Nedco Floors & More, Inc.

I am rejecting this response because we did not voluntarily terminate the job with NEDCO FLOORS and MORE.
The installer said that he never does installations on a stair case like ours. He stated that he did not know how to install an endcap nor were we ever recommended to buy any sort of endcap for our stairs when the job was originally quoted. With the lack of expertise to finish the job, the installer suggested that I find another company to put an endcap on the stairs and then, if I wanted, he could come out, independent from NEDCO FLOOR and MORE, and complete the installation of the laminate

As previously stated, NEDCO FLOORS provided Mr*** with a proposal for the installation of laminate flooring in the office, living room, hallway, and on the stairsAfter completing the office living room, and hallway, ***'s requested we suspend the installation of the laminate flooring on the stairsThere simply is no reason to halt an installation that was about to be completed - it causes havoc with the installation schedule, and unnecessary delays
Moreover, NEDCO FLOORS has completed numerous laminate installations with those materials (laminate boards, overlap stair-noses, end-caps and quarter rods)resulting in happy customersThe open side of the stair is cupped with stair-noses/ bull-noses, using the same materials that are on the front of the stairsThis requires more angle cuts, but that is what those parts are made for
If the ***s want, NEDCO FLOORS can schedule an installation to complete the laminate installation on the stairs as originally proposedwith the original materials (laminate planks, stair-noses, end caps, and quarter rounds) for the quoted price of $1,Because Mr*** already paid the installer $for stair preparation, that would be deducted and the balance for the installation would be $1,If the ***s prefer to stay with the custom stair installation purchased from the vendor that they hired, the project will be theirs, as it stands nowMy previous offer for the $refund provided the ***s sign a release of liability for a third-party installation still stands

In response to Mr. [redacted]’s comments I would like to
address the numerous untruth’s, misleading statements and inconsistencies that
he made but first let me say that neither my wife nor I am a stair or flooring
expert.  My wife and I entered into a
contract with NEDCO FLOORS and MORE because they were supposed to be the experts
in flooring installation.  When [redacted],
the person who quoted the job to us, stated that his installers could put
laminate on our stairs we took him at his word. 
We expected that the work could be done with the materials that he
listed we should buy and that the work could be completed with no additional
contractors in order to complete the job. 
When we asked him about the balusters and he said that he could remove
those for us as part of the job and that they could easily be glued back into
place we again took him at his word. 
These were unfortunately all untrue statements and as for the other
claims that Mr. [redacted] made I will address them below:
 
