The response from the business,(Jamaica Cottage Shop), implies that the problems we had and that weare lodging this complaint about, are because of the changes we madeto the kit to customize it for our needsThe added wall height isan option that is offered right on the website order pageTheresponse statement implies this was not a standard “option”The only other “customization” weordered was for them to omit the doors and not include the roof orthe work bench or rampNo changes were made to the frame or floorplanI had inquired about the lumber to replace the siding where thedoor was not going to be and was told it was not includedThat wasfine by us and we stated that to the person on the phoneI ordered a set of directions forassembly ahead of time so I could share it with our carpentersTheinstructions we received with the kit were not the same as the ones Igot beforehand and the person on the phone admitted to that andapologizedThere were also several pages missing from both sets ofdirections...it went from page on one side of the page, to page 44on the otherWe never found pages 39-There were manydiscrepancies and mistakes in the instructions that became apparentas construction commencedThe photos and drawings show different constructionthan realityThe problems we had were because manyof the pieces that are standard for the kit were either missing orwere too shortRight off the bat, when we started framing the decksystem, (which is no different regardless of roof height) there wereonly blocking pieces instead of and they were all 3/8” tooshortIf a board is too long, you can always cut it to size, but ifit is too short, it is useless.We found this to be the case with manypieces including the trim pieces that are standard for the increasedheight and the regular cabinThis particular kit design has anarched dormer and we were assured that “All the wooden parts andframing members are precut and color-coded for easy assembly.”(this is also stated on their website) Every angle in that dormer had to beconsidered and re-cut because the pieces provided were not cutcorrectlyAgain, this is not because we changed anything to do withthe roof or the dormerOne needs to consider the time it takesto sort through the pile of lumber when it arrives so it can be usedas per the instructionsWe had a competent crew of several peoplewho identified many discrepancies immediatelySome issues did notbecome apparent until later on when we found that boards were markedcorrectly but cut wrongFor this business to suggest that theremedy for these problems would be as easy as going to the locallumber mill and buying what is missing or cut wrong or that if we hadcommunicated with them more, they could have remedied the problemsfor us indicates that they knew things were not right with the kit .We did communicate our dissatisfaction, but Jamaica Cottage shopindicated that their only remedies would be for us to buy the lumberlocally and send them the bill, or have them ship the lumber to us,for which they could not guarantee delivery dateAs the assembly ofthis cottage stretched out to consume our entire summer, (workingevenings and weekends) we did not consider either of these options tobe satisfactoryAnd it would have been impossible to determine theexact list of replacement lumber we would have needed until it wasfinished because as I said, many pieces were labeled correctly butcut wrong so until you went to put them into place, you didn't knowthey were wrongThe truth is that if we had known howbadly this kit would be cut and how unhelpful the directions wouldbe, we could have made the decision to buy the pre-built cabin orbetter yet, buy a pile of lumber and build it from scratchIt wouldhave taken much, much less time and much less moneyThe person onthe phone admitted that this was only the second Gibralter kit theyhad soldObviously, they had yet to work the kinks out of theprocessBefore we bought this kit, we wereassured that this kit would be “precision cut” by a computer andas long as we knew which end of the hammer to hold, we could builtthe kitWe hired a couple of professional carpenters anyway becausewe were hoping to have the entire cabin built by the end of JuneBythe end of the first day, June 13, it was apparent that this was notgoing to be a reality and that paying someone by the hour to buildthe kit was a waste of moneyProfessional carpenters are skilled atgetting a job doneThis was not possible with this kit as theneeded materials were not providedA professional carpenter canfollow drawings and schematics...but the drawings provided wereinadequate for assemblyI reiterate my claim that this kit soldto us was not as advertised and that this company is not providingadequate support for their productTalking to someone on the phonea couple of hours away and getting an apology is not what I considerto be customer supportIf there had been only a couple of mistakesor inadequacies in the entire kit, I would not be complainingButas I said, I have spent my entire summer picking away at this cabinand now I have yet to build another kit that I have no confidencewill be cut right or will go together smoothlyI spoke with thecarpenter that Jamacia Cottage recommended and he told me it wouldcost at least $for him to build my run in shedThis companyshould ship me a pre-built kit in return for the run in shed kit Ihave yet to build or refund me $so I can hire someone locally tobuild itIf they choose to do neither, I will be forced to take themto small claims court?
