Mike Reaser

This letter is in response to [redacted] comments in regards to several repairs requested Below is a list of items that was requested to be repaired and were completed Replace valve kits in toilets Re-caulk all seams inside of shower enclosure after cleaning thoroughly Apply wood patch to door hinge and latch areas on door frame as door had been removed previously in one bathroom Apply wood patch to small areas on damaged baseboard in Master Bedroom Mounted wireless alarm sensor after customer decided where it was best to be placed Replace an exterior patio light fixture with new that was provided by customer [redacted] kept asking about other projects that she would like completed during the time I was working on the above projectsBelow is a list of other projects that she was requesting to be completed at sometime in the future Relocate shower supply valve and drain to the other side of shower enclosure due to not satisfied where the builder installed the plumbing fixtures Remove superficial scratch from surface of dining room table Replace angle stop valves for toilets due to plastic valves and supply lines that [redacted] was not satisfied with I would like to add that if I performed such an unacceptable job why did [redacted] provide lunch and was satisfied with the work at the completion of the projects, as I asked her several times before leaving? Sincerely, [redacted]

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 
Please see attached powerpoint of before and after pictures of [redacted]'s work.  The pictures clearly show the poor quality of workmanship.  Again, what I am dissatisfied with in regards to his work:
1. He left the door jamb latch area uncompleted - with wood putty falling out of it and not painted.  I fixed this myself to the best of my ability, but eventually I will have to have it redone.
2. The work he did on the hinge areas of the door jamb did not look too bad from one angle (outside the toilet area) but when I went inside the toilet room - the hinge areas looked like he slapped cottage cheese on it and painted over it - completely unacceptable.  I purchased another sander and sandpaper to try and smooth out the bumps and lumps that he left, and repainted it.
3. He did not replace all parts of the toilet tank which is why I purchased 2 complete kits (not just the valves) - when I mentioned it to him, he said, "there's nothing wrong with those parts and I would have to take the whole thing apart to replace them".  I interpreted that as it was not something he wanted to do, and if he didn't want to do it, there was no point in my forcing the issue with him.
4. He did caulk the shower - but he did not remove the old caulking first (which is what I would expect anyone to do) - you can see by the pictures that there are gaps, caulking at least 1/4" over each side of the seam, and for the first time, I have mold areas.  I will have to have this redone because he never removed the old caulking.
5. He did patch the wood in 2 spots on a baseboard and paint, but it is unacceptable - he did not come with the proper tools and he said he would supply all tools - he did not come with sandpaper or sander to smooth out the wood putty.  I provided him with the only sander (hand sander) and very used sandpaper that I had.  Since he did not bring what he needed - when he knew ahead of time what he would be doing in repairs, he should have made a trip to [redacted] to get the proper tools to do the job right.  I sanded this again and repainted. 
To make the point again - when he was working on the patio light, he asked me if I had electrical tape - knowing a week before coming here to do these repairs, he knew he would be replacing an exterior light - yet, he did not even bring electrical tape with him. 
6. He did connect a new patio light but after fooling around with it for more than an hour, he left it hanging off the wall by at least 1/2" and when I asked him to go do [redacted] to purchase whatever he needed (he told me it needed either a C bracket or 2 L brackets) he said, "well, I'm not familiar with this area".  When I told him I would take him there, he said, "well, it's getting kind of late - it's already 3:40" indicating to me that he expected me to finish the job.  I wasted my time making a trip to [redacted] a few days later and was advised that I did not need any additional or different brackets for the light.  I came home and took it apart myself (because I cannot afford to pay another supposed contractor) discovering that the problem was that [redacted] tried to install the light with the bracket it came with on top of the bracket from the old light - how ridiculous that he even did that, but worse, that he could not figure out (after more than an hour) what was causing the light not to be flush with the wall.  I fixed that myself. 
7.  I adamantly resent having paid him $50/hr for the incompetent work that he performed.  I paid him his price because he was referred to me by my sister - because he does maintenance work at the office building that she worked at.  I understood him to be a licensed general contractor, building inspector, and engineer.  He showed me his license when he was here, but I discovered after the fact that his licenses was cancelled 4 1/2 years ago - so basically, he presented himself fraudulently.  Additionally, he did not work 6 hours - with the time he wasted bragging about his abilities, his lunch break, and the time wasted on not being able to hang the exterior light properly - at best he worked 4 hours.  Besides that, I believe that any true professional contractor could have completed all tasks in 3 hours at the most. 
