Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In 2017 April/May we moved into our home built by Sterling Homes. That winter the garage pooled with with water causing damage to drywall etc. In summer the attached email I could find June 2018 I wanted Sterling to address problem. Year after year and emails I can provide they either took a very long time to respond or just sent out people to "patch up the problem", my garage pad sank and Sterling would never address that problem. year after year my garage would flood with water and finally in 2024 I had a person finally come in from Sterling to look and who brought a private contractor. This person outlined a major problem however I never did hear from what his position was to fix. The only thing I revcieved was a text from the sterling *** outlining the upper management denied the work. So I can only assume it was thousands of dollars. Now if I was some person trying to blame a company yers later for this I could very much see that being an issue. I have numerous emails saved with my comments and concerns about this garage pad. So now even talking with them and or New Home warranty its all expired. This company has just played out the time in hopes I would just go away and have never addressed the real issue. I think its awful that a company does not stand behind the work when the work could have been fixed. Once they realized it would be probably thousands of dollars to fix they just ignored me and now its tough luck. Thats a huge problem for me as this house was near 1 million dollars when I purchased it. I want some mediation in this as Im super frustrated and have never complained in my entire life. Any emails required let me know as I can get them all. Sterling should be better and more committed as they say to customer service.

  Business Response

  Date: 20/08/2024

  This home was originally sold by Sterling in 2017. The garage slab was warrantied for workmanship and materials defects for 1 Year, in keeping with Alberta New Home Warranty Program and Consumer Affairs Construction Performance Guidelines. All terms and limitations were specified in the Purchase Agreement. Settlement is the result of varying ground conditions and can occur at any time over the life of the home and is not covered by Warranty beyond the 1 Year period, which concluded on April 21, 2018. This was communicated to the homeowner by Sterling in both 2022 and 2024. There is no further action to be taken by Sterling.

  Thank You

  Customer Answer

  Date: 23/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 22115315
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This was a part and listed in our warranty review at 1 year. We were told they would look into it but not in April as it would be scheduled later to review my garage pad when it was warmer.

   

  so that said i get you keep telling me its natural shift or shift that can happen. What we are extremely disappointed in is the way it was attenpted to be repaired. You aent someone to add more concrete to each sode of the garage walls which to date have all flaked and chipped etc . The you drilled holes into concrete which did nothing into My garage floor. We always expressed that our apeon was not tied into our garahe pad properly and were just shrugged off with just more filler to the sode of the garage with more concrete which did nothing as how does water leave the gaarage if the garage pad is lower than the apron in winter by inches. 

   

  i wouldnt care if everyyear i just **** it up in winter and mop out the water but its damaged my drywall rusted out the garage door and again everytime since the first time we complained we just got banaided solutions.

   

  come look at my garage and tell me youd be happy saying this is what you left your client with...not even so kuch the problem of how the apeon upheaves by inches each winter byt the overall look of my garage and YOUR so called fixes. 

   

  It looks awful and to say nothing else can or should be addressed is shameful and awful customer service . In my most professional nice way to put how I feel

  
  
  Sincerely,

  
  
  ***************************

  Business Response

  Date: 28/08/2024

  We regret that the homeowner is not satisfied with our response, which is based on standards set by the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, as the home's 3rd party warranty insurer, and the Alberta Consumer Affairs Construction Performance Guide. While this issue does not fall within the definition of a ***** Structural Claim (under warranty until April 21, 2027), the homeowner is still entitled to request the assistance of the ***** for Claims Assessment, which is the contractual method of Dispute Resolution agreed to in the original Purchase Agreement. Sterling has advised the customer of this and the process for accessing ***** assistance. There is no further action to be taken by Sterling at this time.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:25/03/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We took possession of our new Sterling Home Dec.2021 & have been dealing w/ deficiencies ever since. Most of them have finally been completed over 2 years later w/ the exception of the exterior doors. I told Sterling on the day of the front door installation (Jan.26 2022) that it did not match the colour selected. I later reviewed the sample with the Warranty Tech and he stated that it was faded, old & only 1 coat of stain had been added to it, therefore it was not a true representation of the final colour. He agreed that the colours did not match. I was then provided w/ additional stains to pick from for the door replacement, the new colour was sent to Warranty Supervisor April 24th, 2022. I did not receive any update regarding this matter until Jan.23, 2023 when the Operations Manager met with us in person to review the door. I was told that Sterling replaced all the old stain samples, meaning we had no physical record of the original finish selected to review with him, which I am sure was not a coincidence. I was told that "colour is subjective" & that Sterling is "not in the business of renovations."As an Interior Designer I understand the importance of sample approvals. In my profession submittals are received from the contractor of all the selected finishes for final approval prior to proceeding w/ ordering. This eliminates the risk of samples fading & ensures the client is happy with all selections. Sterling unfortunately does not give this same courtesy to their clients. I should not be held responsible for the replacement of this door as it does not match the sample I approved.Sterling denied the replacement of the door Aug 2023 after our "1 Year Warranty Review" & stated "We understand that the resolution for your front door was not satisfactory." We are also still waiting for the sliding door trim to be replaced, with no communication from Sterling since August. It is quite apparent that Sterling does not have any regard for customer satisfaction.

  Business Response

  Date: 26/03/2024

  We regret that there was never a resolution to the customer's concern about the colour of the front door that was satisfactory to them. This was the result of misaligned expectation and was discussed with her by various levels of Sterling Homes Construction and ******************** up to and including a personal visit by Sterling's Operations Manager, *****************. The colour of the door, while it may not meet the customer's preference, was verified to be correct to the colour selection  chosen and signed off by the homeowner. As has been stated to the homeowner repeatedly, there is no defect or deficiency in either the materials or workmanship of this item and no further action to be taken by Sterling.