Regards,
*** ***
I am responding to the complaint filed by [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] came to us to purchase 2 buildings to put on his grounds. He visited us to look at the buildings and got a full tour of operation, both assembled buildings and the kits. He had stated to us that he wanted to customize the...
buildings. He wanted to use their old barn boards and put on rusty looking roofs to make it look like an older building. On 4/25 the client purchased (2) custom kits – a 12x20 Gibraltar design and a 12x20 Run In Shed; both ordered with no roofing and the Gibraltar was ordered with customizations because the client wanted to make their own modifications during assembly (removed all doors, removed workbench). On 4/27 the client called with additional customizations – to raise the wall heights. On 5/1 email correspondence stated to the client: Jamaica Cottage Shop can supply the materials that would be needed for this alteration however they would not be reflected in the plans, and we would suggest having a carpenter on had to when assembling the Gibraltar if you did want to move forward with the customization. Also stated clearly on the bottom of their invoice: Changes to standard option A designs including rough opening fordoor and or windows, siding, and or roofing for PCK’s will require on-site cutting and will not be represented in the assembly plans. Any modifications substitutions or design alterations which include and added materials list will not be represented in assembly instructions. JCS makes all attempts to accommodate revisions to original design but makes no guarantee to quantity of materials needed for the modifications. It is strongly recommended having a contractor help with making changes to the kit both in the planning stage as well as during assembly of the project. The client moved forward with this and also knew that the other modifications they were making on site on their own end would not be reflected any where and would change the scope of the kit and the cut list. We advertise approx. assembly times for standard option A designs. Standard Opt A means there are no changes or modifications. Estimating the time is takes for modifications is the client’s responsibility since it is no longer a Standard Opt A that can be determined by JCS. Our Frequently Asked Questions page on our website also reflects the Q&A regarding customizing pre-cut kits with the answer: Simple things such as roof color or material may be customized. However, we will not alter floor plans, window & door placements, roof pitches or wall heights. Please contact our design team for more information. The buildings were delivered on June 11th. The client called our Tech Support on July 13th and talked to [redacted] and told him that lumber in the kit was cut incorrectly. [redacted] apologized and discussed. They decided the best solution was for them to go to the local lumber yard, pick up what he needed and to send them the bill. The client agreed. They also discussed the Run In Shed kit -- How's the Run In Shed to build? I told her it should be a cakewalk compared to a custom Gibraltar. "I was hoping you guys would offer to trade it for a fully assembled." I told her sure, just pay the difference. Not interested in that, will attempt Run In Shed anyway... No further communication from the client at that time. On July 21st Mr. [redacted] called, “Gibraltar took too much time and effort and he is just exhausted he is not disappointed in the project just wants it simple.Email response to him after account review: For the trade-in value, we can offer you $2,169 for the kit, so for a Fully Assembled 12x20 Run In Shed -Retail $5,545, $4,807 current sale price, -$600 remove roof metal, -$2,169 trade-in value for kit, +$299 Shipping, =$2,337, +$140.22 6% VT Sales Tax, =$2,477.22Is this something you're interested in moving forward with? Late night on 8/2 Mr. [redacted] sent a lengthy email berating us for such an offer and listing his issues including letting us know they had used lumber from the Run In Shed kit instead of picking it up locally. He stated the reason was because it was the weekend and the lumber yard was not open; however, his tech support call took place on a Monday – sufficient time for us to look into other solutions had the client communicated with us (we were left to believe the issue was resolved during their tech support call. How are we to know there is an ongoing issue if they did not communicate any further with us during assembly?). His email also stated: make things right by us as we have been sold something that was not as described or promised and we have had to spend much more money on labor and materials than we should have had to. But per our disclosure on the invoice (and website, and verbally) – we make no guarantees (promises) if a client has decided to make their own modifications. Also, no materials were purchased – they took them from the 2nd kit and used their own barn boards (that they had discussed in the beginning that they had available to use). JCS email response the next morning (his email came at night when the business is closed, response made the following morning): I apologize for any misunderstanding and for