Mike Hage Distinctive Concrete & Masonry, LLC

The warranty is limited to cracks over 3/16" which is more than other companies haveConcrete does crack when on clay and we have very cold wintersI have nothing else to say that is going to change these factsI have been doing this for over years and take every step I can to avoid cracking but it can and does occurWe can seal the crack with polyurethane sealant and make it more noticeable or leave it beThe choice is hisThis is not unlike buying a product at a store that you get days to be satisfiedHe paid for top quality materials and service and that is what he receivedYou can't point fingers at anyone except the man in the mirror if you are offered a no crack guarantee and don't purchase it to cover the what ifsIf he wants it crack free he can replace it and hope one doesn't occur againIt is the same risk that thousands of consumers are faced with every year hereWe will agree to disagree on the beauty of the rest of the driveway and I can assure you that no one is asking about the crack anymore than any other crack in concrete tha we all walk on dailyBesides the fact that you have so many vehicles and trailers all over that no one would be able to see it anywayAgain, we can seal the crack to satisfy the limited warranty but it ends thereWe are the only company with a crack guarantee at allWe did our work to our extremely high standards and you have a driveway that will last many many decadesRespectfully,Michael ***The most respected name in the business

First of all, I refuse to rehash the old details that were worked out promptly and professionally (and they were given a $credit)The whole experience was not a nightmare and they were extremely happy with all the concrete workThe statements above are untrue and over exaggerated Unfortunately, this family strives on dramaThe PSI of their concrete is as stated in the contract-the mix designs do not reflect the final PSI due to the thickness of the concrete, the granite aggregate, and rebarI do in fact hold both a master certificate in both concrete and masonry, and I will not be degraded by their statementsWe have addressed the cracks and they have been informed of their options- I even offered to pay for the labor to replace them even though I did not need to do soAs far as last January (yes January not December), it is true I was out of state recovering from surgery with limited access to phone/internetIt is also true that we are closed every year from 11/to 4/1, and that there is nothing that can be done until spring comes anywayWe do not open just because you are intense and demanding immediate results in the middle of winterI did correspond with her Father by email because we were playing phone tag (the one who contracted us and paid for it), as well as his lawyer friend who seemed to find entertainment in the matterMore lies about not returning calls or respondingThe truth of the matter is they just didn't like what they heardI have attached the emails to this responseThere has been no correspondence from them on any new issues with pitting other than Facebook and the Revdex.comIt is them that refuse to go thru the proper channels to communicateThey do have a two year warranty on surface defects that is still in effectI have never refused to look at it or communicate with them, but again I have no awareness of the new said issuesIt would be very easy to do this properly by calling or emailing and yes, waiting until the end of March/April to meet and come up with a resolutionLies,lies,lies, and drama, drama, dramaBesides all of this, I live two blocks away and drive by their house almost daily (which they are aware of)The Revdex.com is for resolution of issues not being responded to by the contractor not as a channel to inform a contractor that there are issuesFurthermore, the same goes for FacebookPosting lies and over exaggerated story lines is unethical and gives Distinctive Concrete the right to refuse dealing with such irrational people, and file a lawsuit against them for statements and defamation of characterI have done nothing wrong (except agree to work with them in the first place against my better judgement), and they got the product and service they paid forI have been doing this work for over years and I am widely known as one of the best in the industryThis is not a hobby and I take it very seriousI will not be bullied and will not listen to absurditiesI would suggest that she removes her post from Facebook immediately and goes about this like a customer wouldWe will open for business around April

The original stain was redone because Mrs [redacted] did not like the color she choseIt was a semi-transparent stain and they were told that it may not be the best thing on their old concreteWe redid the walk at no cost to them with a opaque stainUnfortunately all topical stains are susceptible to our harsh weather conditions and also when they are sitting under a large puddle due to lack of proper slopeI did go look at it per his request, and saw the areaIt was a small area that flakedI left them a can of the sealer so they could touch up as neededWe did not install the sidewalk that has the issues, we just stained itThere are no guarantees with this product from the manufacturer or from us, but they are professional grade and workAgain, anything under water is going to failThe rest of the walk and steps look great and have no issuesI have responded and repaired, and also given him the stain for touch upsI can do no more other than replace his walk with one that drains properly and doesn’t need sealer to make it look acceptable!

