Myers & Son

I have received [redacted] complaint about his shuttersThese are cus [redacted] built real wood shutters and cannot simply be returnedHowever we will work with our cus***ers to satisfy their expectations and to provide a shutter that meets or exceeds the industry standards When I first met with the [redacted] and discussed the shutters with them I was very forthcoming about the products and gave a fair price on a good productI did not state that the shutters they received would be just like the shutters they had in their previous house nor did I state they would be better than said shuttersAs they were shopping for a better price I offered them a locally made product from a very reputable companyA company with which I have done business with for plus years and have full confidence in [redacted] did not want to pay the additional amount for the full composite shutters that he had in his old homeThere are difference in the finish between the twoThe composite shutters that he is referring too are composed of a MDF or multi density fiberboard and are then coated on a plastic like coveringI feel they are not of the same quality than the real wood shutters and I base the opinion on years in the industryThe finish of MDF shutter is a plastic looking finishI did not tell them that this shutter would look like the MDF shutter they had at the old houseI did tell them that these were well built real wood shutters and there are natural blemishes with real wood but that we can take care of anything major [redacted] was very concerned with the pricing and I sold them a very good product at a price they would like The issue here is [redacted] s expectations of wood shutters and his determination of what stutters should look like based on his opinion and not a realistic industry standardHis expectation is not something that any shutter company could produceHOWEVER I do acknowledge that he had valid concerns regarding the finish of the shutters and the paint colorWe readily offered to take them down and repair the shutters and to repaint them the correct colorWhich we didI asked [redacted] for a paint sample which he provided me in an old plastic tupperware or some type of plastic container and it was very hard to get a sample out of it and because of that a mistake was made by us, but then correctedOne of [redacted] s concerns has been the time [redacted] wanted the shutters fixed correctly and that takes timeWhen I explained to [redacted] that a new paint booth was being put in and a better paint pump and sprayer would be used he liked that and stated to wait and paint his shutters with that paint booth which we didHowever that also takes timeWe were back at the house the second time in a timely manner on a job of that size [redacted] has complained repeatedly about the time things took and I don't know how he was expecting the repairshe requested done but we worked very slowly and went through his shutters to correct the issues he was not happy withI also personally went out to the [redacted] home and fixed the damage that would be caused by installation and then the removal of the shuttersWe went through his shutters very carefully as I stated and repaired and replaced everything that he was concerned withHowever when the installer came back out [redacted] who has no woodworking experience that I know of other than his statement that his father or grandfather worked with wood immediately rejected them based on his visual inspectionHe has noted some issues with some paint and other markings in his letter that would have been completely addressed at the finish of the install when the installer normally does the touchup and putty work and caulking as is completely in window covering installationThe process of installing cus [redacted] built shutters is one that may cause some paint to be rubbed off or holes from the screws and nails to be createdThis is all taken care of at the conclusion of installI have in my plus years in the window covering industry received calls from cus***ers DURING the installation stating their concerns with the finish of the productHowever I have been able to address those concerns by asking the cus***er to call me back when the installer is finished with his jobThose concerns have always been taken care of once the customer sees the installer going back and doing all touchups and caulking and puttying at the conclusion of the install [redacted] never gave the installer that chance when he was out to reinstall the shutters after the problems he wanted taken care of were taken care We are more than happy to address [redacted] concerns he still hasHe as a right to a quality well built and finished shutterWe are willing to work with [redacted] to address his concerns if the are fair has we have shown by taking the shutters down and refinishing themThis has been our desire from the beginningWe have asked [redacted] to come to the factory in central [redacted] and inspect the shutters again and we will address any concerns AND give him a sizable discount for his time and he has vehemently refusedWe think this is more than fair for a customer made wood shutter that is of such a good quality that a number of national builders offer it in their model homes and design centersCustomer made products are non returnable as they are customer made for his exact windowsThat is the industry standard warranty unless