Steel Structures America, Inc.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meSincerely, *** ***

October 18,
Revdex.com
Colorado Springs, Colorado
RE: Revdex.com Complaint
***
***
30’x48’xPole Structure
*** * *** *** **
Larkspur, Colorado
Job #***
To Whom It May Concern,
We have received and reviewed the complaint by Mr*** regarding the above referenced project. While we understand Mr*** is frustrated by his experience getting this project to launch, we have additional information we wish to share
We contracted with Mr*** on March 9, to construct a 30’x48’x14’ pole structureAt that time, we also recommended the building location (site B) based on our experience with permitting in Douglas County Also of note, per line of the contract signed by Mr***, the first payment of $8,was due upon acceptance of the Contract (which was paid). Following, is a brief summary of the dates of events:
3/9/16 Signed Contract with Mr***
3/31/16 Mr*** signed Site Plan showing proposed location (B)
3/16/16 Engineering received for project
6/23/16 Change Order from Mr*** to shorten the structure
6/28/16 Revised Engineering received
8/23/16 Material Breakdowns received
9/8/16 Mr*** notified SSA of intent to cancel project
According to Douglas County, the DESC (Drainage, Erosion and Sediment Control) permit for the original building site (site B) was approved. Mr*** then chose to move the building location (from site B to site D) before Douglas County reviewed the revised DESC applicationPrior to this revision, we advised Mr*** that additional issues would make DESC permitting difficultMr*** chose to move ahead anyway and incurred additional expenses related to the different building siteIn previous communication, Mr*** indicated “The site has been excavated and drained exactly as required by the civil engineer, and their objection is to having an undocumented preexisting slope modified and being inflexible on any new constructionIndeed, it was steeper from the original barn construction than currently, but we cannot seem to convince them of thisIt is a petty call.“ This shows Mr***’ blatant disregard for our recommendations and his willingness to incur additional expenses related to this projectThese additional costs are solely the responsibility of Mr***, and a direct result of his decision to move the pad
When Mr*** filed his complaint with the Revdex.com, he also indicated that, “We would prefer to continue with the project, but do not want to invest on more site preparation.” Again, the elevated costs associated with this project are due to Mr*** choice to move the building location on his own accord
When Mr*** asked to cancel the project, we replied with the refund amount. The refund is determined by subtracting our overhead and any associated materials from the first payment, resulting in $5,back to Mr***. This was upsetting to Mr***, since he had already expressed his desire to not invest further into this project.
Mr*** complaint against SSA (Steel Structures America) is not related to performance or breach of Contract, but rather his budget. Mr*** exceeded his budget when he chose to move the building location. Revdex.com does not handle complaints based on Buyer’s remorse, which this clearly is. We kindly ask for this complaint to be dropped
Copies of the contract and site plans signed by Mr*** are available upon request
Please call if you have any questions
Sincerely,
Shawn S***, SrPresident

Unfortunately, Mr*** is not giving all of the information to the Revdex.com.
1. Mr*** is not our directly our client Our client and contract is with *** ***
2. Steel Structures had a
contract to build the building shell only
3. *** *** was required to pay for the permit and all site excavation but after the County had substantial site requirements *** did not want to invest in the site improvements
4. Mr*** did request a refund and to cancel the purchase agreement due to the substantial costs that the County was going to require as condition of the permit.
SSA had costs incurred and gave *** a refund less the costs incurred at his request and he did specifically put in his email to send a check for $26,which then he disputed additional costs at a later date.
As of today we do not have a signed cancellation and SSA will absolutely fulfill the contract for *** *** so our position is that we were acceptable to refunding the deposit less our costs or we would simply fulfill the contract

