Layman's Contracting, Inc.

Review: The week of Jan 19th I hired LCI (Layman Contracting) in [redacted] to come to my home and replace a sewer line from the home to the street. The agreed upon price was $3,800.00. The man working ([redacted]) had to of course turn off water to the house so I stayed next door with my son for the duration of the work. On Friday the 23rd of that week [redacted] informed me that the pipes had been turned back on and I could move back into my house, however there was damage to the seal on the toilet in the basement and it was left running. He said he would be back on Monday to fix it. He did not tell me that water was running in my house.

That night and the next day I noticed we had no water pressure to speak of and I kept hearing water running. I called LCI on Saturday and was told that if they had to come out they would charge me to do it. I frankly could not believe it since they had created the problem in the first place. I was also told that the water couldn’t be running very much to speak of and it would not use all that much- in effect it would be fine to wait until Monday when they were coming out to finish anyway.

Sunday the Water Department called me to see if there was a major leak because I had apparently used close to ½ months’ worth of water in a couple of days. I again called LCI who did come out and fix the problem.

Wednesday LCI finished at my house and told me I now owed them an additional 391.00 for work done over the weekend.

LCI also sewed grass seed and covered it with straw on Monday and Tuesday the 26th and 27th of January. By the time the grass should have come in, it had not. The straw was still in place but I had no grass over any of the area where the pipe was laid. I asked them if they would reseed and they told me certainly but it would cost me. I asked why and they told me that I should have kept the grass watered and made sure the straw was undisturbed while it was growing. We had three snow storms and heavy cold weather during this time. I asked how I was supposed to have watered it when I could not even use a hose during such weather and the owner told me that was a good question. But he never offered to help me.

I think I was treated unfairly in that:

1) I was asked to pay 391.00 for their mistake. I did not cause that problem. The only one who could have was the contractor. Period.

2) They expected me to keep grass seed water during snowDesired Settlement: I think LCI should do the honorable thing and refund me 391.00 that they charged me to fix the problem they likely caused. It is unfair that they should expect me to pay for this. I also paid 25.00 for reseeding and I think they should pay that as well, but if they pay the 391.00 I will drop this.

Business

Response:

On 1-21-15 our firm was hired by Mrs. [redacted] for the following work by a signed contractual agreement that stated the following information : (1) Pull plumbing permit, (2) Excavate up to 50' of sewer tine, (3) Replace up to 50' ofsewer line, (4) Install 2 cleanouts, (5) Bed and back newly newly installed sewer line, (6) Tamp, seed, and straw excavated area. During the process of the sewer line replacement, Mrs. [redacted] called in on Saturday 1-24-15 to our 24hour after hour answering service regarding a toilet running inside the home (unknown to our firm and not discussed prior to the original agreement) The on call technician informed Mrs. [redacted] at that time that this repair was notincluded on the original agreement and would accrue additional charges if we made the repairs. At that time Mrs. [redacted] informed the on call technician to wait and repair the toilet on that following Monday 1-26-15. Upon thearrival to the home, Mrs. [redacted] stated that the toilet was not running like that until the contractor (a restoration firm, not LCI) had removed it and reset it. The technician again explained that it was not our firm who removed and/or reset the toilet that she would need to contact the other firm who was the responsible party, at that time our technician was asked by Mrs. [redacted] to proceed with the repair of the toilet. On 1-29-15, after completing the original contractual agreement of the sewer line replacement and the extra work performed the client paid in full for all charges accrued. Afterwards LCI was then contacted by Mrs. [redacted] to come to her home and give an estimate on additional work to be performed inside the home. While in the home, Mrs. [redacted] shared comments of gratitude towards the work that LCI had completed with all the work done. No complaints towards our firm were shared at this time. After viewing the interior project and sending a proposal via email, Mrs. [redacted] was excited about the new work to be done. A few days later, Mrs. [redacted] inquired about yet another project she needed done at her home, our firm and her discussed through emails the details of the new projects up until 2-4-15. At no time were there any complaints from Mrs. [redacted] about any of the work or charges that had been done at her property. On the same signed contractual agreement signed by Mrs. [redacted] on 1-21-15, the following "Notes" are stated: "The following is not included:" ..--.........., ............, ........, guarantees on landscaping or grass survival, and/or...., " see terms and conditions below" (which reads: " All agreements are contingent upon the -.-...,., weather) This plainly indicates that our firm can't guarantee the growth of the grass due to the nature of the weather or soil conditions, which was also explained to Mrs. [redacted] as well when she called our firm on 3-17-15. Our firm strives hard to gain 100% satisfaction for the clients we serve. We were very surprised to having received this complaint because we did not receive any negative feedback from the client. However, we regret that Mrs. [redacted] feels this way about firm. In lieu of this, we are willing to issue Mrs. [redacted] a $25.00 off coupon for any service rendered over $100.00 if she is interested.With warm Regards,L.C.I.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

As I said previously, the fact that the firm said they did not know about the running water is not true. I was told that there was a problem on Friday evening when he left but he did not elaborate as to what the problem entailed. I had no idea that water was running as a result of the problem. I also ask you- if the water was not running before they turned the water off to the house, and the firm had to use the toilet in the basement as an entry (we did not at that time have a trap located outside) how could they have not known this was a matter of their doing? IT simply was. In my estimation if you make a problem exist, you have the decency to fix it for the customer. I am not asking for something for nothing. I am asking that they are willing to fix the problem they made without charging me to do it. I will not drop this. It is wrong. Period. And yes, they knew I was upset because I told them so.As to them saying that I said I would wait, I did say that simply because they told me it was not running much and it would be alright to see to it on Monday. Obviously they were wrong yet again since the water department called to see what was going on. As a consumer we have to trust that we are being informed and told the truth by those we hire and those who are in the know. It's sad when someone takes advantage of our trust.Also the technician on duty had told me that he thought [redacted] had made the problem. In speaking to [redacted], I found out that they had NOT created the problem, and yet again this firm was passing the buck. I am sorry but this is not a problem of my doing. Who caused it? My gut tells me the ones who used the toilet to get through the line. Who did that? LCI.If the firm strives hard to guarantee 100% satisfaction, then make this right. I do not want additional work done by a firm who would take advantage of a person by charging them for a mistake they made. I said that I was upset on the phone. They knew I was upset on the phone.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Proposal for job was $3,850 but Ms. [redacted] was only charged $3,800 - proposal and invoice attached.Extra work charges were $319 not $391. Of that total, $149 was for the toilet repairs - invoice attached. The problem was not caused by our work, the toilet was old. $170 was removal and re-installation of water line (materials only).

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Regards,

I got my numbers backwards, he is correct it was 319.00. I still say that the toilet was not broken when you came. The water was not running when you started. Your worker left it running and decided that it would be okay to let it continue to run over the entire weekend. It took your man less than 15 minutes to resolve the issue when he came out. Something [redacted] said he would fix on Monday but did not bother to explain to me. You should at the very least give me half of this back and I will drop it. This is my final offer but I will take this further is you do not. Period. You should not treat people this way. It is wrong and you know it.

Review: My appointment was scheduled for 1 pm on Wednesday, February 26, 2014. It takes 3 hours to reach the appointment location so I made sure that I confirmed the appointment the day before. At approximately 9:30 am the day of the appointment, I received a call from a company representative asking if I could meet them in an hour at 10:30 am. I explained that I was heading in that direction, but the earliest I could arrive would be in 2 hours at 11:30 am. The representative responded that they would be there at 1 and I asked them to keep me advised of any changes. When I arrived at the property at around noon, I called to let them know that I had arrived. A message was left on their voicemail as no one picked up. At 1:20 pm, I left another message stating that if I didn't hear from them, I would leave at 1:30 pm 10 minutes later. That is exactly what happened. At 1:45 pm, they called to ask if I still wanted the job done. They did not have the courtesy to call to say they were running late and they knew I had driven 3 hours to get there. I drove 6 hours yesterday for nothing and wasted a lot of gasoline. Evidently, they had a better paying job to go to so they never showed up and did not have the decency to call to say they were running late. Little did they know that I was going to ask them to quote on a very expensive job, converting from oil to a heat pump. Needless to say, these people are not professionals.Desired Settlement: Treat people the way you want to be treated!

Business

Response:

To Whom it May Concern,

The client noted had called to schedule an appointment as they stated, even

verified our company would be there the day of the appointment (2-26-14).

They were advised that a representative from our company would be there.

The scheduled time of arrival was to be around 1:00 pm. The nature of our

business, (not knowing how long each service job may take) does require

constant communication between clients, technicians, and office personnel.

The technician from our firm contacted the client as stated at 9:27 am, on

2-26-14 the date of the appointment to attempt to arrive earlier. The client

however, was a distance away and informed our technician she may be there

around 12:30 pm. Our technician stated to her that he should still be there

around 1:00 pm. The client agreed that it would be OK, but if we weren't

going to make it to let them know.

After the client agreed, the technician was then dispatched to another area,

where there is no cell service. Apparently, when the client tried to reach the

technician it kept going straight to voicemail. Immediately when the

technician regained service, at that time attempted to call the client 1:34 pm

to let them know we were on the way. All of these times came off of cell phone

records, There was no answer and a voicemail message was left by our

technician stating we were on the way. The client never called back, so we

then called again at 1:45 pm, the client then informed the technician that she

had left the home, to not come back.

Our firm strives hard to not let these types of things happen, and we are sorry

it did. We feel if the client had attempted to contact our office, when not

being able to get in touch with the technician this issue would have never

happened. Our firm can honestly say, this doesn't happen. We work hard to

let our clients know the time of arrival and keep them updated as well. It is

apparent that this client has used someone in the past that has stood them up.

Sincerely,

Evan Layman

VP-L.C.I.

Consumer

Response:

My complaint was not filed as a result of being stood up by another company as the respondent suggested. I've had many contractors work on this home and none of them were late. I, also, checked cell phone records. There was no indication of a call received at 1:34 pm. If I had received the call at that time, I would have returned to the property. The only call that I received from the company that afternoon was at 1:43.The lesson to be learned here is the importance of communication. When you know you're going to be late, you call. If you're in an area with poor cell phone reception, you find a better spot or use a pay phone.