I also called the customer to
see if we can discuss the issue, and he told me that there is no use of us
talking because he already hired another company that makes custom stairs do
the project” – Mr.  [redacted]
offered to come over to our house to inspect the work and see what his company
could do in order to “fix things”.  I
informed him that there was no need to come over to our house because we had
waited over a month to hear back from his company.  When no one contacted us we had to hire
another contractor to finish the job and that we were already in contract with
them.  I sent this contract to Mr [redacted]
to review and told him that I would be happy to supply pictures of the stairs
if he wanted.  He declined.
Customers decided that they
wanted the stairs installed differently from the proposal agreement provided By
Nedco Floors, and they decided to have another contractor do the stairs project.”
– This is 100% not true.  After the
installer had installed the first two steps he called me over because he did
not think that I would be happy with the final product.  He explained that since one side of our
stairs was exposed he did not have the ability to “cap” the end that did not
meet against a wall.  He further
explained that he never installs laminate on “these types of stairs” for NEDCO
FLOORS and MORE without having some sort of edge for the laminate to be
installed against.  I told him that this
was the first that I had heard about any of this and that [redacted] had not
mentioned anything of the sort when we originally talked and that I had bought
all of the supplies that [redacted] had recommended.  He responded that that was pretty typical as
[redacted] does not know how to do the installation on stairs, which is why he does
the quoting.  After talking at great
length about our options with the stairs , [redacted] said that he did not have the
skill to install a “cap” on our stairs and that there was nothing he could
do.  It was at this point that I said I
guess we will have to find someone else to finish our stairs correctly and
mentioned that I would be filing a complaint for the poor workmanship.  [redacted] tried to tell me that if I could find
someone to put a “cap” on the stairs then he would be able to finish putting
down the laminate.  I expressed to him
that I did not have much faith in NEDCO FLOORS and MORE to be able to finish
the job to which he replied that he could do the job without NEDCO knowing.  At no point did I ever show interest in this
idea or commit to his offer.  We never
wanted to get another contractor to finish this project but we were left with
no other choices.
Customer also insisted that the
installer cuts the spindles on the railings, since he was planning to buy and
install new steel railings right away.” – This is not true.  I had no plan on how we were going to
reinstall the spindles, plus I never mentioned that we were going to get a
steel railing, I’m not sure where that came from.  Also, I would like to point out the removal
of the spindles was a necessary step for installing the laminate on the
stairs.  Without doing so, you would not
have been able to lay the laminate as the spindles were installed directly into
the stair as our exposed edge had no “cap” in which to install the spindles.
After [redacted] prepared the
stairway and started installation of laminate flooring, Customer told him to
stop the stairs installation because he did not like the way how the new stairs
look.” – Not true.  Please see #2
above.
Installer told Customer that
the stairs were not finished and showed him the pictures of some completed
stair jobs he did, that were applied in the same manner.” – Not true.  [redacted] never showed me any pictures of a job
that was similar to ours.  What he showed
me was that each job they did, had a “cap” or a wall for them to install the
laminate against.
It was agreed that the
Customer would hire the "custom stair company" to do his railings and
end of the stairs, and when that was done, he would call us to finish the
stairs with laminate planks and stairnoses.” – There is no truth to this
statement.  When the installers left, I
had no options and an incomplete staircase with no spindles.  I was forced to find another company to
finish the job that NEDCO FLOORS and MORE claimed that they could do but were
unable to complete.  I was left with an
injury hazard and an eye sore.  My sons
are young and had accidents on the stairs, thankfully not bad, because of the
unfinished railing and we had to find other arrangements for the past month for
my wife’s business which has been an increased expense that we were not
anticipating.  I never agreed that I
would contact NEDCO FLOORS and MORE to finish the laminate as explained above.
When we did not receive the call from the Customer the next day,
TheVP-General Manager and Installer, left multiple voice messages to learn when
the completion of the stairs could be scheduled. “ – [redacted] has not called me back once
since they failed to install our flooring as we agreed to and I’d be happy to
provide phone records that support this.
After several days of trying,
our Secretary/Office Manager finally got a hold of the Customer, and Customer
told her that he hired another company to do his stairs installation.” –
The office manager only contacted me after I filed an original complaint with
the Home Service Store, a division of [redacted] that handles
payments and mediation.  I explained to
her our complaint and told her that we were looking for financial
compensation.  She told me that was
against company policy but that they might be able to decrease the cost of the
job and that she would have [redacted] contact me. 
I told her that I did not want to conduct business with [redacted] because I
did not trust him and she explained that he was the only person available who
would do quoting.  Reluctantly I agreed
that he could call me to set up a time to come over but that I wanted to see
photo evidence of projects that they had completed in the past that were similar
to ours.  She said ok and that was the
last contact I had with NEDCO FLOORS and MORE until this complaint was received.  This exchange occurred during the first week
of September.
We were not aware that any issue existed until we received the
Customer complaint from Revdex.com. “ –
This is the claim that I take the most offense with.  As I mentioned in #8, I filed a complaint
with the [redacted], complaint #[redacted], on September 1,
2014.  We were assigned a representative;     [redacted] and she contacted NEDCO FLOOR and MORE on
our behalf several times over the next two weeks.  There were ample opportunities for NEDCO
FLOORS and MORE to resolve this situation before a complaint was filed with the
Revdex.com but they refused all of them.
There are two basic ways to do
the flooring installation on the stairs. There are two basic ways
to do the flooring installation on the stairs. “ – As I mentioned
at the start of this response, I am not a flooring expert but NEDCO FLOORS and
MORE should be.  As Mr. [redacted] tries
to point out this is the basic type of installation method used by laminate
installers.  What he fails to point out
is that you need a wall or some sort of vertical surface to have the laminate
meet with.  As I have explained our
stairs do not have any such surface on one side.  Whether, NEDCO FLOORS and MORE were not aware
of this or if it was an oversight on their part, it is unacceptable that they committed
to do this job without the expertise to accomplish it.
I think that Customers decided they wanted "custom
stairs", after their meeting with the "custom stair company"
 that is going to do their railings. “
– This speculation is pure fiction and a convenient excuse for why NEDCO FLOORS
and MORE should not be found at fault.  After
the installer left I had no options and started taking other bids to complete
the stairs in laminate.  I contacted 4
flooring installers and 2 general contractors. 
Each of them declined the job as soon as I told them about the exposed
wall and lack of “capping” as they said this type of job was too difficult and
each one of them recommended that I contact a stair company.  It wasn’t until after meeting with two
different companies that specialize in stairs that we entered into a contract
to have them complete our stairs.  This
was on September 15, 2014.  As a final
note, we only decided to go with hardwood treads for our stairs after the stair
company pointed out that even if they installed an end cap on our stair case so
that we could then have laminate installed, the laminate would not meet flush
with the “cap” as the laminate was thinner than the wood used for the “cap”.  This was not an acceptable solution for us
and we were left with only one option to complete our project.
Customer insisted that the
installer cut the spindles at the beginning of the job, then decided to hire
another contractor to do the custom stair installation, and refused to
communicate with us.” – I would just like to point out again that the
spindles were removed in the course of the laminate installation and that we
had to use a custom stair company because NEDCO FLOORS and MORE was not capable
of completing the job.  Furthermore, we responded
to every attempt that NEDCO FLOORS and MORE made to communicate with us in a
reasonable amount of time.
For the reasons I have explained
and the fact that I think NEDCO FLOORS and MORE should be held accountable for
committing to do a job that they are licensed for but are unable to complete, I
refuse the offer of $200 in compensation and defer judgment in this matter to
the Revdex.com.  I think that
what we are asking for is more than fair considering the increased costs we
have had to incur and the amount of extra time it has taken to complete.  We are left with a large unexpected expense
in order to make our home safe and livable again.  We likely would have opted to not have
laminate floors installed at this time had we been told about the difficulties of installing laminate on the stairs.

