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:07/05/2024

  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.

  I requested Brown Foundation to provide an estimate for repair to foundation and crawlspace. Upon my initial contact I provide details such as it being a residential property and needing to access the crawlspace. **** ******* was assigned and arrived woefully underprepared, commenting that he expected this to be a commercial property. He then advised he could not perform the crawlspace inspection and it would be a $500 fee to schedule and obtain a report. I promptly paid the expense as I was placed in a position where I felt I had no choice. It felt deceptive and predatory during a time of need. Eventually the crawl space was inspected and I was presented an estimate for the repairs. This was a quote with a scope of repairs. **** has indicated this to be my "report". I have been scammed into paying $500 for an estimate due to the companies lack of transparency. An estimate that several companies have been willing to provide and complete for FREE. There is no report to substantiate this fee other than a third party being brought in to take photos, for a crawlspace that they pride themselves in repairing but do not inspect themselves.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2024

  Though we apologize that the customer was not satisfied with the service provided to him, our records indicate that on May 24th, Mr. ******* did indeed visit the property and provide the customer with a Free Evaluation, proposing a drainage installation of our Hydraway system which I have included with our response.  The crawlspace showed signs of a water issue.  This evaluation was documented by the exterior photos included with the initial quote for the drainage repairs.  Though we do provide free evaluations to property owners in the DFW metroplex, occasionally a more thorough inspection of the crawlspace may be required before providing you with an accurate quote on your pier & beam repairs. In such situations, a fee will be assessed to have a member from our production team come out, and they will measure the footage needed for wood replacement, etc. This appointment typically lasts about an hour. If you then decide to move forward with the repairs, we credit the money paid for the inspection toward your repair costs. At Brown, we believe integrity is everything and in no way would use predatory tactics to attempt to take advantage of our customers.  At no point between the date of the charge for the crawl space inspection (5/24/2024) and the date of the inspection (6/29/2024) was there a request to cancel the inspection, nor was there mention of your dissatisfaction with your initial evaluation.  We have also included the second inspection report with the photos and documents regarding the crawl space inspection findings and would like to reiterate that should you decide to proceed with the repairs the cost of the crawl inspection will be credited towards your repair costs.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:   I did express concern with my initial evaluation via survey distributed by your company with no follow. I was not given an option to reschedule and this does not meet the expectation that was set forth as a report. It was not until June 3, ***************************************************************** which it was not accessed.

  In addition to **** taking advantage of the initial visit as a way to try to require the French drain system, he in no way indicated canceling as an option. Nor were we provided with information from the inspection rather the inspector concealed the information and only stated **** would provide a report which I had to pursue and only as a result received the quote for repairs. Strong arming consumers to pay a $500 advance for an Estimate and will credit it towards repairs is not honest or transparent. Why conceal information if predatory tactics are not used? **** did not sell or promise an inspection for an estimate. Rather a report which what you provide lacks depth and detail. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/16/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Brown foundation came to my home 3 times and 2022, my front door is unable to open, they lifted the front end too high to correct the back end, they were supposed to drill a hole inside the middle of my garage, they drilled the hold in my driveway instead. I want my money back, my house has not been repaired properly. I also have cracks in my walls, due to the front end of my house being lifted up too high. **** told me he would correct this matter, when he drilled a hole in my driveway, when I had left momentarily. I have not heard back from the company or anyone in brown foundation repair.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2023

  Upon further review of our records, we show the last time we visited the home was August 16, 2022. We do not have any further information regarding any issues or concerns being called into our office.  We do have a Lifetime Warranty for settlement of our piers.  If the homeowners believe there is currently an indication of movement to the home, we will be happy to schedule a complimentary inspection to determine if adjustments are needed at this time.  We encourage them to call our office at ************ at their earliest convenience to schedule a date that is convenient for them to meet with one of our staff.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2023

  Upon review of our records, we show the last time we visited the home was August 16, 2022.  We do not have any further information regarding any issues or concerns being reported to our office.  We do have a Lifetime Warranty on settlement to our piers, and so we encourage the homeowner to give us a call if they are experiencing signs of shifting so we can inspect the home & determine if adjustments are needed.  Please review the included documents to see the warranty information provided on repairs.  We will adjust our piers at no charge for the lifetime of the home, and though in an ideal situation no future adjustments will be needed, that is not something we can guarantee.  I do show a warranty adjustment took place in 2022 that was not satisfactory, and we sent another crew out after the issue was reported to us to correct the problem.  Please let us know as soon as possible if additional concerns need to be addressed or if there has been any signs of settlement and we will set up the free evaluation for a date and time convenient for you.

