Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/04/17) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@olthofhomes.com
To whom it may concern:
At *** Homes it is our intention to build a high quality homeWe back that up with a written warranty
that is tied to the purchase agreementThe limited warranty for this home expired on 8/18/The structural warranty will expire 8/18/
The exterior finishes on this home includes vinyl, Miratec engineered trim and prefinished firThe material in question is the prefinished firFir is used for many exterior applicationsThis product is prefinished by the manufacturer specifically for exterior applicationsThis is shipped to the homesite with a year manufacturers warranty on the finishWe additionally apply paint over the manufacturers finish to enhance the durability
As the manufacturers warranty suggests, this product will need paint applied every yearsIf not, the material will start to weather
OFFER:
The manufacturer suggests painting this material every yearsThis home was sold on 8/18/The material was in excellent condition when the home transferred ownership and was accepted with signature by the homeownerThis material will need upkeepThis is a homeowner responsibility
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2017/06/16) */
We have worked with the customer to a satisfactory resolution.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2017/06/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
They are providing us with the trim pieces to...
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2017/05/09) */
Olthof Homes uses a 6.5 bag mix for it's flatwork concrete. We have specific installation instructions that are followed by our concrete trade partners. We do not warranty the surface of exterior flatwork due to the nature of this material. If...
it is salted or a car parks on the driveway dripping salt every night it will damage the surface. There is no way to monitor this activity. Other driveways in the community have been replaced where we could identify specific issues that point to placement. This driveway did not show these same issues.
We have responded to this claim on several occasions with this information.
Olthof Homes would be willing to look at this driveway again.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2017/05/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Thank you for the response. We do not park our cars in the driveway during winter and hardly ever in summer. We utilize our garage. The concrete inside our garage has not experienced any damage, as the driveway and sidewalks have. We never received any correspondence or phone calls from Olthof stating they were willing to look at the driveway again. This was part of the complaint, lack of communication.
We would welcome them to look at the driveway again and discuss this further. Hopefully, to come up with an amicable resolution. I would like to be contacted and schedule a time and date so that we could review this together.
Thank you
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2017/05/18) */
The driveway concern was addressed while in warranty with a top coat. This was expected to take of the claim. We will address this issue again. I would be happy to meet and will call within the week to set up a meeting.
Thanks
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2017/05/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
We will accept their request to set up and a meeting to look at the driveway and discuss this further. The sealer that was applied was only to the bottom and that has peeled away. It did not resolve the other issues with the driveway.
Per the builders response we would like to speak with them.
Please have the builder get in touch with us.
By doing this, it does not mean we are closing the case until we see if there is an acceptable resolution.
Thank you
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 8, 2017/03/23) */
Good Morning,
I did hear from [redacted] at Olthof Company. He called and we talked about what happened, he did apologize and stated he would look into it. He also reimbursed me for the furnace. I was pleased and appreciated how he handled the...
compliant and how he resolved the problem.
Thank you [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/06/11) */
Contact Name and Title: Todd [redacted]
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX ext.304
Contact Email: [redacted]@olthofhomes.com
We have provided service to the customer numerous times to care for the items noted and provide information about the proper care...
of the home. We would be glad to visit again to review the claims noted.
OFFER:
We would be glad to visit again to review the claims noted.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/06/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We do not accept the response from Olthof Homes as there is no need for them to review the items, they are very aware of the items that require resolution, but are not completing the work. We have taken off multiple days for these items to be addressed and are unable to take off further. We informed the warranty department that my father-in-law was in town for 3 weeks and could be available but heard nothing in return from Olthof. He has since returned home and is no longer available. My wife and I are both competent, well educated individuals that are very aware of how to properly care for a home. We care very well for our home and would expect Olthof to address these issues as they would desire them addressed in their own home. The carpenter, via Olthof, that has attempted to address several floor issues we are having did not even arrive with materials and was borrowing items from other tradesmen in our home at that particular time. This should not be considered acceptable.
