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:08/29/2022

  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.

  Let me start off by saying the final product looks good. Time will tell if it holds up. I hired ******************** and he was very unprofessional in his dealings. I disclosed and physically showed all areas of concern with the project. Several days were taken before an estimate was given. Meanwhile, the wallpaper was purchased by me. I was given a discounted price for the wallpaper by a ******************************* rep. ** was not purchased using ************************ work discount, although he insists on saying he was "helping me out*with a discount. The increase to the estimate on Monday was expected because the cost of the primer was not included and it was oicked up the day before work started. ** was not the normal primer he used.therefore, any trial and error was due to his lack of knowledge with the product, but I was charged for it.The first ful day occurred with no onor approval aen before doivonal work was done. A very unprofessional temper tantrum/ meltdown happened Tuesday after my Mother, who has dementia, told ******************** to address her with any information concerning her home and not the caregiver. This resulted in threats to quit, an increased bill, and unprofessional snide remarks. The price of the service increased every ***. I never abbroved or sidned on on ny cnal caroes, vous been made for final inspection and payment to be done after I got off work. A demand for payment was made upon completion or a 25% fee would be added to the final bill if I wasn't at home to pay. Additional snide remarks were made. I had to take off work. Upon arrival home, another round of unprofessiona snide passive aggressive benavior was exhibited by ********************. Overall, it was a bad and scary experience

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2022

   
  Complaint: 17795126
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I am a full-time employee and sole member caring for my nearly 90 year old mother who has Dementia. I do not owe anyone an explanation as to why there are only 2 caregivers in the home, but I will say it is due to agency scheduling and short staffing. The assumptions about my employment, availability, caregivers, and the neighborhood I live in have no bearing in this complaint.
  
  Please provide the necessary documentation to support your price adjustments that were imposed on me without written or signed consent or agreement.
  
  Please show where I requested additional work (besides the light switch cover needing wallpaper) to be done, via text or email, not included in the original contract. The casual mention of a price change was in a text message thread discussing the dust up with my Mother. The price shouldnt have changed 3 times without written consent to approve continued work like it is states in your contract.
  
  Any time spent in the procurement of materials for a project is the responsibility of the installer. I was presented with a receipt for a gallon of shellac, because a previous client did not have any of the desired primer left. Per the provided text messages, it shows a need to consult with ******************************* because you were unfamiliar with the product or what was causing the bleed through failure of the shellac. The severe wall repair was done for all four corners for an exorbitant amount of time, but it required no additional supplies.
  
  As the homeowner of more than 55 years, my Mother has the right to be acknowledged as such and not dismissed or overlooked because of her inability to remember short term information. She addressed you as a very ***** professional demeaner and you told me she was very ***** with you, like a **** or something. I can provide a statement from the caregiver showing your unprofessional response and actions after the incident.
  
  ********************* could have done a better job and the opening paragraph from the rebuttal. So just dont go there from the contract. This aint **************** when asked to clean off dust (as stated in the contract) and white streaks from several surfaces. These are several examples that attest to your lack of professionalism. It is inappropriate, ungracious, brash, arrogant, and disrespectful. Both caregivers were embarrassed by your actions and comments. I can provide statements.
  
  Per the rebuttal, my schedule was worked around. The initial $100 estimate was done around my schedule. The 1st payment was picked up around my schedule. So, a prior discussion for the final payment pickup was had to work around my schedule. The terms of the verbal agreement were changed the morning of the final day. I stated the money would not be left with the caregiver, as she had just started working the day before, or electronically sent without reviewing the final product. An irrational statement was made, But, hows my work been so far?. I reiterated the work had to be reviewed. I was threatened with a 25% late fee if I didnt pay the increased price at the midday completion of the project. My schedule was not being worked around so, I adjusted, and had to leave work early.
  
  Miscellaneous correction: A handyman, not affiliated with the BBB, attempted the wallpaper over a year ago, but paid me back for the damaged rolls and never charged me for the attempt.
  
