Deck Masters & More

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/17) */
Contact Name and Title: Tom P[redacted] Owner
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]
Dear Mrs. [redacted], I apologize for all of the delays. I understand your concerns and would like to address those immediately. Being this...

is only the second time I have communicated with you, the first time was when we signed the contract to do the work. During the deck renovation I was communicating with Mr. [redacted] on a continued basis.
When we first started this project the approximate start date was the end of May. We ended up starting the first week of June. Mr. [redacted] did say not to remove the existing deck floor until we were sure we could start the new floor. We did so and installed the first section of floor as stated. As the deck floor and deck rail caps are the same material, I installed the solid rail caps on the floor instead of the grooved deck boards. I made that mistake and addressed the situation by asking Mr. [redacted] to order more solid deck boards since they were from Illinois and weren't available locally. I even offered to drive to pick them up to hasten the process. Mr. [redacted] said that they would be delivered in 5 business days and that it was ok with him to wait the 5 days. He also stated that the floor is the most important and that he wasn't as concerned if the railings and pergola were done in August. I said that I would prefer to get it all done as soon as possible.
I also gave Mr. [redacted] my out of pocket cost for the pressure treated posts and joists we needed to install for the borders and railings, and the screws and hidden fasteners. I told him that even though it wasn't quoted on the contract that I wasn't going to charge you for those items which totalled $201.00
As much as I hate using the weather as an excuse, this has been the rainiest summer in recent history and has delayed our entire season by weeks. When I did come to work on nice days, it seemed the rain would come even when not in the forecast. Mr.[redacted] even joked about that with me saying that I brought the rain with me.
As for taking the equipment out of your garage, It is our policy not to leave tools on the job. Normally we take our tools home daily for safety and security reasons unless special circumstances arise such as rainy weather.
When we broke the sunroom window, I informed your husband of the incident, told him I would pay for the window to be replaced, and that it was located at the [redacted]
You stated that I haven't returned your phone calls or text messages. I have not received any voice mails or texts since I was last at your home. Also, we have been home every evening after 8:00 P.M. and have not had any visitors that I am aware of. I was planning on coming out this past week but once again it has rained 3 of the 5 working days.
I truly do apologize for all the misscommunication and would like to come out and finish this project as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Thomas P[redacted]

Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
When we first met with the owner of Deck Masters & More about our deck project, we specified the material we wanted the contractor to use for this job, because we were matching an existing tile surface over our sunroom. But we also relied on him to advise us about proper design specifications, and it was his job to give us a list of materials to order. My husband (who is certainly aware of and participated in filing this complaint), placed the order based on Tom's instructions.
We have now had three contractors come out to quote the remainder of the project. All three of them immediately told us that when using ANY composite material, it is necessary to have a support post at least every 6 feet or the railings will be unstable. Tom never mentioned this and was proceeding to install railings with 8- to 10-foot spaces between the posts. The new contractors told us railings that long will not only be unstable, but will quickly warp.
Two of the three contractors had experience building pergolas, which is part of our project. On the first day they looked at the job, both of them told us that a pergola cannot be built out of composite material because it is not structural grade and needs support every 2 feet. We have since confirmed this with the manufacturer. In light of the fact that Tom did not know either of these important facts, resulting in our ordering thousands of dollars worth of decking material that we now cannot use, we certainly do not want him to come back and finish the project.
We would like to add this statement to our original complaint. As we stated then, our desired resolution is to be reimbursed for the material they ruined ($795) and the window they broke ($25).
Final Business Response /* (4000, 24, 2015/09/04) */
You will receive your reimbursement within 30 days.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 26, 2015/09/12) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We will accept his resolution when we actually receive our reimbursement.