I am rejecting this response because: our entire driveway is deteriorating and the business has not provided an acceptable resolution

I did speak to *** last summer regarding a crackAt that time I advised him that there was no guarantee against cracking, but a limited two year warranty which is for cracks over 3/16"Such cracks would be ground out and sealed with polyurethane sealantWe do have a lifetime no crack guarantee
available for a fee which he did not chooseUnfortunately the last two winters have been very cold and more heaving occurred, especially in clay areas such as hisWe pour our concrete 1/2-6" thick which is considerably thicker than mostWe also use very strong concrete 6000-PSIWe cut our control joints full depth and divide into small sectionsWe do everything we can to avoid cracking, but we are not immune to Mother NatureThe rest of his driveway has large cracks in it as well, as do the ones of neighboring propertiesIt is a common problem of clay soils that even we can't always avoidI'm sorry it cracked, and want a crack free world also, but it's not reality no matter what you spend on a projectYou pay for quality materials and workmanship that will lastThe crack should not worsen but should be sealed at some point to be proactiveI stopped there today and our work looks beautiful as it did two years agoEverything else is doing good and looks great*** should have called us And used the proper channel to have me look at it and advise that would have been preferableThe Revdex.com is not the way to do itWe are a quality company and care about our customers but cannot be of service if they don't contact usEither way, concrete cracks and we all have to deal with that unfortunately

I dealt with [redacted]'s wife on this project not him. We always advise on the pros and cons of topical stains. We use these professional products often and do not have issues with them. As with any concrete that we did not install, we cannot tell what was used on the concrete and what has been applied to it over the years that might interfere with optimal adhesion. But they are not a one-time thing-like any decorative concrete the stain needs to be reapplied every couple of years. This too is explained, it of course varies depending on usage and exposure. Again, all of these things were discussed and are normal occurring things when staining old exterior concrete. The "drip marks" are due to the different wearing and porosity of the concrete. The walk needs to be power washed and re-stained per the normal maintenance of these products. [redacted] was not part of any of our discussions or meetings regarding the staining process and procedures. With the required maintenance the walk will be brought back to looking new again.

I am rejecting this response because:
Distinctive Concrete?s Specifications & Procedures (see attachment) state: We strive to exceed your expectations. Satisfaction guaranteed. Warranty (Surface): 5 years on scaling & 99% pop-out free. Warranty (Cracks):  2 year Limited Guarantee (Lifetime available for a fee). The words do not mention anything about 3/16 inch for a crack, they simply mention cracks.  And the warranty term is for two years or lifetime.  I brought the cracks to the attention of Distinctive Concrete within the two year time frame. The original crack in the new panel has gotten worse over time.  It has widened, in numerous places concrete has flaked away, and pieces of concrete are now gone leaving voids in the surface.  In addition more cracks have appeared and they are getting worse as well.  (see photo attachments)     The "rest" of the original driveway from 1997 does not have large cracks in it. Today only one panel (out of twelve) of the original driveway has a crack in it similar to the cracks in the new panel.  And the crack in that one panel of the original driveway did not occur until many years after 1997, when the main driveway was installed by another contractor.  The original driveway was poured on a substantial compacted base.  A neighbor's driveway was also poured in 1997 and it has only one panel with a crack in it. I tried to resolve this directly with Distinctive Concrete but got no where. After noticing the crack in early 2015, I sent an email to Distinctive Concrete on March 17, 2015, along with two photos of the crack.  There was no response to that email.  On June 4, 2015, I resent the email along with the two photos, and then called to make sure that the email was received.  The person to whom I talked also noted that the crack was big and did not look nice.  It was not until July 7, 2015, that Distinctive Concrete came to look at the crack, and then stated that they would do nothing about it. The concrete addition with the cracks does not look "beautiful".  When people see the cracks in the concrete they ask if the contractor is going to do something about them.  Would Distinctive Concrete want to show this panel with the cracks and with missing pieces of concrete to prospective customers?

