Stripe-A-Lot, Inc.

Complaints *** * *** are one in the same as the "railroad timbers" mentioned in both complaints are the same specific landscaping railroad tiesAfter receiving the above complaint from these neighbors we visited the site and took
photos that show no damage to either customers' propertyAdditionally, the railroad timbers are not owned nor were they purchased by either of the complainants' - they are original landscaping ornaments purchased by the community's original developerAll of the residents of the *** Community have paid on time and were very pleased with the asphalt work we completed for their neighborhoodThe other two neighbors who share the same railroad timbers that act as dividers for each land owner's property also support the fact that their is no damageIn response to the billing complaints; all of the *** Community residents signed proposals which clearly state "50% down/50% due upon completion" and all of the *** Community residents adhered to this payment scheduleAs a company we have exhausted all rational efforts to resolve this issue but feel that these two residents simply don't want to pay for the services provided
Stripe-A-Lot

I am in receipt of your letter concerning our customer Mrand Mrs***We propose per our estimate to remove the existing asphalt surface of drivewayWhen removing the 2" of asphalt surface, we discovered that there was an old concrete driveway under the asphalt surfaceThe old concrete
driveway was deteriorated and moving in many areas due to sub-base failureIn order to install the new driveway in the proper manor, we would have to remove the old concrete surfaceWe would then have to undercut the existing sub-base (soil) to accommodate 6" of crusher run stone and to compact itWe brought this to the homeowner's attention and gave them an estimate for additional workThe customers chose not to accept the proposal for additional work, also not accepting to the cost associated with it
They chose to allow us to go ahead with repaving the driveway over the old, deteriorating concrete drivewayWe did warn them that we can't guarantee what could happen to the new asphalt driveway if we install it over the concrete drivewayThe crew had to be careful with installing the new asphalt driveway over the concrete because the concrete surface was moving and soft in many areas Due to the movement of the old concrete, we had to recompact and regrade the asphalt in some areasWhen we finished installing the asphalt driveway, we asked the homeowners to stay off their new driveway for a few daysThis would have allowed the driveway to tighten up in the soft areasThe customer was upset because there were marks from vehicle tires on the asphalt, called power steering marks, which happens on new asphalt driveways when vehicles make the turn to go into a garageThis is and should wear awayAlso when the weather is very hot, the driveway will get soft in some areas and cause power steering marksAs driveways wear in and are exposed to a few rain days, the driveway will be goodUnfortunately this happens to asphalt driveways until it has completely curedStructurally the driveway is in good condition, there may be some small rough areas due to the crew working asphalt into the previous soft spots in the concrete driveway
The customers contacted our office about their concerns and we responded with sending out the estimator originally responsible for the projectThe homeowners then verbally attacked said estimator, *** ***, by yelling and screaming at himIt was completely unacceptable of the customersWe did inform the homeowners that within time the asphalt would wear in, giving the circumstances we were given to work with
Please find a copy of our estimate that we gave Mrand Mrs***

Our final response:
Our company has exercised diligence in trying to satisfy this customer, as we do with all of our customersWe presented the customer with a thorough plan and proposal to properly remove and replace their existing drivewayAgainst our expertise judgment, the customer decided not to follow our proposal but requested different servicesWe completed the job exactly how the customer requested?We stand by our initial proposal and our first response to their complaint
Have a wonderful day,
*** ** ***
*** *** *** * *** ***
** *** *** *** ** ***
*** *** *** *** *** ***

Very professional and responsive! Called with an immediate need to have several retail stores sealcoated and re-stripedStripe-A-Lot was all over it! Great communication and outstanding customer service!

Good Morning, We have reached out to the customer but the phone line is not picked up and there is no voicemail set upI have sent an email now to try and get a meeting scheduled with the customer and the owner.
"">Kind Regards, [redacted]

Complaints [redacted] [redacted] are one in the same as the "railroad timbers" mentioned in both complaints are the same specific landscaping railroad ties. After receiving the above complaint from these neighbors we visited the site and took photos...

that show no damage to either customers' property. Additionally, the railroad timbers are not owned nor were they purchased by either of the complainants' - they are original landscaping ornaments purchased by the community's original developer. All of the residents of the [redacted] Community have paid on time and were very pleased with the asphalt work we completed for their neighborhood. The other two neighbors who share the same railroad timbers that act as dividers for each land owner's property also support the fact that their is no damage. In response to the billing complaints; all of the [redacted] Community residents signed proposals which clearly state "50% down/50% due upon completion" and all of the [redacted] Community residents adhered to this payment schedule. As a company we have exhausted all rational efforts to resolve this issue but feel that these two residents simply don't want to pay for the services provided.
Stripe-A-Lot

Hired Stripe A Lot to install a new asphalt driveway. In doing so they damaged my garage by denting the trim with their machine as well as other damages to my property. They showed up when they wanted to, at what time they wanted to. One day at 630 am! When confronted with the damages, the "boss" said he would have his lawyers look into my complaint and I would be sued for fees. I won in court. I proved they damaged my property. I found some of the personnel to be rude and abrupt. I would not hire this company again.

