Best way to complain about a business

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am doing some renovations, including turning a garden bathtub into a bath/shower. I got two estimates and picked the one subcontracted through Lowe’s, using a installer named Spectrum renovations. The guy who measured the floors also measured the walls around the tub. The estimated listed materials and labor for " tile installation for 2 bathrooms and kitchen". So far, so good.

On installation day, I was showing one of the workers the rooms, and he says they aren’t doing the tub walls. His English is as poor as my Spanish so he says the boss is coming. I am not worried butmI should have been. After the vinyl floors have been torn out by the workers, the boss comes and says that the walls were not part of the estimate and that they will be an extra $1000. According to him, I should have known that Lowes doesn’t do wall installations and this was a side job, although neither the measuring guy or the Lowes employee told me that and I discussed the tub walls with both of them. He actually said “do you see any signs at Lowe’s saying they install wall tiles?” Since the work was started and I couldn’t face a week or more with no floors, I didn’t stop the floor installation, although now I wish I had.

After many phone calls over thre days and finally talking to the store manager, Lowes agrees that they will give me the materials free of charge. The bastard installer, on the other hand, won’t give me a break on the installation. No consessions whatsoever.

BBB has no complaints listed, but a little googling revealed a long letter about Spectrum’s poor work addresses to Lowes and BBB. Although I doubt it will do any good, I will file a complaint with them. I have also contacted an organization that certifies installers.

Any other ideas? I would love to think I can make this guy think twice about misleading his next customer.

2

Do you have a copy of this estimate? It’d be helpful to know if it said floor tile, wall tile, or just tile.

First things first, put pressure on Lowes to cover the installation (this works especially well if you’re a repeat customer). The fact that they are paying you for the materials is strongly encouraging–but make sure that to obtain that perk, you don’t sign* any* kind of release of future liability. Make polite, confused noise about contacting your family and friends (who just happen to “know people” in the construction business–it’s okay to stretch the truth about this, but don’t overdo it), and possibly the media, because Lowes continues to work with a deceptive subcontractor–don’t threaten a lawyer, that’s a trump card for later. But bring up the letter you found online. (This is best done in person, btw)

I would think they’d already filed an insurance claim with their liability carrier, but if they haven’t (because the dollar amount is below a certain level), they need to now. They’ll call and file a claim. Ask them to call you back the same day they file it and give you the claim number. Wait 24 hours–use this time to get your ducks in a row (plus it will take that long to assign the adjuster, anyway). Then call the adjuster and tell them you feel you are owed the amount for the installation as well. Play hardball. Get a lawyer if you can afford to, but only after the adjuster demonstrates an unwillingness to work with you.

Do you know what company the measuring guy worked for? If he was a Lowes employee, the case should be found in your favor by a fair adjuster–but you might need to be a squeaky wheel to get your money back (or you might get an unfair adjuster). The fact that he measured the walls would lead a reasonable person to believe that they were included in the estimate.

If the measurer wasn’t a Lowes employee, the adjuster will try to fob you off that it’s the subcontractor’s liability. That is a good time to get a lawyer, and forcefully bring up that Lowes paid for the materials–so they should cover the installation as well. It’s extremely unlikely you’d go to trial, the insurance company would settle with you. But you would have to shell out of pocket up-front, and of course it’s not 100% certain that you would convince them to pay.

IANAL, I work in insurance. If you can’t afford a lawyer for this (or think it’s too trivial a matter), you can at least pressure Lowes with a copy of the letter you found and file a claim for free. Then smear their and the SC’s name around town a bit.

3

Uh, legally smear I mean. Don’t slander them, stick to the truth :stuck_out_tongue:

4

Thanks. I am just so mad. I have been able to let the installation manager and general manager at Lowe’s know that he is blaming them and saying things about them that aren’t true, such as he is helping pay for the materials. Since his subcontracting work with them is a valuable part of his business, I hope that sends a message. The installation manager this morning said something about a million dollar contract.

The contract just said 12 x 12 certain brand tile. Since I am using the same tile for both floor and walls, that wasn’t a red flag. Spectrum installer guy said I should have known from the amount. 320 sq yards of tile vs 400 apparently. Does the average consumer know that?

5

If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been burned in almost the same way. I was moving into my new house and I wanted the floors refinished. I hired a contractor to refinish the hardwood floors. There are quarter-rounds along each wall. I specifically asked the boss guy if removing, refinishing and replacing the quarter rounds was included in the job. He assured me up and down it was.

Sadly, amoung the several dozen other jobs I was arranging at the same time, I neglected to get this in writing. Big mistake.

The guys came in, took off the quarter-rounds, and refinished the floor. They did not replace the quarter rounds. I asked them about this. They said they were just there to do the refinishing, they knew nothing about the quarter-rounds.

The boss guy showed up for his payment. I asked about the quarter-rounds. He simply told me that had not been part of the deal - he doesn’t “do” quarter rounds. In short, he lied to my face.

I was sort of flabbergasted. What do you say to someone who simply lies to you, when both of you know it is a bald-faced lie?

Well, what I did was refuse to pay him the full amount. I told him that if he wanted to be paid the full amount when he did not do the whole job as agreed, he could sue, and see how that worked. I would ‘hold back’ $500 and get someone else to do the quarter-rounds, or he could earn the hold-back by doing the job he had agreed to do.

He did not like that but eventually agreed to take the money on these terms, since I made clear that if he did not, he would get nothing save the deposit he already had. He sent a lawyer’s letter making threatening noises. I sent one back telling him to do his worst, and that was the last I heard from him. I ended up doing the quarter-rounds myself.

I went through a lot of stress over this, probably more than the $500 was worth, but I was so outraged at being cheated in such a blatant manner that I felt it would be somehow dishonest to simply allow it and do nothing.

6

I feel your pain, Malthus. I found out that the person who also had a complaint about him didn’t file with the BBB, so I am going to try to talk him into that. Maybe that will help him realize he pissed off the wrong person. I have a small business, too, and I just can’t imagine how I would live with myself if I cheated people.