the company refused to fix said problemsWe have not refused and are EAGER to fix his concerns if they are fair and reasonableShutter Craters is the company that manufactured the shutters for me and they have always stood by their products and worked with the cus***ersThey have over years of combined experience and I have full confidence in the productWe in no way neglected [redacted] s concernsWe would like to resolve this matter by correcting any problems that may still need correcting as long as it is not something that is completely unreasonable and continue to offer a lifetime warranty to the customerAs I stated earlier we would also offer [redacted] Mcaskill the opportunity to come inspect his shutters before they are installed and give him a sizable discount for his time Thank you, -- [redacted]

Please call me to discussI think we are being more than fair in fixing his shutters to his satisfaction when the customer has decided that he is a expert on window coveringsThat letter was long and tedious and didn't address the points I madeWe have offered him the opportunity to come to the warehouse and pre inspect the shutters before we bring them back out for install and we are willing to give him a substantial discountHe wants his money back on a custom made product and we cannot do thatThe only thing he wants is his money backI am filling bankruptcy protection and closing my businessHowever he may still have your shutters fixed and reinstalled with a discount if he wishesOther than that I don't have any other course of action [redacted] Benchmark [redacted] cell [redacted] office

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Dear ***,
Thank you for forwarding *** *** response. His response continues to have several inaccuracies over what was committed and what has transpired since we originally agreed to purchase from *** ***
Starting with his second sentence, he notes “we will work with our customers to satisfy their expectations and to provide a shutter that meets or exceeds the industry standards.” I question how he is truly working with his customer in this case when there has been no communication in over four weeks and the only way I can get a communication from him is to notify the Revdex.com. I attempted to resolve with *** *** after the second failed delivery on August 18, 2014. We spoke three times where he tried to save his sale. After insisting on our money back, *** *** repeatedly failed to return phone calls or texts. When I did reach *** ***, he picked up and said he would call me “back in twenty minutes.” No call back occurred. Since we were not obtaining a satisfactory outcome, I sent by *** ** a letter to *** *** I subsequently texted *** *** to let him know a letter was sent by *** ** to his attention at Benchmark Interiors, where he apparently operates his business. When I informed him by text I had sent him a letter, he responded on August 21, “FantasticYou will receive same soon. Have a great day.” Further, I received a notification from the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) on September 9, 2014, noting that the Revdex.com had unsuccessfully received any response from *** *** or Benchmark after what appeared to be at least two attempts. Unless I am mistaken, I don’t see how this is working “with our cus***ers to satisfy their expectations and to provide a shutter that meets or exceeds the industry standards.”
In the next paragraph, he notes being “forthcoming about the products and gave a fair price on a good product.” He notes, “I did not state that the shutters they received would be just like the shutters they had in their previous house nor did I state they would be better than said shuttersAs they were shopping for a better price I offered them a locally made product from a very reputable companyA company with which I have done business with for plus years and have full confidence in*** *** did not want to pay the additional amount for the full composite shutters that he had in his old home.” During the quotation process, *** *** was very insistent on using the *** product (or as he refers to as “Shutter Craters” later in the letter) as it was real wood and would look better than the product we had in our last home. He noted the “***” product we had in our last home, which we agree was a faux shutter variety and know the difference, was not as good of a product now. He noted they were purchased by a *** company and their quality had dropped significantly. *** *** noted the hidden tilt rod mechanism on the *** shutters break commonly now and strongly urged us not to use their product. He also commented they would be approximately $4,more and used that again as a reason to go with the locally-built product. In fact, the day he picked up our check on May 30, 2014, he surveyed the shutters in our last home and advised the new *** product would not look anything like the product we had in the former home. He also promised to work with the *** representative to get the four shutter blades in our former home repaired. As consistent with our experience with *** *** that never happened. When I questioned him on this in July, he claimed he had left a message for the representative, but never received a call back. For the customer-service focused person *** *** claims to be, I would have expected him to have made several calls to make sure this was completed. Later in the