Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2024

  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 2023, we hired this company to replace the entire back door. This included not only the door but also all the structures above the door, such as the rain cover, the rectangular glass transom, and the door kickplate below the door. However, the workers did not replace the "2x4 support block" underneath the door kickplate.
  
  This spring, we noticed several cracks in the door frame, and the "2x4 support block" had already rotted. There was a half-inch gap between the 2x4 support block and the door kickplate. After contacting the company, the workers came once to address the issue but only used substandard caulking to fill the cracks in some areas of door frames, but within two days, the newly filled areas cracked again.
  
   Despite the "2x4 support block" having rotted last year, the company refused to replace it, claiming that the block is unrelated to the door and not their responsibility.
  
  This unprofessional handling has not only affected the stability of the door but also the safety of our home. We are requesting that Samson Handyman Service take responsibility for this issue and provide a quality repair to ensure the strength, stability, durability and safety of the door.
  After many contacts with this company, the problem has not been solved. I attached some pictures with email as reference
  We hope BBB can assist in resolving this matter and urge Samson Handyman Service to take responsibility for their work and provide appropriate repairs or replacement services.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  The homeowner approved our July 12, 2023, estimate #****, and our crew completed said work on September 21, 2023. Note-We offer a one year warranty on labor, with materials covered by the manufacturer's warranty. The estimate (as well as the work performed), included the following: Remove and replace 2/8 x 6/8 right hand,in-swing, full view door unit with 4 9/16 jamb and 10 transom,including nickel hinges. Paint new work. At no time--in the estimate, during the work, or after completion and payment-- was a 2x4 support block underneath the door kickplate mentioned by or discussed with the homeowner.
  
  Earlier this year, on July 8, 2024, the homeowner reached out to Samson Handyman Service, LLC (SHS) to report an issue with cracked caulking around the door frame. On 8/9, our technician was onsite to address this issue. First, he confirmed the door was functioning properly.The door opened and closed easily. The locking mechanisms of the door were still functioning properly. There was no air or water gaps at the door. The only issue he found with the door was cracked caulking where the brick mould meets the door frame and where the brick mould meets the siding on the house. Note-The technician could not physically keep his hand on the door surface because the amount of direct sun, as well as the dark color of the door, made it too hot to touch. Therefore, he had to wear gloves to re-secure and apply caulking to those areas of the trim that were cracking. This was all demonstrated and explained to the homeowner. The cracking issue problem was not due to the previous work performed, but to the fact that the door location is in constant sun with extreme heat bearing down on the door. The weather/heat is causing the cracking issues,and additional methods should be used to strengthen the trim. He also indicated the need to return on another day to repaint the affected areas. At this time in the process, homeowner indicated their understanding of the circumstances.
  
  Numerous communications ensued with the homeowner, wherein SHS again explained what was causing the cracking issue, and what resolution could be offered (without any additional cost to the homeowner). Specifically,in our August 15, 2024 email to the homeowner, we stated as follows: We have reached out to you by phone for the past 2 days to try to resolve this issue with no response. We were trying to have you on our schedule today to complete this project. **** is the technician who was at your house last week, and he was the original technician when the door was installed. As he explained to you (in great detail)while onsite last week, the gap was sealed using a polyurethane based caulking which has a much broader working temperature range, higher adhesion, and a wider stretch range. Your original door was replaced due to wood rot. The new door trim material is PVC which will never rot. The drawback of PVC trim is that, in extreme heat, it can cause the trim to expand and contract more than the old wood trim. Due to this, it can cause the caulking to fail. Additional fasteners will not stop the trim from expanding and contracting. The door trim is currently secured using trim nails. In our experience, the addition of screws or stronger fasteners can cause the trim to break when it expands. Cracked caulking is not typically covered under warranty. We provide a one year warranty on labor, but not materials. Any materials would be covered under the manufacturer's warranty. 
  At this point, we will wait to hear back from you if you want us to resolve this issue.

  Additional,multiple communications between the client and SHS (both via email and telephone communications) were made in an attempt to schedule our technician onsite 8/26 for the resolution work offered by SHS: address any cracks, add nails and paint the new caulking with leftover paint in homeowner's possession. The homeowner responded the same day requesting we only continue to communicate by email, and that she wanted to communicate with **** M(ayo), the person that prepared the estimate. Also, the homeowner never confirmed our attempt to have a technician onsite that day as was originally discussed. That same day, **** ****** of *** responded as follows: "I am the tech as well as the manager and as so it is my job to handle issues such as this. I have explained to you via e-mail, over the phone, as well as in person that we provide a one year labor warranty. We do not, nor have we ever, provided any warranty on materials . We are trying to resolve your issue. We had you on our schedule today (you requested today) to make the agreed upon repairs as discussed. There is not a more "reasonable or effective solution". The repairs would be as follows; 1. Add additional nails, 2. Touch up cracked or missing caulking, 3. Touch up paint where nails or caulking is added. This is the only resolution we will be able to offer you. If you agree to this we will attempt to schedule this repair one last time. If you cancel the appointment again we will not attempt to re-schedule this repair again and consider it your refusal of service." 

