Design Around This, LLC

Ref: a) Revdex.com letter to contractor “Design Around This” (DAT) dated July 23, (case [redacted] ) b) DAT letter to Revdex.com dated August 6, c) DAT invoice letter to us dated November 14, Dear ***: Thank you for letting us voice our concerns and complaints regarding this case First, we never received invoice and letter c) from DAT and never knew it existed until it was included with document b) - addressed to Revdex.com We hired DAT to provide a quality, weather-resistant surface to our home built outdoor kitchen countertopThey assured us they could do an excellent job with their special “Granicrete” process We picked the color (reddish brown), paid them $deposit with $balance due upon completionSee attached quote – this is the only document we ever received from them DAT says we were complaining about the colorWe did not complain about the color, but the color discoloration (undesirable milky areas mixed in with the brown – which did not look at all like the color we selected) Our complaints (as anyone else s would be) are as follows: Undesirable milky areas mixed in with the reddish brown color as stated aboveCountertop edges looking like they were dipped in white donut icing, with solidified droplets along the bottom edges Top sealer coat not bonded to the sub-surface (see explanation below)No response to our calls or phone messages - which had gone on for months During the last (2) months, we tried contacting DAT at least (10) times and have phone records to prove itWhen we finally did contact them, they scheduled appointments to return but never didWe understand that expense and time to return to our home is valuable to DATOur expense and time are also valuableThis project was to have been completed last fall and remains uncorrected to this day Since DAT ignored our calls, we eventually called another contractor in WoosterOH, who also uses the same “Granicrete” processWe asked him to please come and look at our situation and advise what we should do He did come out and was shocked at the resultsHe said this is not an easy fix and was not a “cosmetic issue” as stated in DAT letter b) He said this is everything to do with quality of workIt is obvious if you finish with the top sealer coat, there's nothing you can do about the color beneath The only way to correct this would be to start overStarting over means removing everything down to the concrete substrateHe is willing to provide a statement if necessary He gave us his price to redo the countertop and told us we could save on cost by removing everything down to the concrete substrate by ourselves, so we said we would do just that He said removing the sealer coat is not an easy job, since it is a very hard surface, bonded to the colored surface beneath He was surprised when we told him that at least 80% of the sealer coat flaked off very easily (as shown on attached video) - meaning there was essentially no bonding at all This should never happen Not only are we upset with DAT as described above, we are also upset by their portrayal of us as people who make threats and accusationsWe never did this and can prove it As far as communication Yes, we may have a “heavy accent” as DAT said We are originally from Poland, but learned the English language long ago, and have lived in the U.Sfor over yearsOur friends and co-workers say they have no problem understanding us In conclusion, all we wanted was a job well doneIt was not about the cost or the color It was simply a matter of giving us what we paid for! We understand that everyone makes mistakes especially when you try something for the first time(They told us this was their first outside kitchen countertop.) They not only did a terrible job but even worse they ignored the fact that they did something wrong and didn’t try to fix it So, we are requesting a full refund from DAT since they did not provide the results they promised Since we will have to hire another contractor to accomplish what DAT could not, we have no choice but to have it done correctly by the contractor from Wooster, at additional cost to usNot to mention the time and work it took us to prepare the surface for a new application of Granicrete Thank you again for letting us express our dilemma We look forward to any help the Revdex.com can provide in this matter Please let us know if additional information is needed and we will gladly provide it

This correspondence is in response to your letter of July 23, referencing case ID [redacted] .We are well aware that the Clients have issues with the color on their countertops as we have spokenwith them about this subjectWe did make an appointment back in June to go out to see them, but hadto rescheduleThis was no problem with MrClient since he was leaving town and needed to wait till hegot back anyways.When he got back, my partner, [redacted] , scheduled another appointment with them, but at thespecified time he made the appointment for us to go up to their home he didn't realize that I had aboard of director's meeting to attend for the Habitat for Humanity of Coshocton CountyAs a boardmember for our local Habitat for Humanity, it was necessary for me to attend as we were voting on anddiscussing our fiscal year 2015-budgetSo, when I subsequently spoke with MrClient to reschedule again, he became irate and started yellingat me and I told him that he didn't have to act that way since I was trying to resolve an issue for themdespite the fact that they hadn't paid their final invoiceHe demanded that we come up there and fix itor give them back their moneyAs I pointed out to him in that phone call, with my partner present, we had never received final paymentfor the project and that a design issue was simply that a design issueHowever, that has nothing to dowith the suitability or usability of the countertopThere was no contract that stated if they didn't likethe design of the countertop that they didn't have to pay their final invoiceWe even performed additional work while we were there that wasn't included in the initial invoiceMrs.Client insisted that the underside of the bar area of the countertop needed to be finishedThisamounted to an additional sqftof area that needed to be coveredAt our quoted rate of $25/sqft.that was an additional $that would be added to the final invoiceWe didn't even get an advance formaterials as we should have doneOnce that additional work was done, MrsClient also wanted the edge against the house to look like theedge on the rest of the countertop even though there was no way anyone was ever going to see itWeagain complied with her request which required us to make a special trip to our distributor's location inCleveland to pick up additional materials to complete this second special requestWe had several conversations with MrsClient as she was present during much of the project watchingus perform our workDuring those conversations, she informed us that she has had multiple issues withother companies that came out to do work for them and no one ever wanted to come back to work withthemWe didn't think much of it at the time, but we have since come to realize why this may be thecaseThe Clients speak with a heavy accent and even our distributor ( [redacted] Cleveland West) have spokenwith them and mentioned how difficult it was to understand and communicate with MrsClientIn fact,our distributor was called by MrsClient and she demanded that they also should come fix it for freesince they sold us the products to perform the work, and threatened to sue them for doing such if theydidn't come fix itThe Clients have requested their money back, but were informed in writing and an accompanyinginvoice that they are the ones that need to pay their invoiceAt the time we receive that final payment,we will be more than happy to go back and address the coloration issue they haveThey demanded thatwe come fix it for free and we will comply with that once they pay their final invoiceHad they signed a contract that gave them the option of backing out of final payment due to a designissue, we would certainly go fix it before we receive final paymentHowever, that isn't the case in thissituationTheir final payment is in the amount of $1,which includes the additional $of workthat was performed that wasn't included in the initial invoiceWe too have waited for months for payment of these funds which has caused more than a little bit offinancial concern for our small businessThis situation is and has been as much of a concern for us as itseems to have been for themWe are reasonable people and have been very patient in trying to resolvethis without taking them to small claims court ourselves to collect on their outstanding balance.Our intention is to have satisfied clients on every project, and we have gone over and above with morethan a few other clients to ensure that goal is metAs the Chents have stated in their letter to you, thisparticular case is simply due to a cosmetic issue and has nothing to do with the quality of our work inany other regardThus, we agree with our distributor in the fact that they are the ones who need totake the first step in resolving this issue by paying their outstanding invoiceUpon that outstanding, and overdue, invoice being paid in full, we are absolutely willing and lookforward to addressing their coloration issues with the countertopUntil that time comes, we will remainpatient and continue to progress with our extremely busy schedule of referral business which is basedon the quality of our work!

This correspondence is in response to your letter of July 23, referencing case ID ***.We are well aware that the Clients have issues with the color on their countertops as we have spokenwith them about this subjectWe did make an appointment back in June to go out to see them, but hadto
rescheduleThis was no problem with MrClient since he was leaving town and needed to wait till hegot back anyways.When he got back, my partner, *** ***, scheduled another appointment with them, but at thespecified time he made the appointment for us to go up to their home he didn't realize that I had aboard of director's meeting to attend for the Habitat for Humanity of Coshocton CountyAs a boardmember for our local Habitat for Humanity, it was necessary for me to attend as we were voting on anddiscussing our fiscal year 2015-budget.So, when I subsequently spoke with MrClient to reschedule again, he became irate and started yellingat me and I told him that he didn't have to act that way since I was trying to resolve an issue for themdespite the fact that they hadn't paid their final invoiceHe demanded that we come up there and fix itor give them back their money.As I pointed out to him in that phone call, with my partner present, we had never received final paymentfor the project and that a design issue was simply that a design issueHowever, that has nothing to dowith the suitability or usability of the countertopThere was no contract that stated if they didn't likethe design of the countertop that they didn't have to pay their final invoice.We even performed additional work while we were there that wasn't included in the initial invoiceMrs.Client insisted that the underside of the bar area of the countertop needed to be finishedThisamounted to an additional sqftof area that needed to be coveredAt our quoted rate of $25/sqft.that was an additional $that would be added to the final invoiceWe didn't even get an advance formaterials as we should have done.Once that additional work was done, MrsClient also wanted the edge against the house to look like theedge on the rest of the countertop even though there was no way anyone was ever going to see itWeagain complied with her request which required us to make a special trip to our distributor's location inCleveland to pick up additional materials to complete this second special request.We had several conversations with MrsClient as she was present during much of the project watchingus perform our workDuring those conversations, she informed us that she has had multiple issues withother companies that came out to do work for them and no one ever wanted to come back to work withthemWe didn't think much of it at the time, but we have since come to realize why this may be thecase.The Clients speak with a heavy accent and even our distributor (*** Cleveland West) have spokenwith them and mentioned how difficult it was to understand and communicate with MrsClientIn fact,our distributor was called by MrsClient and she demanded that they also should come fix it for freesince they sold us the products to perform the work, and threatened to sue them for doing such if theydidn't come fix it.The Clients have requested their money back, but were informed in writing and an accompanyinginvoice that they are the ones that need to pay their invoiceAt the time we receive that final payment,we will be more than happy to go back and address the coloration issue they haveThey demanded thatwe come fix it for free and we will comply with that once they pay their final invoice.Had they signed a contract that gave them the option of backing out of final payment due to a designissue, we would certainly go fix it before we receive final paymentHowever, that isn't the case in thissituationTheir final payment is in the amount of $1,which includes the additional $of workthat was performed that wasn't included in the initial invoice.We too have waited for months for payment of these funds which has caused more than a little bit offinancial concern for our small businessThis situation is and has been as much of a concern for us as itseems to have been for themWe are reasonable people and have been very patient in trying to resolvethis without taking them to small claims court ourselves to collect on their outstanding balance.Our intention is to have satisfied clients on every project, and we have gone over and above with morethan a few other clients to ensure that goal is metAs the Chents have stated in their letter to you, thisparticular case is simply due to a cosmetic issue and has nothing to do with the quality of our work inany other regardThus, we agree with our distributor in the fact that they are the ones who need totake the first step in resolving this issue by paying their outstanding invoice.Upon that outstanding, and overdue, invoice being paid in full, we are absolutely willing and lookforward to addressing their coloration issues with the countertopUntil that time comes, we will remainpatient and continue to progress with our extremely busy schedule of referral business which is basedon the quality of our work!

This correspondence is in response to your letter of July 23, 2015 referencing case ID [redacted].We are well aware that the Clients have issues with the color on their countertops as we have spokenwith them about this subject. We did make an appointment back in June to go out to see them,...

but hadto reschedule. This was no problem with Mr. Client since he was leaving town and needed to wait till hegot back anyways.When he got back, my partner, [redacted], scheduled another appointment with them, but at thespecified time he made the appointment for us to go up to their home he didn't realize that I had aboard of director's meeting to attend for the Habitat for Humanity of Coshocton County. As a boardmember for our local Habitat for Humanity, it was necessary for me to attend as we were voting on anddiscussing our fiscal year 2015-2016 budget.
So, when I subsequently spoke with Mr. Client to reschedule again, he became irate and started yellingat me and I told him that he didn't have to act that way since I was trying to resolve an issue for themdespite the fact that they hadn't paid their final invoice. He demanded that we come up there and fix itor give them back their money.
As I pointed out to him in that phone call, with my partner present, we had never received final paymentfor the project and that a design issue was simply that ... a design issue. However, that has nothing to dowith the suitability or usability of the countertop. There was no contract that stated if they didn't likethe design of the countertop that they didn't have to pay their final invoice.
We even performed additional work while we were there that wasn't included in the initial invoice. Mrs.Client insisted that the underside of the bar area of the countertop needed to be finished. Thisamounted to an additional 20 sq. ft. of area that needed to be covered. At our quoted rate of $25/sq. ft.that was an additional $500 that would be added to the final invoice. We didn't even get an advance formaterials as we should have done.
Once that additional work was done, Mrs. Client also wanted the edge against the house to look like theedge on the rest of the countertop even though there was no way anyone was ever going to see it. Weagain complied with her request which required us to make a special trip to our distributor's location inCleveland to pick up additional materials to complete this second special request.
We had several conversations with Mrs. Client as she was present during much of the project watchingus perform our work. During those conversations, she informed us that she has had multiple issues withother companies that came out to do work for them and no one ever wanted to come back to work withthem. We didn't think much of it at the time, but we have since come to realize why this may be thecase.
The Clients speak with a heavy accent and even our distributor ([redacted] Cleveland West) have spokenwith them and mentioned how difficult it was to understand and communicate with Mrs. Client. In fact,our distributor was called by Mrs. Client and she demanded that they also should come fix it for freesince they sold us the products to perform the work, and threatened to sue them for doing such if theydidn't come fix it.
The Clients have requested their money back, but were informed in writing and an accompanyinginvoice that they are the ones that need to pay their invoice. At the time we receive that final payment,we will be more than happy to go back and address the coloration issue they have. They demanded thatwe come fix it for free and we will comply with that once they pay their final invoice.
Had they signed a contract that gave them the option of backing out of final payment due to a designissue, we would certainly go fix it before we receive final payment. However, that isn't the case in thissituation. Their final payment is in the amount of $1,498.44 which includes the additional $500 of workthat was performed that wasn't included in the initial invoice.
We too have waited for 10 months for payment of these funds which has caused more than a little bit offinancial concern for our small business. This situation is and has been as much of a concern for us as itseems to have been for them. We are reasonable people and have been very patient in trying to resolvethis without taking them to small claims court ourselves to collect on their outstanding balance.Our intention is to have satisfied clients on every project, and we have gone over and above with morethan a few other clients to ensure that goal is met. As the Chents have stated in their letter to you, thisparticular case is simply due to a cosmetic issue and has nothing to do with the quality of our work inany other regard. Thus, we agree with our distributor in the fact that they are the ones who need totake the first step in resolving this issue by paying their outstanding invoice.
Upon that outstanding, and overdue, invoice being paid in full, we are absolutely willing and lookforward to addressing their coloration issues with the countertop. Until that time comes, we will remainpatient and continue to progress with our extremely busy schedule of referral business which is basedon the quality of our work!

