Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2023

  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.

  Early 2022 real services contracted woodwork by design to install a walk in tub for my disabled friend who lived with me. They ordered the tub may 2022 and began work shortly after. They installed a sink cabinet they shimmed the legs with. They installed a rubber type floor that bubbles up when the furnace blows. They broke the trim around the door taking it off to move tub in. Put broken trim back up I made them fix that. Tub didnt work. 3 trips out they got the keys to work. Told them shower had no pressure. I was told not their problem. I had to purchase a shower head. Told them had to hold the drain open to drain water. They never fixed. I had to have my breaker box required this spring. Electrician said tub was on an extension cord. Fire hazard. Took 4 months but woodwork sent mr electric out who agreed and charged woodwork by design ******* to bring it up to code. Drain is still broke and side panel on tub still falls off. Woodwork by design says tough luck for me because now its out of warranty and told me call the manufacturer. I was stuck twice in the tub because it wouldnt drain. They did shoddy workmanship from day one using the excuse the contractor son was terminal so he was having a hard time. My friend passed away March 21st 2023 so her case is closed with real services. I am now stuck with this tub I cant drain and no one will fix. Please help me

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Our company works for the state ******** Waiver Program which allocates money for individuals with disabilities to receive home modifications.

  The process works like this. A spec provider goes to the house and creates a detailed plan for the modification. The individual is then allowed to select several contractors from a list. The contractors go to the individuals home, then bid on the project. The state chooses the lowest bidder and awards the contract. The contractor must guarantee the work for one year. After that, there are funds to provide for yearly maintenance. Before the contractor is given permission to start the project, the ******** waiver recipient, as well as, the homeowner, if not the same, must sign off, approving the project as it is written. Once the job is complete, the same people must sign off that they are satisfied with the work. The person making this complaint approved the modification and signed that she was satisfied when it was completed.

  This project was completed on 6/3/2022. On 6/21/2022, we received a call from the homeowner saying that there was a problem with the bathtub, that it wasnt draining properly. Our company immediately responded by calling the manufacturer about the tub issue and going to the individuals home to check on the water temperature. The hot water issue cannot be resolved as the homes hot water heater is too small for a house and doesnt have the capacity to fill the tub. The homeowner would have to buy a bigger water heater. The manufacturer sent a part which did not seem to completely fix the issue, so we called them again. They sent what was needed and we fixed the problem.

  One of the other issues that the homeowner complained about was that there was no longer a shower for her to use. The walk-in tub was a therapeutic item for the individual receiving it. The tub replaces a shower, but does have a wand for rinsing. The homeowner agreed to this when she signed the paperwork. We suggested that the homeowner replace the wand with a longer hose and a shower head that could be attached to the wall allowing for regular showering. The inspector went to the house, and the homeowner and client both signed that they were satisfied with the work. 

  As soon as we got the tub parts, we replaced them and the tub was in good working order. 

  In July of 2023, the homeowner called me. She said that the person who lived with her, the ******** waiver recipient, had died. She said that the tub wasnt draining properly and that she had an electrician doing work at her house who said that we had not done the electrical connection for the tub correctly. I immediately told her that I would get that looked at, and that I would send her the order number and manufacturers information so that she could contact them about the issues for the tub which was no longer under warranty by our company. There was no way to request maintenance as the individual pertaining to the modification had passed away.

  When I couldn't get any electric company to get out there quickly, I asked the homeowner for her electrician's name so that I could get this checked out quickly for her. When I called him and asked who he worked for or if he was self-employed, he said that he wasnt actually an electrician, but a journeyman. He said that he wasnt working for a company and that he only took cash. So I called Mr. ********* They went out and fixed the issue. 

  Responding to the timeliness in her statement, once we fixed the issues in the fall of 2022 and they signed off on the satisfaction survey, I never heard from the cliend or homeowner again until mid-July 2023. The homeowner called me specifically about the electrical problem that her electric person had mentioned and issues with the tub. As the electric could be a serious issue and *************** was retired and no longer in the area, I took care of this as quickly as I could. After calling various electric companies with long wait times, then reaching out to the homeowner's electric person and finding out he wasn't licensed, I called a company named Mr. ********* They completed the job on 7/15/23, which was the soonest they could do it.

  When I sent the homeowner the manufacturers information and order number, she was very upset because she didnt think the manufacturer was going to do the repair for her. (see attached text messages for this conversation). I don't know whether she has ever called them. She called a supervisor at the agency who had managed the case for the deceased ******** waiver recipient and was told that the work was no longer under warranty and that it was the homeowners responsibility. 

  As for the other things mentioned in the homeowners statement, I will not respond except to say that they are not accurate. We have been in business for more than five years and have worked for hundreds of people. I would trust any one of them to offer a recommendation for our company. 
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  The drain has NEVER worked properly and they are aware of it.  It is in pieces and was defective from the start. I did buy a new shower head and replaced it.  The tub has no problem filling up with hot water and the light and jets now work after they sent out mr electric to bring it up to code at their expense since it was not done properly in the beginning. The problem is once you fill and use it you cant drain it because the k*** for drain is not connected to the stopper.  Therefore I have been stuck in this tub because you cannot open the door or all the water would flood out.  Also too much weight on door from pressure. I have had to crawl over the side.    I *********************** tell them it wasnt right several times.  Then she became terminal with lung cancer and it was the least of her problems.   I just want them to fix the drain that has never worked properly 
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2023

  I would just like to reiterate that our company has done everything we could do within our company policies and the **************** guidelines to resolve the consumer's issues in a timely manner. When the consumer made her issues known to us, we immediately got an electrician to remedy the electrical issue and sent the consumer the manufacturer's information for the tub. For the **************** ******** Waiver program we are required to provide a warranty on all of our work for the period of one year. The consumer didn't call us until past the date of the one year warranty. We did what we could do within our company policy. Please see previous response for more detailed information and please see our company's warranty attached to this response.