Pretschold Awning & Metalworks

Please be advised that *** Awning will expect payment in full for the work we provided. We will file a Notice of Intent to Lien for nonpayment of the balance that is due.Thanks, *** ***

We we first contacted by *** *** in February, At that time she asked if we could glue patch the entire front edge of the existing canvas cover because she "did not have much money"I referred her to a collegue in the sign industry that does a lot of canvas glueingOur business focuses
primarily on manufacturing and service of our awnings and ornamental ironworkWe do repairs and smaller patching but typically the extent(12" x 14ft.) she requested does not hold up; we could not warranty that type of repair.*** Awning was contacted again by Ms*** on 3/3/for a new cover for the porch canopyShe wanted to see all of our fabric lines (mfg's.) and get their websites to "research" each one, which we providedShe also wanted pricing on a new aluminum replacement canopyThis took us approximately hours of additional time to design and cost for herIt was substantially higher than a new canvas cover, obviously, and said she did not want to spend that muchFrom the outset of this process, Ms*** said she did not have much money and was "stressed"She told me she worked out of her house as a massage therapistHer home appeared to be very comfortable and certainly above average compared to most of our typical customers. I did not ask what she meant by "stressed" although it struck me as very odd.On that visit, I left sample books at her request to look thruShe subsequently chose patterns that she wanted larger pieces of to look atWe did order these in and I delivered them at no charge. Our initial cost estimate for the new cover was $1,Ms*** also wanted the frame repainted for which I quoted her $additionalShe then said she had a quote of $1,for the job But did not produce a document verifyingI said we could take off the painting charge since we have the frame at our shop anyway and we gave her a 7% discount which brought the total to $1,That was as low a cost as we could provide and maintain our quality.Approximately March, I went again to Ms.***'s house at her request to pick up the samples and verify her choice (Belmont Brown) for the cover materialI wrote up her work order on the 29th Marchand requested the deposit to order the materialWe did not receive her deposit until we arrivedon 4/12 to take the frame downIt was necessary to make two trips for the canopy removalThe size (13'6"x9'0"x2'0") required our flat bed trailer with a special support to safely transport back to our shopTwo men were scheduled for this job, which is for the size of the awning.Two major concerns became apparent during this procedureFirst, the canopy was literally glued to the house and siding with huge amounts of silicone calkWe had to cut thru the rubbery substance first so not to pull the siding off the houseThere was also a metal rod along both sides, embedded into the siliconeMs*** offered a larger knife than we typically carry to help with cutting thruThere was a substantial amount of extra time and effort involved that she was not charged for.Secondly, we used a lift to safely lower the canopy to ground level for carryingIt was evident at that time the frame was excessively heavy due to "overbuilding" the frame structureWe did however, safely load and transport it back to our shop and then returned for the work trailer.I did discuss this with Ms*** later and that we build all of our frames from aluminumShe was rude and dismissive, saying that "aluminum warps"Since I had studied aerospace engineering and design, we had to scratch our heads at how this person knew so much.....The adversity began after the canopy arrived at our facilityMs*** was to provide us the color match for the frameShe called our office and talked to ***, our office manager and my wifeMs*** refused to talk to her and wanted my mobil number, which we never give out. She was very rude to *** and hung upI later called to see what the problem was and what was so important she had to have my mobile number for. Ms*** wanted to give us the frame color numberI repeated that we do not provide our mobile numbers and told her to e-mail the color, which she didAt that time, she also asked us to address the fact that the frame members were holding waterWe spent some time coming up with a solution since there were hundreds of existing screw holes in the frameWe determined that expanding foam would work the best and gave her an additional out of approximately $Her opinion was that " foam holds water" which again, had us scratching our headsWe dropped any further action or consideration at that time.The painting and cover fabrication did take longer than we anticipatedThe primary reason was the weight of the frameIt took two or three people to handle it safely every time it needed to be moved or shiftedIt was also built out-of-square which posed other challenges to fit the coverWe explained the foam idea and cover fabrication considerations in an e-mail on May.In the end, everything was accomplished that Ms*** wantedThe cover was fabricated and fit perfectlyIt was transported safely to her house and installed without incident or problemWe also used a special gasket material on the sides that joined the building that eliminated the need for calking as was the problem when we removed the canopy.Now to address the "accusations" Ms*** made:At the time the work contract was written (3/29) the anticipated delivery was the week of 4/We did not receive Ms***'s deposit until 4/12, approximately weeks laterThis delays our internal scheduling for fabrication, etcWe also had other projects that were contracted during this two week period and that also changes the anticipated delivery. REMOVAL: During the removal of the canopy, I do not recall any "help" she provided other than a larger knifeWe would not allow her to help in any case for insurance purposesMy help was not along to drop the first trailer off, but this removal took two trailers and two trips in any caseMy help who is and extremely talented engineer was with me on the second trip with the second trailer.POOR COMMUNICATION: After we refused to give Ms*** my mobile phone number, she would periodically call to times a day on both lines! wanting to talk only with meShe was very rude to *** and frequently hung upShe also accused *** of being on drugsBesides being on other jobs or working in our shop areas where I cannot take calls,there was no purpose to be served in returning these frequent calls and e-mails in order to get her job completed.INSTALLATION: She implied that we were supposed to be installing the canopy on 6/We had it ready and called on 6/to say we would install the next morningShe told *** she would be at the senior center and we COULD NOT install unless she was homeThere was no further explanation or time frameOur time on the job site is dependent on internal work scheduling and very dependent on weatherOur next opportunity became JuneHer insistence that the awning be "inside the building" was never the caseIt never was able to fit inside our building, she was never told it was inside our building, and since she apparently came to our shop, she would have seen thatAlso her "offer" to have the awning inside her garage is bogusShe has a bay garage but the doors are single bay and not even close to large enough to allow passage thru.I had three "teenagers" helping with the installationOne was my grandson from MichiganTwo were ambitious but disadvantaged teens that we hire during the summer and work with to give them new job skillsThey were along for lifting and safetyWe also used our vertical lift to get the canopy in final position and fastenedThere was no damage to her house trim. Incredibly, she is accusing one of our employees of "peeping"? They had their hands full maneuvering this monstrosity and did not have time to look into her houseThey all handled themselves very professionally.DISRUPTION: She was called the morning of June to notify of our arrivalShe was happy when we arrived and even said "let's break out the champagne"I did speak to her client but certainly did not insultSince Ms*** told us she worked at the senior center, I commented to her client that she "did not look that old". PAINTER: I talked with her painter the day we removed the canopy and he did not indicate we had caused any problem for him.FRAME PAINT: The frame was painted as originally done and with the color match from Sherman Williams she requestedNormally there are some paint dings from transport and installationWe do a follvisit to address any problems rather than have an entire crew waiting on siteMs*** did not give us any opportunity to do this.LEAKING SEAMS: We use the highest quality threadInitial seam leaks are common on low-slope canopiesHowever, the thread is designed to swell and be self-sealingAgain, Ms*** did not give us any opportunity to address thisIn fact, her premature action to use a seam sealer would likely interfere with the swelling of the thread.FRAME ATTACHMENTS: We intentionally transported the canopy without the two top pieces and installed them prior to installationThe glued cover material was tucked under and smooth when we left.SCREWS: I would have given her screws if asked.SORE NECK: There was no reason for Ms*** to do any of what she did of her own volitionIt would have been covered as stated above.Obviously, we are in disagreement with Ms***'s complaints and evaluationWe do not see the value in her proposed settlementWe have spent much more time than anticipated in selling, fabricating and on site, not to mention this and past communications.Our company has been doing this type of work for over yearsIf something is wrong or we can improve something, we do it.Her balance of $is due now and will go to collection