Keystone Basement Systems and Structural Repair

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 For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below Yes, we are at an impasse We feel the refund should be a minimum of $because the contract states we will receive ftof J-Channel and we only received ftAlso, as by admission of the company, they used quite a large amount of pipe that already existedWe were told there would be 73’ of J-Channel installed from the side of the house, across the entire back, and the other side of the house as drawn in the contract by the inspectorThe J-Channel does begin on the side of the house and ends in the back of the house by the porch/patio (32ft.)This is less than half of the amount of the contractWe paid $and half would be $so the proposal of a $refund seems reasonable Regards, [redacted]

Before my response I would like to point out facts that both parties agree on The customer had a problem at their home The customer tried to solve the problem before Keystone Basement Systems (KBS) came into the picture The solution was an exterior attempt involving pipes and gravel and drainage This solution obviously didn't work because they called KBS to come out to solve a problem that they had already attempted to fix and the solution didn't work This all happened and has been acknowledged by both parties So, with that in mind, we have a customer who paid to have a problem fixed once, and that didn't work So they called KBS It is understandable that the client was upset before KBS entered the picture They paid to have a problem fixed and it is still an issue I think we can all agree we would feel the same way But here is where the homeowner went wrong Rather than have us install the system we recommended (An internal french drain, sump pump, battery back up and vapor barrier in the crawl space) they asked us to fix the issue from the outside and use as much of the original system as possible Why would they do this? Because the system we proposed was almost $ They wanted to try to use some of what they already paid for so it was not a total wash rather than to accept that money was a loss and then have to pay $to fix it correctly This is why they asked for us to use some of the existing system that was usable Once again, it is understandable for a client to want to salvage what they already spent, but if you go that route there are risks We told they client we could try it their way, but we would not warranty the work and could not guarantee its performance as we were not 100% sure it would solve all of the problems We then told them we could give them a 100% lifetime warranty if they went with the solution we suggested THEY ELECTED TO PROCEED WITH USING SOMEOF THE EXISTING SYSTEM Now, it should be stated that the work that was done did reduce the problem by 75% Lastly, to buttress everything I have said, please refer to the contract which shows that no warranty was given I hope this explanation helps to solve this issue I would like nothing more than to satisfy this matter With that said, as stated before, the only way to truly solve the issue is with the plan we originally created using pipe and pumps on the inside We feel bad that the money and time you spent on the first solution didn't work, but that is not our fault We didn't do that work and we certainly would never have endorsed such a plan

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 For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below The company representative (inspector) stated on 8/4/14, we had a lifetime warranty of all work done by their workersThis is also stated a number of times in the company’s web site (http://www.keystonebasementsystems.com/why-choo) The brochure given to us by the representative also states that they have a written transferable guaranteeI will attach a copy of this Each time we questioned the incomplete paperwork, we were told on the phone it would be looked into We first called to have the paperwork completed on 8/7/to include the warranty section being completedThis was before the work was startedWe were told by the office manager that the representative would arrive the next day with the workers to complete the paperwork This did not happen I followed up with and email to the Senior Field Inspector on 8/8/(Saturday) There was no responseI followed up with a phone call to the office manager on 8/11/14(Monday), she asked that I forward the email to her and list my concerns and told me the Senior Field Inspector was out of town and that is why he didn't respondI followed up our conversation with an email as she requested on 8/12/I did receive a response via email that she was working on an answer and would get back to me No one got back to me On 8/20/I again sent an email to find out if there was a resolution to my issue I was told the information was forwarded to *** He did not get back to me until 8/27/This is when he called to say the system they installed was working fine and we needed an additional system at a substantially higher cost to eliminate the waterWhen we questioned this and all of the issues that were not resolved, such as the J-channel not continuing to the end of the house (we only received 32' of J-channel), the unfinished paperwork (the water management warranties section was not completed), and being told by the original representative inspector that this system is what we needed to resolve the water problems; [redacted] told us he would look into the matter and call us back the next dayThis did not happen The following day, 9/29/14, we received a letter from a law firm representing Keystone Basement Systems stating we had no warrantyIt also stated we were requesting one on 9/27/after the work was done This is also not accurateSupporting attachments include: brochure, law firm letter, and emails Regards, [redacted]

I am sorry for the confusion We are using two terms that mean the same thing in this correspondence The term "J-Channel" is a specific type of "french drain." Whereas "French drain" is generic and can mean a lot of things, a "J-Channel" is a specific type and what was installed at the customers home All that said, we did in fact due exactly the footage stated on the contract Is this what you wanted me to address?