paragraph, he notes, “There are difference in the finish between the twoThe composite shutters that he is referring too are composed of a MDF or multi density fiberboard and are then coated on a plastic like coveringI feel they are not of the same quality than the real wood shutters and I base the opinion on years in the industryThe finish of MDF shutter is a plastic looking finishI did not tell them that this shutter would look like the MDF shutter they had at the old houseI did tell them that these were well built real wood shutters and there are natural blemishes with real wood but that we can take care of anything major.” Again, further misrepresentation. The faux product in our former home looked as good as any wood product we have seen in homes, model homes, or at local retail chains. In fact, he commented at our home how well they had held up after nine years. They did not have a “plastic looking finish” as he claims. He also never communicated anything but these looking top quality through the quotation process. Conversations on repairs never came up. In fact, we trusted *** *** as his company had done a good job on our home and my in-laws home nine years ago
As his response goes on, further inconsistencies are noted. He further notes: “The issue here is *** *** expectations of wood shutters and his determination of what stutters should look like based on his opinion and not a realistic industry standardHis expectation is not something that any shutter company could produce.” Our expectations were set by *** *** based on his poor representation of the product he was selling. In fact, he did not show us a sample of the hidden tilt rod product he sold us, but rather a standard shutter that was not identified as coming from ***. For “realistic industry standard,” you can walk into *** *** or *** and see product that was built better than the product delivered twice to our home. Further he states, “HOWEVER I do acknowledge that he had valid concerns regarding the finish of the shutters and the paint colorWe readily offered to take them down and repair the shutters and to repaint them the correct colorWhich we did.” To clarify this statement, the only reason the product was taken down was due to my insistence. *** ***, nor *** ***, initially offered to do so. I insisted that both come to my home on July 23, 2014, to walk the home with me to view what was observed. Both acknowledged the product was poorly made and felt the only way they could be made right was to take them down and have them repaired at the *** shop. The quality was so bad, *** *** *** of *** barely spoke as he walked through the home. *** *** admitted to me later that day on a phone conversation that he said nothing because “he was embarrassed.” In fact, I asked the installer after he was completed on July 22, if he would have been happy with the product installed in his own home and answered “no.”
Regarding his comment: “I asked *** *** for a paint sample which he provided me in an old plastic tupperware or some type of plastic container and it was very hard to get a sample out of it and because of that a mistake was made by us, but then corrected.” First of all, he was given two things: 1) the *** *** paint color provided by the builder; and 2) a small disposable *** container. As we were in the middle of packing our home at the time the sample was requested, I questioned *** *** if putting in the plastic container would be ok. He insisted it would be. In fact, when he picked up the sample from my wife, she asked him again and said it would be fine. The paint color originally used was completely the wrong shade. If they had used either the sample or matched to the builder’s color, this would have not been an issue. Later he notes, “One of *** ***s concerns has been the time*** *** wanted the shutters fixed correctly and that takes time. When I explained to *** *** that a new paint booth was being put in and a better paint pump and sprayer would be used he liked that and stated to wait and paint his shutters with that paint booth which we didHowever that also takes timeWe were back at the house the second time in a timely manner on a job of that size*** *** has complained repeatedly about the time things took and I don't know how he was expecting the repairshe requested done but we worked very slowly and went through his shutters to correct the issues he was not happy with.” The time expectation was given by his partner, *** *** at my home when they took down the shutters. *** *** was standing next to me during that conversation. I agree it was a large job. However, when the manufacturer owner himself states “one to two weeks,” I question how I had an unrealistic expectation on turnaround time. During the next four weeks, I was never proactively communicated to by anyone from *** or *** *** Regarding the new paint equipment he is referring to, this new information was not advised until August 5, and by text. We did not have a conversation about this and in fact the actual text exchange was:
***: “Hey ***, just checking on the shutters tomorrow will be two weeks since they took them back. Any idea on a timeframe?”
***: “I will check.”
***: “This is what I just received from them. It’s actually a good thing I think.”
***: “They are installing a new paint pump and booth fan this weekend. We are not painting those are done. Will greatly help paint finish.”
***: “Thx. No date yet though?”
***: “Not yet. He is waiting to repaint with better equipment. I am pushing for next week.”
***: “K. I’m here Mon and Fri next week. I will need to be here when they are being installed”
***: “This is what he just sent me. We will be installing sometime next week for *** as long as they are perfect.”
Based on this exchange, again I question how I had an realistic time expectation and how I “liked that.” My expectation was only for the product to match the expectation he provided us when he took the order. How would any reasonable consumer not complain “repeatedly” when commitments were repeatedly missed by *** *** and his partner
*** *** later in the paragraph notes: “I also personally went out to the *** home and fixed the damage that would be caused by installation and then the removal of the shutters.” In fact, he did a minimal touch up, despite being at my home for an extended period of time. Walls remained damaged (caulking exposed, nail holes, screws broken in French doors, dents in walls, and every window sill in the house having a large swath of paint pulled off. *** *** downplayed the damage and said he would make the additional repairs once the shutters were installed. Having to look at this for eight weeks after the shutters were taken down and feeling like your home looked like a war zone, we had no choice but to pay an additional $to have someone repair the significant damage *** *** and his partners left behind
He continues: “We went through his shutters very carefully as I stated and repaired and replaced everything that he was concerned withHowever when the installer came back out *** *** who has no woodworking experience that I know of other than his statement that his father or grandfather worked with wood immediately rejected them based on his visual inspectionHe has noted some issues with some paint and other markings in his letter that would have been completely addressed at the finish of the install when the installer normally does the touchup and putty work and caulking as is completely in window covering installationThe process of installing custom built shutters is one that may cause some paint to be rubbed off or holes from the screws and nails to be createdThis is all taken care of at the conclusion of installI have in my plus years in the window covering industry received calls from customers DURING the installation stating their concerns with the finish of the productHowever I have been able to address those concerns by asking the customer to call me back when the installer is finished with his jobThose concerns have always been taken care of once the customer sees the installer going back and doing all touchups and caulking and puttying at the conclusion of the install*** *** never gave the installer that chance when he was out to reinstall the shutters after the problems he wanted taken care of were taken care.” This is correct that I would not allow the “fixed” shutters back in my home. As noted in the original complaint, I inspected the initial shutters as they were brought in the house. There were dull spots in the paint where the other areas had glossy finish, two green paint spots on the back of one of the shutters, shutters that would not open or close easily, some that had excessive light gap, and black lines down the front of two of the shutters. When I asked the installer if these could be fixed in my home, he again said, “no.” I question then, if the expert installer that *** *** represented him to be, says “no” how I would have an unrealistic expectation. *** *** was aware of this when we spoke during the afternoon of August 18. Knowing the continued concerns we had with the shutters, neither *** *** or *** *** could be bothered to be at my house for the installation to address questions on site. In fact, *** *** admitted he was giving another quote at the time of our installation. Yet another representation of how important our business was to him. Regarding my personal woodworking experience since he wants to question integrity, my father has built cus*** fine woodworking pieces my entire life. I have assisted him many times on projects. In fact, the issues that I cited that he is questioning my woodworking expertise (commented during the first installation) were items that *** *** and *** *** agreed to were not done correctly.
In the final paragraph, *** *** comments: “We are more than happy to address *** *** concerns he still hasHe as a right to a quality well built and finished shutterWe are willing to work with *** *** to address his concerns if the are fair has we have shown by taking the shutters down and refinishing themThis has been our desire from the beginningWe have asked *** *** to come to the factory in central *** and inspect the shutters again and we will address any concerns AND give him a sizable discount for his time and he has vehemently refusedWe think this is more than fair for a custom made wood shutter that is of such a good quality that a number of national builders offer it in their model homes and design centersCustom made products are non returnable as they are custom made for his exact windowsThat is the industry standard warranty unless the company refused to fix said problemsWe have not refused and are EAGER to fix his concerns if they are fair and reasonableShutter Craters is the company that manufactured the shutters for me and they have always stood by their products and worked with the cus***ersThey have over years of combined experience and I have full confidence in the productWe in no way neglected *** *** concernsWe would like to resolve this matter by correcting any problems that may still need correcting as long as it is not something that is completely unreasonable and continue to offer a lifetime warranty to the customerAs I stated earlier we would also offer *** Mcaskill the opportunity to come inspect his shutters before they are installed and give him a sizable discount for his time.” Again, I question how serious *** *** is for being “more than happy to address” my concerns. He has not made any attempts to do so. He also alludes twice to a “sizable discount” that has never been quantified. In fact, during the numerous delays I brought this up to *** *** several times which were completely ignored. The first mention of this was during the afternoon of August 19, after I refused to have the shutters installed for additional items that did not meet “a quality well built and finished shutter” that he refers to above. When I asked him how much that would be, he informed me the first time he had brought it up to “*** and ***” (referring to the two owners at ***), was the previous Friday and “they have not gotten back to me yet.” For someone so “EAGER to fix his concerns” his actions speak completely differently. Separately, why would a consumer need to go to the “factory” to look over the shutters again? After eight weeks (at the time of the second delivery attempt) and repeated inability to meet committed timelines or a product that any consumer would be happy putting in their home, I doubt most would have been as understanding as I have been. If I order a car and it does not arrive as it should, should I be expected to go to the factory to inspect the job being done correctly? I highly doubt most consumers will ever need to do this
Now that I have addressed my concerns from his response, there are additional items from this failed effort that concern me
Why did *** *** request us to write a check to him personally versus his company? Why was this check cashed for cash at the bank?