I first learned of the complaint on October 2.nd, when I came back from vacation. Since I was not involved with this project, I consulted my V.P-General Manager[redacted], who sold the project, and [redacted], my partner who did the installation, and my attorney. I also called the customer to see if we can...

discuss the issue, and he told me that there is no use of us talking because he already hired another company that makes custom stairs do the project, and he wants us to pay him $1,1660, what was our original estimate for stair installation.
 I would like to first reiterate that NEDCO FLOORS & MORE, INC. DID NOT CHARGE HIM ANYTHING FOR THE STAIRS INSTALLATION.
Customers decided that they wanted the stairs installed differently from the proposal agreement provided By Nedco Floors, and they decided to have another contractor do the stairs project.
 
These are the explanations from our V.P.-General Manager, and our installer of what transpired:
On July 28,2014, our V.P came and provided a proposal for installation of LAMINATE flooring in the office, living room, hallway and stairway (which includes 16 steps) in customer's home. The price for the full project was $ 3,371.00. Customers accepted the project verbally, purchased the laminate flooring from the store, and installation began on Aug. 27th, 2014. The installers working on the project prepaired the entire area since this was supposed to be a one day job. Customer also insisted that the isnstaller cuts the spindles on the railings, since he was planing to buy and install new steel railings right away. That would save him work of cutting the spindles.
Installers finished the insallation of the flooring in the office, living room and the hallway and Customers were very pleased with the job. After [redacted] prepaired the stairway and started installation of laminate flooring, Customer told him to stop the stairs installation because he did not like the way how the new stairs look. Installer told Customer that the stairs were not finished and showed him the pictures of some completed stair jobs he did, that were applied in the same manner. Customer said that he liked how the finished stairs would look, but he wanted to change existing railings and install a steel railings and have the end pieces of the stairs done in wood (the rest of the stair treads and risers would be done in laminate as provided in the proposal).
It was agreed that the Customer would hire the "custom stair company" to do his railings and end of the stairs, and when that was done, he would call us to finish the stairs with laminate planks and stairnoses. Since the Customer when the railings and end pieces would be done by another contractor, Installer asked the Customer to pay for the parts of the job that were completed, and TO PAY FOR THE STAIRS AFTER WE FINISH THE STAIRS INSTALLATION. Customer only paid us $1,711.00 for the woork that was completed, (not $3,371.00), plus he paid the Installer $200 directly for the  4 hrs of stairs preparation, which would be deducted from the final payable amount for the stairs installation when we completed the job.
Customer promissed us that he would call us back the next day at the latest, to let us know when the Installer could come back to finish the stairs. When we did not receive the call from the Customer the next day, TheVP-General Manager and Installer, left multiple voice messages to learn when the completion of the stairs could be scheduled. Customer never returned their messages. After several days of trying, our Secretary/Office Manager finaly got a hold of the Customer, and Customer told her that he hired another company to do his stairs installation. Because Customer already paid for the rest of the installation, and did not pay anything for the stairs installation, we thought that our project was completed and paid in full. We were not aware that any issue existed until we received the Customer complaint from Revdex.com. Our VP/Gen. Magr. left messages about meeting with Customer trying to resolve the issue, but customer never called back.
 
There are two basic ways to do the flooring installation on the stairs. 
The first, which was provided for in the proposal agreement for the Customer, involves installing flooring planks on the stair treads and risers, and stair noses on the edges. This method is the most common, most economical and standard way to install LAMINATE flooring on the stairs. 
The second way to do the flooring installation on stairs is a "custom stairs installation", where the whole step is made out of the solid wood (not laminate). Those " custom stairs" are custom made out of wood for each job by the finish carpenters, and they are lot more expensive than the stairs made with laminate planks and stair noses.
Nobody in our company ever implied that this Customer stairs installation would be custom made out of wood, because that is not a service that Nedco Floors has ever provided. All the flooring and stairs materials specified were made from LAMINATE, and were purchased by the Customer. 
 
