Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/03/2023

  Type:Product 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 hired Keegan Kulm to replace the approach on my driveway on 3/31/22. I paid $***** for the approach and the curbs on both sides. Only one curb was done and I was told that they ran out of time to cut the West curb. I was given one option for a $** discount and he may fix if he did work in my area.
  In early February 2023 the concrete started spalling and pitting. I researched and most common causes are improper finishing, inadequate concrete or improper use of an accelerator. I texted Keegan to get his input and he could not remember if he used an accelerator on my job and it couldn't be his finish or “he would not be in business.” He told me that I could pay $***** to have the concrete tested because unfortunately he “can't ask the concrete why it's deteriorating.”
  The spalling increasingly deteriorated into larger spots and several more spots showed up. In March 2023 I reached out to ask him to meet at the job to look at it together and discuss our options. This time Keegan gave a new reason of salt damage however there are several other new approaches in my area that received the same salt and they do not have any spalling or pitting. At Keegan's request I consulted several other concrete companies and was told by all of them that it was due to either the concrete, the lack of additive which would have slowed the curing since it was freezing or the way it was laid. Every contractor stated that they would replace the concrete for free if it was their job, under a year and in this poor state.
  Keegan has not met me to inspect it and he has stated several times that he refuses to replace it and is only willing to refund $*****. I countered with a full refund of $***** so we could split the full replacement cost of $***** from another contractor. He immediately ended our negotiations with a text stating that is “absolutely ridiculous” and “that I claim to know more about his line of work than he does, he's done communicating and I can contact his attorney.”

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Some important information is missing from this argument. The most important being yes, Becky did hire me to replace her approach. She also hired me to replace two other spots of concrete at her house. I replaced two panels of sidewalk and her front stoop. Becky had reached out to me about some spalling damage going on at her approach. I instantly told her that this was more than likely salt damage. I had told her that a lot of times the city plow trucks will accidentally sling some salt into the approach of peoples driveways, they can't really help it, also cars will track salt into a driveway from the roads. I have text message proof that salt damage was the first reason I had told her. In her complaint it says that I came up with the new reason of salt damage, this is untrue. After I told her it was salt damage she refused to believe it, saying there's no way salt can damage concrete within the first year. I said yes it can and actually fresh or green concrete is most susceptible to salt damage. She refused to believe that argument, so we ended a phone call in which I asked her if I could find other driveways poured within this same last year that had similar damage would that be a good reason in believing me. She agreed and said yes. I drove to a nearby neighborhood that is brand new and full of new houses and driveways and found 6 driveways with the same or if not worse damage. I even talked with one of the homeowners of this new house and he gave me permission to take a video of his driveway so I could send it to Becky. I did and sent it to her. She then said that none of these driveway examples I gave her were valid because we do not know when the concrete was poured. But nonetheless this is proof that concrete can be damaged by salt within the first year. Her new argument was that the concrete froze the night after it was poured. I covered all 3 spots of concrete that I poured with insulated blankets over that same night. Her sidewalk that I poured and her front stoop that were all poured at the same time and covered with blankets for the same amount of time are completely fine and showing absolutely no damage. I pointed this fact out to her in which she stated that's because heavy cars aren't driven over those spots like her approach. I will have you know that it is very easy to calculate how much downward pressure in psi is being put on something, in this case the concrete. It is a fact that a 150 pound human on a bicycle will exert way more down pressure on concrete than a car ever will. I'm sure you can only expect that a public sidewalk gets driven over with bicycles quite often, so the argument that the weight of the car is causing the damage is untrue. When you order concrete from a plant, you tell them a psi number and it's important because that is how they gauge the strength of the concrete mix. With everything stated above and the fact that 3 separate spots were all poured at the same time and covered for the same time, the two that are not susceptible to salt damage from city trucks or cars pulling into the drive are completely fine. And the one spot that is susceptible to being damaged by salt is the only one that is spalling, the only logical explanation would be that it is damaged because of the salt. And lastly, yes I did forget to cut out and pour the small 6" x 6" spot of curb, accidents happen and sometimes on a construction site you can miss something small like that, which is why before I left the job I confronted Becky about that and we discussed what could be done with it moving forward.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/06/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Unfortunately Keegan and I are unable to agree on the reason for the scaling and spalling on the approach and the other panels have held foot traffic so far. I did what I could to keep things professional and I was met with resistance, slight sarcasm and him even raising his voice to me on the phone. He made no attempts to view it in person and discuss an amicable resolution even after several attempts on my part to get him to meet me at the site. 
  