Ref:                a)   Revdex.com letter to contractor “Design Around This” (DAT) dated July 23, 2015 (case [redacted])            b)   DAT letter to Revdex.com dated August 6, 2015            c)   DAT invoice letter to us dated November 14, 2014             Dear [redacted]:            Thank you for letting us voice our concerns and complaints regarding this case.            First, we never received invoice and letter  c) from DAT … and never knew it existed until it was included with document  b) - addressed to Revdex.com.           We hired DAT to provide a quality, weather-resistant surface to our home built outdoor kitchen countertop. They assured us they could do an excellent job with their special “Granicrete” process.        We picked the color (reddish brown), paid them $998.44 deposit with $998.44 balance due upon completion. See attached quote – this is the only document we ever received from them.            DAT says we were complaining about the color. We did not complain about the color, but the color discoloration (undesirable milky areas mixed in with the brown – which did not look at all like the color we selected).  Our complaints (as anyone else s would be) are as follows:  Undesirable milky areas mixed in with the reddish brown color as stated above.Countertop edges looking like they were dipped in white donut icing, with solidified droplets along the bottom edges. Top sealer coat not bonded to the sub-surface (see explanation below).No response to our calls or phone messages - which had gone on for 10 months.       During the last (2) months, we tried contacting DAT at least (10) times and have phone records to prove it. When we finally did contact them, they scheduled appointments to return but never did. We understand that expense and time to return to our home is valuable to DAT. Our expense and time are also valuable.This project was to have been completed last fall and remains uncorrected to this day.              Since DAT ignored our calls, we eventually called another contractor in Wooster. OH, who also uses the same “Granicrete” process. We asked him to please come and look at our situation and advise what we should do.             He did come out and was shocked at the results. He said this is not an easy fix and was not a “cosmetic issue” as stated in DAT letter  b).  He said this is everything to do with quality of work. It is obvious if you finish with the top sealer coat, there's nothing you can do about the color beneath.             The only way to correct this would be to start over. Starting over means removing everything down to the concrete substrate. He is willing to provide a statement if necessary.            He gave us his price to redo the countertop and told us we could save on cost by removing everything down to the concrete substrate by ourselves, so we said we would do just that.             He said removing the sealer coat is not an easy job, since it is a very hard surface, bonded to the colored surface beneath.             He was surprised when we told him that at least 80% of the sealer coat flaked off very easily (as shown on attached video) - meaning there was essentially no bonding at all . This should never happen.              Not only are we upset with DAT as described above, we are also upset by their portrayal of us as people who make threats and accusations. We never did this and can prove it.              As far as communication … Yes, we may have a “heavy accent” as DAT said.    We are originally from Poland, but learned the English language long ago, and have lived in the U.S. for over 32 years. Our friends and co-workers say they have no problem understanding us.              In conclusion, all we wanted was a job well done. It was not about the cost or the color.             It was simply a matter of giving us what we paid for!   We understand that everyone makes mistakes especially when you try something for the first time. (They told us this was their first outside kitchen countertop.) They not only did a terrible job but even worse they ignored the fact that they did something wrong and didn’t try to fix it              So, we are requesting a full refund from DAT since they did not provide the results they promised.              Since we will have to hire another contractor to accomplish what DAT could not, we have no choice but to have it done correctly by the contractor from Wooster, at additional cost to us. Not to mention the time and work it took us to prepare the surface for a new application of Granicrete.              Thank you again for letting us express our dilemma.              We look forward to any help the Revdex.com can provide in this matter.              Please let us know if additional information is needed and we will gladly provide it.

