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:08/16/2022

  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.

  FireBird installed a concrete sidewalk on our house in September 2021. There are many issues. The company did not respond to numerous emails and phone calls to fix them and/or suggest solutions. I want them to fix the first three issues or pay for them to be fixed. The issues are:1)The sidewalk developed multiple cracks in different areas just after a few months of installation. One area is particularly bad with a large crack and two small cracks running along the full width of the sidewalk that needs to be fixed.2)They made a big hole on one window screen and splashed concrete on another window screen. Both need replacement.3)There are unclean concrete that splashed in several areas, which should have been cleaned.4)There were other errors that we have to live with: Concrete path at the start is 4' 4" wide as opposed to 5' wide. Water damage to concrete due to a faucet left dripping overnight by their worker *****. Other issues: Black brick wall did not match to the concrete color, which we had verbally requested. I have failed to get any response from them in spite of many attempts to contact them by email and by phone.Date of Transaction: September 30, 2021 Amount of money paid to Firebird: $8,177 Whether Business tried to resolve problem: No

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2022

  **********************************. did not do any work for this customer.  We provided a free quote and by the time *************************** wanted to move forward with the work, the quote had expired and our schedule filled.  Our wait time was over a year and he did not want to wait that long.  ***** asked for other concrete company names so we provided a few names and phone numbers of other companys who specialize in concrete work.  He then hired a different company and paid them directly.  We have responded to his phone calls letting him know that he needed to contact the company that he hired to do the work.  He has since then contacted us several times again and we cannot do anything for him other than giving him the phone number of the company he hired to do the work.  We have also contacted the company that he hired and let them know he has been continuing to contact our company.  We were told (by the company he hired) that he would take care of the issue.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2022

  
  
  Explanation about who did the Concrete work
  August 18, 2022
  
  
  
  1) Firebird (***************************) sent ****, their guy for the work: Firebird indeed did our work. The contract with Firebird was originally dated May 12, 2021. The work started on September 28, 2021 or thereabout. Firebird (***************************) sent ********************* to do the work and told me the day before the work started that he was sending ****. It was ****** who sent **** and I had no idea who **** was. 
  
  2) Firebird (******) visited the site during the work:  During the job Firebird (******) even visited the site. If I recall, ****** had originally said that he was sending his brother **** to do the job.
  
  3) Work order for changes while the work was in progress was written on Firebirds letterhead (attached) on September 30, 2021: While the work was in progress, some changes were made such as adding three steps, adding rounded steps, etc. The extra cost was $387.50. That cost was also given to me on a letterhead with Firebirds name. 
  
  4) ***************** contacted me yesterday. Following my complaint to the Better Business Bureau, miraculously **** called me on the telephone yesterday. Firebird must have told him to take care of it.
  
  Firebird is responsible for the work because Firebird sent ***************** to do the work. ****** (Firebird) visited the site at least once while the work was being done. The additional work order of $387.50 on September 30, while the work was being done, was written on Firebirds letterhead. 
  
  
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2022

  I have reviewed the documents that were submitted.  The quote that was given by **********************************. was the original quote which was not signed until after it had already expired on June 12, 2021.  After we received this signed form, as previously stated, we were a year out from being able to perform the work.  I am president of the company and have never seen the work order that was submitted.  The handwriting on this form is not mine or anyone who has ever worked for **********************************. and does not have mine or *************************** (Vice-President) signature on it.  Also, we have never invoiced nor received payment from ****************************  Can you please submit a cancelled check showing where he paid my company for the services he received please.  I do know that when he hired **** and ****, they agreed to honor the pricing that was previously quoted by **********************************. and they were also hired to do additional work for ******************** that Firebird had never quoted.  When **** and **** were hired to do this work, it was not under **********************************. as they had their owncompany and I would assume invoiced him and received payment directly to them for their services.      

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/19/2022

  
  
  There are two things I would like to bring up in response to Firebird's comments.
  
  (1) I signed the Firebird contract promptly on May 18,2021 (see my attached email screenshot with the date stamps on it). Firebird claims I signed the contract after the deadline date June 12, 2021 and so they were not obligated to do anything. This is not true. I ask them on what basis they are saying this and can they produce anything showing that they received it that late? The fact of the matter is that they emailed me the contract on May 12, 2021 and I sent the signed contract promptly back to them on May 18, 2021 (both time stamps are on the attached email, which I had sent to Firebird). 
  
        Can a contractor just abandon a signed contract, when it was signed just six days after it was received, way before their deadline, and just walk away from it? I believe that would be legal breach of contract. Firebird did indeed not breach the contract, they just sent their brother to do the job, under their existing and valid contract. On the other hand, with a valid signed contract in place, I could not even consider someone else to do the job. 
  
  (2) Cancelled Check: The check for the full amount was written to ***************** (attached). I was communicating with *************************** from Firebird, and ****** sent his brother *********************** to do the job, and told me about it the day before work started. The additional work order was written by **** at the work site on Firebird's letterhead with Firebird logo. Even though his brother did the work, ****** assigned him to do the work, and the work was done under the Firebird contract. When I asked **** who I should write the check to, he said write to "*****************" which I did. 

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  In response, ********************* did not sign a contract with **********************************.  The only document that was received was a QUOTE signed by ****************************  There was no contract in place for this potential customer due to not being able to meet his timeframe.  The original quote that was sent to ******************** was done on October 21, 2019.  We went to look at the job and gave him a quote.  He chose to not have the work done at that time.  He started contacting us again in May 2021.  By this time, we were a year out from being able to perform the work because of our previously signed contracts with other customers, but provided an updated quote to him.  We did refer him to another contractor (***********************/*********************) who also has a concrete construction company and agreed to honor the pricing we had previously given to *********************  This was the route that ******************** chose to pursue due to our timeframe.  He then hired them to do additional work for him and also paid them directly for that work as well.  I'm not sure what other information we can provide because there were no contracts in place, we did not do this job, and we were not paid any funds for this.  **** and **** have never worked for or been paid any funds from **********************************. We have tried to help ******************** to the best of our ability, but he will need to contact the company that performed and got paid to do his work.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/29/2022

  
  
  In response to Firebird's statements:
  
  1) Firebird's quote dated May 12, 2021 said: "To accept this quotation, sign and return," which I signed and returned on May 18,2021. If this is not an agreement/contract to do the work, then what is? The October 21, 2019 quote ($5863) that Firebird brings up is irrelevant to the issue; we did not want to do the work then and did not sign it. *************************** (Firebird) gave us a fresh quote on May 12, 2021 with a higher amount ($7790), which we signed and returned. 
  
  2) *************************** sent his brother *********************** to do the work. Now we understand, **** also has his own company. Nevertheless, at no point we had a choice to work with **** or not. During the work, some changes were needed, and **** even gave us the quote for the Additional work Order for $387 on Firebird's stationary with logo while the work was being done on Sept 30, 2021 (which I have already submitted to you). There was nothing to suspect any foul play. It is inconceivable that **** stole the stationary from his brother at Firebird and used it. Therefore, when **** wanted me to write the check to "*****************," I just assumed that that was probably the owner of Firebird's name, and wrote the check without suspecting anything.  
  
  3) Even though ***********************' company did the work, it was because Firebird sent him/his company under the May 12, 2021 agreement/contract with Firebird. Firebird cannot just wash their hands off.
  
  4) I appreciate that you asked me to provide the name of the business owned by ***********************/********************;and the address, so that you could take up the issue with them. The fact of the matter is that I never contacted **** on my own, nor had a quote from him, so I don't really have the information. However, last Tuesday *********************** came over, promised to fix a few things this weekend, but never showed up as promised. He said the name of his company is: "C & M Handyman," but there is nothing I could find with that name with a ****** Search. I do have his phone number *************) and Email address ********************* Both the brothers know about the BBB complaint, but unfortunately neither of them is interested in fixing the problems under various pretexts.
  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2022

  Following the intervention by BBB, C & M Handyman has contacted me and has performed several repairs. The issue may be considered resolved.

   

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