ComplaintsforBuffalo Modular Homes Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On 10-11-2022 @ 12:50 pm est Our new home Builder "Buffalo Modular Homes" hit our existing underground main power line. They did NOT call 811 before digging nor did they take the time to locate the power line with other available resources available to persons in this field of work. The excavator operator pulled the lines up causing them to stretch and fail with damage to 2 panels, 500' of line, branched circuits in panel and 500 foot of new 2" conduit. totaling $5000 to repair. After purchasing a generator to keep our RV powered and warm and many gallons of gasoline we waited to hear from the builder, I asked if he had insurance and his saved texts say "we are not responsible and will not repair. after a week of running on a generator we were forced to call and hire our own electrician to get power back to the property. we have all receipts from my hired electrician MR ******* ***** from ***** ******** as *** refused to fix the situation we are seeking moneys due back to us.

  Business response

  06/14/2023

  By way of background, before our excavators undertake any site work on our builds, they always call 811 to complete a site utility locate.  In this case, as the ******** meter was on a pedestal close to the road, 811 would not do a locate from the pedestal to the house; for this, the owner would have to contract a 3rd party private locate service.  Our excavator met the owner at the site before starting work and explained the need for him to do a private locate before any digging could begin, however, the owner said he had installed the underground line himself, knew where it was, marked it out, and asked the excavator to go ahead with the dig.  Our excavator dug in accordance with the owner's instructions and markings, with him on site, but hit the underground line.  Unfortunately, in this situation, the owner is fully responsible for the repairs.

  Customer response

  06/15/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below I anticipated I would get a ridiculous response like this and I was right! I was not home on the day that this happened I was at work and nor was I asked to locate my lines when this is the  Responsibility of the hired said builder,  what builder would ask a home buyer Something so absurd?    You must be accountable for your actions.  Regards,  ******* *** **** *****

  Business response

  06/27/2023

  Normally the excavator reports directly to us as the builder regarding all site work, including trenching and excavation but, in this case, Mr. ***** assumed direct control of the contractor’s work regarding the trenching that day without any consultation with us as the builder.  As such, we believe the best follow up would be for our contractor and Mr. ***** to resolve this issue directly; we shall provide Mr. ***** our contractor’s contact information and have our contractor call Mr. ***** directly to resolve this issue.  We, as the builder, hope that a satisfactory resolution can be foun.  Please feel free to contact me directly if you need any further information. ***** *****   

  Customer response

  06/27/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. Regards,  ******* *** **** *****  Yes you the builder hire outside to do your excavating, you use ****** as your excavator, My banks pays you through the construction loan and you are in charge of the whole turn key project as thats what we paid for, Me and my wife did NOT hire anyone but YOU the builders, You and your crew came while i was at work and dug without marking the ground..WE have nothing to do with it! stop passing blame like you do with all your customers..You hitting our power line is just 1 of many complaints we have had that you continue to ignore.   

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is not performing warranty work along with items needed to finish the home per plans. We have been looking to reconcile these for 7 months. Items include: 1) Interior door locks that were missing or broke after minimal use (Actual locking mechanism in knob) 2) Light fixture that was never installed per plans – We have the switch on wall just no light so not sure what the switch is wired to 3) Clean up of the basement where subcontractors came through and tracked mud throughout 4) Fan installed on vaulted ceiling is not working with the remote so we are unable to control fan speeds and light settings 5) Smoke detectors are beeping and I have tried replacing batteries but I am concerned there is an installation problem 6) Sump pump discharges onto a hill and rolls back into the foundation so a regrade is required 7) Other issues I have resolved myself: Plumbing installed without plumbers tape, pipes not connected properly in walls that leak into basement, and leaks under sinks They have been a nightmare to deal with and I don’t know how to get them to finish work. This is not new as they took 100% longer to finish the house than what was promised and charged 20% additional over contract (Not including other items paid out of pocket). They did not even break ground until a month before the original estimated date of completion. I made the mistake of paying them the remaining balance after work was “completed” and now they are non-communicative and keep missing the service dates given if I manage to corner them and demand work be done. Any support from BBB is greatly appreciated. Thank you, ****** 

  Business response

  05/18/2023

  We're very dissappointed to hear of these issues but will continue to actively work with our customer to resolve all outstanding issues asap. 