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 For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below There are many assumptions by the contractor in their response WE OBVIOUSLY Disagree on WHAT was recommended by the inspectorUnfortunately this is a he said she said issue I can only restate what the inspector recommended to us As I have previously stated: We were told by the inspector that the system they recommended and installed was what we needed to resolve the water issues We asked about a sump pump before having this work done and were told by the inspector it was not necessary, the system would eliminate our water issues and their system could not leakWe believed the expert We NEVER asked to have the old pipes used We were told there would be 73’ of J Channel installed from the side of the house, across the entire back, and the other side of the house as drawn in the contract by the inspectorThis did not happen We received 32’ of J Cannel This does not fulfill our contract Regards, [redacted]

It appears we are at an impass Further explanation of facts and details would be nothing more than an exercise in futility With that said, as a gesture to resolve this issue, I will extend an offer of resolution I will offer a $refund Please note, this offer is in no way an admission of guilt or of wrongdoing on the part of Keystone, rather this is a gesture to resolve this issueIf this is satisfactory, I will have my attorney reach out to the client to satisfy this mater

I just received this message but I see no action step? Am I to respond to a question? I am certainly willing to handle this matter but the last email message did not contain any action I am to take With that said, considering that we have mad multiple back and forth messages, can I request that a Revdex.com representative call me? I do love the the message center but I feel this issue is actually being made far more complicated by it...in this particular case

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 For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] The contract states we will receive ftof J-Chanel SystemWe received ftof J-Channel System The J-Channel does begin on the west side of the house but ends in the back of the house by the patio (32ft.)This is less than half of the amount of the contractPlease see the drawing in the contractAnd below The water comes into the crawl space where the J-Channel System ends at the rear of the house This was the reason we needed the J-Chanel System to continue the entire way according to the house as drawn by the inspector The regular French drain did not workThis is why the French drain was being replaced by the J-Channel System Please see attached Regards, [redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is somewhat satisfactory to me I would just like to add that in the future of the company that they would be more understanding and explain to the customers and have a breakdown cost of materials in a full explanation of why and how they are going to do things before they do it.I do want to thank the people that came and redid the basement and made it look much better than it did originally and also I would like them to do a complete walkthrough after the job is finished and make sure things are connected up properly and everything is done in a professional manner.also the company should realize text messaging is a way of communication and all texts should be answered in a appropriate time framealso I wish the company would make sure to let the customer know what will be the customer's responsibility in fixing such as walls damaged and replacement of blockenclosing I want to thank Keystone basements coming through in fixing up the problems that I had with the original job at no additional cost I consider this matter closed and my mom and I thank you for holding up your end in redoing the basement Regards,
*** ***

Photos enclosed of before and after work done

I reject the response due to the fact the job has still not been completed to safety standards first off.the salesperson was told that they were the first bid if they checked their text message on August at 12:p.mIs stated that they were there first to put a bid in.there was no post work inspection scheduled or communicated to me I asked for a video of the pipeline was not or did not see this video.discharge line was extended to the end of the house water is being drained into the yard in causing a muddy mess this can injure my mom when she is cutting the grass.if she slips and falls it could be a bigger problemPENDING the downspout on the side of the house is opened I was told that they ran a test and it was clogged I ran my own test and found it was not clogged I would like to have the materials to connect the discharge line to the downspout line so water runoff from the pump will no longer go into the yard causing a hazard .I would like to have a breakdown of the cost of the materials and sump pump alsoPENDING, I would like to know if I will be getting a refund for the work that I have to do to bring this work up to satisfactory and the work that I have already done in repairing the holes in the foundationPENDING, I would also like to see more than just an apology to my mom and all the aggravation ,interruptions, and the extra worry on her nerves,that she had to put up with