  Bottom line, a true concrete professional would stand behind their work for one year with no major scaling or spalling due to defective materials or workmanship. Keegan even states via text there are “a lot variables at play” and it has deteriorated to the point of exposing the coarse aggregate below which is due to poor finishing practices. Keegan stated, if it was the concrete mix, I would have to pay $***** myself to test it and take it up with his supplier and if it was salt that it was not his fault which are just two examples that he did not intend to stand behind his work. Keegan never offered the following variables as reasons, therefore showing lack of ownership as he supervised all of them; laying, use of additives (Keegan admits in text to not knowing if he used one) and/or curing conditions including possibility that moisture froze in the top layer (which I have been concerned with from the beginning).  

  The only differences between a new driveway that withstands his claim of salt and a new driveway that does not withstand it are the variables which he supervised and were under his control. Further disputing his salt only claim, I shared with him that a protective saltguard sealant was applied in September 2022 providing more evidence that it could be variable other than salt. Yes, salt can contribute in the first year however we didn’t have salt applied by the city in March 2023 and as of now, early April, the concrete continues to scale and flake off even worse. There are now 10 x 10 inch spots furthering proving my concern that it’s defective materials or workmanship and not salt alone.

  I agreed to go see other driveways if he came to see his work. I felt this was a good middle ground for us to understand each other and he broke down communication when I provided further evidence of my concerns. The pictures Keegan sent of new driveways that he did not supervise had only minimal damage therefore, it’s plausible that variables other than salt (listed previously and all under his control) contributed to the poor state of my driveway.

  In the end, Keegan confidently states it’s only salt damage when he can’t prove it and I believe it’s a multitude of other factors that he supervised and ultimately is responsible for and I can’t prove it. Another example of his poor workmanship is the patch job done on one of the curbs. It comes down to whether or not Keegan will stand behind his work and refund my money since it didn’t even last a year while other approaches exposed to the same salt and weather conditions over the same year have no damage. I went out on a limb to support a young business owner and regret it, buyer beware that Keegan has some maturing to do with customer service skills, handling conflict, standing behind his workmanship and how he negotiates business. I wish him the best in learning better business practices and attempting to build his business.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Becky *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2023

