ComplaintsforLivingston's Concrete Service, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Family First Concrete contractor to install a front/rear patio and side walkway. They subbed ********** concrete to pour the ready mix. The first load developed cracks within hours. The second load had no issues. Their quality assurance manager inspected and said their batch was not faulty and it was from the wind. My contractor and I disagreed, as the cracked first batch was protected from the wind by structures and a fence. The second patch that did not crack was in full wind. Replacement of the defective concrete was requested or a payment comp request, Both denied. Then they sent me a notice of potential lien on my property, even know I paid my contractor in full and he has paid them. The company is using bullish tactics to intimidate me and to drop the complaint.

  Business response

  05/08/2023

  I explained to *******, I had reviewed the batch weights for the loads sent to his job and I didn't see anything out of tolerance. We sent our QC manager to his job to get a visual, and our QC managers conclusion was that it is plastic shrinkage cracking. I noticed that his first load started pouring at 7:05 am, and the second truck started pouring at 9:25 am. At 7:05 am the wind speed was 22 mph, with wind gusts up to 30 mph. At 9:25 am, the wind was 21 mph, with wind gusts up to 29 mph. Given this information, I also have concluded that the wind was the cause of his plastic shrinkage cracking. I explained ************ Concrete Service can only insure the quality of our products up to the time it is handed over to the customer's contractor.Unfortunately, *******'s plastic shrinkage cracking is not due to the quality of the concrete that was delivered. I let him know that in this specific instance, plastic shrinkage cracking could have been minimized or eliminated by using Confilm, or rescheduling his pour for a day with less wind.

  note: There are a number of other factors that could be the cause of plastic shrinkage cracking (i.e. Humidity, lack of moisture in sub grade, wind, ambient temp, etc.). In my professional opinion, *******'s plastic shrinkage cracking was due to the wind. 

  Customer response

  05/09/2023

  I am rejecting this response because: the statement of facts is chronologically correct, but the second load was the only load that was impacted by the wind and it did not crack. Which makes the argument incorrect. Also my contractor has never seen a load of concrete do this, and he benchmarked the issue with other contractors. Which all said this was a bad batch and not from the wind. Additionally ********* always has similar weather this time of year, including wind. If Livingstons argument was factual, more than half of the concrete poured in the area would have the same issues, which is not the case. I discussed the issue with individuals involved in construction from several areas in and out of **********, and their first response is that the concrete mix was off and it should be replaced be the ready mix company. Also I work in an industry with chemicals manufacturing and quality control is a large portion of my operational oversite. Paper work and data collected that represents the load/batch is not proof that it was made correctly, yet It is the first thing a company will use to defer responsibility. 
  

  Business response

  05/11/2023

  *******, Im sorry you feel this is an argument. My intention is to identify the cause of the problem surrounding your project. It is important to realize each job is unique, and not all issues are the same. This is why Livingstons Concrete Service has to look at the facts surrounding each individual pour when an issue is brought to our attention. As I previously mentioned, the issue you are experiencing is called plastic shrinkage cracking, and can be caused by many things. In your case, the plastic shrinkage cracking was caused by the wind. This plastic shrinkage cracking could have been minimized or eliminated by using Confilm by your contractor, or rescheduling your pour for a day with less wind. Again, ************ Concrete Service can only insure the quality of our products up to the time it is handed over to the customer's contractor. Unfortunately, your plastic shrinkage cracking is not due to the quality of the concrete that was delivered.

  
  This determination is based on our visual inspection, documentation,and the facts previously mentioned surrounding your job. Our position on this matter stands as originally stated.

  
  I understand this is a frustrating situation, and is likely not the outcome you were looking for.

*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. ↩