Siebenaler Exteriors, LLC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/28) */
The original estimate was $2,for 257' gutters, gutter helmet and replace rotten fascia boardsAn additional $to dig in a swale and cut a few trees, and $40/man hour labor for storm door installation
The rotten fascia boards
included in the estimate were specifically asked by you to be includedYou did not ask for any other rotten wood repair at that time
When rotten wood was discovered I brought it to your attentionI verbally told you rotten wood was not included and is charged on a time and materials basis @ $40/man hourI also told you to take some time to read the fine print on the contract which states the price for structural damage repair and any additional requests by homeowner is charged at $40/mh plus materials
It is impossible to notice rotten wood as it was under shingles, behind newer fascia boards, behind existing gutters and overgrown brushI told you it is impossible to know the exact amount of time when repairing rotten wood .I also told you that when trying to re-use your shingles extra care would be necessary requiring more time
The $1,addition were numbers you wrote down where we were at at that time, before all the rot was repairedThey were not totals that I agreed toWhile you were writing them I told you I can not estimate total time for rot repair and this work is charged at T&M
Through text and voicemail I told you about additional rotten woodYou approved me to repairYou sent me a text telling me after you gave it more thought you would like me to install drain tile on the N, E, and S sides of your home
These additions have brought your total bill to $6,
I was very clear both verbally and in writing
You were told any additions to the original contract are charged on a T&M basisI don't know how I could've been any clearer
To address your other concerns
1.Swale: I cut the trees and dug the swale as I felt it should be doneSince you had concerns I offered to A.return and dig to your approval or b.reduce your bill by $
2.Storm Door: The door is correctly installed and opens to the maximum amount allowed by the closersI confirmed this with the manufacturer
3.Gutter: 257' was estimated, contracted, and installedWhich includes all downspouts
4.Existing Drain tiles under concrete : The existing drain tile was taken into account at the time of original estimate therefore there is no reason for a credit
Downspouts: All downspouts were installed(more than other contractors estimates) No credit available
Your bill has increased from the original estimate because the scope of the work has increased dramatically
You have been billed for labor completed and materials installed, nothing moreYou did give me approval to complete all work
I told you other customers have acquired similar repair costs that have been up to double the original project amount and I wanted you to be fully aware that your home had similar amounts of rot
Unforeseen costs are never a nice surprise but are sometimes an unfortunate price of home ownership
We pride ourselves on our quality workmanship and professional serviceThe majority of our clients are repeat customers or referrals
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
1.*** Siebenaler is plain and simply being dishonest, unethical, and not a professional business owner*** truly believes in his mind that it is OK to increase a final agreed upon estimate by thousands of dollars without any written or oral approval because it states on his invoice that he charges $per hour for extra laborWhat he does not tell you is that he will also multiply this $rate for his helping staff which their might be two others even though I only met one other helperThe net result is he then bills at $to $per hour*** does not abide by "ceasing all work and obtaining prior approval for additional costs" as it indicates he will on his estimates/invoicesInstead *** calls or texts and gives an update but does not indicate that there will be any price increaseWhen leaving a message he will state no problem I will get it done for you rather than this item will increase the project cost by $or $1,dollars and let's agree upon such a significant price increase in writing
*** Siebenaler claims he is an expert in roofing, windows, gutters, doors, and other exterior home projects but in fact he appears to knowingly underestimate projects and make his customers very angry and disappointed when faced with final bills that are over 100% above his original estimatesIn my case he later told me that it was obvious that rot would occur on roofing boards when shingles are not overhanging by 3/of an inchAs an expert in the industry I would think an obvious item like this would have been included in his original bidBut instead *** waits until the project has started to call this obvious item to my or other home owners attention
I have paid *** Siebenaler/Siebenaler Exteriors the final mutually agreed upon bill of $4,with the $credit for not finishing the swaleAny significant amount above this I did not give approval for other than replacing one additional board which he did not give a cost for and made it sound like an easy task to complete
I very much regret hiring *** Siebenaler due to his shady charging practicesAnother example of *** Siebenalers dishonesty is when he indicates in his reply above that he was making me aware of other extremely upset customers because their final bills were well over 100% increase from ***s estimatesWhen he stated this I was shocked and clearly indicated I would be very upset tooAt this point we agreed upon my roughly 50% increase in my original estimate and walked around the entire roof and property together to confirm no other hidden costs
