K.P. LaMarco & Associates LLC

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:[redacted] states that the complaint we filed was a miss-use of this process.  [redacted] fails to mention that over the late summer and fall of 2016 we left numerous phone messages and sent numerous emails hoping to discuss the interior trim issue with him.  None of these attempts to communicate were replied to with any substance - we did receive one email stating that they would get back to us - and no one ever did.  Failing to get a response from a business is exactly one use for this process.We are glad to hear that [redacted] is proud of his company and work.  We are not here to, as [redacted] states ‘a tactic to try to hurt K. P. LaMarco’s reputation’ or damage his company, only to hopefully reach a resolution of this issue.  As we stated in our initial complaint and as [redacted] states in his reply, we asked for a pause in the installation of the trim work in order to complete more extensive repairs to the building’s interior.  Further, we did agree on a $750 credit to the $58,000 roofing, siding, door and window job.  The credit is included in the last invoice as, “Funds on hold for trim work [redacted].”  We interpreted this as labor, not materials and labor.  Had [redacted] responded to any of the dozen or so attempts to communicate with him during the late summer and fall of 2016 we could have clarified and resolved this issue much sooner.  We had believed that the funds on hold were only for labor since there are 15 window / door units requiring trim work and we are an hour commute for the crew.    Given the contractual labor rate and the volume of work we thought there would be little money left for materials.  This is why we agreed to the withholding amount in the first place.  We believed it to be for labor only.  We should have asked for a clearer statement of what the withheld amount covered.What are we really talking about is the cost of material.   Fabricated, pine, primed 1x3 is $0.75 per foot from the local lumber yard.  Each window would require about 14 feet of lumber.  Thus about $10 per window, $15 per door, and a little more for the double and triple windows.   This adds to about $200 for materials (from a local generic home improvement store).  We would much rather have the trim work premade by the manufacturer as we believe this would be a superior product and would insure the whole job matches the new windows and doors.Now we feel we must address some personal comments / attacks included in [redacted]’s response.We drafted this complaint with statements that did not attack anyone personally.  The harshest phrase was to state the work was ‘not very good’.  Make no mistake, it was good, just not excellent (very good).  [redacted], in his response used terms such as ‘extort’, ‘idea of entitlement’, ‘diluted idea’, a ‘fabricated’ claim, ‘ridiculous’, and so on.  We do not believe this is the forum to through mud at each other but do find the need to reply to these assaults on our character.1.   In his introduction paragraph, [redacted] calls this an attempt to ‘extort’, or a ‘diluted idea of an on hand contractor’, and so on.  We had for 4 months been trying to get [redacted] to communicate with us regarding the trim work with no success.  This is simply an attempt to resolve this situation and nothing else.  [redacted] goes on to say “ or this could be a huge misunderstanding.”  We believe this is a misunderstanding that could have been solved had [redacted] responded to any of our attempts to communicate with his company.2.   In paragraph 1 regarding the metal roof portion of the project, [redacted] states that we are trying to hurt his reputation – No we are not.  The roof did look very nice after it was finished.  The blemish / bump appeared three weeks later.  We wanted to know why it happened and how to prevent further damage.  It would have been courteous for [redacted] to inform us when he was going on our property, we could have joined and learned what was happening.  But that did not happen.[redacted] mentions some other causes for the dents in the roofing.  However, there has been no other work performed on that building and no storms occurred in that three week period between the completion of work and the appearance of the dents. 3.   With regard to the stone foundation.  We let the crew know that the cut was severe on the day it occurred, but we did agree that we would repair it as we had a few other minor concrete pointing blemishes to repair on the foundation.  If the work crew did not relate this to [redacted] perhaps it was because we said we would fix it.  Their lack of communication to [redacted] is not our issue.  [redacted] states that this is the first he is hearing of it.  We sent an email on September 30, 2016 requesting the trim materials and stating we would be installing the trim as we were behind in the renovations and had some issues with his crew’s work quality.  In that email, the foundation issue was noted and photos were included.  This is not the first time we have communicated this issue, but according to [redacted] it is the first time he has heard it. [redacted] goes on to say that this might be an attempt to make he or his team look bad or it could be an oversight.  We are not trying to make anyone look bad and we did communicate this issue with the crew and [redacted].  We were simply explaining why we would be performing the labor ourselves on the trim work.4.   [redacted] states that the storm door issue is ‘somewhat ridiculous’ and that it is the first time he is hearing about it.  We did relay this occurrence to his foreman on a phone call sometime in September to let him know it happened so that he could check the doors on future jobs to ensure it does not happen again.  