Fischer Homes

My wife and I purchased a new home from Fischer Homes in Oct 2016. In just over two years, we have had a gutter and two downspouts fall off the house, conveniently after the one year warranty. Of the houses I've owned previously, I've never had issues with gutters and downspouts falling off the houses. One of my neighbors, who built their house at the same time we did also had a gutter fall of their house. I have figured out that Fischer Homes subcontracts their gutter and downspout work to ***. After a quick Google search I found that this company has an extremely poor customer review rating, something on the sort of 1.5 stars. We have witnessed this *** installing gutters and downspouts on the surrounding homes at night with headlamps. I don't know about you, but I can't do quality work outside at night with a headlamp. This is absolutely unacceptable for a home builder to subcontract to a company with such a bad reputation.

Deciding to work with Fischer Homes to build our first home has been a huge mistake. We met with a sales rep (Michael) for about 2 hours the first time. He explained what models were available, the building process, and we toured the model. We returned 3 days later (2/2/19) and he priced out 2 models for us to compare the cost. The one we chose was priced out at $237,731 with a few selected upgrades and we put a $3000 deposit down. We did opt to build at this point believing we were getting a quality build and everything we would need at that price point. We were under the impression from the sales rep that the upgrades were good quality. The next day we realized that we had not gotten the gas water heater, dryer hookup, or one of the window options we had stated we wanted during the pricing. This was going to add another $1520.
The first issue was that the difference between the Maple Street models and the Designer models was not properly explained by the sales rep. 3 days later (2/6/19) we went to their design center which has row after row of options. However, we were told that our options for the Maple Street line were limited to a small room of it. At that point, we realized that we would have to put at least another $20,000 into our home to make it good quality and livable. This was unacceptable. A quick google search showed that the value of our build would be way over market for comparable homes in the area. We knew immediately that we did not want to move forward with this build.
Another quality issue we saw was when we went to view a house that was within weeks of closing. We observed the uneven baseboards and walls, patched exterior wall, and wet walls in the basement which major red flags of poor craftmanship and quality.
Four days (2/7/19) after signing the contract we informed the sales rep via email that we did not wish to proceed with the build due to misleading sales tactics and poor quality. He did respond that night but we were not able to actually speak with the sales rep until 2/9/19 due to inability to get ahold of him. At that time, he stated he would inform his supervisor that we did not want to move forward. We called the corporate number on 2/11/19 and were forwarded to Christy (Michael’s supervisor). She stated that this was the first she was hearing about our wish to remove ourselves. Michael had not yet informed her despite saying he would 2 days prior. Christy promised a return phone call before the end of the business day. No return phone call. We called corporate again the next day because we were unable to get ahold of Christy and her voicemail was full. We have to wait until 2/14/19 when she is available to speak with both of us. Although we had to text her the night before to determine a time as she had not followed up once again. She responds saying Michael was suppose to set that up. We once again tell her we do not want to move forward due to all of our concerns (as noted above) and she states she will forward to their legal department. We ask for our $3000 deposit back.
On 2/18/19, we still had no follow from anyone at Fischer. Once again, we had to call corporate number and leave a message, now with the legal department. At 7:27 pm that night we received a voicemail from Michael. that we would be released from our contract but Fischer would be retaining our deposit. We stated that was unacceptable and that we again want our money back. Once again, we had to be forwarded up the chain. Christy calls back at 2:30 pm the next day (after numerous attempts on our end to speak with someone) and states that we will be only dealing with her and they are not refunding our money.
This is unacceptable. They are not providing the quality that they implied we would be getting in our home. The price was not going to be comparable to homes in the area. No one with Fischer did what they said they were going to do and we have had to stay on top of it every step of the way. We cannot imagine dealing with this company for the course of a home building process. The home has in no way been started and we informed them only 4 days from signing that we would not be moving forward. They have not had any expenses put out for our home yet but refuse to return our deposit.

We have been under contract with Fischer’s since March of 2018 in the building of the *** model in ***. This process has been frustrating and arduous in its entirety and we have so many pending issues revolving around quality of craftsmanship that get repeatedly ignored. The issues that are occurring are to our detriment and with an impedending closing in sight, we wish to escalate the issues to the appropriate people. From unfulfilled promises and outright ignorance, we have been ignored, and made to feel like we are the ones with the problem. I wish I was making this stuff up, but I have recordings and pictures of all of our woes, and this is not something that can be corrected in the 6 days we have remaining before our closing wihich has already been delayed by three months.

The following are long-standing and largely unresolved issues related to the service and construction of Fischer Homes:

1. Unwilling to immediately repair a clearly failed footer that resulted in delays in construction, which they were notified prior to foundation walls being poured. It was later injected when it created an 8 ft crack in the exterior foundation wall.

2. The construction crew across the street at another job removed a 20x20x20 area out of the side of our homesite to backfill our neighbor’s garage, unnecessarily disturbing 1/4 of our land near a water drainage easement. The land has yet to be restored to the integrity of which it once lay.

3. Wood was delivered in April, but did not get installed until late August to early September. It was uncovered in the lumber yard then redelivered after months exposure resulting in acute warping, cracking and MOLD. The framer has requested that the most damaged pieces be replaced prior to framing construction. This request was subsequently denied by Fischer and the exiting superintendent overseeing the construction. The framer was forced to install saturated and damaged wood which later resulted in mold remediation of a brand new home in addition to more than the normal amount of split and warped boards in the entire home. Now, warping in walls is clearly evident.

4. Alongside the lumber, the roofing, shingles, tar paper and moisture roll were delievered also in April which sat outside until iinstallation began in late August. The tar paper had sat outside, directly on the ground. According to ***, tar paper that gets wet is considered damaged, interfering with the long-term warranty coverage of future issues. The roofer took three weeks to complete the roof in installation which resulted in wavy, inconsistent and TERRIBLE application. A moisture meter indicated that there are more than 12 leaks that remain unrepaired and unattended, even with drywall and wood showing visible signs of water leakage into the home. They did not install the flashing for the brick ladders at the brick to roofing seams in two areas. There are shingles that are VISIBLY folded and improperly installed.

5. The exterior trim installers damaged the roof, including torn shingles and a hole in the carriage garage roof OSB of about 3 ft in diameter that STILL REMIANS UNFIXED. They also used CAULKING to patch areas where trim should be present because of improper cuts. None of the trim lines up and four second floor windows were not caused at all. The archway over the door is 8” off center. They installed soffits that are damaged (with a giant hole). They also incorrectly wrapped the trim under the roof as well as contributed to large amounts of additional adages on the roof. The cuts above the back door are over an inch uneven as well as missing entire corners of trim. New super manager was bragging how well it was done, it’s so uneven in some areas I think the installer was unlicensed or inexperienced. Have pics of this to show.

3. Brick was crafted well, but an improperly placed exhaust fan and missing entire brick features still exist on the home including the brick ladders at the roof line on the pitches, brick corbels at the front door, tapering of brick at the front stoop and left open holes around the entire house from previous construction that had not been fixed prior to installation.

4. Premature installation of cabinets, flooring, carpet and handrails have all resulted in significant damage.

5. HVAC was not given the proper plan to our home resulting in a visible vent in the middle of the kitchen walkway that was later moved but dropped below the original main ducting in the basement to accommodate its relocation. It now hangs about 6 feet above your head in the same area we paid extra for a rough bathroom plumb in our basement.

6. The conduit that I paid additional money for was jammed straight into an HVAC duct without unrestricted access. When installed, they dropped it behind the wall directly into the vent resulting in a dented and damaged duct.

7. Framing around the laundry room steps and windows have resulted in strange and malformed transitions.

8. Farmers ran out of wood, installed 1x4s for the garage ceiling that left gaps up to two inches that were taped and mudded and no blocking to hang the garage door opener we pod extra to prewire. This resulted in uneven walls to the GREATEST extent.

