Solution People, Inc.

For 2nd concrete project in months, we were completely satisfiedWe previously had a concrete pad installed under our barn overhangRosie had the knowledge and insight to take extra care around an existing well which could have been disastrous if not handle properlyOur most recent project was replacing a concrete floor in our shed/chicken coop that was destroyed by a groundhogCare was taken to excavate extra deep, and the finish is as smooth as glassThe Solutions People went the extra distance to be sure we were completely satisfied with these projects and in-fact we wereI will highly recommend them to friends and family

Picture of project progress after FIVE full months

We signed a contract on May 16th with this company for a stamped patio, sitting wall, fire pit, new back entry steps, new front stamped cement walkway with new front steps, side entry steps to be replaced, and to replace 10 pieces of flagstone that we provided for our front sidewalk. We have paid every payment that was asked of us on time and even paid an additional charge for the extra pavers for our back steps that were not factored into the project. We have given this company to date, Oct 23, a total of $15,000 and have not seen anywhere near that amount of work. This project has been going on for over 4 MONTHS now. The owner, Rosie, ignores our questions, doesn’t return messages and lies about when work will be done.
We are aware that we have had some some hiccups in the project related to the rainy summer, as well as a permit issue (but that was resolved in 4 business days).
At one point in the project, the workers demolished all three entrances to my house, leaving the debris right where they broke it apart and left for the day. There was absolutely NO WAY to safely get in or out of my house. My back yard is a total disaster. I have two small children that can’t even play outside because of this. The first day of workers showed up was July 27th. On that day, the owner’s wheel of her car broke. That same broken tire is still sitting in my back yard (yes, going on about 3 months now).
Some weeks we have people working for total of about 1-3 hours, most weeks nobody shows up at all. This is a total nightmare.
When we initially met with Alfaro (Alfaro and Rosie are married) who told us the project would be completed in about 8weeks. We were ok with the project asking a little longer than expected, but NEVER thought it would take this long.
We want this project complete ASAP.

Due to delay in getting a custom order countertop the project completion was delayed. Countertop should be ready today, so we will be able to complete the job by the end if the week. I will schedule directly with the customer for the work to be done on Thursday or Friday.

-------- Forwarded message ----------From: [redacted] or [redacted] <[redacted]>Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 8:50 PMSubject: Complaint ID # [redacted]To: [redacted] Dear Sirs:Attached are some photos of supplies that were delivered and left on my front lawn for a week. The pergola kit was left in my driveway for over 2 months. Promises were made about when workers would show up but rarely did they come when expected. Also are some photos of the 6 x 6 posts installed which should have been the 4 x 4  posts that were included in the pergola kit. Not only did I have to cut down the top portion (as shown in the photo) but the entire anchored post needed to be trimmed substantially. As you will see on the contract I am faxing to you, this project began in February. Frozen ground and trouble getting a permit delayed the project until April (no fault of Solution People for this). The project should have been completed in less than 2 weeks and we are now going on 3 months! As stated in my complaint, I want to complete this project myself as I have already finished installing the pergola. Only the debris needs to be removed.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
1.     
Solution People started
working on this project from March 8th 2014 and not in the middle of month as
stated by Solution People in response to our complaint. Previous attachments of
the contract and payment slip of March 8th is the confirmation that basement
project started on March 8th. 
 
2.     
The project was for
targeted to be completed in 6 weeks but the statement by Solution People, “homeowner
vacation impacted the schedule” is incorrect, since the homeowner vacation was
5 &1/2 week from the project start date. The project should have been near
completion at the time of the homeowner’s vacation. Home owner went on vacation
from April 16th till April 23rd. On June 4th the project was nowhere
close to completion, when Solution People abandoned the project it was already 13
weeks from start date. More so, homeowner made Solution People aware of their
planned vacation prior to commencing to the project and verbal assurance was
provided by Solution People to the homeowner that project will end or will be
in last stage of finishing touches by that time.
 