It is my pleasure to respond to this claim
Let me first state that Keystone does many different types of work We are a foundation contractor We install waterproofing systems, rebuild foundation walls and do a number of other things But that is not the point The point the client is trying to make is that Keystone provides warranty protection on its work...WHICH I FULLY AGREE WE DO That said, we actually have to do all of the work to give a warranty Let me explain
When we arrived at the clients house we were instructed that we were to utilize the existing pipe discharge that was previously installed by someone else We agreed to do this but obviously could not warranty another companies work Additionally, since the pipes we installed relied on the existing pipes to remove the water, our performance could not be completely under our control...no matter what we did As any reasonable person can understand, you cannot warranty something that you did not install
In the end, Keystone informed the client that they needed a sump pump and french drain in their crawlspace to fully solve their problem The client wanted to utilize work that they already paid for This is understandable, but it did mean that they would not have a warranty
Additionally, please refer to the contract that I previously attached and you will see that no warranty box was checked

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.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Yes, we are at an impasse.  We feel the refund should be a minimum of $2000 because the contract states we will receive 73 ft. of J-Channel and we only received 32 ft. Also, as by admission of the company, they used quite a large amount of pipe that already existed. We were told there would be 73’ of J-Channel installed from the side of the house, across the entire back, and the other side of the house as drawn in the contract by the inspector. The J-Channel does begin on the side of the house and ends in the back of the house by the porch/patio (32ft.). This is less than half of the amount of the contract. We paid $4900 and half would be $2450 so the proposal of a $2000 refund seems reasonable.
Regards,
[redacted]

It appears we are at an impass.  Further explanation of facts and details would be nothing more than an exercise in futility.  With that said, as a gesture to resolve this issue, I will extend an offer of resolution.  
I will offer a $400 refund.  Please note, this offer is in no way an admission of guilt or of wrongdoing on the part of Keystone, rather this is a gesture to resolve this issue. If this is satisfactory, I will have my attorney reach out to the client to satisfy this mater.

Before my response I would like to point out facts that both parties agree on.
1.  The customer had a problem at their home
2.  The customer tried to solve the problem before Keystone Basement Systems (KBS) came into the picture
3.  The solution was an exterior attempt involving pipes and gravel and drainage
4.  This solution obviously didn't work because they called KBS to come out to solve a problem that they had already attempted to fix and the solution didn't work.
This all happened and has been acknowledged by both parties.  So, with that in mind, we have a customer who paid to have a problem fixed once, and that didn't work.  So they called KBS.  It is understandable that the client was upset before KBS entered the picture.  They paid to have a problem fixed and it is still an issue.  I think we can all agree we would feel the same way.  But here is where the homeowner went wrong.  Rather than have us install the system we recommended (An internal french drain, sump pump, battery back up and vapor barrier in the crawl space) they asked us to fix the issue from the outside and use as much of the original system as possible.
Why would they do this?
Because the system we proposed was almost $9000.  They wanted to try to use some of what they already paid for so it was not a total wash rather than to accept that money was a loss and then have to pay $9000 to fix it correctly.  This is why they asked for us to use some of the existing system that was usable.
Once again, it is understandable for a client to want to salvage what they already spent, but if you go that route there are risks.  We told they client we could try it their way, but we would not warranty the work and could not guarantee its performance as we were not 100% sure it would solve all of the problems.  We then told them we could give them a 100% lifetime warranty if they went with the solution we suggested.  THEY ELECTED TO PROCEED WITH USING SOMEOF THE EXISTING SYSTEM.
Now, it should be stated that the work that was done did reduce the problem by 75%.  
Lastly, to buttress everything I have said, please refer to the contract which shows that no warranty was given.  
I hope this explanation helps to solve this issue.  I would like nothing more than to satisfy this matter.  With that said,  as stated before, the only way to truly solve the issue is with the plan we originally created using pipe and pumps on the inside.  We feel bad that the money and time you spent on the first solution didn't work, but that is not our fault.  We didn't do that work and we certainly would never have endorsed such a plan.

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.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
The contract states we will receive 73 ft. of J-Chanel System. We received 32 ft. of J-Channel System.
The J-Channel does begin on the west side of the house but ends in the back of the house by the patio (32ft.). This is less than half of the amount of the contract. Please see the drawing in the contract. And below.
The water comes into the crawl space where the J-Channel System ends at the rear of the house. .  This was the reason we needed the J-Chanel System to continue the entire way according to the house as drawn by the inspector.  The regular French drain did not work. This is why the French drain was being replaced by the J-Channel System.  Please see attached.
Regards,
[redacted]

I just received this message but I see no action step?  Am I to respond to a question?  I am certainly willing to handle this matter but the last email message did not contain any action I am to take.
With that said, considering that we have mad multiple back and forth messages, can I request that a Revdex.com representative call me?  I do love the the message center but I feel this issue is actually being made far more complicated by it...in this particular case.

