02-07-2014 - One Year later

It has now been a few weeks past the one year mark of singing a contract, writing a check for thousands of dollars to receive poor quality, service, and troubles.

We have a pre-trial date set for 02/27/2014.  This will be my last post for a while untill it is all done.

If you are a potential customer of Builders Unlimited or any other company owned by the same as Builders Unlimited, Please read carefully to get a glimpse into a project run by this company and owners.  Draw you own conclusions based on my documented experiences, and BBB standing.

02-06-2014 A forgotten Voice Mail

I found this voice mail on my old iphone and thought I would share it.  This is from 7-29-2013 where Matt says he was disappointed in Bill that this was not done yet.  Enjoy.

01-01-2014 - Quality vs. Repair

Before winter moved into town, we wanted to capture all the issues we had with the paver installation.  So we took photos of all the issue with the patio.  I am just not getting to uploading these.  Please remember that is is months after Builder's Unlimited declared this is a "Repair" issue, not a installation issue.  You decided is this a Repair or Installation issue.






In case you want to look at the photos in more details follow this link.

12-12-2013 - The courts are involved now

Friendly talks did not go well, so my attorney has filed a case with the Licking county municipal courts.

If you really want to have fun reading here is the LINK

Search for Civil case # 13CVF02351

09-12-2013 - Day Whatever

Talking is over, I have decided that I am getting no where with Builders Unlimited and have contacted my attorney.

Insert Plug :

Kinsley F. Nyce

326 S High St Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 486-6539

 

 

Let's see how long this will take.

08-30-2013 Day 131

Two voicemails to Matt today asking for a status of the two open items.  1) The $150 for the HVAC  work to repair the previous work done by Builders Unlimited  2) Replacing the patio pavers and fixing the misc. issues.  I am starting to notice that the steps are moving where the seams are not lined up and the corner cuts are sticking up.  This is quickly becoming a unsafe situation. 

08-29-2013 Day 130

Second day for Ben, by noon he was able to get the box sanded, another coat of mud, celling textured, and paint applied.  All of this by noon.  Once again Ben knocked it out of the park

08-27-2013 Day 128

Ben showed up and started working.  By the end of the day I had a box around the air duct, drywall and a first coat of mud.

Box around the duct that had to go under the rafter

08-26-2013 Day 127

Ben called and told me that he is waiting for a inspection for another job.  Best case Tuesday afternoon, worst case Wednesday afternoon he will be out.

08-23-2013 Day 126

No call from Matt, I figure I will wait till Ben has completed  the basement before stirring up my other two issues.

08-22-2013 Day 125

I called Matt to ask him 3 things:

1. What was the schedule for getting the hole in the basement fixed?
1. He said to work with Ben to schedule it, however Ben may not be available until mid to late next week.  I explained that I was not happy that they left yesterday when this was supposed to be a one day deal, but I would work with Ben
2. How was he going to reimburse me for the $150 HVAC work?
1. this one started a heated debate.  Matt once again started saying he did not understand why he is responsible for something I approved, but he was agreeing to do the  drywall.  We went round and round again with all the facts which ended with a "I'll have to make some calls and get back with you on it"
3. Status on the patio.
1. The patio was an all out war of words.  Basically Matt is still stating that this is a service issue and his company should not have to out lay the $600 to fix the issues.  Also he said "We are working on it but sorry it is not on your schedule or done as soon as you would like it"  That set me off.  I asked him what is actually an acceptable repair schedule for him?  6 months, 8 months, a year?  I told him I would bet money that if I never signed the loan paperwork and was still holding on to his money, this would not have lasted this long, so therefore the job was never completed and is not a service issue.  The point is that he pulled one guy off because Matt thought it should have been done already.  I then asked him why as a customer I have to wait for a backend issue between him and his vendor, when if vendor says they are not going to give replacements to him for free, he would have to pay for it anyways.  A good company would just buy the materials to make the customer happy and then work it out on the back end. Matt became mad and started to say that he should not be responsible for a product issue, when the installation was fine.  That set me off again and I told him the following"  Matt, I have not said anything because I thought this was going to be done by now.  This was 100% an installation issue because I saw with my own eyes your guys spread the polymeric sand on the pavers then wet them like you would do with normal sand.  This is why there was a film of concrete on the pavers, not a product issue.  Furthermore I am not a black mailing or threating guy, but all I have to do is call Lou at Oberfields and tell what I saw with my own eyes.  At that point you would not be getting free replacements, and  you still would have to spend the $600 to replace them.  So if I were in your shoes, I would do whatever it takes to get the job done so you are done with me, then deal with Oberfields based on information you have withheld from them."  His tone changed again as (what I am guessing) he had not been aware that his guys messed up before.  Matt once again said that he needed to make some calls and get back with me.