3.     
As stated by Solution
People, the first municipal inspection failed on April 1st 2014. The primary
reason for the failure was the false information
on electrical/plumbing application to the Hunterdon Municipal for this project.
Solution People submitted the Plumbing and Electrical application indicating
that Homeowner is doing electrical/plumbing (attached copy of the application
where "SELF" is mentioned in the contractor section of the
application), which is incorrect as Solution People were hired to perform the
complete project including Electrical and Plumbing by NJ licensed professional.
On first inspection, the inspector realized that and he failed the rough
Plumbing and Electrical due to false/incorrect/forgery information on the
application. In spite of the inspection failure, Solution People did not inform
the homeowner about the misrepresentation of Plumber and Electrician
information on Basement building application to Hunterdon Township. More so,
homeowner came to know about the false commitments from Solution People on
revised inspection appointment when Homeowner called Hunterdon County Municipal
office to check on the inspection status. Solution People informed homeowner that
inspection was scheduled for April 23rd and it was postpone due to inspector’s
health issues that day whereas on calling the Hunterdon Municipal office, homeowners
came to know that inspection was not even scheduled by the township since
Solution People had not submitted revised application with NJ licensed Plumber
and Electrician information yet. Revised application was submitted on April
23rd to the township and then the inspection was scheduled for April 29th 2014.
This clearly indicates that project was delayed from April1st till April 29th
due to negligence and unprofessional work ethic of Solution People and has
nothing to do with homeowner vacation or delay in Hunterdon County Municipal
inspection scheduling.
 
4.     
With respect to payments,
homeowner made all payments as per the agreed milestone. In case of rough
electrical, rough drywall and finish drywall, the payment was made by homeowner
to Solution People in spite of all three milestones are partially completed (till
date). Attached are the picture sof the bathroom which shows that rough
electrical is incomplete (moisture resistant recess light not installed) and both
drywall milestone i.e. drywall install and finish drywall is incomplete. The
payment for rough electrical was done on March 22nd, drywall install
on May 17th and finish drywall on May 26th.
 
5.     
Solution People claim that
homeowner did not acknowledge about the outstanding payment is also false and
incorrect. Attached is the email trail which clearly outline that Solution
People committed to finish the project by May 31st while the project is still
incomplete and homeowner clearly articulated that all payments will be made as
per the milestone except for holding $5000 till the end of the project, as a
security for the completion of project on time.
 
6.     
At this point, Solution
People indicated that “First Coat of Paint” milestone is achieved and asking
for the payment whereas the pictures of the bathroom attached clearly indicate
that “First Coat of Paint” milestone was still incomplete.
 
7.     
The email attachment
provided by Solution people clearly indicates the Homeowner tried multiple
attempts of contacting via email/phone calls regarding completing the project
in 15 days but they kept delaying the project by demanding for the payment for
incomplete milestone of “First Coat of Paint” (pictures of unfinished bathroom).
 
8.     
Some more examples of Solution
People bad work ethic are following:
 
a.     
Solution People took
homeowner stuff (bathroom exhaust fan cover) from homeowner property without the
approval and making the exhaust fan unusable and would require Homeowner to get
new equipment. Even though with multiple emails, Solution People hasn’t returned
it so far.
 
b.     
Solution People has not provided
the Original Copies of the Basement Project application submitted to Hunter Township
Building Division and inspection certificates to homeowner in spite of three reminders
emails sent to Solution People (attached email).
 
All claims made by Solution People with respect to delay in
project due to Homeowner vacation, township inspection scheduling and no
response from Homeowner to Solution People emails are false acquisitions to
cover for their faults.
On top of that homeowner is extremely disappointed with the work ethic
of Solution People, never the less, the delay caused in finishing the basement
and all the mental trauma/ work loss homeowner had to stuffer with constant delay/
follow ups and unresponsive behavior from Solution People. Per homeowner
experience “Solution People” is not a firm that can handle big projects and deliver
them in timely manner.
Will send you a separate email with the attachments as not able to upload directly on Revdex.com website. 
Regards
[redacted]

I was extremely pleased with using Solution People for my new stamped concrete patio. I would highly recommend this company for your stamped concrete needs. When Alberto came to my home for the estimate, he was the most prepared and professionally organized of my 3 estimates. His complete portfolio of the numerous jobs he has done is what truly sold me. He explained every step of the process, including pictures of each step and phase. The written contract was exactly what Alberto and I had agreed upon. No hidden agenda. The crew from Alberto's team was completely professional, kind, extremely hard working and treated my property with respect. When the job was finished, I could not believe how beautiful my new patio looked. The crew cleaned up everything perfect. They landscaped the surrounding area better than it was previous, and the job only took a few days to complete. Again, I would highly recommend Solution People for your stamped concrete needs.