We have given them multiple days that my wife or myself can be available for them to address the concrete issues and we have yet to hear a response from Olthof. In all fairness, the warranty coordinator has been most helpful and seems very busy; having to communicate back and forth with Olthof on our behalf seems to tie his hands to our matters. Currently the concrete issue is our greatest concern. It appears that Olthof does not want to address our concrete issue and this is disconcerting. We have reviewed the warranty and it would seem that several of our issues with the concrete fall under said warranty. We are desiring a resolution to the concrete issue and requesting Olthof to provide us with days that this can be completed. The multiple other issues inside the home need to be coordinated and we are looking for swift completion as this has been quite a prolonged, frustrating process. We may have to pay for my father-in-law's travel to return so that someone is here during the time the issues are being addressed. You can see our frustration in this because Olthof had been informed before and during my father-in-law's time here, but did not respond to or even acknowledge our availability.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2015/06/27) */
Contact Name and Title: Todd [redacted], President
All past repairs have been completed on schedule and documented with correspondence in our customer care system. We have worked to take many additional actions on past customer warranty requests to go beyond the standard warranty in an attempt to satisfy the customer. At this time our scheduling department is waiting for a response from a June 11 email sent to the customer requesting a date for our repairmen to repair three new additional items the customer has requested.
As the customer notes, their main concern is the concrete. The photos the customer attached are very helpful to explain the natural characteristics of concrete. Concrete is a product that naturally cracks. It has excellent strength under "compression" but does not have strength in a "stress" or "shear" situation. The horizontal lines that concrete contractors install are called control joints. The purpose of a control joint is to encourage concrete to crack inside the control joint since there will be "stress" and "shear". In addition, for every 10' of concrete poured horizontally, there will be 5/8" of shrinkage in the concrete to guarantee a "stress" situation. The photos clearly show concrete cracking in the control joints which is the best place to have concrete crack. One photo shows a situation where the concrete has cracked at the bottom of a step where we do not install a control joint. This is still normal and has not reached a 3/16" horizontal separation where we would replace the concrete for the homeowner.
There is another photo that shows chipping or "spalling" of the surface of the concrete. Spalling frequently occurs if it comes in contact with de-icing agents such as calcium chloride or salt. When we had a second representative visit with the customer we asked about the bag of salt that was present in the garage. The customer replied that they used the salt on the exterior concrete and felt they were taking good care of the concrete by applying the salt to melt the ice on the driveway. This is unfortunate and is a situation that we cannot change. Our homeowner's guide and warranty clearly communicates the natural characteristics of concrete and the care of concrete. A part of the section regarding concrete states "Causes of spalling include repeated hosing of concrete for cleaning, animal urine, radiator overflow, fertilizer, uncleared snow and ice, ice melting agents, and road salts from vehicles. Repair of spalling is a home maintenance task."
As stated earlier, we have worked to take many additional actions that go beyond our warranty and procedures to create satisfaction. Unfortunately, we are certain we will not be able to satisfy the customer and they will not be satisfied with this response. We feel terrible about this since we respect this customer as we do all of our customers. We have and will continue to provide service to the customer under our customer care program.
OFFER:
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2015/07/07) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We have submitted more pictures for the concrete issue. We also sent a picture of the unused, never opened, full bag of salt mentioned by Olthof. As stated we used salt at our old home for 15 years without issue. We did not apply salt to this home. While skeptical of the statement that salt causes spalling, we choose to take the advice of the representative and not use salt. Salt is the common practice to melt ice by the majority of people and municipalities across America, we still did not use it. Unfortunately spalling and cracking still occurred. According to the Portland Cement Association spalling may be caused by ice melt, but usually occurs when concrete is overworked. We do have seam cracks that are quite large and would like them fixed. The pictures included have a tape measure next to the cracks. We now understand that some of our issues with the concrete are not covered under the warranty, and do not expect those to get fixed, just the issues that are. We are a little surprised that the crack near the step is not covered, and is considered acceptable, but again all we want is what is covered.
As far as going beyond the warranty, we do not see that as ever having occurred. As the issues thus far that have been repaired fall under the warranty. Olthof did extend our original warranty for an extra year, but that was due to the numerous large issues we have had with the home. This is above and beyond repairs such as nail pops and the such. All our issues mentioned here were mentioned at the February walk through, they have just not been fixed correctly and are not falling under the extension of the warranty.
We have since heard from Olthof about the breakdown in communication and forwarded some emails to show we have been reaching out to them, even on 6\11. We do accept the fact that this can happen, and actually was surprised as this was uncharacteristic of them.
Unfortunately it looks like they will not accept responsibility for our missing work, and having to fly in someone from out of town to be there when our home is repaired. This is extremely disappointing as we contacted them to set something up while this person was in town for three weeks. We feel this should not be our responsibility as they never responded to the requests to get repairs done at that time person was in town. Actually it is because they quit responding as why we went this avenue, we were hoping to avoid it and sent communication stating this.