8.  Yes, I did discuss with him about the possibility of him doing some other repairs in the future - specifically, changing out the valves and supply lines to the toilets and sinks because he told me that being plastic, they can easily burst and when they burst, it is ususally in the middle of the night because of water pressure being at its greatest.  He literally scared me into thinking it would be best to have them replaced.  I never told him that I would want him to change the shower head to the other side of the shower - I was simply stating that to me, it would have been the logical thing for the builder to do since the plumbing for the toilet and sink were behind the other wall and that I wished it were on that side and how I wanted the builder to give me a walk-in shower for my handicapped brother rather than the shower/bathtub set up. I already know that I could never afford to remodel the shower, so I never indicated to [redacted] that I wanted him to do that. He also told me that not having GFCI outlet underneath the kitchen sink for the garbage disposal and dishwasher was violating building code. What I did discuss with him, based solely on all the information he was giving me, was that I was going to go after my home builder first, and then possibly join a class-action lawsuit that is active against the builder.  However, after doing extensive research of what [redacted] told me, I discovered that his information was completely inaccurate.
Yes, I did discuss with [redacted] about possibly hiring him in the future for these furniture repairs: fixing a long scratch on my dining room table, securing a glass panel in my china cabinet, and replacing locks on a lateral file. This discussion occurred before I discovered how incompetent he is in his work, and before I realized he is "all talk". There was never any commitment made to him about it though. I clearly told him in an email to him (see below) that I would not have him back for any other projects and I also told him that I would be instructing my sister never to refer him again. 
9.  Why did I fix him lunch?  I regarded him as a friend of my sister, as she repeatedly told me, "he's a very nice man", and because of that, I treated him with the utmost consideration, respect, and as a friend.  I also thought that he was giving me a discount in his fee (he said he normally charges $65/hr) so I thought the least I could do was fix him a lunch while he was here...or at least ask him and he eagerly accepted.   I do not normally provide anything but water to any contractor that I hire. 
10.  I did not hover over him while he was working - I believed him to be well qualified, so he did not have to have my supervision.  There were some small indicators though that had me believe he might not be as good as expected (when he was going to hang the wireless alarm with the sensor facing the building and I had to tell him to turn it around) - but I kept in the forefront of my mind that he was a licensed contractor, building inspector and engineer - so he must know what he is doing.  When I inspected the woodwork repairs, I had to accept his statement on the latch area needing to wait until the next day for it to dry - but knowing all that he had to get done before he arrived here, he should have started on the woodwork first.  I am blind in one eye, and have trouble seeing with my good eye if the lighting is not strong and I don't have the appropriate glasses on...which was the case when looking at things while he stood next to me saying, "that's good, right?"  I also was just being much too courteous to him because of my sister.  I had my sisters come over to look at everything and they were appalled.  The sister that recommended him was shocked at his work and felt horrible about recommending him to me.  I didn't even realize the issues with the shower until I got in it for the first time 5 days later (allowing it to dry well enough). 
11.  I have contacted the State Contractors License Board, and have filed complaints with [redacted] and the Revdex.com trying to get a reasonable refund from him - he knows very well how unacceptable his work is.  It is probably why he went out of business and lost his contractor's license...information that I found out after the fact.  I will be taking him to small claims court for a full refund plus compensation for my aggravation and inconvenience of having to file all these complaints against him.  He is a complete fraud and he presented himself to me fraudulently by showing me a license that was cancelled more than 4 years ago....all the while telling me that I should always insist on hiring licensed contractors. 
Here is the first email I sent to him - hoping he would offer a refund on his own, knowing how dissatisfied I was with his work:
From: [redacted] Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 9:09
AMTo: [redacted]Subject: RE: Bldg. code &
misc.
Hi [redacted]
It does not appear that I can get the code from the [redacted] without
buying the book, but I did find this statement elsewhere:
[redacted] does not require a garbage disposal
to have [redacted] for this appliance is optional.
Since garbage disposals are almost always installed underneath
the kitchen sink, I can only assume that the statement refers to the outlet
underneath the sink.  I’m glad I didn’t
go after the builder telling them they were not code compliant. 
I checked with many of my neighbors about the plastics valves
and supply lines for toilets and sinks and they too have what I have.  One of them who said he was a construction
bldg. inspector before he retired stated that he has flipped many houses for
rentals and has installed plastic as well and has not had any problems with
them either.  Yours might have just been
a fluke.
I went to [redacted] yesterday to buy a C-bracket for the light
and complained to the guy in lighting about why the light did not come with the