The Solution People (Alberto, the owner) was professional and a pleasure to work with. The stamped, colored concrete patio they installed is wonderful and this year they resealed it for me. Couldn't be happier.

-------- Forwarded message ----------From: [redacted] or [redacted] <[redacted]>Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 8:50 PMSubject: Complaint ID # [redacted]To: [redacted]
 Dear Sirs:
Attached are some photos of supplies that were delivered and left on my front lawn for a week. The pergola kit was left in my driveway for over 2 months. Promises were made about when workers would show up but rarely did they come when expected. Also are some photos of the 6 x 6 posts installed which should have been the 4 x 4  posts that were included in the pergola kit. Not only did I have to cut down the top portion (as shown in the photo) but the entire anchored post needed to be trimmed substantially. As you will see on the contract I am faxing to you, this project began in February. Frozen ground and trouble getting a permit delayed the project until April (no fault of Solution People for this). The project should have been completed in less than 2 weeks and we are now going on 3 months! As stated in my complaint, I want to complete this project myself as I have already finished installing the pergola. Only the debris needs to be removed.

I am really pleased with the quality of the stamped concrete driveway that Solution People installed for me. They may not be the cheapest concrete company but they are very professional, communicate well and will handle the process from start to finish with permits, prep, pouring and clean up. We continue to receive compliments on the driveway and feel that it was money well spent. The work was completed in a timely fashion, and Alberto paid attention to all details including a drainage system that we needed that was overlooked by other contractors. He answered all my concerns and was dedicated to completed the work to our satisfaction. Solution People was the only company to offer me a three-year warranty. I would highly recommend them for any stamped concrete projects.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Thank you for getting involved. If Solutions People had replied to my previous three requests, I would be satisfied for them to just complete the job., Hopefully they will show up this Friday.
Regards,
[redacted]

Solution People was hired to do a basement project by [redacted] in March and work started in the second half of the month after obtaining the necessary permits from the local municipality: [redacted] Township (permit copy attached). Solution People clearly stated to [redacted] that this type and...

size of projects typically take about six weeks, but since The [redacted] family was planning a vacation which will interrupt the working process, then the project will take longer. Basement projects also require inspections from the township which Solution People scheduled and passed (several items had to be addressed on one of the inspections, which Solution People addressed and all inspections passed – copies of inspections approvals attached). Getting through the three different inspections also added to the timeframe of the project (considering also that we had to wait for some of the inspections due to township schedule and working hours).
Regarding the payments schedule (approved and signed by [redacted] in the Contract), all payments were scheduled after major milestones of work were sufficiently completed (more than 80% completed). Some of the milestones were scheduled for work that is completed and inspected (such as rough electric, rough plumbing, framing and insulation). Solution People had just completed one of the specified in the contract milestones (first coat of paint on walls and ceiling done) on June 4th and was expecting the agreed upon payment for that milestone ($3,000). We were about 15 days from the completion of the project with more than 80 % of the work completed and a third of the total amount still not paid, when [redacted] decided that he will not provide any more payments per the signed contract, essentially breaching the contract. Through numerous emails and text messages Rosie from Solution People notified **. and [redacted]. [redacted] that it is not acceptable for the work to continue if the payments are not provided as per the milestones scheduled and that work will resume and be completed within 15 days as soon as the outstanding payment is made. [redacted] did not respond for a week and he decided to just send emails back and forth making unreasonable demands until it was almost 10 days afterwards and he demanded that the work be done in 5 days and still there was no mentioning of making the outstanding payment or acknowledging that he will provide any payments in the future even if any more work is completed. At this point Solution People notified [redacted] again that we need 15 days after his outstanding payment is processed to complete the project. He insisted that, if work is not completed in 5 days, he does not want Solution People Inc. on his property.
Due to the seemingly intentionally delayed responses from [redacted] and unreasonable demands in the end, it was obvious that he just did not want Solution People to complete the project. His last two emails (copies of emails attached) made it very clear that he will not follow through on the contract signed with Solution People and had no intention to make the agreed upon payment, which is the reason that the project was cancelled from the side of Solution People Inc. We notified the township and pulled our company from the permit. Unfortunately it was very difficult at times to talk to [redacted] and explain him the construction process – he just refused to listen and understand many of the company and industry procedures which is the reason behind his confusion about the completion of the milestones. As I mentioned above, at least four of the milestones were for work done that was inspected and approved by the township inspector (obviously showing that this work was sufficiently completed).
At this point Solution People Inc. is preparing an invoice of all work completed a la cart (no discounts apply since the contract was not honored) to establish the exact amount of the outstanding balance due on this project.

We have contacted [redacted] personally and worked on resolving any remaining items within the last few days. We are just pending final inspection from the township on Monday.

Dear [redacted], we apologize that we were not able to finish installing the pop-up drain covers before the winter set. We even purchased and dropped off the two drain caps that remain to be installed (the drainage pipes have already been installed). We can schedule to have the two caps...

installed on Friday, May 22.  Please confirm.

We have contacted Mr. [redacted] and since the seating walls and columns have been completed. The customer is happy with all the hardscaping work done. He has decided to build the pergolla hiself, so we removed that cost from our project and the hardscaping project is now complete. We are currently...

waiting for the final payment due for the work completed.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  
Thank you for getting involved. If Solutions People had replied to my previous three requests, I would be satisfied for them to just complete the job., Hopefully they will show up this Friday.
Regards,
[redacted]

I had a great experience with Alberto and company. I had two colored stamped concrete walkways done, along with a small wood landing/deck. They were priced competitively, worked hard, were respectful, provided creative ideas, and were eager to go above and beyond. I highly recommend the Solution People, and will use them in the future.

I had been looking for someone to seal my 1,000 sq. ft. stamped concrete driveway all summer. I did numerous searches and made several calls. No one seemed to want to handle this important maintenance job since my concrete installer, who had previously performed this work for me, had gone out of business a few years ago. That is, until I found Solution People Inc. I made an inquiry and they returned my call immediately. Alberto came to our home, inspected the driveway and made a proposal that fully met our needs. Alberto has been doing concrete work for over 30 years and he is a master when it comes to how to handle any concrete application. If you want your concrete work done fast, don’t use Solution People. If you want the job done right, then Alberto and his team at Solution People are the company for your job. Alberto handles his projects like an artist. He revisited our project on several occasions to make minor adjustments and corrections until the job was completed just right. He really is an artist with concrete and treats your project like it was for his own personal home. He takes ownership of the work and isn’t satisfied until it is done to his high standards. My wife and I are happy with the completed project and while it took a little longer than we thought, the results were well worth the extra time with Solution People Inc.

Re: ID [redacted]
As of 8/16/2014, all issues have been resolved and we are satisfied with the outcome, however, the township inspector still needs to give final signoff before the project can be considered complete.
[redacted]

Dear Mr. [redacted], as you know the proposal for the pergola installation includes the 6 footings that we poured for the pergola posts, the cost of $2,880 is not the cost for the pergola assembly and installation alone, but includes the pouring of the footings which we did in fact complete. That is the reason the balance is $1,630. The final clean up will be done at the same day we go to pick up the final payment. We worked with you when you had the problems with the township regarding those very same footings and we have been very accommodating about that part of the project. I do not believe it is fair on your part to completely ignore the fact that we excavted and poured 6 concrete footings and for you to not pay even a dime for all that materials and labor. Please confirm when we can stop to pick up the final pYment and the truck will be there at the same time to do the final clean up.