Meritage Homes Corporation

The response is nothing more but lies.  As you can see by the attached photo of the city minutes, it clearly states that the city would not be issuing permits due to the problem.  That shot is a week before we signed our contract.  All the city minutes are available online and the problem goes back to March of 2017.  In addition, we were told that it was a water pump and not a sewage pump.  To this date, Meritage does not have a solution for the problem.   It is absolutely fraud.  How can you not disclose an issue that exists and you have no solution in sight.  Meritage also gave us dates that had no basis since they could not get a permit.  Their response is total consistent with everything we have experienced with them so far.  Dishonesty and incompetent.  There is a reason why the response sounds like it is written by a legal department rather than a customer service person.  Bottom line, they allowed us to sell our home knowing that the promise date was not realistic.  Rather than being apologetic or trying to accommodate us in some way, they have chosen to ignore us.  Why don't they respond with a completion date?  Why don't they state why the house is taking over 9 months to build.  That's not normal. If they are not lying, then why not say that the home will be ready on March 15 (the latest promise date, after 4 postponements) and if not ready, they will be accountable?  The reason is they don't care about the people they affect with their negligence.  Yes we had a contingency to sell our home, but we did not know about these issues until after we had our home sold.  We had removed the contingency on selling our home so we could not stop the sell or risk being sued.  Rather stupid to try to cloud the facts with this nonsense.

Their mortgage company qualified us for $550k, based on my husband's prior income which almost doubled after he started his new job. We were out of state buyers, so we checked that we would be able to price options for our home through their advertised virtual design center VEO. In addition, we were told we would receive a book for our homes available options including different level pricing. We NEVER had access to their VEO online center, NOR did we receive our browse book until AFTER our 1st design appt, because of that our 1st appt was a complete waste! We now have 2 other M being built much closer to us & they're $100k-$200k cheaper than where we purchased.M stated they let us change options to get down to our lowered loan amount, lie-I have attached e-mails to show that. They told us we could make deletions no changes. M has dragged out THEIR process & we have to pay for it. We trusted their employees were telling us the truth about being able to receive our full deposit (all the way up to the day of closing) if we were not able to secure the financing amount necessary. We couldn't simply take out $50k-$60k loan on top of our pending home loan, because that also disqualified us because our debt to income ratio. We were mislead w/ included base level of our home. We've brochures from our salesman that have Monterey Homes labeling & our salesman told us that M owned them & that it's the same product. They're the luxury brand of homes & are at least 4 if not 6 levels higher.M never even pulled a permit much less anything else & they're trying to claim they are entitled to our earnest money when their mortgage company did not give us the appropriate approval amount & essentially started our entire process over again & they're somehow trying to claim we're responsible for this? We've a substantial amount of e-mails, phone calls & much more to back up our entire experience thus far.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response 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.We have 2 small boys, 5 yr old, 2 yr old and one on the way.At design center we had 3 criteria, that countertops we purchase be sealed through material, durable and scratch resistant, requiring minimal maintenance, resilient to traffic and mold. We considered putting granite in bathrooms, but were told that the cultured marble met criteria above with no issues- we didn't think to tape record or email this info and have it recorded in the case something such as this happens.Given the inaccurate information we chose the cultured marble.Prior to closing, upon further inspection, I noticed gouges and scratches in our upstairs cultured marble last week in July, including a number of areas that were not sealed out of the box (visible clear coat, which concerned me (why wasn't it sealed all the way through as communicated?), but Rick assured me it had a clear coat all the way through and was non porous- I took his word for it.Rick Martinez acknowledged issues and said he'd have his marble guy come and see if it could repaired.Rick contacted me and said gouge could not be fixed and countertop would be replaced.It was replaced week of 8/4, but between last week in July and week of 8/4 upstairs countertop replacement I was sealing the tile in master bathroom and noticed a large gap in between master bath countertop wall and countertop that was filled in with massive block of caulk, as well as same issues as upstairs countertop in master countertop and in shower area, which I showed Rick on site.  He said," well it would have to be replaced" unless it could be buffed, gap filled with similar material.  I expressed my concern that it didn't look like it was sealed all the way through, was missing seal in multiple places etc.  He reconfirmed that clear seal went through the countertops.  He never offered to replace this countertop and I did reluctantly agree to have gap filled, gouges filled and countertop buffed, however the buffing is not a seal and technician said material does not have seal all the way through, is not durable, and scratches easy and buffing was temporary. After learning that I spoke to Rick and he said I'd have to contact design center for giving me bad information on the countertops to cut a PO to get granite to replace the cultured marble since it was their fault (he did provide me same info as well in regards to the seal).  This conversation took place and Rick advised me to not let marble guys install the replacement cultured marble upstairs, but before I could tell my wife not to have guys come in and replace the upstairs countertop with cultured marble, they had already come, without call ahead as promised.   I now have a new cultured marble countertop upstairs, but come and see it and you will see the same issues as the original- defective out of the box with areas that area not sealed on the surface, apart from not being what was accurately described to us at time of selection.  As advised by Rick I contact design center, Amanda Gregory, to cut the PO's for the granite and she said she would contact Meritage to work out and said she would talk to her team, some of which are new, to accurately describe the product. I understand it was probably an honest mistake, but my family lives the house and has to live with the mistake.  I left a message for Amanda and sent her an email, of which I sent to Rick to acknowledge receipt, stating the PO creation etc, for which he responded that he received.  When I saw no movement on the issue I forwarded the email to his boss, Travis C[redacted], after which Rick responded and said he stated none of the things in the email (he acknowledged receipt).  If it was inaccurate, why didn't he state so before me getting his boss involved? Dishonest.My dad says you never get sugar from sour grapes, but I have found that nothing is addressed with Meritage unless I constantly follow up and sometimes have to get downright nasty.What would you do?What I want:I am not expecting Meritage to admit fault in writing, however, I do expect this wrong to be righted by replacing my cultured marble with what is in my kitchen; the non defective, durable, scratch resistant granite.Find email string attached.You timely and productive response[redacted]

Revdex.com,  The complainant is not entitled to a refund; Meritage Homes acted in accordance with the rules set forth within the purchase agreement the complainant entered into. No further action will be taken in regards to  this matter.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes Corporation

Tell us why here...Revdex.com, Meritage Homes has reached out to our customer and discussed hsi concerns. Rest assured we are adressing any warrantable items; however his concerns regarding his homes foundation will require time to coordinate courtesy inspections. We will maintain communication with our...

customer and update the Revdex.com on the progress of our inspections. B??est regards,

Revdex.com,  Our team as noted in our previous entry will take care of all warrantable matters as soon as the weather permits.  Best regards, Meritage Homes

Revdex.com,  Meritage Homes provides "floor squeak" repair one time only within the first year of ownership just as the complainant noted. Our team has met with the complainant and agreed to perform a second repair as a courtesy. This is not a warrantable item nor a defect, just the natural occurrence...

of expansion, contraction and flexing of a subfloor made of wood. Our team has made arrangements to complete the repair within the next week. We do expect this matter to be resolved shortly and appreciate the opportunity to please our homeowner.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response 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.
Meritage does seem to finally want to resolve a few things, only after I contacted the Revdex.com.During my correspondence with them, we had another significant water intrusion.  This time, it was into the master bedroom.  The carpet was saturated in the corner of the room and it was discovered that water was leaking down from a defect in the roof.  Turns out, that part of the roof decking was omitted, leaving a place where there was only tar paper and shingles, no roofing OSB decking.Meritage has been guarded and slow in getting this item, and others fixed.   We were told they would come out and have it fixed.  We wait around all day.  Nothing.  I leave two messages with the contact person, only to get a return call at 6:30pm saying they wouldn't be able to come out that day.  Both the point person and the local worker from Meritage told us, that it would be addressed that day.  Yet again, nothing.  So water continually leaks into the house while we wait for them.  What is our time worth?  We wait around all day only to be no-showed?  Instead, we get an email trying to blame us for why they wouldn't come out like they promised.Meritage finally comes late the next day, and we are given a time-frame of how long it will take.  2-3 days.  Well, it is going on 10 days and it is still not fixed.  Parts of it (of this latest water intrusion) have been addressed, but we are still waiting for Meritage to do what they said they were going to do.  Meritage will send us a detailed game plan of what is going to be completed, and by whom.  It sounds great.  However, the MO is to not be able to follow their own schedule.  Meritage is mostly concerned about covering themsleves legally, rather than doing what is best for the homeowner, and fixing the problem in a timely and CORRECT manner.  We are given excuses of weather, however, we have multiple days of weather in the 60's and no one is at our house working.  We have 3 kids sleeping in one room, we are displaced out of our room.  Our kids are young, and their sleeping patterns are significantly impacted with all of this.  Still, we wait.At this point, I think it appropriate for Meritage to compensate us for our time.  I think it appropriate for Meritage to buy back this house, or pay us for every hour that we have had to continually beg them to fix things correctly.  It has turned into a full time job.  We already have responsibilities and four kids.  We have notified Meritage of all of these issues for months.  They never fixed most of the issues and instead told us things were installed correctly.  If that was the case, why are they fixing them now?  It is not normal to have water raining down out of the oven hood, but that is what they told us.   It is not normal to have water pooling on the window sill of windows.  They tried to blame our whole house humidifier.  We don't have a whole house humidifier.  Water was leaking into the attic for 6 months, and they didn't want to investigate to see what issues that created.  Turns out that NONE of the pipes coming out of the roof were ever sealed!  All of them were an issue, according to the worker who came to fix things.  I asked multiple times.  Now they want to do air sampling.  Air sampling (according to their own IH) is ineffective this far after the event.  I get the feeling they know this, and are just trying to protect themselves.I am asking for Meritage to buy the house back and compensate us for all of the improvements we have made.  Lemon laws are designed to cover things like this.  Meritage has failed to properly fix items after many failed attempts.  It is not one issue.  It is not just one problem they have mislead us on.  It is many items that they have not fixed correctly, ignored and been negligent on.  They were informed of all of these water issues, and the impact it was having on us, and they did nothing.  If they are confident in the quality and safety of this house, they can own it.  Because of the many issues, we have not been able to move forward.  We can't even sell the house because they take so long to fix things.  Our master bedroom is torn apart.  We wanted to be out of this house (selling it) by now, but can't even list it because of Meritage's slowness.  We have another house that we would love to make an offer on, yet can't because our own house isn't and can't be listed on the market.When is enough enough?  When is Meritage held responsible for building a house with so many issues, refusing to fix the issues, and fixing some of the issues incorrectly multiple times?  We have done our part.  We have put in warranty requests multiple times.  Meritage ignored them.  Having four significant water intrusions that they ignored and/or wanted to turn a blind eye to, has had an affect on my family.  This is unacceptable. Again, I am asking Meritage to buy back this faulty house.  I appreciate any help you can give in this area.  Sincerely,[redacted]