We provided Mr. [redacted] with a solution to help resolve his concerns. We have gone out to the property to try and explain that with the area he is expressing concern for, the problem would more likely be from an object or issue coming up from under the sub base. The scope of work that was completed by Advanced Paving Services/Stripe-A-Lot, Inc. did not involve the original sub base. The idea that the water that is protruding in this specific area is from a bad mix of asphalt is not likely as you would see this in more then one space of the driveway. We are happy to dig up this specific area to see what exactly is going on. If it were to be found that the asphalt was bad for whatever reason we are prepared to  patch this area and complete an overlay of the driveway which would provide Mr. [redacted] a new seamless driveway. However, if the issue is to be found from another cause outside of our scope of work we would not be able to be liable and would need to be financially compensated for any repair or future work.  
We are confident that we have completed the work per the scope of work agreed upon and would honor any warranty that would be proven to be needed. If Mr. [redacted] would like to work this out with us we are happy to do what we can to satisfy our customer.

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.
The Owner of Stripe-A-Lot is making this up. The railroad ties are the owners and responsibility of the two parties mentioned, myself and my neighbor. He has no idea. The railroad ties were replaced three years ago by the owners of the property. They sat on top of the asphalt, not in it and broken as they are now. Let us see the photos he took before the damage. Let us see the pictures. We would be glad to show the paperwork on who owns this property. It is the property that sits between the 2 driveways that they asphalted.  I have paid the full amount due.
[redacted] 
 
[redacted] Please tell us what we need to do to get this taken care of. I am not shocked by his remarks. He was not a nice person when he came to look at the area. I don't know why he won't accept responsibility for what his crew did. Please help.
Photos are attached in the document provided.
My phone number is [redacted]
again--  It's not that I don't want to pay--I have paid my bill in full-- I don't want to be taken advantage of because I am a woman and I expect people to take responsibility for their actions.
Sincerely and Thank you.

Mr. [redacted], 
We are sorry to see that there is frustration and un-satisfaction of your driveway. While Mother Nature is a huge dictator in our business we were unable to complete the paving portion of your driveway immediately after the removal of the old asphalt due to the continuous...

rain. This is all for the structure of your current sub-base. Once a driveway is exposed and the remaining exposed sub-base is rolled, we must make sure the is completely dry before laying new asphalt down. Once we had this completely dry we came back to install the new asphalt driveway. We are aware there was a delay in the asphalt delivery which caused the bump in which you referred to. As soon as this was brought to our attention we were able to send men out again to heat up that asphalt and tamper down that bump, making it all one elevation. At this point everyone was satisfied and payment was released. 
Again you had come to APS with concerns of water you were seeing. After the owner had met with you on site again looking into this issue, it was our concern that this could indeed be something larger then it appeared. We explained to you that we may need to dig up the portion of the driveway to expose the root of this problem. We are happy to honor our one year material and workmanship warranty if and when it is ever called for. However, as we explained this may be beyond that. We are possibly looking that a root below ground could be pushing moister and water up through your sub-base or something to this nature. Unfortunately, as all renovations go once something is opened up after many years problems that were unseen prior can now be exposed. However, our goal is to always make sure our customers are satisfied and we come up with a solution to fit your needs.
As proposed to you, we would like to dig up this area to see what exactly is going. If we exposed that there was a material and/or workmanship error we will gladly fix this at no charge to you. On the other hand, if there is an issued that is beyond that we will work with you to come up with a solution and provide you with a proposal to fix this issue.
We hope that we an come to a solution and make you part of our many satisfied customers.

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.
After giving us a written contract which provides us with a 1 year Guarantee on Workmanship and Materials, their crew removed our existing asphalt driveway.
At this point their crew discovered the partial remains of a concrete driveway under the asphalt driveway. Then their crew left our job for the day, and  we expected to see them return the next day to finish the job. The next day passed and our driveway remained unfinished, and we heard nothing from them. Finally, [redacted] informed us that there would be an additional cost of $2000 to remove of the the partial concrete driveway which their crew discovered.
So we examined the concrete and drove over it, and decided that it was solid, stable and not shifting. Therefore, we decided not to have that small area of concrete removed  due to added cost to the estimate. [redacted] never informed us that  failure to remove the concrete would created a substandard paving job.
 
Customer's wife observed that their crew returned and the proceeded to lay the asphalt, without putting any crusher run stone down in areas that had a soft base. The crew mistakenly left the top section of the driveway unpaved even after a crew removed the blacktop from that area days before.
In addition they failed to pave over the curb to the street as stated in the contract.
Customer's wife told the crew that those areas needed to be paved per the contract.
Their crew then had to drive back over the soft asphalt to correct their error at the top section of the driveway. The fact that their crew had to drive back over the soft asphalt to complete the job leads us to conclude poor planning & communication in their crews difficulties in paving the driveway.
Other possible causes of poor workmanship include: inferior hot asphalt mix (not heated properly), absence of crusher stone for base, failure to compact driveway adequately, failure to review appearance of job at its completion.
The top section of the driveway, near the garage is rough and has softer spots where stone is still loose.
In fact, the area covering the old concrete section is the best part of the new paving job. 
We have had previous experience (good) with asphalt driveway replacements and this is poor workmanship. Some of the driveway is satisfactory, and if  their crew had proceeded with standard installation materials and paid attention to detail it is possible the job would have been acceptable.
This issue needs to be resolved before the 1 year Workmanship and Materials Guarantee expires that was on the original signed contract. No written changes were ever made to our signed contract.
We are not happy with the job done by APS, Stripe-A-Lot, and question their desire and/or ability to satisfactorily make good on their guarantee.
 
Our landscaper witnessed our conversation about the appearance of the driveway.
He agreed that the driveway was a poor job by APS, Stripe-A-Lot and that the asphalt used was inferior. The landscaper critiqued the work based on his previous experience in driveways installations.
He stated that the mix was wrong or not compacted correctly leading to a poor installation.
 
When [redacted] came over to inspect the job we showed him the problems we were having with the driveway. Once at the job site he tried to convince us that it was a good paving job.
When we objected and stated that it was unacceptable, he began making excuses for the poor workmanship. He claimed it just needed more time to dry and harden and then suggested sealing it but was unable to assure us that this would solve our problem. So, we agreed to stay off the driveway for the weekend to let it have more time to harden. [redacted] agreed to contact us after the weekend to discuss what APS would do to fix our driveway. As of this date no one from APS has ever contacted us in any manner. The experts say not to seal a new asphalt driveway for a minimum of 6 months because it does not allow a driveway to cure properly and would not fix the rough pavement issues.
Sealing the driveway does not fix poor materials and poor workmanship. It will only relieve APS, Stripe-A-Lot, from their responsibility to provide quality work now and into the future.
We believe APS knew the quality of the driveway was not one they wished any of our neighbors to remember them for so no company sign was ever put up at our job.
 
At this point we would prefer that the APS, Stripe-A-Lot accept that the driveway is beyond seal coating as a solution. This driveway needs to be removed and repaved.
Due to their poor installation,  and lack of customer contact we would prefer that APS, Stripe-A lot not fulfill the original contract, and that the contract be considered null and void. This agreement needs to be written and signed by the Owner of APS, Stripe-A-Lot. In Conclusion, APS, Stripe-A-Lot owes us nothing and we owe them nothing. If APS, Stripe-A-Lot agrees to this compromise we will be willing to withdraw our complaint.
Once this issue is resolved we can find another contractor to completely replace the new driveway.
 
 
Thank you for addressing this complaint, hopefully it can be resolved soon.

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.
The proposal states if APS finds something in the sub base or ground that is causing the issue, I must pay to fix it. However, if nothing is found, there is nothing offered by the business in return for the inconvenience of digging up the driveway again, looking for water, and then patching the driveway. I have spoken to the owner about this proposal and when completed, I will now have a new driveway with two hard seams that over time will present other issues. It is clear that the business owner and I will not be able to agree on a resolution. He states the driveway is good and that "they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time" when it comes to the issue in the complaint. Also, "it isn't happening" when it comes to getting money back. When you invest $4K in a new driveway you expect it to perform in any weather condition, not have any visible seams, and last for 4-6 years. There is no confidence in this driveway will meet these expectations. We would like to have a 3rd party involved via ArbiClaim to help resolve this dispute before any more work is performed. Please let us know if you initiate that process or do I. It also maybe time to speak to the local news media per your option on the complaint to let other Delaware Consumers know what they may run into when dealing with this business. Thanks for your assistance in this matter.
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Hello this is our final response:   We completed asphalt work for the entire community that [redacted] lives in. Everyone has paid and is very happy with the work we completed. We did not damaged any parts of the property. No one else has complained, including the community's civic/housing association.     [redacted] Advanced Paving Services / Stripe-A-Lot Inc. 55 Germay Drive, Wilmington, DE 19804 Phone (302) 654-9175 Fax: (302) 654-2082

Review: Had Driveway removed and replaced by Advanced Paving Systems, Stripe-A-Lot, Inc.

Asphalt is loose near entrance to garage.

Salesman came out to inspect the job.

I pointed out the issue with the asphalt.

He suggested that we give that section of driveway 3 more days before driving on it again.

I told him that the asphalt mix was deficient, not enough oil (glue) in the mix.

Or that the asphalt was not compacted properly.

Either way the job was unsatisfactory and we were not happy with the job.Desired Settlement: We would prefer that they reimburse us for the cost we will incur to have the driveway repaved

or fixed correctly by a different contractor.

Business

Response:

I am in receipt of your letter concerning our customer Mr. and Mrs. [redacted]. We propose per our estimate to remove the existing asphalt surface of driveway. When removing the 2" of asphalt surface, we discovered that there was an old concrete driveway under the asphalt surface. The old concrete driveway was deteriorated and moving in many areas due to sub-base failure. In order to install the new driveway in the proper manor, we would have to remove the old concrete surface. We would then have to undercut the existing sub-base (soil) to accommodate 6" of crusher run stone and to compact it. We brought this to the homeowner's attention and gave them an estimate for additional work. The customers chose not to accept the proposal for additional work, also not accepting to the cost associated with it.

They chose to allow us to go ahead with repaving the driveway over the old, deteriorating concrete driveway. We did warn them that we can't guarantee what could happen to the new asphalt driveway if we install it over the concrete driveway. The crew had to be careful with installing the new asphalt driveway over the concrete because the concrete surface was moving and soft in many areas Due to the movement of the old concrete, we had to recompact and regrade the asphalt in some areas. When we finished installing the asphalt driveway, we asked the homeowners to stay off their new driveway for a few days. This would have allowed the driveway to tighten up in the soft areas. The customer was upset because there were marks from vehicle tires on the asphalt, called power steering marks, which happens on new asphalt driveways when vehicles make the turn to go into a garage. This is normal and should wear away. Also when the weather is very hot, the driveway will get soft in some areas and cause power steering marks. As driveways wear in and are exposed to a few rain days, the driveway will be good. Unfortunately this happens to asphalt driveways until it has completely cured. Structurally the driveway is in good condition, there may be some small rough areas due to the crew working asphalt into the previous soft spots in the concrete driveway.

The customers contacted our office about their concerns and we responded with sending out the estimator originally responsible for the project. The homeowners then verbally attacked said estimator, [redacted], by yelling and screaming at him. It was completely unacceptable of the customers. We did inform the homeowners that within time the asphalt would wear in, giving the circumstances we were given to work with.

Please find a copy of our estimate that we gave Mr. and Mrs. [redacted].

Review: I live in [redacted] Community in North Wilmington. Stripe-A-Lot was chosen by some neighbors to redo the asphalt. Since the townhomes sit next to each other, along with the driveways, everyone had to participate . The money paid before the start of the project was $550.00 each home and the other half when the work was completed. Between two sets of 4 driveways each is a garden area that separates the 8 driveways in two. The garden area is 12'X8'*. When the workers were applying the asphalt they actually partially buried the wood landscape timbers that acts as a border to the garden and pushed the timbers where they are now uneven and broken in places. The owner came out and looked at it and said "they're old". Actually they are only 2 years old--and what should that matter anyway-- if they broke them -they need to be replaced and unburied. All we want (another neighbor and I share this garden which is one of the centerpieces of the neighborhood-- is to have it back in the condition it was before they started working on it. The owner refused, he was condescending and rude. We told him, when he fixed the garden borders, we would give him the remaining payment. He replied that he would put a lien on our houses. In addition-- they showed up out her with a one hours notice (many of us had given the deposit months ago) and when he sent the payment due bill-- it said it had to be paid in 10 days from the date they started the work or they would assess interest. There was nothing ever written on the original contract I signed about that--just the bill he just sent out. The just completed the driveways last week and we were allowed to park in them Tuesday of this week-- and the bill is due the 16th of Sept. He made the bill on the date they started and not on the completion date--and isn't 30 days the normal rule of thumb for payment? Anyway, being a woman-- I feel if I was a man I would have been treated differently. He was horrible, really and I saw that he had an A plus rating on your site. I am shocked by his behavior and would like some input on your behalf to help us with this situation. If a contractor damages and changes something during their job-- they obviously need to be responsible to fix it.Desired Settlement: As above, My neighbor and I would like the timbers he pushed and broke with a back hoe or whatever it was replace and the timbers they partially buried dug out and replaced.-Before they sat on top of the asphalt--not in it.

We would like to pay him the balance due, each of us owing $550.00 without penalties after the garden area is back in the condition it was before they were here.

Thank you so much for your help.

I work from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm-- you may leave a message on my phone or a text.

We so appreciate your help. Sincerely-- neighbors at [redacted]

Business

Response:

Complaints [redacted] are one in the same as the "railroad timbers" mentioned in both complaints are the same specific landscaping railroad ties. After receiving the above complaint from these neighbors we visited the site and took photos that show no damage to either customers' property. Additionally, the railroad timbers are not owned nor were they purchased by either of the complainants' - they are original landscaping ornaments purchased by the community's original developer. All of the residents of the [redacted] Community have paid on time and were very pleased with the asphalt work we completed for their neighborhood. The other two neighbors who share the same railroad timbers that act as dividers for each land owner's property also support the fact that their is no damage. In response to the billing complaints; all of the [redacted] Community residents signed proposals which clearly state "50% down/50% due upon completion" and all of the [redacted] Community residents adhered to this payment schedule. As a company we have exhausted all rational efforts to resolve this issue but feel that these two residents simply don't want to pay for the services provided.

Stripe-A-Lot

Consumer

Response:

Review: I live at [redacted], Wilmington, DE. Stripe-A-Lot was contracted to redo the asphalt. We have a large tree in front of my home and in front of [redacted]. The tree is surrounded by landscape timbers. During the course of applying the asphalt the workers had destroyed our timbers with their equipment. Some timbers were completely broken up and some were buried halfway under the asphalt. I contacted [redacted] and he stated that one of our neighbors had looked at it and said it was fine. This is not true. We asked the neighbors and they said no. All our neighbors are in agreement that his workers damaged the timbers. I called several times and he finally met us in front of our houses. We showed him everything and all he kept saying was the wood is "old". The wood is not old. The previous owner of my home and my neighbor had placed the timbers about 3 years ago. What difference does that make if the wood is old or not. You don't go ahead and destroy it. I showed him a big gash in the retaining wall in front of my neighbor's home and he said the same thing. The wood is "old". We asked him to replace the timbers and put it back in its original state but he refused. We told him that we would withhold the 2nd installment and he said that he would call his lawyers and put a lien on our house. I don't know whether or not that's possible but I got very worried and I released the 2nd installment. I am a senior citizen and I don't have the money to replace the timbers and also he has caused me a lot of stress. He was very rude and condescending and raising his voice at us. You would think that whatever the contractor damages it should be replaced. I can't see how he has an A+ rating judging by his attitude, disrespect and service to a consumer.Desired Settlement: We would like the garden timbers to be replaced since it will be impossible to try and fix them and also an apology for his rudeness and threatening tone. Thank you for your assistance - From a very upset senior citizen.

Business

Response:

Complaints [redacted] are one in the same as the "railroad timbers" mentioned in both complaints are the same specific landscaping railroad ties. After receiving the above complaint from these neighbors we visited the site and took photos that show no damage to either customers' property. Additionally, the railroad timbers are not owned nor were they purchased by either of the complainants' - they are original landscaping ornaments purchased by the community's original developer. All of the residents of the [redacted] Community have paid on time and were very pleased with the asphalt work we completed for their neighborhood. The other two neighbors who share the same railroad timbers that act as dividers for each land owner's property also support the fact that their is no damage. In response to the billing complaints; all of the [redacted] Community residents signed proposals which clearly state "50% down/50% due upon completion" and all of the [redacted] Community residents adhered to this payment schedule. As a company we have exhausted all rational efforts to resolve this issue but feel that these two residents simply don't want to pay for the services provided.

Stripe-A-Lot