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:09/16/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  Reckless neglect of responsibilities/common sense resulting in significant delays, multiple redundancies and massive overcharge.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/19/2024

  Hello,  
  
  I am filling a complaint against Cougar Restoration for negligence. 
  
  I have been informed that the company is denying a contractual relationship. 
  
  Please see attached.
  
  With gratitude,
  ******
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to present our response. We appreciate that you offer to hear all sides.

  We are in contract with the *** which Mr. ****** ****** is a member of. His unit is one of four we are finishing after a fire loss occurred.  We communicated the scope of work weekly and, in fact, daily, the last couple months, with the ***, the paying party.  Mr. ****** expressed multiple times throughout the project that he didn't like the way we were conducting the work that needed to be done. We received multiple emails from him, most of which he copied all the other occupants on, as well as the ***. None of the other occupants shared his sentiment. While there was understandable frustration at times during the rebuild process due to delays beyond our control, we continued to communicate with the *** every step of the way.

  Mr. ****** complained many times about various things. We did our best to answer his questions in the beginning and then they became constant. We informed the *** we are doing our best to rebuild as fast as we could. There were significant delays by the insurance company questioning whether or not large portions of our work would be covered. We thought it best not to do the work anyway and expect the *** to handle the insurance company themselves. We provided all documentation the insurance company needed multiple times. This particular building was not built to code when it was converted from apartments to condominiums so we had code upgrades in every trade. Everything we did was inspected by the City of ******** and meets code. Mr. ****** continued to rush the process. We understand they had been displaced during the rebuild process, but in order to get the work done the right way we had to take the appropriate amount of time to do it. Yes, there was an overage due to us beyond what the insurance company agreed to. Although, the insurance company is even today still reviewing all invoices and receipts. We've been working closely with the *** and the insurance company for over a year to get this done. We also negotiated several of the invoices down to help the ***, something we are not required to do. In addition, we forgave overhead & profit on a large and unexpected piece of the plumbing work that had to be completed to meet building code, to the tune of several thousand dollars.

  We were instructed by the ***, after many emails from Mr. ******* not to engage in further conversation with him. He continued to engage not only with me, but also our trades onsite and employees. One *** member had to even step down due to the constant complaints from Mr. ******* The last time he communicated with us was actually quite inappropriate and we have the recorded phone call. He left a message for one of my female employees saying this process was a "slow....hard....burn." He said this very slowly and methodically. She felt very unsettled by this and contemplated quitting. I immediately alerted the *** and they said again not to engage with Mr. *******

  We are at the end of this project finally and yes, it took over a year to complete. This was a complete gut of a 4-plex, with massive code upgrade requirements, requiring all trades, an ice storm with, as you know last winter, was quite severe. Nonetheless, we pressed on to get this project completed as quickly and efficiently as we could, but per State and City code guidelines. We sincerely wish the best to all of these occupants and with the exception of Mr. ****** they have been very patient and so pleasant throughout this whole process. We have been completely transparent with our pricing showing every invoice and every receipt and our upfront overhead and profit margin of less than 20% which is what we are permitted to charge to the insurance company.

  It is unfortunate Mr. ****** feels the way he does and we wish him the best as well. However, when it comes to someone's home, we do things to code and we don't rush. It's important to note some of the things Mr. ****** was complaining about were for things we were not contracted to do such as all cabinetry and appliances. We've returned more than 3 times now for small punch list items called out by the *** at no charge of course. We would like to move on from this project. We would hope Mr. ****** would want that as well.

  Thank you for the opportunity to present the facts. We appreciate your concern and your time. The BBB is a great scale to keep contractor/client experiences balanced. We respect what you do.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

   

  I'm writing to request my complaint not be marked as "closed"- there has been no satisfactory resolution. I apologize for not having responded more quickly- I hope this adjustment can still be made, saving us all the time and hassle of starting over from the beginning..! I will take the steps necessary to ensure my voice is heard.

  
  

  I have read the response from Cougar. While I appreciate that they have taken some time to reply, they did not address any of the issues that are the reason for the complaint in the first place, merely stating that I "complained" and so they stopped communication with me. Accurate (I did, they did), but incomplete (their practices were woefully unprofessional at every stage of the project and whenever I spoke up, I was either ignored, criticized or both.)

  
  

  An incomplete list of reasons for my complaint:

  
  

  1. Baseline failure to protect the project. The building was left unprotected for multiple extended periods, which led to increased damages and repair cost. After the fire, Cougar was enlisted to mitigate the damage to prepare for repair. Their approach left the building unprotected for extended periods of time, resulting in unnecessary additional exposure to the elements and necessitating increased time/material/costs to repair. 

  
  

  2. Multiple instances of preventable redundancy. Many jobs were performed twice due to an inadequate first attempt. In one particularly flagrant instance, leaking plumbing lines were "capped" at numerous places in the building (when a single cap could've taken care of the entire building), theoretically to prevent further water damage, while numerus leaks were left, pouring water inside the building for weeks. Then the exposed pipes froze and ruptured, and water poured into building at full pressure for days before it was discovered. All because the proper procedure was not followed to begin with. Another example was a water heater completely installed and then later removed when Cougar realized it was too big for the space. Ordering the wrong size is an understandable and common error, but the water time and energy to do two complete installations (with a removal in between) was perfectly representative of the overall contractor incompetence that plagued every stage of this project. 

  
  

  3. Mournful lack of oversight. Cougar sought subcontractors for much of the work, but was rarely on site to communicate/oversee work. This meant a disorganized, sloppy site with poor communication between all parties regarding how/where/what to do, status updates, etc. Even the simplest of tasks, such as putting a tarp on the roof, was subbed out and assumed completed to satisfaction while our building sat exposed to the elements for extended periods. Any calls regarding this were brushed off with "they said they did it."

  
  

  4. General incompetence. When Cougar employees did show up to the site, they exhibited profound ineptitude with even the simplest of tasks. One particularly frustrating example was an employee tasked with touch up paint. Homeowners had been asked to mark problems with blue tape. The Cougar employee took this to mean that he was meant to paint over the blue tape..! A child would know better.

  
  

  5. Unprofessional communication. Cougar's refusal to communicate with homeowners made coordination impossible. In a particularly telling moment when I was asking (again) for clarity regarding timelines after (another) profound spell of silence, ***** suggested that I "do the job myself." This was an especially frustrating suggestion when one considers that I begged from the outset of the project (and repeatedly at every stage of construction) to do the work myself with my contractors and was told at every turn that I was not allowed to do so.

  
  

  There is more, so much more. There is documentation of everything. I am filing a complaint with the *** as well. Please reach out with any questions. 

  
  

  With gratitude, 

  ****** Ansell