Home Instead Senior Care

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/08/31) */
Client contracted us to provide special services requiring the use of a hoyer lift to transfer the client. All of our CAREGivers receive 9 hours training before they are sent to a client's home including actual hands on experience in the proper...

way to operate a hoyer lift. We sent qualified CAREGivers who had been trained and the client was dissatisfied and we addressed the issue. The CAREGivers did work the entire shift which the client arbitrarily decided to only pay 50% of the charges. She was a difficult to please client that we eventually decided that it was not in our best interest or our CAREGivers to continue providing services and gave her 7 days notice that we were terminating services per the Illinois Dept. of Public Health guidelines. We applied all payments received and wrote off the outstanding balance. We disagree that our CAREGivers were not qualified, but we are not pursuing any collection activity to get full payment. We have moved on and she does not owe us any additional funds. We tried very hard to meet her demands, but ultimately decided we could not within our scope of services. This account is settled in our opinion and wish her good luck in securing other providers to give her the care she needs.

This is my response to ID [redacted] on 3/13/16. First, the reason for the delay is the client provided you with the incorrect address. The address given was from 4 years ago when I was not the owner of this franchise. I have been the owner since March 2015 and have been at the following address since...

 May 2015. The client is aware of both my name and title as she has spoken with me in a very polite manner numerous times. I identified myself with both my first and last name every time we have spoken. Also, on the numerous bills that she has received from us it has our franchise and LLC listed with my last name. We did provide service (transportation) to the client's husband who suffers from Alzheimer's. The client's wife has utilized our services every week and she is the one who texts us with the schedule each week. She requests the same caregiver and  as long as that caregiver has been available she has been the caregiver who has serviced the client. Hence, the client knows she has used our services and scheduled her own dates and times  and thus owes us for services rendered. As customary with all clients we mail bills  every two weeks. Up until the middle of October she always paid. If she is using our services and not receiving a bill I would have expected a phone call from her. My employee who she usually spoke with was out in December on medical leave and then left our office in January and therefor I contacted her when I had not received  payment for several billing cycles. She did not return any calls or texts. I reissued all bills and did NOT charge any late fees or interest. I clearly explained this to her when we had a conversation going over every bill on January 27th. She had her bank statements in front of her and I asked her if she could locate any payments to me. She did and those lined up with the ones we had. There was an outstanding balance of $2, 091.01 from the middle of October to the present. She agreed to pay me with a check #[redacted] She did pay me and the check was deposited on 2/1/16. I mailed her all copies of her bills and wrote a personal note explaining that if she were to find any problems to please contact me directly. She did not contact me. I mailed her the final bill for $250.93 for final services from 1/16/16 thru 1/31/16. I have mailed this bill out twice and still have not received payment. I paid the caregiver and wrote her a note explaining the situation. She has not contacted me. I also sent the client a letter allowing my caregiver to work directly for her with no penalty based on the non-solicitation agreement the client signed. If I am not paid by the end of this month, March 31st I will send this bill to collections and start proceedings. I will also contact the facility where her husband is now living and advise them of the situation. I request a check for $250.93 from the client. No interest has been added.  At that point I will consider the matter settled. I have all documentation from the caregiver for this last bill and will be happy to provide it and get her involved in this matter.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
Regards,
[redacted] I'm happy to pay what the insurance allowed for the roof. Our calculation based upon [redacted] and Company insurance estimate  to include profit and overhead comes to $15,997.71 for the roof and one shutter replacement. The total amount I received from the insurance company was $19,171.47.  I paid Custom Castles the $17,323.86 which included a $1,000.00 deductible. I'm not certain  what he is referring as to an additional $5,000.00. If  there was it's in his pockets to pay for their work performed. Here's the math 19,171.47 -16,323.86=2,847.61-1,000 deductible =1,847.61.  The latter is being used to replace and repair other items damaged or sucked away from the storm which I reported under personal property and included in the aforementioned $19,171.47. I over paid $1,326.15 and ask that be refunded to cover work not performed yet included in the estimate.Some final notes, I have the right to choose any contractor I want to complete the repairs specifically the garage door,fascia and screens.It was in calculating what was left to repair I realized I over paid  because I trusted.  The power washing they provided punched a hole through a vinyl siding strip. I showed it to George who said it may have been a loose piece not seen previously yet the hole wasn't there prior to the power washing. So now I'll have to get that repaired. As far as my wife calling that was for an itemized statement and that was it.  Her not liking the color was a conversation between she and I which I share with George and John. She never asked for any money back just simply an itemized statement. That call was prompted by a HOA alert that work performed should always be followed up with an invoice on work performed. Apparently there were contractors not supplying an invoice upon request yet demanding payment which ironically occurred in this case.   Mr. H[redacted] is deflecting fact and matter to meet his own purpose than again I'm certain he was quite busy from the tornado damages and could just be confusing facts and circumstances.  My complaint is supported by the math, the estimate and the outcome. Please refund me the $1,326.15 and the matter is closed.We can call a public adjuster. No one wants to come out and give an estimate on something they can't get a job out of,Regards,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
Regards,
[redacted] 1. The business is trying to make it sound as if this is a new complaint after 2 1/2 years. That is not true. I complained about leaks in the roof soon after the roof was replaced, and there was still work to be done on the house, and up to now the leaks have not all been resolved.2. The leaks only started after the roof was replaced and so to say that the leaks occurred because of cracks in the brick or the settling of the house is ludicrous.3. The leak in the sunroom seems to be overlooked everytime we talk. It was not addressed in the rebuttal and I was told by John's partner that they would make sure that this leak was taken care of when they replaced the siding on the upper floor.

