Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/09/14) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@gmail.com
Response to the Revdex.com Complaint Case #XXXXXXX
Fieldstone Products performed work in September on the steps at *** ***
*** The scope of the job was that the client had an existing porch substrate with a failing flagstone overlay and his desire was to replace the flagstone overlay on the horizontal surfaces only per "Option 3" described belowThe original proposal did not include replacing the porch or rebuilding the entire porch and stepsThere were options available to the client on Estimate *** dated 8/6/2010, and he selected Option #Fieldstone Products performed work in September according to the Option #of Estimate *** along with the approved additional description of work as listed on Invoice *** The scope of work reads:
OPTION #3: Remove existing stone and lay new sandstone flagstone on porch and treads
Labor to remove existing stone
Mortar and miscellaneous material to lay new flagstone
Labor to lay new sandstone flagstone
Sandstone flagstone material
Sub Total $2,
Additional labor required for work other than original scope of work
To rebuild and stone riser of stairs @ per man hour
Additional material required not included in the original scope of work for material that exceeded
stone allowance
Grand Total: $3,
During the demo and construction of the project, the option to change the scope aroseDonald Salas, the sub-contractor that did the installation, is no longer with the company for me to get more detail; however, it is our understanding from the "Additional Labor" and "Additional Comments" statements that the riser of the stairs was to be re-stonedI am unclear if this was a client decision or, if due to the failing substrate, this was an unforeseen and necessary changeRegardless, adding materials to the riser of the stair will change the rise and run of the stair, and could explain why and how there was a need to "rebuild" the stairs, including the modified bottom stair
Fieldstone Products was not made aware that the client has unhappy with any of the work, including the modified bottom stairWe received payment in full a few days later in the form of a check in the amount of $3,which we interpreted as acceptance of the work completed
Fieldstone Products was not made aware of cracks in the masonry until the client called in Despite there being no express or written warranty from 2010, on April 7, 2014, Fieldstone Products sent a mason to tuck point and secure the flagstone at no expense to the clientIt was the opinion of the repair mason that a great deal of water was shedding over the masonry stairs and likely contributed to the crackingSubsequently, on May 28, 2014, Fieldstone Products purchased and installed a high quality and high dollar sealing product and sealed the areas with no cost to the client
Sometime in March the client called to express concern about the masonry crackingThe client did leave several messages over a period of 2-monthsOur dated records do not coincide with the client's complaint, howeverWe responded as promptly as we could based on the fact that we are a small company that offers individual service to all of our clients and the calls occurred during the peak masonry season, making it difficult to visit the former job site and to keep the client informed about our activity and work that was being done to find amicable resolutions
A site visit did occur April 9, as evidenced by time/date stamps on photos taken with a Samsung phone owned by *** ***, who was employed by Fieldstone Products at that time*** has retired from Fieldstone Product, but contributed to this written statement and attests that the client's statement that "*** made it clear that Fieldstone would take full responsibility" is not correctAgain I will state that there was no express or written warranty listed in Typical industry standard warranty is year
After viewing jobsite conditions demonstrated in the photos, it was the opinion of Fieldstone Products that there were outside factors that were impacting the longevity of the work, as previously indicated by the masonThe issue is not grass or no grass, but rather it has to do with the grading of the yard and how much water flows across and under the flagstoneBoth sides of the yard slope directly such that water runs across the problem areas when it rainsRoots of grass and vegetation from a planting bed could help limit the shedding of water but that is a determination outside of the scope of a masonry contractorIt is the position of Fieldstone Products that we made ample attempts to try and advocate solutions from outside contractors to a larger problem that likely existed prior to the client owning the home
*** made numerous attempts to reach an erosion specialist, concrete contractors and competitive masons to get objective solutions to the larger problemThis was in no way an implication to blame the clientThe contractors were non responsiveIt is unclear if this was due to the peak season or if they were unwilling to get involved in a situation that had no clear solution to what we determined to be an erosion issue on a four year old jobOnce it was decided internally that we could provide no alternative solutions, a letter was composed with an offer to compensate the client based on the cracking portions of the workWe did not factor in the manpower that was provided in the repair
We would like to re-state that the growing of grass is not necessarily contributing to the issue at hand, nor should it imply that is the client is responsibleIt is the opinion of Fieldstone Products that the existing circumstances of the grading of the yard being higher than the grade of the stairs shed water across and under the stairs, creating the cracking of the mortarIt is even possible that this is the reason the previous stone veneer failedThe information in May 7, letter sent to the client was stated to inform him that Fieldstone Products did our due diligence by seeking alternative solutions by reaching out to other companies for unbiased opinions and adviceIt is our position that this further supports our intention to offer customer service beyond a reasonable time frame of most established warrantiesAfter reviewing the letter and the financial offer with our legal counsel, it was determined by all to be a generous offer considering the lapse of time since completion of the job and was based on the industry average square foot price for the portion of the job in question