within the next days. Best regards,*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Please find my response and rejection to the message from Pretchold Awning dated7/18. This is Pretchold's only response to several Revdex.com communications, the first dated6/20.The most relevant discrepancies I have addressed below in blue. I have photos,emails, his written quote and witnesses to prove the disparity in Mr. [redacted] (longand inaccurate) story.The awning was finally installed on 6/21 and I am happy to have my front porch shadedagain although the quality of the awning is not to my satisfaction and it leaks. I canthank the Revdex.com for contacting this company as I don't feel the company would havemoved on this without your help.What I experienced was really horrible customer service, lack of follow thru on repairs,zero return calls or emails, rudeness in hang ups, lies, 2 months of delays because hewas busy looking at jobs, making quotes and working on other projects and then whenthe awning was finally finished he emailed to tell me that he was not responsible forvandalism to my awning, it was in the ally off of 55th and North Avenue. That waswhen I contacted Revdex.com for support.Beyond the stress of lack of professionalism, the quality of the workmanship was notsatisfactory and corrections were made at my time and cost as well as damagerepaired to trim on house. Furthermore, it leaks and the front valance is not as weagreed, (like the original) it does not hang as the original did.Pretchold made no attempt to contact me after installation to discuss satisfaction. Ireceived only an invoice via email.I do feel there should be compensation for his effort in addition to my down payment of$654.50. It is common practice for unsatisfied customers to withhold payment. I do notwant to have any further dealing with Pretschold Awning as there is no trust and will notwaste my time further. I am willing to forfeit any warranty offered because I know itwould just be more of the same run around.My offer of payment in full of $200 stands or we can take this further. I feel I haveenough proof to make a strong case against Pretchold if he pursues his threat of takingthis to collections. Having spent a great deal of time on this already, I will see it troughif I have to. If more of my time is wasted I will seek further damages.See details below.MESSAGE FROM BUSINESS:We we first contacted by [redacted] in February, 2014. At that time she asked if wecould glue patch the entire front edge of the existing canvas cover because she "did nothave much money". I referred her to a collegue in the sign industry that does a lot ofcanvas glueing. Our business focuses primarily on manufacturing and service of ourawnings and ornamental ironwork. We do repairs and smaller patching but typically theextent(12" x 14ft.) she requested does not hold up; we could not warranty that type ofrepair.Not relevant. And, he did not refer me to anyone. He never got back to me or returnedcalls. It clearly was a mistake giving him another chance.Pretschold Awning was contacted again by Ms. [redacted] on 3/3/16 for a new cover for theporch canopy. She wanted to see all of our fabric lines (4 mfg's.) and get their websitesto "research" each one, which we provided. She also wanted pricing on a newaluminum replacement canopy. This took us approximately 3 hours of additional time todesign and cost for her. I asked for a cost estimate for comparison, not a design. This isridiculous. It was substantially higher than a new canvas cover, obviously, and said shedid not want to spend that much. From the outset of this process, Ms. [redacted] said shedid not have much money and was "stressed". She told me she worked out of herhouse as a massage therapist. Mr. Pretschold's comments here are questionablygender biased and inappropriate. What is he implying? Her home appeared to be verycomfortable and certainly above average compared to most of our typicalcustomers. This comment leads me to believe that it most likely was Mr. Pretschold'shand and forearm print on my living room window. It makes sense too that it was highup as if someone taller made the print. Photo sent. Have a witness.Because I work harder than most to take care of my home, does Pretschold think Ishould be charged more? I have worked long and hard with many contractors andoverseen many restoration projects. And I have done as much of the work/labor as Ican manage myself.I did not ask what she meant by "stressed" although it struck me as very odd.On that visit, I left sample books at her request to look thru. She subsequently chose 3patterns that she wanted larger pieces of to look at. We did order these in and Idelivered them at no charge.Our initial cost estimate for the new cover was $1,407. Ms. [redacted] also wanted theframe repainted for which I quoted her $300. additional. Nowhere is this additionalcharge for painting the frame to be found, not