I called Ben to talk about the schedule, he said that his other job may run into Monday or Tuesday of next week.  He would follow-up with me on Monday morning with a better idea of time.

08-21-2013 Day 124

Ben Showed up on time, and we walked through what was to be done.  Ben told me that he had to wait for Matt before beginning.  HVAC guys showed up and were ready to start, but Ben wanted to wait for Matt.  Matt showed up a hour late and started to figure out what needed to be done.  My guess is seeing the quote and Ben telling him all that needed to be done Matt did not believe the amount of work required.  After he saw what was going on and that I was getting a new furnace / AC at the same time his tone changed.  He was saying things like "I don't know why I am being held responsible for approved work"  and "Obviously there is something else wrong since the whole thing is being replaced" and "Keith, you approved the work, why should I be held accountable now"
So I had to explain to him "First the AC replacement was always going to be done but we chose to do the other projects first.  Nothing is wrong with the Furnace / AC, we wanted a more efficient one with a humidifier.  Second, yes I approved the work, however that was with your employees giving me their word and Builder's Unlimited word that I would not have a issue in the future.  Yet here we stand."  I re-explained to him that when we tested the air duct modification it was cold and did not realize that it was going to be a problem due to us wearing heavier clothes and warmer bedding for the nights.  Either way his people guaranteed me that there would not be a problem after I challenged them on the airflow.  Finally he started saying that they would step up and take care of what they were responsible for.

Ben cut a hole in the celling and the HVAC guys were able to finally figure out what they needed to do.  However they needed more parts to make it happen.  Because of the time it was going to take to get them, Matt and Ben left for the day.  By the end of the day the HVAC part was completed, and I had airflow back into my bedroom, but I also had a whole in my celling that needed a box built around it.

08-20-2013 Day 123

Called Matt to confirm that Ben was going to be onsite tomorrow to help with the demo and repairs to the basement as the Heating & Cooling guys do their work.  He said he was talking with Ben now and Ben would be there tomorrow at 8 am. Surprisingly Matt also said he would be out at 8:45am also.

I asked Matt about the patio and he said he needed to check  on the status.  My impression is that nothing was done and he needs to call Oberfields for the first time.  He said that we can discuss tomorrow.

Ben called an a hour later and wanted to confirm exactly what needed to be done.  After explaining everything and possible options, Ben was truly in shock.  It was explained to him that it was just a piece of drywall that needed to be replaced.  The truth is far from that, and is actually not a simple job.  Ben was worried about how the finished product will look and started to throw out options on how to fix the cooling issue. I confirming that we have tried everything, and any other options would not provide the best airflow.  He was concerned that it would take a week to complete, and would delay his current project at another site.  He was going to call Matt and explain the effort it will take to see how Matt wanted to proceed.  I explained that the Heating and cooling company said they would do the drywall work for $650, but Matt said he could do the work cheaper.  Ben said that it may have been a better deal.  By the end of the day I had no call back, so we will see if anyone shows up.

08-16-2013 Day 121

Sent Matt a text telling him the HVAC install was setup for next Wednesday.  He replied with that he would find out if Ben can be there and "let me know", I never heard back.

08-15-2013 Day 120

I received the quote  from HVAC company, the HVAC part was $150 and the Drywall part was $650.  I called Matt and left a voice mail.  He called me back stating he could do the drywall part cheaper and wanted to have Ben do it for me.  So we agreed on that he would have Ben do the drywall and have the HVAC guys do the rest.  We also agreed that he would reimburse me the $150  for this HVAC work.  I told Matt this should be a one day event, so if Ben and HVAC guys were there early, the repair could be done by the end of the day and I would not have another hole in my wall fiasco like I did the bathroom window.

08-14-2013 Day 119

Called Antwan again asking for a status update He told me that he met with Matt yesterday at 4PM (Not Monday).  I guess the ball is in Matt's court now, they are trying to see if they can get Oberfields to replace it for free instead of Builders Unlimited paying for them.  I am sorry but, this is a perfect example of how a company is not customer focused.  A customer focused company would have manned up, bought the material needed, and resolved the ASAP. Then  try to get reimbursed for the product from their supplier.  However, now I (the customer) have to wait probably another 2 weeks while Builders Unlimited discusses with Oberfields.  I am now on day 119 of this project. 