We are willing to work out a time when all repairs can be done without us missing anymore work and having to use vacation time to get this done.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/04/17) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@olthofhomes.com
To whom it may concern:
At *** Homes it is our intention to build a high quality homeWe back that up with a written warranty
that is tied to the purchase agreementThe limited warranty for this home expired on 8/18/The structural warranty will expire 8/18/
The exterior finishes on this home includes vinyl, Miratec engineered trim and prefinished firThe material in question is the prefinished firFir is used for many exterior applicationsThis product is prefinished by the manufacturer specifically for exterior applicationsThis is shipped to the homesite with a year manufacturers warranty on the finishWe additionally apply paint over the manufacturers finish to enhance the durability
As the manufacturers warranty suggests, this product will need paint applied every yearsIf not, the material will start to weather
OFFER:
The manufacturer suggests painting this material every yearsThis home was sold on 8/18/The material was in excellent condition when the home transferred ownership and was accepted with signature by the homeownerThis material will need upkeepThis is a homeowner responsibility
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2017/06/16) */
We have worked with the customer to a satisfactory resolution.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2017/06/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
They are providing us with the trim pieces to...
finish the dining room.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2017/05/09) */
Olthof Homes uses a 6.5 bag mix for it's flatwork concrete. We have specific installation instructions that are followed by our concrete trade partners. We do not warranty the surface of exterior flatwork due to the nature of this material. If...
it is salted or a car parks on the driveway dripping salt every night it will damage the surface. There is no way to monitor this activity. Other driveways in the community have been replaced where we could identify specific issues that point to placement. This driveway did not show these same issues.
We have responded to this claim on several occasions with this information.
Olthof Homes would be willing to look at this driveway again.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2017/05/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Thank you for the response. We do not park our cars in the driveway during winter and hardly ever in summer. We utilize our garage. The concrete inside our garage has not experienced any damage, as the driveway and sidewalks have. We never received any correspondence or phone calls from Olthof stating they were willing to look at the driveway again. This was part of the complaint, lack of communication.
We would welcome them to look at the driveway again and discuss this further. Hopefully, to come up with an amicable resolution. I would like to be contacted and schedule a time and date so that we could review this together.
Thank you
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2017/05/18) */
The driveway concern was addressed while in warranty with a top coat. This was expected to take of the claim. We will address this issue again. I would be happy to meet and will call within the week to set up a meeting.
Thanks
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2017/05/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
We will accept their request to set up and a meeting to look at the driveway and discuss this further. The sealer that was applied was only to the bottom and that has peeled away. It did not resolve the other issues with the driveway.
Per the builders response we would like to speak with them.
Please have the builder get in touch with us.
By doing this, it does not mean we are closing the case until we see if there is an acceptable resolution.
Thank you
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 8, 2017/03/23) */
Good Morning,
I did hear from [redacted] at Olthof Company. He called and we talked about what happened, he did apologize and stated he would look into it. He also reimbursed me for the furnace. I was pleased and appreciated how he handled the...
compliant and how he resolved the problem.
Thank you [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/06/11) */
Contact Name and Title: Todd [redacted]
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX ext.304
Contact Email: [redacted]@olthofhomes.com
We have provided service to the customer numerous times to care for the items noted and provide information about the proper care...
of the home. We would be glad to visit again to review the claims noted.
OFFER:
We would be glad to visit again to review the claims noted.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/06/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We do not accept the response from Olthof Homes as there is no need for them to review the items, they are very aware of the items that require resolution, but are not completing the work. We have taken off multiple days for these items to be addressed and are unable to take off further. We informed the warranty department that my father-in-law was in town for 3 weeks and could be available but heard nothing in return from Olthof. He has since returned home and is no longer available. My wife and I are both competent, well educated individuals that are very aware of how to properly care for a home. We care very well for our home and would expect Olthof to address these issues as they would desire them addressed in their own home. The carpenter, via Olthof, that has attempted to address several floor issues we are having did not even arrive with materials and was borrowing items from other tradesmen in our home at that particular time. This should not be considered acceptable.
