company would do the right thing and pay for the damages. According to Mr. [redacted], his insurance will be covering the cost of his damages. It is the decision of Continental's that Continental will not be paying any part of the costs associated with the [redacted]'s basement leak. Continental does thank the [redacted]s for their business and wants to reassure them any service needed in the future for products installed by Continental will be serviced in a timely and professional manner.

Our head project manager was at the home yesterday and assessed the situation and signed a service agreement with these customers that would satisfy their issue. Continental disagrees with the customer's assessment of how the door was damaged and the fact they have complained to the Revdex.com. The Revdex.com is...

a great resource for companies and customers in situations where one side is not treating the other fairly, this situation does not apply. It is just as likely that Continental was the cause of their microwave malfunctioning or a crack in their driveway developing as it is that Continental caused internal blinds to malfunction. Continental did not cause this problem but is willing to assist the customer in handling the situation as a part of our commitment to our customers that we will always be there for them. We now have a signed agreement, prior to this complaint being posted, and have moved forward with a plan to fix this issue for our customer so they can be happy again. If Continental damaged their door we would rather pay to replace the door in order to make our customer happy, regardless of the cost to Continental, our brand of high quality and customer satisfaction is of utmost importance to us.  It is also worth mentioning that Continental should not be responsible for replacing or repairing something we didn't damage, as the customer has stated.  We have earned a great reputation over 34 years because we do the right thing, we didn't earn that reputation over 34 years serving 50,000 customers just to turn around and treat these customers unfairly. We have been more than fair and will continue to be. These customers can't possibly receive any more attention in the matter as our top installation official in the entire company is already handling the situation. I'm confident we will resolve the issue in a fair and mutually beneficial manner.