I am rejecting this response because:
The statement "I dealt with [redacted]'s wife on this project not him" is not accurate. The statement "[redacted] was not part of any of our discussions or meeting regarding the staining process and procedures" is categorically false. I don't agree with his assessment; the photographs suggest the drip marks on the steps are indeed drip marks, due to poor application of the stain, not different wearing and porosity of the concrete. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the results with the semitransparent stain to Mr. Hage and my wife was at the meeting; we discussed options to deal with this and he suggested the opaque sealer. I specifically raised my concern that the sealer would chip off like paint. Mr. Hage assured me that would not be the case ... it would bond to the surface.

First of all, I refuse to rehash the old details that were worked out promptly and professionally (and they were given a $5000 credit). The whole experience was not a nightmare and they were extremely happy with all the concrete work. The statements above are untrue and over exaggerated....

Unfortunately, this family strives on drama. The PSI of their concrete is as stated in the contract-the mix designs do not reflect the final PSI due to the thickness of the concrete, the granite aggregate, and rebar. I do in fact hold both a master certificate in both concrete and masonry, and I will not be degraded by their false statements. We have addressed the cracks and they have been informed of their options- I even offered to pay for the labor to replace them even though I did not need to do so. As far as last January (yes January not December), it is true I was out of state recovering from surgery with limited access to phone/internet. It is also true that we are closed every year from 11/15 to 4/1, and that there is nothing that can be done until spring comes anyway. We do not open just because you are intense and demanding immediate results in the middle of winter. I did correspond with her Father by email because we were playing phone tag (the one who contracted us and paid for it), as well as his lawyer friend who seemed to find entertainment in the matter. More lies about not returning calls or responding. The truth of the matter is they just didn't like what they heard. I have attached the emails to this response. There has been no correspondence from them on any new issues with pitting other than Facebook and the Revdex.com. It is them that refuse to go thru the proper channels to communicate. They do have a two year warranty on surface defects that is still in effect. I have never refused to look at it or communicate with them, but again I have no awareness of the new said issues. It would be very easy to do this properly by calling or emailing and yes, waiting until the end of March/April to meet and come up with a resolution. Lies,lies,lies, and drama, drama, drama. Besides all of this, I live two blocks away and drive by their house almost daily (which they are aware of). The Revdex.com is for resolution of issues not being responded to by the contractor not as a channel to inform a contractor that there are issues. Furthermore, the same goes for Facebook. Posting lies and over exaggerated story lines is unethical and gives Distinctive Concrete the right to refuse dealing with such irrational people, and file a lawsuit against them for false statements and defamation of character. I have done nothing wrong (except agree to work with them in the first place against my better judgement), and they got the product and service they paid for. I have been doing this work for over 38 years and I am widely known as one of the best in the industry. This is not a hobby and I take it very serious. I will not be bullied and will not listen to absurdities. I would suggest that she removes her post from Facebook immediately and goes about this like a normal customer would. We will open for business around April 1.

The original stain was redone because Mrs. [redacted] did not like the color she chose. It was a semi-transparent stain and they were told that it may not be the best thing on their old concrete. We redid the walk at no cost to them with a opaque stain. Unfortunately all topical stains are susceptible...

to our harsh weather conditions and also when they are sitting under a large puddle due to lack of proper slope. I did go look at it per his request, and saw the area. It was a small area that flaked. I left them a can of the sealer so they could touch up as needed. We did not install the sidewalk that has the issues, we just stained it. There are no guarantees with this product from the manufacturer or from us, but they are professional grade and work. Again, anything under water is going to fail. The rest of the walk and steps look great and have no issues. I have responded and repaired, and also given him the stain for touch ups. I can do no more other than replace his walk with one that drains properly and doesn’t need sealer to make it look acceptable!

