First Federal Savings Bank

I am rejecting this response because:a) business states that issue with uneven heating and cooling is due to no windows treatments in the front rooms, please see the picture that proves that special thermal blinds and special thermal curtains are present in both front rooms. There are blinds in the master bedroom and that does not solve heating problems during winter season...  b) business states that there is a problem with the house and I agree that overheating in the summer and freezing in winter could either be due to insulation issues or HVAC. c) I do not want to be caught in between the M/I builder and HVAC fingerpointing, [redacted] manually adjusted system for winter now and front rooms are now hot, they will come out one more time under warranty and manually re-adjust to summer but in the fall I will be freezing again in the master bedroom like last year. [redacted] has done exactly the same adjustments last fall. This is all done with manual dampers using $2000+ worth of equipment. I cannot perform this adjustment nor I should. Bottomline either M/I fixes insulation in the front rooms and in master bedroom or [redacted] upgrades HVAC system. I need a system that does what it is supposed to heat and cool evenly without seasonal manual adjustment, without overheated front rooms and freezing master bedroom.Regards,
[redacted]

M/I Homes Statement Lot ** We will like to apologize for the experience that our customer had with the purchase of the new home, we understand that the costumer had multiple inconveniences do to the issues that he experience on his house. As up today 02/13/2017 this is a list of actions that has...

been taken to address the issues on his home: 1.            11/18/2016 Drywall Company re-paint and repair all the drywall imperfections and damage due to the leak on the condensation line. 2.            11/16/2016 the plumbing issue address by a license plumber contractor. 3.            11/18/2016 damage tub was repair by a certified manufacture repair contractor. 4.            11/19/2016 house was professionally clean by our contractor. 5.            12/05/2016 Carpet was replace on the 3dr floor. 6.            10/31/2016 garage door opener was repair by contractor. 7.            11/01/2016 floor squeaks address by contractor. 8.            10/31/2016 Restoration Company was contract to dry all areas of water damage by condensation line leak. 9.            01/06/2017 Southern Energy Management re-test the house for energy code and report that areas needed to be corrected.  All corrections has been made to address issue with insulation. 10.          HVAC Contractor statement: “We have attended lot [redacted] to performed air flows and left thermostats with sensor to monitor system and room temperature difference. We found that back of house was losing the heat quicker than the front of house due to direct sunlight on front of house, as well as some small insulation issues. We relocated second floor thermostat to master bedroom and performed airflow to accommodate homeowner. On the last visit the homeowner was reading temperature in master bedroom with his own thermometer and comparing it to the thermostat in the bedroom. We took reading with three different meters and found that his thermostat was off by 1.5 degree. Also when we raised the temperature on thermostat 2 degrees, we found that his meter takes much longer to a climate reading lower that actual temperature. We took some pictures which they are attached. We told homeowner that when the insulation issues was fixed we would come out and perform air flow to have all temperatures close to each other. Upstanding issues: 1.            02/14/2017 Cabinet contractor on schedule to perform replacement and repairs in the kitchen cabinets. 2.            02/14/2017 HVAC contractor on schedule to perform air flow and continue investigation. I hope that this better explains where we are with all this issues.  Please let me know if you have further questions. Thank you for your time. Sincerely,   Ricky O[redacted]

