Beware: BBQ Cleaning = ruined patio stones = management's refusal to be held accountable
Barbecue Pro cleaned my 14 year old Weber the afternoon of November 4th, 2020. Despite me telling JM that the stones had just been laid the day before he declined to use a tarp. In the cleaning process a rusty, greasy mess was spilled. JM hosed down the stones which made it not visible in the moment but it became visible as soon as it dried. Unfortunately it also caused it to spread. I called immediately the next morning and they sent him back with a bottle of Dawn to remove it. He tried but said it was so much work it would be cheaper to replace the stones. Told me not to worry, they are a reputable company and it will be taken care of. Several phone calls later and they sent Brian with a power washer. Same conclusion: too much work, cheaper to replace, don't worry, we are a reputable company and it will be taken care of. Well, I'm glad the employees feel that way about the place they work and I'm sorry to inform them that their boss Charles is not as honourable as they think. I live in a condo and the work that was done on the patio was to address a water problem in my basement. To maintain the warranty on that work meant the relaying of stones had to be carried out by the condo contractor. I connected Charles and the condo contractor. Charles delayed. Charles became rude. Charles had excuses. And once Charles had been quoted the cost of $1800.00, Charles stopped answering my calls or emails. Photos attached. The white streaks through the greasy, rusty stains are from JM's attempt to clean with the Dawn. Why didn't they send him with a power washer? By the time Brian came with a powerwasher the grease was sunk in too deeply and the staining was permanent. Oh, and to add insult to injury, they charged me for the BBQ cleaning!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,800.00
- Company Response
Hello Priscilla, As we are a company that consistently strives for excellence, we appreciate your feedback, however we would like to clarify a few things. From the onset of this issue, we informed you the stains on the concrete pavers were not caused by the barbeque cleaning. If concrete does not have an adequate water sealant applied to the surface, in some cases, it will discolor when in contact with water with high iron or mineral content. The discoloration on your pavers do not represent grease stains and are clearly a rust color as a result of the water we used from your hose.
You can find more information on that here:
https://www.foundationarmor.com/articles/discolored-concrete/
The concrete pavers were laid the day before the appointment by a company who must not have put the water sealant on them, so when the water from your hose pooled on the stones, they became discolored. Upon hearing of this issue, we were very receptive to helping you resolve the problem, even though the discoloration was a result of water damage, and not the cleaning process itself. We sent technicians back several times and discussed replacing the concrete pavers for you at our expense. We were provided a quote of $1800.00 for the replacement work and materials. Considering we can buy the same concrete pavers you have for $10.99 each, we did not see it as fair to pay that amount for less than $300 worth of material. We attempted to arrive at a reasonable agreement, and offered alternative solutions. We are sorry that you have had a poor experience with Barbeque Pro as we pride ourselves on excellent customer service. We would be happy to revisit this issue with you and any of your barbeque needs in the future. If you would like to discuss further please contact our office at 416-925-9585.
Concrete pavers at RONA:
https://www.rona.ca/en/decor-precast-slab-diamond-patio-slab-12059055-71005007?viewStore=55070&cm_mmc=organic_search-_-google-_-gmb-_-instore&utm_medium=organic_search&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=8143180963&cq_con=88023293967&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=u&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&&cm_mmc=paid_search-_-google-_-aw_smart_shopping_generic_nursery_gardening-_-71700000064493934&gclid=CjwKCAjwwqaGBhBKEiwAMk-FtNs6RKn758J-PVv7ALKxxdzqglzlsRiksFRzotoG6m-3oMnLk9gduBoC898QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds