Community Chat

[Jackhound Mom]

This is long...

We bought an older home 4 months ago in a city that we had lived in before so we knew several neighbors and contractor companies.

The company I'm writing about does flooring & counter tops.  They completed a large tile floor job for us last month and the sub contractor they hired did an excellent job.

Whenever we have a job done we provide a cooler full of assorted drinks and stay completly out of their way.  We also either buy lunch for everyone or give a small tip as an added form of gratitude.

Because we have limited funds (retired military) we save up for one job at a time.  We did choose one of the 2 lowest price granites.

Many things went wrong the day of the installation but bottom line they didn't bring drop cloths to protect the new floors which we requested before install, broke my 4 month old Delta faucet, and one of the guys took a very long smelly break in my bathroom!

When I called to complain the owner accused me of being unreasonable.  Told me I was trying to get money off my bill, and lied about their compitition (Lowe's) which they also install for about a manditory bathroom break policy for all contractors.  He also insulted me for buying their cheapest product!

I reminded him that we had not asked him for one thin dime off of our bill and that we gladly paid for our floors!  We will now find another company to do our carpet job that we are saving for.

Thank you for letting me vent and I would appreciate your views on the bathroom issue.  Most of my friends do not have a problem with contractors doing so.  But some are like me.   

[itsmagic]

I had a new deck put on about a year ago and the contractor said before the job started that they would need the use of my bathroom during the four days it would take to complete the deck. I understand that so In your case I would let the bathroom incident go.  But I would expect the contractor to replace the faucet that was broken. 

[Mom2Dogs]

I would insist they pay for the faucet....I hate it when this stuff happens. The owner of the store or contractor should have come to your house to see the work and the damaged faucet or at least to talk with his installers....to get snarky with you was totally wrong.  The bathroom incident is gross but not much you can do about that

[Cats3000]

You can call the consumer protection agency in your state or city or county, depending on where you live, and file a complaint asking for compensation for the damage.  They may be able to mediate the case.  

You can also file a claim in small claims court asking for compensation for the damage plus court costs. Small claims courts have a dollar limit for cases they can handle.

If all else fails, you can always hire a lawyer and prepare to sue for damages in regular court.

[Lilysmom]

@Jackhound Mom, they should replace and install faucet.  The other stuff, let it go.  Don’t use them again.  LM

[ID2]

Your contractors were contracted from Lowes?? There's your problem plain and simple.

[jlkz]

@Jackhound Mom

As to your carpet project:  we had all three floors of a shore house recarpeted with high quality padding and thick carpet for a reasonable price.  We priced similar carpet and padding from Lowe’s but after so many additional costs....cost per riser, lift up, take out, disposal, etc....we went with Home Depot.

Every winter ( ours was done in December ) Home Depot has a phenomenal price for carpet and installation to keep their workers employed during the slow time.  They come out to measure ( we had our realtor/ manager as the contact point ) and for a flat price, they do it all as opposed to all the extras costs proposed by Lowe’s.

A suggestion:  get one person at HD to be your contact point.....they should be full time employees and not part timers because the communication process is key.

The job was completed on time and all the carpeting was vacuumed.  We had donated most of the old furnishings so  it was easy to get most things off the floor and onto closet shelves.

Good Luck with your project.

[queendiva]

@Jackhound Mom: Agreed. I never consider using the big box national chains for contractor jobs. Too many complaints about the quality of work. I feel your pain. Your hard-earned money and home disrespected.

If you are on Twitter you could take to Twitter with your complaint. That might get noticed and get you some satisfaction from corporate.

[NicksmomESQ]

  I’ve had a lot of contracting work done over recent years.If they break something they must replace it.I would report them to your local consumer agency if they refuse to  pay for it.

  As far as the bathroom.Yes of course they should be permitted to use the bathroom.It’s downright rude for them to leave it in that condition.It’s unprofessional.But I agree that there isn’t much you could do about it.

  Be careful who you hire.I always check with my local consumer agency before I sign expensive contracts.

[queendiva]

@Jackhound Mom: I had carpet replaced in October. Negotiated the best price with Empire Today if they are in your area. AAA rating with the BBB. I interviewed three companies before hiring and was able to negotiate the best price. They really wanted my business and they do install next day if that's what you want. I asked for a few days to move boxes/ small items from the install area.