I would be happy to settle with Siebenaler Exteriors if the Revdex.com has any additional avenues? Otherwise we will have to go to court which I have never done before with any contractor
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/09/19) */
I truly believe you are the one who is being dishonest and unethicalYou requested that I perform work that was not included on the original estimateWe discussed the pricing format being a time and materials basis for all rotten wood and additional requests by youYou clearly understood it was $40/ man hour as you wrote in your notes on the signed contractThere was a small amount of time when a third person was beneficial to you(driving of multiple trucks to pull trailers for your rotten garbage also material pickup to get your additional items requested so work could still be completed in a timely fashion)And no you did not see them since you were out of state at that time
I do not underestimate projects.I list quantities of materials so everyone is on the same page(apples to apples) In my contract it clearly states there is extra costs when structural damage is found or additional requests are made by you, the homeownerIt is impossible to estimate the extent of rotten wood damage as it was hidden under freshly repaired fascia boards, shingles, behind overgrown trees and an existing gutter
3.You paid $4,The total bill is $6,Therefore you still owe $2,Attached is an updated invoice reflecting your payment
You did in fact agree to pay me to install the storm doors on a Time and Materials basisYou did agree to pay me to repair rotten wood on your roof,fascia, soffit, rafters and shingle on a t&m basis.You did text me and add drain tile to your downspouts on a t&m basis
When I made you aware of more rot you agreed for me to fix it
All of the rotten wood created quite a lot of debrisYou called me on Satmorning and requested I get out to your house with a trailer to get your debris, because it was to much for you to burnLike you said you were going to doThere was no dumpster included in your estimate because standard gutter projects don't create much waste
I made an extra effort to explain that when dealing with rotten wood it is difficult to estimate the amount of time, and the cost can increase dramaticallyI explained that in the past my customers were also surprised by the amount of extra work needed to fix there rotten homesUnlike you they understand that I don't fix homes for charityThey are appreciative of the quality work I have done and pay me in fullI get my business through word of mouth and have many repeat costumers
I did NOT agree to any final amount at the time you signed my contactI agreed to the contract witch states time and materials at a rate of $per hour for any structural damage (rotten wood) and any additional requests by you the homeowner
We took a walk around the roof to see if there were any more rotted areas and there was not anyWe did find one wire that was not being used and you requested me to remove it.(requiring me to go back up on the roof with a caulk gun, drill and snips, to get the job done correctlyHowever when removing the rotted plywood roof sheathing it was discovered that the soffit was rottedI called and texted you about this (you were out of state) you contacted me back and told me to fix itYou texted me and added drain tiles to every downspout on your home plus some existing drains that you wanted extended into the ground(this was a change to the original contract requested by you in a text message approving the work to get done.)
I will be exercising my right to file a mechanics lien against your property unless you pay me in full by Friday September 25thMy company has already devoted an extraordinary amount of time on this matterAll of items listed on your complaint have already been addressed in prior conversations
I HAVE AN MONTH OLD SON AND A WIFE THAT DESERVE MY ATTENTION.OH AND A TRUCK TO FIX BY MONDAYTHANKS FOR WASTING MY PRECIOUS TIME.I HAVE WORKED FOR MANY PEOPLE IN MY LIFEPEOPLE ARE SPECIAL IN THEIR OWN WAYSGOD BLESS !!
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2015/09/22) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
*** Siebenaler has convinced himself that his form of stealing is OK and I strongly believe that a judge will agree with me that is notI'm not just trying to protect myself but future victims of this highly unethical business practice of turning about $2,dollar bids into $6,final invoices*** Siebenaler has been very fortunate that he has continued to get away with this from maybe having very wealthy customers but for the other 99% of Americans we have to budget and plan our spending or take a loan or use emergency funds when a bid goes up over 120%I have offered *** a more than fair settlement to pay him a total of $5,which is over 80% more than I originally budgeted for and hired SIEBENALER EXTERIORS to install new guttersThis offer is now withdrawn and hindsight was too generous and would only serve to enable *** SIEBENALER to continue his way of doing businessWe have both clearly stated our positions in our past Revdex.com detailed complaints and repliesUnfortunately we are at impass and we will have to let the court decide who is correct