L & L Co

I am writing in response to a complaint filed by *** *** *** was never forced to use Zott Construction and his claim of looking us up for information is as we have a web page, are a member of *** and are certified by the IICRC for water restorationWe are considered experts in the
field and take great pride in the services we provide*** *** lives in an older kit home that is in need of some upgradesOur inspection showed in addition to the loss there were electrical issues as well as out of level framing issuesThere were minor, typical issues for any delays such as settlement on the additional electrical work required and the selection and ordering of kitchen cabinetsOnce cabinets are selected it typically can take 6-weeks to receive the cabinetsThis delays the start by months and is out of our handsThe homeowner agreed to a price for the required electrical problems and to this day has yet to pay for themOnce we starte d the project we did not leave the project until completionThe only other delay was when the wood flooring was delivered it needed to acclimate to the home prior to installationThe complaints we received from *** *** were for a tile back splash and the floorThe back splash had to b installed on the existing wall that consisted of out of line wavy studsWe proposed installing furring strips to correct these issues but *** *** did not want to pay the additional work and felt the previous back splash was fine so there was no needWhen the finished surface was wavy *** *** complained to *** and at their request we re installed the back splash on furred walls at our expenseOur error was to not have *** *** sign off on an acknowledgement of the existing condition and a refusal to accept our recommendationThe second complaint about the floor came months after we finished the jobWater is coming up through the wood floor and is causing a failure to the finish*** *** at no time ever mentioned a product called Elastilon and we assume this is a product that was recommended to him after the factWe have looked into this product and as it turns out the moisture level in the substrate must remain below 3.9% and the humidity in the area between 40-65%What we did do is install the floor using the manufacturer's glue that is recommended for installation over concreteThis glue actually forms a barrier between the floor and the concrete, similar to the one you would get with Elastlion*** *** notified us of the failing finish so we assumed it to be a manufacturer's defectWe notified *** and they sent an independent flooring expert out there to inspectThis flooring expert is not an independent company who we are familiar with and is familiar with us but this is because both companies have an excellent reputation in the industryMy understanding is that his inspection revealed actual water coming through the finish penetrating through th e wood floorThe home's condition is not just a damp concrete floor but rather water entering through hydrostatic pressureThere is not a sub membrane made that could stop the water from affecting the woodThis is not an area where wood flooring should be installedAt the time of installation the moisture level was low enough to accept the floor but the external conditions, allowing excessive water to enter the home through the slab, continue to change the conditionWe are aware *** *** does not want our assistance in finding a solution and we actually do not wish do do any additional work for him as he owes us over $4,which we believe he never intended to payWe did offer to assist him we resolution with the manufacturer but the expert's inspection showed it is not our responsibility or the manufacturer's responsibility but rather a poor condition of the home itselfI believe both *** and Zott were in *** ***'s corner trying to help him out but when a homeowner refuses to be reasonable and accept the responsibility himself for his homes condition, he loses that backingWe have an excellent reputation of helping homeowners through a troubling time such as this but this homeowner is trying to get is home completely upgraded at no expense to himIf *** *** had paid his invoice for electrical upgrades he requested we would have more confidence in his ability to accept responsibility to pay for what is his responsibility and not try to get his insurance carrier or contractor to absorb the cost of his upgradesHe is well aware of the condition of his home now and prior to the loss and his statements in trying to have someone else pay for them borders on insurance fraud

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:

