Sermat Construction Services, Inc.

Review: This letter is about Sermat Construction, we were referred to them by our [redacted] agent due to water damage on February 23, 2016. We signed the contract on March 9, 2016, we are now into May with no completion in sight. The contract states completion in 30 days, we're now past that time.

We have been treated as an after thought, when we get around to you, days have gone by with no word from them. Work has been haphazard, incomplete and shoddy. Their workers have not kept a consistent schedule, they have done unacceptable work, and I feel blatantly disrespected by their lack of concern for me and my family. I have wasted many work days waiting for them to show up. When they finally arrived, I was not even offered an apology. Their painters came in and did not complete the job. They left their materials and one worker actually left his overalls in the dining room of my home. When workers came to install my flooring, I was told that they would return to complete the job, and they never returned as well. In addition to this, when the cabinets were installed, not only were they the incorrect cabinets, my floor was damaged during the installation. There is still work that needs to be completed in my bathroom. Also, no one has yet to remove the old toilet, sink, and other trash that has been left in my home. The most disappointing factor of this, is my wife has had to wash our dishes in the tub because our kitchen sink was not installed until last Thursday, only because I called and threaten them. I feel that this is unsanitary and I refuse to continue to accept this. I believe I should not have to chase a company to complete what they have started. I should not be expected to pay for their lack of ability to do the job correctly the first time. Unfortunately, this regrettable performance reflects poorly on their entire corporation. I request your assistance in resolving this problem.Desired Settlement: I have been in contact with [redacted] to remove them from their list of contractors, I am filing a complaint with the [redacted], I am requesting my $2000 back for breach of contract, I have been in contact my my attorney, I am asking that they come finish once and for all, and to compensate my family for this unnecessary hardship. No one should go through this for any reason.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the complaint filed by [redacted]

[redacted] about Sermat ConstructionFirst please accept our apologies for the delay in

answering. After receiving notice of the problem [redacted] was stating, we have

tried to work with him to understand and resolve and issues that remained.

Secondly we would like to apologize to [redacted] that he felt disrespected in

any way. Obviously, we do not ever want our customer to feel anything less than

valued. It is Sermat’s policy to give the customer a tentative work schedule,

and then call to confirm the day prior to our workers being there.As [redacted] states, he experienced a water damage to his

property on February 26, 2016 and we were called to inspect and prepare an

estimate for damages at his home on [redacted]. He is also correct in his

statement that he signed the authorization to repair on the 9th of

March, what he does not state is that the Authorization states” 30 working days

from issuance of all applicable permits and commencement of work.’ We have

attached a copy of the Authorization. Based on work starting on the 19th (which would be very difficult, given the time needed for selections and

scheduling) that would have meant a completion date of April 21, 2016, which

would have been a possibility baring some problems that we will discuss further. On March 31, 2016 a final change order was agreed upon with

[redacted], a copy of the email is attached. A change order can add additional time

to the completion of work.On our about, March 1, 2016 our representative, Steven W[redacted]

met with [redacted] and the insurance adjuster to inspect the damage together. At that

time if the inspection the base cabinets had been removed and discarded by the

mitigation company. There were no photos of the cabinet designer what cabinets

that had prior to the loss. The cabinets were ordered and installed based in

the information from [redacted]. At that point, we realized that [redacted] and the

cabinet designer had selected the cabinet configuration, without the benefit

from [redacted] or with pictures to determine the placement prior to the water

loss. The cabinets needed to be reordered, unfortunately, that takes additional

time. In addition the floors that he speaks of was damaged while the temporary

sink that he requested was in place. The floor has since been completely

replaced.We installed a temporary sink in the kitchen for the [redacted] to

use. The insurance company did not pay for the temporary sink, as they were

paying the [redacted] for getting meals outside of the home, while the kitchen was

not functional.[redacted] purchased a new sink that did not fit into the old counter

top (the counter top was being re-used) we asked if he wanted us to install the

sink, but [redacted] said he would do it himself. He called us several days later

to tell us that the sink has been installed. We had a plumber there the same

day he called to hook up the plumbing.In response to [redacted] comment about the painters, we

determined that it would be better to have them return the complete the whole

job once the other work was completedWe have also attached a copy of the Certificate of

Satisfaction signed by [redacted] today, May 18. 2016.In summary, while we agree that [redacted] job did not go as smoothly

as we would like, Sermat Construction is not entirely to blame. The decision

made by [redacted] about his cabinets and the delays created by [redacted]

installing his own sink created some of the problems. [redacted] also did not call

the office to discuss any of this. Once we were made aware of his concerns we attempted

to reach out to [redacted] to resolve the problems, the president of the company met

with [redacted] on Monday May 16th to inspect the home and prepare a

punch list. All the work has been completed and as we said he has signed a

Certificate of Satisfaction.We are asking that [redacted] rescind his complaint to the Revdex.com

and the [redacted] as well as[redacted]. In additional, we

do not believe that we owe his a refund, that were was no breach of contract.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