We have given them multiple days that my wife or myself can be available for them to address the concrete issues and we have yet to hear a response from Olthof. In all fairness, the warranty coordinator has been most helpful and seems very busy; having to communicate back and forth with Olthof on our behalf seems to tie his hands to our matters. Currently the concrete issue is our greatest concern. It appears that Olthof does not want to address our concrete issue and this is disconcerting. We have reviewed the warranty and it would seem that several of our issues with the concrete fall under said warranty. We are desiring a resolution to the concrete issue and requesting Olthof to provide us with days that this can be completed. The multiple other issues inside the home need to be coordinated and we are looking for swift completion as this has been quite a prolonged, frustrating process. We may have to pay for my father-in-law's travel to return so that someone is here during the time the issues are being addressed. You can see our frustration in this because Olthof had been informed before and during my father-in-law's time here, but did not respond to or even acknowledge our availability.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2015/06/27) */
Contact Name and Title: Todd [redacted], President
All past repairs have been completed on schedule and documented with correspondence in our customer care system. We have worked to take many additional actions on past customer warranty requests to go beyond the standard warranty in an attempt to satisfy the customer. At this time our scheduling department is waiting for a response from a June 11 email sent to the customer requesting a date for our repairmen to repair three new additional items the customer has requested.
As the customer notes, their main concern is the concrete. The photos the customer attached are very helpful to explain the natural characteristics of concrete. Concrete is a product that naturally cracks. It has excellent strength under "compression" but does not have strength in a "stress" or "shear" situation. The horizontal lines that concrete contractors install are called control joints. The purpose of a control joint is to encourage concrete to crack inside the control joint since there will be "stress" and "shear". In addition, for every 10' of concrete poured horizontally, there will be 5/8" of shrinkage in the concrete to guarantee a "stress" situation. The photos clearly show concrete cracking in the control joints which is the best place to have concrete crack. One photo shows a situation where the concrete has cracked at the bottom of a step where we do not install a control joint. This is still normal and has not reached a 3/16" horizontal separation where we would replace the concrete for the homeowner.
There is another photo that shows chipping or "spalling" of the surface of the concrete. Spalling frequently occurs if it comes in contact with de-icing agents such as calcium chloride or salt. When we had a second representative visit with the customer we asked about the bag of salt that was present in the garage. The customer replied that they used the salt on the exterior concrete and felt they were taking good care of the concrete by applying the salt to melt the ice on the driveway. This is unfortunate and is a situation that we cannot change. Our homeowner's guide and warranty clearly communicates the natural characteristics of concrete and the care of concrete. A part of the section regarding concrete states "Causes of spalling include repeated hosing of concrete for cleaning, animal urine, radiator overflow, fertilizer, uncleared snow and ice, ice melting agents, and road salts from vehicles. Repair of spalling is a home maintenance task."
As stated earlier, we have worked to take many additional actions that go beyond our warranty and procedures to create satisfaction. Unfortunately, we are certain we will not be able to satisfy the customer and they will not be satisfied with this response. We feel terrible about this since we respect this customer as we do all of our customers. We have and will continue to provide service to the customer under our customer care program.
OFFER:
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2015/07/07) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We have submitted more pictures for the concrete issue. We also sent a picture of the unused, never opened, full bag of salt mentioned by Olthof. As stated we used salt at our old home for 15 years without issue. We did not apply salt to this home. While skeptical of the statement that salt causes spalling, we choose to take the advice of the representative and not use salt. Salt is the common practice to melt ice by the majority of people and municipalities across America, we still did not use it. Unfortunately spalling and cracking still occurred. According to the Portland Cement Association spalling may be caused by ice melt, but usually occurs when concrete is overworked. We do have seam cracks that are quite large and would like them fixed. The pictures included have a tape measure next to the cracks. We now understand that some of our issues with the concrete are not covered under the warranty, and do not expect those to get fixed, just the issues that are. We are a little surprised that the crack near the step is not covered, and is considered acceptable, but again all we want is what is covered.
As far as going beyond the warranty, we do not see that as ever having occurred. As the issues thus far that have been repaired fall under the warranty. Olthof did extend our original warranty for an extra year, but that was due to the numerous large issues we have had with the home. This is above and beyond repairs such as nail pops and the such. All our issues mentioned here were mentioned at the February walk through, they have just not been fixed correctly and are not falling under the extension of the warranty.
We have since heard from Olthof about the breakdown in communication and forwarded some emails to show we have been reaching out to them, even on 6\11. We do accept the fact that this can happen, and actually was surprised as this was uncharacteristic of them.
Unfortunately it looks like they will not accept responsibility for our missing work, and having to fly in someone from out of town to be there when our home is repaired. This is extremely disappointing as we contacted them to set something up while this person was in town for three weeks. We feel this should not be our responsibility as they never responded to the requests to get repairs done at that time person was in town. Actually it is because they quit responding as why we went this avenue, we were hoping to avoid it and sent communication stating this.
We are willing to work out a time when all repairs can be done without us missing anymore work and having to use vacation time to get this done.