Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2024

  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.

  In March, we contracted with Sullivan paving to remove our gravel driveway and replace it with asphalt. We sent in a $2100 deposit in mid April on a Friday late afternoon. They came out to asphalt the driveway. The owner was driving the machine and Hit a historical granite hitching post that was flanking our front walkway, breaking it off at the ground level. There were heel marks that were left in the center of the driveway and brush marks. We called the owner and asked them to come out. The owner did not come out so we sent pictures and went back-and-forth with the company via text until finally a foreman came out. He thought he could fix the heel marks and divots, but unfortunately made It worse. We again asked for the owner to come out and look at the driveway because cars were also leaving tire marks on the asphalt and more divots throughout the driveway. They finally sent the sales rep that had given us the estimate and showed him the divots in the driveway and the tire divots that we continue to get when cars park on the driveway. The sales rep that came out instead of Roger explained that the company can’t control what asphalt they get from the plant and alluded to the fact that it might’ve been a bad bad batch of asphalt . They argue that is cosmetic. However, there are continuous low spots in the asphalt. We would argue that that is structural and that perhaps the batch of asphalt was not good Or it was too cool and they didn’t roll it out correctly. Either way the integrity of the driveway is impacted. They sent somebody out to try and fix the hitching post however we had asked for a conversation about options prior to deciding how we would fix it because they would have to dig up the asphalt. Find the base that was in the ground and then attach granite to the ground base somehow and then patch the asphalt and we were concerned what that would look like. The sidewalk was fixed with crooked lines and cement residue left on the asphalt.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2024

  We have acknowledged and attempted to address each issue that Ms. ********** mentioned; broken hitching post, cracked town sidewalk and shoe marks.
  
  Work on the ********* property was completed on 04/19/2024.

  
  Within 24 hours of the installation we had a mason, who works in historic ******, out to repair the broken hitching post at our cost. She did not want us to cut into the existing asphalt to complete the repair and determined that she did not want to repair the post. We considered the matter of the hitching post resolved at this point.

  
  The Executive Administrator reached out and spoke with the homeowner on 04/23 to clarify the concerns and discuss next steps.

  
  The town sidewalk was cracked while driving over, we put a temporary patch in the sidewalk to eliminate the tripping hazard, immediately contacted the town and got approval to fix the sidewalk and scheduled to have that work completed. We notified town, contracted the concrete subcontractor, and complete the work within 14 days of initial installation. The sidewalk preparation was completed on 05/02 and poured on 05/03. I am attaching the photo supplied by the customer complaining about the crooked line, which does not affect the structural integrity.

  
  The footprints in the asphalt were noted on 04/23 and we sent the Forman to come take a look on 05/03 and a crew on site on 05/04 to attempt to smooth them out. We explained that the repair would at best, lessen the appearance. These blemishes are ONLY visible when the drive is wet and do not affect the integrity of the driveway. We received notification from the customer on 05/06 that they were not happy with the results. It was also at this time that they stated there were tire dents in the driveway. Though we do have language about tire dent and care and maintenance in our contract; we then asked the Estimator to go back out on site to address their concerns. Greg ********** and our estimator met on 05/13. He explained that this was the best we could do with the blemishes and offered to seal the driveway in 2025 season, after the driveway had cured, at no cost to the customer. 

  
  The customer stated that this was not acceptable and stated they would not pay another penny for the driveway. At which time we felt our obligation had been fulfilled. 
  
  In an effort to appease the customer Sullivan Paving voided the remaining balance of the contract ($6500.00) on 05/22 as compensation. We retained the deposit ($2125.00). We sent a copy of the invoice reflecting the discount and noted that the account is settled. 

  
  Even after crediting the account and relinquishing the balance owed, Ms. ********** has discredited us in a ****** review, commented on ********, reacted negatively to numerous social media advertising with "angry emojis", and now has made a complaint to BBB. 

  
  Sullivan Paving has addressed and answered every call, every text message, and addressed every complaint to the best of our ability.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Although Sullivan Paving did not charge us the full amount they are retaining our deposit and we have a driveway that continues to deteriorate with dents and tire marks whenever a car is parked on the asphalt. Yes, they sent out someone to fix the post without telling us how a granite post was going to be reattached into a base that was under the asphalt....we asked for options before work was done...this post is also next to a town sidewalk so the security of the fix was extremely important to us as well as what the asphalt around it would look like after being dug up and patched.
  Regardless of the post situation, although we are not happy at all that it was broken off, the integrity of the driveway continues to deteriorate with more divots and low spots appearing and mulch, grass etc sit in these areas whether it is wet or dry.
  Yes I have posted a ****** review that was negative....the driveway they installed is not quality work that they promote
  Yes I have responded to ******** with angry emoji and a comment that is not supportive of their company....they left us with a driveway that needs to be replaced
  Yes they did not charge us the full amount....that doesn't matter when you have to have a new driveway put in....we need our deposit back to then more forward with removing this driveway and putting another now in with a different company.
  The asphalt they used clearly was  bad and/or it was too cool when they put it down. Either way we have a dysfunctional driveway that pools water and debris and cars of any kind leave tire marks anywhere they park and it is not even the heat of summer yet.
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* **********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2024

  Our original letter to Sullivan:

  May 14, 2024
  
  
  
  
  Roger,
  It is our understanding that you are the owner of Sullivan Paving. We have inquired with the various people we have both been in contact with over text messages and from those that have arrived here instead of you.
  It is our understanding that you were actually driving the machine that knocked down the historical granite post that flagged our front walkway.
  That was the first of multiple issues that have been presented in the completion of our driveway install.
  