appropriate supplies – he said I should not need any extra or different bracket
and checked a box to make sure it was correct. 
So I can home and took the lantern off the bracket – the problem was not
with the bracket it came with – the problem was that you put the lantern
bracket on top of the old bracket which was too many brackets, and why it
wouldn’t go flush to the wall.  I took it
all apart and removed the old bracket and just used the round bracket that came
with the light – and it is now so flushed to the wall I don’t even think I need
to seal it. 
After seeing the door jamb hinge area and the baseboard repair
in better lighting and with my right glasses, I could never leave it as you
completed it.  I re-sanded all of it and
repainted it, and while it is not perfect, it looks a lot better than what you
did.  I have to say, [redacted] overall, I am
gravely disappointed.  I should have
insisted too that you install all the new parts in the toilets because that is
what I bought them for – so nothing else goes wrong in the future.  When you ended up replacing the plunger on
the one toilet, that should have told me to insist changing all parts as I
originally wanted – and I am mad at myself for that and letting you talk me out
of it so easily. 
You are a very nice man, and I do still appreciate the fact that
you came all this way to take care of my requests, and spent a good portion of
your Saturday and precious day off to do this work.  Even though I cannot afford paying $50/hr for
labor, I thought it best to stretch my budget to get things done right and
professionally because of the recommendation from [redacted], and because of your
qualifications…which also made me think that in reality, you would get the work
done in 3-4 hours because your skill would be greater than most.  It is not my intention to be offensive to
you, [redacted] but having been a manager for thirty years in various industries, I
feel it is my obligation to give you the feedback so that you know why I have
suggested to [redacted] not to refer you to anyone again, and so that you understand
why I won’t ask you to come again for future repairs.  Hopefully too, you will understand your own
limitations from my feedback.  You are
extremely knowledgeable for commercial building, no doubt, but I just don’t
think your manual skills match the knowledge. 
[redacted]  
From:
[redacted]
Sent:
Thursday,
August 28, 2014 8:52 AM
To: [redacted]
Subject:
FW:
[redacted] Complaint Resolution Process - Case ID
([redacted])
[redacted]
As
you are well aware, I have tried to resolve my grave dissatisfaction with the
work you did for me on July 26 by:
1.
First,
sending you an email with my feedback and with the hope that you would have the
integrity to respond by offering me some sort of refund on your own accord – you
did not respond.
2.
Being
represented by Angie’s List Complaint Resolution department who has attempted to
contact you by email and phone with the request to refund me $175 of the $300
that I paid you.
My
request for $175 refund was not only reasonable, but extremely gracious. First of all, I should have only had to pay
you $250 instead of $300 because you did not work 6 hours. Secondly, your fee of $50/hr is not
appropriate because you are not a licensed contractor – which even though you
presented yourself as such by showing me your license card, I have since checked
with the Consumer Affairs Contractors License Board and discovered your license
was cancelled more than four years ago…so you have misrepresented yourself – in
more ways than this. More importantly,
everything that you did was of the poorest quality and needs to be reworked with
the exception of hanging the wireless alarm sensor on the side of the house –
which a ten year old could do.
I
have tried to be fair to you, and in spite of your lack of response, I will make
one last effort to be fair in advising you before taking further actions against
you. If I do not receive a refund of
$175 from you by Wednesday, September 3, 2014, I will pursue (at minimum) these
actions:
1.
File
a suit against you in small claims court which will ask for a full
refund, plus all costs to file my claim, and compensation for the inconveniences
to me for: my time wasted for the time you were here; the time I spent
researching all the incorrect information you gave me; and the time I spent
making an unnecessary trip to [redacted] to buy brackets that I did not need
because you could not figure out what you were doing wrong in hanging the
exterior light. Since I do not know your
home address, your summons to appear in court will be served to you at your work
place and you will have to attend court in Riverside
County.
2.
Report
your false impersonation as a licensed contractor to the Consumer Affairs
Contractors License Board.
3.
File
a complaint with the Revdex.com in San Diego and Riverside
Counties.
As
I have provided to [redacted] complaint department, I have complete and
excellent documentation of our communications and pictures of before and after
the work that you did. It is not my
intentions to be mean toward you, or to embarrass you, but you must know that
the work you did here was completely unacceptable by even the lowest of
standards, and you need to take responsibility for it. It is not only about the money that I paid
you for such inadequate results, but because of having to put out more money to
have everything corrected…of which I cannot afford.
I
am not a person to be fooled around with, [redacted] and what I have proposed to you
are not idle threats - I am promising you that I will take these actions (as
well as others) if I do not receive my requested refund by Wednesday. Once I pursue these actions, I will not
relent until the matter is resolved in court…so it is entirely up to you how
this will go.
[redacted]
 
This will be my final response to the Revdex.com in regards to my complaint filed against [redacted]...I will not continue to go back and forth with him about it.  If he does not give me a refund soon, I will purse court action. 
Regards,
[redacted]

This letter is in response to [redacted] comments in regards to several repairs
requested.
Below is a list of items that was requested to be repaired and were completed.
1. Replace valve kits in 2 toilets.
2. Re-caulk all seams inside of shower...

enclosure after cleaning thoroughly.
3. Apply wood patch to door hinge and latch areas on door frame as door had been
removed previously in one bathroom.
4. Apply wood patch to 2 small areas on damaged baseboard in Master Bedroom.
5. Mounted wireless alarm sensor after customer decided where it was best to be
placed.
6. Replace an exterior patio light fixture with new that was provided by customer.
[redacted] kept asking about other projects that she would like completed during the time
I was working on the above projects. Below is a list of other projects that she was
requesting to be completed at sometime in the future.
1. Relocate shower supply valve and drain to the other side of shower enclosure due
to not satisfied where the builder installed the plumbing fixtures.
2. Remove superficial scratch from surface of dining room table.
3. Replace angle stop valves for toilets due to plastic valves and supply lines that
[redacted] was not satisfied with.
I would like to add that if I performed such an unacceptable job why did [redacted] provide
lunch and was satisfied with the work at the completion of the projects, as I asked her
several times before leaving?
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: I hired [redacted] from a personal referral to do some basic handyman work in my home: replace valve kits in 2 toilets; repair 2 small areas of damage to a baseboard; re-caulk a shower; patch and paint 2 hinge and latch areas on a door jamb (the door was removed); replace an exterior patio light; and hang a wireless alarm sensor (no electrical required). He presented himself as a licensed contractor (showing me his license), a building inspector and engineer (he works for Paragon Services Engineering in San Diego) but his contractor's license was cancelled 4 1/2 years ago.All of the woodwork repairs need to be done over again because his results are totally unacceptable, leaving the latch area unfinished. He replaced the exterior patio light but left it hanging 1/2" off the wall telling me I needed different brackets and refused to take more time to complete the job. He installed the light with the bracket that came with it on top of the old bracket which is why it would not go flush to the wall - and he could not even figure out what he was doing wrong after spending an hour on it. He did not remove old caulking in the shower, just recaulked over it and now I have gaps, mold spots as well as caulk 1/4" outside the seam in both directions. He would only replace the valves in the toilets and not all parts of the kits. He overcharged me by hourly rate (because he is not a licensed contractor) and also by 2 hours because of wasting time on the light when he didn't know what he was doing and time on a lunch break and talking about how great he is at his job. He gave me a lot of "advice" on things in my house that were "out of code compliance" or not recommended that almost caused me to jump on a class action lawsuit against the builder. I researched the things he told me after discovering his poor workmanship and everything he told me was inaccurate. I have already attempted resolution by contacting him directly and [redacted] contacting him with no result or response.Desired Settlement: When I contacted him directly and via [redacted] Complaint Dept., I asked for $175.00 refund. He charged $50/hr for 6 hours and I paid him $300 - but he took a 40 minute lunch break (I made him a lunch); spent a lot of time bragging about how good he is at his work; and wasted more than an hour trying to figure out what he was doing wrong with the light. Now that I have had to spend so much time filing complaints, I want a full refund. I know that I will have to take him to court for it.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to [redacted] comments in regards to several repairs

requested.