Fieldstone Products will refrain from responding to comments regarding the competition's "smiles, laughs and eye rolls"In response to the client's comments that "one should always surround the metal with a wrap or caulk", we were unable to substantiate this with evidence supported by building codes and only found information to support the installer's chosen method to reinstall the clients' existing handrail on a product website (http://www.atr-technologies.com/Mounting/mounting.html)
We are not blind to the fact that total replacement will exceed the financial amount of $1,that was offered to the clientThe determination of this offer was based on the original amount of the repair job in The financial burden absorbed by Fieldstone Products for the repairs done in and 2015, plus the financial offer to the client, far exceeded any profit that may have been made in Please note, the work performed in was not for total replacement of the porch substrate and veneer, it was simply to replace the previously failing veneerThe offer was based upon the square footage of the areas that were cracking as well as the time elapsed since the completion of the job
We are deeply saddened that the client has been left with such dissatisfactionAlthough we understand there may not be an amicable solution, we firmly believe that we did our best to find a resolution and offer financial support for a problem that was not the responsibility of Fieldstone Products
In response to the allegations regarding the Revdex.com accreditation, Fieldstone Products has held an A+ rating since being recognized by the Revdex.com in because there have been no complaints filedFieldstone Products was in fact accredited by the Revdex.com when the logo was added to the website and included the years 2009-The logo will be removed from the website in accordance with the Revdex.com rules and regulations regarding advertising accreditationRegardless of being accredited, Fieldstone Products strives to maintain the standard expected of the Revdex.com because is it what we believe in and is what has contributed to the long term success of Fieldstone Products
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/09/14) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@gmail.com
Response to the Revdex.com Complaint Case #XXXXXXX
Fieldstone Products performed work in September on the steps at *** ***
*** The scope of the job was that the client had an existing porch substrate with a failing flagstone overlay and his desire was to replace the flagstone overlay on the horizontal surfaces only per "Option 3" described belowThe original proposal did not include replacing the porch or rebuilding the entire porch and stepsThere were options available to the client on Estimate *** dated 8/6/2010, and he selected Option #Fieldstone Products performed work in September according to the Option #of Estimate *** along with the approved additional description of work as listed on Invoice *** The scope of work reads:
OPTION #3: Remove existing stone and lay new sandstone flagstone on porch and treads
Labor to remove existing stone
Mortar and miscellaneous material to lay new flagstone
Labor to lay new sandstone flagstone
Sandstone flagstone material
Sub Total $2,
Additional labor required for work other than original scope of work
To rebuild and stone riser of stairs @ per man hour
Additional material required not included in the original scope of work for material that exceeded
stone allowance
Grand Total: $3,
During the demo and construction of the project, the option to change the scope aroseDonald Salas, the sub-contractor that did the installation, is no longer with the company for me to get more detail; however, it is our understanding from the "Additional Labor" and "Additional Comments" statements that the riser of the stairs was to be re-stonedI am unclear if this was a client decision or, if due to the failing substrate, this was an unforeseen and necessary changeRegardless, adding materials to the riser of the stair will change the rise and run of the stair, and could explain why and how there was a need to "rebuild" the stairs, including the modified bottom stair
Fieldstone Products was not made aware that the client has unhappy with any of the work, including the modified bottom stairWe received payment in full a few days later in the form of a check in the amount of $3,which we interpreted as acceptance of the work completed
Fieldstone Products was not made aware of cracks in the masonry until the client called in Despite there being no express or written warranty from 2010, on April 7, 2014, Fieldstone Products sent a mason to tuck point and secure the flagstone at no expense to the clientIt was the opinion of the repair mason that a great deal of water was shedding over the masonry stairs and likely contributed to the crackingSubsequently, on May 28, 2014, Fieldstone Products purchased and installed a high quality and high dollar sealing product and sealed the areas with no cost to the client