Please see attach letter with response. Thanks  Ricky O[redacted] I am also posting the contents of this letter   April 3, 2017 Dear Sirs, I would like to respond to the complaints of the homeowner, but before I begin, I want to reiterate our position with respect to this home and the HVAC system design and equipment sizing. As a licensed contractor in the state of North Carolina we are required to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. Much of what is stated by the homeowner below is correct, and we have spent a large amount of time working with this customer to meet their demands; but there are some issues with this home that must be addressed before we can go further. The excerpt from the code provided by the [redacted] Building Inspector is correct...as a responsible, licensed HVAC contractor in North Carolina, we must design and install a heating and air conditioning system that is capable of maintaining a maximum temperature difference of 4 degrees room-to-room and floor-to-floor. We must also perform a thorough room-by-room load calculation for all new residential structures prior to installing any system in the home, and we must keep this load calculation on record for a period of 6 years or more. I will take this one step further and quote the current NC Mechanical Code - Section 312 which states: For one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, heating and cooling equipment shall be sized in accordance with ACCA Manual S based on building loads calculated in accordance with ACCA Manual J, or other approved heating and cooling calculation methodologies. This is the portion of the code that defines what method contractors must use to perform the load calculation (we use Manual J, 8th edition) and how we can match a given HVAC system's capacities to a properly performed load calculation (Manual S). We use these two standards daily and are very familiar with them and their application to Residential New Construction HVAC system design and installation. When we are originally contacted by a builder to install a heating and cooling system in a home, the first thing we do is ask for a set of plans for the home. We take those plans and redraw the home in our load calculation software so we can begin the process of Manual J. Every home is different and different builders use different products, so the software allows us to be as specific as we can be based on the information we are given from the builder. Some of this information is easy to see - the length of the walls, the size of the windows, the orientation of the home; and some of the information must be provided by the builder or pulled from the plans - the R-value of insulation in specific spaces, the u-value of the window glass, etc. But we have done many of these load calculations over the years and have become very familiar with the process and what needs to be entered into the software to accurately calculate the load.[redacted] ###-###-#### ###-###-####faxThe software can be extremely specific when it comes to the interior of the home, internal loads, and the future occupants; but we generally don’t know anything about the home buyer, and must use a set of assumptions within Manual J to complete the load. These protocols are defined in Section 2 of Manual J 8th Edition, and I believe one of them is specific to this home and the complaints from the homeowner. Under the Mandatory Requirements section on page 9, one of the bullets directs us to: Take credit for internal shade (the default is medium color blind with slats at 45 degrees, or use the actual device- this applies to all vertical glass - this does not apply to purpose built daylight windows) This bullet is referring to internal shading on windows, such blinds or curtains. The purpose of this statement is simple, everyone knows what happens when we leave the blinds open on a sunny day. Heat in the form of sunlight and radiant heat enters the home through the glass and helps heat the immediate space. When we are performing a load calculation for a new home, we generally have no idea what kind of window treatments or shades the eventual homeowner will install...and those can change over the years, as well as from homeowner to homeowner as the house is sold. For these reason, we must use an acceptable estimate for the internal shading. Exterior windows have one of the largest impacts on a residential load calculation. Their size, the amount, and the location of the windows can all influence the load calculation; and we are very careful to accurately represent them in our loads. As I look at the issues that have been presented by this homeowner, there is one recurring problem - the front bedrooms are too hot. We moved the thermostat into the master bedroom on the back of the home based on a request from the homeowner to have more direct control over the temperature in that room. We have changed the balance of airflow from room to room based on the desire of the homeowner, so it no longer matches the cfm requirements of each room per the load calc. But the front bedrooms are still too hot. It is my belief that these issues are directly associated to the absence of blinds on these windows. I know that our load calculation is as accurate as the information we were provided, and the HVAC system was selected based on the requirements of Manual S. I know that our duct installation is sound and that we can meet the cfm requirements of the room-by-room load calculation, therefore something beyond our control is causing these rooms to gain heat. As a homeowner, I also understand the frustration you feel when something is not functioning well in your new home; and I don’t want this homeowner thinking they are on their own. We are committed to doing what we can to provide them with a balanced HVAC system, and will return to the home to re-balance the airflow back to the load calculation. At that time, we can also install new thermostats that can track the temperature in multiple areas throughout the home and bring the system on to handle many of these temperature differences. Sincerely, [redacted]

I reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find the resolution is satisfactory to me. MI Homes already contacted me for this repair. Thank you so much for all your help on this. We can close this ticket in Revdex.com. 
Regards,
[redacted]

The original close date of this home is April 27,
2007.  In September of 2013 the home owner contacted M/I homes with
concerns about their exterior trim.  After it was inspected by Customer
Care the home owner was called and advised that the trim was in good shape all
around the...

home.  The home owner was called with an update of findings and
was advised that it looked like the original paint and caulking.  It was
highly recommended they have the trim caulked and painted every 3-4 years as
recommended in the Customer Care Manual. It was noted that there were two
windows at the bottom corners might have slight water intrusion. Again it was
highly recommended they take care of this soon rather than wait a couple more
years when many more boards would need replaced from lack of maintenance. 
In August of 2014 M/I Homes was again contacted and a request was made to
inspect the trim as they felt it was failing.  After this inspection as a
customer courtesy M/I Homes offered to replace the corner boards and the home
owner was reminded that he had been instructed to paint and caulk the prior
year.  Exterior trim is not a structural item and does not fall under the
structural warranty that is still in existence.  M/I Homes respectfully
declines Mr. [redacted]’s request to replace his exterior trim.
Mark
N[redacted] |