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.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
As I have previously stated: We were told by the inspector that the system they recommended and installed was what we needed to resolve the water issues.  We were told there would be 73’ of J Channel installed from the side of the house, across the entire back, and the other side of the house as drawn in the contract by the inspector. This did not happen.  We received 32’ of J Cannel.
Using the existing pipe to discharge the water was not an option for us. We never asked them to utilize the old pipes. We asked to have it replaced because it was not working.  This doesn’t even make sense to utilize the pipes that were not working. We were told the pipes would be new and connect in the side yard to the current discharge pipe because they felt that pipe was properly installed and was past the back of the house towards the front yard well past where the water issues occur. We were told not to worry the system could not leak. And of course they guarantee all of the work.  
We asked about a sump pump before having this work done and were told by the inspector it was not necessary, the system would eliminate our water issues and could not leak. We believed the expert.  It wasn’t until 8/27/14 that we received the call from [redacted] and he said the system they installed was working fine but we needed an additional system (sump pump) at a substantially higher cost to eliminate the water.
 
Regards,
Lisa Mehalic

I would like to first state that I am not exactly sure when this message was crafted.  I am going to assume it was after we replaced the entire system at his home, for no additional cost whatsoever.  On Monday I had crew come out, replace everything that was previously installed and tested every aspect of the system.  Therefore, everything works exactly as the contract states.
 
If this message was crafted and sent afterwards, then I have to consider the client beyond reasonable.  To that end I would immediately send the matter to my attorney as reasonable means to resolve the issue (including doing the system again at no cost) would not be possible.  Prudence would dictate that everything from this point forward be handled by my attorney as the client would have proven, in my eyes, to be unable to work to resolve our differences.  I should note that I anticipated such an action and took measures to protect myself.  I have video clips of the pipe system working before it was concreted.  Additionally I have more pictures to buttress the fact that the system was installed well and per the contract.  A particular set of pictures I have is where the existing downspout system on the home dumps water on the ground.  Our pump discharge does the same (because that is code in that area) but the client called this a "safety hazard."  In reality the code in that area mandates that water NOT be discharges into the sewer as it would not pass the dye test.
 
In closing, I see no way to resolve the issue.  I installed the system a second timer and have irrefutable evidence that it works.  Moreover, I satisfied the contract.  I personally visited the job site to ensure this was done.

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.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The company representative (inspector) stated on 8/4/14, we had a lifetime warranty of all work done by their workers. This is also stated a number of times in the company’s web site (http://www.keystonebasementsystems.com/why-choose-us ).  The brochure given to us by the representative also states that they have a written transferable guarantee. I will attach a copy of this.  Each time we questioned the incomplete paperwork, we were told on the phone it would be looked into.   We first called to have the paperwork completed on 8/7/14 to include the warranty section being completed. This was before the work was started. We were told by the office manager that the representative would arrive the next day with the workers to complete the paperwork.  This did not happen.  I followed up with and email to the Senior Field Inspector on 8/8/14 (Saturday).  There was no response. I followed up with a phone call to the office manager on 8/11/14(Monday), she asked that I forward the email to her and list my concerns and told me the Senior Field Inspector was out of town and that is why he didn't respond. I followed up our conversation with an email as she requested on 8/12/14. I did receive a response via email that she was working on an answer and would get back to me.  No one got back to me.  
On 8/20/14 I again sent an email to find out if there was a resolution to my issue.  I was told the information was forwarded to [redacted].  He did not get back to me until 8/27/14. This is when he called to say the system they installed was working fine and we needed an additional system at a substantially higher cost to eliminate the water. When we questioned this and all of the issues that were not resolved, such as the J-channel not continuing to the end of the house (we only received 32' of J-channel), the unfinished paperwork (the water management warranties section was not completed), and being told by the original representative inspector that this system is what we needed to resolve the water problems; [redacted] told us he would look into the matter and call us back the next day. This did not happen.
The following day, 9/29/14, we received a letter from a law firm representing Keystone Basement Systems stating we had no warranty. It also stated we were requesting one on 9/27/14 after the work was done.  This is also not accurate. Supporting attachments include: brochure, law firm letter, and emails.
Regards,
[redacted]