  The homeowner continued to send emails requesting input from **** ****,and on September 9th,SHS responded, **** is very much aware of the situation, and he's been in the loop with ALL communications. However, he is no longer doing field work, and hasn't been involved in the physical work portion of the company for quite some time now. **** and **** have discussed in great detail the recommended resolution to this issue, and **** is in agreement with the steps **** has presented to you for the repairs. We are trying to resolve this issue the best we can without any additional cost to you. Since **** is the Project Manager, this resolution and work will be performed by him.

  On September 11th,SHS attempted, again, to schedule **** onsite 9/16 to address the cracking issue; but, as of September 12th,client was not available that date, and once more requested input from **** ****. As before, *** responded: Every communication--whether it is a new email or a response to a previous email--every email communication is received by three (3)people: ***** ***** and *****. **** is and has been fully aware of the entire situation since your first communication reporting your concerns. He and **** have discussed the steps for a resolution,and **** is in agreement with **** as to what needs to be done.**** will not be onsite-he no longer performs or oversees field work.
  Please let us know when you have availability for **** to come onsite to perform the following actions: cut existing caulking to allow new caulking to penetrate between door frame and door jamb where previous caulking has failed. Note-any caulking that he finds that needs to be fully removed, he will fully remove and apply new caulking. He will then touch up paint on any nail holes and new caulking.
  Please let us know when you have availability for **** to come onsite and perform this described work.
  
  At this point, emails went back and forth regarding scheduling, with it being settled that **** would be onsite 9/26 to perform the resolution work as SHS indicated previously. On September 22nd,the homeowner confirmed their availability for the morning of the ******* is in this email the homeowner FIRST MENTIONS an issue with the door sill not being replaced. This specific task was never a part of the original work performed in September 2023, nor was it included in the approved estimate. Again, the homeowner NEVER brought up this item until September 22, 2024not once during the estimate process,not once during the work, not once during the payment or post work process, not once during any 2024, multiple/numerous communications (both by telephone and email) when discussing the cracking issue.Therefore, *** responded offering to submit an estimate to the homeowner for that added work, and tried to confirm the resolution work for 9/26. On September 24th,the homeowner refused the *** offer of an additional work estimate,as well as the scheduling opportunity, and continued to send communications repeating the same issues and requests that *** has answered ad nauseam.
  
  On September 26, 2024, *** sent the following position statement email to the homeowner. "The 2 x 4 wood underneath the door (stud kickplate) was not part of the approved estimate. Therefore, replacing it was not included in the original work performed last year. At no time--last year or during this year's communications--has this wood ever been referenced or discussed. If it needs to be replaced, we will provide a bid for the additional work, but it was never a part of the original quote for work to be performed.
  Meanwhile,we have explained over and over again what we can do to resolve the door frame cracks without any additional cost to you. We have explained repeatedly how **** is and has been completely aware of your issues, concerns, and position with regard to this work. This includes your initial call of July 8, 2024, to report the cracking issue, and all your subsequent telephone conversations and emails between myself and *****, as well as your emails directly to ****. He is completely and absolutely in 100% agreement with the actions I've outlined and discussed with you for addressing this matter. Over the course of the last month and a half, we've made numerous attempts to be onsite to perform the resolution work as we've described and, except for my August 9th visit, you've repeatedly canceled every time. As has been stated continuously, I will come onsite to: 1) cut the caulking to allow new caulking to penetrate between the brick moulding and door jamb where the previous caulking has failed, 2) fully remove and apply new caulking where it is needed, and, 3) touch up paint on any nail holes and new caulking, using the same paint left onsite after last year's work. No other work will be performed. So, if you are agreeable to these specific actions, we will see what upcoming availability we have on our schedule. If not, we will consider this matter closed. Even though our position was clear in this last communication, the homeowner sent, yet again, another email on September 27th stating the same details as their previous communications. *** did not respond to that email.
  
  Over the course of the past four months, we here at *** have made numerous attempts to address the homeowner's issues and concerns, even though technically, the issues do NOT fall within our warranty coverage;and, the kickplate stud was not even part of the scope of work. In fact, estimate #**** specifically contains an area Note to customer which contains the following phrase, We are pleased to provide you with an estimate and look forward to working with you. Any additional repairs or unforeseen damages will be billed separately. At NO TIME did the homeowner ask for any additional work, let alone mention the stud kickplate.
  