I met with the owner of Sermat Construction, Mr. H[redacted], he seemed very sincere and caring, I disagree with some of his points.1. The contract was signed on March 9th, the actual work began on March 25th2. Mr. H[redacted] is correct about the cabinets being ripped up by the water mitigation company, the problem is the cabinet guy came took measurements and was gone, we talked about the parts [lazy Susan for example] three weeks later we got cabinets that is clearly the wrong color, and wrong parts, which was later corrected, except the lazy Susan was in the wrong place [also taking another 2-3 weeks]. This should not be held against us for their mistake.3. The plummer showed up to install the sink, which was to big by 1/4 of an inch, the plummer had no tools to cut out the needed space, at no time did I tell anyone I would do it, I did it on my own the next day because we were still without a sink, seven days went by, we are now washing dishes in the bath tub, it was the 25th of March that I called and demanded and threaten legal action if our sink wasn't replaced.4. I mentioned to Mr. H[redacted] about work being started and not completed for weeks at a time.5. I'm no computer wiz by any means, but to be charged for work that was clear for him to see is not right [painting and sheet rock], plus to be charged for hauling [hauling what is my question that has yet to answered], the dumpster was provided and picked up by the company the water mitigation people called, again why am I charged for hauling?6. I'm no legal type person, but to my contract in public is not good for me, nor is it any one's business.In summary, as a person, I have no ill will against Mr. H[redacted], his company and sub contractors kinda dropped the ball in some areas, to blame me for the cabinet snafu is ludicrous, the top cabinets should have been a clue to the color, we NEVER got a chance to see what was ordered or asked for our input.I'm not asking for any special treatment, no handouts, only to be compensated for two months and a number of days of ill treatment, work not completed [paint, sheet rock] and for a while no sink. Your plummer was supposed to have called you about the sink, which I'm guessing he didn't, which is why a week went by.I'm a little concerned about our private information [the contract] being made public.[redacted]

I will not recommend this company to anyone. This company did a horrible job on communication to the insurance company and the client. The work from this company to reconstruct, rebuild and remodel my home is Not completely down correctly. I hd to hire another company to come behind this company to complete some task. This company Quilty of work is substandard that I had to have them come back over several times to complete a task. The timelessness to complete a task is so poor that it took them 9 months to complete my home (which they really didn't complete) that was supposed to be completed in 5 months.

Review: Sermat Construction was contacted to demolish and rebuild our kitchen and basement following a water leak. Once contacted they responded immediately, performed some of the work, and then would not return our calls. As the job was half finished I had the insurance agent (this was a home owners claim) try to get in touch with the contractor. On October 14, 2014, [redacted] with Sermat, finally called me back and left a voicemail saying he could not take 6 calls a day and expect an immediate return call. He intimated very clearly I was bothering him by calling to find out when he would complete the job. I have this voicemail recorded in case someone thinks I'm kidding. I jhad left multiple calls at his office the week before with no calls back.

I expected Ryan to have the courtesy of calling to say he was not completing the job at our house. I had discussed all this interaction with our insurance provider and they had given authorization previously for all plans and pricing submitted by Sermat so I never got a call saying Sermat would not complete the job. If that was the case I would have started to work with another contractor immediately.

Right now we have been billed for work not completed by Sermat and are trying to find a solution. Their scope of work is very detailed and the contractor who followed them provided this work.Desired Settlement: The last itemized bill received December 3, 2014, (not itemized as requested) totals $3820.06. An audit of the scope of work submitted by Sermat to the insurance company after removing all charges performed by the contractor who finished the work totals $3071.28. I would request Sermat send us a bill for $3071.28 and it will be paid promptly.

Business

Response:

Dear Sirs:In response to the complaintof 1/6/2014:We were requested to performan Emergency Serivce for [redacted].On 9/8/2014 we pulledcabinets, countertops and removed hardwood flooring under the cabinets in thekitchen area to allow the mitigation company to begin the process of drying outthe property.Following the completion ofthe water mitigation we completed the following on 9/5/2014, 9/16/2014 and9/17/2014:Replaced damage framing,plywood and hardwoodRepaired the cabinetsRe-installed cabinets and countertopsPlumbing associated itemselectrical itemsAll of the above items were performed as emergency serviceitems so that we would provide the homeowner with a fully functioning kitchenso they could stay in their house.The balance of the work would be dependent upon the agreedscope and price with the insurance adjuster from [redacted] submitted their estimate of repairs to the Independentadjuster on 9/30.2014. The adjuster did not complete her estimate until10/13/2014, however, we did not receive a copy of the adjuster’s estimate untilNovember 26,2014.[redacted] stated that he called the office several times theweek prior to the 13th of October, but we do not have any record ofthose calls. We do however, have a record of the calls that he made on the 13thand 14th of October. The homeowner did in fact call us four time onMonday 10/13/2014 in the afternoon, [redacted] was at the time out of the officewith other clients, and again 2 time before 9:00am on the 14thOctober, 2014. [redacted] was in a production meeting from 8:30 until approx.12:00 noon.[redacted] did return [redacted] calls after the conclusion of hismeeting. He did not reach him, but left a voicemail. We will agree that [redacted]message could certainly have been more professional, and apologize for the toneof the message.However, [redacted] at this point had not heard from theadjuster as to her scope and pricing, and he had received 6 phone calls in avery short period of time, to which he did not have an answer for [redacted]. Therewas not a question prior to this of our not completing the work, Sermat waswaiting for the adjuster to complete their estimate in order to be sure that wewere all in agreement. Per the documents from [redacted] their estimate was notcompleted until October 13, 2014 and still had to be reviewed by theirmanagement team.In reference to the credits that [redacted] is requesting:Sermat’s detailed invoice for work already completed on theabove dates was submitted on 9/30/2014 to [redacted], it included:Electrical minimum for Electrical service call to re-installelectrical wiring in the bottom of the cabinets.Plumbing that included:~3 angle stops 9shut off valves)~1 P-trap~Detach and reset garbage disposalLabor minimum for wood flooring Once brought to our attention 11/22/14 we attempted toresolve the issues with [redacted] and the adjuster. There was an email sent toboth parities on 12/3/2014 here we agreed to remove the wood floor laborminimum ($132.01) which w as done on 12/10/14. However, we stand by theelectrical and plumbing charges in question, as they were required in order toprovide the homeowner with a functional kitchen.The email on December 3 included a document attachmentdetailing the plumbing items. There were not duplicate or overlapping charges.On 12/4/2014 we received an email from [redacted] at [redacted]that stated she agreed to detach and reset the garbage disposal but she alsostated that the P-trap and angle stops were not a direct result of the loss andshe would not be able in include them. The disputed items needed to be removedand replaced in order to make the necessary repairs. If they were not removedit would not be have been possible to remove the cabinet. If they had not been replacedit would not be possible to connect the sink to the house plumbing. In ouropinion and past experience it is normal for the insurance company to cover theplumbing and electrical items, however, it is not up to the contractor to makethat determination on coverage, we did what is normal trade practice.To be clear about the total price that we charged:The original estimate was for $3952.07, we issued a credit forthe wood floor minimum of $132.01 which left a balance of $ 3820.06.The credits that [redacted] is requesting are for the electricalminimum and plumbing items. He would not have a functioning kitchen if we hadnot removed and replaced those items.In order to resolve this issue we would be glad to work with[redacted] and his insurance company to recover any monies he feels he is entitletoo.We will be happy to forward any additional documentation youfeel necessary, please let us know what you deem appropriate.Thank you,[redacted]

Review: Back in January our sewer lines back up into the house, our home owners insurance put us in touch with Sermat Construction to repair the flooring and other damage from the backup that came into the house. Sermat did not finish work until the beginning of April. It was shotty work at best, but we were just happy to finally have them done and out of our home after taking multiple days off of work to be at the house. Fast forward to the beginning of July, the new flooring they put in our laundry room started to buckle. I contacted Sermat and then sent someone out on July 7th to look at the problem. I was told that he'd have it fixed by the end of the week. A week later I still hadn't heard anything so I reached out to them via email, no response. Since them I have called and sent several emails. I cannot get a return call and all I've been told via email is they're trying to contact someone. I am beyond frustrated with their severe lack of communication and customer service skills. This additional problem is going on a month now with no resolution in site. I even offered to find someone on my own and send them the bill. I want this fixed, soon. I shouldn't have to go chasing after a company to fix their work. Please investigate and help fix this severely ongoing problem for us.Desired Settlement: Sermat needs to come fix our floor by whatever means necessary as soon as possible. This has dragged on long enough. We should not be expected to pay for their lack of ability to do the job correctly the first time.

Business

Response:

Please find our response attached. Thank You, [redacted]Sermat Construction

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by Sermat in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that I accept their tentatively accept their offer. The work will not be completed until 8/21 and at that time if the work is 100% completed and the problem is successfully resolved then I will happily close this case, but am fearful of closing it prematurely.

Regards,

Perry Farley