LJ Ross Associates, Inc.

When we came out to inspect the situation we used the following:***TThe corner areas appeared very dark, much different that the main wall This scanned uses the infrared light spectrum to gain data of what is going on inside a wall Much like an x-ray Thus we don't need to drill holes.With all of the above said, whether the cells be solid and impeading water transport or hallow with a very porous mix allowing water to escape, the repair is the same...an internal membrane Therefore, we are back to what I originally started We will install the membrane for free in the wet corners

The client signed a contract that is both valid and enforceable They have a copy of the contract in the email inbox provided via DocuSign The terms of the contract state clearly the nature of what was to transpire, financially and otherwise Regardless of "how" the client intends
to pay, they are responsible for the contract they signed Now, with that said, I understand the financial hardship the client is in I will agree to cancel the contract and refund the deposit under the condition that this Revdex.com matter be closed as well as the open complaint with *** financialIf the client agrees to cancel both complaints and does so, the contract will be canceled and deposit returned Thank you

***As the owner of Keystone I take such matters very seriously So seriously in fact, that I created the following documents for my customers On 10-21-Jenny from my office emailed you the document titled "Concrete Slab Drying Shrinkage Cracks" which explains the cracking you are
seeing Additionally, I have attached the dehumidifier protocol that all my employees are trained on As you can see we dedicate a lot of time to this matter We do so because concrete shrinkage cracks are in large part unavoidable when pouring concrete into a confined space (I.Ereplacing a floor section removed for waterproofing work) In the end, shrinkage cracks occur for a myriad of reasons To the extent we can limit them we do with admixtures, best practice methods etc That said, the major contributing factors that create cracking are relative humidity, air temperature of the room and occupant behavior (Opening garage doors, changing temp, running dehumidifiers) naturally these factors are beyond contractor control and as such cannot be completely Lastly, and most importantly, shrinkage cracks are cosmetic We install a plastic vapor barrier under the concrete to prevent moisture exfiltration or any other convection based air movement from sub-slab depressurization All of this is done because the cracks are anticipated and expected.In closing, I will send someone out to seal the cracks under the condition that *** acknowledges that we did in fact email the document explaining this very thing on 10-21- The email that sent the document is *** and should be easily searchable given the information provided

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

On Mon, Dec 12, at 10:AM, *** *** ***> wrote:Keystone Basement System owner (no name given in reply),In my original complaint I DID acknowledge receipt of Jenny's e-mail regarding the cracks I did talk to her after receiving it and said I still had questions You may need to read my complaint again to understand my concernWhen my basement was finished and the crew was leaving I was told wait a couple days then run the dehumidifier for a couple weeks off and on Now you say not to run it My garage is attached and does not connect to the basement so opening it has no effectConfusing information or an excuse????? Some cracks are as they appear in the e-mail but some are wider I would like to have my basement looked at and corrected. Thank you,*** ***

We have canceled the contract We have also canceled the *** Financial contract I have also called the client personally This should satisfy the matterThank you. Sincerely, *** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint within your requested time frame. I am, however, appreciative of the response of the business and plan to meet with the inspector on Thursday, Feb8, to address the matter. Following the satisfactory closure of the recommended resolution, I will be in a more informed position to address the complaint. Thank you
Regards,
*** ***

We are creating the updated version of the settlement agreement for the client to review I agree to all of the items that they are requesting, but I will require the terms to be written down and signed by both parties before I proceed This will provide both clarit of scope and protection for both sides

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

At this point all that I can say is that the matter is being handled and not ignored My attorney is involved so that the matter can be handled fairly and in accordance with the law I know the Revdex.com does not takes sides, but rather observes to see if complaints are being handled and not ignored Although both parties are at a disagreement at this time, action steps are being taken to resolve this matter

In response: Replacing Blue Angel - Once all parties have agreed to a solution, KBS will replace the primary pump Therefore, I essentially agree to do what is requested once all parties have their ducts in a row Reconnect pumps into existing underground lines that were installed by *** using better "fittings" -I will not agree to do this as those lines being over burdened is why the problem occurred As an alternative I would agree to run new, independent lines for the pumps at my expense If you think about this logically it would cost me very little to by high end fittings and tie into the existing lines It will cost me thousands to run new, independent lines...which I will agree to do once all parties have a mutual agreement and have all ducks in a row Paying for 50% of the damage - If you refer to the "Terms and Conditions" of the attached contract you will see that the Contractor's Warranty does not apply to damages In closing, I will address the motor and the discharge line items, but not the damage to contents

Revdex.com:
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 a customer receiving a product, it is expected that the description given to the customer regarding product and work to be completed is true. In this case, the customer was told of a specific placement of a product and the product was not placed in that location. Furthermore, the customer noted to the salesman that a fence would be subsequently installed post the French drain work being completed in order to keep the wildlife behind the property from gaining access to the property. The salesman stated that the fence would need to be placed in front of the French drain. As the drain was NOT placed where the salesman stated it would be (at the base of the hillside), the fence installers could not install the fence at the location as indicated by the salesman. Both the major curvature of digging on the side of the yard where the discharge pipe was placed as well as the French drain not being placed at the base of the hillsides led to the fence needing to be installed at the Baden of the hillside instead. This potentially could limit the effectiveness of installed French drain.In addition, the customer was told by the people scheduling the appointment for the French drain install that both the basement and outside French drains would be installed on the same day. Regardless of what machines were needed for any given part of the installation, the customer was told a specific date for both parts of the installation - 7Jul. In addition, it wasn't until the customer informed the salesman on that date that only the basement installers were on site that the salesman spoke to someone at the company to confirm what the customer was initially told was incorrect regarding installation date for both parts. The company never reached out to the customer to apologize for the incorrect information being told to the customer. In addition, this caused extreme inconvenience to the customer who does travel for work. While there appears to be explanation by the company for the above, the explanation and the lack of customer service from company to customer is unsatisfactory. The customer does not feel that the service overall and workmanship of the outside French drain was satisfactory. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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 situation is no better than when we originally contracted with you.  The attached photos are from 12/18/16 and show water on the walls in areas other than just the corners.  We did not make the decision to use you based on minimizing cost.  We contracted with you to solve the issue and did not place any restrictions on your recommendations.  We purchased the dehumidifier based on your recommendations that the water was from condensation...not from outside sources.  It is obviously from outside sources.We are giving you one more opportunity to deliver on your promise to provide us with dry basement walls using your system.  Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss the next steps.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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.
  I Contacted Keystone on June 14, 2017 to let them know that we had water in the basement, and that the battery back up on the pump next to my bathroom was beeping.  At that point no one was home in the home on June 13, 2017 when the water came in so we were unware of what pump failed. I did not call on June 16, 2017.    I called to have someone come out to take a look at what happened on June 14, 2017 and can show you my phone records.  At that point I never stated that the water was “spewing” out of the 4” discharge line outside”   I was told someone would be out that Friday June 16, 2017.  We got flooded in the basement again on June 15, 2017 and again on June 16, 2017.  We were in the basement next to the washer when the water started to overflow from the sump pump system on June 15, 2017.  At that point water started to flood the basement. And the water overflowed out of the sump pump system under my stationary tub.  This was a direct effect of the main pump in the system not working, the 2nd pump was not removing all of the water which caused it to overflow.  So as Keystone stated their never fail system flooded my basement.  At that point I noticed outside on the connections that were installed by keystone that they had split and water was coming out of the connection from where the sump pump system was connected to the gutter. These connections were installed by Keystone. The gutter drain pipes my husband had installed did not fail, they have been and are still working.  Keystone's Connection pipes to our gutter drain pipes and motor are what failed.  Also not one of my over 10 calls to the owner were ever returned, Josh E[redacted] came out to the house 2 times It was not many times as stated by Keystone.  Once to look at damage and the 2nd to temporary fix the outside drainage since another storm was supposed to happen on Sunday June 18, 2017.  Josh also stated that the it was just too much water for the system to handle and they would need to replace the inside piping from 1 1/2 pipe to 2 inch pipe on both systems and they would need to run a 4 inch pipe on the outside to handle all of the water.  That between the discharge from the systems and the and the rain from the roof it was too much water.  Again had they used PVC pipe for the outside connections like had originally had been installed by the company that did our gutters the outside piping would of been ok.    Again and I have pictures of the connection pipes Keystone installed, what split was not our lines that were run for the gutters drainage, they are still working and located underground.  They did not fail, Keystones Motor in one of the pump systems is what failed, and they never even checked the pump in my son’s room.  These pumps come with a 5 year warranty from Keystone, at this point we have a Ridgid replacement pump in the basement that Josh installed on June 17, after I had him check the pump to see why it overflowed. The pump Keystone had originally installed was a Blue Angel pump.  Keystone has cancelled their appointment with us to correct these issues, after I contacted the Revdex.com and gave a negative review on Angie's List and we refuse to sign a release from their lawyers that will void all warranties in the future.  We are now left with thousands of dollars in damage to our basement, when I questioned Josh about Keystone paying for the damages to the finished basement I was told he wasn't sure if the company had insurance.  I have tried many times to resolve this situation with Keystone and have now involved a lawyer, Keystone refuses to fix their products now unless we sign a release and remove all negative reviews of the company.  And will not pay for any damages we received in our home.  As a direct result of their pump that failed along with the outside connections.  I also have Video of the water coming out of the piping outside after the rain and many pictures of the damage and the pump overflowing.  And in regards to where Keystone connected to our down spouts Clarence the sales person who came out to the property said that they could use the existing drainage lines that my husband had installed, (which are still connected and working fine) he never gave us an option or a price to have other lines run.  At this point Keystone is not taking any responsibility for any of the damages to my basement, which is where my bedroom and my sons where located and also a room for my bunnies.  At this point we have been beyond inconvenienced in our own home with the damage, and we are still out 3 rooms in our house that are still not fixed.  And the owner has still never contacted us other than an email to let us know he will not be out to fix anything which was scheduled to be this Tuesday July 18, 2017. The owner could never find time to respond to my many phone calls and messages left for him with Josh and phone calls to the company. I checked with Josh to make sure he got the messages and was told he forwarded them to the owner.  But he managed to respond to my negative reviews online, but could never bother to return even 1 phone call.  This is exactly why I posted the negative reviews and contacted the Revdex.com and got a lawyer, I have tried more than once to resolve this issue that could have been handled if the owner would have at least returned 1 phone call.  I want my basement back the way it was before the pump and connections failed, which was a finished basement and for Keystone to correct their faulty system. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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.I have enclosed a copy of the estimate for the damage sustained to my basement from the flooding because the motor in our  French drain sub pump system failed.  Keystone replaced it with one from Home Depot as I have stated many times before.  In our warranty agreement from Keystone they are responsible for the motor and replacement motor.  Also the connections outside, where they connected to our downspout systems are what failed. The connections not the downspouts which are still intact and still in working order.  In the letters we have received from lawyers that Keystone Basement Systems & structural repair there is no mention in any of the letters from their lawyers that their motor failed or the connections failed, they keep trying to blame this matter on our existing discharge lines which have been and are still in working order  and we have had no issues with those what failed and caused our basement to flood, what was the motor and cheap connection pieces which were placed outside.  At this point they will not even come replace the motor or do any type of repair until we sign a release,  I have also attached a picture of the letter from there lawyer and a copy of the release they want us to sign. They are insisting we sign a release, before they will complete any of the repairs I want my warranty to stand the way I originally signed it for a system that I paid $8,000 for I'm not going to sign a release the basically voids that warranty.  To resolve this matter I am asking that Keystone replaces their motor with a Blue Angel motor.  And replaces the outside connection pieces that failed, with Pvc connection pieces and remove the above-ground discharge lines which they temporarily installed and replace them underground.  I have also attached a copy of the estimate for the damage for the basement we are asking Keystone to meet us halfway with payments of half of the estimate for the basement damage we sustained from the failing motor in the system, and outside connections. This matter is not being correctly handled by their lawyers they are pressuring us into signing a release that we do not want to sign and again their lawyers make no mention about the motor that has failed in turn we are basically getting the runaround from them,  the same way that all of my phone calls to Aaron were left unanswered and ignored which then forced me to file a complaint with the Revdex.com.  And also to involve a lawyer on our part.   I would like to put this matter behind us and move forward. I have also emailed pictures of the release and the pictures of the damage and the broken connections and the temp motor they installed.   
Regards,
[redacted]

On Tue, Aug 30, 2016 at 9:48 AM, [redacted]> wrote:Hello [redacted] I would like to close my complaint against Keystone Basement Systems.I am satisfied with the resolution. The contract will be closed and the will be deposit returned.  Thank you. [redacted]

Based on the pictures submitted by the client, and conversations with [redacted] (Inspector) regarding the situation, the wall is displaying a leak whereas the water is materializing on the inside face of the block above the floor level.  The exit point is well above the "weep hole" at the...

base of the wall where water is designed to exit  This can sometimes happen based on the individual porosity of cement block. Although rare, this does occur from time to time.  In order to be transparent regarding this phenomenon, we discuss this very topic in the terms and conditions of the contract.  See the attached document where that is highlighted in blue.  It is unfortunate that this has occurred, but this isa function of the Owner's block and not an indictment of the system or its performance.  Quite literally the water is escaping before it even reaches any of the components of the waterproofing system.Now, with that said, we are reasonable.  The area is small where this is occurring. I will have a membrane installed, for free, in the 8-foot wide by 7+-foot tall area.  Even though this contingency is well spelled out in the terms, I want to have happy customers.  Additionally, should the client want the whole 35-feet to receive a membrane, we will do this at a discounted rate.I have the Inspector, Mr. [redacted], scheduled to meet the client THIS Thursday at 6:45PM.  They can discuss the details thereafter.  Lastly, a 35-ft system can hold 175 gallons of water before the excess needs to be processed by the pump.  This is why most systems only process water in bad storms.  They certainly do not process water every day.  I hope this is a satisfactory response to this complaint. Thank you.

I would like to start this response by stating my desire for a fair andequitable solution to this matter.  That said, I feel that I shouldexplain the situation before giving my recommendation to achieve that end.I would like to first start with the nature of the original issue.  Theclient...

stated that the discoloration came back on the wall a year later andthat was the genesis of the complaint.  I have attached two pictures[redacted] and [redacted]), which substantiate that this has in fact happened. With that said, I would like to examine this.Let us first start with the contract. Before we can assign blame, we mustunderstand and define responsibility.  What is the warranty?  Whatdoes Keystone state their system will or will not do?  Until this is reviewed,it is hard to say anything. If you refer to the contract, which I attached[redacted]), you will see the warranty on the front section under the title"WATER MANAGEMENT WARRANTIES.  It states "3-2-1 walls with nomembrane: The warranty on this contract covers only the cove area of the floor(24" out from the wall) that is in the contract area." The type ofsystem installed prevents water intrusion onto the ground but does not coverwalls.  A different type of system would do that.  Additionally, if we refer to the reverse of the contract, it states in items 5and 13 that the wall is not under warranty.  We did not perform any workon the wall and therefore it was not covered as part of the warranty.  Ifyou read both clauses they clearly define the situation.  Now, with that stated, the walls are clearly not a part of the warrantied area. The next logical question...is why not?  Why do we not give a warranty on a wall unless a membrane is installed?  The reason is asfollows.  When you install waterproofing systems you are putting them inon houses that range from 1-year old to 150-years old.  You have somehouse with block foundations, while others are made of stone.  Some are ingood shape, others in ad shape.  Suffice it to say we encounter many differentsituations.  Cement block foundations receive a "weep hole" atthe bottom of the hallow column to release trapped water.  In some casesthe water flows freely as the block is dense and new.  In other homes, theblock is porous and older.  This creates a situation where the some of thewater does not leave the hallow column and stains the wall.  Because wenever know the conditions that exist in the inside of a wall, we neverguarantee this unless we install a wall membrane, which covers the wall and directsthe water to the drain below the floor.  Unfortunately we never know if amembrane will be needed during the estimation or installation phase.  Thisdiscovery takes about a year...as it did in this case.  That said, it wasvery well explained and documented in the contract.   Now that I have explained that this area is not under warranty, and given proofof such as well as an explanation why, I would like to discuss what we can doto reach a fair settlement to this issue.  The wall is in need of a membrane. Keystone will install the membrane literally for the cost of material. The client may even purchase the material to ensure that they are reallypaying cost.  We will install the wall membrane and ask for no additionalfunds or money of any kind.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

My name is Aaron S[redacted] and I am the owner of Keystone Basement Systems.  I would like to address each item Ms. [redacted] has.  I will list the item and respond afterwards below:•They pestered me until I scheduled the appointment, grabbed my money, and ran from a subpar job.I am not sure why...

Ms. [redacted] is saying we "ran" from the job.  By her own admission we came back multiple times and had multiple managers out.  Additionally, we came back and did more work at her home.  Although it is certainly Ms. [redacted]'s right to have an opinion of the work that was done, it is factually incorrect to say we "ran" from the job.  After the work was completed Mr. Josh E[redacted] (Operations Manager) personally inspected the job at Ms. [redacted]'s request.  Additionally, Mr. Ron G[redacted] (Service Manager) came out to review the work and perform additional work at no cost.  Saying we "ran" from the job is a complete mischaracterization.  •They drilled right next to my water sprinkler system and damaged it. When I told them to stop drilling they didn’t. I now have trouble turning it off and on at the outside lever.This claim is false.  Mr. Ron G[redacted] tested the system when he was out to the home and said no “damage” of any kind existed.  In anticipation of such a claim he took a picture to verify this.  See attached picture titled “[redacted]6”•At 5:00 pm, they took off, giving me no instructions as to how the system operates.If this was done I will fully admit that Wesley was wrong.  Although the systems are automatic, and require no actions to operate, that needs to be explained to the client.  I apologize if this was done.•They never finished the cement on the floor, and left it very rough. It would have taken an extra five minutes to smooth it out and extend the cement so the job was done right.I cannot disagree with this more.  Keystone was hired to install a waterproofing system, not a basement floor.  (See attached contract of scope of work titled “[redacted] Paperwork”)  The client has a very rough floor.  It is so rough that some of her plumbing is actually exposed (See “[redacted]2”).  In anticipation of this claim we took extensive pictures of the floor. (See Attached Pictures Titles “[redacted]1,2,3,4 & 5)  You can clearly see Ms. [redacted]’s floor is in bad condition.  Additionally, by looking at the contract, you can see that we were not contracted to fix the floor.  All areas where Keystone installed a waterproofing system the floor was cemented.  Pay special attention to picture titled “[redacted]1.”  The pump shown in that picture existed and was NOT installed by Keystone. •Under contract, there was to be TWO coats of paint. They did one and I had to call to complain to get them to come out and do the second coat.Although the crew did do two coats of paint, Josh felt it did not look good enough.  At no cost we put another coat of paint on the wall.  I agree with Ms. [redacted] that this needed fixed and thus it was done.•Under contract, there was to be TWO coats of paint. They did one and I had to call to complain to get them to come out and do the second coat.See above comment explaining this. •They mixed the cement on my grass and killed the grass.All customers that have this kind of work done will have cement work.  Cement must be mixed on site.  There will always be some residue.•When they were leaving, they didn’t plug in system, and I had to ask them to do that. They asked me if I had extension cords. Then they left the electrical cords hanging, and weren’t going to plug it in until I asked them. They left old sump pump in place, but unplugged.Keystone does not provide electrical outlets or services, nor are we licensed to do so.  Furthermore, our contract states this in 3 places.  See attached document titles “[redacted] Paperwork.”  Sump pumps are commonly hooked up with extension cords until client gets an outlet installed.  This is an industry norm and outlined in detail on the contract.•When I called to complain and ask them to come back and clean up their mess, it took two weeks and they never did all I asked them to do. The owner kept saying we fulfilled the contract – YEAH BARELY!!!We came out multiple times after completion of the work.  We fixed the areas that were contracted.•They have untrained workers who admitted they had other jobs, but were filling in with this.AFTER the work was done Mr. Josh E[redacted] and Mr. Ron G[redacted] both were out to the house.  These are two of the highest company members. •When the supervisor came to inspect the job, he admitted it was a bad job.Mr. Ron G[redacted] did admit that the paint job could have been better…to which I agree.  Thus it was repainted at no cost. In closing, I do not agree to Ms. [redacted]’s request for a new concrete floor.  At no time did we agree to perform such work so any expectation that we would do it is unfounded.  (I have many additional photos of this project should they be needed for further clarification of items)