ComplaintsforD.R. Horton Hawaii LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The sealings on the windows are falling off and the house had a patch job that was not properly repainted. This was a brand new home hat we purchased and things were hidden when purchased. The concrete drain was placed in front of the poor paint job. The windows are exposed to moisture now because the sealings were not properly applied around the home by the developer/installer.

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  Dear *****,
  
  Thank you for the follow up notification.  We are in direct communication with ************ to mutually resolve the issues raised in his complaint.
  
  Sincerely,
  ***********************
  Division President

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  A common and costly issue many homeowners of Hoopili are experiencing are AC units that leak within the walls, creating mold and water damage throughout their homes. This is a health and safety issue that needs to be addressed and not swept under the rug by DR Horton-Hawaii. Many homeowners have been trying to resolve issues with their air conditioning units installed in their newly purchased homes. We have attempted numerous times to have the developer fix the problem and keep getting push back. Homeowners are frustrated with the lack of accountability from DR Horton-Hawaii and are resorting to spending $1000’s to fix or upkeep on the issues.

  Business response

  05/10/2021

  Dear Mr. *******,
  
  This responds to BBB complaint number ********, which was submitted by ******* ******, an owner of the home located at ******* ******** ***** *** ****** HI.  The home was purchased in April 2019 by Ms. ******, ********* ******, *** ****** and ***** ****** from D.R. Horton Hawaii, and the home served as a model home for approximately 2 years prior to their purchase.  The model home was sold to the ******s in “as is” condition without warranty except for: (i) a limited structural warranty and (ii) a 2-year warranty from ******** **** ****** (“***”) covering the air conditioning system and improper installations, among other components in the home. 
  
  In early 2020, **** ****** submitted a warranty claim alleging that the air conditioning units in the home were leaking due to faulty installation.  We reminded Mr. ****** that he had purchased a model home in “as is” condition and the air conditioning system was not warranted by D.R. Horton and to reach out to ***. 
  
  On March 31, 2021, Mr. ****** emailed Deborah P******, Vice President of Customer Care, stating he was following up on their AC issue and alleging an installation issue within the walls of the home and requesting the name of Ms. P******** supervisor.  Mr. ****** also indicated that “[w]e have documented the maintenance and services of our AC units since we purchased the home and our AC leaks are not a result of poor maintenance but rather an installation issue.”
  
  Ms. P****** acknowledged Mr. ******’s March 31, 2021 email that day and responded in detail on April 23, 2021 as follows:
  
  "Good Morning Mr. ******,
  
  Thank you for your patience while awaiting a response from our office.  Our records reflect that prior to your most recent warranty claim of March 31, 2021 in which you requested that we again review your a/c issue, you last submitted a warranty claim for your a/c on February 3, 2020.  We denied your claim based on the fact that you purchased a Model home and agreed at the time of purchase by execution of the “Model Home Addendum” that DR Horton would provide you with a 3rd party warranty through *** (which also covers installation related issues ) and no other warranty applies outside of your 10 year limited structural warranty.  At that time we were informed that you would be contacting your attorney and you requested information regarding DR Horton’s attorney at which time we furnished  to you.  As of this date, we do not have record of being contacted by you or your attorney.
  
  Prior to that, we requested written documentation of the maintenance service as well as the company(s) that inspected your a/c and alleged that the issue was installation related.  Please correct me if I am wrong, however my records do not reflect that we have received any written documentation stating that the findings are indicative of a construction defect.
  
  At this time, in an effort to bring this matter to a close, may we ask that you provide all of the requested documentation from the a/c companies that have inspected and/or completed maintenance on your a/c since the time of purchase.  Upon receipt and review of this requested information, we will have a 3rd party a/c company review the same after which they will complete an inspection and evaluation of your a/c and provide DR Horton with written documentation of the results. Should the results indicate that the issue is clearly construction related, DR Horton will absorb the cost of the inspection and remedial work to address the a/c fix only.  If the issue is related to use and/or maintenance, you will agree to absorb the cost for the inspection and remedial work.
  
  Should you be in agreement with the above, please respond by way of this email and we will take the necessary action.
  
  Thank you."
  
  Mr. ****** responded the same day, stating in relevant part that “[w]e will be in touch to provide the requested documents.”
  
  As of the date of this response, we continue to await the documentation requested by Ms. P****** on April 23, 2021.
  
  Based on Ms. P******’s April 23, 2021 email, we are willing to investigate the alleged AC installation issue upon receipt of the documents Mr. ****** indicated he has in his possession (as previously noted, Mr. ****** stated in his March 31, 2021 email that “[w]e have documented the maintenance and services of our AC units since we purchased the home and our AC leaks are not a result of poor maintenance but rather an installation issue”), and we are willing to address the issue to the extent, if any, that it is construction related.  It should be noted that we are agreeing to perform these actions solely as a courtesy to the ******s as they purchased their home in “as is” condition and as all warranties for the AC units and the installation thereof are provided by ***, not D.R. Horton.
  
  We reiterate our request to the ******s to provide the “requested documentation from the a/c companies that have inspected and/or completed maintenance on your a/c since the time of purchase.”
  We will then have a third-party air conditioning company review the documentation and conduct an inspection and evaluation of the air conditioning.  We further reiterate that, if the results indicate the issue is clearly construction related, D.R. Horton will pay for the cost of the inspection and remedial work to address the a/c fix only.  If the issue is related to use and/or maintenance, the ******s must pay for the cost for the inspection and remedial work.
  
  Sincerely,
  Robert Q. *****
  Division President

  Customer response

  05/11/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me, in the hopes of an UNBIASED inspection and evaluation from a “third-party” AC company. I will be forwarding all AC repair documents to Deborah P****** as requested. 
  
  
  I am pleased to finally receive some form of cooperation from DR Horton-Schuler Homes. However, I could only hope the same would be extended to the many other families here in Hoopili struggling with the very same AC issues. 
  
  
  Many of us have been so frustrated with the responses we’ve been given by your company, that we’ve resulted in spending unnecessary amounts of money to attempt to remedy an avoidable problem- had the AC’s been installed properly. If there’s a collective amount of homes that suffer the same problem, does that not raise a red flag that your contractors are installing the AC units improperly? 
  
  
  With more and more homes being built here in Hoopili, I would hate to see more families go through the same stress and financial burden. 
  
  
  I think I speak for most of us here, that we would like to see DR Horton help to make things right (pono). 
  
  
  Mr. *****, I’d be happy to provide the contact info of the many other homeowners here who also deserve the same courtesy. They all would be glad to share their own documentation in AC repairs on their newly built homes. Please let me know, should you choose to help us. 
  
  
  Mahalo DR Horton for building the much needed homes for the people of Hawaii. I hope as “America’s Builder,” that commitment of excellence can be said of for every home built in our community here in Hoopili and throughout our state.  
  
  
  Sincerely, 
  ******* ******

*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. ↩