Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  (Please see file uploaded named "complaint.description.docx")///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Date of Transaction: March 29th, 2023 Amount paid: $60,000 (fully paid on the date the contract was signed)What the business is committed to provide:Bedroom addition (upstairs) and restroom/pantry remodel (downstairs)What is the nature of the dispute:1.Contractor (***********************) verbally told us he would have the project done quickly when paid in full; quoting that he would save money as inflation affected material costs. Contractor also said if there would be money left, they would refund it back to us.2.Contract states that we agreed to have the project start in March and finish in June. The actual start date was early June after I called him many times. To date, we only have the framing, sheathing, windows, and roofing done. Siding is still tentative. We met the Contractors (*********************** and *******************) on Sept 19th asked if we could have the siding to start in couple weeks. They said yes and yet till this date of writing this complaint, ****** works has not started. Please see the scope of work enclosed.3.They finally started the work in June without a city permit. ***************, the City representative came to our house and stopped the workers from doing the work due to no permit. My husband then called the City and provided contractor detail and asked if they had work with the city to get the permit approval. The City representative said there was no record of such names/company working with them. So my husband **** up plans and worked with the city to get an approved permit and then had the contractor pay the fee since they withheld our money for the project. Contractor then added 14% company charge on top of the permit fee in the expense report without doing any work.4.Because of us working on the permit, the contractor admitted that he did not like we worked directly with the City. During a meeting with him in August after installation of the windows, we discussed expenses, and our concerns of the nine (9) single hung windows that he purchased and those windows did not match with the specification we stated on the plan. The contractor admitted that he does not look at the design plan that my husband provided. 5.In June, they tore out the roof, leaving the lower level ceiling exposed to the weather and outside elements. There were multiple rain storms and they did little to cover the opening using only an old tarp with tons of holes that allowed water to pour down from the ceiling where the main level dining, tv room and mudroom is located. The rain storm that happened on June 16th was the heaviest. Days before June 16th, I had warned the contractor of the weather forecast and expressed my concern of the rainstorm and having no roof. Contractor said he would have his crew in to get the roof done in time. Still no roof was built and after many exchanged text messages, he finally bought a tarp and temporarily covered the top which did not work. That night, right around 10 PM-11PM, my husband and I were in a panic catching the water with storage totes as large as ***** gallons. ************** filled rapidly and needed to be emptied multiple times. We have a brief video of it. After that night, I contacted the contractor and told him about the rain, showing my concern of the water damage visible in the existing rooms. He did not come inside to assess the condition of our rooms that had water damage and potential mold growing in the insulation. Said he would take care of it but did not tell us when and how he would fix the damage. *** texted the contractor numerous times asking how he would go about fixing the water damage and he never responded. I asked ****, his co-owner, the same question and thus far have received no response.6.I had someone from Maxx Restoration come and assess the water damage in early October. Maxx Restoration recommend removing all of the insulation that is currently sandwiched between the upstairs addition and the existing main floor ceiling of the tv room. He sent us a quote in the amount of $7,445.28 to do mold testing, cleaning up, and restoration. We want to file a claim against the contractor's insurance for the damage, but the contractor is not responding with the info we need to do so. The insurance is set to expire in January of 2024.7.We requested the contractor to provide us an expense report after they finished window installation. Thus far, the Contractor provided two reports and numbers showed up differently and inconsistently. In the latest report, we identified discrepancies in a couple of the receipts for cleaning up in which the job description said trim weeds and haul away brush. No such work had been performed on our property. Also, in some of the receipt, there were expenses on purchases tools, tarps and drinks. In a meeting in Sept 19th, Contractor agreed to make an adjustment. Another cost that raised concern was cost plus percentage in an amount of $3,295. We asked how they came up with this number as it did not add up with all of the numbers, he showed us. Contractor said I dont know. After that, we have requested the contractor numerous times to send us an update on the expense report with the adjustments and corrections and received no response.Account #/ Tracking/ Order -Upon signing the contract, the contractor verbally assured us that they are honest company with transparency, and that we would be able to access our money and that we would be able to see the incoming/outgoing transactions. In a meeting in August, we request to have access to our money and were told no. We were told that the money is in good hands and is in a single general account that serves multiple projects.Issue involving advertisement -We got the contractor name from a worker at True Value on Grand Ave. Side note: We have copies of receipts on materials. Many of them are from Mernards. We requested if we could use the receipts to get 11% rebate offering from Mernards. *** once said he would "honor" that. Then in another meeting we iterate the subject, ******************* said the rebate did not state in the contract and so no rebates for us. The expenses on sub contractors are unknown. We requested the contractor to provide and *** refused. Please help and advise us on how to navigate this situation. Not only the contractor has left us with less space to live, the condition of our backroom and dining room is causing my 5 year old son eczema to flare up every time he accidentally entered the area. I also have a one year old who like to roam around. With three kids ranging from 1 year to 7 yrs old, the water damage and potential mold growth within the wall the ceiling has been giving me anxiety. Since all of our savings are giving to the contractor, we have no money left to fix the damage. And the contractor is not responsive at all. Every time I asked about him, we were told he stayed home watched his grand children. The contractor registration certificate will be expired 12/28/2023 The contractor liability insurance will be expire in 1/12/2024 I have included our contract of work and the two expense reports that *** provided. I have copies of receipts. Please let me know if you need them too.I called BBB early October and talked to **** ext 307. I was advise to file a complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2023

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 20750757
  

  As a customer of ********************** (***********************), we feel frustrated and devastated,especially when Vincent General Contracting leaves our house in a worse condition than when they found it. Not only do we have less living space, but also, we are now exposed to a hazardous environment with toxic black mold. We have young kids ranging from 11 months old to 7 years old and their health is very important to us. We ask Vincent General Contracting (***********************) to 1)help us recover the damage and 2) either complete the project as contracted or refund us the money so we can continue the project on our own.

