ComplaintsforBearded Builders, Baltimore

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Gross overcharge. Installed backsplash (31sq ft) for $1725. This does not include materials, 1/4" above bottom window line. Plumber installed new toilet, I was quoted $200. Billing said he had to install a new flange and throw existing toilet in dumpster. Along with install new toilet with bidet seat. I was sitting 10' away. Nothing was said to me about doubling the cost. ($412.00). Numerous allowances were given, implying they would be adjusted after completion of the job. All jobs were charged at the allowance price. Nothing was lowered. Two toe kick heaters installed. Turned them both off March 7th. Didn't need them. Turned on because I didn't want the heat destroying the cabinets above but they were not needed. Bannasch knows nothing about HVAC, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING or AC. Duct in attic destroyed, Bearded Builders only one in attic since I purchased property. There was no problem with AC cooling last year, just this year. Many other issues, not enough space to list.

  Business response

  07/14/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/06/27) */ Contact Name and Title: David ******** - Designer Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ********@beardedbuilders.com Mr. ******'s complaints against Bearded Builders are completely without merit. Bearded Builders' process is very detailed, comprehensive and transparent. Providing every client with award-winning design, care, and service is at the very heart of our core values. It was clear early-on in the process that we had made a mistake in accepting Mr. ******'s request to renovate his kitchen and that working with him was going to be extremely difficult. Although an enormous amount of painstaking time and effort has already been spent to accommodate Mr. ******, it is clear that no amount of explanation or reason will convince him that we have done all that we can to address his concerns and treat him fairly. We even went so far as to request that Mr. ****** bring-in a third party "trusted advisor" to help him understand/navigate the many details of his renovation which he unfortunately dismissed. Similar to the barely coherent complaint that Mr. ****** submitted to you, our meetings during the kitchen remodeling design/pricing phases were extremely unfocused and unproductive as he was much more interested in making our female staff members feel uncomfortable and constantly attempting to engage in wandering, off-topic/off-color conversations. He was clearly uninterested in understanding the nuances and details of his kitchen renovation which strangely enough he continues to say that he is very happy with. Mr. ******'s email history is filled with a variety of obnoxious, insulting and generally rude comments. After several months of dealing with his unusual, bizarre, and unreasonable conduct, we finally sent him an email withdrawing from his project. Mr. ****** pleaded with us to continue working with him and after apologizing and promising to end his abusive/erratic behavior we agreed. In hindsight, this was our second mistake with Mr. ******. Before responding to Mr. ******'s specific complaint below, it is worth noting that the final bill for his $51,000.00 kitchen renovation was $647.95 less than the contract amount he signed. ($50,352.05) We are still requesting final payment in the amount of $452.05. Complaints: "Gross overcharge. Installed backsplash (31sq ft) for $1725. This does not include materials, 1/4" above bottom window line." While this may seem unreasonable to Mr. ******, who has no remodeling experience, this is a relatively inexpensive/simple backsplash installation charge. Mr. ****** was presented with this ***** prior to signing his contract and made no such complaint at that time. "Plumber installed new toilet, I was quoted $200. Billing said he had to install a new flange and throw existing toilet in dumpster. Along with install new toilet with bidet seat. I was sitting 10' away. Nothing was said to me about doubling the cost. ($412.00)" Mr. ****** was advised on multiple occasions throughout the process that home remodeling is not a perfect science and that there can be additional unforeseen expenses Mr. ****** was quoted $200.00 to remove and install his toilet from another contractor, not Bearded Builders. Mr. ******'s existing cast iron toilet flange was broken and required replacement to install his new toilet which resulted in an unexpected charge for additional time and materials. As you will see in our response below, "plumbing" is an allowance on our contract. This extra cost was absorbed in the allowance. Contrary to Mr. ******'s statements, he received a credit on every allowance. We don't understand why Mr. ****** is so surprised and upset over this unexpected required work that represents .XXXXX% of the total renovations costs. Also, it would have been very inappropriate for our plumber to discuss any additional costs with our client. I should also mention that Mr. ****** was probably not sitting 10' away. Based on feedback from our construction team and sub-contractors, he was most likely hovering over our plumber and distracting him with mindless commentary the whole time he was working there as he did with everyone who was in his house. "Numerous allowances were given, implying they would be adjusted after completion of the job. All jobs were charged at the allowance *****. Nothing was lowered." This is simply not true. Mr. ****** received a credit on all four of his allowances totaling $647.95 Painting Allowance = $1,150.00, Actual = $1,145.00, Credit = $5.00 Cabinetry Hardware Allowance = $525.00, Actual = $498.12, Credit = $26.88 Plumbing Allowance = $3,950.00, Actual = $3,483.93, Credit = $466.07 Electrical Allowance = $4,800.00, Actual = $4,650.00, Credit = $150.00 It was only after Mr. ******'s kitchen was completed that he seemed to be confused about the allowances on his project and how they worked. As was explained in painstaking detail numerous times, the allowance is "our estimate" of how much a particular service/material will cost. If the cost of the service/material is lower than what we estimate, there will be a credit. If the cost of the service/material is higher than we estimate, it will be an extra. We are perplexed as to why Mr. ****** continues to be so upset that his final cost was $647.95 less than the amount of the original contract he signed? "Two toe kick heaters installed. Turned them both off March 7th. Didn't need them. Turned on because I didn't want the heat destroying the cabinets above but they were not needed." Mr. ****** was very concerned from the start of his project about losing the hot water baseboard heaters in his dining room as a result of the new open concept kitchen design that he requested. We presented Mr. ****** with a solution to install (2) new hot water toe kick heating units designed specifically for this purpose. They were installed as per the manufacturer's instructions and are functioning properly as designed. Contrary to Mr. ******'s comments, the heaters are integral to the hot water heating system and only work when the entire system is in demand for heat. Only the internal fans can be turned on/off. Although he may not have needed to heat his home past March, I'm sure he will be happy to have them during the Winter months. "Bannasch knows nothing about HVAC, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING or AC." Mr. Bannasch has 32 years of experience in both residential and commercial HVAC, electrical, and plumbing design/installation. The fact that Mr. ****** doesn't know that the "AC" in "HVAC" stands for "Air Conditioning" and included "AC" as a separate trade at the end of his sentence is a perfect representation of his lack of knowledge regarding the trades. "Duct in attic destroyed, Bearded Builders only one in attic since I purchased property. There was no problem with AC cooling last year, just this year." This is the first we've heard of this particular complaint. We are sending someone out to assess and make repairs as needed. Update: Our HVAC contractor found a loose duct connection in Mr. ******'s attic. Although we did not touch the air conditioning system/ductwork and it was not part of our "scope of work", we made the repair. The ductwork in the attic was not "destroyed". "Many other issues, not enough space to list." It is our understanding that Mr. ****** had 12,000 characters to detail all of his complaints. (For example, this response is just over 8,000 characters) We are more than happy to address each and every one of his complaints as we have been doing throughout each stage of his project including post construction. It is very common for Mr. ****** to exaggerate everything. Every time we ask Mr. ****** to provide us with a list of "all" his complaints there is little to no response. This response is our first attempt to provide some history and explanation of the complaint filed against us. We are happy to provide additional responses and supporting documentation at your request. We will continue to honor our contractual agreement with Mr. ****** even though he refuses to honor his. We request that you dismiss his complaint with the BBB in its entirety.

*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. ↩