  In regards to your comments about an additive, I can't be 100% certain if I had one in the mix or not. Only because when you pour 150-200 different days out of the year it's hard to remember what was in every mix. If it helps the situation I can call the plant and see if they have it in their records with your address and they can let me know. Or you can give them a call if you'd like. In your first comment you state receiving a new quote for $*****. I bid this work every day and i'm not saying a company didn't quote you at that but I can get you numerous other quotes for $***** less than that. In your recent comment about me raising my voice over the phone, do you not remember your exact words of "I only hired you because of your mom"... so that's being pleasant? You haven't been a saint through this if that's what you're trying to get at. Also I agreed to view it in person with you if you also agreed to look at other driveways with similar damage, after I showed you them you never told me to come look at yours and you would in return come look at the others. Also you state that the pictures I sent you of other damaged driveways had only minimal damage. The video of the drive I sent you was not even comparable to yours. It was 10x worse so why are you lying about this. Seriously what is the point of lying. "Bottom line a true concrete professional would stand behind their work for one year with no major scaling or spalling due to defective materials or workmanship". When I left your house you were very pleased with the workmanship, it looked like any other freshly poured concrete. Also this is not true at all. ********* *****, arguably ******* biggest home builder does not offer any warranty what's so ever for their exterior concrete. Not even a 1 day warranty. You can go to their website and read it, as it explains the reasons why they don't or can't offer a warranty. The main reason being with concrete there are things that are out of the contractors control. Is this because ********* ***** are con artists and like taking advantage of people. I sure don't think so because do you think they would be building thousands of homes a year and in business for 50+ years if this was the case. On their website it states "The areas only, Yes it's all included home builder". Should say "yes it's all included except for a concrete warranty because we can't control issues with concrete". So no, me not giving you your money back is not the same as me not standing behind my work. I have made things right with customers when I am at fault but this is not the case here. Also to teach you some knowledge on salt damage. It seeps underneath the surface of the concrete and eats away the concrete from underneath resulting in spalling or the top layer popping off. Also salt damage doesn't all just show itself within a day or an hour or whatever, it appears over time. So your theory of they didn't put salt down this month and it's still spalling so it can't be from salt is just not true at all. Again I know you refuse to acknowledge stuff like this but that doesn't change the fact that it's true. "The pour craftsmanship of the patch job" since the curb wasn't cut out and completely replaced which I did forget to cut out the 6 inch section but I did make it right with you. A simple patch of concrete laid in a thin layer over other concrete will never hold up. I told you onsite that we could patch over it only because it was our only option at this point and you agreed to that. Now you are saying that it's a craftsmanship issue when I specifically told you "it won't even last a year". That is only showing your narrative of I'm trying to use everything I can to say how bad of a contractor this guy is, and showing your lack of knowledge when it comes to concrete. You have got to stop comparing your approach to other approaches in your neighborhood also. To say "well my concrete is damaged and their's isn't" So you're saying that every single driveway in ***** should wear at the exact same rate so when it comes time to replace my driveway then it should be time for everyone to replace their driveway. Things wear at different rates sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse, I can show you plenty of driveways in the ***** area, some not even half a year old that are cracked and spalled like crazy.  Anyone with common sense can look at my previous response to your original complaint and understand that salt is most likely what caused this damage. I tried to help a homeowner out and replace some concrete for a fair rate and I regret it. Future concrete contractors beware that Becky is unreasonable in her expectations when it comes to salt and how concrete can be damaged by it, refuses to acknowledge a process of elimination in the fact that, two spots of concrete are fine and they don't get any salt, meanwhile the one spot that is bad does receive salt. When she has an example in her favor it is valid, but when that same example is used against her it is invalid. And lastly simply will not settle for anything other than receiving her full money back or free concrete no matter what the reasoning. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I apologize if I missed it, however, I don’t believe that Keegan’s response has a proposed resolution. Unfortunately it’s a consistent example of all previous communication with Keegan where there is finger pointing towards the customer and no ownership or proposed compromise by the business. I have done business with contractors for **+ years and have only had to file one other BBB complaint and it was resolved amicably. It appears that Keegan is not willing to negotiate a resolution.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Becky *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/22/2023

  I have attempted to make resolutions throughout this entire process, only exception being you have turned them all down thus far, because none of it has been good enough besides me completely replacing the approach for free in which I cannot do because the damage is not from something I did wrong. Explained by all the information previously stated in this conversation. The last thing I can offer is a free powerwash and application of a saltguard sealant to help prevent the approach from further damage. Keyword "help prevent" there is no 100% fix for making concrete indestructible. Also I have not been pointing fingers. Throughout this entire process I have never said that it is your fault so I don't know where "me pointing fingers" is coming from. I know handfuls of concrete contractors in which I talk to regularly and let me tell you we all face the same problems, weather that be spalling issues, crack issues within a short time of when the concrete was poured, and some customers understand that these are simply just how the world of concrete works, some other people do not understand that. I cannot force someone to understand this, no matter how much information is presented. There is not a single company that does concrete work that does not run into these issues. So if you are thinking that I am a ****** contractor then I am sorry you feel this way but I can assure you that I am fair and honest in how I run my business and I have oodles of people, previous customers who would back me up on this and put in a good word for me. I am sorry if you feel differently.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Keegan, I never stated that you’re a bad contractor. I believe you’re just new to the business (under 5 years) and therefore you’re not in a better position to offer quality, reliable and consistent work. Experienced contractors have more practical knowledge, have had the opportunity to build a vettable work history and develop more extensive customer service skills. 
  

  I am only sharing the below for your benefit as I have an extensive background in customer service and well trained on communication and negotiation skills. The below examples are only the ones that I have in writing via text or BBB complaint responses, I omitted the examples from our conversations on the phone. I truly hope that you learn and grow your company from this experience. Take it or leave it but this is my perspective and in the field I am in, the customer is always right…always and in all ways. I am not saying that I handled everything perfectly as I was truly astonished at the lack of customer service once this got a little confrontational. Key things that stand out to me;

  You could have worked more with me on negotiating a resolution that was in both of our best interests instead of telling me you will not replace the concrete or refund my money. Thank you for the offer of a powerwash and saltguard sealant, however, as you may recall, a sealant was applied last September so I will pass as I want to respect your time and resources. 
  

  You could have inspected the work and realized it’s flaking and not salt instead of refusing to come see the state of the concrete and jumping to the conclusion that it’s salt damage. We could have had a face to face conversation on how to handle the flaking as I understand that mistakes happen. This speaks to your lack of customer service experience and standing behind your work regardless.
  

  You could have communicated with your concrete vendor and stood behind your selection for a vendor instead of telling the customer on several occasions that they could call your vendor to see if there was a bad batch and if they used an additive. This could have been done before telling the customer to pay $***** to test the concrete from your supplier. This shows lack of accountability in your vendors and relationship management.
  

  It would have been helpful if you sent me pictures of a driveway you completed that was of quality instead of sending me pictures of random driveways that’s not your work. This speaks to your lack of work experience or portfolio.
  
  You could have been more clear on your warranty and how you stand behind your work instead of sending another company’s warranty information that is not relevant to your company. This shows lack of ownership in your work.
  

  You could have been more professional and mature in understanding that everyone has their perception of the situation instead of saying that I am lying when I share my perspective of the quality of concrete in your texted pictures vs. mine. Please keep in mind that just because your perception and my perception for the reason that caused the damage do not align or that we don’t see the same thing in the picture of other’s work that you sent, that does not mean I am lying as we all have a right to our opinion. In my field, a customer’s perception is reality so we treat it appropriately.
  

  You could have kept the lines of communication open and amicably resolved this issue instead of getting frustrated and ending all communication then telling me to talk to your lawyer. 
  Instead of threatening to “pursue suing you if you bash me or my company” and using my BBB complaint as articles of slander. Maybe wait and see if that person does anything worthy of that threat especially after I stated that I had no plans to do so harm you.
  

  You could have exhibited compassion, patience and understanding instead of stating in your BBB response that “Anyone with common sense can look at my previous response to your original complaint and understand that salt is most likely what caused this damage.” 
  

  You could have actively listened to me more when I was only relaying what experts in your field were telling me instead of telling me that I think I know more about your business than you do. Bottom line, I have had 3 experienced companies (ranging from 12 years to 18 years of experience in the concrete business) look at the concrete and all 3 have stated it’s flaking, which I have in writing. All 3 have stated that they have insurance to cover mishaps like flaking. They don’t recommend repairing the flaking so replacement is my only option. 
  

  It’s unfortunate how this has unfolded. Again, I don’t think you are a poor contractor, I think you are inexperienced and may not have the financial means to replace or offer full refund. More experienced companies have the funding and insurance for flaking issues that arise and are more established to offer better customer service. Lastly, why offer a partial refund of $***** (in writing on text) if you didn't believe your company was at fault and then withdraw it and say you have no responsibility when I try to negotiate a higher refund. I truly wish you the best in your future endeavors. 
  

  Sincerely,
  

  Becky *****

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2023

  An agreement has been made.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  We have come to an agreement and I would like to resolve this complaint amicably and satisfactory.   
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Becky *****