The warranty is limited to cracks over 3/16" which is more than other companies have. Concrete does crack when on clay and we have very cold winters. I have nothing else to say that is going to change these facts. I have been doing this for over 37 years and take every step I can to avoid cracking but it can and does occur. We can seal the crack with polyurethane sealant and make it more noticeable or leave it be. The choice is his. This is not unlike buying a product at a store that you get 30 days to be satisfied. He paid for top quality materials and service and that is what he received. You can't point fingers at anyone except the man in the mirror if you are offered a no crack guarantee and don't purchase it to cover the what ifs. If he wants it crack free he can replace it and hope one doesn't occur again. It is the same risk that thousands of consumers are faced with every year here. We will agree to disagree on the beauty of the rest of the driveway and I can assure you that no one is asking about the crack anymore than any other crack in concrete tha we all walk on daily. Besides the fact that you have so many vehicles and trailers all over that no one would be able to see it anyway. Again, we can seal the crack to satisfy the limited warranty but it ends there. We are the only company with a crack guarantee at all. We did our work to our extremely high standards and you have a driveway that will last many many decades. Respectfully,Michael [redacted]The most respected name in the business

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/08/19) */
Mr [redacted] was very difficult to work for when we performed our work over two years ago. We entered into a contract to improve the slope of his patio/garage roof and slope to a drain. This was done with over 2000 lbs of cement products. We...

went above and beyond our contract. He insisted on work being done that was not on the contract (the old something for nothing trick). There was no conversations about this work being a waterproofing solution, nor were any promises made or implied. The contract was quite simple: Grind garage roof and steps to remove 4-5 layers of coatings. Grind out cracks and fill with epoxyPower wash deck and steps to clean and prepare for overlaying. Apply two coats of polymer cement overlayment to raise grade on outside edges and create slope to drain in center. Inspect drain and clean out as needed. Seal with two coats of tinted acrylic sealer. Color to be gray. His roof had 4-5 layers on it which were removed due to failure. This is a very old problem that he has been masking for 20+ years. His garage is like a cave and the concrete is deteriorated due to excessive moisture thru the years. As with all coatings ours needs to be redone every two years or so and sealed-especially with the condition of his underlying concrete. I did send someone over this Spring after looking at it personally. We did some repairs with polyurethane sealant to seal some cracks again. I expressed to him (and his daughter) that it needed to be re-stained with tinted sealer to protect it and mask the repairs. I also told them that this would not be done at no charge and we had done all we could with a loosing proposition. They of course want more for free and insist on this being sold as a water proofer which it is not. It is cement. I lost money the first time on him and refused to be taken advantage of again. He thinks he is entitled to non-ending work on his failed roof which needs to be replaced and done correctly. I should have never agreed to work for him because I had warning that he was going to be unreasonable and unrealistic.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/08/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Wow! The discussion is in regard to a job, and Mike's response is a personal attack and slander!?
My father is the last person who would try to "get something for nothing". But rather an honorable man of 91 years, who is happy to pay for a job well done, expects to get what he pays for and disappointed when he comes across a job like this and the way it has been handled. With rudeness, as Mike's response here clearly demonstrates. Mike says there was "no conversation about this being a waterproofing solution", that is simply not true. I made the first contact via his website email stating the situation of water coming into the garage, the problems the ice in the garage were posing for my mom and that we were seeking to fix the leaks in the above patio to stop it. I told him we tried other attempts at fixing it. He also says here, "This is a very old problem that he has been masking for 20+ years. His garage is like a cave and the concrete is deteriorated due to excessive moisture thru the years ". Yes it is an old problem (not 20 years, more like 5-7) and it was not "masked" it was fixed with a couple of different methods that did not do the job 100%. They did however do a better job of keeping the water out of the garage than Mike Hage's job. The result of his work is more leaks. He says " the concrete in the garage is deteriorated due to excessive moisture", if he knew that, then he knew we were dealing with water issues, this comment makes me wonder if he should have put 2,000 lbs of concrete on it. The knowledge of a wet garage should have been used to determine whether his method was the correct method for the job. Mike is using semantics, our one and only purpose of this job was to stop the water from leaking thru the patio floor into the garage below. He is attached to the word "waterproofing" I don't care what word is used, the result of his work is the garage can no longer being used due to the massive leaking caused by Mike work. We do agree with his assessment that " failed roof which needs to be replaced and done correctly". Having it "done correctly" was exactly our goal. We also agree with "I should have never agreed to work for him", no, he should not have agreed to do a job with materials that were not going to handle the job correctly. We have since contacted another company, they told us the job done was "terrible", "should not have been done that way" and "because they used the wrong product it will be hard to come in and do it right now". We are looking at $6-7,000 to correct his job and make the garage use-able again.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 22, 2015/10/12) */
the invoice he has used as support is not our name, address our job!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 24, 2015/10/12) */
The correct Contract was sent to [redacted]. He closed the case as of 9/14/15.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/08/19) */
Mr [redacted] was very difficult to work for when we performed our work over two years ago. We entered into a contract to improve the slope of his patio/garage roof and slope to a drain. This was done with over 2000 lbs of cement products....