Sometime in March the client called to express concern about the masonry crackingThe client did leave several messages over a period of 2-monthsOur dated records do not coincide with the client's complaint, howeverWe responded as promptly as we could based on the fact that we are a small company that offers individual service to all of our clients and the calls occurred during the peak masonry season, making it difficult to visit the former job site and to keep the client informed about our activity and work that was being done to find amicable resolutions
A site visit did occur April 9, as evidenced by time/date stamps on photos taken with a Samsung phone owned by *** ***, who was employed by Fieldstone Products at that time*** has retired from Fieldstone Product, but contributed to this written statement and attests that the client's statement that "*** made it clear that Fieldstone would take full responsibility" is not correctAgain I will state that there was no express or written warranty listed in Typical industry standard warranty is year
After viewing jobsite conditions demonstrated in the photos, it was the opinion of Fieldstone Products that there were outside factors that were impacting the longevity of the work, as previously indicated by the masonThe issue is not grass or no grass, but rather it has to do with the grading of the yard and how much water flows across and under the flagstoneBoth sides of the yard slope directly such that water runs across the problem areas when it rainsRoots of grass and vegetation from a planting bed could help limit the shedding of water but that is a determination outside of the scope of a masonry contractorIt is the position of Fieldstone Products that we made ample attempts to try and advocate solutions from outside contractors to a larger problem that likely existed prior to the client owning the home
*** made numerous attempts to reach an erosion specialist, concrete contractors and competitive masons to get objective solutions to the larger problemThis was in no way an implication to blame the clientThe contractors were non responsiveIt is unclear if this was due to the peak season or if they were unwilling to get involved in a situation that had no clear solution to what we determined to be an erosion issue on a four year old jobOnce it was decided internally that we could provide no alternative solutions, a letter was composed with an offer to compensate the client based on the cracking portions of the workWe did not factor in the manpower that was provided in the repair
We would like to re-state that the growing of grass is not necessarily contributing to the issue at hand, nor should it imply that is the client is responsibleIt is the opinion of Fieldstone Products that the existing circumstances of the grading of the yard being higher than the grade of the stairs shed water across and under the stairs, creating the cracking of the mortarIt is even possible that this is the reason the previous stone veneer failedThe information in May 7, letter sent to the client was stated to inform him that Fieldstone Products did our due diligence by seeking alternative solutions by reaching out to other companies for unbiased opinions and adviceIt is our position that this further supports our intention to offer customer service beyond a reasonable time frame of most established warrantiesAfter reviewing the letter and the financial offer with our legal counsel, it was determined by all to be a generous offer considering the lapse of time since completion of the job and was based on the industry average square foot price for the portion of the job in question
Fieldstone Products will refrain from responding to comments regarding the competition's "smiles, laughs and eye rolls"In response to the client's comments that "one should always surround the metal with a wrap or caulk", we were unable to substantiate this with evidence supported by building codes and only found information to support the installer's chosen method to reinstall the clients' existing handrail on a product website (http://www.atr-technologies.com/Mounting/mounting.html)
We are not blind to the fact that total replacement will exceed the financial amount of $1,that was offered to the clientThe determination of this offer was based on the original amount of the repair job in The financial burden absorbed by Fieldstone Products for the repairs done in and 2015, plus the financial offer to the client, far exceeded any profit that may have been made in Please note, the work performed in was not for total replacement of the porch substrate and veneer, it was simply to replace the previously failing veneerThe offer was based upon the square footage of the areas that were cracking as well as the time elapsed since the completion of the job
We are deeply saddened that the client has been left with such dissatisfactionAlthough we understand there may not be an amicable solution, we firmly believe that we did our best to find a resolution and offer financial support for a problem that was not the responsibility of Fieldstone Products
In response to the allegations regarding the Revdex.com accreditation, Fieldstone Products has held an A+ rating since being recognized by the Revdex.com in because there have been no complaints filedFieldstone Products was in fact accredited by the Revdex.com when the logo was added to the website and included the years 2009-The logo will be removed from the website in accordance with the Revdex.com rules and regulations regarding advertising accreditationRegardless of being accredited, Fieldstone Products strives to maintain the standard expected of the Revdex.com because is it what we believe in and is what has contributed to the long term success of Fieldstone Products