I never received an explanation for the original delay. *** *** claims he turned in the order to *** immediately, yet ***’ own representative commented they did not receive the order from *** *** until either the week of June or June 30, 2014. ***, ***’ employee referred to receiving the order sometime less than seven days prior and there was a lead time for a “job this big.” I tend to believe ***’ representative after the experience. It felt like the order was pushed to get done resulting in the numerous quality and manufacturing issues. This is despite *** *** claiming on June 13, 2014, that “Shutters are in progress.”
For someone so insistent on delivering a quality product, why was I required to continually follow up with *** *** to check on progress, which he usually had to check with *** to verify. Never once did he actually know
His opinions of ***. As issues cropped up during the week of June (originally committed delivery by *** ***), the cracks in the armor began to show. If he feels *** (or Shutter Craters) builds such a quality product, why was he telling me of other delivery issues he was having with them and how their quality lapses. He advised me of repeated issues he was having with ***’ management and communication. *** *** told me of regular problems he had with “***” and how he had been offered a job by ***, which he called was an “insulting offer.” He also informed me in at least two other conversations how he was going to route orders to other vendors “which would hurt” them. At no point in his response did he comment on any of these items and how he really felt about his soon to be employer. On August 18, he informed he had indeed accepted an offer to join *** (or Shutter Craters; not sure what name they are) on October 1, 2014. What is also interesting is when calling other shutter vendors, I have questioned if they use *** which they claimed, they did not as they had heard of issues with their product
Unrealistic expectations of hidden tilt rod shutters. After issues arose, *** *** came up with excuse after excuse of why I couldn’t expect the “quality well built and finished shutter” he refers to. He checked with “numerous” other shutter people and found the issues we had were standard issues. Yet, when looking at samples at retail stores, none of the issues we have seen actually appear, nor in homes of friends with these types of shutters
Lost work time. How am I compensated for missing substantial amounts of work time to be home for two failed deliveries/installations and partial repairs?
While I appreciate that *** *** finally made a minor attempt to address concerns, as I would expect, they were spun in his favor and he still did not offer a reasonable solution. The only way to make this right at this point is return of our $4,deposit.
If needed, I can provide a copy of the letter I sent him by *** ** for your reference and a transcript of our text history validating claims made in my letters to date
Thank you for your assistance in this matter
Sincerely,
*** ***

I have received [redacted] complaint about his shutters. These are cus[redacted] built real wood shutters and cannot simply be returned. However we will work with our cus[redacted]ers to satisfy their expectations and to provide a shutter that meets or exceeds the industry standards.
  When...

I first met with the [redacted] and discussed the shutters with them I was very forthcoming about the products and gave a fair price on a good product. I did not state that the shutters they received would be just like the shutters they had in their previous house nor did I state they would be better than said shutters. As they were shopping for a better price I offered them a locally made product from a very reputable company. A company with which I have done business with for 15 plus years and have full confidence in. [redacted] did not want to pay the additional amount for the full composite shutters that he had in his old home. There are difference in the finish between the two. The composite shutters that he is referring too are composed of a MDF or multi density fiberboard and are then coated on a plastic like covering. I feel they are not of the same quality than the real wood shutters and I base the opinion on 21 years in the industry. The finish of MDF shutter is a plastic looking finish. I did not tell them that this shutter would look like the MDF shutter they had at the old house. I did tell them that these were well built real wood shutters and there are natural blemishes with real wood but that we can take care of anything major. [redacted] was very concerned with the pricing and I sold them a very good product at a price they would like. 
