Creation Home Improvement

Review: Reference: Invoice # [redacted], dated July 14, 2013 and Contract dated July 18, 2013

**. [redacted] did not fulfill the agreements made in our contract to complete remodeling work in our home intended to update a shower/bathroom and turn an adjoining area into a laundry room. He was paid $6,000.00 on July 15, 2013 via check [redacted] and paid $3,500.00 on July 25, 2013 via check [redacted] for a total of $9,500.00. Both checks have cleared. He accepted the payments under the condition he would complete the first increment of the work to remodel the bathroom and prepare the adjoin space within in five business days. As of today's date of October 7, 2013, we are well past the final due date. He has take a considerable amount of money from us and the small amount of work he completed (principally demolition) has made the bathroom and adjoining storage area completely unusable as the toilet, sink and flooring (for both areas) have been removed along with the tiles in the shower. In addition, after the demolition work, much of the refuse was left on the floor for weeks until my wife cleaned it up. Finally, **. [redacted] has not contacted or attempted to contact us to make good on his agreements, nor has he responded to my texts or phone messages or answered any of our phone calls since before August 11, 2013.Desired Settlement: We would like a refund so we can find a contractor to complete the work as we have not had the use of the upstairs bathroom since mid-July.

Review: The above mentioned contractor was referred by a cousin to paint my upstairs and put carpeting in a basement room. He quoted me, in the presence of my cousin, $950 for carpeting, $250 for hanging a TV and $1800 for the paint job for a total of $3000. The initial amount was much higher but he agreed to lower it if I were to write the check in his name and not request a 1099 from him. I agreed as he was referred by a friend and trusted his honesty and professionalism. He offered to do the job in 3 days with a 50% deposit to start and the remainder at the end of the 3rd day. Most of the job was started on a Wednesday and finished on a Friday. I had to travel that weekend, and I made sure to pay him the balance before I left. When I came back I began to see all of the problems with the paint on the walls and ceilings. I called him to come see the problems and also to finish hanging the TV. He stopped by, agreed with the problems I showed him and agreed to send someone to fix them and that it would take 4 hours. After 2 consecutive Fridays, the paint job was still a mess.

This past Monday, my cousin, whom I had been complaining to about this, brought him to look at the problems and fix them. When he came by and saw the additional issues that had been caused by the workers, he suggested that he give me a refund for the paint job. I was reluctant to agree but he claimed he would not be able to give me the product I was seeking, so I agreed. Today, he sent me a text requesting my full name and address so he could send me an invoice (he had told me he would give it to me in the beginning but he never did) and a refund in the amount of $400. This will in no way cover the cost of the work needed to fix the unprofessional paint job his laborers did.

I would like to request your assistance in getting the full refund for the $1800 so I am able to finish the job.

Thank youDesired Settlement: I would like to request your assistance in getting the full refund for the $1800 so I am able to hire someone to repair and complete the paint job job in my home.

Business

Response:

From: Creation home improvements llc chi <[redacted]>

Date: April 28, 2013, 9:46:46 PM EDT

To: [redacted]

Cc: home improvement llc creation [redacted]