I am rejecting this response because:#1 they are trying to deny water in crawl space and basement when we have witnesses and 2 expert reports documenting the water iintrusion.#2 The irrigation company...

said they cam (unannounced when instructed never to allow a vendor here alone) and said they checked the irrg system and found no leaks BUT that is a clear lie as the water to the system was turned off in the basement and therefore they have no way to check it. they also missed the fact that the in ground mechanicals for the system is full of water.#3 the plumber did not fix the significant water loss as evidenced by a major loss of water I the tank at 2 toilets.#4 they have ignored many items on the list of defects#4 they persist in prohibiting us from being present in our home during repairs. They have NO legal right to do this. It is an attempt to demean and discourage us. Neither of which has happened.We intend to hold MI homes accountable for the substandard work and the disrespectful manner in which they have treated us and many neighbors in [redacted] ohio ( for a reference point- this home cost 485K and we  get poor service and poor work.
Regards,
[redacted]

We are rejecting this response because:  We are still waiting for items to be resolved. Received email from Joe L[redacted] on October 11th agreeing to come by on October 18th to fix squeaking on stairs, remove carpet to properly paint stringers, stretch/replace carpet to cover large gaps on tread and stop by to troubleshoot the harmful septic sewer smell emitted from upstairs hall bathroom.  We are also waiting for Joe H[redacted] to provide us with a date in which they will resolve the other issues.  He is to provide us an update on October 16th.We are also concerned that it will be the third time that M/I has been here to resolve the stair and bathroom issues. The stair guys mentioned that it was very difficult to fix them since they had not been built properly.  These are issues that we informed M/I a few weeks after we purchased the home in late 2014 and have been literally fighting for someone to just come out to fix them.  Now that they have come out and the work done has not resolved them, will something more invasive other than just putting screws on between the tread and stringers need to be done?  We need for the root cause to be addressed on the stairs and all other issues so that 3 or 30 months from now we don't run into the same thing.  We have been told by M/I that humidity. temperature play a role in the noises from the wood throughout the home yet this is not an issue that we've experience on much older homes or when we have toured model homes in the neighborhood which see very heavy traffic.  We are not asking for anything other than the issues that our home has since it was built to be resolved correctly.  Thank you.

"The Home for the Holidays Promotion was run across the division in all communities except Riviera and also did not apply to new models/product in other communities.  Our new home consultants are allowed to cross sell into other communities, so featuring a promotion in our models is not out of the ordinary--especially since the model you are referring to is an active community (Links of Ballantrae) where the promotion was available.     If you refer to the Addendum A, under Promotions, it clearly states PR026 Free Options if Buyer elects to use MI Financial as lender..  The amount totaled $5000 and is clearly tied to using MI Financial.  [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]

We have been addressing this flooring issue for 5 1/2 months. It's only because of our claim with you that M/I Homes and Kermann's finally offered up communication. This claim will not be settled until we receive reimbursement or an offer of replacement to our satisfaction.Regards,[redacted] [redacted]

This is in response to Mr. [redacted]’s complaint that M/I Homes, Charlotte LLC,  retained his deposit and denied his loan which is not the case.  Mr. [redacted] contracted to purchase a home in the Brookvue community on December 21, 2015.   He subsequently applied for financing with...

