M & H Construction

Back in Jun 30, an estimate was emailed to Mrs *** for the exterior painting of her house as well as the staining of her deckWhen I met with her we look at her deck and the deck was in bad shapeThere were a lot of areas where the stain was chipping off and the deck needed extra attention
We discuss about the options she had and she decided to get an estimate to only power wash, scrape and stain the deckIn the email I sent her, there was an attachment that explains the scope of work on the deck, which was to power wash and apply one coat of stainOn July 2, she sent me an email asking a couple of questions about the estimate where one of them was about the warranty on the workLater in the day, I responded to her questions where I explained her all of our work (paint) comes with a year warranty“No warranty on decks or fence Stain work is hard to warranty because it depends on how well its maintained and weathered”Later that day she replied staying she would like to proceed with the work After that email, we exchange couple of more emails about what stain to use for the deckAt that time I did another deck that was in similar situation to Mrs***s and the result was great, using the oil based TWP stainOn July 3, I responded to her email about the questions of using the TWP stainI explain her TWP was more expensive than the others, and would use it in heavy traffic areas such as the deckOil based products are known for better adhesionShe was also informed that that stain takes longer to dry Since she provided us with all the paint and stain to get the job completed, she got the TWP stainOn 7/20/14, after all the work was done and did a final walk with her to make sure she was satisfied with the work got a final invoice for all the work we did, and as you can see in the attachment the scope of work on the deck was to be power wash, which we did, and apply one coat of stainIt also stays the exterior painting of the house has a year warranty but no warranty on the stain work I can see on her complaint she mentions we lack of properly treating the deck prior to apply the stainShe decided to go just to have it power wash and stainThat’s the reason stain stripper was not usedShe also mentioned she contacted me on several occasions after the applicationThe first time she contacted me after we were done with the project was on 3/22/2016, where she left me a voicemail staying she had couple of questions for meI did contact her right away and set up a time to look at her deckEven though I knew there was not warranty on the deck I went a head a meet, trying to find a solutionUnfortunately she was not home at the time we scheduled to look at her deck but her husband wasI then look at the deck and recommend them to go back to the store from where she got the stain so a rep of TWP would stop by and look at itI explained him it seems the stain did not adhere properlyIt was in the middle of the summer so it was warm and dry enough when we did apply the stainI told Mr*** to please get back with me after the TWP rep stop by to try to work something outI did not hear fro them until now that I received this letterPlease see next email for attachments Edgar *** 1855PAINT

I went to resolve these issues multiple timesThe customer would give a list of issues needing adjustment, we would fix accordingly to the customers satisfaction and after the customers inspection everything was in orderThis process happened on multiple occasions with the customer stating the
same issues on every visit to the residenceWhen the concrete in question was finished by the sub contractor the customer inspected the work and approved of the work with myself verbally and by paying the balance of the slab portion in fullThe customer did mention an issue several weeks after the slab was complete and we did discuss the solutionThe current issue was mentioned several weeks after completion and through the process of conducting daily business was over lookedWe are happy to correct the issue if allowedWe feel that this seems to be from a break down in communication and would like the chance to remove any reproach M and H Construction has caused

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: The contractor has not completed work listed in the contract even though I have paid in full Contractor has not responded to any of our attempts to communicate and did not listen to requests about projects. When told that rebar needed to be put inside of cinder blocks due to high winds the contractor did not do as told and told my husband that that is not how it is done in Mexico. Mr*** did not clean up after his crew of trash and was contacted numerous times to do so. Mr*** was not present when concrete was poured and did not inspect job. One slab was not brushed to prevent slips, another was poured at a slope which it was to be leveland one slab did not have the wood between joining slabs. The greenhouse slab is crumbling rocks out of the slide. The down spouts have not been put in place. My husband and son had to correct several problems so that the plumber and electrician could finish their part. Mr*** has demonstrated that he does not have the knowledge or experience to call himself a contractor and we feel that he would only bring more problems. To complete the project we had to bring in knowledgeable people so that we could meet our deadlines with other sun-contractors. During construction Mr*** called the supplier several times each day as he did not understand the directions in the kit but before construction began he assured me that he did understand everything. Mr*** was not honest with me on this project and had I known I would have hired someone else with experience
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
My deck was not then in 2014, and is not now in 2016, in bad shape.  Edgar never told me or my husband when we initially met that our deck was in “bad” shape.  His comment is a lie.  Had Edgar told me our deck was in bad shaped, we would have paid to have it fixed RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.  I paid Edgar a total of $3,073.25 for work that he did on my home at that time, so why wouldn’t I pay a couple hundred dollars more to fix a small deck if it needed to be fixed?  I properly maintain my home and perform all repairs that need to be done.  You will also notice on the invoice Edgar sent to you that he noticed wood that was needed replaced on the exterior of my home.  Because it was verbalized to me that it needed replaced, I proceeded and paid to have it replaced.  If Edgar had verbalized that my deck needed work done to it, I would have proceeded to have the work done. Even my current estimates recently done from other deck professionals now in 2016 do not say that my deck is in “bad” shape.  I have lived in my home over 15 years and have routinely taken care of my deck making sure that it was properly treated and stain, so NO my deck was not in “bad” shape when Edgar was called out to give me an estimate.  If my deck was in “bad” shape at that time, Edgar, why did you proceed with the job by only power washing and staining it?  A reputable company would not proceeded with work that could turn out badly and negatively affect the companies reputation.  If my deck had been in “bad” shape, Edgar should have provided me with an estimate showing the work that needed to be done (which he didn’t) and then proceed to tell me that unless I did those repairs that he could not accept the job in good faith because he knows it wouldn’t turn out good, but Edgar didn’t do that.  Edgar didn’t do that because my deck was not in bad shape.  If there was areas where the stain was chipping off like Edgar states, if he did a good job power washing it, the chips would have easily come off, which is my problem now. Edgar did not properly power wash, clean and treat my deck initially.  If my deck needed extra attention, why didn’t he provide the attention?  There were not options to discuss, but the one he gave me, which was that he would power wash and stain my deck with one coat (as the estimate/receipt shows).  There was nothing for me to decide.  Edgar says in his reply that he gave me an estimate to “scrape” my deck, but that is also a lie.  Nowhere on his estimate or receipt does it list he would “scrape” my deck (see the document he attached).  He didn’t list it because he didn’t “scrape” my deck.  Had he scraped my deck, then I wouldn’t be contacting the Revdex.com now.  Because he didn’t scrape my deck, the new stain he applied did not stick or adhere and peeled in 2014 until now.  The scope of the work listed only says to “power wash and stain”, not scrape.  Also, most companies list on their estimate, receipt, contract, etc., that the customer declined any suggested work to cover themselves in the event there is a problem.  Edgar did not list anything like that because he did not tell me there was anything wrong with my deck, because it wasn’t.  I do not mind paying to keep something I have looking nice, if it needs to be done.  When it comes to my home, I do not like “cutting corners”, so to speak, and doing things cheaply.  I like to keep the value or worth of my home up.   Stain work is not hard to warranty, especially if you are a company that is good at what they do.  Most companies that are good at staining warranty their decks for 2-3 years after a job is done.  I obtained Edgar from Angie’s List where it states that “All of our jobs come with a 2 year warranty” and does not say stain work is excluded.  Listed below is Edgar Castellanos Angie’s List profile/about page, and why I hired him and why my deck should be under warranty:    Angie’s List Business Description: Castellanos Services LLC has provided services throughout the city of Indianapolis and surroundings. We are fully insured. All of our jobs come with a 2 year warranty. Edgar suggested that he use the TWP on my deck, even though I had never heard of it and never used it.  Edgar mentioned that it was a new product and that he hadn’t used it many times, but said that he liked it.  I trusted him and let him go ahead and proceed with the stain, even though I was hesitant because he hadn’t used it much.  I think staining decks was something new for Edgar.  Edgar mentioned in his reply that oil based products are known for their better adhesion.  Well what happened in my case because it didn’t adhere at all?  Yes, the stain definitely took longer to dry.  It was wet and sticky for many, many months after the application, which is not normal.  Yes, I provided Edgar with the stain he recommended because he told me to go purchase it. He said he would provide the labor only, and I was to purchase the stain.  He told me where to go purchase it, and I did.  I pointed out to Edgar after he completed the job that I did not like the high gloss shine and stickiness it had to it, but he said it would go away.    Edgar lied again in his complaint when he states that “I decided to just have it power washed and stained”.  Edgar told me that this was all I needed to have done, so I proceeded with what he said, thinking he knew what he was doing.  Edgar never mentioned anything to me about “stain stripper”.  He did not say I need to have my deck stripped or the stain stripper applied.  I didn’t even know a deck could be stripped until I recently had other deck companies out to give me an estimate in 2016.  I did try to contact the company on several occasions leaving a voice mail twice and the other times I tried to call Edgar his cell phones voice mail would always be “full” to the point that I couldn’t leave a voice mail.  Edgar evidently did not clear his voice mail messages off his phone regularly in order to clear space for incoming voice mails.  So, because the voice mail was “full”, I was not able to leave messages during those calls.  When I finally got in touch with Edgar in March 2016, he said he would come out on Monday, March 28th or Tuesday, March 29th, but would call me before he came.  Edgar did not do that.  He arrived at my home on Monday, March 28th at 5:00pm, unannounced, and I was not there.   My husband was on his way out of the door and Edgar arrived.  I told Edgar that I wanted to be there when he came and to let me know when he was coming, but he didn’t.  He did not do as his replies states, which was “set up a time to look at my deck”.  He just showed up.  He did not schedule an exact time to meet, only telling me it would be Monday or Tuesday and would call me before he comes.  Edgar mentioned in his statement that he met to try to find a solution and his solution was to pay him close to another $2,000.00 to correct his original mistake.  That was his solution.    We did as Edgar suggested contacted the store he recommended to us, had a representative of the paint store and manufacturer come out and review the photographs.  They are the ones that said Edgar prep work on the deck was not done correctly from the beginning.  Yes, Edgar, you are correct in your reply where you state that “the stain did not adhere properly”, because it didn’t, which is why I contacted you and an writing to the Revdex.com.  Even though it may have been in the middle of the summer, that doesn’t leave out the fact that it could have recently rained on the deck because it does rain in the summer too.  In addition, to the deck not being properly prepared, power washed and treated, it may have been wet also, which if this was the case too, the work shouldn’t have been done.  I tried to contact you after the paint store representative came out, but once again, Edgar’s voice mail was full.  The paint store representative said that he will contact Edgar.   There was no reason to contact Edgar after he came out because he was not willing to fix the problem he created at no charge. When Edgar left our home after speaking with my husband, there was nothing to work out other than Edgar correcting the work he messed up.  Edgar left my home stating that we would have to pay him an outrageous amount of money to correct it, which I am not willing to do with him and his company.  I do not want Edgar to do anymore work on my deck or home because it should have been done correctly the first time.  I will have to pay a reputable company an outrageous amount of money to correct his mistakes.  Once again, I want the money I paid Edgar for the “shottie” work he did, refunded to me in the amount of $400.00, so that I can apply it towards having the work done right.  Edgar did not address my request to have the money refunded to me in his response.  The right thing to do is to refund my $400.00.   [redacted]