Ref:    
            a)   Revdex.com letter to contractor “Design Around This” (DAT) dated July 23, 2015 (case [redacted])
            b)   DAT letter to Revdex.com dated August 6, 2015
            c)   DAT invoice letter to us dated November 14, 2014
 
            Dear [redacted]:
            Thank you for letting us voice our concerns and complaints regarding this case.
            First, we never received invoice and letter  c) from DAT … and never knew it existed until it was included with document  b) - addressed to Revdex.com.
           We hired DAT to provide a quality, weather-resistant surface to our home built outdoor kitchen countertop. They assured us they could do an excellent job with their special “Granicrete” process.
        We picked the color (reddish brown), paid them $998.44 deposit with $998.44 balance due upon completion. See attached quote – this is the only document we ever received from them.
            DAT says we were complaining about the color. We did not complain about the color, but the color discoloration (undesirable milky areas mixed in with the brown – which did not look at all like the color we selected).
 
Our complaints (as anyone else s would be) are as follows:
 
Undesirable milky areas mixed in with the reddish brown color as stated above.
Countertop edges looking like they were dipped in white donut icing, with solidified droplets along the bottom edges.
Top sealer coat not bonded to the sub-surface (see explanation below).
No response to our calls or phone messages - which had gone on for 10 months.
 
     During the last (2) months, we tried contacting DAT at least (10) times and have phone records to prove it. When we finally did contact them, they scheduled appointments to return but never did. We understand that expense and time to return to our home is valuable to DAT. Our expense and time are also valuable.
This project was to have been completed last fall and remains uncorrected to this day.
 
            Since DAT ignored our calls, we eventually called another contractor in Wooster. OH, who also uses the same “Granicrete” process. We asked him to please come and look at our situation and advise what we should do.
            He did come out and was shocked at the results. He said this is not an easy fix and was not a “cosmetic issue” as stated in DAT letter  b).  He said this is everything to do with quality of work. It is obvious if you finish with the top sealer coat, there's nothing you can do about the color beneath.
            The only way to correct this would be to start over. Starting over means removing everything down to the concrete substrate. He is willing to provide a statement if necessary.
            He gave us his price to redo the countertop and told us we could save on cost by removing everything down to the concrete substrate by ourselves, so we said we would do just that.
            He said removing the sealer coat is not an easy job, since it is a very hard surface, bonded to the colored surface beneath.
            He was surprised when we told him that at least 80% of the sealer coat flaked off very easily (as shown on attached video) - meaning there was essentially no bonding at all . This should never happen.
 
            Not only are we upset with DAT as described above, we are also upset by their portrayal of us as people who make threats and accusations. We never did this and can prove it.
 
            As far as communication … Yes, we may have a “heavy accent” as DAT said.
   We are originally from Poland, but learned the English language long ago, and have lived in the U.S. for over 32 years. Our friends and co-workers say they have no problem understanding us.
 
            In conclusion, all we wanted was a job well done. It was not about the cost or the color.
            It was simply a matter of giving us what we paid for!
 
We understand that everyone makes mistakes especially when you try something for the first time. (They told us this was their first outside kitchen countertop.) They not only did a terrible job but even worse they ignored the fact that they did something wrong and didn’t try to fix it
 
            So, we are requesting a full refund from DAT since they did not provide the results they promised.
 
            Since we will have to hire another contractor to accomplish what DAT could not, we have no choice but to have it done correctly by the contractor from Wooster, at additional cost to us. Not to mention the time and work it took us to prepare the surface for a new application of Granicrete.
 
            Thank you again for letting us express our dilemma.
 
            We look forward to any help the Revdex.com can provide in this matter.
 
            Please let us know if additional information is needed and we will gladly provide it.