in the handwritten quote or the workorder. She then said she had a quote of $1,000. for the job But did not produce adocument verifying. I have a quote if he wants to see it. He never asked. I said wecould take off the painting charge since we have the frame at our shop anyway and wegave her a 7% discount which brought the total to $1,309. That was as low a cost aswe could provide and maintain our quality. This was the agreed upon price which Iwould have been willing to pay, but the quality, professionalism and delivery was anightmare. I spent over 5 hours of my time repairing. My hands and neck continue tofeel the strain.Also, I would like to add that Mr. Pretschold almost "forgot" the 7%. I had to remindhim.Approximately 26 March, I went again to Ms.[redacted]'s house at her request to pick up thesamples and verify her choice (Belmont Brown) for the cover material. I wrote up herwork order on the 29th Marchand requested the normal deposit to order the material.The work order was emailed to me and no mention was made about deposit at thattime. Nor was their any further communication about it.We did not receive her deposit until we arrived on 4/12 to take the frame down.Pretschold then asked for 1/2 down. The original handwritten quote asked for 1/3down. I gave him the 1/2. It was necessary to make two trips for the canopy removal.The size (13'6"x9'0"x2'0") required our flat bed trailer with a special support to safelytransport back to our shop. Two men were scheduled for this job, which is normal forthe size of the awning. He arrived much later than he said he would and then told mehis help was supposed to meet him but he said "he must have overslept as he workslate". The whole removal was so poorly executed, is was ridiculous.Two major concerns became apparent during this procedure. First, the canopy wasliterally glued to the house and siding with huge amounts of silicone calk. We had to cutthru the rubbery substance first so not to pull the siding off the house. There was also ametal rod along both sides, embedded into the silicone. Ms. [redacted] offered a larger knifethan we typically carry to help with cutting thru. They had what looked like a pocketknife and I also supplied a second ladder so they could get out of my painter's way whowas waiting in his truck for them to finish. (two guys one pocket knife and one ladder ?)There was a substantial amount of extra time and effort involved that she was notcharged for. Pretschold left metal poles and much of the caulk on the house that thepainter had to remove. I can not believe this, a "professional" came to look at the joband I was clear with him and told him it was caulked and with the same rods that werein the valance. Also, why not assess the material of the frame at that time?? Secondly,we used a lift to safely lower the canopy to ground level for carrying. It was evident atthat time the frame was excessively heavy due to "overbuilding" the frame structure.We did however, safely load and transport it back to our shop and then returned for thework trailer.I did discuss this with Ms. [redacted] later and that we build all of our frames from aluminum.She was rude and dismissive, saying that "aluminum warps". Since I had studiedaerospace engineering and design, we had to scratch our heads at how this personknew so much.....The adversity began after the canopy arrived at our facility. The adversity began whenmy painter had to wait 2 hours for them to remove the awning. Not only did I have tosupply them with tools, I had to insure no damage was made to my property when thehoist was tangled with the loose awning as they were taking it to the flat bed. I then hadto move their hoist and other equipment off my porch so the painter could finish powerwashing. Ms. [redacted] was to provide us the color match for the frame. She called ouroffice and talked to [redacted], our office manager and my wife. Ms. [redacted] refused totalk to her and wanted my mobil number, which we never give out. I called to see if hewas coming back to remove the caulk and metal poles that he left on the house. Shewas very rude to [redacted] and hung up. She hung up on me. I later called to see whatthe problem was and what was so important she had to have my mobile numberfor. The reason for my call was to ask him if he was coming back to finish removing thecaulk and poles. By the way, he said he would come back to finish the removal andnever did, my painter had to do it. He's confused about the timing, this return call wasthe only time ever that he returned one of the many messages of which I left with [redacted].It was the removal day of 4 /12. I sent him the email with the color match on 4 /19without delay. The next time I heard back from him after leaving messages with [redacted]and several emails was 5 /24 with an update via email. Over 1 month went by and nocommunication and he had my deposit. From 4/12 to 5/24. Ms. [redacted] wanted