Last Call Home Improvement

Damaged cabinets and did not rectify the situation. I hired [redacted] to install tile in a kitchen, Dining Room, and Bathroom for a home at [redacted]. He was paid a deposit plus a charge for some materials on 9/11/2014. The job was supposed to be completed per our agreement by 9/14/2014. On 9/16/2014, I called him and to see why he hadn't finished the project, he stated it was due to his generator not working but promised the work would be done by 9/21. When he had not contacted me about placement for the cabinets, I called to ask what happened, which is when he told me another story. On 9/22/2014 he sent me text messsages stating he put the tile down with a bad batch of glue and that it didn't stick and he had spent all day cleaning the tiles but would be back on 9/23. On the next day, I contacted him to ask why he didn't show up, he said because it was a rainy day and he had a tooth ache but he would be there on 9/25. I asked if this job was too big for him, but he stated no. On 9/23 he had been paid fully on 9/21 and had cashed the check. I finally told him, if he couldn't finish the job by 9/26 by 8pm, we would come to an agreement about the work he had done and he could give me the rest of my money back. On 9/26 he still wasn't finished. On 9/27, I came to the house around 130 which he told me he would be finished in an hour. The tiles were dirty... he didn't use the grout I gave him or tell me that I needed more. He used hardwood flooring, he KNEW was not meant for that house to put up under the bottom of the cabinets.... He had also left the door open to the house over night and wetting my living room floor and leaving the house vulnerable to the elements. When I looked at the cabinets in the kitchen, you could tell where the top of the cabs got wet and one of them was broken. When I reached out to ask him what happened to the cabinets, he said he didn't think about it and all I needed to do was replace the door. You would think someone that has been giving so many excuses about finishing a job that he was given multiple opportunities to end, would have IMMEDIATELY called me to tell me the cabinet was broken out of the box and sent me a picture, the way he sent me other pictures. I asked him to rectify, he stated he would not because there was nothing he could do to make me happy. I advised I was upset because his slowness (even though he was paid) was holding me up for moving forward with other items for the house, he was costing me more than I saved by using him. I have text messages from him, but he should have to fix this issue. I would not recommend anyone else using the service. I was advised by a family member, he did some of the same things when on their job and she was the one that brought some of things he was doing to my attention because I was not at the homesite.Desired SettlementCost for Replacement/Repair of the wet/discolored cabs and the cabinet that was broken. These were brand new cabinets out of the box. If they were broken why even put them up, why not call and tell me they were broken and ask me what I wanted to do. Business Response In 7 years this is the first complaint I have heard of. It is impossible to make 100% of people happy 100% of the time. I tried, I failed, when she mentioned Revdex.com I said please do.You will notice on the contract that this job had no time frame, however I will freely admit it took longer than expected. It started off bad when it took longer than expected on my side to get generator back from repair shop. After using it for 30 minutes it shut off and went back to the shop again. In our conversations she had already told me she was having to save the money to put heat unit in the home(it currently has no heating system, and was planning in the future to rent it out. Because of our previous conversations, I didn't for see the need to go buy a new generator immediately.( I now wish I had. Lesson learned) I am human, and things do happen in our lives that restrict our movements from time to time, health issues and whatnot. I am human, I work 7 days a week, on 24 hour call for emergencies. I do have issues that arise like every other human that makes me fail to preform as expected. Most other people have sick days and the likes, I don't. LOL. Because of these delays, I preformed services that were not even in the contract for free to try and make this lady happy.(including but not limited to providing the tile for the bathroom for free, because she didn't have enough, paying for enough grout to do the job.) Its true, I didn't tell her she needed more grout even though she left a 1/4 a #25 bag for 180 feet floor at 3/8 lines, Its also true I hadn't used the grout she left YET because I hadn't DONE ANY GROUT YET although I had already bought another bag for at no cost to her. I told her I had, and we were wiping off the tile, making sure no thinset was in joints, and vacuuming any contaminants from cracks preparing to grout when we had that conversation. If we mix that tiny amount and cant do the whole job the color of the next bag wont match, lot #s differ and the color can vary if not prior mixed. I have pics of the hardwood floor under the edge of the cabinets. I needed 3/4 inch shims under 1 side of the cabinets because the floors are so unlevel. In fact one side of the sink cabinets are setting on the floor the other side is setting on top of 2 layers of backer board(that corner was so unlevel I had to help it some just to lay the tile)plus the tile, plus the 3/4 hardwood I used for a shim. The old tobacco barn turned house is so bad I had to put in my contract that the tile would be as unlevel as the floors to make sure I was protected. This was a labor only contract, there were 2 - 2 inch wide 12" long hardwood boards laying in the floor. They were exactly what was needed to hold her cabinets up so they don't break off the wall when the tops are put on. (I have no problem paying for this 1/3 a square foot of hardwood if that is what she desires)The door, we were not using the front door before the day someone left it open. The key does not work the front door, she said it would stick or something..... I never checked what issue was. The back door opens into kitchen, and leads directly to dining room...... the 2 rooms everything but 20 tiles (small bath) were being done. The first time I even parked in the front was to go and check how wet the floor was after she had called me. It didn't make sense to park in the back and then walk through house to front door. I immediately took a video of that check, knowing then what direction this was turning. The extra overhang on the front porch prevented the water from actually entering the home. The carpet was not even wet enough to change the color on a grey t-shirt material rag, as shown in the video. There were no cabinets in front of the door, If there were they would have been in the walkway wouldn't they. She sent me a picture of the scene of the crime. I will gladly provide it to you, it shows a open door...and nothing else obstructing the view of the wall on the other side of the room. Hence no cabinet in area to get wet. The "broken" cabinet is from shipping, a 5 panel door has 5 pieces jointed together. This issue is merely a slipped rail (the bottom frame of the door. I didn't mention it to her because these things are actually pretty normal, and just repaired, I was going to do just that for her at no charge, It takes just minutes, needle nose pliers to pull the factory nail,(which missed the rail, and allowed the rail to slip down) slide out the rail, wood glue in the joints and slide it back together. I didn't have the needle nose pliers on the truck, but was going to return with them and repair it for free, something I would always do for a client........when she started complaining about everything I knew I couldn't make her happy, so any effort even minutes were wasted. I was paid to install the cabinets I did so as contracted, I advised her to return the door to where she bought cabinets. I want no direct contact with this lady. If this door can be delivered to a person that will agree to be on video, from the time I show up, and the minutes it takes to repair it THERE with them present, so there is documented proof of the condition of before I repaired, my repair, and the condition when I took my hands off of it, so she cannot claim further damage. I will do so for free, I would have anyways before she became so irrational. AS for her family member, she is a wonderful lady that only wants to protect her cousin. I believe this lady is incapable of a lie and will truthfully say what she believes is true. However she cannot give actual testimony as to who left the door open, she saw it open one evening thinking we were there she disregarded it, the next morning it was still open, and of course she called her cousin. I would have done the same thing. However it is debatable who left the door open. I also find it interesting this lady mentions I done some of the same things there, it is the first I have heard of it, and quite honestly I am curious as to what she is talking about. I remodeled her bathroom years ago, and don't recall a single complaint. If there had been a serious complaint I find it interesting it is just being voiced now. If my work there was considered under par, I find it interesting that she still treats and talks to me like the friend that all the rest of my clients become as their projects are completed. Asking of my wife and kids. Though not required by law, I would gladly do anything in the world within my power to rectify any issues with her cousin that she is speaking of that I haven't heard about for years.