I think that Customers decided they wanted "custom stairs", after their meeting with the "custom stair company"  that is going to do their railings. NEDCO FLOORS takes no issue with that-this is a construction business, and changes in the scope of work happen all the time, and the final price is adjusted upon the completion of the job.
 
As far as the complaint about unsafe stairs, that was not our fault. If we were allowed to to complete the installation as per our original agreement, the stairs would have been done in one day. Customer insisted that the installer cut the spindles at the begining of the job, then decided to hire another contractor to do the custom stair installation, and refused to communicate with us. When we were finally able to get in contact with the Customer, he said that he already hired another contractor and does not want us in his house. At that point, "the stair project", became Customer's (and new contractor's) responsibility.
The Customer decided to change their stair installation, and hired a different contractor to do it. The new project is between two of them, and has nothing to do with NEDCO FLOORS AND MORE, INC. However, in an effort to show our good faith and our interest in our customer's concerns and satisfaction, NEDCO FLOORS AND MORE, INC.
is willing to refund $200. ,charged by the Installer for the stairs preparation, provided that the Customer sign a waiver prepared by our attorney, releasing NEDCO FLOORS AND MORE, INC. from any and all liability arising out of the stair installation that was performed by the outside company. No other offer will be made.

Review: July 28th. [redacted], V.P./General Manager of Nedco floors came to our home and made the attached bid, please see attached. The bid included removal and disposal of carpet, as well as the installation of laminate flooring to an office, hallway, stairway (16 steps, finished and capped), and living room. [redacted] talked with us in great detail about what we wanted our stairs to like and encourages to have the stairs completed in all laminate rather than having two tone stairs. He also told us that the stairs would be time-consuming, would likely take 2 days to complete, and would be more costly than the other areas. We agreed to the total labor and installation cost of $3371. We agreed to an installation date of 8/27.July 29th. We ordered flooring as explicitly outlined in the home improvement agreement. August 26th. Nedco contractors arrive one day prior to the scheduled date. They agree to return the following day as scheduled.August 27th. The contractors arrived and immediately proceeded remove/dispose of all carpeting in the hallway, stairs, office, and living room and begin the installation of flooring. Approximately two hours into the installation--after flooring has been laid in other locations; a majority of the banister has been removed (see attached photo); and the carpet has been destroyed we are informed by the contractor that the first two step that he has installed look terrible and that he is unable to continue with the installation as he does not have the skill set to complete the job. He also informed my husband that he had never been asked to do that type of job in the past. The contractors completed the remaining rooms of the house and we paid them for completing everything but the installation of the stairs. The contractor was paid an additional $200 for his time (wasted) for dismantling the stairs as he told us that he would not be paid for his time otherwise.Presently: We have unsafe stairs. There are nails sticking out the bottom two steps and we do not have a banister to prevent falls from the stair case. Yesterday, our youngest son went to grab at the banister and missed the top railing due to his height. The place when he typically grasps is no longer there and he fell from a height of about 3 feet onto the laminate flooring belowbruising his shoulder and hitting his head. We are very fortunate that he did not break his arm. Additionally, I have a business that runs from our home in which I lead play groups for children with autism. I am not currently able to conduct business from my home as the stairs are unsafe.We do not have a solution. No one has contacted us from Nedco. We have ugly unfinished and dangerous stairs without any proposed solution. While the floors that we installed look nice, Nedco defaced our home by dissembling our stairs and removing/disposing our carpet. We would not have agreed to this installation if the stairs could not be completed (as promised) to match the rest of the house and at at the price quoted. We would still have a completely livable and safe home had they never begun installation. My children are in danger of (further) injury and the value of my home has deprecate due their work.Desired Settlement: We gave Nedco ample opportunity to resolve this situation and they made no attempt to work with us. We have had to hire another contractor to put in hardwood treads on the stairs and we are looking for Nedco to pay for the amount that they originally quoted us to complete the stairs.

Business

Response:

I first learned of the complaint on October 2.nd, when I came back from vacation. Since I was not involved with this project, I consulted my V.P-General Manager[redacted], who sold the project, and [redacted], my partner who did the installation, and my attorney. I also called the customer to see if we can discuss the issue, and he told me that there is no use of us talking because he already hired another company that makes custom stairs do the project, and he wants us to pay him $1,1660, what was our original estimate for stair installation.

I would like to first reiterate that NEDCO FLOORS & MORE, INC. DID NOT CHARGE HIM ANYTHING FOR THE STAIRS INSTALLATION.