  Customer response

  05/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  They have handed me off to deal with repairs myself dealing with the home manufacturer and construction subcontractor.  The fan on the vaulted ceiling is now my problem.  Improperly wired smoke detectors are still beeping.  The mud through the basement came with an apology.  I want nothing more to do with this business.  I consider this matter closed and look forward to improving my mental health by not dealing with Buffalo Modular ever again.     Regards,  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  My home was placed on its foundation as a modular home in October and I moved in in July. From the get go out grading and seeding of the lot was not done properly and we were left with massive stricken tree trunks and debris in the “fill”. We then spent months going back and forth on issues not resolved in January I was working with a warranty woman who was working through the absolutely insane list of missing wrong or incomplete items we not no longer have this contact and no one is resolving our issues. Our septic tank was hit during grading and the vent pipes dislodged. This was never reinspected and is testing as an open ground. Our furnace was installed with fiber duct board no returns were cut and no dampers it is hooked up at the incorrect tapered end and 2 of my rooms don’t heat we have brought this to buffalo modular and they direct us to the heating company who will not fix the issue as he had to retain a lawyer to be paid supposedly either way their new “solutions” are to simply add dampers to the incorrect heating system. I had an outside heating company quote what it would take to get the system running and for 8775$ the entire system needs to be pulled moved and reducted. I want this done correctly to the full extent it should have originally been installed and the missing and incomplete items resolved in a timely manner.

  Business response

  03/17/2023

  We have been in regular communication with ****** and we have a small list of requested repairs which we will review and respond to /schedule repair for.  It's not uncommon for a new home to require repairs and service after move in, which always is communicated throughout the building process.  It's important to remember that homes are built out of wood by people, both of which are imperfect.    The heating system has been installed by a licensed trade professional to code and based on your complaint of heat being stronger on wide side of the house and weaker on the other, it seems like this can be resolved by dampening the heat distribution lines to better balance the heat distribution.  This has been dispatched to our heating contractor and they will be in contact with you.  Grading: it's not uncommon to have settling with the dirt and grading.  Any regrading or finish grading fixes can only be addressed when the ground drys out after winter/spring.   

  Customer response

  03/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear  the heating company has advised us they were dispatched via text to call us ****** does not feel confident the “solution” will be sufficient and advised potential for static pressure build up and as the outside heat appraiser advised to work correctly to the standard a new built home system needs to be taken out moved to a central location in the home and metal ducting being implemented. The heating company cut out the marriage wall of our homes joists and is exactly where my home is being supported when we had the job estimated by ******* ******* *** ******* they advised concerns that will damage our joists and potential cause basement cracking with the tampered loads on the area. Buffalo modular has not been in regular contact with us a few emails promising follow up and work to be done then never actually having an action done is not acceptable. Our house is being heated with space heaters this is EXTREMELY dangerous. We have been on this problem from the day we moved in and we’re given keys and said have a great life with many things wrong and missing or just done as quickly as possible. There is pain residue from priming all over our flooring the house is missing shelves we had to fix our own sump pump after not even a month of living there as the check valve exploded off it’s casings and our basement flooded. The asks are quite simple yet we are given the run around over and over and makes to feel like we’re being “excited” or “you don’t know what your talking about” the heating company disbatched doesn’t want to do the work your suggesting so it needs to be resolved if we will be reimbursed to have ******* ******* complete the attached estimate or ****** a confirmation he can do the work he as a professional feels NEEDS to be done for a new home to be heated CORRECTLY. not just “code this or that” when it has been stated by multiple sources the heating system is NOT correct.   Regards,  ****** *******

  Business response

  03/29/2023

  We want to make sure we resolve these outstanding issues and will follow up directly with both Mr. and Mrs. ******* to explain the following response: 1)  We have reviewed the heating/furnace issue with our licensed contractor, ****** *******, and shall install duct baffles in the runs to balance the system and install an additional trunk run between the main duct trunk lines to add additional air volume - no other work is needed as these steps will insure the system is at its optimal design 2) The opening that exists in the marriage wall ***** is part of the factory heating system design and provides air flow between the trunk lines in each module - this is built in the modular factory and meets all codes and has been fully inspected and approved - however, as the customer has expressed concerns about this, we shall install an additional support plate above the jack post and below this opening but it needs to be noted that this additional work is not required 3) The remaining minor items will be addressed on 4/7 which is when we have scheduled our return visit with the customer Hopefully, this is satisfactory to the customer.   