to giveus the frame color number. I repeated that we do not provide our mobile numbers andtold her to e-mail the color, which she did. At that time, she also asked us to addressthe fact that the frame members were holding water. We spent some time coming upwith a solution since there were hundreds of existing screw holes in the frame. Wedetermined that expanding foam would work the best and gave her an additional out ofapproximately $600. Her opinion was that " foam holds water" which again, had usscratching our heads. We dropped any further action or consideration at that time. Hemeans he chose not to communicate that to me and did not address the problem.The painting and cover fabrication did take longer than we anticipated. The primaryreason was the weight of the frame. It took two or three people to handle it safely everytime it needed to be moved or shifted. It was also built out-of-square which posed otherchallenges to fit the cover. We explained the foam idea and cover fabricationconsiderations in an e-mail on 24 May. Did not return emails or calls. Problem notaddressed and may cause shortened life of the canopy.In the end, everything was accomplished that Ms. [redacted] wanted. Not so. The coverwas fabricated and fit perfectly. Valance does not hang as original. It was transportedsafely to her house and installed without incident or problem. Not true. We also used aspecial gasket material on the sides that joined the building that eliminated the need forcalking as was the problem when we removed the canopy.Now to address the "accusations" Ms. [redacted] made:At the time the work contract was written (3/29) the anticipated delivery was the weekof 4/24. We did not receive Ms. [redacted]'s deposit until 4/12, approximately 2 weeks later.This delays our internal scheduling for fabrication, etc. We also had other projects thatwere contracted during this two week period and that also changes the anticipateddelivery. No communication made about deposit needed to schedule.REMOVAL: During the removal of the canopy, I do not recall any "help" she providedother than a larger knife. We would not allow her to help in any case for insurancepurposes. Nonsense, I addressed this above. My help was not along to drop the firsttrailer off, but this removal took two trailers and two trips in any case. My help who isand extremely talented engineer Where was he on installation? He came with 3inexperienced teenagers for the install?? was with me on the second trip with thesecond trailer. What I saw was a lack of experience on removal and installation inhandling an awning 9 x 13. Poorly planned and executed. I was at their mercy.Frightening, but I hoped for the best.POOR COMMUNICATION: After we refused to give Ms. [redacted] my mobile phonenumber, she would periodically call 4 to 5 times a day on both lines! wanting to talk onlywith me. She was very rude to [redacted] and frequently hung up. She also accused [redacted] ofbeing on drugs. I will tell you that nothing but confusion and miscommunication camefrom my conversations with [redacted]. I was hoping to avoid further problems by talking tohim directly. Also, she shared with me that she was unwell and that Pretschold was"busy taking care of me with doctor appointments". Besides being on other jobs orworking in our shop areas where I cannot take calls,there was no purpose to be servedin returning these frequent calls and e-mails in order to get her job completed. I havenever worked with a contractor that had such horrible communication and refused torespond to valid questions.INSTALLATION: She implied that we were supposed to be installing the canopy on6/16. We had it ready and called on 6/15 to say we would install the next morning. Shetold [redacted] she would be at the senior center and we COULD NOT install unless she washome. I asked her to have him call me. He did not.There was no further explanation ortime frame. Our time on the job site is dependent on internal work scheduling and verydependent on weather. Our next opportunity became 21 June. Her insistence that theawning be "inside the building" was never the case. Pretschold should have passed onthe job, knowing it would not fit in his shop. If he would have told me when he quotedthe job that the awning would be in the ally at 55th and North Avenue for 2 months, Iwould have passed on using him. It never was able to fit inside our building, she wasnever told it was inside our building, and since she apparently came to our shop, shewould have seen that. I did make a trip over there to see it when he told me that theywere not responsible for vandalism. The trip took me away from my work. I could seethen that the paint job was horrible because it was out there for a month before they putthe canvas on. And it was incomplete and would have been installed incomplete withoutmy intervention. Also her "offer" to have the awning inside her garage is bogus. Shehas a 3 bay garage