Subject: [redacted] creation home improvements llc complain

hithis is [redacted] the owner of " creation home improvements llc"im writing you in response to the complain I have received true your office from [redacted] about a job we have completed for her . so I like to start by first yes we did the job for her and yes she paid me 3000.00$ in two payments of 1500.00$ and the job was completed description of the job : the verbal contract was between chi and the customer is to remove existing carpet and pad in the basement, move the furniture , provide and install new carpet underlayment and new carpet medium grade , and cut out the drywall and run a new 2" pipe as a conduit for cable to the tv and hang the tv above the fire place and relocate electrical outlet , and last is to paint one wall in the basement from corner to corner matching color ,where we going to run the conduit . then repair all the cracked ceiling corners and walls and patch a damaged drywall in the hall way and paint ceiling only then paint the master bedroom and master bathroom. customer will provide colors we will provide everything else . this is it for 3000.00$ now she made us paint the hall basement and made us paint 2nd bathroom not included and she drove me to home depot to pick a matching paint for the 2nd bathroom and the hall way as she asked me to repair touch ups on the wall of hall way not included and I asked her if she got the color we can do it for her she got me a paint can and she said this is it , so we got that color two from home depot . now after we touch the hall the paint is same color but on the shade it looks different shine because the old one is faded . now she wants us to repaint the hall way because of that . then she asked to paint the ceiling only after we finished she said the old lines of wall paint still showing I need you to paint walls too .and this is just not acceptable by any wise person . anyway I work with my customer and I do the extra mile and im known by that . so I told her we can work with you . she said im available only Friday . and I still said no problem .I send two guys the first Friday and one the 2nd Friday as she asked me for the same person and she said he is too good with details and she like him . note I have all this registered in my phone by text messages between me and her and I can prove it the guy after 2nd Friday called me and said she is asking for a lot more and this going to be a lot to get done, so I asked her cousin and we went there I fid out everything id good and the job is completed except if she like to call it poor craftsmanship in one or two area small nothing big but she star asking me to repair all the wall then pain again everything . I got suppressed and I figure out there is no way I can make here happy I told her this job you asking is one man 2days so I will refund you 3 days just in case she agreed at the time but when I left her with her cousin I don't know what happen but they change there mind and she wouldn't give me a full name for a refund she asked for 1800.00$ and to begging with, that's not the painting price and even if it is how can we refund all that after we worked there 7 days and completed the job 99% if we don't say 100% . the carpet cost only no labor is 874.00the electrician cost me 350.00the paint cost me 220.00the carpet guy installation and trash 50.00the painters 1000.00the 2nd painter 320.00I didn't make any $ in this job and I'm still wailing to make one more customer happy but I couldn't this time so I really need someone to visit this job if we have to I can prove all this finally I have texted her after she said she need 1800.00 I said I have 3rd party company I worked with I can send then in the finish the job and I will pay them just to make you happy and I know its not going to cost me 1800 I will get it done for less then 400.00$ for sure and she refused I have this in messages . now she said its 1800 but I have a text from her saying " quote : "the invoice should have 1100$ for carpet and 250 for tv . this leaves 1650 for the paint job " [redacted] please fell free to contact me if you have any questions best regards

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

**. [redacted], Thank you for your quick response. I have read the below email and I believe it will only be a waste of your time and mine to counter what is being reported below. Pictures speak louder than words and the only way to prove that the job was unprofessional and a disaster is for someone to be assigned to come and see it, as **. [redacted] also suggests below. I have to clarify that the hallway and guest bathroom mentioned below had to be painted because the painters made significant marks on them with their ladders and with spackle. It was only normal that I request this be fixed. I initially requested that they clean the marks but they said they had to be painted, and the paint color was given to me by one of the painters. It is important to note that during the 3 days that the painters were at my home, [redacted] was not present so he was not able to see what work was being done and if anything needed to be corrected.. I am attaching 2 estimates I received from companies who evaluated the paint job and determined that it must be entirely re-done/repaired. One is in the amount of $2495 and the other $3220. Please note that I have no invoice from the contractor as he had indicated he would send it to me in the mail but never did. I didn’t pressure him about it at the time as he was referred by my cousin and I trusted that he would get it to me in a timely manner. He verbally quoted us: $950 for carpeting, $250 for hanging my TV (I provided the mount) and the balance for paint. The only evidence I have that supports that I hired this contractor are the attached text messages, copies of checks paid to him, the business card he gave me, and the “work” that was done at my home. The following persons can be contacted to support that he was hired and also the quality (or lack of it) of work performed:[redacted] – who referred him to me and was present when I was quoted the cost of the work. He can be reached at [redacted] – the painter who came by two Friday’s in a row to “fix” the work. He can be reached at [redacted]. He was surprised by the poor quality of the work and indicated that this could not be done in 2-3 days. The attached sms messages are proof of the correspondence to/from the contractor from March 21 to April 22nd only. I was not able to track all of them down as most were automatically deleted in my Blackberry. I believe the texts on April 22nd were the result of him getting a letter from you and his attempting to resolve this directly with me. However, I had been asking him since he started the job to finish it correctly and he never did and even got angry with me. As a result, I was no longer comfortable bringing him into my home. Thank you for your consideration. [redacted]The [redacted] From: [redacted] [[redacted]]

Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2013 4:19 PM

To: Revdex.com of Metro DC and Eastern PA

Cc: [redacted]

Subject: Re: Your complaint has been received

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: "[redacted]" [redacted]

To: "[redacted]" <[redacted]

Cc:

Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:51:04 -0700

Subject: Blue Door Painters Estimate [redacted]

[redacted],

Please find the estimate for your home below:

_______________________________________________________

Cell – [redacted]

PREP: Includes the following where needed:

Puttying- Putty /fill all atypical gauges, nail-head depressions,

cracks, and other surface imperfections.

Caulking- Remove old caulk and apply new caulk to all joints where gap

exists.

Scraping- Scrape all loose paint.

Spackling- Mud all areas needed for smoothing.

Spot Priming- Prime all bare substrate areas before applying finish

coats.

Spot Stain-killing- Stain kill all stained areas before applying finish

coats.

Sanding- Sand any rough patches before applying finish coats.

Power washing- Power wash to clean off any dust, dirt, and mildew from

the surfaces to be painted.

PAINTING: Paint 2 coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar200 on the previously

painted ceilings on the:

1. 1st to 2nd floor stairwell +walls

2. 2nd floor hallway +walls

3. Master bedroom + walls

4. Master bathroom +walls

5. 2nd room

6. 3rd room

7. Bathroom hallway

We will NOT paint or stain anything not specifically mentioned above,

anything on the exterior, doors, door frames, windows, window frames

anything metallic, or anything vinyl, hand railing.

TOTAL (including prep, paint, painting, and materials) – $2,495.00

____________________________________________________

1. FREE Color Consultation with a signed contract.

2. FREE Gutter Cleaning with any exterior project.

3. FREE Record keeping of details on project.

4. FREE Limited Warranty: We will warranty the paint job for 3 years!

5. $25 OFF the main estimate if you like and write a recommendation on

our [redacted] page [redacted]

TIMING: We can start in May of 2013 and would take about 3-4 days.

PAYMENT: We require a 30% down payment and 70% on the final

walk-through.

STANDARDS: All work to be done to PDCA standards, use of top

workmanship.

CLEAN UP: Cleanup after each day and after job is complete.

Please let us know what you think and if you have any comments,

questions or concerns. If you would like to go with us please let us

know (exactly what parts including any additionals if applicable) as

soon as possible so that we can put you on our schedule.

Thank you,

--

Blue Door Painters, Inc.

P.O. Box 5925

Office- [redacted]

Fax- [redacted]

E-mail- [redacted]

Web- [redacted]

you.

Regards,

[redacted]

Review: We entered into a contract with Creation Home Improvements, LLC (CHI) to complete a bathroom remodel project on August 24, 2013. Much to our disappointment we have informed **. [redacted] (**) on October 15, 2013 that we no longer wish to do business with him and we will be hiring other companies to finish the project. Several key factors played a part in our decision including poor communication, poor time management and poor quality of work– all of which were extremely unsatisfactory, but the most upsetting reason for our decision to cut ties with CHI is that we have learned that he has defaulted on payment of materials purchased on our behalf to more than one vendor even though we have paid to ** at least 85% of the total cost of the project. These vendors have been contacting us to either try to find ** or to obtain payment from us (which we have refused since we hold a contract stating he would provide materials and cancelled checks to him in the amount of $11,500).

On Saturday, August 24 we signed the contract and provided him with a ~50% down payment of $6,000. The contract stated he had three weeks to finish the job but he repeatedly told us it would only take two weeks. There was a $250 per day penalty in the contract for anytime beyond the three weeks. At the time we signed our contract we had already selected our tile, granite and cabinets from the suppliers ** approved.

Poor Communication:

• For 6 weeks we never knew if anyone was coming to work or not on any given day.

• We would receive a text saying someone was coming to work and then no one would show up with no explanation. Of the 41 calendar days that ** was engaged in our project they only worked 21 of those days. And of those 21 days only three to four of those days was anyone here a full day.

• 4 electrical outlets were blown due to a wet saw being plugged in and no one ever told us about the issue. We figured this out when two outlets in our kitchen were not functioning. (This was never resolved and is not just a circuit breaker or blown fuse – an electrician is needed for repair)

Poor time and project management:

• 10 days passed after the contract was signed before demolition began even though ** urged us to select materials quickly so that he could finish our project before starting another job scheduled for mid-September. During those 10 days we assumed he was purchasing materials but that later proved to be a false assumption.

• On Thursday, September 12 we were informed that the tile was just ordered two days earlier and what we had selected was not available. This was a full 19 days after we had signed the contract and given ** $6,000 to begin work and ordering material. The next morning (Friday) we went to the tile store and selected new tile. The next Monday, September 16, we were told that the new shower floor tiles would not be available until a few weeks. The next day (Tuesday) we again went to the tile store and selected a 3rd set of tiles. By this time it had been 24 days since we had given ** the initial funds (not to mention another $3,500 on September 9) and exactly two weeks since he had started. The only thing completed at this point was demolition and the partial installation of the vanities.

• After three weeks on the job we discovered that the granite slab we chose had not yet been purchased or moved from the wholesaler to the fabricator.

• 31 days after he had started work we were told he needed to order more accent tile since he hadn’t ordered enough to do the backsplash, a feature he recommended instead of simply using a granite backsplash. (We eventually had to order and pay for this tile ourselves)

• We didn’t see ** or any of his people for 9 days – After sending a punchlist and more than one request to finish the job, he came one last time, on October 14, with the promise of completing the items on our list by 5pm. He admitted the tile work was low quality and informed us he fired the employee who had done all the work in our home. He stayed for 1.5 hours and left saying he was going to pick up some additional material and never came back.

Poor quality and cut corners:

• Several chipped or broken tiles used on the floor and walls even though there was a very large number of spares on hand.

• Floor tiles poorly installed and sloppily cut causing rough edges, cracked grout and a lot of lippage.

• Mis-measured space for the vanities to the point where one vanity’s cabinet doors will not close (and is damaged from being forced open by **’s crew) and the other one required the door frame to be cut to fit it flush to the wall.

• He measured the granite himself rather than having the granite company come do it and it led to misaligned granite slabs on the bathtub which he had to cut himself, leaving a rough unfinished edge. The overhang on countertops differs from one vanity to the other.

• The shower floor is so uneven that the tile contractor we brought in is completely tearing it up and starting over.

• The accent tile in the shower is uneven, has broken tiles and is over-grouted in several places.

• The shower soap boxes he put in, after convincing us it was a better option than corner shelves are so poorly built that they slope inwards to allow for water to collect and remain in the soap box rather than drain out.

• Shower plumbing installed is not operable. A professional plumber has assessed the situation and determined that the diverter mechanism was installed sideways, the wrong trim kit was purchased and the diverter will only allow for 2 out of 3 functions for which it was intended. In order to repair these issues, the plumber is going to have to cut open a wall from behind the shower ( so we are going to need drywall repair when all is said and done).

• Plumbing under sinks is sloppy – enormous holes punched in cabinetry to accommodate for misalignment.

• Paint job is sloppy. Base boards nailed to wall and nail holes were left unfilled and painted over.

After 6 weeks of work (from September 4 to October 15), even accounting for the delays in tile selection that could have been avoided had he ordered the tile upon receiving initial payment, this job was so poorly done, so incomplete and our confidence in ** so low and finally, to learn that he had defaulted on payment to at least two of the vendors, we had no choice but to terminate the contract. Since that time, as noted, we’ve been contacted by suppliers requesting payment that we gave to **.Desired Settlement: Per the contract, we still owed $395 for the job (not including an additional $1700 which ** verbally told us we owed to him for overages on tile and plumbing fixtures-we never saw this in writing). Also in the contract is a $250 penalty fee owed to us from ** and CHI for every day past 3 weeks. We allowed 5 additional days to ** for the tile hold up. With this in mind, as of October 15, 2013, the job was 16 days overdue. Therefore, we are owed $3,355. If ** can provide documentation for the additional $1700, we will reduce the amount due to us to $1,655. And, of course, we expect that the money we paid to ** be used to pay the vendors used for all the materials this project. This is our primary concern.