  Prior to the workers coming and starting the work, a building design was provided. All parties agreed moving forward with the design on a good faith fully funded project in the amount of $60,000. It is not a small amount of money. It is many years of our hard earned money.  We have chosen to use it to provide a more comfortable living space for our children.

  We ask Vincent General Contracting to compensate us on the water damage and restoration. This includes 1) mold testing and 2) mitigation and 3) build back the affected living areas back to the original condition they were in before the construction work started. The mold testing was paid out of our pocket in the amount of $475. For mold mitigation, we would like to have a specialist or professional who has done mitigation regularly. With this type of mold, it will be extremely dangerous with risks to long-term serious health if the mitigation isnt done right. For build back, we would like to go with contractors we choose but will also consider other options. We communicated with *********************** last week October 25th, asking how he would like to go about remedying situation and we have not heard back from him. We are ready to get the water damaged repaired if he is, with the condition that we know he will bring in mold specialists to work on mitigation and the build back. Otherwise, we have other selected businesses who are ready to do the job and all I ask is Vincent General Contracting to pay/reimburse the cost. Because of the health of my children, we also ask Vincent General Contracting to respond to our questions DIRECTLY relating to this subject by next week.

  Subcontractors who were supposed to do siding did not show up to work last week (Oct 23th 27th). Because the release form has not been signed, we ask Vincent General Contracting to continue working with us in finding an alternative subcontractor who can come and finish the siding work. Siding materials purchased are dumped onto our narrow one-car width driveway, producing risks of injuries to my kids because some of the materials have sharp angles.

  We are still waiting to hear from Vincent General Contracting on the plumbing, electrical,and **** pricing on paper with an implementation plan. We met ******************* (the electrician) and the **** contractor on Oct. 3rd and the plumber along with ******************* on October 11th.
  Vincent General Contracting has not been responsive to our questions. Many were sitting unanswered for days and we would like to understand what the problem is from their side. We will be happy to meet Vincent General Contracting (*********************** or *******************) in person to discuss issues if they want to.

  If Vincent General Contracting chooses to end the contract with us, we ask that they first refund us the remaining money ASAP with the latest expense report along with all of the receipts on materials and labor cost from subcontractors. We will sign off the release form once the water damage gets repaired completely and a final walkthrough of everything they did so far to ensure things are built in order.

   

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2023

  Vincent General Contracting would like to resolve this matter in consideration of our company and our client.  Completing the project with the money budgeted is not possible at this time due to the previously stated extra work added by our client.  This has been previously mentioned and communicated to our client.  This is also mentioned in our original contract.  We agree to provide labor and material to start and finish the mold mitigation as soon as possible, and suggest an outside contractor perform the testing.  We follow Service Master standards and have performed mitigation work to success several times in the past.  Vincent General Contracting also agrees to complete the build back of affected areas, which has been communicated previously to our client, at zero cost to the client for all work provided.  On October 25th, our client stated via test that because the siding contractor didnt show up the day he was scheduled, which is true, the wanted the labor for the job returned to them with the remaining funds owed.  Vincent General Contracting then cancelled our siding contractor from doing the job, now the client wants another siding contractor to do the work, which would be the third to visit the property since the client stoped Vincent General Contracting from working.  Due to the nature of communication between Vincent General Contracting and this client, we request a mediation from the BBB to come to a final resolution the will be agreed upon by the contractor and client and avoid any more wasted time and mis communication. 

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2023

  See attached respoinse

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/24/2023

   
  Complaint: 20750757
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ******************* & *************************
  11/24/2023

  There is no written Change Orders between us and VGC.

  Siding work had been rescheduled several times since September 19th. On October 25th, VGCs subcontractors were supposed to come work on the siding, but never showed up. No explanation.

  During the last few weeks (October 23rd November 5th, 2023), we had been trying to contact VGC directly, both by text message and phone. We never receive a single word from them. We notified VGC about new damage caused from woodpeckers on the rigid insulation of the unfinished construction. We asked for their advice on what we could do to prevent further damage. They never respond back to us.

  It is clear that VGC is refusing to work with us on the home project as contracted. Evidently, there are other new damage relating to the construction in addition to the water damage that happened in June. At this time, we request VGC to return the unused money from our $60,000 that we paid them upfront right away because we need the money to take care of unfinished construction and also repair multiple damages.

  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2023

  Complaint: 20750757
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ******************* & *************************
  11/24/2023

  There is no written Change Orders between us and VGC.

  Siding work had been rescheduled several times since September 19th. On October 25th, VGCs subcontractors were supposed to come work on the siding, but never showed up. No explanation.

  During the last few weeks (October 23rd November 5th, 2023), we had been trying to contact VGC directly, both by text message and phone. We never receive a single word from them. We notified VGC about new damage caused from woodpeckers on the rigid insulation of the unfinished construction. We asked for their advice on what we could do to prevent further damage. They never respond back to us.

  It is clear that VGC is refusing to work with us on the home project as contracted. Evidently, there are other new damage relating to the construction in addition to the water damage that happened in June. At this time, we request VGC to return the unused money from our $60,000 that we paid them upfront right away because we need the money to take care of unfinished construction and also repair multiple damages.

  Sincerely,
  
  *******************