9. Carpenters are not using stud finders and randomly drilling holes above countertops to find studs. Had the same issue with the plumber drilling arbitrary holes indirectly into floor joists and too close to walls for a stand alone tub.

10. Sconces in master bath are visibly uneven. Asked them several times to fix before drywall, still hasn’t been done.

11. Plumbing and valves were left off entirely. Holes were drilled directly into the floor joists. Duroc was installed 2-3 feet above the tub location!

12. HVAC air return on the first floor remains behind the wall and in the most visible, area right as you walk into the front door. Other areas remain dented and returns hidden behind walls remain uncut as the contractors run our furnace with restricted airflow at 71 degrees.

13. Incorrect doors were promised alongside upgraded plumbing by the design center because the girl was new.

14. Entire sockets weren’t installed prior to backsplash tile going in. Pantry electrical wiring was never connected. Floor outlet sits about 1” above the carpet.

15. King crown in shimmed in many different areas. Entire home trim is shotty. Entire foyer is not cased, even though included. Transom windows were cased as one when the plans clearly call or individual casings.

16. Drywall is poorly taped and wavy.

17. Backfill around the home is terrible.

14. Individual window casings are missing entirely. Interior trim is crooked and literally hanging off the wall. We paid extra for our window casings. Should have done it ourselves. The corners don’t match up and the trim is so crooked it looks like it’s attached to the floors and not the walls.

15. Hand rail has been damaged.

16. Hasty cutting to cabinet veneers left it damaged.

17. Upper cabinet trim was listed as do not install. It was tacked on then subsequently pulled off. Extra cabinet buildout features were portly installed with unneccesary holes, scratches and paint tarnishing the finishes. .

18. TWO holes leading to the outside for exhaust fan vented from kitchen to outside because it was placed on the wrong stud.

19. Master bath vanity is supposed to be multilevel, installed at one level.

20. BOTH garage doors were damaged and dented but they painted them with 12 inch dent!

21. Front door stoop is about two feet too short on both sides. Back stoop is three feet higher than it should be.

22. Radon pipe I don’t believe was ever installed.

These are just a FEW of the items that have gone absurdly wrong with our home and remain incorrected. I WISH I can make this up, but I simply cannot. Most of these items could’ve been avoided had they heeded our warnings, but we were ignored through the entire course of construction and now with our 3rd super and 3rd regional super. At ANY point in time, they could’ve corrected these issues before it became such a massive task- BUT THEY DID NOT. Buyers beware, they do not care about the quality of the product they are putting forth and 20 years ago iFischer May have been a good builder... all I can say is the tiling in our master bath is nice... but they have to pull it out because they forgot the plumbing of which we reminded them on number ours occasions. We aren’t asking for the world here, just a standard of quality and care- none of which we have received throughout the duration of our build.

We purchased a Fischer Homes 9-8-16 and it was not disclosed to us that the home had serious drainage and water runoff issues. A proper swell was not created between the houses and the sump pump discharge water was not addressed as well when the house was built. We have had 3 floods in the basement since the house was purchased and we have gone through 2 sump pumps already. Despite Fischer's efforts to move the sump pump discharge further from the house, install a french drain, do minor grading to the yard, etc, we still have a lot of standing water in our yard in significant rain. The standing water is due to bad drainage and improper water runoff by builder. We feel the minimum amount of work has been done despite our efforts to escalate the issue including providing pictures of the mess and meeting with Fischer at our home. We provided them the opportunity to correct the drainage issue but what they have done is not adequate. Most recently they installed a higher power sump pump. This may help with pumping the water out of the basement but is not addressing water run-off and drainage. Water pools near the foundation of our home and in the swell area between the homes, to the point where a large part of the yard is unusable and unable to grow grass.

We built home home and closed on it Dec. 2017. During final walk through we mentioned we were not pleased with concrete patio. We paid extra to upgrade to bigger patio. This patio was leaning and looked very uneven. We were dismissed. Upon moving in we noticed a significant crack that ran across entire section. We put this on our 3 month warranty service order. Representative of Fischer Homes indicated that the crack was within industry standard and they would not replace unless it gets worse. We noticed it getting worse called them out to look at and they never showed up. I typed an email to manager and he scheduled to come out and look at. At his visit he told us that they would not replace because he had to be fair and wouldnt replace other peoples. This patio that we paid lots of money to upgrade is cracked, stained, and is so lopsided it is basically useless to us. I can not believe the quality that Fischer Homes sold me. I want this patio replaced

My experience with Fischer has been nothing short of frustrating. We signed for our house in April of 2017 and told that it would take 4 months completion time. The house we signed for was a market home and had several upgrades already priced in, one of them being a bump out in the garage. First off, there was a huge delay in breaking ground on the home, secondly, we would stop out periodically to check on the progress of the house as we were incredibly excited since it was to be our first home together and we happened to notice that there was no bump out in the garage. When we brought this issue to their attention, we were told that the bump out was not permitted due to lack of space. We were expected to accept this fact even though the price of the bump out was factored into the price we paid. After a lot of back and forth, I had to consult an attorney, at which point we were finally able to work it out that we would be provided a fridge and an extended patio, even though these two items combined were valued less than the value of the bump out, we agreed regardless. Our house was finally completed and move in ready by November, nearly 3 months beyond the deadline we were given, but again we were just happy to have it done. Once inside, we realized a lot of corners were cut. Most notably the fact that the HVAC unit was put in before drywall had been completed, meaning that we have a partially unfinished wall in our laundry room, which we can do nothing about short of pulling out the unit and having it refinished, which we were told at the time that this was normal. We overlooked this as well and moved forward. Lastly, when our home was completed, it was later in the season so most of our grass did not grow in. I had them write in that they would come out and repair it, but even though it is now may of 2018 it is still not completed and I have been given more and more excuses. We also went through their recommended bank for financing, which was a disaster in itself. Information provided to me as far as what I qualified for was inaccurate, I repeatedly had to send the same documents over and over again, and It was nearly impossible to get in touch with our representative. At one point, we became very concerned about our ability to get the home based on financing due to the inaccurate information provided. To make a long story short, customer service, although friendly, was lacking. Over-promising and under-delivering. Not thorough, and little follow through. Not to mention that we had a change of construction superintendent 3 different times through the process.

This communication with Fischer Homes sent from the Fischer Homeowner's website on January 25, 2018 will give the details of my complaint:
"Hello, Since the closing on my home on December 28, 2017 I have had a number of conversations with various individuals regarding my concerns with the flooring in my new home. These are Bill ***, Fischer Homes Sales; Tom ***, ***,; Mark ***, ***; Jamie ***, Owner of ***; and Rachel *** and Jason *** of *** Jason *** Team.

For background, at the final walk-through on the morning of December 28, 2017, there were several issues that were either unsatisfactory or not completed that were noted and that would be addressed after closing. They included but are not limited to:
- scratches in the floor from the front door down the hall and into the kitchen in front of the island - about 30 feet
- cupping at the ends of many seams in the vinyl
- many places around the perimeter where the vinyl is not stuck to the sub-floor

In the meantime I found many problems with the flooring. *** sent someone to replace the vinyl that was scratched down the hallway, but he ran out of material. When I was informed that more material had come in I decided that I didn’t want any more time or money to be spent on this floor. I canceled the second appointment with ***.

On January *, 2018, at the suggestion of Bill *** and upon my request, Mark *** from *** came to look at the flooring. I discussed my concerns with him. He took pictures and said he would send a report to Fischer Homes. It was my understanding that this report went to Brad ***, but I don’t really know who it went to. Though I asked Mark to copy me, he said he could not but would let me know when he sent the report. His email message to me on January 10 said, “I have emailed Fischer with your concerns. They should be in contact with you.” I don’t like that the content of that report was not made available to me. Now, as of January 25, 2018, I still have not heard from anyone at Fischer Homes..

My concerns are significant. I feel that the product that I upgraded to was misrepresented at selections in the way it was displayed and that the product is substandard. I paid $11,4*3 for this upgrade. I have since found that I could have had good hardwood flooring installed by an independent contractor for about the same cost.

I am trying not to overreact nor to make accusations. However, I am feeling ignored. I paid a premium price for flooring that was supposed to look good and be durable. What I have is neither. I am ashamed to have friends come to see my new home with this flooring. Peel and stick vinyl is not premium.

In doing research after the fact, I found a comment that the floor “scratches if you look at it.I know that’s not possible, but it comes close!. In addition, there are problems with the installation. There are places that have already been repaired that don’t look repaired at all. There are many places where the vinyl is not stuck to the floor so that the white side of the vinyl is easily seen. This is especially so along wall and cabinet edges and at door edges. There are places where the ends come together and are too tight so they turn upward. Scratches have occurred in many places. Pitted spots have appeared without knowing what caused those marks. We have only been in this home for four weeks. What will this floor look like in six months - or less?

I anticipate hearing from someone with decision making abilities very soon. Other than between 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM today, I will be generally available.

Thank you,
*** M ***, Trustee
***"

After some follow up phone calls on my part, I heard from Brad *** at Fischer Homes on Monday afternoon, January 2*th. I furthered explained to him my dissatisfaction and disappointment at the flooring in my new home. The issue continued to be:
-I felt that the flooring was misrepresented to me at selections.
-The cost of the product and installation was exorbitant for the quality of the product and the quality of the installation.
-The floor scratched so easily that I began to be fearful of moving any piece of furniture, sweeping it, or even walking on it.

Brad listened but ended by saying, “Unfortunately all I can do is make a report back to those above me.” He didn't say who those above him might be. I was very discouraged and sent the following to him on February 1, 2018:

"To: Brad ***

Brad,

This is follow-up to our conversation of Monday afternoon,January 2*, 2018, regarding my dissatisfaction with the *** flooring installed in my new home. I had hoped Fischer Homes in the person of you would do the right thing and propose a solution. At the end of our conversation you said, “Unfortunately, all I can do is to make a report back to those above me.” And then when I called Mark *** to tell him that you told me you had never received anything from him in early January and he told me that you and he communicated several times regarding my floor, I just didn't know what to think! You say you had no communication with Mark; he says the two of you communicated about the matter more than once.

In addition, I spoke at length with my attorney on Tuesday morning. She gave me several suggestions of things to check on which I did. But her bottom line was that going to court over the flooring would be a no win situation. She suggested that I try every other form of problem resolution. She gave me an additional list of things that I would need to do.

After the discussion with Mark *** and ***, Esq, I simply decided I am not up for a fight with anyone over anything. I am not a young woman. Who knows how many good years I yet have in this old world? I don't want to spend them struggling to get justice with Fischer Homes over FLOORING!!! No more “he said,” “she said,” “they did,” “they didn't.”

In the Bible at 1 Corinthians 6:7, the context does not apply, but the principle certainly does, “Really, then, it means altogether a defeat for you that you are having lawsuits with one another. Why do you not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why do you not rather let yourselves be defrauded?”

So that is my choice. I named my new home, “Peace and Rest.” And that's what I intend it to be. The past nine months have been extremely stressful: selling my farm of 51 years; having my first new home built (and it not going so well); moving twice in three months. So I am finished with stress as far as it depends upon me.

If Fischer Homes decides to do the right thing, let me know. But you won't hear from me again on this matter. I have an appointment for *** to make the repairs to my floor and I will live with flooring that scratches when you look at it. :)

***"

At that time I was settled that I would just live with the flooring. However, as time went on I realized how much this flooring would take away from the resale value of my new home. I certainly would not buy a new home with flooring that looked so bad after only less than two months! Also, it was distressing and aggravating every time I saw all of the scratches and poor installation. Friends encouraged me to try some other approaches. One that I pursued is that I wrote to ***, Channel *, ***." He responded promptly with this reply.

“***:

Thank you for contacting *** regarding Fischer Homes. Sadly, we get many new home complaints....especially about builders who will not come back to fix problems.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of consumer complaints I receive every day (more than 25 calls and emails each day asking for help), I regret it is impossible to me to look into or resolve every complaint that comes in.

1. Contact the Cincinnati Revdex.com which has a full staff that specializes in resolving disputes with car dealers, furniture shops, and all types of other businesses. Call 513-421-3015.

2. Call the io Attorney General (600-282-0515) if the business is in io and the Kentucky Attorney General (888-432-*257) if the business is in Kentucky. They both have staffs to help settle disputes. In addition, they have the ability to file charges against a business.

3. File a complaint with Cincinnati Home Builders Association. Phone: (513) 851-6300

5. I you're concerned any of the above processes may be too slow, you can take the builder to Small Claim Court immediately. Contact your county's Clerk of Courts. It's much easier than you may realize – you don't need a lawyer, though whether to hire one is your decision, and it won't cost more than $50 to file a charge.

6. Contact a lawyer to write a letter informing the business you've sought legal counsel. Many will do this for around $100. When a business receives the threat of a lawsuit, they often jump to attention and resolve things fast. If it is multiple people on a street (as may be the case here), chip in and make it a group letter. There is a lot of strength in numbers, especially when you have a lawyer.

7. Post your complaint on the builders Facebook page: This is fast and easy and often gets results.

8. If you just want to let other consumers know about your experiences, file an online complaint at www.consumeraffairs.com and the www.riipoffreport.com. By doing this, thousands of people could
potentially read about your bad experience.

Keep me posted on your situation, and than you again for contacting ***. ***

*** Consumer Reporter

*** WCPO-TV”

I responded the same day.

“***:

Thanks for your quick reply. I will consider your suggestions and appreciate that you gave me a variety of options. I went today and found flooring and an installer who can replace my floor in a price range I can work with. Everything depends upon how much additional time and energy I want to spend on this.

Thanks!"

That reply came not quite a week ago. Because the flooring is an aggravation every day, I decided I had to at least try some of Jn's suggestions even after deciding initially not to pursue it. Contacting the Revdex.com was his first suggestion so here I am making this complaint.

I have by now had two contractors come out to take measurements and give me a quote to replace the flooring with hardwood or bamboo. Each one has commented on the poor quality of the flooring and the installation. I appreciate their empathy, but that isn't enough to make this right. Though the price of replacing the floor would be more than the $11,4*3 that I paid Fischer (because of the existing flooring needing to be taken up), I would be satisfied with the amount I paid Fischer Homes to "upgrade" to "vinyl plank" flooring, $11,4*3.00.

I had hoped to be able to attach pictures of the flooring at selections and after installation and some use. Also had hoped to be able to attached a scan of my selection list and price for the flooring. However, I have not found that ability to do so. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN STILL SEND THESE.

Thank you!

Fischer Homes level of customer service and response to warranty concerns has been in steady decline since the close of our home. The superintendent (RV) on our job has been very accomodating within the scope of his power but he receives little to no support from his superiors in an effort to satisfy warranty and customer service requests. While we were able to finally achieve some level of satisfaction for a concrete concern there is currently a list of at least 6 outstanding items that have received little to no attempt at a satisfactory resolution from Fischer Homes some of them dating back to closing on 1/31/17. We have submitted 2 warranty service emails that have gone completely unanswered by the warranty department in addition to phone calls that were also not returned. That is not an acceptable level of customer service. These issues range from minor to additional lot that needs to be graded and seeded after surveyor stakes show we did not receive a full yard. We really enjoyed the sales and design process of our home. We love our house and our neighborhood. Initially we were singing the praises of Fischer Homes to all that would listen. Unfortunately, in our current situation we would not recommend a Fuscher Home to anyone who would ask.