Steel Structures unfortunately still can not agree with the complaint. Our sales representative Ray has been with SSA for a long time and we don't ever recall a client calling him a "liar". The buyer in this circumstance has mentioned audio and video recordings and we simply asked for a copy which the client refused to provide a copy.
Regarding the 'alleged" items we did not provide SSA does not even offer gutters with our buildings as we do not have gutters available. We only recommend gutter contractors. SSA does have an option for garage door openers but we have our specific bid sheet that was submitted with the contract and they were not on the bid sheet and were not on the contract. We also typically do not offer garage door opener unless SSA installs the concrete floor and the homeowner is doing electrical as both is typically needed for an opener to work properly. Our agreement with the client specifically states they are responsible for a receptacle for waste which the client chose to not provide.
SSA completely stands behind our product and customers but unfortunately with all of the data we have, everything that the purchaser signed in writing contradicts their complaint. If our agreement and pricing program had gutters, openers, and clein the purchase price and was simply not put on the purchase agreement then we would honor that it was intended to be included.
That would be a perfect example of how we stand behind our customers if there was an error. In this case the customer did not pay for the items they are claiming, therefore; it was not on the purchase agreement.
Unfortunately, if the client did not pay for it and it is not on the agreement then we are not liable or responsible to provide it. In the event we did then virtually every client could then say they "thought" they something additional on their building. SSA can simply rely on the signed purchase agreement

To the Revdex.com:
Re: Complaint ID ***
In response to the customer’s statement of the problem there are many inaccuracies in the statement that is contradicting to the purchase agreement signed.
SSA believes that the complaint is not valid
as the customer is disputing contractual items and SSA followed the contract as it was written and agreed to.
The customer signed a purchase agreement on 7-31-and on the first page of the agreement SSA specifically has a column “ESTIMATED START DATE AFTER PERMIT” which states this purchase agreement has clearly written in as “10-weeks”. It appears that the purchaser is trying to say that we would have the building completed in 8-weeks from signing the purchase agreement which is substantially different than what was agreed to and put in writing on the contract. In fact, the permit was issued on 9-28-as per the Pueblo Regional Building Department and starting 10-weeks after that date would put a start date sometime in Mid to Late December. The completion date would be after the start date. SSA believes this complaint and claim is not valid.
SSA firmly believes in building a quality product and we do stand behind our work. We did in fact go back and installed some boards that did not arrive on the jobsite and repaired some insulation. SSA will continue to stand behind our building and the customer has a warranty as per the purchase agreement that SSA will continue to stand by
The customer is also claiming that they ordered gutters with the building but SSA does not supply or install gutters and but on occasion will refer another company to install the gutters. We believe that the customer may have misunderstood that SSA does not install gutters and they ultimately have to hire and pay for gutters from another company.
The customer mentioned that they had to dispose of some garbage or insulation. The customer agreed on the agreement to provide a receptacle on site as per page of the agreement but there was no receptacle available. The customer also signed an addendum to the contract specifically stating that removal and cleof construction related materials will be the responsibility of the owner/buyer but if the provided a receptacle that SSA would place in the owner provided receptacle.
The customer has also expressed through a phone call that they ordered electric garage door openers. There also are not garage door openers on the purchase agreement and we did very specifically check the contact and the actual bid and the customer was not charged for openers and therefore were not included and not written on the contract. This is another circumstance where SSA believes the customer may have not reviewed the bid, proposal and the contract but they were in fact not charged for and not included.
After the customer submitted this complaint they subsequently paid SSA in full. We do feel that we have fulfilled our agreement and will continue to warranty the building and service the client

Revdex.com,I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
All I have received is a $200.00 dollar gift card from Steel Structures America Inc . As far as their response, the email they sent quoted as having an attachment that I did not receive. I do not believe a gift card is sufficient comparing to all the issues, delays, and stress. The lack of communication and unprofessionalism needs to be corrected and I do not want other consumers to be duped and or taken advantage of by Steel Structures America.Regards,[redacted]

To the Revdex.com,
Please review the attachment as our response to this complaint
Thank you
Justin S[redacted]
208-659-4800
 
[redacted]Revdex.com152 S. Jefferson St., Suite 200Spokane, Washington 92201
RE: [redacted]36’x48’x14’ Pole Structure[redacted]Richland, Washington...

99354
Revdex.com ID [redacted]
Ms. [redacted],We have received and reviewed your email dated 10/6/15 regarding the complaint filed by Mr. [redacted].We regret to hear that Mr. [redacted] is unhappy with his building experience. When Mr. [redacted] signed the contract, it was discussed with the Salesman that the structure needed to be erected 1’-0" above flood elevation, since the building site dwells in a flood plain. Because of all flood plain requirements set forth by FEMA, flood elevation certificates must be surveyed and issued. This is an expense excluded from our contract and must be realized by the property Owner or Customer and was discussed at time of Contract. Also excluded from our Contract, the work on the building pad is the responsibility of the Owner or Customer. The International Building Code, along with generally accepted building practices, require that certain compaction requirements be met for site work. Unfortunately, the site didnot meet these compaction requirements by a substantial amount, but would require additional expense above and beyond what the Owner had already incurred were it to be re-worked. After discussing this with the Owner, he elected to release SSA from any and all liability of movement or settlement due to soils issues related to the site prep the Owner contracted with a 3rd party.
In our interactions with the Owner, we have made every effort to make him generally aware of additional expenses and schedule impacts. To date, the Owner’s project has been Finaled by the Building Department and is fully usable.
Sincerely,Shawn S[redacted]Sr. President

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
To address the items SSA listed:
1.  SSA is lying.  I am the direct customer. I own [redacted] and therefore am the direct customer. This fact is easily verifiable by checking with the State of Colorado Secretary of State.
2 & 3.
SSA is lying about their responsibilities regarding the permit. Obtaining the permit was their contractual responsibility. It is in plain language in their contract. SSA was very specific at the time of our original meeting that they would be able to obtain the permit with no further engineering costs. SSA informed us that we would need to grade the area to their specifications at our own cost. We completed this task and paid for the work. They were unable to obtain the permit. We understand they overestimated their own ability to deal with our county. As a result, they could not deliver on their promise to obtain the permit with no further engineering cost. We will give them the benefit of the doubt and forgive them this mistake. However,  we would expect our money back.
4. SSA did provide a list of so called "expenses". However the list was so ridiculous it included a 1k restocking fee on lumber that was never to be ordered, per SSAs contract, until after the permit was obtained. Further, it was later revealed that they had sold the wood posts to another customer.  In any case, this is all irrelevant as the cancellation is due to SSAs inability to deliver on their promises and as such, the expenses are the result of SSAs incompetence and therefore need to be covered by SSA. They can write it off as tuition since it is clear they were uneducated regarding the permitting process in our county. In addition, I have never agreed to accept 26200 as a refund. On the contrary, I have made it perfectly clear that 26200 was unacceptable. All of my claims are documented in writing and I would be happy to provide them to the Revdex.com. I can guarantee the Revdex.com that Justin S[redacted] will not be able to provide documentation verifying all of his claims.
Our terms remain unchanged. We will receive a full refund or we will continue to escalate this matter as necessary. If SSA promptly provides a refund we will sign off that we have been satisfied, we will update our online reviews and we will pursue no further action.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
Out security system which records audio and video contridicts what Ray L[redacted] wrote into the contract .   He mislead, lied to both us and the company's owner regarding build times, gutters and garage door openers.  The crew who constructed the building completed it once the missing materials were secured.   We expected 'typical waste to dispose of but since two entire walls had to be re-done it lead to an excessive amount of waste.
The delay in permitting time was directly due to SSA's failure to effectively communicate and meet with [redacted] on their designated meeting dates..... this is well documented in email corrospondance between both SSA and myself and [redacted] and myself. 
The total cost for what Ray L[redacted] had promised and was a deciding factor is us choosing SSA is approximately $1200.... a pretty insignificant amount.  It was never about the cost of the items it was about SSA's honoring what their salesman promised.  If we choose to move forward it collecting it will not be through the Revdex.com. 
We absolutely paid what we owed.... we honor both our written and verbal contractual agreements.... which is why every business transaction we engage in is recorded.  
I was extremely difficult to try and get this resolved with all persons from SSA especially the owner. We, our concerns, were completely dismissed, our memories questioned and neither Ray L[redacted] nor SSA's owner took any action to remedy....only to defend themselves.  
We are exceptionally disappointed in our interactions with SSA office and sales personnel and while the building is up that is solely a result of their work crew.... the product itself was never a question.  While SSA stands by their product it is unfortunate they do not stand by their customers.  
Sincerely,[redacted]

Complaint ID [redacted]Revdex.com,
Attached is an email string between myself and the owner of Steel Structures America (SSA). In the email, SSA agrees to completing items we discussed in the on-site meeting; referenced in his Revdex.com response. Completion of all items on the list is pending. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:While we cannot agree on the specifics of the incident leading up to the cancellation, I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted].  We have entered into an agreement to have our money refunded and this resolution is satisfactory to me. Sincerely, [redacted]

Unfortunately our company does not agree with the customer that we guaranteed that we could use their existing site plan which is exactly why a consultant would be hired.  
We do believe that the customer is now in agreement that the issue has been resolved to their satisfaction outside of the Revdex.com

As Owner, I have personally contacted this customer by phone today.  I have an onsite meeting set tomorrow to go over this complaint and look forward in addressing the issue discussed in the customer's statement.  I will relate the conditions of the meeting with the Revdex.com promptly.

Review: Contacted ssa in regards to having a 20 x 40 pole building built on my property. Salesman came out and and we discussed the project. Explained that I wanted a building that I can insulate and sheetrock. Salesman talked about commercial girts and bottom loaded trusses which at an additional cost sounded like what I needed to accomplish what I had planned. I met with the salesman several times in regards to my project with the salesman not once informing me that there is no ceiling provided to hang sheetrock from. I requested from sales person that I wanted to see a finished project of ssa in the local area. After several days the salesman found an owner who would show their building. The building was not set up for sheetrock as I requested. The lumber was also a more usable quality for my project than what was used for mine. The salesman spoke of how quality orientated the crews were especially the one that did the project I viewed and was led to believe this crew would be doing my job. I found this not to be true after the contract was signed. On the day the building materials were delivered the salesman showed up long enough to put a sign on my property designating the location for the driver and that was the last time I saw the salesman for over a month. In the building package there was 2 damaged trusses to which I took photos of and sent an email with photos to the project manager who is located over a 100 miles away. Not once throughout this project did anyone address any problem or concern I had in person. I had to email and or phone to try and explain the problem. They replaced one truss and somehow decided the other cracked truss was usable.

SSA reserves the right to decide if the ground is to hard or rocky to use their bobcat for digging and will need to use "rented" jack hammers instead. When I questioned the salesman he stated that "sometimes" they needed to use them. I asked the crew leader on his thoughts and he responded that he believed half of the holes would be ok and most likely the others would need the jack hammers. They started on the softer area and then claimed the other partial holes were to hard for the bobcat. The crew leader let me know that he needed to go rent 2 jack hammers and I asked why did he not start on what he perceived to be the harder ground so that I could have went and rented the jack hammers, he had no answer but said he should go get them as his guys had nothing to do until he got back. I called the salesman about this and was basically told that" it was not his job to check their time card or monitor them" up until the contract was signed the salesman was johnny on the spot.They charge $35 an hour for each of 3 men or roughly $200 while he went to rent them. My bill for the few hours of actual work is just under $700 on top of everything else. When the county inspector stopped by the next morning to inspect the holes the crew wasn't even present so no work could be performed until the inspector came back to sign off on the excavation work. My neighbor and I did not appreciate the crew pitching half the rocks unto my neighbors property.

The actual building process takes only a few days as it is quantity and not a quality job. I have sent emails.photos and had to explain my concerns, as a live person representing the company is non existent. All the lumber and materials are set to make the job as fast as possible with no consideration for what will be done afterwards and it the afterwards that I based my decision on with ssa.It took considerable time and effort to have most of the problems dealt with and not all have been addressed 2 months later. I have built enough buildings including a house to know sub standard work . ssa has project managers but no quality assurance people that I am aware of. I have numerous photos of all the concerns. The building did not even pass the final county inspection for minimal requirements on the 1st attempt.

I now have a new regional supervisor, only identified as cj in yakima calling and threatning for non payment. It appears they have time to harrass but not time to check on the work. 85% of the bill has been paid immediately on request. I have spent $1000 to get to the point where I can sheetrock the inside.Desired Settlement: As I requested in a previous email to the project manager

1) a list of all building materials delivered for the project

2) a copy of materials deliverd from the concrete and gravel company

3) rental agreement from company jack hammers were rented from and time associated with workers

4) finish last few items

Business

Response:

To the Revdex.com:

It is unfortunate that Mr. [redacted] decided to make a Revdex.com complaint approximately 45 days after Steel Structures sent their final invoice only after SSA had to start the official lien process due to not receiving payment. We attempted to call, email, and communicate with Mr. [redacted] and did not receive any response so were forced to proceed with the lien process. It appears that the Revdex.com complaint was in part due to our increased effort to collect our final payment.

After receiving the complaint we immediately contacted Mr. [redacted] and I personally met Mr. [redacted] at his building on 11-19-14. After inspecting the building and reviewing the contract I believe that Steel Structures completely fulfilled the contract. Mr. [redacted] also did acknowledge that there was not a framed in ceiling on the contract and that is why there was not one installed. It is important to note that the building also passed the final inspection from Yakima County.

As per Mr. [redacted]’s desired settlement I did send Mr. [redacted] an email on 11-24-14 regarding the items he requested and also confirmed that once we receive final payment if he had any warranty issues we would warranty his building as per our signed contract.

[redacted], President

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Revdex.com,

On July 9, 2015, my wife and I met with Mark P[redacted] from Steel Structures of America to discuss building our barn ($33K). After working out all the details, Mark contacted Shawn S[redacted] (Owner) for permission to promise a 4 week start date and a 7-8 day build (working weekends). Permission was granted, we signed the contract and handed mark a 10K check for the first installment. Mark walked the construction site and informed me that I would need to clear the vegetation. No mention of site prep other than "clear the vegetation".
One week later we were contacted and informed that Steel Structures was behind schedule and they would have to push our start date 1 week - materials dropped August 11 and construction to begin August 12.
On August 10, 2015, I contacted Steel Structures to confirm the schedule. I spoke with Shawn S[redacted] (Owner). He informed me that they were behind schedule and and would like to push our start date to August 17. I told him that was unacceptable and that they'd already pushed us a week! I was then asked if I would like the good crew or the slow crew! Seriously, did you just ask me that? Without getting off the phone he told me he had it taken care of and they'd be there on August 12 to start construction.
On August 6, 2015 - Mark arrived to place flags at the corners of the structure
On August 11, 2015 - materials were dropped and Jeff [redacted] (General Manager) arrived at the door with his hand out for the next installment - another $10K check.
On August 12, 2015 - construction started
On August 13, 2015 - a jack hammer was delivered because of the Basalt (one week later invoices for $1K arrived for additional equipment/labor fees)($1K check)
On August 19, 2015 - concrete was finally poured (delayed because Steel Structures forgot the paper work for the inspector)
On August 21, 2015 - trusses were being assembled
On August 23, 2015 - I noticed one of the trusses had a crack running 36"
On August 24, 2015 - I notified crew of broken truss and they found another damaged truss
On August 25, 2015 - delivery driver arrived with two new trusses. Unfortunately, he took one damaged truss and one good truss with him
On August 26, 2015 - delivery driver arrived with the truss he mistakenly took the day before
On September 4, 2015 - man door was installed - 11" above grade. Ground was not level. I contacted Mark P[redacted] (first contact with Mark since August 6). I was informed that it was my job to grade job site. I was only told to clear the vegetation. No one told us different
On September 7, 2015 - I noticed the North side lean-to wasn't square
On September 8, 2015 - I notified the crew and was told they new how to fix it
On September 10, 2015 - I noticed the east side gable vent was off center by 2.5 inches and they was a large hump in the roof on the north side
On September 11, 2015 - I notified the crew and they asked me if I wanted it fixed! I said yes. They packed up all their things and said they were going to the next job site and would be back the following week to finish when the new materials were delivered. There was still plenty of work to be done, but they left!
On September 14, 2015 - materials were delivered and work began, again. Crew is stumped on how to transition the trim from building to lean-to, so they ask the delivery driver on ideas!
On September 15, 2015 - construction completed! I called Jeff G[redacted] (General Manager) with issues with the completed project. He agrees to come and see the finished building and the issues. Jeff [redacted] asks for last payment to show a sign of "Good Faith" before repairs - $11.5K check
They left 1200bf of Cedar for my wife and I to wrap the lean-to posts ourselves!
Job site cleanup was our responsibility - material scraps, crew garbage and nails everywhere. We have horses - nails around the barn is NOT good!
Not bad - 25 days to build my building! I was promised it would be completed in 7-8 days and the crew would work thru the weekend. This crew took weekends off and 25 days to build a barn. They were on our property for almost two months, for 4-8 hours a day with no restroom. No outhouse was delivered to the job sit.
Since completion - Steel Structures has been out to our barn every three weeks for repairs.
Repairs:
Screws - all screws on all four sides of the building were removed and replaced because they were overtightened. This was suppose to remove most of the dimpling from over tightening.
Water Leaks - water entering the building from around all three windows and from several screws on the south side of building. Siliconed around all the windows
Trim - wind ripped off two pieces of trim. Trim was replaced
Man Door - installed an inch higher than needed and not squared. Door wouldn't open unless you shoved on the door when opening/closing. Deadbolt still doesn't function properly.
Snow - snow entering the building on the south side from under the tin. Expanding foam was sprayed around the base of the building
Tin - tin was scratched in places during the build. There solution was to spray paint the tin!
The only good thing about this company is there Quality Control person - Billy (last name unknown) I contacted Billy directly for all repairs since the completion. Billy is the only person in Steel Structures of America to communicate with us on a regular basis. He arrived when stated or he'd notify me if his plans changed. I would not recommend this company to anyone - ever!

I should have hired a local, independent builder. Instead, I signed a contract with SSA for a 30x36 pole barn shop/garage on a concrete slab. They seemed irritated with me during the haggling process. We finally agreed on a price. The contract covered everything but the site excavation and electrical hookup. However, they lead you to believe that you must go with their concrete people. Wrong. Also, although the excavation company is up to you, they "recommend" their guy. Well, their guy estimated a price more than twice the cost of what I spent with an experienced local builder / excavator. Apparently, they were bitter about that, because after the tri-county region was hit with rapid snowmelt followed by heavy rain, they said they couldn't continue building until I " addressed the water drainage problem." The contract stated that my excavation needed to be within 3" of grade, so why did they begin work if it wasn't? Furthermore, the entire region was inundated with precipitation! How was this my fault? Nevertheless, I paid more money to have a soil burm built around the site to appease SSA. The worst part was when they said they hit rock while digging the post holes. They said it took $400 worth of extra labor to dig 13 of 14 holes, but a huge boulder had to be dug up for the last hole, costing another $400. I approved of the extra cost totaling $864. But when I asked the subcontractor in person, on site, where he put the "car-sized " boulder, he hesitated and pointed to an area nearby that was obviously not dug up. Shrubs were still rooted in the spot. I'm not stupid. So, what exactly did they do with that $400 boulder extraction. I suspect they never removed it, and spent little time chipping away at it enough to put in the post. In the end, Steel Structures America customer service is horridly unprofessional. At one point, I spoke on the phone with my salesman's "boss", asking him how much money he is actually " losing", when he said he was losing money on my project. He said he would send me an invoice of what SSA paid. He never did. I never went with their concrete provider, after a poorly written letter containing the ultimatum:" if you don't address the drainage issue, we won't guarantee the slab." Even after I sent my final payment, nobody contacted me for a follow up . They didn't care about my satisfaction. They got my money. But never again...

Review: As a professional in the building industry, I do not recommend hiring Steel Structures of America if you want a quality job, if you want a building built per the plans, or even if you want your job completed in a timely manner. I had several problems with this pole building contractor.

I prepared the site, myself, to prepare for the construction of the garage. It is customary in the building industry for the contractor to let the owner know when they will begin construction. I received no notice the contractor was arriving until the day they expected to begin construction; when I received a call while I was at work telling me to move my vehicle out of their way. The foreman proceeded to say that the site looked fine, and that I needn’t do any more work to prepare. The same day, I received a call from him saying that they would have to move the building two feet closer to the alley, which would not leave me enough room to park a vehicle in front of the building without encroaching on the alley. They also said the site wasn’t flat enough, or dug deep enough. They proceeded to tell me that they would have to charge me for this extra work and equipment. After deliberation, I agreed, as they said it was absolutely necessary.

I came home to find they had not leveled the site at all, but had turned the site into a series of large ruts and mounds of dirt and rock. A main root from the fifty foot spruce tree I had hoped to preserve was sticking straight up in the air and had been ripped off at the end. They had cut out a large chunk of my asphalt driveway and propped it up against my basalt fireplace, breaking off a large slab of rock.

I had made an agreement with the utility company to move my gas line, and after this was accomplished, I waited weeks before the contractor returned to my site to resume construction. Note, their salesman promised it would take five days to build. Again, they did not notify me they were coming back until I received yet another call at work chastising me to move my vehicle out of their way.

The location of the commercial-sized garage door was mis-located almost two feet off the mark, which makes the shop impossible to use as planned. There is no room to work at a workbench without pulling a vehicle out of the building. With this incorrect location of the door, it is almost impossible to back my trailer into the garage without jack knifing. I asked them to move the door to the location per the drawings, and they first told me they had to move it for structural reasons. When I again reminded them that I work very closely with structural engineers, the contractor just said they didn’t know why it wasn’t placed correctly, but that they would not move it, either. So, I’m stuck with a garage that doesn’t function.