  Customer response

  03/30/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The issues touched in this latest reply are fine however the issue of regrade and seeding has not been addressed we keep being told “spring” or Jeremy will reach out but is now approaching April with no scheduled work for this issue I have separately sent buffalo modular photos and am awaiting reply but do not accept any resolutions until work is satisfactory and complete as we have had way too many issue with work actually being followed through with and completed. We are new homeowners who put our life savings into our dream home. It should not be unreasonable to have expected this work to have been done complete and to a high standard the first time around and the way we have been treated with such disregard has been appalling. I can sit and hear the “these things happen” or “no need to get excited” but I do not appreciate being talked to like I’m dumb and this has been the worst experience of my life. I simply want to know when the work is being scheduled to be completed so we can finally begin to enjoy the home that was supposed to be the best purchase of my life but has turned into a nightmare. I DO NOT want any reply’s or excuses I simply want to know what date the work is going to be done and have it actually happen at that time.  Regards, ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We contracted with Buffalo Modular Homes to order and build us a new home. This started in January 2020. They visited our site and we visited their showroom. We sent them a deposit of $2500.00 in March 2020. Insert COVID-Factories shut down and could not produce a house for us. We first asked them not to deposit our check due to the uncertainty of the world and closures. They stated that it was already deposited. When then asked for a refund of our $2500.00 due to factory closures and not being able to furnish us a home and they refused. We have been unable to get any help with this issue and just want a refund.

  Business response

  11/11/2022

  ********, Hello! We received your BBB complaint and are happy to give some more details.  Your inquiry with us in April of 2019 began and was halted by you in order to sell the home you were in. We were happy to wait and picked right up where we left off in October that year and then again in January of 2020 when you were ready to move forward and then sold your home in February 2020. So we prepared several quotes and met a few times to finesse the floor plan and received engineered drawings and quotes. On March 8, 2020 ****** came out to the lot and he was going to help you broker the land purchase. On March 5th you and ***** signed our Engagement of Services agreement and sent your non-refundable fee of $2500.00 to cover those services. We hustled to get your home order ready as quickly as we could for you. We were designing a lovely ranch home, picked out your colors and finishes, planned your walk-out basement and by March 19 2020 we had the home order ready to go. On March 20th you had requested us the hold the deposit for one week "Given the current state of affairs outside of our control, could you hold the deposit check until middle of next week?  It would help us out tremendously". We had already deposited the non-refundable fee and communicated that by email. On March 25th 2020 you asked for a cancellation. In your complaint you mention that work had stopped, which it had not. You stated that factories "shut down", these were temporary and done to follow state and federal directives. As I remember it, the whole world basically "shut-down".  We built many homes that year while adhering to the state and federal guidelines, yours would have been as well. Two and a half years later, we'd still like to build it! I am not finding any correspondence that says we were unable to build your home at that time, these were shut downs ALL businesses had to adhere to, however, as circumstances were deemed safe, work continued at the factories, and locally to complete homes for our customers that year.  We wish you all the best. Attachments: 1. ESA showing the non-refundable fee at the bottom next to the signatures. 2. Site Sketch attached from the site visit and 3. Engineered floor plan and elevations  

• Initial Complaint

  08/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  purchased a modular home from buffalo modular was set on personnel property in **** *** **** . was set january 12,2021 was told it would take 3 months for completion , we are now at 7 months with no date of completion in sight, was told of price increase for ceiling material ,paid that a week later was sent another invoice for another price increase on electrical hook up , it would make sense for the company would notify and do walk trough with said contractors of reason for increases

  Customer response

  08/24/2022

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  The complaint against buffalo modular homes for this issue has been rectified.
  
   
  
  
  

  
  

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