  Samson Handyman Service, LLC

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/11/2024

  We will not go into the full details of the matter here, but will focus on the key points:
  First: We requested that **** **** address the issue because he had previously done repair work on our house several years ago. His work was meticulous and reliable, ensuring high quality. Moreover, **** **** was the person who provided the estimate in 2023. At that time, he stated that in addition to replacing the whole set of the  door, all necessary materials for the replacement were included in the quoted price. Although the specific materials weren't listed one by one, it is reasonable to expect that the support 2x4 inch wood block would have been included in the estimate and should not incur an additional charge. The simplest solution is to have **** **** revisit the site to assess whether this support 2x4 wood piece was part of the original estimate and should have been replaced.
  Second: In August of this year, when **** was repairing the doorframe crack, he mentioned that the crack could only be filled with caulking, not nailed, as nails would cause the *** frame to break. However, approximately two days later, the new caulking began to crack again. He then stated that he would use both caulking and nails to secure the frame. This inconsistency in ****** statements has caused us to doubt his expertise and technical ability, which is another reason we would prefer **** to handle the repair.
  Third: Upon completion of the work last year, I specifically asked **** why the support 2x4 inch wood block had not been replaced. He said at that time, "It doesnt need to be replaced." The block had been painted over, obscuring any signs of rot, and we trusted his judgment. However, within less than a year, the support 2x4 block began to tilt, and there is now a visible gap between the kickplat and the support 2x4 wood block. Whether this support 2x4 wood piece should have been replaced does not depend on when we raised concerns but rather on the technicians and the project managers responsibility to ensure the structural integrity and long-term durability of the doorframe and the baseboard support. Now that the kickplat has lost the support of the "support2x4 block", we would like to ask the project manager ****
  without the support of "support 2x4 block", how can the suspended kickplat support the entire doorframe and the structure of the door?  

  Our sole request is for **** **** to repair and complete our door project, ensuring the highest quality."

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2024

  In reviewing our scheduling records,**** **** was never assigned to this address for workonly as an estimator. Any past work completed was performed by other employees and/or project managers.
  
  As to the 2x4 stud matter--all work to be performed was outlined in the estimate provided last year. If it was not on the estimate, it was not included in the project. As indicated before, any additional work NOT included would be priced onsite if found to be needed. At no time was the 2x4 stud underneath the door ever mentioned or discussed during the estimate approval process. At no time AFTER the 2023 work was completed was the 2x4 stud underneath the door ever mentioned or discussed. If it had been, we would have provided an additional bid because it was additional work NOT included in the original estimate. At no time during months of communications this year (2024) regarding the door trim issue did homeowner bring up the 2x4 stud underneath the doornot until September 22, 2024. Homeowner's request for **** **** to revisit the site to assess whether this support 2x4 wood piece was part of the original estimate... is not necessary. **** has been involved in this year's multiple communications with the homeowner, and **** confirms he did NOT include the 2x4 stud in the 2023 estimate.
  
  We have offered to have **** resolve the trim issue to the best we can without additional cost to the homeowner. As well, we have offered to provide a bid for the 2x4 stud work.Homeowner has refused both. We are now at an impasse.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/20/2024

  Firstly, like ****, we also hope the repair work can be completed as soon as possible. However, after months of communication with ****,  The core issue is that we cannot accept Mikes repair plan, which lacks a quality assurance guarantee. (Details of Mikes repair plan are outlined in our previous correspondence.)

   We have a disagreement with **** regarding whether the 24 wood blocks were included in the original estimate. The most straightforward and effective way to resolve this dispute is to have **** come to the site and clarify the issue with us. When the estimate was provided in 2023, we discussed the details with **** ****. **** was not present and did not participate in the conversation. Therefore, it is essential that **** meet with us in person to provide an explanation.

   Despite months of communication with ****, the repair work remains incomplete. we have been unable to finalize the repairs. **** and us have different concerns, so we can't reach an agreement. Our primary concern is the overall stability, sturdiness, and durability of the door structure. However, **** has neglected to address these quality concerns. The workmanship a year ago was poor and rough, and the rotten of the 24 wood blocks has directly affected the overall stability and integrity of the door and its frame. As customers, we have the right to raise our concerns about the quality of the work with the company's top  management, including ****** supervisor, ****, and to request a quality-assured repair plan.
   We no longer wish to waste time with ineffective communication and delays with ****. Despite our repeated requests to contact ****, **** has consistently avoided and blocked our attempts to reach him directly. This is puzzlingif **** genuinely wishes to resolve the issue, why is he so resistant to us speaking with ****? Why not have ****, who was involved in the original estimate, clarify the disagreement?
   We are seeking BBB's assistance in facilitating direct contact with **** **** as soon as possible. We request that **** personally inspect the quality of the work on-site and discuss a proper repair plan with us.
   All of this is aimed at properly resolving the dispute and ensuring the repair work is completed as soon as possible.