In late 2018 we contracted OGC to finish our basement. We had a budget set which they totally ignored. When I asked for some sort of reduction in the price, they just cut some items that I didn't really want cut in retrospect, and it barely saved us anything anyway. We exceeded our budget by 25%. The workmanship was not up to par, there were visibly crooked walls, they covered the main drain in the basement with flooring, blocked doors with framing that then had to be shaved down. The baseboards don't have a tight fit. They forgot a lot of small things we asked for that was technically not part of the contract, but why say yes if you are just going to ignore/forget. Not very professional. Some of the contractors walked through the house with their boots on in full winter,dragging mud and dirt all over the place. They also rang the doorbell at 7 AM to get in despite there being a lock box with a key and repeated requests to NOT ring the bell due to having a 9 month old that would wake up from the doorbell. The touted all in one pricing but then charged us extra for things that were not 'up to code' after being inspected, even though they said the price includes making sure everything is to code. The pricing was not at all transparent, it was not possible to see what work items cost what to decide what to adjust or cut. All you have is one big number and a big list of what is included, but no breakdown of the cost. I also feel they rushed near the end to get things done before the end of the year, most of the work was done just in time for Christmas, but in retrospect I would have preferred they not rush, who knows how much better it could have been. Overall the work was adequate, and the space is usable, but the experience was not a pleasant one for us. If you have money laying around that you don't need, and are happy with adequate workmanship then this place might be for you.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $35,000.00
- Company Response
Hi Patrick,
Thank you for providing your feedback. We use this feedback to further enhance our process and systems to ensure we can meet a high level of service.
We have tried many attempts the last few weeks to discuss your concerns over the phone and/or in person but you have declined our offer to speak with you. Since you choose to avoid any meetings with us I will address your comments right here:Quality
We stand by our workmanship and have sent you a few emails the past few weeks encouraging you to submit a warranty claim if you feel like the work is not adequate, yet you declined. If your claims are accurate then you should let us come in and inspect. Our last communication with your wife on January 11 2019, she signed a work completion form stating that she agrees all of the work has been completed to her satisfaction and all, if any deficiencies have been repaired. Furthermore, during our "punch list" phase, your wife built a list for us of items she needed addressed. One week after she provided us with the list we rectified all her concerns and she provided us with a signed off punch list stating that all work has been completed.Budget
If you can reference the Project Proposal that was emailed to you July 26 2019 it states a project budget range of $26,000 - $38,000 is to be expected. This is the budget that we have set for your project before you agreed to work with us. The contract you signed was for $25,498 which did not include materials. On your client supply sheet we had estimated that materials would cost between $3,000 - $8600. Therefore expected project cost should be around $28,500 - $34,000 (pre-tax).Your final account statement with us inclusive of all change orders and materials was $30,786. This is right within the budget that we have set for you on your Project Proposal.We create many check points within our process to ensure customer satisfaction and a high level of quality. These checkpoints are outlined below:
Client Portal
1. We have set up a client portal that everyone in our staff has access to. My operations manager, customer service manager, general manager and myself scan this portal daily. The goal is to catch any issues that arise as soon as possible and act in a timely manner to rectify those issues. We understand complications will arise, and although we want to minimize them, our goal is focused on rectifying them as fast as possible. As I study the posts made on your client portal it's hard to pick up on "red flags". Towards the end of the project you actually thanked the foreman for his attention to certain items on your project.Punch List
2. Each foreman is instructed to receive a list of outstanding items from the client that need to be rectified before the project is completed. I see that this list was posted on the client portal on Dec 19 and then an updated one Jan 2. The goal of this list is to ensure that everyone is on the same page. We hold our foreman accountable based on rectifying the issues listed on this document in a timely manner. During our weekly meetings, we review the list with our foreman and ensure that we have a game plan to tackle items on this list. On January 10 we received the punch list back signed by Krista Malka (Your Wife) indicating that all items on the list have been addressed.Work Completion Form
3. The final step of closing out a project is receiving a work completion form from our client. We understand that issues can arise along the way, even after completing a punch list, so this is our way of ensuring everything has been completed to the clients satisfaction. The work completion form states " I agree that all works are up to my satisfaction and that all deficiencies have been addressed" . We received this document signed by Krista Malka on Jan 11.Building Permits
4. At OGC we do not take on projects without getting a building permit. Despite it being a bylaw, many contractors try to advise clients against it, but we have made it mandatory to only take on projects with full permits. The benefit to us and our clients is that all of the work gets inspected by city inspectors. Having this 3rd party ensure that the work is safe and compliant with bylaw is very important to us. The only downfall to this is that building code can have grey areas and/or it is very intricate, so what happens is that extra work is needed that was not accounted for. The building code book is thousands of pages long, although our staff have their Building Code Identification Number (BCIN) which make them experts in building code, sometimes inspectors require extra work that is not accounted for. But the good outweighs the bad, and we as a company will sleep well at night knowing that city inspectors are overlooking our work and ensuring it is safe and satisfactory.Our process has been improving over the years as the result of the feedback from our amazing customers.