the obstacles you faced during assembly of the Gibraltar kit. Our tech support is always very helpful in assisting clients in the direction of the best solutions possible to continue moving forward. We were called the 13th which is a Monday, to go over your list of concerns. It is my understanding that it was discussed with [redacted] to pick up the replacement lumber locally and send us the receipt. If this was not going to be possible, we would have been happy to discuss how to assist you in getting the incorrect materials replaced (especially since we were open the rest of the week and are open on Saturdays). Again, I apologize. An even trade is not going to be possible. I would recommend calling an assembler from the list of recommended assemblers http://jamaicacottageshop.com/recommended-assemblers/ and work with us to determine the materials you will need to complete the run in shed kit. Again, our tech support is available and with open communication, I am confident the project will go much more smoothly for you. On the same day (8/3), Mr. [redacted] called and spoke directly with the owner, [redacted], who listened to his concerns, apologized, and offered him $500 towards the assembly fees to have an assembler put together the Run In Shed kit for him. The offer to let him trade in the kit for a fully assembled model and pay the difference was also still on the table. We did not hear back from the client for almost a month. On 8/31 the client called to say they were not settling for $500 and wanted $1,000 to cover [redacted]’s assembly costs. The request was submitted and the account – including all correspondence and documents was reviewed again. The client was emailed that the 2 options on the table were adequate (given the lack of communication during assembly). Apologized again and asked the client to pick one. No further response or communication was received from the client. We sincerely apologize for the issues he had with the Gibraltar kit. We wish that the client had kept open communication with us during assembly so that we had the chance to help them with their materials during that time. He talked to our tech support only 1 time, on a Monday, with sufficient time to find a better solution had we known the one agreed to with the client was not going to work for them. We are still willing to offer him the same offer; $500.00 towards the assembler’s fee or we’ll pick up the 2nd kit, deliver him a pre made building and he pay us the difference. Thank you,
The response from the business,(Jamaica Cottage Shop), implies that the problems we had and that weare lodging this complaint about, are because of the changes we madeto the kit to customize it for our needsThe added wall height isan option that is offered right on the website order pageTheresponse statement implies this was not a standard “option”The only other “customization” weordered was for them to omit the doors and not include the roof orthe work bench or rampNo changes were made to the frame or floorplanI had inquired about the lumber to replace the siding where thedoor was not going to be and was told it was not includedThat wasfine by us and we stated that to the person on the phoneI ordered a set of directions forassembly ahead of time so I could share it with our carpentersTheinstructions we received with the kit were not the same as the ones Igot beforehand and the person on the phone admitted to that andapologizedThere were also several pages missing from both sets ofdirections...it went from page on one side of the page, to page 44on the otherWe never found pages 39-There were manydiscrepancies and mistakes in the instructions that became apparentas construction commencedThe photos and drawings show different constructionthan realityThe problems we had were because manyof the pieces that are standard for the kit were either missing orwere too shortRight off the bat, when we started framing the decksystem, (which is no different regardless of roof height) there wereonly blocking pieces instead of and they were all 3/8” tooshortIf a board is too long, you can always cut it to size, but ifit is too short, it is useless.We found this to be the case with manypieces including the trim pieces that are standard for the increasedheight and the regular cabinThis particular kit design has anarched dormer and we were assured that “All the wooden parts andframing members are precut and color-coded for easy assembly.”(this is also stated on their website) Every angle in that dormer had to beconsidered and re-cut because the pieces provided were not cutcorrectlyAgain, this is not because we changed anything to do withthe roof or the dormerOne needs to consider the time it takesto sort through the pile of lumber when it arrives so it can be usedas per the instructionsWe had a competent crew of several peoplewho identified many discrepancies immediatelySome issues did notbecome apparent until later on when we found that boards were markedcorrectly but cut wrongFor this business to suggest that theremedy for these problems would be as easy as going to the locallumber mill and buying what is missing or cut wrong or that if we hadcommunicated with them more, they could have remedied the problemsfor us indicates that they knew things were not right with the kit .We did communicate our dissatisfaction, but Jamaica Cottage shopindicated that their only remedies would be for us to buy the lumberlocally and send them the bill, or have them ship the lumber to us,for which they could not guarantee delivery dateAs the assembly ofthis cottage stretched out to consume our entire summer, (workingevenings and weekends) we did not consider either of these options tobe satisfactoryAnd it would have been impossible to determine theexact list of replacement lumber we would have needed until it wasfinished because as I said, many pieces were labeled correctly butcut wrong so until you went to put them into place, you didn't knowthey were wrongThe truth is that if we had known howbadly this kit would be cut and how unhelpful the directions wouldbe, we could have made the decision to buy the pre-built cabin orbetter yet, buy a pile of lumber and build it from scratchIt wouldhave taken much, much less time and much less moneyThe person onthe phone admitted that this was only the second Gibralter kit theyhad soldObviously, they had yet to work the kinks out of theprocessBefore we bought this kit, we wereassured that this kit would be “precision cut” by a computer andas long as we knew which end of the hammer to hold, we could builtthe kitWe hired a couple of professional carpenters anyway becausewe were hoping to have the entire cabin built by the end of JuneBythe end of the first day, June 13, it was apparent that this was notgoing to be a reality and that paying someone by the hour to buildthe kit was a waste of moneyProfessional carpenters are skilled atgetting a job doneThis was not possible with this kit as theneeded materials were not providedA professional carpenter canfollow drawings and schematics...but the drawings provided wereinadequate for assemblyI reiterate my claim that this kit soldto us was not as advertised and that this company is not providingadequate support for their productTalking to someone on the phonea couple of hours away and getting an apology is not what I considerto be customer supportIf there had been only a couple of mistakesor inadequacies in the entire kit, I would not be complainingButas I said, I have spent my entire summer picking away at this cabinand now I have yet to build another kit that I have no confidencewill be cut right or will go together smoothlyI spoke with thecarpenter that Jamacia Cottage recommended and he told me it wouldcost at least $for him to build my run in shedThis companyshould ship me a pre-built kit in return for the run in shed kit Ihave yet to build or refund me $so I can hire someone locally tobuild itIf they choose to do neither, I will be forced to take themto small claims court?
Regards,
*** ***
I am responding to the complaint filed by [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] came to us to purchase 2 buildings to put on his grounds. He visited us to look at the buildings and got a full tour of operation, both assembled buildings and the kits. He had stated to us that he wanted to customize the...
buildings. He wanted to use their old barn boards and put on rusty looking roofs to make it look like an older building. On 4/25 the client purchased (2) custom kits – a 12x20 Gibraltar design and a 12x20 Run In Shed; both ordered with no roofing and the Gibraltar was ordered with customizations because the client wanted to make their own modifications during assembly (removed all doors, removed workbench). On 4/27 the client called with additional customizations – to raise the wall heights. On 5/1 email correspondence stated to the client: Jamaica Cottage Shop can supply the materials that would be needed for this alteration however they would not be reflected in the plans, and we would suggest having a carpenter on had to when assembling the Gibraltar if you did want to move forward with the customization. Also stated clearly on the bottom of their invoice: Changes to standard option A designs including rough opening fordoor and or windows, siding, and or roofing for PCK’s will require on-site cutting and will not be represented in the assembly plans. Any modifications substitutions or design alterations which include and added materials list will not be represented in assembly instructions. JCS makes all attempts to accommodate revisions to original design but makes no guarantee to quantity of materials needed for the modifications. It is strongly recommended having a contractor help with making changes to the kit both in the planning stage as well as during assembly of the project. The client moved forward with this and also knew that the other modifications they were making on site on their own end would not be reflected any where and would change the scope of the kit and the cut list. We advertise approx. assembly times for standard option A designs. Standard Opt A means there are no changes or modifications. Estimating the time is takes for modifications is the client’s responsibility since it is no longer a Standard Opt A that can be determined by JCS. Our Frequently Asked Questions page on our website also reflects the Q&A regarding customizing pre-cut kits with the answer: Simple things such as roof color or material may be