The issue here is [redacted]s expectations of wood shutters and his determination of what stutters should look like based on his opinion and not a realistic industry standard. His expectation is not something that any shutter company could produce. HOWEVER I do acknowledge that he had valid concerns regarding the finish of the shutters and the paint color. We readily offered to take them down and repair the shutters and to repaint them the correct color. Which we did. I asked [redacted] for a paint sample which he provided me in an old plastic tupperware or some type of plastic container and it was very hard to get a sample out of it and because of that a mistake was made by us, but then corrected. One of [redacted]s concerns has been the time. [redacted] wanted the shutters fixed correctly and that takes time. When I explained to [redacted] that a new paint booth was being put in and a better paint pump and sprayer would be used he liked that and stated to wait and paint his shutters with that paint booth which we did. However that also takes time. We were back at the house the second time in a timely manner on a job of that size. [redacted] has complained repeatedly about the time things took and I don't know how he was expecting the repairshe requested done but we worked very slowly and went through his shutters to correct the issues he was not happy with. I also personally went out to the [redacted] home and fixed the normal damage that would be caused by installation and then the removal of the shutters. We went through his shutters very carefully as I stated and repaired and replaced everything that he was concerned with. However when the installer came back out [redacted] who has no woodworking experience that I know of other than his statement that his father or grandfather worked with wood immediately rejected them based on his visual inspection. He has noted some issues with some paint and other markings in his letter that would have been completely addressed at the finish of the install when the installer normally does the touchup and putty work and caulking as is completely normal in window covering installation. The process of installing cus[redacted] built shutters is one that may cause some paint to be rubbed off or holes from the screws and nails to be created. This is all taken care of at the conclusion of install. I have in my 20 plus years in the window covering industry received calls from cus[redacted]ers DURING the installation stating their concerns with the finish of the product. However I have been able to address those concerns by asking the cus[redacted]er to call me back when the installer is finished with his job. Those concerns have always been taken care of once the customer sees the installer going back and doing all touchups and caulking and puttying at the conclusion of the install. [redacted] never gave the installer that chance when he was out to reinstall the shutters after the problems he wanted taken care of were taken care. 
 We are more than happy to address [redacted] concerns he still has. He as a right to a quality well built and finished shutter. We are willing to work with [redacted] to address his concerns if the are fair has we have shown by taking the shutters down and refinishing them. This has been our desire from the beginning. We have asked [redacted] to come to the factory in central [redacted] and inspect the shutters again and we will address any concerns AND give him a sizable discount for his time and he has vehemently refused. We think this is more than fair for a customer made wood shutter that is of such a good quality that a number of national builders offer it in their model homes and design centers. Customer made products are non returnable as they are customer made for his exact windows. That is the industry standard warranty unless the company refused to fix said problems. We have not refused and are EAGER to fix his concerns if they are fair and reasonable. Shutter Craters is the company that manufactured the shutters for me and they have always stood by their products and worked with the cus[redacted]ers. They have over 45 years of combined experience and I have full confidence in the product. We in no way neglected [redacted]s concerns. We would like to resolve this matter by correcting any problems that may still need correcting as long as it is not something that is completely unreasonable and continue to offer a lifetime warranty to the customer. As I stated earlier we would also offer [redacted] Mcaskill the opportunity to come inspect his shutters before they are installed and give him a sizable discount for his time.
Thank you,
-- 
[redacted]

Please call me to discuss. I think we are being more than fair in fixing his shutters to his satisfaction when the customer has decided that he is a expert on window coverings. That letter was long and tedious and didn't address the points I made. We have offered him the opportunity to come to the warehouse and pre inspect the shutters before we bring them back out for install and we are willing to give him a substantial discount. He wants his money back on a custom made product and we cannot do that. The only thing he wants is his money back. I am filling bankruptcy protection and closing my business. However he may still have your shutters fixed and reinstalled with a discount if he wishes. Other than that I don't have any other course of action.
[redacted] 
Benchmark
[redacted] cell
[redacted]  office