Innovative Home Builders of North Florida, Inc.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: On 9/16/16, I checked with the flooring company and again they stated the dye lot would not be a match and would be very noticeable since there are tiles in the entrance of the kitchen that would need to be replacedAdditionally, I contacted my neighbor that went through the same situation that I am currently in to ask if I could look at their tile kitchen to examine the difference between the old dye lot and new dye lotMy neighbor only had one tile replaced and I was able to spot it without much effort and also without my neighbor pointing it outMy neighbor regrets accepting ***' offer to replace the tile but also stated feeling "bullied" into accepting the offerI have encouraged the neighbor to file their own complaint as well so that other consumers do not have to experience the same poor treatment and service we have receivedAdditionally, during the initial process of selecting flooring, the builder never disclosed that the houses he builds were liable to have foundation cracks and that the tile could not withstand such movementHad I been informed of this, my selection would have been differentAfter conferring with other builders, they stated they always disclose that fact, especially if someone selects to have tile floors installedIt is embarrassing having to explain why our kitchen floor is cracked and I imagine it will be just as embarrassing when we have to explain why our kitchen floor is different colorsFinally, aside from this builder being contractually obligated to remedy this problem, as a form of human decency, I feel there should be some sense of moral obligationI cannot imagine this builder and his family being satisfied with having different color floorsI used to be proud to entertain people at my home and now I just dread having anyone at our home because of the huge crack in my tile, it makes the home look inexpensive and cheaply made. At one point I was willing to refer people to this builder, unfortunately, now that this builder has shown such blatant disregard for his customer's satisfaction and well-being, along with his inability to remedy the issue that he created, I have no choice but to warn everyone searching for a home to beware of this builder
Regards,
*** ***

We at Innovative Home Builders of North Florida, Inc., are extremely sorry Mr. [redacted] has had this issue. All of our homes are covered by a twelve month, limited builder’s warranty.  While we manage these warranties and try to resolve all claims in a timely fashion, this one was an exception....

Unfortunately, and at no fault of Mr. [redacted], the project manager failed to forward information regarding this issue to the proper staff at the time of his departure from the company. Through natural circumstances of foundation settlement, tile can crack.  Mr. [redacted] was incorrectly informed that the tile had been discontinued, the tile has not been discontinued and can be replaced.  We have explained that the tile may not match completely due to dye lot differences.  So, for this reason, Innovative Home Builders of North Florida, Inc. has offered Mr. [redacted] $1,000 towards the repair option of his choosing.  Mr. [redacted] has repeatedly declined our offer.  However, the offer to replace the broken tile is currently still open for Mr. [redacted] to accept.  We have given Mr. [redacted] until October 15, 2016 to confirm with us which option he chooses to go with.  At that time, if no decision has been made, Innovative Home Builders will consider this warranty claim closed and satisfied.Below is a timeline with dates and correspondence between Mr. [redacted] and Innovative Home Builders of North Florida, Inc.  August 2015:  Buyer discussed with project manager at the time issue of cracked tiles in kitchen.                          That project manager did not mention the problem and left company without fixing the                              tile issue. August 2016:  Buyer contacts IHB office to report his concerns that the tile issue as well as others have                         been addressed at his house.  IHB addressed all of the problems and fixed them. Regarding                                     the tile problem, IHB asked the original flooring company to go out and estimate what it                         would cost to repair the cracked tiles. This took several weeks. Aug. 17, 2016:  Received quote to repair cracked tiles. However, flooring company suggested that buyer                         Replace flooring in kitchen with same wood laminate that was in living area due to the fact                         that it would be virtually impossible to match tile dye lot and concerns were voiced that it                         may crack again. Received quote for replacement as well. Aug. 25, 2016:   Emailed buyer that IHB would pay $1000 toward whichever buyer chose; repair or                                            Replacement. Aug. 25 12:03pm:   Buyer declined offer and threatened further legal action in order to get this issue                         solved in a prompt manner. Buyer willing to settle for wood laminate installed OVER                          existing tile feeling that was least expensive route as this should be a warranty item. Aug. 25 1:29pm:   IHB replied that buyer was correct that fixing tile was a warranty item, but there                          would be no guarantee the tile would match existing tile if it was not part of original                         shipment. Aug. 25 4:51pm:   Buyer replied it was not his fault there was no extra matching tile and felt that IHB                         “bullying” him into having mis-matched tile in his home. Buyer felt that IHB should pay for                          placement of wood laminate over the existing tile for ENTIRE area that was currently tile                          which included dining area, pantry, and small hall in addition to kitchen.