Trusty Builders Inc

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I am truly sorry for my delay in writing my response. I had many dozens of emails to wade through as well as track down data that I had on a hard disk in Japan. Unfortunately, I could only find less than half of what I was looking for. Still, it is overwhelming evidence that Trusty Builder’s is unreliable.I was a very patient and understanding customer. In fact, I was too nice about everything. As *** mentioned in his reply, my complaint is regarding the second bath remodel he did for me. I should have learned my lesson after the first remodel (completed on June 6, at a cost of $9,210). Back in 2014, *** was hired to do a bath remodel. During the process, he found knob-and-tube *** wiring in the bathroom. He said these needed to be upgraded. *** and his employee, ***, checked the main box, checked the attic and *** gave me an estimate of $650, no more than $to fix the wiring for the bathroom. It was at this time that I noticed *** was having troubles with his employees.Without permission, they opened up part of the wall next to the *** box and discovered what they claimed to be illegal wiring. In retrospect, I should have stopped them right there. They had no right to open that wall. Soon after this, *** and his brother quit on ***. I gave *** the benefit of the doubt and thought most of the troubles were caused by his employees. Being a trusting person, I believed him when he said my house needed a whole house rewire. Now, he was going to have to open holes throughout my house in order to access the wiring. (This added another $6,to my project and was completed on August 20, 2014). My poor tenants had to endure an extended period of construction. On top of this, the *** job proved to be too difficult for ***. He had to outsource the job to another company, S.E*** Services. The worst part of all, my tenants were robbed during this construction period. My tenants and I were always suspicious of ***’s crew. Despite getting a remodeled bathroom in the house, my tenants of years moved out several months later. Yet again, I gave *** the benefit of the doubt. Poor *** was juggling multiple projects while trying to find competent workers. My point for telling this story is simply to explain that *** was paid in full for a bath remodel and full house rewireMy former tenants were unhappy with all of this construction and moved out as soon as they found suitable housing. My house sat empty for several months and new tenants moved in on March 20, 2015. My new tenant asked for a new dishwasher. I ordered a new dishwasher from *** ***.Unfortunately, when the *** *** technician arrived, they could not install the dishwasher and actually broke the tile and wood counter in the process. As I was in Japan, my tenant explained the situation to me. She said that the *** *** tech said *** *** would take care of it. I went ahead and bought a new dishwasher from *** *** which they successfully installed on this second attempt on May 8, 2015. However, now I had to go through the process of making a claim with *** ***. One of the first things *** *** asked for, besides pictures of the area in question was an estimate on the repair.Soon after moving in, my tenant requested that the master bath be updated. I should have politely refused, but once again, I was too nice. I agreed to her request and the search was on for a contractor. I was not going to be in town during the construction as I was moving back to Japan. The master bath was fine and there was no rush to begin work. The search started in April and continued for several months.At this time, I learned about little shocks coming from the dishwasher. My tenant could use the new dishwasher, but she was experiencing little shocks whenever she used it. The *** *** technician actually told her about them as he was installing the dishwasher. Please remember that it had been less than a year since Trusty Builders had done a whole house rewire. There should not be any faulty wiring. If there is any faulty wiring, certainly *** should fix it for free.I was not sure who I would hire to do the master bath remodel. Nonetheless, my tenant was getting tired of these little shocks. I had Home Owner’s Insurance with American Home Shield. For a flat fee of $75, they will come out and fix your appliances. They came out three times. AHS sends out confirmation emails for these service contracts which I have provided as attachments. AHS contractors said it was not the appliances, but due to faulty wiring. Armed with this information, I was more confident that *** would have to repair this issue. I thought by using Trusty Builders, both bathrooms would be of similar quality and style since they are being done by the same company. Also, I knew the best way to get *** going is to pay him. I thought he could take care of everything at the same time. I was going to be out of town during construction. *** and I had a history together and he assured me he knew what I liked and he would take care of me. My brother, ***, would be my proxy. He would meet *** and make payments as scheduled. My tenant would help coordinate as she was excited to have a new master bath.