  Several mistruths were mentioned in the rebuttal and disproven with the documentation already provided to the BBB. If additional information is needed to disprove any remaining discrepancies, it can be provided. 
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2022

  My response remains firm on what I said in my first response. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2022

  Please see attached*
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2022

  I would like to take the time to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time, out of your very busy day, to address your grievances with my company publicly vs face to face. I believe your opening lines says it all Let me start off by saying the final product looks good. I would dare to say its flawless, but folks *** think Im being biased as I own the company & I did you installation personally. Yet consumers are lined up 3 months out, based on seeing my work done in person & word of mouth. I am filled with gratitude for all my clients & I believe that most, if not all, feel the same for what I bring to their homes & businesses. See my companies core value exemplifies doing things the old fashioned way, work done with integrity. The Pickle Guru lives & breathes by this very value. Sadly today this value is not upheld by most companies or tradesmen today. We both know this to be true simply based on what I walked into on day one. My company does things right the first time around. However, more times than not, I walk into situations where the complete opposite has been done. See there are clients that seek value and then there are those that are seeking quality. I provide quality. When I find myself stepping into a situation where I am with a new client to fix something that was attempted. It seems that those clients learn very quickly that they should have sought quality vs value. This is when the client learns the importance of hiring a reputable company/installer. Seems like everyone has the time to have it done twice, at twice the price. The ****** learned is that the cheapest bid is not always the best route in the long run.
   Now lets address the rest of these grievances. All my work is backed by a one year, limited warranty. That being said, if deemed that it was at the fault of the installation/installer, I would personally come back to address any issues that *** have arose. To date, *** never had to go back to a client or business for a faulty installation. However, I can make such a bold claim because all my installations are done with quality and longevity in mind. Hence the need to border glue your corners of the entryway due to differences in temperature from outside & inside. Every install has always provided years of satisfaction for any client or business. This doesnt cover damages cause by the client. This is why I work in a half up payment upfront and half on completion. I also cover myself with photos of the work before, during, and after any said installation. As with any & all of my clients I am polite, courteous, & transparent the entire duration of the process. This includes additional charges incurred during a given installation. That being said, should a client request additional labor to be done, there is an additional charge. As stated in the signed contract required by all clients The blind bid/estimate *** be subject to adjustment during an installation &/or upon completion. This typically only occurs when there are unexpected challenges that arise during an installation. Exceeding the time &/or effort initially predicted within the original blind bid/estimate. (IE: wall is not leveled or square, drywall is bowed, manufacturing flaws in the product, etc) I try to be as accurate as possible with any blind bid/estimate but hindsight is always 20/20. In the end, I always make it fair for both parties, if adjustments are required. The human eye can only catch so much, IE: bowing in the walls, which is caught once a level is placed upon the surface/installation site. This is typical for high work, but not always.
  My business is based on my professional demeanor. I explain the process, products, terminology used in great detail & in laymans terms for every client. When doing estimates/blind bids for clients, I always ask for a few days but not more than one week to gather numbers to calculate the bid. I cannot provide a client an accurate blind bid/estimate if I dont know what kind of paper you are choosing for installation. There are tiers based on types of wallcovering. Beyond that, it did take you a few days to decide on a new wallcovering since your previous installer destroyed half of the wallcovering you previously purchased. Furthermore, it then took a few more days for you to have the wallcovering delivered. I also take the time to go over any manufacturers installation instructions just as a precaution. I also have to gather supplies, create a checklist of equipment/supplies needed for each unique installation. Beyond that, I do have to shop for groceries, do laundry, take care of my mother & grandmother, my pets, my landscaping, etc Then I have to find an *************** in which to schedule the client in my calendar. This is based on a first come first serve basis. Occasionally, I can squeeze a client in & still maintain my set scheduling. I would like to state that this was the case with you. To fairly paint a picture of your unique situation, I will now highlight in great detail your specific pickle.
  The client has eight doubles of metallic printed wallcovering, which is sixteen singles. Depending on the manufacturer. The client had someone tell her that they could indeed do the install correctly for her. All I can say is that this was anything but the case. This installer was supposedly found on the BBB. However, when I walked in all I could say is OMG, OMG, OMG ********************* could have done a better job. The walls were not prepped properly, meaning that the old wallcovering was still up, paste used decades ago was still remaining on the walls, the walls were gauged every few inches from improper wallcovering removal, corners were not mending on all four sides (you cant hang wallpaper corner to corner if there isnt any wall at those corners to be hung), the walls were not treated with a primer thus there was tandem bleeding through the install of the initial chosen wallpaper, the paper was not leveled, the seams were not matched to pattern & there was over and under lapping, the paste wasnt even completely applied to said wallcovering to adhere it completely to the wall, the paper required an overlap & double cut (this was not even attempted), they gauged the mid wall trim removing not only the wood but paint as well). All in all it was an absolute disgrace to the wallcovering profession. This installer, took you and your money and ran I felt terribly for you and knowing your situation, I offered my contractors discount to help you recoup from the previous debacle.