Below is a list of items that was requested to be repaired and were completed.

1. Replace valve kits in 2 toilets.

2. Re-caulk all seams inside of shower enclosure after cleaning thoroughly.

3. Apply wood patch to door hinge and latch areas on door frame as door had been

removed previously in one bathroom.

4. Apply wood patch to 2 small areas on damaged baseboard in Master Bedroom.

5. Mounted wireless alarm sensor after customer decided where it was best to be

placed.

6. Replace an exterior patio light fixture with new that was provided by customer.

[redacted] kept asking about other projects that she would like completed during the time

I was working on the above projects. Below is a list of other projects that she was

requesting to be completed at sometime in the future.

1. Relocate shower supply valve and drain to the other side of shower enclosure due

to not satisfied where the builder installed the plumbing fixtures.

2. Remove superficial scratch from surface of dining room table.

3. Replace angle stop valves for toilets due to plastic valves and supply lines that

[redacted] was not satisfied with.

I would like to add that if I performed such an unacceptable job why did [redacted] provide

lunch and was satisfied with the work at the completion of the projects, as I asked her

several times before leaving?

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

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

Please see attached powerpoint of before and after pictures of [redacted]'s work. The pictures clearly show the poor quality of workmanship. Again, what I am dissatisfied with in regards to his work:

1. He left the door jamb latch area uncompleted - with wood putty falling out of it and not painted. I fixed this myself to the best of my ability, but eventually I will have to have it redone.

2. The work he did on the hinge areas of the door jamb did not look too bad from one angle (outside the toilet area) but when I went inside the toilet room - the hinge areas looked like he slapped cottage cheese on it and painted over it - completely unacceptable. I purchased another sander and sandpaper to try and smooth out the bumps and lumps that he left, and repainted it.

3. He did not replace all parts of the toilet tank which is why I purchased 2 complete kits (not just the valves) - when I mentioned it to him, he said, "there's nothing wrong with those parts and I would have to take the whole thing apart to replace them". I interpreted that as it was not something he wanted to do, and if he didn't want to do it, there was no point in my forcing the issue with him.

4. He did caulk the shower - but he did not remove the old caulking first (which is what I would expect anyone to do) - you can see by the pictures that there are gaps, caulking at least 1/4" over each side of the seam, and for the first time, I have mold areas. I will have to have this redone because he never removed the old caulking.

5. He did patch the wood in 2 spots on a baseboard and paint, but it is unacceptable - he did not come with the proper tools and he said he would supply all tools - he did not come with sandpaper or sander to smooth out the wood putty. I provided him with the only sander (hand sander) and very used sandpaper that I had. Since he did not bring what he needed - when he knew ahead of time what he would be doing in repairs, he should have made a trip to [redacted] to get the proper tools to do the job right. I sanded this again and repainted.

To make the point again - when he was working on the patio light, he asked me if I had electrical tape - knowing a week before coming here to do these repairs, he knew he would be replacing an exterior light - yet, he did not even bring electrical tape with him.

6. He did connect a new patio light but after fooling around with it for more than an hour, he left it hanging off the wall by at least 1/2" and when I asked him to go do [redacted] to purchase whatever he needed (he told me it needed either a C bracket or 2 L brackets) he said, "well, I'm not familiar with this area". When I told him I would take him there, he said, "well, it's getting kind of late - it's already 3:40" indicating to me that he expected me to finish the job. I wasted my time making a trip to [redacted] a few days later and was advised that I did not need any additional or different brackets for the light. I came home and took it apart myself (because I cannot afford to pay another supposed contractor) discovering that the problem was that [redacted] tried to install the light with the bracket it came with on top of the bracket from the old light - how ridiculous that he even did that, but worse, that he could not figure out (after more than an hour) what was causing the light not to be flush with the wall. I fixed that myself.