*** received his deposit on July 14, 2015. Since *** was going to be doing the bath remodel, I asked him for an estimate to fix the kitchen. I was in waiting mode to see what *** *** would say about my claim. During the remodel, *** found corroded pipes underneath the house. He charged me an additional $1,to replace them. I have always had a strong suspicion that this is where the knocking sounds came from. Even *** said they were coming from under the house, forgetting that he had replaced these pipes. Although *** began construction on July 14, 2015, a two-week job didn’t finish until August 24, 2015. Thanks to email, ***, FaceTime and bevy of other internet tools, getting ahold of me was never difficult. I was in regular contact with *** and my tenant, ***, throughout construction. The only person who was hard to reach was ***. He was extremely slow to respond. He rarely answered his phone. His voicemail was usually full. Once I discovered *** had an Apple device, rather than paying international rates to call his cell, I tried FaceTiming him. He answered only one time. It seemed as if once *** knew it was me, he never answered again. Even my tenant and my brother, who were local to ***, had great difficulty getting ahold of ***. When my tenant had questions or problems, *** couldn’t be reached.For the most part, *** simply ignored our phone calls. We considered it lucky if we could catch him when we called. The only time *** was responsive to phone calls was when it was time for a scheduled payment. I learned later that ***’s solution to the *** problem was to simply call S*** *** *** and they came out to fix the faulty wiring. When *** *** came out to install the dishwasher the first time, they broke tile and damaged the wood counter. When *** *** came out to fix the faulty wiring, they did further damage to the same area. (It seems there is not enough space for the dishwasher and taking it out/putting it in is difficult). I did not receive a bill from *** for repairing the faulty wiring. I didn’t think I would. I thought it was covered by the previous whole house rewire. Since I did not receive a bill from ***, I did not tell him about the further damage that *** *** caused. I figured that area needed to be fixed anyway. Time went by and I never received a bill from *** regarding this *** issue.Here we are the end of August of 2015. The master bath was done (at a cost of $12,367.50), the dishwasher was no longer giving little shocks and I thought everything was fine. Unfortunately, there were a few issues that my tenant had not told me about. She had talked directly with *** or his worker, ***, and trusted that they would take care of these issues.Issue #1: while bringing tools or parts into the house from the master bedroom sliding door, *** hit the door and broke the screen and damaged the wood. He said he would take care of it. He never did. (Pictures 1, and provided)Issue #2: the master bath received only one coat of paint and notes that were written on the walls in permanent marker were showing through. *** promised *** that he would return to take car of it. He never returned.Issue #3: a knocking sound suddenly started coming from the master bath area. At first, my tenant thought it was construction from next door. She eventually realized it was coming from the master bath area.My tenant tried arranging a date for *** to take care of these issues, but *** was unresponsive. She eventually told me about these issues and asked me to deal with ***. I did not have much luck with *** either. In October of 2015, when my brother finally was able to reach *** about these issues, *** told *** about the *** bill. I was stunned. Why do I need to pay for faulty wiring when I just had my whole house rewired? It is true that I instructed my brother not to pay *** for this *** job. I was sure I didn’t have to pay. I tried emailing and calling *** to discuss this further. However, getting ahold of *** was nigh impossible.*** was not going to return to take care of these issues until he was paid for the *** bill. I was not happy, but I wanted these bigger issues to be resolved. I agreed to pay if he agreed to take care of these issues. *** finally came to pick up the check, conveniently forgetting to bring his tools to paint. He took a cursory look at the bathroom, but the knocking sound could not be demonstrated. He said he would be back to paint and take a more thorough look at the pipes. We never saw *** again.*** was a ghost. We couldn’t reach him. When he finally did respond to us, all of a sudden, he claimed he was not responsible for the knocking sound. In fact, he claimed that the knocking sound was there from the beginning of the remodel. Once again, I was stunned! If that were true, why didn’t he mention it to me? He claims he did. Why didn’t I ask him to fix it at that time, while all the walls were opened and the pipes were exposed?He ran across some other problems with some pipes while he was under the house which he was quick to point out and charge me another $for fixing them. (Pictures of removed pipes provided). As you can see, *** has forgotten a lot the details. I am just one of many jobs to ***. But, this is my only house. *** says I refused to pay for the garbage disposal. That is wrong. For a short time, I refused to pay for the *** issue as I was sure it was covered under the whole house rewire.He promised to take care of the three issues that I have explained. Then, he changed his mind and said the knocking sound was there all along. He never came back even to paint over the markings on the wall. He has forgotten details and promises that he made.Time passed. My tenant wanted me to give up on *** and get someone else to fix everything. I did have a few plumbers take a look and they said it sounds like the knocking was coming from the master bath area. For a definite cause, they would have to open walls. Of course, I didn’t want to pay someone else for a job *** was responsible. More than that, I believed in ***. I had spent almost $30,on his work and I wanted to believe he was a standup guy. So much time had now passed that I would soon be returning from Japan. I was certain once I was back in town and I talked with ***, he would come around and take care of these issues.I returned to live in the States the end of February, 2017. I soon learned of yet another issue. The first week of March, I visited my tenant and inspected my house. It was my first time to see the new master bath. At that time, my tenant said the faucets in that master bath didn’t work. She showed me how they wouldn’t turn. Apparently, *** had used inferior parts and they needed to be replaced. My tenant also reminded me of the other issues (the knocking sound, the markings on the walls and the broken door). I called ***. I explained that I was back in town and I would like him to finish