customized. However, we will not alter floor plans, window & door placements, roof pitches or wall heights. Please contact our design team for more information. The buildings were delivered on June 11th. The client called our Tech Support on July 13th and talked to [redacted] and told him that lumber in the kit was cut incorrectly. [redacted] apologized and discussed. They decided the best solution was for them to go to the local lumber yard, pick up what he needed and to send them the bill. The client agreed. They also discussed the Run In Shed kit -- How's the Run In Shed to build? I told her it should be a cakewalk compared to a custom Gibraltar. "I was hoping you guys would offer to trade it for a fully assembled." I told her sure, just pay the difference. Not interested in that, will attempt Run In Shed anyway... No further communication from the client at that time. On July 21st Mr. [redacted] called, “Gibraltar took too much time and effort and he is just exhausted he is not disappointed in the project just wants it simple.Email response to him after account review: For the trade-in value, we can offer you $2,169 for the kit, so for a Fully Assembled 12x20 Run In Shed -Retail $5,545, $4,807 current sale price, -$600 remove roof metal, -$2,169 trade-in value for kit, +$299 Shipping, =$2,337, +$140.22 6% VT Sales Tax, =$2,477.22Is this something you're interested in moving forward with? Late night on 8/2 Mr. [redacted] sent a lengthy email berating us for such an offer and listing his issues including letting us know they had used lumber from the Run In Shed kit instead of picking it up locally. He stated the reason was because it was the weekend and the lumber yard was not open; however, his tech support call took place on a Monday – sufficient time for us to look into other solutions had the client communicated with us (we were left to believe the issue was resolved during their tech support call. How are we to know there is an ongoing issue if they did not communicate any further with us during assembly?). His email also stated: make things right by us as we have been sold something that was not as described or promised and we have had to spend much more money on labor and materials than we should have had to. But per our disclosure on the invoice (and website, and verbally) – we make no guarantees (promises) if a client has decided to make their own modifications. Also, no materials were purchased – they took them from the 2nd kit and used their own barn boards (that they had discussed in the beginning that they had available to use). JCS email response the next morning (his email came at night when the business is closed, response made the following morning): I apologize for any misunderstanding and for the obstacles you faced during assembly of the Gibraltar kit. Our tech support is always very helpful in assisting clients in the direction of the best solutions possible to continue moving forward. We were called the 13th which is a Monday, to go over your list of concerns. It is my understanding that it was discussed with [redacted] to pick up the replacement lumber locally and send us the receipt. If this was not going to be possible, we would have been happy to discuss how to assist you in getting the incorrect materials replaced (especially since we were open the rest of the week and are open on Saturdays). Again, I apologize. An even trade is not going to be possible. I would recommend calling an assembler from the list of recommended assemblers http://jamaicacottageshop.com/recommended-assemblers/ and work with us to determine the materials you will need to complete the run in shed kit. Again, our tech support is available and with open communication, I am confident the project will go much more smoothly for you. On the same day (8/3), Mr. [redacted] called and spoke directly with the owner, [redacted], who listened to his concerns, apologized, and offered him $500 towards the assembly fees to have an assembler put together the Run In Shed kit for him. The offer to let him trade in the kit for a fully assembled model and pay the difference was also still on the table. We did not hear back from the client for almost a month. On 8/31 the client called to say they were not settling for $500 and wanted $1,000 to cover [redacted]’s assembly costs. The request was submitted and the account – including all correspondence and documents was reviewed again. The client was emailed that the 2 options on the table were adequate (given the lack of communication during assembly). Apologized again and asked the client to pick one. No further response or communication was received from the client. We sincerely apologize for the issues he had with the Gibraltar kit. We wish that the client had kept open communication with us during assembly so that we had the chance to help them with their materials during that time. He talked to our tech support only 1 time, on a Monday, with sufficient time to find a better solution had we known the one agreed to with the client was not going to work for them. We are still willing to offer him the same offer; $500.00 towards the assembler’s fee or we’ll pick up the 2nd kit, deliver him a pre made building and he pay us the difference. Thank you,