On January 12, 2014 [redacted] signed a contract with Custom Castles insurance specialist [redacted] to allow us to replace his entire roof if the job was approved by his insurance company.  That week a second inspection was performed by [redacted] to review the damage assessments by [redacted]...

[redacted], both [redacted] and [redacted] agreed that there was storm damage to Mr. [redacted] home.  Mr. [redacted] was notified that his complementary inspections were complete and we (Custom Castles) felt that he would be approved by his insurance company for a complete roof replacement and we recommended he call them and discuss it with them.Three months later 4/14/14, Mr. [redacted] called Custom Castles and stated an insurance adjuster would be coming to his home and he asked us to coordinate with the adjuster and be there when the adjuster came.  We called [redacted] and arranged to meet with [redacted] on 4/25/14.  At the meeting, [redacted] readily agreed to pay for obvious wind damage to the front portion of Mr. [redacted]'s roof; it was only after we pointed out additional places on the rear that [redacted] agreed to pay for the entire roof replacement.  The value of the roof replacement was determined by [redacted] using a nationally used estimating software called "Exactimate" - value $5,526.23.  Mr. [redacted] gave Custom Castles the deposit given him by [redacted].  Mr. [redacted] was told by [redacted] adjustor [redacted] that he was required to pay a $1000.00 deductible that he had agreed to when he set up his policy with [redacted].  Mr. [redacted] stated he would call Custom Castles with the color of his choosing for his new roof. After a week and not hearing from Mr. [redacted] called Mr. [redacted] to review his color selection, no response was received and attempting to reach him at his home was unproductive as well.  This process was repeated on May 6,2014, again on May 9, 2014, again on June 3, 2014, again on June 10, 2014, again on July 6, 2014, again on July 11, 2014, and again on July 30, 2014.  On July 30'th we were able to speak with Mr. [redacted], he stated that he had been told by others that he did not have to pay his deductible.  We told him that paying his deductible was required by law in South Carolina, we encouraged him to check into that and call his insurance company and discuss with them.  Mr. [redacted] also informed us there were leaks in his house and asked to do something.  Two people were sent to his 2-story home with steep roof and tarped the areas that were leaking.Mr. [redacted] was again contacted on August 6,2014 reguarding his color selection and deductible.  Mr. [redacted] stated he wanted an architectural shingle.  He was told this was an upgrade and cost over and above the price insurance was paying and there for would be his expense.  At that point Mr. [redacted] stated he wanted the deposit back.  We reminded him there was a cancellation fee to cover our time spent and the cost of tarping his home.  We encourage him to proceed with the work and that for his $1000, he was getting a $5,526.23 roof.  He stated he would let us know.On September 11, 2014 Mr. [redacted] reach our operations manager [redacted] to discuss the return of his deposit.  The two reached an agreement that Custom Castles would forgo its normal profit margin and at our expense would upgrade Mr. [redacted]'s roof with architectural singles, ridge ventilation, ice and water shield in leak prone areas and high definition ridge shingles - total value in excess of $1000 and that Mr. [redacted] would pay his insurance deductible as required by law.  The roof was set for the next week.  The following Monday, September 15, 2014 our crew along with materials arrived at Mr. [redacted]'s home to begin work.  Mr. [redacted] would not let them begin work.  [redacted] was notified and spoke with Mr. [redacted] who stated that since we were requiring him to pay his deductible we could not proceed with any work.We (Custom Castles) have met with his insurance adjustor at his request, have labor and material expense in tarping his home, have restocking fees with the return of materials, and labor charges for our roofing crew in travel and time at his home and lost labor hours while transitioning our crews to other work.We at Custom Castles are bound to the laws of this state and we will not bill an insurance company beyond the cost presented to one of their insured thus committing insurance fraud.  If Mr. [redacted] had honored his agreement he made with his insurance company he would now have a beautiful architectural roof with many upgrades for the low cost of $1000.[redacted]