the remodel. He told me he was very busy and that he was once again having troubles with his workers. Nonetheless, he said he would be able to come by, paint and check on the knocking. I also told him about the faucets and he said he would check them out as well. He ended the conversation saying he would give me a call soon. A week went by and no call from ***. I called *** again. This time, he was a lot less friendly. I told him how patient I had been, but I wanted him to give me a date when he would come. I never demanded that he come that day. I have been waiting for two years. I certainly proved I am willing to wait. *** ahs a history of not getting back to me. I simply wanted to nail down a date. That is when *** said that the faucets initially worked fine and perhaps the faucets were bad. I asked him to at least provide me with the receipts, so I could exchange the faucets. Then *** told me that the knocking sound was not from the remodel and I should just paint the walls myself. Yet again, I was stunned.It was at this point that I finally gave up on *** and decided to write a letter to the Revdex.com. By the way, *** never provided me with the receipts for the faucets. Hindsight is 20-20. *** is the reason he continually is having trouble with his employees. He has never, not once tried to contact me. He has never offered to come over and paint the markings on the wall. Once he was paid in full, he was gone. After reading his response to my complaint, I see how he will fabricate a story to protect himself. I would not trust him to work on my house ever again.Thank you,*** ***

Yes I did do a couple of remodel projects for [redacted]. I remodeled both his bathrooms each at different times and I rewired his house and upgraded his [redacted] panel. This bathroom remodel was the last of the three projects that I had done for him at his rental property.[redacted]...

was actually living in japan at the time when we remodeled this bathroom and he had put his brother in charge of signing off on the project at each phase and I actually had almost no contact with [redacted] himself. At the time of the project their was a tenant living at the house. After we finished there was no complaint from either [redacted] brother or his tenant. In fact they were happy with everything and because of all the extra things we did for the tenant she also had nothing but good things to say. At the completion of the remodel we were asked to price out repairs on a kitchen cabinet and countertop, which was looked at previously by myself ([redacted]) after I had declined to do the work at a lower price, [redacted] ordered his brother to withhold a payment for a replaced garbage disposal that had been done for [redacted] previously. The reasoning for not paying me the last couple hundred dollars was because he felt he paid more then he wanted to for the bathroom and he expected that even though we agreed to a price to change out garbage disposal, that I wouldn't charge him after all.  At that time I just moved on to other projects in hopes that [redacted] would do whats right and pay the remaining balance of only a few hundred dollars. About 6 months later [redacted] brother asked me to look at a sound they heard under the house when using the water spicket in the backyard. So I asked that if they wanted me to look at anything that I would need to be paid for the remaining balance before I would go back. [redacted] agreed to pay me so I showed up to look at issue and collect final payment and after looking over the problem I found that the noise was not coming from the bathrooms we worked on and was related to the water repipe that was done prior to us working for [redacted]. Upon talking to my employees I was also told that the noise was not new and that it was not only there while we were working on the bathroom but that the tenant was aware of it. After that I didn't here from [redacted] for probably a year and a half and then one day he just started calling me out of nowhere every couple weeks angry and blaming me for multiple items being either damaged or broken. He also gave me a deadline of that same day to go and repair a list of items from the bathroom remodel from almost 2 years prior to that. After telling him he was being unreasonable and that he should email me his concerns and that I would get back to him how I would proceed in possibly fixing these items we were being accused of not finishing or having damaged areas. One of those items [redacted] mentioned was some marks that were from a black marker and so I told him that if he really had to have it done that day that it might be something he could just paint over and for the other items that he would just have to email me first. I didn't mean that comment to be be offensive in fact I was just trying to come up with a solution because he had mentioned it had to be done that day and if I didn't go then he would go himself. I apologize if I offended [redacted] with the recommendation to just get a brush and paint it over. As far as the plumbing I offered to hire a second opinion but that if the results showed it wasn't anything we did then I told him he would be responsible for any necessary repair. That was the last I heard of [redacted], all he told me before we got off the phone was that he wasn't aware of the tenant having knowledge of the noise prior to us working and that he would get back to me after having done more research and I even told him right before getting off the phone that if he had somebody else to look at it that I would pay for them to fix it pending that it was due to any direct work on the bathroom remodel. I haven't heard from [redacted] since that day until I was made aware of his complaint towards my business. I never intended to not help [redacted] its just with issues of payment in the past I needed to make sure I had the proper paper trail and since I never heard from him nor did I get that email I asked for I just assumed he believed what I told him about us not being responsible.