Mason Homes Ltd

First off, this is my first house purchased on my own. Horrible service from day 1. I walked into the sales office only to stand there waiting for service while everyone (including people who came in after me) were helped. I finally had to go and approach the lady because after helping everyone else, she went and sat down. When I asked her about seeing some of the inventory homes on the lot, she waved her hand at me and told me to go find "the blonde" in the field. I did locate her and she showed me the house I was interested in and told me to come back in two to their new sales office and to bring my real estate agent. I did exactly and not only did the price of my house go up by $20000, that first sales agent told my real estate agent she wouldn't get commission because I had already come in and agents only get commission if it's the purchasers first visit. I went back to the sales office after learning this from my agent and told the sales lady that I would walk away if my agent was cut out and told her that she was the reason I didn't get any further on my first visit, because she wouldn't help me. After weeks of signing papers my real estate agent commented that she had never worked with such incompetence (as this sales lady). She didn't understand the paperwork, she left paperwork out, my agent had to ask her to do things that she should have been doing on her own. It was a nightmare. Following the nightmare of paperwork, she failed to inform me I could upgrade my model, (which I would have done) she failed to inform me to pick out the exterior colours of my house (which I almost lost out on because I was the first to buy in my row), and numerous other blunders. (Note: the majority of the sales staff have quit since I bought my house because they couldn't handle the incompetence of the company and how they treat customers).

Second; I was told by the sales office that the next step would be the electrical and that I would be notified by someone. Months later I get a frantic call from the decor centre asking why I hadn't been in yet. When I told them I was waiting for someone to contact me re the electrical, she informed me that it was all done with them and that I should have made an appt with them months prior. No one informed me of this. They booked me in and told me I would be there the entire day. Day of I go in and start picking out decor and after just two hours, the decor centre lady says I'm done. While she was doing the paperwork I was looking at items in a room she had never even taken me to where I noticed door knobs. I went to her desk and asked if I was suppose to pick one out. She replied with "oh ya, what do you want?". My real estate agent (who has a background in design) came by to put things together with me. As she wandered around looking at different items she asked me several times which items I had picked (doors, cupboard knobs, etc), and we came across several more items that she forgot. One of those items was the stain on the banister. I asked what the cost was to have it stained grey. My agent asked if I just went with standard how would it come. The lady pointed at a banister that was raw wood, to which my agent commented "that's great, you can stain it yourself". So I went with 'raw', only to find during my PDI that the banister came lacquered in a light yellow colour (my house is grey and white). I also found out later (when I was to pick out my exterior colours) that I couldn't have the colours I wanted because I didn't pick the right model. When I asked to change models they told me it was too late, that I should have done it with sales when I came in the first time. Had I been given that option, I would have taken it. I wrote to head office telling them what happened and at the time I was very happy because they were going to make one colour modification for me. They signed off on it and I did as well only to find out when the house was built that they never kept their word and suddenly couldn't do it anymore.

The next major item that was ruined was I had asked if my stepfather (a concrete finisher) could lay my concrete in the basement and the garage. Again head office approved it and they were to notify my stepfather when they were ready to pour. This never happened. I showed up at the house one day and it had all been done by the concrete company contracted to the site. I learned from that contractor that Brian, the site super at the time, had told him he wasn't going to let my stepfather in and told the contractor to just do the work. As a results my concrete in the basement was ruined. I wanted my basement to be a gym. My stepfather was going to mix dye in the concrete to make it look like a marble floor. Instead what I got was concrete stained with tar from the walls, something white all over, what looks like soda spilled in several different places, and other marks and discoloration. This is now going to cost me thousands in flooring material as I am going to have to cover it all up.

There were several items I pointed out in my PDI that Brian disregarded and told me to sign that everything was ok and he'd fix things later. Since then it's been one thing after another. The grass was laid dead, the entire house cracked in the interior, the counters in every room separated from the wall, the frames on the windows cracked etc (and I have two humidity monitors that were provided by Mason, so it's recorded that my humidity levels were also where they were suppose to be), both pillars at the front cracked all the way around, the garage door malfunctioned three times, there was white paint all over all the doors floor and hinges, my floor squeaks all over the house, some of the floor boards raised. The flooring company came and replaced one floor board and told me the floor will continue to squeak but to just kick the boards really hard and the squeaking will stop (PARDON?????).

After I submitted my one year form it took them five months to contact me to start fixing things. I let them in on nine different occasions and all nine times, the person they sent stayed for a maximum of one hour each visit. They would say every time that they needed a full day to get everything done, but they would book at 1pm every single time, do one or two things, and then say they had to go. And every time they were there, they said the trades required were suppose to contact me. One booked and then cancelled, one booked and then was cancelled by head office (because he said I locked Mason out, which I didn't). Two months went by and I was contacted by Tarion to see if Mason Homes had fixed everything on my year end list. They had not and it didn't appear as though they were going to finish by the deadline, so I booked my conciliation. Suddenly I had the Mason worker on my door step everyday trying to get me to sign a builder/vendor agreement. I didn't know how it worked and he did not know how to explain how it worked very well. I had Tarion clarify and decided to give the Mason worker the extension (which I shouldn't have) because following me being nice and granting the extension, he went and told head office that he couldn't get in because I kept denying him access due to my work schedule. This is also false. I am off four days a week. Often those days are week days when the contractors are working. I sat around for FIVE MONTHS with no contact from them. I spent another TWO AND A HALF MONTHS letting him in day after day after day while he got nothing accomplished. The incident that he decided was me not letting him in was; one of the contractors that cancelled on me was the flooring company. They told me they would call back the following Monday and re-book, they never did. Three to four weeks later, as I am leaving the house to go to work, he shows up asking me to let the flooring company in. I told him I couldn't because I was literally walking out the door (my conciliation was book for three days later). He then told head office that I made it difficult for workers to get in because of my shift work........?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK. They also called one of my warranted items 'a courtesy' because it wasn't on my list. This item was on my 30 day list, as well as my one year.

There are numerous other stories I could tell. The stories from all my neighbours are all the same. Hearing other stories make mine sound minor. The company will never admit fault and will never make things right. The second you sign the papers they no longer care and customer care just doesn't exist.

The ONLY good thing I have to say about the house is that it is sound proof, and for someone who works shift work this is a great feature. Other than that, my first time buying my own house was a complete and utter nightmare. Mason Homes made this experience an angering one instead of an exciting one. I do not recommend this builder. I know dozens of others I have spoken to in my subdivision are not happy