Stellar Construction Company, Inc.

6/20/14
Dear *** ***:We are confirming receipt of the reply to our complaint against Stellar Construction CompanyOur sole contact with Stellar Construction was through TJS***Even when we called the office number we never received a return callMrS*** response to our complaint does not answer several of the key issues that form the basis of our initial complaintWe are not addressing the difference between what Stellar Construction would have charged us for the demolition, cleaning, and restoration as compared to what it is now costing us because we are not asking for Stellar Construction to pay us for anything other than to refund what weve already paid them.Our list of complaints includes the following:
1. Not providing a written estimate or contract of the work to be doneNot replying to telephone calls and emails in a timely manner3. Reneging on the verbal agreement to do the entire remodel of the bathroom, mudroom, kitchen, and stairwell to the second floor which included demolition and cleaning of these areasBeyond the remodeling of the kitchen and bath, the agreement also included reconstruction and replacement of the exterior window and door at the rear of the house; removal of damaged vinyl siding and replacement; new doors to the bathroom, living room, mud room and basement stairwayIncluded also the removal of acoustic tile ceiling in the living room to be replaced by drywall, cleaning and sealing of interior walls and windows in the living room, and bedrooms upstairs; replacement of subfloor on first and second floor with a linoleum finist included removal of paneling in basement stairway and stairway up to the atticAlso included was cleaning of basement in areas affected by fire and addition of insulation to all exposed exterior walls and ceilingsIncluded was replacement of interior doors for bedrooms and atticIn the absence of their not providing a written contract, my memory may not have included everything
Stellar Construction did not provide any work in a timely manner and did not start the demolition until the second week of JanuaryThe fire occurred on NovWe met T.J S*** when he approached us in the backyard of the property on Nov5, He detailed all that he could do for us with the insurance company and with the reconstructionWe naively agreed and hired Stellar Construction on Nov5, We are just now, on June 19, completing the demolition work through a different companyCleaning has not yet startedReconstruction is weeks away
With Stellar Construction starting the demolition of the kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and living room, and with his sign posted at the front of our house, it is evident that we had an agreement with them and that it should not have been broken when they saw the work that had to be doneThe reneging of the agreement placed us at a considerable disadvantage and delay of getting the project completed with another contractorStellar did not do all the demolition that was required according to the insurance adjusterIt is costing us thousands in additional money to have a dumpster placed out front for a second time to complete the demolition
7.TJS*** said he could do all the work that was required for the money provided by the insurance company less the $1,deductibleHe did not follow through on that commitment, and actually told us in person at our house when we negotiated the $3,payoff for demolition on April 30, that he was way under what it would have cost to do the entire restoration job
8.This is a rental propertyThe insurance company reimbursed us for months and will not pay for more because they said the work should have been completed in that timeWe are now ending months of no rent coming in and will probably have more months of no rentThat alone comes to $2,
Someone from Stellar, during the demolition, turned off the circuit breakers to a detached garageThat caused a heat tape around the water pipe feed in the garage to be deactivated and the pipe froze and burst, consequently flooding the first floor of the 2-story garage
Stellar's equipment is still at our rental propertyWe have made arrangements with T.JS*** at least times for it to be picked upWeve moved it in and out of the house, expecting it to be picked up, at least timesTypically, we are ignoredSince we started this project with Stellar we received a magazine from *** Insurance called *** sense Spring In the article titled Does Your Contractor Measure Up? Help to avoid contractor fraud with these tips" by *** *** ***, we are advised to get a detailed quote that itemizes material and laborGet a contract detailing the cost, work to be done, time schedules, guarantees, payment schedules and other expectations.” The article goes on to point out Red Flags: Avoids giving you a written contract; goes door-to-door; lists a P.OBox instead of a street address; offers to pay your insurance deductibleUnfortunately, for us, we received the magazine too late.It is our belief that the owner of the company, Anthony S***, would have conducted this work in an honest and forthright mannerWe entered into this contract expecting to be treated honestly, timely, and fairlyWe have only experienced delay and deceitfulnessWe regret that we have had to file this complaint, but feel compelled to do so.Respectfully submitted,

June 30, 2014Dear [redacted]:
We received your letter dated June 20 on the above complaintWe are requesting, for a 2nd time, a copy of this estimate so we can address this customers concerns.It is important for us to go over everything on this estimate to address all their issues. It is only fair that we see the whole picture of what this customers complaints are so we can address them accordingly.Thank you for Your attention in this matter,
Anthony * S.

Review: We had a kitchen fire in a rental property on Nov.4, 2013 which caused a great deal of destruction to the kitchen along with severe smoke and soot damage throughout the house. Stellar Construction, represented by T.J. S[redacted], met us in the backyard of the property the day after the fire and said that he could represent us to the insurance company, and that he would waive the $1000 deductible. I am 73 years old and a severe asthmatic and could not go into the house where the fire occurred. We were bewildered and didn't know what to do next, so we accepted his offer. Due to my health issues, we were set to go to Florida for the winter at the end of November and T.J. S[redacted] said we should keep our plans and he would take care of everything. Our son lived in the house and could act as a liaison for us. We met with T.J. S[redacted] at our home to plan with Stellar exactly what was to be done. We wanted to upgrade the rental house and bring it up to code, change some room arrangements, along with adding insulation to the outer walls. T.J. started at the front door and told us exactly what he would do throughout the house. He verbally agreed to making all the changes on the first floor and to bring the bedrooms upstairs to a livable and odor-free condition and stay within the $38,000 the insurance had allowed, plus extra for electrical code upgrades. We never received a written contract stating what work would be done, nor what the code upgrades would cost. We left for Florida and kept inquiring through November and December as to when the work would begin. We seldom got a reply to emails or telephone calls. We called the borough zoning office to inquire if the permits had been issued. The permits had been applied for but never picked up. Finally, in mid-January we were informed that demolition was going to begin. Our son told us that Stellar was refusing to demolish the stairwell walls as was recommended by the insurance company. Stellar said we would run into other electrical issues involving the adjoining house. We re-asserted that the stairwell wall needed to be removed and we would pay for any additional electrical issues with the neighbor. We also decided that the upstairs walls and ceiling should be demolished and asked for an estimate to do that additional work. Several emails and telephone calls for an estimate went unanswered. Meanwhile, Stellar Construction proceeded with the demolition of most of the downstairs involving the kitchen, dining room, bathroom and part of the living room. Stellar still refused to remove the plaster walls and ceiling from the stairwell. Someone from the Stellar crew turned off the circuit breakers for the garage resulting in the heat tape for the water pipe in the garage to be deactivated and the pipe freezing and bursting, and ultimately flooding the lower level of the 2-story garage (we didn't know that until we came back home in April). We finally received a printed email estimate for the upstairs work and were willing to pay the additional cost of $16,000. Still, T.J. S[redacted] would not provide a written estimate and detailed account of the work we wanted completed nor a TOTAL COST ESTIMATE FOR THE ENTIRE HOUSE PROJECT. No estimate of the code upgrades was provided. In desperation, I contacted our insurance adjuster and asked him to call T.J. S[redacted] and have Stellar send us an estimate for the entire job. Our attempts to secure an estimate from Stellar went all the way through to February 18, 2014, when T.J. S[redacted] sent this email statement: "After talking to my boss we have decided that your reconstruction project would not be something we would be interested in doing. To date we have done the demo at a cost of $5,333.00 at this point we are asking that you pay us the $5,333.00 for demo and the rest of the money is for you to do what you want at your home." Keep in mind this was almost 4 months after we first met with Stellar and he assured us that he would do the restoration work. No formal bill on Stellar letterhead was received and I refused to pay anything until a detailed account of the demolition costs was provided. Now we were in a quandary because I could not return home to the winter in Pennsylvania due to my health limitations - asthma and leukemia. Stellar's backing out of the restoration project put us at a severe disadvantage because we would have to start all over again with a different restoration company. We came home on April 17 and determined that we had to settle the account with Stellar before we signed a contract with a new company. We met with T.J. Stellar at our house on April 30, 2014 and negotiated a price of $3,900 for the demolition work just so we could start over with a new company as soon as possible. We didn't realize, until a new contractor looked at what had been done, that there were several areas still left to be demolished. We would have to pay for a dumpster all over again and additional demolition charges to complete what Stellar should have done.

There were several choices allowed in the "PRIMARY NATURE OF YOUR COMPLAINT" section. Several of the choices applied to this complaint: Failure to honor a contract or agreement; Failure to respond to phone calls or written requests for assistance or support; Unreasonable or excessive delay in completing repair; Failure to provide an invoice or estimate for repair upon request; Failure to honor a repair estimate or agreement.

If necessary, I am able to provide all the emails and telephone records to verify my complaint.Desired Settlement: We feel that Stellar Construction has cost us a great deal of time, money, and frustration. The property to be repaired is a rental property and we are losing the monthly rent from it. The new restoration company estimates it will cost $73,000 to put the house back to the way it was before the fire and without any changes or additions; and that the job may not be completed before August. We feel that T.J. Stellar agreed to do the entire house job for the $38,000 in insurance money and should be held to that agreement (he told us at our house on April 30, that his estimate was far too low). In lieu of that not happening, we feel that T.J. Stellar should give us a full refund of $3,900 to help complete the job he contracted to do but backed out on.

Business

Response:

June 17, 2014Dear [redacted],At this time, we are confirming our receipt of the letter of complaint on the above complaint number.At this point – before we can move on with our defense on this, we would request a copy of the work estimate for the $73,000.00 from this customer to substantiate the initial insurance coverage amount of $38,000.00 on this claim.If you could please provide us with this estimate so we can provide you a valid description of the discrepancies of this complaint.Thank you for your immediate response on this,Anthony * S.

Consumer

Response:

6/20/14 Dear [redacted]:We are confirming receipt of the reply to our complaint against Stellar Construction Company. Our sole contact with Stellar Construction was through T. J. S[redacted]. Even when we called the office number we never received a return call. Mr. S[redacted] response to our complaint does not answer several of the key issues that form the basis of our initial complaint. We are not addressing the difference between what Stellar Construction would have charged us for the demolition, cleaning, and restoration as compared to what it is now costing us because we are not asking for Stellar Construction to pay us for anything other than to refund what weve already paid them.Our list of complaints includes the following:1. Not providing a written estimate or contract of the work to be done.2. Not replying to telephone calls and emails in a timely manner.3. Reneging on the verbal agreement to do the entire remodel of the bathroom, mudroom, kitchen, and stairwell to the second floor which included demolition and cleaning of these areas. Beyond the remodeling of the kitchen and bath, the agreement also included reconstruction and replacement of the exterior window and door at the rear of the house; removal of damaged vinyl siding and replacement; new doors to the bathroom, living room, mud room and basement stairway. Included also the removal of acoustic tile ceiling in the living room to be replaced by drywall, cleaning and sealing of interior walls and windows in the living room, and 2 bedrooms upstairs; replacement of subfloor on first and second floor with a linoleum finish. It included removal of paneling in basement stairway and stairway up to the attic. Also included was cleaning of basement in areas affected by fire and addition of insulation to all exposed exterior walls and ceilings. Included was replacement of interior doors for bedrooms and attic. In the absence of their not providing a written contract, my memory may not have included everything. 4. Stellar Construction did not provide any work in a timely manner and did not start the demolition until the second week of January. The fire occurred on Nov. 4. We met T.J. S[redacted] when he approached us in the backyard of the property on Nov. 5, 2013. He detailed all that he could do for us with the insurance company and with the reconstruction. We naively agreed and hired Stellar Construction on Nov. 5, 2013. We are just now, on June 19, 2014 completing the demolition work through a different company. Cleaning has not yet started. Reconstruction is weeks away. 5. With Stellar Construction starting the demolition of the kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and living room, and with his sign posted at the front of our house, it is evident that we had an agreement with them and that it should not have been broken when they saw the work that had to be done. The reneging of the agreement placed us at a considerable disadvantage and delay of getting the project completed with another contractor.6. Stellar did not do all the demolition that was required according to the insurance adjuster. It is costing us thousands in additional money to have a dumpster placed out front for a second time to complete the demolition. 7.T. J. S[redacted] said he could do all the work that was required for the money provided by the insurance company less the $1,000 deductible. He did not follow through on that commitment, and actually told us in person at our house when we negotiated the $3,900 payoff for demolition on April 30, that he was way under what it would have cost to do the entire restoration job. 8.This is a rental property. The insurance company reimbursed us for 4 months and will not pay for more because they said the work should have been completed in that time. We are now ending 4 months of no rent coming in and will probably have 2 more months of no rent. That alone comes to $2,400. 9. Someone from Stellar, during the demolition, turned off the circuit breakers to a detached garage. That caused a heat tape around the water pipe feed in the garage to be deactivated and the pipe froze and burst, consequently flooding the first floor of the 2-story garage. 10. Stellar's equipment is still at our rental property. We have made arrangements with T.J. S[redacted] at least 4 times for it to be picked up. Weve moved it in and out of the house, expecting it to be picked up, at least 4 times. Typically, we are ignored.Since we started this project with Stellar we received a magazine from [redacted] Insurance called [redacted] sense Spring 14. In the article titled Does Your Contractor Measure Up? Help to avoid contractor fraud with these tips" by [redacted], we are advised to get a detailed quote that itemizes material and labor. Get a contract detailing the cost, work to be done, time schedules, guarantees, payment schedules and other expectations.” The article goes on to point out Red Flags: Avoids giving you a written contract; goes door-to-door; lists a P.O. Box instead of a street address; offers to pay your insurance deductible. Unfortunately, for us, we received the magazine too late.It is our belief that the owner of the company, Anthony S[redacted], would have conducted this work in an honest and forthright manner. We entered into this contract expecting to be treated honestly, timely, and fairly. We have only experienced delay and deceitfulness. We regret that we have had to file this complaint, but feel compelled to do so.Respectfully submitted,

Business

Response:

June 30, 2014Dear [redacted]:We received your letter dated June 20 on the above complaintWe are requesting, for a 2nd time, a copy of this estimate so we can address this customers concerns.It is important for us to go over everything on this estimate to address all their issues. It is only fair that we see the whole picture of what this customers complaints are so we can address them accordingly.Thank you for Your attention in this matter,Anthony * S.

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] Review: 10089305I am rejecting this response because: Mr. Stellar refuses to answer the several points of the complaint against Stellar Construction. Please see my response below.