  
  The sidewalk was cracked and needed repair of 2 blocks, the post was knocked out and then we discovered heel divots and long marks in the asphalt directly where we walk out of our main door and  where a car would park and driver step out into a pooling water situation. 
  We did not drive a car on the driveway for 6 days. No trucks or vehicles other than our **** ********* were allowed on the driveway even after the 6 days but yet we have tire tracks in the  asphalt. Both April and May have been cooler and wetter than typical. There has not been warm days to account for softening to allow tire tracks but yet we have them.
  
  
  From the very first day we have asked for you, the owner and ultimately the person that can work with this situation to come and look at the driveway with us to determine next steps. You have not shown up. You have sent a granite person from ******, a foreman, who said he could fix the heel marks and finally the sales rep that booked the job with us. None of those people are who we asked to come out, look at the job done and determine next steps to FIX what was done incorrectly. We asked for the you, the OWNER of this company who was driving the machine, who took out the historical granite post, who cracked the sidewalk, to come see the finished job and work on a solution. The driveway was put in 3 and ½ weeks ago!! I think we have been patient enough.
  
  
  We have put in driveways before, and much larger than this job. This entire experience has been beyond aggravating and our driveway is not acceptable both from function and cosmetics and sealing it as your sales rep kept pushing is not the answer…that is a bandaid for the color discrepancy not a fix for the uneven surfaces that puddle water and the tire tracks.
  
  
  We signed a contract with you and sent in a deposit with the understanding that quality work would follow. There is nothing in your contract that justifies the outcome of the driveway we now have. 
  
  
  At this point we have been very patient. However, the time and inconvenience we have had to endure not to mention the loss of a historical piece of the property and the state the driveway is in now requires us to take next steps. We have asked multiple times for you as the owner and the actual person operating the machine that did much of the damage to come out and see the final job and work with us but you have not in 3.5 weeks.
  We expect a refund of our deposit of $2,125.00 and we will now need to hire another company to replace the current driveway to properly correct the divots created by one of your crewmen in the asphalt that you could not repair.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** and ******* **********

  follow up letter:

  *******,
  Thank you for the email response. 
  
  
  First item: The Hitching Post
  You are correct you sent someone out to fix it. However, we had asked to talk to someone before you sent them out to understand how the driveway would be patched afterward because they had to cut out asphalt to find the bottom of the post where it broke off. We were concerned about digging up the asphalt, patching, and how that would look esthetically. So this matter was not resolved. We asked to speak to you about how it was going to be repaired but that did not happen. 
  
  
  Second Item: Sidewalk
  Yes you did come out and repair the sidewalk blocks however, the lines are crooked and there is cement residue across the block expanse on the new asphalt. 
  
  
  We understand these were both unfortunate accidents however, one was never resolved and the other not repaired well. 
  
  
  Third Item: Heel marks with brush stokes left in asphalt
  
  
  Yes your foreman did come out to try and fix the divots. He was respectful and apologetic for all of the issues that had occurred. Unfortunately the repair was not successful and a large expanse of the driveway now looks terrible AND puddles water (this is not just a cosmetic issue).
  
  
  What you haven’t addressed are the tire divots in the driveway that we continue to get when cars park on the driveway. So the asphalt was either too cool and didn’t roll out correctly or it was a bad batch. It being a bad batch is what your sales rep that came out instead of Roger alluded to, explaining that your company can’t control what asphalt you get from the plant. So if we did get a bad batch of asphalt then there certainly can be issues that are structural down the road.  Having a newly installed driveway with all of these issues is 100% not acceptable. 
  
  
  We also didn’t appreciate your sales rep complaining about how hard removal of the border cement was when they were prepping the driveway. As I said to him, when he came out to look at the job initially, we didn’t hide anything and told him we had no idea how deep they ran. His response at that time was, no problem our guys will figure it out. 
  And we didn’t even bring up the garage siding that was cracked on both sides when they were taking the cement out. 
  Or the rust stains that run the length of the driveway that are still there from the roller. 
  
  
  We will pursue getting our deposit back and will be filing a case with the Better Business Bureau. We will also respond to your automated review request with our experience with Sullivan Paving.
  
  
  ***** and *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  I contracted Sullivan Paving to pave my driveway, which was completed on May 9, 2022. In August, 2022 I noticed cracks and holes in the new pavement. On August 30, I contacted Sullivan Paving, spoke with Crystal, and was told to send pictures and someone would be available to check and address the problem. I've called back each week at least once, and haven't had any follow up.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  Sullivan Paving's owner went on site to review issues and has agreed to replace a large section of the driveway. We have been communicating directly with customer. Repair is scheduled for Spring 2023.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/21/2022

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  I prefer to keep this open until repairs are completed.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ******