Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Universal Builders's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Universal Builders has 9 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Universal Builders

  420 Westdale Ave Westerville, OH 43082-8724

  
• 

  Universal Builders

  5200 Fisher Road Columbus, OH 43228

  
• 

  Universal Builders

  101 West St Hillsdale, NJ 07642

• 

  Universal Builders

  Columbus, OH 43228-9139

  
• 

  Universal Builders

  420 Westdale Avenue Westerville, OH 43082

  

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:05/08/2024

  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.

  Roof replaced 3/2021
  Roof is leaking which I think has been an ongoing leak which has now damages our second floor ceiling.
  They are claiming we have no warranty to be responsible for the repairs.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  We are currently in communication and working with the
  customer to get this issue repaired.  We
  are scheduled to inspect the leak and repair it on Tuesday May 14th.  The customer did have a 2 year workmanship
  warranty.    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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 contracted Universal August 2022 with expectations for ***** *** ******* products and their preferred warranties. To date, I've paid Universal Builders roughly 14k, but the outcome has been fraught with issues.
  
  The project's shortcomings are significant. Despite instructions to the contrary, the team shingled over wood rot in six areas, compromising the structural integrity and likely voiding warranties. Essential preparatory work was ignored, old flashing was left in place, and nails were scattered around the property, indicating a rushed and careless approach not in line with ***** *** ******* standards.
  
  After months of communication to acknowledge the substandard work, the solution provided was merely patchwork by a handyman, not the comprehensive replacement I paid for. Moreover, there was a period where my job was completely forgotten, exacerbating the damage to my home due to unresolved issues. No final walkthrough was conducted to demonstrate the resolution of initial concerns, yet charges continued to accumulate, even after Final invoicing a year prior
  
  The roof remains incomplete, leading to further water damage within my home. I'm now facing at least $6,000 in additional repairs to the roof alone, not to mention the costs to address damage to siding, windows, and interior water damage from faulty chimney flashing. Parts of my home were removed and not replaced or properly sealed, allowing further water ingress.
  
  Furthermore, the installation of ridge caps without vent cuts compounds the disregard for proper roofing practices. This negligence has not only been disappointing but has also left my home in a worse condition, reflecting a clear disregard for quality and proper roofing practices by Universal Builders. This company is going to scam your insurance an leave you with a botched roof job, They will likely ignore you and forget about you when you try to call, they bank on your not taking them to court. Look at other reviews. They say the same thing

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2024

  Universal Builders is writing in response to the BBB complaint filed by Mrs. ******* on 4/4/2024.
  Firstly, we have acknowledged and rectified the fact that Mrs. *******’s project did not start out the
  way any of us would have hoped. Our crew failed to replace a few areas of bad wood which is
  obviously regrettable. We were unaware that occurred at the time and we have done everything we
  could since we became aware to rectify the situation. We have made additional repairs that were
  needed but unrelated to the contract and insurance claim at no cost to Mrs. * as well.
  
  Mrs. *’s home had an extensive amount of preexisting water damage, rot and deterioration. None of
  which is a result of UB, its employees or contractors. We have over 500 photos of her home from
  before, during and after our work showing all of this. Below we have addressed some of her claims,
  which are categorically false, directly:
  
  We have repaired all the areas of bad wood on the roof deck. This work was completed in Feb. of
  ’23. Mrs. * provided old photographs of previously repaired issues when we invoiced her and
  claimed the photos were current. We have many of the same photos and the repairs we made to
  those areas. Any compromises to the structural integrity of her home were preexisting our work.
  Her warranty is not voided and has been registered with ***** *******. Her suggestion that any
  damage to her home is due to our or our contractor’s negligence is false. Her home never had
  gutters above her first-floor porch. This condition still exists and is still allowing water to dump all
  over the front of her house. The only gutter on this section of her home was installed by us for free
  and did not previously exist. There are visible attempts at previous repairs to windowsills, sashes
  and trim performed by others.
  
  Her statement regarding old roof flashing being left in place statement is not entirely accurate.
  There were areas that weren’t paid for by her insurance because they were covered up by her
  roofing and siding. The Insurance only paid for 28’ of flashing and the house has 130’ on it. Once
  work began the crew did not replace the areas tying into her siding because the siding was in too
  poor a condition to manipulate or remove without damaging it and causing additional problems and
  out of pocket expenses. This is not out of the ordinary for Insurance companies to require photos or
  proof that the materials exist, are damaged or need to be replaced with the new install. The
  requirements vary with different Insurance companies and even individual adjusters.
  
  Her statement that she got ‘patchwork’ done by a ‘handyman’ is false. Our most experienced and
  senior roofer was at Mrs. *’s home for extended periods of time on three separate occasions. He’s
  been with us for 18 years and his work is top notch, everything he does. He worked diligently on her
  home, first to address the deficiencies overlooked by the crew. He also re-sloped part of her roof
  that was poorly designed and created a custom flashing detail for it. He replaced a large rotten
  piece of trim and installed a gutter and downspout to carry water away from this problem area. He
  carefully fixed problems many of which were preexisting and not related to workmanship issues by
  the crew. He is also the one who did the additional and difficult work of removing and replacing the
  old rotten siding after he replaced the flashing. His work is that of an experienced roofing technician
  and craftsman and If Mrs. ******* were being honest and comparing his work to some of the other
  attempts at repairs on her home she would agree. She had every opportunity to do a walkthrough
  with him. We coordinated his work with her being home, he was there for weeks, and they were on a
  first name basis.
  
  The claim that charges continued to accumulate after final invoicing is false. We send out a deposit
  invoice, a progress invoice and then a final invoice. The additional charges were all discussed with
  Mrs. * because it was a difficult thing to navigate with her insurance policy apparently having an
  exclusion for code. It took us considerable time and effort to get the rotten siding paid for, but we
  did. We notified Mrs. * of its approval on 8/15/23. She and I had a lengthy conversation about the
  additional funds and that they were for. She was happy that the work was approved by insurance
  and that we could move forward with getting the siding replaced. We had previously discussed the
  siding being an out-of-pocket expense if the insurance wouldn’t pay for it. We did not scam her or
  her insurance company. This claim is false and libelous. We did the work 2-3 months after it was
  approved because that’s how long it took to get the material in at a ******* located 6 hours away
  from her home. We picked it up and delivered it ourselves to save $400 in freight.
  
  The one area that remained unsettled was a few sections of gutters that were removed during the
  roof installation due to their fasteners being installed over the roof. The crew was supposed to reattach
  them and mistakenly threw them away. The fee for detaching and resetting them paid for by insurance was $160 or so.
  We agreed to compensate Mrs. * for the cost of new gutters for those areas at a cost of $1600. We gave her several options at
  adding gutters to the other aforementioned areas where they are needed to stop further water damage to her home, and she declined to do
  that. That is likely what led us to this point.

  
  Mrs. * seems to be under the impression that we would be cutting her a check for the gutters but
  due to there being a balance on her project we informed her it would be a credit against her final
  balance. She requested a detailed invoice and explanation, and we provided that to her. She was
  not satisfied with our explanation. Only then did she claim she still had problems and active leaks
  and she sent us the old photos claiming that they were current.
  
  We would like to avoid a legal dispute and settle this amicably. We have offered to waive Mrs. *’s
  balance due of $2,091.35 which is the money for the siding work we completed and issue her a
  check for $1,542.00 for gutters that were removed or damaged on the home in return for her
  retracting her inaccurate and malicious claims.
  
  Universal Builders.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/08/2024

  The
  only acceptable resolution at this point is a refund for failure to uphold you
  end of a contract. I have given Universal Builders nearly 2 years to make this
  right and you have not. Below are the issues highlighted and rebuttal to your
  claims. You acknowledged the mistakes, but it seems you don’t understand the
  severity of them or that they remain incomplete.

  Here is a complete and accurate list of the things that went
  wrong with my job along with the things that remain unresolved.
  
  Unlicensed Subcontractor and Lack of Permits:
  Your decision to subcontract to an unlicensed individual
  (without my knowledge or approval), **** ********, without securing the
  necessary permits, not only compromised the integrity of the work but
  potentially breached local building regulations, jeopardizing both the
  project's legality and my home's safety.
  
  Safety Standards: ****** unlicensed crew violated safety
  standards by allowing the crew to continue work during a thunderstorm. I have
  pictures of this along with an email from your company stating that **** was “trying
  to beat the rain”. In hindsight had I known what I know now I would have called
  and made a formal safety complaint that day.

   Inadequate Wood Rot
  Repairs: The acknowledgment of untreated wood rot areas falls short of
  accountability. Utilizing incorrectly sized plywood and overlooking significant
  rot – especially around pipe collars – reflects poorly on the workmanship and
  professionalism expected.
  
  Your claims that I did not notify you are arguably false. I notified
  **** during the job, and Universal Builders right after the job in November and
  you sent the same unlicensed contractor (****) to tell me that everything was
  done to code, which was inappropriate, unprofessional, and deceitful. It wasn't
  until almost 4 months later you sent *** to repair ****’s work. ***, who you
  are right that I was on a first name basis with, informed me that this is a
  very common occurrence with ****. Which leads me to believe you are WELL AWARE
  of the quality of his workmanship. This leads me to believe that you continue
  to use him because he is cheap, despite his reoccurring pitfalls and past
  violations this contractor has had. You knew, yet you convinced me this was
  standard and appropriate. 
  
  Flashings and Ventilation Oversights:
   The failure to replace
  essential flashings, rotten wood, and the omission of adequate ventilation for
  ridge caps undermine the roof’s functionality, necessitating additional costly
  repairs to correct these initial oversights. (at least 7k worth) to remove and reset the ridge caps and cut ventilation.
  
  Gutters: The gutters were never “removed and reset” by your
  company despite being billed for on my insurance in the initial claim. They
  were left on my home throughout the roof install, filled with roof debris and
  subsequently came crashing down off of my house. Again, further damaging my
  home and creating a safety hazard that quite frankly could have injured my
  young child. You can see the gutters not removed and full of roof debris in the
  pictures you sent me from the day of the job. The $1500 dollars for my gutters
  are to replace them from damage caused by Universal Builders.  It is not a courtesy, nor will it be accepted
  as a resolution for poor workmanship.

  
    Furthermore, I filled a half of a ****** bag
  with nails upon completion of the job. I was told these would be picked up with
  a magnetic roller and only 20 or less nails would be left give or take. They
  did not, in fact **** left his crew in the dark and in the rain on my property
  picking up nails by hand alone.  My neighbor had
  to use his headlights to light my yard and we helped the crew pick up as many
  nails as we could find.

  
  Again, this was a safety hazard
  and subsequently caused numerous flat tires to our vehicles and could have easily
  injured me, my child or my pets.

  
   Incomplete Repairs and
  Oversight: The approach of sending a single person for complex roofing issues
  and subsequent lapses in project management due to administrative changes are
  indicative of a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. Forgetting
  about my job from Feb 2023 Until June 2023 AFTER i communicated the issues with you was an extra oversight that indicated
  the absolute LACK of urgency that UB had for my roof as the repairs were NOT
  finished in February 2023.  In fact, I am
  missing a piece of corner trim that *** removed in February 2023 but never
  replaced because the job was forgotten about (which I also have in writing from
  your employees).
  
  Warranties: I have contacted ***** *** ******* about my “preferred
  warranty” and was informed that you failed to register my warranty in time
  therefore not offering me the preferred warranties in my contract and instead
  leaving me with a standard warranty that does not cover the blatant workmanship
  issues that I am dealing with, nor is it what I was contractually promised. 
  
   Financial Adjustments
  and Insurance Claims: While financial adjustments and insurance navigations are
  noted, they fail to compensate for the fundamental shortcomings of the project.
  Additional billing for items like turret caps, already covered under initial
  payments and completed poorly in the first place, raises further concerns.  The absence of a work order for the bill you
  are waiving indicates that it was not agreed upon as you claim, but instead
  inflated to cover your losses. The images you've provided are a mix of those taken during the initial job and others from subsequent repair efforts. However, they fail to fully capture the scope of the necessary repairs or confirm their completion in its entirety. That paired with the lack of documented work done leaves me unaware of what work was performed. This is why I asked you for an itemized invoice-which is a standard request for ANY purchase.

  Persistent Issues and Required Work: Not all promised repairs
  have been completed, and no walkthrough was conducted to verify the work’s
  completion. I emailed you to ask if the repairs were completed March 2024 and
  you said yes.  At that time, I noted the
  remaining issues that were overlooked again. You are claiming they are the same
  pictures, in part you would be correct, I provided the same picture of the wood
  rot around the pipe collar because it remains unrepaired. Impending inspections will likely highlight the
  need for these additional repairs, with an estimate of $7,000 minimum required to bring this job up to code as estimated by local roofing companies.

  
  Reviews and Consumer Feedback: Our last interaction on March
  5th I notified you of a leak. That was over 30 days ago and yet you
  ignored my email until this BBB notice indicating to me that you have zero
  concern about the quality of your work and the impact it is having and has had
  on my home for almost 2 years. My reviews, based on factual experiences, will
  remain published to provide future customers with an honest account of my
  dealings with Universal Builders. These reviews are not negotiable for removal
  as part of any settlement and can be backed with photos, documentation, and
  admittance of fault by you and your company’s employees.

  
  Furthermore, what is under the shingles that I cannot see? I
  have had to personally point out each and every issue to your company despite
  not being a roofer, and even then, you fail to fix the issues or argue that
  they are done correctly when they are not. I am not sure why I should I trust
  that the things I cannot see are up to code when the things I can see are not.

  
   Given these points,
  and with a pending county inspection that may reveal further deficiencies, I
  reiterate my request for a full refund. This is not merely about financial
  restitution but recognizing the significant and unresolved project failures. I’d
  like to also note that a refund does not resolve or financially cover the
  continued water damage to my home due to Universal Builder’s neglect and
  untimely delays, nor does it make me whole again. It is simply the most
  agreeable outcome I can imagine considering the circumstances and without costly
  and time-consuming legal battles. 

  
   To remain amicable and
  agreeable I am willing to accept a refund at this time.  Should a satisfactory resolution remain
  elusive, I am prepared to explore all necessary legal avenues, including
  actions under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, to seek redress for the
  damages incurred and the deceptive practices employed to include but not
  limited to TREBLE damages and attorney’s fees. I look forward to a constructive
  dialogue aimed at a fair resolution.  
  
  Below I have copied two emails, the first being ******** ********* acknowledgment of the botched job 10/19/2022 in which she agrees that **** was attempting to beat the rain, and is just one example of Universal assuring me that there is no wood rot.

  the next email is from ***** in June 2023 apologizing for forgetting about my job.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2024

  We have a lot of pictures we can send to support our response to the complaint.  The file we have is to large to attach.  

  We are interested in settling this matter with her but a full refund, especially after we had over 100 man hours and thousands of dollars in extra material bills to remedy the issues, is not a possibility.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/17/2024

  Universal Builder's response lacks accountability and fails to address my concerns adequately. I moved into my home less than 6 months before you performed work on it and do not appreciate your insinuation that I neglected its maintenance.  Hiring a contractor was my proactive step towards addressing necessary repairs, not a sign of neglect. I too have photos and inspection reports from my insurance company that clearly differentiate between any pre-existing damage and any new damage incurred during the time frame of your work.

  Permit requirements are not discretionary; they are mandated by Virginia code for the work your company performed. I have also confirmed this with my county and they have no such documentation of your call. 

  Your attempt to justify the lack of a permit is misleading and disregards legal obligations.

  Regarding your subcontractors, using unlicensed individuals reflects poorly on your commitment to quality and safety. Excuses about weather conditions and subcontractor licensing don't absolve you of responsibility for the damages and delays incurred during the project.

  
  The offer to waive the remaining balance is insufficient given the unresolved issues. It's clear you're attempting to evade accountability for damages and substandard workmanship.
  Your claim of prompt responsiveness to issues is contradicted by my documented attempts to address concerns and delays throughout the project. Your dismissive attitude towards ongoing damages further compounds the issue.

  Your final settlement offer does not reflect the damages incurred or the substandard workmanship. Threatening legal action only further undermines any goodwill.
  I respectfully ask again for a refund for failing to complete my job to code and causing further damage to my home. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******