Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/11/24) */
To whom it may concern and *** ***, Following is a summary and description of my (and my employees') interactions with *** and *** ***, who have filed the above referenced complaintOn September 9, 2015, the *** entered
into a contract with my company to install laminate flooring and tile in their residence located at XXXXX *** with the installation to commence on September The total agreed upon price for materials and labor was $16,Mrs*** subsequently agreed in writing on September to modify the original contract terms as follows: the *** would pay an additional amount of $5,on September 24, with a final balance of $5,due upon completion of the installationIn consideration of this revised payment schedule, I agreed to discount the price of the materials and installation by $500, for a revised total contract amount of $15,(this modification will be further explained below)In addition to these agreed upon contract amounts, the *** also agreed to complete all necessary flooring prep and pull-upHowever, when my installers arrived to do the flooring installation, they discovered the flooring prep done by the *** was wholly inadequate and incomplete, and it cost an additional $1,to properly prepare the flooring surfaces for installation, which was not part of our agreementMrs*** flatly refused to pay for any of these additional costs we incurred to properly complete the flooring prep, which again, the *** had specifically agreed would be their sole responsibilityFurther, we specifically requested to install the flooring and tile after the other remodelers (painters, framers, and drywallers) had completed their work, so dirt and other materials would not be tracked throughout the installation area, and my workers would not be unduly disruptedHowever, as the *** were clearly anxious to move into their house as soon as possible, Mrs*** insisted we work concurrently with the other remodelersThis created several significant periods of downtime for my installers, and additional expense for me (which again was not provided for in our contract), while others were working in the same place where we were trying to install the flooringAdditionally, we were also forced to wait for several days while they built a new laundry room, which was also not disclosed to us prior to the contract being signedAfter the installation of the tile around the fireplace was largely complete, Mrs*** informed my installers she was not going to pay for it because she "didn't like it." I then contacted her, and she again refused to pay anything further, saying "why should I pay when I don't like it."
She further informed us she "didn't like" the agreed upon baseboards, and wanted them replaced with five-inch baseboards, which we don't sellI told her she would need to purchase the new baseboards herself, and we would replace them at no chargeAt this point, given the growing difficulties in dealing with Mrs***, I insisted upon a written modification to our contract, to at least partially cover our additional exposure to the cost overruns I was incurringUltimately, we agreed to modify our contract with the payment terms stipulated aboveSpecifically, Mrs*** (in her own handwriting) agreed to purchase the new baseboards, and she acknowledged we would give her a $credit for her additional costsFurther, she wrote, "I accept fireplace install as is with given credit" (I had agreed to give her an additional $credit, for a total discount of $500)She signed and dated this contract modification on September Shortly after this, my installers completed the bulk of our agreed upon work, and started on the final finish detailsThey ran into additional difficulties, though, as several tools and other items went missing during their lunch breakWhen they asked Mrs*** where they were, she became irate, yelling and swearing at them, and ultimately throwing a hammer and a screwdriver at themAt this point my installers called me and asked me to try and talk to herI did manage to reach her, and asked her to please be nice and let them finish their jobMrs*** then started yelling and swearing at me, shouting, "I don't have to be nice; I'm the (f-ing) customerThey need to be nice to me." She continued her yelling and swearing until I was finally forced to hang up the phoneMy installers then informed me they did not feel safe continuing to work under the current conditions, so I instructed them to leave the premisesIn spite of additional attempts to return and complete the job, Mrs*** has continued to refuse to let us complete our finish workShe has also refused to pay the remaining agreed to balance on our modified contractIn the end, because of her refusal to let us back on the work site, and her ongoing refusal to pay the balance owed on our contract, I have had no other recourse but to send the *** a collection letter for the unpaid balance that they owe under our contract
I have been in the flooring business in Southern California for over years, and this is first customer complaint which has been filed in many years and only the second one which has ever been filed against me in all my years in the business (which was promptly and satisfactorily resolved)I pride myself in doing whatever it takes to make my customers satisfied, even if it means I only break even or possibly lose some money if necessaryMy best source of business is my hard-earned reputation for quality work and honesty, which means I have a very high percentage of repeat customers and referrals
I have tried my best to satisfactorily conclude our agreement with Mrand Mrs***I am willing to do anything within reason to satisfy Mrs*** and complete the job, but to date she has simply not allowed us to, and my only recourse at this point is to try and collect the remaining funds which we are owedI hope this provides enough information to help you in your mediation processPlease feel free to contact me if you have any further questions, or if you would like any further documentationAnd thank you for your assistance in this matter
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/11/24) */
To whom it may concern and *** ***, Following is a summary and description of my (and my employees') interactions with *** and *** ***, who have filed the above referenced complaintOn September 9, 2015, the *** entered
into a contract with my company to install laminate flooring and tile in their residence located at XXXXX *** with the installation to commence on September The total agreed upon price for materials and labor was $16,Mrs*** subsequently agreed in writing on September to modify the original contract terms as follows: the *** would pay an additional amount of $5,on September 24, with a final balance of $5,due upon completion of the installationIn consideration of this revised payment schedule, I agreed to discount the price of the materials and installation by $500, for a revised total contract amount of $15,(this modification will be further explained below)In addition to these agreed upon contract amounts, the *** also agreed to complete all necessary flooring prep and pull-upHowever, when my installers arrived to do the flooring installation, they discovered the flooring prep done by the *** was wholly inadequate and incomplete, and it cost an additional $1,to properly prepare the flooring surfaces for installation, which was not part of our agreementMrs*** flatly refused to pay for any of these additional costs we incurred to properly complete the flooring prep, which again, the *** had specifically agreed would be their sole responsibilityFurther, we specifically requested to install the flooring and tile after the other remodelers (painters, framers, and drywallers) had completed their work, so dirt and other materials would not be tracked throughout the installation area, and my workers would not be unduly disruptedHowever, as the *** were clearly anxious to move into their house as soon as possible, Mrs*** insisted we work concurrently with the other remodelersThis created several significant periods of downtime for my installers, and additional expense for me (which again was not provided for in our contract), while others were working in the same place where we were trying to install the flooringAdditionally, we were also forced to wait for several days while they built a new laundry room, which was also not disclosed to us prior to the contract being signedAfter the installation of the tile around the fireplace was largely complete, Mrs*** informed my installers she was not going to pay for it because she "didn't like it." I then contacted her, and she again refused to pay anything further, saying "why should I pay when I don't like it."
She further informed us she "didn't like" the agreed upon baseboards, and wanted them replaced with five-inch baseboards, which we don't sellI told her she would need to purchase the new baseboards herself, and we would replace them at no chargeAt this point, given the growing difficulties in dealing with Mrs***, I insisted upon a written modification to our contract, to at least partially cover our additional exposure to the cost overruns I was incurringUltimately, we agreed to modify our contract with the payment terms stipulated aboveSpecifically, Mrs*** (in her own handwriting) agreed to purchase the new baseboards, and she acknowledged we would give her a $credit for her additional costsFurther, she wrote, "I accept fireplace install as is with given credit" (I had agreed to give her an additional $credit, for a total discount of $500)She signed and dated this contract modification on September Shortly after this, my installers completed the bulk of our agreed upon work, and started on the final finish detailsThey ran into additional difficulties, though, as several tools and other items went missing during their lunch breakWhen they asked Mrs*** where they were, she became irate, yelling and swearing at them, and ultimately throwing a hammer and a screwdriver at themAt this point my installers called me and asked me to try and talk to herI did manage to reach her, and asked her to please be nice and let them finish their jobMrs*** then started yelling and swearing at me, shouting, "I don't have to be nice; I'm the (f-ing) customerThey need to be nice to me." She continued her yelling and swearing until I was finally forced to hang up the phoneMy installers then informed me they did not feel safe continuing to work under the current conditions, so I instructed them to leave the premisesIn spite of additional attempts to return and complete the job, Mrs*** has continued to refuse to let us complete our finish workShe has also refused to pay the remaining agreed to balance on our modified contractIn the end, because of her refusal to let us back on the work site, and her ongoing refusal to pay the balance owed on our contract, I have had no other recourse but to send the *** a collection letter for the unpaid balance that they owe under our contract
I have been in the flooring business in Southern California for over years, and this is first customer complaint which has been filed in many years and only the second one which has ever been filed against me in all my years in the business (which was promptly and satisfactorily resolved)I pride myself in doing whatever it takes to make my customers satisfied, even if it means I only break even or possibly lose some money if necessaryMy best source of business is my hard-earned reputation for quality work and honesty, which means I have a very high percentage of repeat customers and referrals
I have tried my best to satisfactorily conclude our agreement with Mrand Mrs***I am willing to do anything within reason to satisfy Mrs*** and complete the job, but to date she has simply not allowed us to, and my only recourse at this point is to try and collect the remaining funds which we are owedI hope this provides enough information to help you in your mediation processPlease feel free to contact me if you have any further questions, or if you would like any further documentationAnd thank you for your assistance in this matter