  We have reviewed the entire Warranty file for reference to a patio door trim and find nothing of that nature. The during the final Warranty interval, which occurred in July of 2023, there was an issue with the trim and weather strip on what is referred to as the "rear entry door". This item was noted as having been completed on July 10, 2023, by Durabuilt Windows and supervised by Sterling at the Year-End Trade Day.  1-Year Workmanship and Materials Warranty on this home has concluded as of December 17, 2022, and we are unable to consider new requests for service under the terms of ********************************* guidelines, at this time.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 27/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21480546
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The sliding door trim is not complete. During the warranty review w/ Sterling deficiencies were noted for the sliding door trim, living room window, outstanding exterior repairs.  ********* completed the living room window repairs November 28, 2023 & were scheduled to replace the trim at that time however the part had not arrived. ********* has been contacting us directly for these w no follow-up from Sterling ensuring that the final deficiencies have been completed. 

   I was told shortly after the front door installation that this would be replaced & that the colour did not match the sample provided to me. I was given additional samples to choose from & the new colour was sent to *****. If the replacement was never an option why was I directed to pick a new color?  As the deficiencies & years drug on somehow this direction changed & I was told that the replacement had been denied. I was also told by multiple Sterling representatives that the stain samples provided were old & faded & not a true representation of the final colour. I understand that the colour number on the selection sheet matches the colour number of the stain used however how can I be held responsible for old & faded samples? I was also told that these samples have conveniently been updated, which is great for future clients, but also very telling in that Sterling was aware of the issue but somehow I am still at fault? 

  I was hoping that Sterling could understand my frustration with this issue as well as take some responsibility for the long, drawn out deficiency period that is still not complete over 2 years later. The front door replacement is truly a small constellation for Sterling to pay to prove to a dissatisfied customer that they do care about customer service & satisfaction & that they do follow through with deficiencies after the home is built. 

  Sincerely,
  *******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Although our records show the patio door issue to have been resolved, we have instructed our Trade Partner (Durabuilt Windows) to contact the homeowner immediately to attend to anything that *** have been missed. We note the homeowner mentions having been contacted previously by ********* to schedule a service call and we would urge her to make the arrangements with *********, who will then immediately notify Sterling of the appointment date and time so that we can follow up to ensure completion.

  There will be no further consideration given to the issue of the front door colour, for the reasons stated in our previous response.
  

   

  Thank You

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21480546
  
  I am rejecting the response below however as Sterling is clearly not willing to compromise I will proceed with other means of communication to try and get this issue resolved.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/03/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have various issues in our home which Sterling homes promised to fix under warranty and they are not fixing. There is also no reasonable communication response time and we would like responses within ****************************************************************************** the home fixed promptly. We are also awaiting a company to come and lay sod in our front yard as well as the builder to come to do parging on the side of our house which they have been delaying and have not communicated a date to us regarding this work. I can specify all work that needs to be fixed and completed in further communications.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2024

  Hello I have emailed all requested documents to you via email.  Please respond.  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/03/2024

  We have attached our latest communication with the homeowner, which was sent on Thursday, February 29, after an unsuccessful service call at the home. We do not feel that a cordial and productive working relationship is currently possible and have requested the homeowner to use the resources available through *************************************, which is the mandated process for dispute resolution as per their Purchase Agreement. If the homeowner's proceed through that channel, a Claims Assessment Inspection will be made for them by the *****, and any issues requiring action will be supervised and completed by them. This is the function played by the ***** as the 3rd party warranty insurer of the home. There is no charge to the homeowner for this service and it is delivered without prejudice. We strongly urge the homeowner to move forward in this way, with the full cooperation of Sterling Homes.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21382419
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  there is outstanding work that needs to be completed and we want it done by sterling homes no excuses.   This is unacceptable leaving our home with unfinished work and cancelling a trades day for April 11th that was booked.  There was no issue with that at home visit and they just cancelled it afterwards and are not being honest.  This work must be done.  There is parging on the side of the house, painting on exterior of the house, grass/sod that must be laid in front yard as well as several other items to be fixed inside our home.  This must be done by Sterling homes and not defer us to somewhere else making things more difficult and causing issues for no reason besides the fact they just dont want to spend the money to do the work. We have paid them for all of this to be done and it must be done on April 11th trades day 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Alyssa & *************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 14/03/2024

  We must reiterate the position of Sterling Homes is that we have unfortunately reached a breakdown in our ability to effectively work directly with these customers. As per their Purchase Agreement, a conflict resolution process is readily available to them through *************************************. This objective 3rd party process is available to the customers at no charge and is undertaken without prejudice. Any work deemed necessary will be mandated and supervised for completion by *************************************, which, in the opinion of Sterling Homes, is in the best interest of all.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 18/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21382419
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there is no relationship breakdown between sterling homes and ourselves.  We have invested significant time explaining issues in our home which sterling homes has promised to fix.  They are appearing to try to drop us and get out of fixing required items as it is the last inspection/service call of the year.  We will not accept any other response besides sterling homes coming to fix these issues.  We have paid for this warranty with the purchase of our home. Trades day for April 11th must remain scheduled there is no other option for resolution and we will take this as high as we have to to ensure sterling homes does what we have paid for and what has been promised to us.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Alyssa & *************************************