[redacted], This guy is all over the place and not too much truth in it.  I did sign the contract that [redacted] brought to my house which he told me it was an approval for someone to come on my property while I wasn’t at home to go on my roof and check out the damage.  After I told [redacted] that I didn’t want the job completed by them and I showed my lawyer the contract he said it wasn’t binding and if I had trouble getting money back I should contact the Revdex.com and report him to the Attorney General’s office(lawyer was [redacted] out of Greenville, SC).  Going back to Custom Castle saying I had to pay an extra $1,000 for the architectural style, I had [redacted]r Roofing do an estimate and he said he would charge only $390 for the same thing and $3,900 in all.  I also received an estimate from [redacted] Construction and they would only charge me $4,200 for the whole job with architectural style and both company’s(and I can give you the reps names and numbers) said they’ve never heard of anything like Custom Castle is trying to do to me and how they’re just trying to rip me off.  The [redacted] Roofing rep said he’s done this for a long time and he’s never heard a story like this.  So I tell [redacted] about [redacted] Roofing charging me $390 and he said ok and that he would match that price….he never said once it would be free.   Also when I asked Custom Castle to give me an estimate on how much a new roof would cost they told me they don’t do estimates and it’s up to what the insurance company says which was new to me. When I called [redacted] to have an insurance adjuster to come out and look at it I never asked [redacted] to be there.  He was adamant that he needed to be there during the process so I said ok.  As soon as the [redacted] rep gave me my partial check he asked me the sign it and give it to him and I had no idea what was going on since I’ve never had to put on a new roof.   During the same conversation with [redacted] about the architectural style I only asked him about the $1,000 deductible since other people that I know told me they didn’t have to pay that deductible so I was only asking.  So he tells me since I have a small leak inside one of my rooms then there was some way he could get around from charging me the deductible since they had to fix the inside damage(he never told me how so you can ask him).  After he told me I could get around that because of the inside damage and I would only have to pay $390 for the architectural style is when I said they could do the job. We never set a date so [redacted] apparently started coming by my house(from what [redacted] said) but my wife and I both work and he never called my phone.  I do remember him coming to my house on July 5th(not the 6th as [redacted] stated) in the morning during July 4th weekend waking me and my wife up ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door which we didn’t answer.   Finally I called [redacted] after that and told him a week they could come only if he told [redacted] to never come to my house again(first time he ever came over was on a Sunday and there’s no solicitation signs in our neighborhood).  A few days after I told [redacted] they could do the job in a couple of weeks there was a really bad storm and I had a bad leak as soon as you walk in my house so I called [redacted] and he had a couple of guys put a tarp on it.  Since now there was extra damage inside I called [redacted] and they told me to contact who was going to do the job to make them aware of extra damage and they would need to take pictures and explain the damage.  I called [redacted] about 3-4 times after that and he never answered or called me back since I wanted them to be aware of the extra damage.  After a couple weeks of [redacted] never calling me back or answering my calls I had about 10 guys show up at my house to install my roof and not one of them could speak any English.  I told them to wait a minute and I tried calling [redacted] twice and he never answered….then I spoke with [redacted] and he asked me why I told the roofers to not do the job which I never said since they couldn’t speak English.  I was only trying to contact the owner to make sure he knew of extra damage and our deal was still in place since nothing was in writing.  [redacted] told me he just got off the phone with [redacted] and for me to call his cell phone.  I called and he never answered again so I sent the guys away.  When I finally spoke to [redacted] a couple of months after that I said that I just want my money back and I’d get someone else to do the job.  He said ok but he’d have to take some money out of the $2,750 for the tarp and shingle return and he couldn’t tell me exactly how much right then but would call me back and tell me.  Of course he never called me back so after another month or so I called and got a hold of him.  I asked him about giving my partial check back and he told me that he wasn’t going to since I never let them do the job.  I told him he said that I could get partial and there’s no way that he’s keeping $2,750 for them putting a tarp on my house and returning of shingles in which he said I don’t believe your check was that much.  I said it was $2,750 and I have the paperwork and he said again that he didn’t think it was that much.  I got upset that he wouldn’t believe me and he hung up on me.  I called that day and the next month or so more than 5 times leaving messages and he never returned one call.  I even texted him but nothing.   I’m not sure if [redacted] just has a bad memory or doesn’t like speaking to customers on the phone but this is very bad customer service when you own the company and you can’t get a hold of him or get a partial check back after he told me that I would.  I understand they put a tarp on my house which took about an hour and they had to return some shingles but that can’t constitute keeping $2,750 especially after [redacted] said I would get partial back. I’m sorry this is such a long message but this has taken way too long and I need to get some of my money back so I can get a new roof since my Home Owner’s Association has already sent me a $250 fine for having a tarp on my house and they will charge me more if I don’t take it off.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks [redacted]

We are sorry for you concerning the problems with your home.  On each of the four service calls to your home we have applied caulking around your windows and cracks in the bricks.  We have not added to or altered your roof since it was installed two and half years ago.  We are happy...

that our extra service stopped the issues on the right side and slowed the issues on the left.  Please see the attached photos showing the large cracks in the brick and mortar.  Also in one photo you can see the window is out of square indicating there are settling issues within the wall.  Additionally , the large amounts of white caulk that is present was there prior to our firm doing any work on the home; this indicates someone knew of these issues prior to our work.

I previously filed a complaint about negligence, slander and breach of contract by this company. My latest issue with them is that they haven't mailed us the last invoice for their last few days of service. I should have received the bill by November 11th or 12th. I left a message for their office...

manager Mark on 10/28 and 11/18. I have never heard back from Mark. I also sent Derek [redacted] an email on 11/17 asking for him to please look into the last invoice. Derek never responded. When I called on 11/18 the phone just rang and no one answered. I had to call a second time and get a directory from a recording to leave a message for their office manager. The company charges interest on late payments but ithid company refuses to act professional and run their business above board.TranslateDesired Resolution / OutcomeDesired Resolution:Contact by the businessselectDesired Outcome:Send me the final invoice or if the company is going to waive the monies we owe them have the decency to let us, the client, know their intentions. Their continued lack of professionalism is outrageous. Someone should seriously look into their business practices.