Revdex.com,  The customer will need to consult with the mortgage company. Meritage Homes is a builder, we cannot assist with this matter.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes

Revdex.com, We understand that our customer is unsatisfied with our response, however we researched our files and again did not find any documentation to substantiate his claims. We welcome the customer to forward any emails he may have that support his claim and we will gladly revisit this matter upon receipt. The customers new home warranty presented to him at the time he entered into his purchase agreement clearly identifies our warranty procedures, guidelines and processes including the requirement to submit all request in writing via our website or by US mail. We admit that a change in representatives can present challenges however documented concerns are a matter of record , not opinion and are easily transferred to subsequent employees and /or homeowners as our warranty is transferrable. We apologize for any misunderstandings or confusion,  but we do consider this matter resolved. Best regards, Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com,  Meritage Homes understands that out of pocket expenses related to home repairs can be a difficult experience. Our homes are backed by a two year major mechanical warranty which is pretty common within the industry. All mechanical components of a home require routine maintenance. While we...

are not implying that the complainants unit was not maintained, it is often the reason one unit requires repair earlier than another. Changing air filters on a monthly and yearly basis for Merv 8 filters and seasonal inspections are also homeowner responsibilities that are often overlooked or delayed due to our busy lifestyles that greatly reduce the units performance and life. The complainants unit does have a manufacturer warranty that covers many parts, however labor and top off of Freon is usually not covered. Our team did advise the complainant to review his manufacturer warranty and consult a licensed HVAC professional to inspect his unit as it had surpassed its two year builder functionality warranty. Again, we empathize with his disappointment that his unit required service, but this is not a defect of the unit or lack of performance on the part of Meritage Homes. The homes remaining warranty is structural in nature and expires on the ten year anniversary of the original close of escrow date. Best regards,  Meritage Homes corporation

Revdex.com,  Meritage Homes position remains as follows, we acted in accordance with the purchase agreement and do hereby consider this matter resolved.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com,  Meritage Homes has addressed the customers concerns and rerouted the drain water away form the property. This was done as a courtesy and we do believe this complaint is resolved. Best regards, Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com,  Our team has met with our homeowner and we believe we have arrived at a resolution. We will update the Revdex.com as soon as this has been resolved.  Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

Tell us why here...
Revdex.com,
 
Meritage has reviewed this complaint in great detail. The contract clearly states the buyer is responsible to secure financing within a certain amount of time and therefore was not entitled to a refund of the earnest monies. However, we understand the...

miscommunication and disappointment expressed with this transaction due to the transition of ownership and process changes during their purchase experience. 
As a measure of goodwill we will refund the complainants earnest money and hope that in the future he will consider Meritage and allow us a second opportunity to make the right impression.  We wish the complainant and his family the very best.
 
Best regards,
 
Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com,  The original close of escrow date on this  home was in 2014. The complainant is the second owner and therefore should have been provided the remaining warranty information from the seller, not Meritage Homes. The warranty expired in 2014. We have no further warranty obligation toward this home and recommend they consult with their homeowners insurance for guidance.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes Corporation

Tell us why here...Revdex.com, Meritage stands behind our contractual right to liquidate the earnest monies in accordance with the purchase agreement, willingly entered into by the complainantWe appreciate their concerns and decision not to exercise our courtesy offer; therefore we wish them the very best in their search for a new home. Meritage Homes does consider this matter resolved. Best regards, Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com,  Meritage Homes empathizes with the homeowners experience that we have shared in great detail was unpredictable. The entire situation has been resolved and we again apologize for the inconveniences associated not only with the event but the repairs. We trust they are enjoying their home and that our service going forward will make up for this matter.  Best regards,  Meritage Homes Corporation

Revdex.com, Meritage understands the customer is disappointed that the designer feature was not a part of their homes contract or original plan. No further action will be taken on our part in relation to this matter. We trust they will enjoy their new hoBest regards, Meritage Homes Corporation