Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 2/6/25, the company emailed me Invoice ******** dated 2/4/25 for $600 for "Final Inspection for Pier Structure." Neither the email nor the invoice had any other information as to how the $600 figure was calculated. In a reply email on 2/6/25, I asked, "How long did this take?" I did not receive a response. Therefore, on 2/7/25, I emailed again, stating: "Please let me know the answer to the below. I need to know why I’m being charged that amount. Thanks." Again, I did not receive a response. Therefore, on 2/10/25, I emailed again, stating: "Third request: Please let me know the answer to the below question. Thanks." Again, I did not receive a response. Instead, later on 2/10/25, the company emailed me another copy of Invoice ******** dated 2/4/25, but this time it was for $625.20. It still did not answer my question. In response, on 2/10/25, I emailed a response, stating: "As requested below, I am confirming that I received this email. It contradicts the invoice sent to me last week (first attachment), and you still have not answered my question that I’ve asked three times (second attachment). Am I going to receive a response to that?" I still have not received a response. In sum, rather than answering my question, the company sent me a revised invoice for a higher amount. Meanwhile, the company is holding the inspection report hostage until the invoice is paid yet won't answer my basic question about the invoice. The revised Invoice ******** (dated 2/4/25 but received on 2/10/25) states the "rate" is $200 and the "unit" is 3.0 for a total of $600. There is simply no way the inspection took 3 hours of time.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2025

  On 2/19/25, the Company again emailed me the invoice previously sent to me on 2/10/25, again asking me to pay it. As stated previously, that invoice attempts to explain the charges as $200 per hour x 3 "units".

  On 2/19/25, I wrote back, stating, "I’m still waiting on an explanation for why this costs $600. You’ve already reinspected the piers, so this seems like a 10-minute task. Please let me know or send me a revised invoice."

  The next day, 2/20/25, the Company emailed back:  "Our rate for certifications is $850 minimum. Since we have done work for you in the past, we gave you a discount. The final price for you is $600 + millage
  The $600 includes one site visit and certification stamped by a PE Professional Engineer. Engineering certifications are not based on an hourly basis. It was shown as 3 units in the past invoice#******** since this was the way we did it in the previous invoice for the inspections per your request. We can fix the invoice again, and show a rate $600 and just 1 unit, but the rate is still going to be the same one. As per our company policy, we require payment to be made either before we schedule the site visit or on-site at the time of the inspection."

  Thus, the Company has admitted that the invoice it sent me on 2/10 and again on 2/19 is inaccurate (which is illegal), and the Company's explanation for its fee keeps changing. The 2/20/25 email is the first time the Company has indicated there is any flat fee for certifications or that it was giving me some alleged discount. 

  I will pay the invoice under protest so the Company can proceed with the certification that I need, but this does not resolve my dispute. I reserve all rights.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2025

  Thank you for sharing your comments with us. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention, we are sorry for the misunderstanding. The $600 includes one site visit and certification stamped by a PE Professional Engineer.  Engineering certifications are not based on an hourly basis. The final price for you is $600 + millage Invoice #********. As per our company policy, we require payment to be made either before we schedule the site visit or on-site at the time of the inspection. To this day February 21, 2025, the final inspection has not been scheduled, no engineers from Atlantic Consulting & Engineering have been on site to inspect the final work. Therefore, no reports/certifications have been generated. Please let us know if you would like to proceed with our services. We encourage you to reach out to us directly at ###-###-####, we look forward to speaking with you soon. Thank you.