08-13-2013 Day 118

Left voicemail for Antwan asking for a update

08-12-2013 Day 117

Antwan was scheduled today to discuss ordering the replacement stones with Matt.  Should receive a call tomorrow.

08-09-2013 Day 116

Called Matt and left him a lengthily voicemail, surprisingly he called me back 2 hours later.  I was shocked that Matt told me to have it fixed and he would refund me the costs.  I told him that he could send Ben out if he wanted to do the Drywall assist, but he would have to be available when the HVAC company would be there.   We decided to get a quote broken out for HVAC only and drywall work done on separate line items. This way Matt can sign off on it first before having the work actually started, and if he decided to send Ben out to do complete the drywall part, he would reimburse me the HVAC part.

08-08-2013 Day 116

We have been having cooling issues in our bedroom, so we called out a reputable heating and cooling company (HVAC) to look at our AC.  They informed me that when Builders unlimited moved one of my air ducts, they did it improperly.  They split an existing 6" duct to feed another 6" duct,  they should have increased the main source trunk to a 10" duct and then split off to two 6" ducts to provide proper air pressure.  If you remember my post back on 03-22-2013 Day 14, I said that I was not happy with the air duct.  I expressed my concerns that there would not be enough air pressure to support the two 6" ducts from a single 6" duct.  I am a dumb home owner not a expert, but logic told me that this would not work.  Bill explained over and over that there would not be a problem.  Since we still had the heat on at the time, we did not experience any issues.  I attribute this to heat rising and having a good comforters on the bed.  Well now that it is super hot, all covers off and the celling fan on we are sweating our butts off at night. 

The fix will be to tear out part of the new drywall and celling.  The duct work will have to be put back the way it originally was, then dry walled around it again.  Paint, celling textured, dust, debris all over again...OH JOY!  I will be calling Matt in the tomorrow.

07-29-2013 Day 107

Called Bill @ 8 am left VM, Called Matt and left a voice mail.  He called me and left a voice mail, and I called him right back. We were finally able to talk!.  He expressed how upset he was with Bill , and that this should have never gone this far.  He is pulling Bill from this "Service" issue, and putting Antwan (a different project manager) on it.  I texted pictures of the product Bill left on site.  I received a call from Antwan and went over my expectations: 1) a single lite coat of the cleaner, spray it off and allow it to dry for 24 hours.  If we think it needs more he will need to come back and do another coat. 2) When the pavers look good, they can then replace the bad ones and re-apply the sand 3) If touch ups are needed spray again 4) fix the steps that are not glued down and are moving, and the fire pit pavers that were not locked down.

 

 

07-26-2013 Day 106

Left 2 Voicemails for Bill and Matt Asking for a status, No call back I expresses my concerns of how now I am being ignored by both my contacts at Builders Unlimited

07-25-2013 Day 105

Left 2 Voicemails for Bill and Matt Asking for a status, No call back.

07-24-2013 Day 104

Left 2 Voicemails for Bill Asking for a status, and 1 for Matt, No call back

07-23-2013 Day 103

Left 2 Voicemails for Bill Asking for a status, No call back

07-22-2013 Day 102

Bill was supposed to show up today to spray down the patio, so I again stayed home from work to supervise the activities.  He was a no call no show.  Left 2 voice mails, received no response.

07-18-2013 Day 100

Talked with Bill and he has the product, we scheduled the Following Monday to do the whole patio.

07-16-2013 Day 98

Called Bill back asking for a status, and was told that the product was being delivered from Oberfields' Delaware Location

07-15-2013 Day 97

Called Bill Asking for a plan / schedule, he said that he needed to get the product from Oberfields.

07-11-2013 Day 95

Bill came onsite to spot test the new chemicals.  One large area Bill sprayed 3 times and let it sit.  I had Bill test one paver by spraying it one time and letting sit for 5 minutes, then washing it off.  This area looked the best.  Bill was only here in the morning for a hour or so.  I told him I would update him with the results by the end of the day.  I did this and sent him txt pictures showing the difference between the two methods of spraying.  He told me that he would get more chemical ASAP to finish up the job.



View from second story window where you can see the bright tan treated areas.

Up-close of the spot treated area