There are two windows in this garage. The contractor asked if I really want the windows where they were drawn on the plan, because then I would be looking at my tree, as if that’s a bad thing. This is the same tree they partially uprooted and hacked away at without my permission. I said I want the building built, with all the doors and windows located just where I located them on the plan. I came home the next day to find one of the two windows installed on the opposite end of the shop from where it was drawn on the plan. I had to call the builder and tell him to relocate the window.

Meanwhile, the builder hacks off several branches of my spruce, and leaves them lying on the ground. I had to tell them to quit trimming my tree, especially since it was not necessary, and those branches would never grow back.

I waited at least three weeks from the time they closed in the building until they decided to come back and dig out the mess they made of the site to prepare the ground for the concrete floor in the shop. Supposedly, they smoothed out the dirt, compacted the soil properly, placed the reinforcing, and poured the slab in one morning.

The salesman promised that the apron would tie the building seamlessly into my existing asphalt driveway. They poured a curb, instead, and shifted it the wrong way in relation the door. I now had no way of tying my existing fence into the face of the building. When I called them on this, the contractor informed me that it wasn’t their responsibility to make the apron tie into the driveway. Excuse me, but if I can’t get into the building with a vehicle, the building is unusable. More of my asphalt driveway was removed and stacked up against my rock fireplace. And yet another concrete curb was poured in front of the shop. Meanwhile, there is a four month window in which one must distribute all the funds from the lender to the contractor. Needless to say, time was almost up. To bully me into giving them the rest of the money, the foreman promised to “make it right.” Saying that he didn’t trust me to reopen the loan and pay him after I was satisfied that the job was complete. I wrote an email to his company outlining all the problems during this project, and also said I expected a deep discount on the final cost of the building, as it was not built to the plans. I received a phone call from the foreman, who intimidated me into paying the full amount, minus the cost of extra site work that, remember, could have been avoided if they had bothered to look over the site before showing up to build. They received their final payment minutes before the loan expired. I regret giving them the last few thousand dollars, as they did not deliver what they promised. An asphalt company came and poured a little ramp from my driveway to the apron. In no way is it a smooth transition, and this winter, as expected, it was difficult to get up the slope they made into the shop without sliding into the door jamb. They did not clean up the site as promised, leaving the large chunks of asphalt against my fireplace and strewn about the back yard. They left an unopened bundle of extra lumber on my lawn, and when they finally hauled it away, the grass was dead.

Do not hire Steel Structures of America, unless you can be there to babysit them the whole time. They will not respect your property; will not build the structure as drawn; nor will they correct their mistakes – and there will be plenty of mistakes. All I wanted was a 24’x40’ garage with three doors and two windows. I paid a lot of money, and missed a lot of work, for something that still wasn’t built correctly.Desired Settlement: I would like Revdex.com to help me receive a substantial refund for the unsatisfactory and incorrect work performed by this business. I cannot use it for the purpose intended. They refused to correct the work, and then bullied me into paying the full amount, saying they would make the apron issue right and clean up their mess. The apron was not done to my satisfaction and they did not haul away the asphalt chunks and garbage.

I have progress photos of every stage of this project available for your reference. The building inspector also noted on his report that the door is located incorrectly. All the new growth on the spruce tree died, and I have yet to know if it will survive the abuse it endured at the contractor's hands. The rock fireplace also needs to be repaired, and there are still large chunks of asphalt in my yard that I cannot move. At some point, the driveway will have to be modified to create a less abrupt transition to the last apron they poured.

I am not satisfied with this company's work or its business practices, and believe I am entitled to a substantial refund.

Business

Response:

As Owner, I have personally contacted this customer by phone today. I have an onsite meeting set tomorrow to go over this complaint and look forward in addressing the issue discussed in the customer's statement. I will relate the conditions of the meeting with the Revdex.com promptly.

Consumer

Response:

Complaint ID [redacted]Revdex.com,

Attached is an email string between myself and the owner of Steel Structures America (SSA). In the email, SSA agrees to completing items we discussed in the on-site meeting; referenced in his Revdex.com response. Completion of all items on the list is pending.

Regards,