  We look forward to hearing back from you soon!

  ***********************

  Brown Foundation Repair

  Office Manager

  ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:  I can't open my front door, and the back door is sticking again, my whole house has shifted. Brown Foundation had three chances to correct the back door area, and they did not. I don't trust this company. I never asked this company to lift the front of my house in Aug of 2022, I didnt sign any paperwork.  I want my Money back to have another company correct this problem, or I will contact my lawyer and file for a court date. This company drilled a hole in my drive way, not in the garage area. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/26/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  3/17/23 Paid $100 trip fee to office; this would go towards work done.3/22 Met with salesman *******. Est of $17K for excavation, foundation leveling, and two vents. Paid $500 deposit to reserve work dates May 8th-10th.5/08- ********* called 9:30AM, lost. Arrived 10AM. Paid $8,200 deposit. Asked leader if he had spoken with ******* re: project. He said, No, I just follow this paper. Started work 10:30 AM. Showed me pic of dirt, said cost would go up; he would talk to manager. Crew left ~ 5 PM.5:39PM- I emailed ******* requesting someone in charge contact me.5/09- Crew called for directions. Arrived 10AM. ****** showed up ~ 3 PM. Told me crew had been digging on wrong side of house. He showed me broken wood pics; stated there would be additional cost. I asked him to get me an estimate of amount of wood $45/sf and work days needed. Said he should have est. to me later that day. Workers left 4PM.5/10- Crew arrived ~ 9:30AM. Left at 3-3:30PM. Left cigarette butts in **************** 4:27PM- I called office; stated I had not heard from ******. Requested est. of cost of ************* of work days needed. She said they would get info to ******* so he could get estimate to me.5/17- I called office. Told secretary I had not received estimate about cost of *********** needed to finish. She said maybe it got lost. She would send request to ******* so he could get me info.PM- Received change of work order from ******* about working on 'per day' basis. I emailed them back to cancel my contract without penalties.5/24 Received voicemail from **** that ******* emailed him about me having questions.6:40PM- Returned ***** call after work; said he was losing his voice, could he call me back tomorrow and what time? I requested late morning or early afternoon. Said he would call 12:30-2PM on 5/25.5/25 No call from ****, received 2 invoices by email for $8,300 and $7,100. I have paid a total of $8,800. Only dirt has been removed; no repair or leveling has occurred.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/13/2023

  Good Morning,

  I received this via certified letter this morning from Brown Foundation Company.

  *No shimming or leveling was performed.

  *No vents were ever dug out or placed.

  *They spent at least one of the 3 days they were on my property, excavating on the wrong side of the house.

  Please advise if there is anything additional I can do to resolve this matter. I have already had another contractor have to come in and perform the repair and levelling work.

  Thank You,

  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Brown was contracted to excavate 18" starting from the left side of the home & adjust the portion identified on the diagram and install 2 crawl space vents when we were out to do the repairs.  Though our communication logs & timelines are not the same as the customer has detailed, we do agree that we were unable to complete a portion of the repairs.  The house was sitting almost on the ground at the time of proposal, which is why we were unable to specify how much (if any) wood would need to be replaced, however, under section C of our contract we specify exactly what the charge will be for any potential rotted wood to be replaced once we are able to access the area.  I have included with this response a copy of both the diagram from the time of proposal as well as the diagram that indicates the area the customer is saying was the "wrong area" we worked on.  Rather than dig out to a diagonal, our crew dug straight back causing us to provide additional tunnelling at no additional charge to the homeowner because it was our own error.  