We are not here to raise ‘ridiculous’ issues, but only to explain why we would be performing the detail trim work.  [redacted]’s description of this as ‘ridiculous’ is at best, unkind.[redacted] goes on to explain how pre-hung doors are installed, and we have no comment on that.   One potential explanation is that the manufacturer initially shipped the incorrect door which the crew did install.  We informed [redacted]’s crew of the error.  They then obtained the correct door and replaced it.  Perhaps they only switched the door and not the entire frame.  We did not watch that specific work that closely.  The door hinges on this model do sit inside a tight pocket which did support the door when we re-installed it.  Perhaps that is how the door stayed together for a short time.  We do not know how this happened; only that it did and that it is not ‘ridiculous.’5.   [redacted] states that he had been willing to perform the work at no charge as a thank you.  This is the first time we are hearing this generous offer.  In fact, this is the first time we are hearing anything regarding the trim work.  [redacted] goes on to state that that this is no longer an option because of the way we treated his crew.  This is the most personally hurtful statement in this discourse. We were unaware of any poor treatment we gave his crew (we actually bought coffee and donuts every time they came on Saturday and gave the window and siding team small gifts when they left for the last time.  They were very happy and pleasant and told us they couldn’t believe we would give them thank you gifts.)  We are more than willing to reach out to his crew and talk about our behavior but we believe this should be done in person and not on this site. 6.   As for a voicemail that I left that was in [redacted]’s words “arrogant and self deserving”, that was probably the last message left in which I stated how frustrated I was that [redacted] had not returned calls or emails for the past few months.  I do not believe that communicating my frustration over a lack of communication on [redacted]’s part is ‘arrogant’ or ‘self deserving’.7.   [redacted] states he and the roofing representative are prepared to meet with us to ‘prove’ it was not their fault.  No such meeting is required.  The blemish is there.  We similarly can prove that we did no work on the building since the roof was installed and that there were no storms or tree damage.  We have seen no further blemishes created.  They can not tell us why it happened, there has been no further damage, it is too minor to warrant repairing, thus, there is nothing further to do.8.   [redacted] further states that he reached out to the window and siding representatives and they are willing to meet with us to discuss any issues we have.  We see no reason for such a meeting as the issue at hand is not about the manufacturers work and is simply about door and window trim materials.  We have and will continue to correct any imperfections we encounter ourselves as that is the easiest for us. 9.   Finally [redacted] states that they ‘do the best they can to solve any issues our customers have’ and that this claim is ‘unsubstantiated.’  We are glad [redacted] works to solve issues and believe this reply provides sufficient ‘substance.’  The true issue here, as previously mentioned, is lack of clarity on both our parts about what was included in the $750 held back for trim work exacerbated by a lack of reply by [redacted] to numerous phone calls and emails regarding some $200 of door and window trim materials on a $58,000 job.  That situation has brought us here.  Hopefully we can reach some resolution that is agreeable to both parties.  We suggest that in order to reach a resolution that [redacted] have the ‘mfabricated’ trim delivered to the building site.  We will gladly install it ourselves and save [redacted] the time and expense of having his crew come out to our site.Again, we mean no harm to [redacted]’s company, employees or reputation and only wish to resolve this issue. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Heres the deal: [redacted]
Bottom line we have no further obligation to you or your project. However many attempts you would like to try to get us to pay for your window trim, its not going to happen. It took you an excessive amount of time to do whatever you needed to do before needing the window trim. We took the labor and material off the final bill. ($750.00) to avoid being obligated over an extended period of time. That included the trim, fabrication and installation. Your uneducated assumption that the manufacturers fabrication is much better than ours is quite revealing. Your window trim needs to be manufactured on site. Extension jambs custom and casings glued, biscuit joined and clamped. Since you are doing the install yourself I'm sure it will become apparent very quickly why this will need to be done. Your casings made by the manufacturer will probably run you 1500 - 1800 dollars. Please call them if you want your casings made. We are ending our communication on this platform or any other for that matter. This has gotten ridiculous. Best Regards. [redacted]

Revdex.com:
We have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is not satisfactory.  But, we will leave it be.  It is clear that the business owner and we have differing positions and that we can not reach an agreeable resolution.   We thank the Revdex.com for their services and hope this effort will prevent other consumers from incurring this same problem.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

It is with deep disappointment that I, [redacted] owner of K. P. [redacted] have to respond to this complaint especially on this platform. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of completed jobs for very satisfied homeowners throughout the state of CT, I am shocked and disappointed that [redacted]...

[redacted] have used this platform in order to try to extort K. P. [redacted] & Associates LLC. to try and get what they feel they have paid for. It is apparent that [redacted] believe they have some idea of entitlement or feel that K. P. [redacted] is some how there personal contractor or we are part of some diluted idea of an on hand, on call service company. [redacted]a are fully aware of our pristine reputation and excellent customer satisfaction rating. Of course that means a great deal to all of us at K. P. LaMarco, as that is a direct reflection of the quality of previous work and helps maintain our proven successful track record and trust with future homeowners.   “Or this could be a huge misunderstanding.”   K.P. [redacted] & Associates was contracted to remodel the exterior of two buildings for [redacted] as indicated.  There are several issues that I feel I need to respond to before I get to the interior casings the [redacted]s think they are owed.   1.     The Metal roof was completed professionally and to perfection. Completion of the roof met manufacturer’s specifications and our most experienced installers were assigned to this project. The crew that installed this roof only install metal roofing as it is their specialty and they have over 20 years of installation behind them. To suggest that this work was not very good is uninformed and unknowing. Moreover, I see it as a tactic to try to hurt K. P. LaMarco’s reputation. We walked away from the roof only to received excellent compliments from the [redacted] about how well the job was done and how beautiful it looked.  It is company policy to document every step of all of our installations and would be happy to provide pictures from start to finish. K.P. [redacted] was delighted to receive final payment for a job well done. Following completion of the project, we received communication from the [redacted] on 6/11/2016 regarding a concern with the roof on the garage. My team and I were happy to inspect the complaint, we accommodated their request by issuing a Foreman, and the technical representative from the manufacturer to inspect the roof. The team took pictures and sent it to corporate to determine if this was in fact an installation issue and it was further determined that it was not an instillation issue.  The only explanation of “cause” I can give the [redacted] is that roof either got hit with a tree limb/ debris from the storm that took place prior or any work that was done in the interior of the structure by them or someone else caused the “very minor” imperfection in the roof. K. P. [redacted] and/or the manufacturer cannot be held responsible for an act of god or work performed by an inexperienced/unqualified individual on the interior of the structure. If they wish to have the roof aesthetics adjusted following damages, I suggest they contact their insurance company or consult another contractor, as K.P. [redacted] has no future intent of taking them on as a client. 2.     With regard to the stone foundation claims, this is the first time we are hearing about this. Let it be known that [redacted] were on site and involved from the beginning of the workday to the end. They were there watching and inspecting every step of every inch of our installation on each project. If this stone foundation issue was a problem, we would have resolved it immediately while onsite. Believe me, [redacted] would not be shy about informing us of such an issue. Either this is fabricated to try to find something to make us look bad or it may be legitimate and an oversight by both parties but this is the first time I am hearing about it. I discussed this with the project Foreman who was on this job and he has no clue what they could be referring to. 3.     The storm door issue: This I find somewhat ridiculous. I have also discussed this with the Foreman that installed the “storm door.” If we failed to attached the hinge to the doorframe the door would never work in the first place. I do not know how the door could be on the house for so long and then fall off one day because “it was never hinged.” I believe that this particular door comes straight out of the box ready for installation. There is no need to hinge anything to the frame. It comes out of the box, header is installed and it is then squared it to the rough opening, attached and done. This is also the first we are hearing about this. 4.     Finally, the real issue behind all of this the, “casings and extension jambs.” First, the distributer for the windows has nothing to do with the interior window trim. Yes, originally we were contracted to install the interior trim to the doors and windows. The window trim and extension jambs were to be mfabricated and installed on site. Unfortunately at the end of the job, The [redacted] decided to hold off because the wanted to demo, insulate and re-sheetrock all of there walls. This was not a problem for us, so we took the cost of material and labor off the last invoice due and walked away with a job well done. They are owed absolutely nothing! We received a demand in voicemail from [redacted]a in such an arrogant self-deserving manner that we are not inclined to communicate with him any further. I would have been happy to send two of my men over and perform the work at no cost in a way to say thank you for all the work that was awarded to us, however the way the [redacted] treated my crew was unacceptable. Their use of this platform in such a calculated and unrestricted manner is nothing more than an intimidation attempt to get what they want on there own schedule and at no cost.   I have reached out to the regional technical roofing representative and re-discussed their issue again. He and I are more than prepared to prove to [redacted] that the issue with there roof has nothing to due with a poor installation or a manufacturing defect.   I have also reached out to both window/door and siding regional manufacturing representatives to make them aware of the complaint of poor workmanship. Not only were they shocked to hear this due to our overwhelmingly positive reputation in this industry, they are more than ready to meet with the [redacted] and myself to inspect all claims or gripes the may have about our installation.   I am also willing to supply all documentation and photos of this job from beginning to end to support the quality of work, the quality of material, and our reputation as one of the most highly regarded and respected Home Improvement Companies in Connecticut.   This is a classic example of how this platform is wrongly used to hurt or damage good companies and the people that work for them. We really believe that Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] are excellent people but their issue is not with us it is with their confusion on where we stand with completion. We wish them the best as they continue to finish the interior of their buildings.   K. P. [redacted] continues to strive for excellence, we do the best we can to solve any issues our customers have, and this particular complaint is simply unsubstantiated.  [redacted]. [redacted] - Owner