We went above and beyond our contract. He insisted on work being done that was not on the contract (the old something for nothing trick). There was no conversations about this work being a waterproofing solution, nor were any promises made or implied. The contract was quite simple: Grind garage roof and steps to remove 4-5 layers of coatings. Grind out cracks and fill with epoxyPower wash deck and steps to clean and prepare for overlaying. Apply two coats of polymer cement overlayment to raise grade on outside edges and create slope to drain in center. Inspect drain and clean out as needed. Seal with two coats of tinted acrylic sealer. Color to be gray. His roof had 4-5 layers on it which were removed due to failure. This is a very old problem that he has been masking for 20+ years. His garage is like a cave and the concrete is deteriorated due to excessive moisture thru the years. As with all coatings ours needs to be redone every two years or so and sealed-especially with the condition of his underlying concrete. I did send someone over this Spring after looking at it personally. We did some repairs with polyurethane sealant to seal some cracks again. I expressed to him (and his daughter) that it needed to be re-stained with tinted sealer to protect it and mask the repairs. I also told them that this would not be done at no charge and we had done all we could with a loosing proposition. They of course want more for free and insist on this being sold as a water proofer which it is not. It is cement. I lost money the first time on him and refused to be taken advantage of again. He thinks he is entitled to non-ending work on his failed roof which needs to be replaced and done correctly. I should have never agreed to work for him because I had warning that he was going to be unreasonable and unrealistic.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/08/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Wow! The discussion is in regard to a job, and Mike's response is a personal attack and slander!?
My father is the last person who would try to "get something for nothing". But rather an honorable man of 91 years, who is happy to pay for a job well done, expects to get what he pays for and disappointed when he comes across a job like this and the way it has been handled. With rudeness, as Mike's response here clearly demonstrates. Mike says there was "no conversation about this being a waterproofing solution", that is simply not true. I made the first contact via his website email stating the situation of water coming into the garage, the problems the ice in the garage were posing for my mom and that we were seeking to fix the leaks in the above patio to stop it. I told him we tried other attempts at fixing it. He also says here, "This is a very old problem that he has been masking for 20+ years. His garage is like a cave and the concrete is deteriorated due to excessive moisture thru the years ". Yes it is an old problem (not 20 years, more like 5-7) and it was not "masked" it was fixed with a couple of different methods that did not do the job 100%. They did however do a better job of keeping the water out of the garage than Mike Hage's job. The result of his work is more leaks. He says " the concrete in the garage is deteriorated due to excessive moisture", if he knew that, then he knew we were dealing with water issues, this comment makes me wonder if he should have put 2,000 lbs of concrete on it. The knowledge of a wet garage should have been used to determine whether his method was the correct method for the job. Mike is using semantics, our one and only purpose of this job was to stop the water from leaking thru the patio floor into the garage below. He is attached to the word "waterproofing" I don't care what word is used, the result of his work is the garage can no longer being used due to the massive leaking caused by Mike work. We do agree with his assessment that " failed roof which needs to be replaced and done correctly". Having it "done correctly" was exactly our goal. We also agree with "I should have never agreed to work for him", no, he should not have agreed to do a job with materials that were not going to handle the job correctly. We have since contacted another company, they told us the job done was "terrible", "should not have been done that way" and "because they used the wrong product it will be hard to come in and do it right now". We are looking at $6-7,000 to correct his job and make the garage use-able again.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 22, 2015/10/12) */
the invoice he has used as support is not our name, address our job!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 24, 2015/10/12) */
The correct Contract was sent to [redacted]. He closed the case as of 9/14/15.