  After excavation it was clear that the wood rot was so extensive that we would be unable to lift off of the existing beams.  We have logs of multiple attempts to discuss & resolve this matter with the homeowner with no response.   We did apply credits for the shimming & 2 fans not installed at the end of May (both credits attached as well), hence the receipt of multiple invoices for different amounts through our credit card processing system.  After starting lien documentation with the county of residence due to lack of response or payment, we then received the complaint logged with the BBB.   The open balance of $1300 remains unpaid on the initial contract for the excavation work completed, and past due. We have been available to discuss the customer's experience & possibly resolve any frustrations that *** have arisen from the repair process. I will be happy to provide details and photographs of the wood as well as communication logs from both the technician that initially proposed the repairs as well as our Sales Manager.  Maximum upload capability here is 5 docs.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/05/2023

  Brown was contracted to excavate 18" starting from the left side of the home & adjust the portion identified on the diagram and install 2 crawl space vents when we were out to do the repairs.  Though our communication logs & timelines are not the same as the customer has detailed, we do agree that we were unable to complete a portion of the repairs.  The house was sitting almost on the ground at the time of proposal, which is why we were unable to specify how much (if any) wood would need to be replaced, however, under section C of our contract we specify exactly what the charge will be for any potential rotted wood to be replaced once we are able to access the area.  I have included with this response a copy of both the diagram from the time of proposal as well as the diagram that indicates the area the customer is saying was the "wrong area" we worked on.  Rather than dig out to a diagonal, our crew dug straight back causing us to provide additional tunnelling at no additional charge to the homeowner because it was our own error.  
  
  After excavation it was clear that the wood rot was so extensive that we would be unable to lift off of the existing beams.  We have logs of multiple attempts to discuss & resolve this matter with the homeowner with no response.   We did apply credits for the shimming & 2 fans not installed at the end of May (both credits attached as well), hence the receipt of multiple invoices for different amounts through our credit card processing system.  After starting lien documentation with the county of residence due to lack of response or payment, we then received the complaint logged with the BBB.   The open balance of $1300 remains unpaid on the initial contract for the excavation work completed, and past due. We have been available to discuss the customer's experience & possibly resolve any frustrations that *** have arisen from the repair process. I will be happy to provide details and photographs of the wood as well as communication logs from both the technician that initially proposed the repairs as well as our Sales Manager.  Maximum upload capability here is 5 docs.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:

  By my calculations, I have paid $100 trip fee (I was told would be applied to work done), $500 deposit, and $8,200 deposit paid first day of excavation. Total of $8,800 paid. Taking into account their $1,200 credit for vents not installed and $5,800 for shimming not performed, that should leave a supposed balance of $1,200. Even though I highly suspect they are ****** me for excavation charges, as there was no itemization ever given pre-job for services, and another company quoted $8,000 for 900 sq ft excavation, I am willing to pay the remaining $1,200 so that I never have to deal with these people again.

  My stipulations are that I receive a correct invoice showing all of my amounts paid and the reductions for services not performed. I will then expect an additional invoice after payment made that shows a $o balance and words specifying paid in full with signature from someone in charge. In addition, I will need documentation & proof showing that any paperwork/motions filed or liens filed against me or my property have been officially withdrawn and annulled.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/10/2023

  I have not received a corrected itemized invoice showing all payments already made (100,500,8,200) and remaining balance due of ***** ( from the 10k they want for the excavation). Nor have I received any indication from the company that they will send me documentation proof that any liens or legal actions against myself or my property will be withdrawn/cancelled/ officially removed once they receive payment they want of *****. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/16/2023

  I am resending/attaching the invoice reflecting the contracted repairs, payments made, and credits given. Once we receive payment, we will provide the customer with another copy of the invoice that reflects that payment, and we will also send a copy of the lien release documentation.  You may reference the contract & diagram attached to this complaint to review what the proposed total cost was as well as what that price included.  We do apologize that once the digout was completed we discovered that there was wood that needed to be addressed, and due to that unforeseen issue arising we were unable to complete the reshimming.  We will be happy to provide you with any information regarding the project at the home.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.