[Your Answer Here]Zott basically proved all my points from my original complaint. In reading zott’s reply I don’t understand that if they are such experts in everything they do why would they let me put bamboo down? Why would they just put glue on concrete slab that every expert knows has moisture problems? Why wouldn’t they explain how long it may actually take from start to finish? Why wouldn’t they take the time to explain the walls were warped and should be fixed (which was never mentioned of course)? If they are such experts why is it the previous kitchen tile was straight and perfect but when they did it, it looked horrible? They are the same studs as before. Nothing changed in the walls. If they are such experts why wouldn’t they explain to me every step of the way what was going on in my house instead of handing me some spreadsheet that even their subcontractor had trouble reading?  In there explanation it’s obvious something just doesn’t add up. That something is that Zott was dishonest with me every step of the way. The 2 month timeline is the just the first of many untruths I encountered with them. Anyone that does construction would know 2 months for a remediation of 900 sq ft with total kitchen remodel is dishonest. I only know this now due to my personal experience with it and looking up information. On top of the unachievable timeline there was zero explanation any time there was a delay. No one from Zott reached out to explain to me what was going on even after I asked. The only thing I could go by was a spreadsheet that was nearly impossible for a laymen to read. The accusations of theft and insurance fraud are baseless and unsubstantiated given the nature of my various complaints on them. Zott did bad work, didn't communicate clearly, did what they wanted in my house without my guidance and made promises they did not intend to keep in the first place. I'm a first time homeowner ignorant of remediation and insurance claims. I asked questions of my insurance and of Zott and received answers that seemed reasonable. I was never told I could get a public adjuster, or that it was possible for me to do things on my own without having to keep my insurance involved afterwards. I was given a choice of two contractors one of which was allegedly too busy to take on my job. If I could do it again I'd use a public adjuster and find my own people instead of taking the "advice" of my insurance to use a company they "fully vetted" and had a workmanship guarantee to then be told that after I agreed, they don't communicate well and the work they did isn't their fault. If zott was honest and told me that they were not going to use a moisture barrier or underlayment for my floors I would have used another contractor or at least looked at another type of flooring. I learned slab on grade has moisture problems, which is why I communicated to zott my options and ideas. Of course after weeks of delay they agreed to use a barrier/ underlayment but failed to do so months after they promised they would. I originally asked about putting tile down but was told by them that that's not a good idea. We went back and fourth and agreed on using bamboo given all of the stipulations were agreed upon. Of course that didn't happen and I'm left with a house I can't stay in or sell because of various issues, whether it be the floors, the electric, the extremely uninsulated brand new kitchen, etc. I asked zott all the questions needed to make informed choices only to have them turn around and not execute as agreed upon. They say I owe them $4000 for extra work I asked to have done. I was to pay approx $8500 for electrical and plumbing upgrades which is something I bought up to other tradesmen and am repeatedly told it is way too much. The only part executed correctly was the plumbing. The electrical has been a disaster. Since they did the electrical I've had issues with lights, my HVAC, and all my entertainment appliances shorting which was not an issue before. The electricians even managed to ruin my brand new cabinets that I paid extra to have installed by drilling 2" large holes inside of them to run wires for my under cabinet lighting, which is another issue I had to complain multiple times to get rectified. I paid that much money for pex pipe, 8 pot lights, and one flush mount ceiling light that was supposed to be a ceiling fan but due to the horrible communication isn't. All the wiring in the receptacles were untouched, the panel was untouched, and somehow they said they were upgraded. Mind you I asked for the plumbing to be done a certain way which was done as I said, but all I wanted was 8 pot lights (four in each bedroom) and a ceiling fan in my living room and that all of a sudden caused issues in my house that they were to fix but still exist until this day. Not paying for bad work is common practice the world over, but not to zott of course. I had to complain every step of the way to get things done the way I wanted. It sounds bad but this is MY HOUSE. The pipe broke unexpectedly and flooded my house, which is something no one plans. I tried to take it as an opportunity to get things done while my house was in shambles. I did all I could to plan and communicate my intentions, but when you are dealing with an entity that will take your money and do as they feel, problems arise, which is where we are today. It’s been very stressful upon me, my family, my coworkers, and everyone else I come in contact with because of this. I planned on living there until I retired. Now I don't want to stay there more than 20 mins. I'm living in between homes spending money for both and somehow in zott's opinion I planned this. If zott would have had better communication, did what we agreed upon, didn't brush me off every time there was a legitimate concern I wouldn't have to be writing this to the Revdex.com.  Floor installation instructions: [redacted]
 
 
 
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Sincerely,
[redacted]