M/I Financial on December 23, 2015 and came to meet with M/I Financial in person on January 5, 2016 prior to leaving the country.  HIs financing contingency period was extended as a courtesy until February 22, 2016 due to his extended time aboard and to allow Mr. [redacted] to gather and submit required documents to M/I Financial. On February 17, M/I Financial notified Mr. [redacted] that he had received a conditional approval subject to conditions.  In the correspondence from M/I Financial, it was clearly explained that if Mr. [redacted] could not satisfy the conditions outlined in the approval, he had the right to cancel the agreement prior to the financing contingency expiring on February 22, 2016 as specified in his purchase agreement.    Mr. [redacted] was sent a certified letter on March 9, 2016 indicating he had until March 14, 2016 to contact M/I Financial or provide a loan commitment from his lender of choice or his deposit would be forfeited as liquidated damages which is clearly specified in his purchase agreement.  After repeated attempts to contact Mr. [redacted], his contract was subsequently cancelled and his deposit retained as liquidated damages.   In addition, I have had several conversations with Mr. [redacted] explaining the circumstances which led to his cancellation.  Furthermore, we have offered to apply his deposit to a future M/I Homes purchase if made within 6 months from his cancellation date. Respectfully, Alan B[redacted]

MI Homes met with the homeowner on 11/20/17 and determined the flashing outside and above the window in question was raised up, which would not be a result of original installation, more likely from wind and rain from the natural disaster that occurred in Houston on or around 8/26/17. ...

Additionally, the roofer to come inspect on 11/28/17 to provide a second opinion.

M/I Homes commitment is as follows, The standard landscaping package is guaranteed to be healthy and growing when planted.  Shrubs and trees will be replaced only once should they die during your first year of ownership.  Each homeowner is responsible for their individual plantings at the time of closing.  If plant material dies outside of the specified 1 Year warranty with M/I Homes, it is the responsibility of the respective homeowner to replace the plant/or tree at their cost.  It is the homeowner's responsibility to ensure their landscaping receives sufficient water, fertilizer and pruning during the growing season.   No further action will be taken by M/I Homes regarding this claim.   Regards,   Joel N. P[redacted] M/I Homes Cincinnati

The MI division representative stated there was damage to the garage panel during install.  The damaged piece is on back order from the manufacturer.  Homeowner was notified accordingly.  Once piece received, it will be installed and the work will be completed.   Thanks.

A fountain or rip rap were not intended to be installed at the time Mr. [redacted] purchased.  No pre-purchase promises were made regarding either of these items.  M/I, to satisfy concerns of property owners on the pond, is fine with and has been investigating the necessary factors put a...

fountain in the pond.  In order to install a fountain, a path to an electrical source needs to be obtained.  Initially, as we have no common area suitable to bring the power through, we had reached out to two property owners to run the power on their adjoining property line.  One of the two gave permission, and the other did not.  We then reached out to the one who did give permission, and asked if we could run the line entirely on his property.  We received permission from that property owner on April 19th of this year.  At this time the electrical contractor is confirming the necessary elements to complete the project.  We expect to have this resolved within the next 30-45 days.  As far as the rip rap, this has been explained and was not intentionally agreed to.  It was since clarified as an error.  An M/I staff member received a question on the rip rap, and replied thinking it was in reference to rip rap in another subdivision that was planned to have rip rap and a fountain.  The rip rap was never planned or promised prior to the purchase of the property owners now on the pond.  This agreement was in error as indicated, and was since clarified.  M/I is moving forward with the process of adding the fountain.  It is important for all parties to understand that our access to provide power, and ultimately to install the fountain, is subject to the ability of running the power on/through the property of an applicable homeowner backing up to the pond.  Jerrod K[redacted] | Division Vice President M/I Homes of Indiana, L.P.

Mrs. [redacted], In response to your request for a replacement tree at the public walk in your yard, our records indicated that no prior requests had been made to review or replace the tree during the warranty period.  Based on this timeline would have been between 12/27/2012 and 12/27/2013, for the...

warranty period.  Additionally no requests were made after the warranty period as well, until now.  The M/I Homes commitment regarding Shrubs and Trees is: “Shrubs and trees will be replaced only once should they die during your first year of ownership.”(Page 18 of the Customer Care Manual)  We cannot guarantee the life of the plants and or trees outside of this time frame as the care, watering and maintenance of these items is that solely of the homeowner.  For this reason, we will not be replacing the requested tree. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns regarding this matter.   Thank you, Joel P[redacted] M/I Homes of Cincinnati

[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: 11946753
I am rejecting this response because:The response is only in regards to the incentive offered, not the promotion.  The incentive was definitely not communicated in writing or in words to be contingent on the use of MIF, other than for the 4k closing cost incentive, which is offered nearly all the time anyways.The Lottery decision that was supposedly made at the Open House event "minutes before the announcement" but was actually made a week before and communicated to realtors and some others well ahead of time.As for the Home for the Holidays promotion for Stainless appliances (upgrade incl. fridge on regency), could you please respond to this since it was not only denied for Riviera, but all the new models, in all locations, and was quickly pulled (likely from unhappy misleaded customers).  The promotion was prominently displayed not only online but worse yet, on the actual Riviera display at the Riviera model location.  I went back a week later and they were still there.
Regards,
Lance K[redacted]

MI Homes is working direct with the customer to resolve any questions or concerns with respects to the executed sales agreement.   Thanks.