   

  ***********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/16/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   there is a $100 credit missing off total owed. I was told by the girl who collected the payment over the phone, that the trip fee would be applied towards any work done. Please fix this. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/25/2023

  The $100 trip fee is taken off the bid price at time of proposal.  We are willing to give a $100 credit to the account, however, please note that the terms of our contract stipulate that a late payment fee will be assessed to the balance if full payment is not made within 30 days of completion.  To date, we have offered the courtesy of not assessing these fees to the account.  If prompt payment is not made with 10 business days, the late payment penalty will be applied to the account.  Again, we are attempting to resolve the issues you have with the work we completed in order to keep good customer relations.  We have attached a revised invoice and look forward to hearing back from you soon.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/31/2023

  I have reviewed the business response and accept this resolution. 

  'Good customer relations' does not mean showing a payment made towards work to be done as a courtesy credit. I work hard for my money and a payment made is just that.

  As your company has lied about multiple things including contacts/ communications not made, and never completed the work you were hired to do, threatening me with a late fee is an invalid point as your contract stipulates on 'completion' of work. You guys walked away and disappeared from the project.

  I expect appropriate documentation showing invoice paid in full when final payment is accepted and documentation proof of release of lien as promised. I expect to receive all documentation in a timely manner as well. 

  As you people seem to be on a time crunch for monies not earned, I expect a copy of the invoice for $1200 emailed to me with a payment link for ease of transfer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2023

  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 contacted Brown Foundation to ask if they installed Helical piers to stabilize a pool and explained the situation. They said "yes they did" and made an appointment. A representative came by and I walked him around showing him the pool issues. We discussed helical piers briefly. He never told me he was going to use anything else! A crew manager came by and I started to join them at the pool, but was told to "go in the house and I will show him what's needed."
  Brown gave me a contract to sign in the amount of $10800. There weren't any details except for the number of "piers" and their location.
  A bunch of Hispanic guys accompanied the guy with the contract. He spoke to them in Spanish then left. I tried to ask them questions but none of them spoke English.
  Long story short, the guys did not install Helical piers but rebar in the holes they dug. No concrete was poured. I had told the crew chief they could remove deck boards as needed to dig. The guys cut out squares through the deck! They also cut through the deck supports so the very large deck now sags.
  I referred to the work as Helical piers when I spoke to them and they never said anything different.
  The pools plumbing is now all broken and will have to be replaced. The deck structure needs repaired before the upper boards can be replaced. Brown hauled off the rock they dug out, from underneath which is needed to support the deck.
  The soil has washed out where the workers dug and will have to be replaced. Some of the holes they dug are empty of rebar or anything! No one checked the workers!
  Brown made a bad situation worse and lied about what they were doing,
  A refund is the only solution. I will have to pay to make many repairs to undo what they did.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  Contact Name and Title: ***** ****** Office Mgr
  
  Contact Phone: ************
  
  Contact Email: a******@*************************
  
  Brown does install Helical Piers as one option for repair for our customers, however, all documentation on the property referenced specifically states that the technician that bid the project proposed repair with Steel Piers. I have included a copy of the signed contract that specifies the repair method used at the home. The piers we installed where steel piers. We were in no way trying to be deceptive in our installation method & proposal process, which is why we obtained a signed contract prior to installation. The customer had the repairs completed in August of 2022. The first time we heard about any issue with the repairs was in Jan 2023 & we had a Production Manager visit the home 3 days after the call. We stand behind our warranty & are happy to make adjustments to our piers if settling occurs. The customer stated in her original complaint that she gave permission to the crew to remove the decking as needed for the installation, & given the fact that our contract clearly states, "above work estimate does not include any redecorating, repairing, electrical work, or the replacement of any materials not called for in this agreement," the issues that the homeowner has concerns with are not covered under her warranty with Brown.
  See Attachment/File: **** ***** Agreement 8-02-22 - signed 2.pdf