Better Contracting Services

July 30, 2008 was the anniversary of my having signed with Better Contracting Services one of the contractors recommended on the Holmes on Homes web site. The work is still not complete.

Better Contracting Services contracted with me to replace all of our eaves troughs, to install leaf proof covers, to remove one downspout and to cap two other downspouts and to redirect the water to the lawn instead of the sewers. Under “special notes” on their contract, the salesperson wrote: “Check for proper fall and flow and adjust if necessary.”

They came one year ago in November or early December and did the work. All the work was completed but I found that 1 – 1.5” inches of standing water were in several parts of the eaves trough and several corner joints were dripping water. The two downspouts that the workers capped and redirected to the lawns were capped with small stones.

When I complained about the leaks and water, I was told that the house had shifted and that they could not slope the eaves properly from the point where they had removed the one downspout that emptied on the driveway. They also said that they had capped the downspouts properly.

After many telephone calls to the company, I went in and met with the owner, Robert Graves. He was irate with his workers and kind to me. He met me at our house on January 7 of this past year. He told me that the house was sloped and suggested that I put a rain barrel where the removed downspout was or put back the same downspout to the driveway. He then said that I had not paid for the entire contract. I said that I had not as the work was not finished. He said that it was, and that these issues were “deficiencies.” He got into his truck, refused to speak further to me and said that as I had not paid that the work could go unrepaired until the summer. After he left, I thought about what he said. It did not seem unreasonable, and as I still trusted him, I went to his office and paid the remainder of the contract.

No one came to do the repairs. All through the winter I had to put salt on our porch and driveway due to the leaks. I once fell and chipped my elbow.

After another visit and several more telephone calls to the company, I spoke last April to Steve Graves. I asked him when he thought they might come to remedy these “deficiencies.” He said that they were not deficiencies, that they were repairs. He said only that that they would come when they were working in our area. I asked if that might mean weeks or months or sooner. He told me probably a week or two. That conversation was before the end of April.

I called again soon after and another employee told me that they would do the repairs on a rainy day as the job was small. When I asked how they could do the caulking during the rain he said that they could not.

After many more calls and another visit to their business late last spring, the owner said he was tired of this and that he’d send someone that day and that he never wanted to hear anymore about this work. They came that day and made the changes (except they left the one disconnected drain uncapped; the stones are still there).

Afterwards, I discovered two small leaks in the corners of the eaves troughs. I started calling in October to ask for repairs. I was promised the repairs on two occasions. They have not been done. No one has called.

At least it’s over.