I am rejecting this response because:M/I has replaced siding of the homes directly across the street and behind my own (directly east and west of my home), as well as windows of the homes beside of them. The issue is larger than simply pursuing replacement of siding on my home and is part of a bigger, known issue that M/I has addressed with other homeowners in my neighborhood. This issue extends to my neighbor's home and the windows chosen by M/I in the construction of their home causing the damage to my home. If I simply replace my siding, without the replacement of the neighbor's windows, the issue will repeat itself, as it did before M/I replaced both the windows and siding on other homes in my neighborhood who have the same issue with their construction. My insurance covers my physical home only, and therefore is not a viable option to resolve this issue. My question is, if M/I feels that this is not due to their choice of building materials, why were the homes of others in my neighborhood fixed by M/I for the same exact issue? I know that those owners had to fight to get a result, but the actions of M/I in those situations clearly shows that it is related to the construction and materials used in their homes in this neighborhood.
Regards,
[redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: the response from M/I validates that after 9 months the repairs requested have not been completed. Yes, we can't wait for months to finish our garage so M/I can come over and caulk the plate. We have been waiting on the garage trim to be painted for months now. The lists we provided are not complete. This dirt issue is a thing all of it's own, being that me or my wife were unaware of dirt being placed on their lots. I was at work on 5/3/16, and we don't have a wheelbarrow for my wife to move the dirt to their lot. We did hire a contractor that did remove the sod so a patio can be laid out, but the contractor removed the dirt. As told to Jeff B[redacted], which again I told Jeff if he is sure that the contractor that we hired put the dirt there, we would demand he pick it up. Jeff B[redacted] was informed that many of the neighbors were cutting flower beds and it probably wasn't my contractor. But I would resolve it and call the contractor if they can 100% say that it was my dirt. A witness, security footage? Something? The permit has to be apply for the patio not the homeowner per grove city building inspector, and since I still don't have a patio, no laws have been broken.  M/I continues to be rude and disrespectful as the response relects.  I will be preparing documentation with emails, pictures for review of this complaint. I ask that M/I produces the work orders showing the items on the list are complete.  9 months and the work isn't complete. Yes I am angry that M/I called the building department on me, but I learned that the contractor didn't pull the permit, his responsibility, but I didn't get a huge fine. I have fired that contractor and contacted the concrete company the the building inspector recommended we use.  As I said earlier repairs are not complete even after months. When M/I produces the work orders for my home, those can be compared to the lists provided to the Revdex.com.  We have many pictures and emails we would like to be public record and viewable by other people being disrespected by M/I.  I will come to the Dublin road Revdex.com on Monday 5/16/16. 
Regards,
[redacted]

As a builder we are founded on two fundamental priniciples--treating our customers right and building a better home.  Due to the high demand to purchase in our Riviera community, we grand opened with a lottery system to ensure that the lot selection process was fair, organized and easy for our...

clients in an effort to create a better experience.     As with most builders, part of our incentives are tied to using our Mortgage company which helps us keep the building process running smoothly.   In the case of Riviera, we offered a 10k incentive toward options.  Half of that was tied to using M/I Financial.  In addition to the 10k, the buyer would receive 4k toward closing costs when using M/I Financial.   No other incentives were offered at our Riviera community and are not currently being offered.   These details were communicated prior to the lottery program and on the lottery calls to avoid confusion at the Grand Opening event.    Going into the new year, our incentive policy has changed and we are not offering discounts currently, rather we've increased our closing cost incentives in many of our communities which are most often tied to using our preferred lender.    Please note that M/I may offer other future incentive programs based on market conditions and trends.  [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]