Sarkisian Builders, Inc.

Sarkisian Builders, Inc. failed to return phone calls, refused to accept a registered mail notice, emailed intimidating letter.Since the installation of my new roof in April of 2011, I made four phone calls and left messages to the roofer, Sarkisian Builders, Inc., asking for help with problems regarding leaks from a roof they installed. All phone calls were left unanswered and were not returned. The first time I called was 13 month after the roof's installation. The gutter was incorrectly reattached, sagged in the middle, and after a period of torrential rains the water from the roof drained over the central part of the gutter instead of running down the drain spouts. The water seeped through the foundation into my basement causing the basement to flood. Since the phone call to Sarkisian was not returned, I hired a carpenter to correct the problem. The next three calls were desperate calls for help. Now, during the third winter of the roof installation, I had a major water leak on my kitchen ceiling, water ran into the kitchen cupboard, inside the insulation of the outside wall, and into the electrical circuits of my kitchen range Sarkisian did not answer the calls, did not offer to send someone to inspect and correct the problem. I am a **-year old woman left in a desperate situation.As I said, I am a **-year old women and I was unable to climb up on the roof myself to temporarily repair the damage and stop the leak. I found a helper who determined that the leak was because of faulty installation of a vent pipe boot. He installed a new boot and the leak stopped. I then emailed the receipt for this work to the email listed on Sarkisian Builders, Inc. website. The response I received was an intimidating, bulling email informing me that the one-year warranty on labor had expired and they had no further obligation. Checking over the paperwork of the roofing contract, I could not find any notice about a one-year warranty on labor. I don't know if the boot failed because of faulty workmanship of faulty material. Either way, I am appalled that, instead of investigating why the roof installation failed in the third winter, they left a[redacted] year old woman to her own devices with a severe leak in the kitchen and a ceiling about to fall down. Since then I had an insurance adjuster inspect and evaluate the damage. Please note the enclosed summary of the insurance estimate. The estimate is short of the policy deductible, so there will be no payout by the Insurance Company. I also contacted a highly recommended and reputable building contractor and have a verbal estimate to repair this dormer roof to prevent future leaks. Please note the enclosed estimate of that. You will also find a printout of the replacement cost for my water damaged [redacted] range. Desired SettlementI had an insurance adjuster inspect and evaluate the damage. Please note the enclosed summary of the insurance estimate. The estimate is short of the policy deductible, so there will be no payout by the Insurance Company. I also contacted a highly recommended and reputable building contractor and have a verbal estimate to repair this dormer roof to prevent future leaks. Please note the enclosed estimate of that. You will also find a printout of the replacement cost for my water damaged [redacted] range. I would like to be reimbursed for those expenses.[redacted] "" " [redacted] Unit [redacted] XXXXXBoston, MA XXXXX-XXXX Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX Fax: (XXX) XXX-XXXXRecap by Category with DepreciationItems RCV Deprec. ACVACOUSTICAL TREATMENTS [redacted]APPLIANCES [redacted]CABINETRY [redacted]CLEANING [redacted]GENERAL DEMOLITION [redacted]DRYWALL [redacted]FINISH CARPENTRY / TRIMWORK [redacted]HAZARDOUS MATERIAL REMEDIATION [redacted]INSULATION [redacted]LABOR ONLY [redacted]PAINTING [redacted]TEMPORARY REPAIRS [redacted]WATER EXTRACTION & REMEDIATION [redacted]Subtotal [redacted]Material Sales Tax 6.250% [redacted]Total [redacted]Additional cost: Replacing water damaged kitchen range............................................ [redacted] Verbal estimate to correct faulty dormer [redacted] _________Total cost of damage: [redacted]Business Response [redacted] called our offices over the weekend when we were closed. We immediately responded to her upon learning of her message with regard to her roof which was installed in 2011. [redacted]'s message was rude, demanding, and insulting! [redacted]'s claim of unanswered calls and no return call is false. We also have no record of her claim of calling 13 months after her roofs installation regarding an old sagging gutter that we reinstalled for her after completing the roof. If we had received that call even though it was past the one year warranty period we would have addressed it, as we value our clients and reputation! The gutter was attached correctly one year ago without incident. Most likely the cause of the gutter issue was that it had become clogged and sagged due to a years worth of debris. [redacted] Builders did not reattach the gutter with the middle sagging. [redacted] supervised our work on a regular basis with a watchful eye and had the gutter been sagging she would have brought to our attention.All of [redacted]'s calls to our office, residences and her emails although very rude and insulting were responded to in a very timely manner.[redacted] took it upon herself to hire another contractor to address both the gutter and vent pipe boot issues before we even had a chance to evaluate the situations. With regard to the roof, she rudely called insulting our integrity and emailed pictures of the roof after the vent pipe boot was replaced.Sarkisian Builders installed the vent pipe boot correctly in 2011 and there had been no problems with the boot to this point. After reviewing the pictures that [redacted] emailed (again which were responded to in a timely manner) it was very clear that she had an ice backup issue and we very clearly explained that this was what caused the vent pipe boot to fail this winter (2014 well past the 1 year warranty period). The thick layers of ice on [redacted]'s roof worked its way up under the boot and pushed the boot up allowing water to enter, not an improper installation.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Mr. [redacted], thank you for your response to my complaint to the Revdex.com. I am now thoroughly chastened, brow beaten and decidedly diminished with your personal address of me. When a respectful response is not possible due to the overwhelming evidence, call the complainant a fabricator? Since I still have the returned unanswered registered letter I mailed to [redacted], I will forward that package today to the Revdex.com. It contains copies of pictures, estimated, receipts and a letter restating my disappointment with the non-response I received from Sarkisin Builders, Inc.Final Business Response [redacted] is correct her contract was only 2 pages total. The warranty that I provided her with was a 1 page stand alone document. This is a moot point as Sarkisian Builders would stand behind the warranty weather she could produce it or not.In regard to her previous roof, I clearly remember her explaining that she had an issue with the vent pipe boot and the staining it caused on her ceiling. Having not seen it myself I can only assume that the failure of the vent pipe boot was also due to an ice back up issue as well as the roof itself lasted 15 years.Lastly, once again her negative comments and her claims of Sarkisian Builders not answering the phone and offering solutions insinuating we are not reputable business are insulting untrue and not welcome!Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Thank you for the lesson on the melting and refreezing of ice and snow during New England winters. I perused my "home repairs" folder and can supply you with 30 years of repair estimates, contracts, receipt and warranties. No warranty pertaining to the re-roofing contract from Sarkisian Builders is available. The contract I received from Sarkisian Builders was a 2-page contract and clearly lists "page 1 of 2" and "page 2 of 2." There is NO page three. The original staple is still intact - no third page was removed. I believe, if I had seen such a one-year warranty in view that a new roof generally has a minimum life expectancy of 15 years, I would have hired a roofer who has more confidence of providing quality workmanship.The previous roof was installed on [redacted] For fifteen winters there was never a problem with that roof. In 2011, during the 15th winter of that roof, the vent pipe boot (of the same vent pipe that caused major water damage during the 3rd winter Sarkisian Builders installed it) started to fail and lightly stained the ceiling in my kitchen. I had the boot replaced and painted over the stain on my ceiling. Because the roof showed some wear and moss started to grow on the shingles, I invested in the re-roofing. Since I am not a professional builder, I can only trust that a reputable builder is knowledgeable of New England's weather and executes his work accordingly. At the very least, if a problem comes up he has the integrity to ANSWER the phone and offer solutions. His email response to the problem: "the one-year warranty has expired, call your insurance company" is truly insulting. In my opinion, homeowners who have to rely on and put their trust in professionals deserve better.

Bathroom tub installed improperly. Did not follow manufacturers installation instructions, voiding warrantee.July 2012, Sarkisian Builders did a partial bathroom remodel, which included installation of a [redacted] fiberglass bathtub. The bathtub floor is always making sqeeking and loud snapping sounds when showering. Also, the caulking at the base of the tub is cracked which is most likely due to the movement. I contacted [redacted] three separate times since April 2013. The first call I did speak with [redacted] directly, he said he would be up to fix it in a couple of weeks, second call was not returned, third call I spoke with [redacted] directly, he said he would be up on July 5, it was a no show. After contacting [redacted] directly to try and troubleshoot the problem, I was notified that the tub was installed improperly and that is why it is making loud snapping sounds. [redacted] recommends either a felt pad or 1-2" of mortar cement be placed under the tub before installing. Since this installation procedure was not followed it voids the warrantee on the tub through [redacted] recommends the tub being pulled and re-installed properly according to manufacturer recommendations. Sarkisian Builders is also in breach of their contract which included a one-year warrantee free from defects in materials and workmanship. Final payment of $3,000. was made on July 24, 2012. Desired SettlementSince [redacted] is recommending the tub to be pulled out and re-installed properly, I would like the plumber of my choice to handle the repair at Sarkisian Builders expense. Also, as part of the remodel, the walls of the tub area were tiled, some of the tiles are going to need to be removed to allow for the removal of the tub. That cost should also be covered by Sarkisian Builders.Business' Initial Response To Whom It May Concern,We installed a new tub base unit in the first floor bathroom with tile going up to the ceiling for the client. The bathroom was just remodeling by another builder. It was a very difficult job to get a tub unit in since everything in the bathroom was brand new and painted. However, everything went smoothly and we blended the existing tile perfectly with what already existed on their walls. We did not violate any manufactures warranty's on the tub. It is only "RECOMMENDED" that a pad or mortar cement be used. It does not void the warranty if it is not used.I was contacted by the client about a "squeak" in the tub unit in April of 2013. I advised the client that the issue did not sound that serious and asked if they could be patient, since I was not working in their area. I was advised that would be ok. Our company moved location during this time period and our phones were down for a week. When the phones were fixed, I had a voice message from the client (her second call). I immediately called the customer and apologized (third call) explaining the situation and made a plan to come by Friday July 5th. I told her I would call and confirm our appointment since it was a holiday weekend and I was not sure we would finish the project we were on. We did not finish the project on Wednesday as expected. I therefore did not confirm my appointment for Friday July 5th with the client. I did however call Monday July 8th to schedule a time to look at the problem. That is when the client told me she filed a complaint with the Revdex.com because she thought our company was trying to wait till our 1 year warranty was up. I told her that she contacted me well before (April) the warranty expired and I was shocked at her complaint. She apologized and told me she has had bad experiences with builders before. In any event, I went over to her home with my plumber to evaluate the problem. After evaluating the situation, we went back July 22 to remedy the problem. She watched my men the entire day while they worked. I believe I rectified the issue. I believe the customer is happy, but she is so mistrusting of everyone I do not know if this will be possible.