but the doors are single bay and not even close to large enough toallow passage thru. Not true. Would you like a photo?I had three "teenagers" helping with the installation. One was my grandson fromMichigan. Two were ambitious but disadvantaged teens that we hire during the summerand work with to give them new job skills. They were along for lifting and safety. Wealso used our vertical lift to get the canopy in final position and fastened. There was nodamage to her house trim. Not true. I sent a photo.Incredibly, she is accusing one of our employees of "peeping"? They had their handsfull maneuvering this monstrosity and did not have time to look into her house. They allhandled themselves very professionally. His comment above leads me to believe it mayhave been Pretschold. I guess he wanted to see what's inside and if he should chargeme more. Photos/witness.DISRUPTION: She was called the morning of 21 June to notify of our arrival. She washappy when we arrived and even said "let's break out the champagne". I did speak toher client but certainly did not insult. Since Ms. [redacted] told us she worked at the seniorcenter, What? I commented to her client that she "did not look that old". He wasdisrespectful to a very kind and patient client. Made matters even worse, first of all shewas inconvenienced and waited an hour for her appointment and then was made fun ofby Pretschold who said "You don't look that old".PAINTER: I talked with her painter the day we removed the canopy and he did notindicate we had caused any problem for him.FRAME PAINT: The frame was painted as originally done and with the color match fromSherman Williams she requested. Normally there are some paint dings from transportand installation. We do a follow-up visit to address any problems rather than have anentire crew waiting on site. Ms. [redacted] did not give us any opportunity to do this. Heshould have communicated this with me. No communication at all after instal. Just aninvoice by email after installation.LEAKING SEAMS: We use the highest quality thread. Initial seam leaks are commonon low-slope canopies. However, the thread is designed to swell and be self-sealing.Again, Ms. [redacted] did not give us any opportunity to address this. In fact, her prematureaction to use a seam sealer would likely interfere with the normal swelling of the thread.Again, no communication after install. Would a professional not communicate thesethings to a customer?FRAME ATTACHMENTS: We intentionally transported the canopy without the two toppieces and installed them prior to installation. The glued cover material was tuckedunder and smooth when we left. Not true. They were on for transport. Have witness.SCREWS: I would have given her screws if asked. Again! no communication and whywould I continue to try to communicate with someone who has been habituallydelinquent in returning calls / emails. I searched and found them at Menard's. My timefurther wasted.SORE NECK: There was no reason for Ms. [redacted] to do any of what she did of her ownvolition. It would have been covered as stated above. No communication after install.Obviously, we are in disagreement with Ms. [redacted]'s complaints and evaluation.It was very a stressful couple of months as I had little trust that my property and depositwould be returned or that Pretchold could even execute the job. I wasted a great dealof my time and effort in the process. I actually lost sleep.I have more than enough proof and photos to back up my dissatisfaction. The workcontract had a estimated delivery of 4/24. I gave the deposit when first asked on 4/12.No return communication for over a month, I heard nothing after many documentedcalls and messages with [redacted], not until 5/ 24 and then finally after many documentedcalls and messages (and Revdex.com intervention) on 6/ 21 they showed up to install. Theframe was in the ally over a month before they put the canvas on. The frame lookedlike it rained on it shortly after it was painted and banged up when installed. I had torepaint. It leaks and I'm not happy with puckers in the valance. Photos have been sentto Revdex.com detailing problems that I have worked to rectify. I feel full payment of $200 isfair.We do not see the value in her proposed settlement. We have spent much more timethan anticipated in selling, fabricating and on site, not to mention this and pastcommunications.Our company has been doing this type of work for over 160 years. If something iswrong or we can improve something, we do it.Her balance of $654.50 is due now and will go to collection within the next 10 days.Best regards,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]The quality, workmanship and professionalism has not met my satisfaction and will seek council on my rights as a consumer to with hold a portion of the payment.  My time, cost and effort to rectify the quality issues will also be taken into account.
Regards,
[redacted]