7. I adamantly resent having paid him $50/hr for the incompetent work that he performed. I paid him his price because he was referred to me by my sister - because he does maintenance work at the office building that she worked at. I understood him to be a licensed general contractor, building inspector, and engineer. He showed me his license when he was here, but I discovered after the fact that his licenses was cancelled 4 1/2 years ago - so basically, he presented himself fraudulently. Additionally, he did not work 6 hours - with the time he wasted bragging about his abilities, his lunch break, and the time wasted on not being able to hang the exterior light properly - at best he worked 4 hours. Besides that, I believe that any true professional contractor could have completed all tasks in 3 hours at the most.

8. Yes, I did discuss with him about the possibility of him doing some other repairs in the future - specifically, changing out the valves and supply lines to the toilets and sinks because he told me that being plastic, they can easily burst and when they burst, it is ususally in the middle of the night because of water pressure being at its greatest. He literally scared me into thinking it would be best to have them replaced. I never told him that I would want him to change the shower head to the other side of the shower - I was simply stating that to me, it would have been the logical thing for the builder to do since the plumbing for the toilet and sink were behind the other wall and that I wished it were on that side and how I wanted the builder to give me a walk-in shower for my handicapped brother rather than the shower/bathtub set up. I already know that I could never afford to remodel the shower, so I never indicated to [redacted] that I wanted him to do that. He also told me that not having GFCI outlet underneath the kitchen sink for the garbage disposal and dishwasher was violating building code. What I did discuss with him, based solely on all the information he was giving me, was that I was going to go after my home builder first, and then possibly join a class-action lawsuit that is active against the builder. However, after doing extensive research of what [redacted] told me, I discovered that his information was completely inaccurate.

Yes, I did discuss with [redacted] about possibly hiring him in the future for these furniture repairs: fixing a long scratch on my dining room table, securing a glass panel in my china cabinet, and replacing locks on a lateral file. This discussion occurred before I discovered how incompetent he is in his work, and before I realized he is "all talk". There was never any commitment made to him about it though. I clearly told him in an email to him (see below) that I would not have him back for any other projects and I also told him that I would be instructing my sister never to refer him again.

9. Why did I fix him lunch? I regarded him as a friend of my sister, as she repeatedly told me, "he's a very nice man", and because of that, I treated him with the utmost consideration, respect, and as a friend. I also thought that he was giving me a discount in his fee (he said he normally charges $65/hr) so I thought the least I could do was fix him a lunch while he was here...or at least ask him and he eagerly accepted. I do not normally provide anything but water to any contractor that I hire.

10. I did not hover over him while he was working - I believed him to be well qualified, so he did not have to have my supervision. There were some small indicators though that had me believe he might not be as good as expected (when he was going to hang the wireless alarm with the sensor facing the building and I had to tell him to turn it around) - but I kept in the forefront of my mind that he was a licensed contractor, building inspector and engineer - so he must know what he is doing. When I inspected the woodwork repairs, I had to accept his statement on the latch area needing to wait until the next day for it to dry - but knowing all that he had to get done before he arrived here, he should have started on the woodwork first. I am blind in one eye, and have trouble seeing with my good eye if the lighting is not strong and I don't have the appropriate glasses on...which was the case when looking at things while he stood next to me saying, "that's good, right?" I also was just being much too courteous to him because of my sister. I had my sisters come over to look at everything and they were appalled. The sister that recommended him was shocked at his work and felt horrible about recommending him to me. I didn't even realize the issues with the shower until I got in it for the first time 5 days later (allowing it to dry well enough).

11. I have contacted the State Contractors License Board, and have filed complaints with [redacted] and the Revdex.com trying to get a reasonable refund from him - he knows very well how unacceptable his work is. It is probably why he went out of business and lost his contractor's license...information that I found out after the fact. I will be taking him to small claims court for a full refund plus compensation for my aggravation and inconvenience of having to file all these complaints against him. He is a complete fraud and he presented himself to me fraudulently by showing me a license that was cancelled more than 4 years ago....all the while telling me that I should always insist on hiring licensed contractors.

Here is the first email I sent to him - hoping he would offer a refund on his own, knowing how dissatisfied I was with his work:

From: [redacted]

Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 9:09

AM

To: [redacted]

Subject: RE: Bldg. code &

misc.