Northland Builders & Remodeling

I would have never thought in a million years that I would have to file a complaint on Revdex.com. I have a complaint regarding the recent service I received from Northland Builders in Moorhead, MN. I am not happy with the way my project has been handled, the lack of communication and the price I am left paying for after this was all said and done. I feel like I have been part of a scam.
I decided to go with Northland Builders after they reached out to me on HomeAdvisor. I felt their reviews seemed ok even though there were only a handful and I wanted to support a small, local business. They came and did an estimate and Arlyn seemed to be knowledgeable and said my project of removing my bathroom skylight would be a simple task. After seeing the estimate and knowing the project would take about a week, I agreed to go ahead with supporting a small business.
I had a couple requests when doing this project, that someone will have to be home (I have 2 dogs and 1 with anxiety that I didn’t want to leave with strangers) and I wanted to know times/rough timeline of the project. They agreed to work with me. My first red flag should have been when I requested a copy of the contract for me to sign before putting down my first half of payment. They were supposed to drop it by the 19th but Arlyn rolled his truck on the way (not sure if the truth) and I finally got it on the 21st and they dropped it by but never waited for me to sign it. (I still have it on my counter as no one has been back since to pick it up). Work was supposed to start that following Monday the 23rd and my dad was going to come from Bismarck to be around while they worked all week. The covid virus broke out in Bismarck and that Friday I had contacted Tiffany to see if we could postpone it as I wasn’t going to risk getting my dad to Fargo during this outbreak. She said we could be flexable and could make something work. She stated that they subcontracted (which I am not sure I believe as with visiting with visiting with the roofers, they used to own their own roofing business for 20yrs but now works solely for Arlyn) out the roof portion and if I could make at least one day work to get that done, from our phone call it also sounded like they would do some prep and insulate inside so it could set until they can get back to it. I chose to put the first half down since they needed to start that Monday and I took a PTO day at work to be home.
Day 1 (March 23) was a mess. I took a whole day off of work (essential employee during Covid) to be around for this full day of work I was told was going to happen. Was told the guys would be there between 8-9 to start. They did not show up till 10:30. While working on the roof they dropped their giant tape measure through the opening and we heard a big bang and the neighbors heard fk. Luckily it didn’t crack the ceramic flooring, light fixture or dent the counter. They worked until 3:30/4 and finished the roof portion. As they loaded up they asked if I could put 2x4’s in my garage because Arlyn needed them for the inside but they weren’t sure when he was coming back. (He has went to work on another job). So not knowing I texted Tiffany to see if she knew if he was planning on coming back to work on prepping or insulation. NO RESPONSE FOR A WEEK! (Tiffany finally emailed me March 30) Also no insulation was installed as assumed, completely raw job and space for lots of heat to escape (which it did a lot as you could see it every frosty morning)
On March 30th she contacted me to see if we could set up the next dates cause they had a hault in some insurance projects and extra time. We set up a few dates (Apr 3 and Apr 9-10) and I asked if she could make sure she keeps me posted on times. She agreed since again I was using PTO for these days. Apr 2 rolled around at about 3pm I still had not heard any times for the 3rd, so I checked in and she said around 9. Ok got it. Apr. 3 comes and we have snow, so I double checked it was still on and a time. She said yes just delayed with the snow and she would let me know when there is movement. It’s almost noon so I check in, can’t get a hold of anyone and no one was here. THEY NO SHOWED and did not tell me where I could have gone to work and not wasted 8 hrs of PTO. At this point Nic and I talked and decided to pull out of this project and ask for a refund on work not completed. It wasn’t worth wasting more PTO, not being able to get a hold of anyone and to really know if this is a legit company actually going to finish the work.
I contacted Tiffany Monday asking how to handle a refund for the work. No apologies for not showing up the previous Friday and still trying to push me into moving forward with the project. I feel like I lost complete trust in supporting newer small businesses, I asked for a phone call to discuss things and only got texts (which I still have complete conversation) and now they are looking into charging 2 hours of work for Arlyn when he has not stepped back in my house since the estimate. So with my half down payment invested in this mess of a project and not hearing back about a refund. My year of savings was just burnt by paying $350/hr for 5.5 hours of roofing work. Minimal tools and supplies and no finished project to show for it. Instead of a skylight I now look up at a piece of plywood, ripped up sheetrock and gaping hole of complete frustration. I have been very disappointed the way Tiffany has worked with the situation and lack of communication. I will not be recommending this company in the future.