On Friday evening, December 18, my mother fell and broke her shoulder - a week before her 90th birthday. The next day - Saturday - and also the weekend before Christmas - we reached out to Home Instead in a moment of desperation. My mother's primary care giver was leaving for the holidays and Mom needed round-the-clock care in her home...immediately. [redacted] with Home Instead's Charlotte office jumped into action and arranged 24-hour care within hours of my call. She prepared the paperwork for us to sign and everything was in place for the care givers to start on Sunday. [redacted] took care of everything for us and put our minds at ease at a stressful and hectic time.

All of the care givers were fantastic. They were professional, prompt and courteous, but most importantly - expressed a genuine interest in my mother's comfort and well-being. They all brought a ray of sunshine to our family at an otherwise difficult time.

I cannot thank the team at Home Instead enough for what they did for my mother and the rest of my family. I would recommend them highly.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This client called us because she had this area rug in her backyard for about a year.  She had explained that the rug was out in the open and was wet because it had been exposed to rain and other natural elements outside. Upon pick up we advised [redacted] we had to do a sanitizing treatment...

because of the water damage and that we would do our best to clean the rug.  The rug was cleaned and delivered but [redacted] was unhappy with the cleaning and we took the rug back for reprocessing.  The rug was then redelivered a second time and was accpeted.  [redacted] called back a couple of days later complaining of damage to the rug and white spots.  We went to pick up the rug again.  We looked at the pictures of the rug when it came in originally and it did have the damages to the end of the rug.  We advised [redacted] of the original damage and we agreed to reprocess again to try to remove the white spots.  The rug was delivered again but again she refused because she was unhappy with the cleaning.  The rug was taken back again.  The rug was then delivered to her and she was happy with the cleaning but then complained of the color running.  She was advised that the rug may not have been completely dry and we would take it back for drying.  She refused.  We have done our best to clean and return this rug in satisfactory condition after it had been left outside for over a year.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
yes, rug was outside before pick up, but it did not have white spots on it. I had an employee from the company tell me it was due to something that was done to the rug and they took it back to fix it. Rug came back with ink/ color on the white spots. It's not bleeding color besides on the areas the company had tried to hide the white spots. I gave the company over 3 months to fix what they had done, during which time I have been more than understanding. I want a refund. It is absurd that they would damage someone's property and then try to hide it and lie. I'm a single mother with a toddler. I can't afford a new rug, and I can't use my rug since it has color/ ink coming out as my child would crawl/ play on the rug.
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID...

[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Home Instead Senior Care Franchise office located in ([redacted]

Phoenix AZ [redacted] )practices unfair and unprofessional attitudes and practices regarding its employees.

home instead senior care have numerous complaints against them from "caregivers" and clients alike, but this particular office has an outward cover of "To us it's a personal " when behind the scenes, it's all about the money ,treating people badly is one of the worst hypocritical situations you'll ever run into with these people.

There are zero requirements to work there when it comes to experience because they constantly hire all the time. there are not enough assignments to go around.

It costs $20 an hour for personal care and almost nearly that for regular (non-personal). The employee makes minimum wage.

If a client needs a lot of care, their bill runs into the thousands every month and whatever they want is taken care of so the business doesn't lose that large check every month. This is the problem.

Because of the huge amount of money the clients pay, whatever they want goes. The caregiver has nearly no say in anything and they do all the work in the clients home.

The caregiver is basically a housekeeper and maid. If a problem arises with a caregiver, that caregiver will lose their job if the client wants them out regardless if the employee did anything wrong. The office will not stick up for you, nor will they tell you why you lost the assignment.

The office supervisors will create stories and lie to you in order to keep the client happy.

This is not a good place to work For.

Home Instead has been a source of great comfort to me in providing care to my wife. The caregivers have assisted us with doctor visits, errands, and light house keeping. I would recommend them in general and our caregiver Martha in particular. She has been thoughtful , kind, and patient with both of us ( not an easy task). And we very much appreciate it.