  When the initial blind bid/estimate was proposed, the client signed & agreed to all terms within. The additional need for an oil based primer was due to the tandem that seeped through your original wallcovering, very clearly. In order to stop that from happening with my installation, this had to be applied to the entire wall & two more times beyond that just to be safe as the deep burgundy kept trying to bleed through pink. The problem that was encountered was that, due to limited supply in stores (big box included) because of the pandemic, a lot of our supplies are not simply on the shelves ready to be bought up. Many things are limited and behind schedule for deliveries from all types of companies, not just the primer industry. I personally spent three hours trying to track down an oil based primer because all stores within a hundred miles were out. Now we could have bought twenty to thirty cans of aerosol primer, but at what cost? Especially after all that you just went through with the previous installer. Additionally, I didnt charge you for the three hours of my time trying to source this material for you. Eventually, I called a previous client & bought their unused gallon off them for your install. Otherwise the entire project would have been put on hold, due to no fault of my own. Just to clarify here, an oil based primer is a stain blocking primer used to prevent tandem, pet stains, smoke, or fire damage. It is used in extreme cases just like yours My knowledge of the products available in this media is vast, so Im unsure why the client stated any trial and error was due to his lack of knowledge with the product, but I was charged for it. Yes, she was charged for it as it was required for her installation. Same goes for any paint or wallcovering. The client pays for the products needed and I am paid for the successful & lasting installation.
  As far as what occurred with the mother & second or third caregiver, at this point I cant honestly remember because at this juncture the client had one caregiver quit due to her treatment within the home. The next just never came back, & the third was there on my final day of installation. The mother who did suffer with dementia was upset with the fact that I address herself & the caregiver simultaneously due to her lack of memory. I was told to address the ladies as such, per the daughter/client. Which I had no problem doing. However, when one is spoken to in a manner that is unbecoming, a line must be drawn & conversation had. This was done in a manner that was respectful & without incident. The nurse handled the situation admirably. She relayed the information I had shared with them both, as the mother could not remember her outburst, moments ago There was no threat to quit, but rather a suggestion to pick up thing the next day in terms of the installation. Seeing first hand that  it was an off day for the mother, who up and till that day was pretty pleasant. The increase in the blind bid/estimate only occurred when the client added to the original understanding of the project. Contract stating As this is an estimate/blind bid, I reserve the right to adjust amount of product required &/or adjust pricing for any additional "specialty requests" made by the Client &/or General Contractor. ...as was the case here. There are no surprises for any client, as it is known & signed off that if you request additional labor to be done, additional costs will be added to your original blind bid/estimate.
  Snide remarks are not used in my vernacular with clients. It is in bad taste that one would ever have to stoop to such a level. Honestly snide remarks were not exchanged. Comparatively, I can not say the same was true of the client. Whom was very short with me upon pay day, in front of the latest caregiver & her mother. Silence & a very cold shoulder were presented upon completion. Which I found to be so shocking because up and till that day, the daughter/client was pleasant for the most part. I worked with her with her schedule, around caregivers schedules (as there were so many), and completed the installation in the days that I estimated. The client had been working half days all week, so it surprised me when she claimed that she would not be there to pay upon completion as agreed & talked about at length for two-three weeks at that point. It was to my understanding that she only worked part time to help care for her elderly mother. The late fee is clearly stated within terms of the signed contract to insure that one is paid, upon completion, for the finished & successful installation.
  In closing, I would agree that this is someone with whom I would prefer to never do business with again, based on my personal first hand experience. I should have seen the flags between the amount of caregivers run through in a weeks time, the **************** & ************ personality traits of the daughter, & the scariness of the neighborhood in which the installation was provided. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instincts. In the future I will be more cautious.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/06/2022

   
  Complaint: 17795126
  
  I am rejecting this response because:notification of a price increase was not signed off on before the work was done. ******************** seems to treat this blind bid contract as a blank check to change it at his will, despite writing in the contract that any changes need to be signed off on. I didnt put that in the contract, he did! He violated his own contract! He didnt do any extra work than what we discussed at the initial $100 consultation. He had lied about having prior knowledge of the damage, where he bought the primer, and his familiarity with the primer. Why would you be on the phone with ******************************* if you knew the product? Why was there a hint that I should be charged for the procurement of any work supplies? Im not sure where these new dangled business owners are coming from but this is not the way to do business! I guess if I get ******* repaired I have to buy my own black tarp and nails! Totally unprofessional!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************