Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2024

  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.

  I hired Wise Home Energy to perform an attic insulation job at my house on 7/12/24. I paid them a $1600 deposit on June 18th. Prior to the job, I also spent $1300 opening up the soffits of my house from the exterior and $1693.34 to have most of the existing insulation removed by a different company.
  
  Wise was responsible for 5 items, each of which they took extreme shortcuts on, leaving my attic a total disaster. After seeing the quality of their work, I would have to be nuts to ever allow them on my property again to "fix" their mistakes. I would like a refund of my $1600 deposit and checks for $1300 and $1693.34 since I essentially have to start over from scratch.
  
  See attached emails for more detail
  
  1) Baffle installation: Installed baffles that werent the right size and didnt take any measures to prevent my soffits from getting plugged with insulation; essentially ruining the $1300 job I had done opening them up.
  
  2) Sunroom cleanout: Was assured they would be able to remove insulation from the one area that old insulation remained; they did not fully remove the old insulation.
  
  3) Cellulose installation: Large areas where insulation is totally missing (they said they ran out of insulation but no one contacted me to tell me this until I contacted them first on 7/19). Also, most of the rest of the attic is covered in what looks like wood shavings and not the ****** Cellulose insulation I was promised. I wanted cellulose and cellulose only.
  
  4) Air sealing: Impossible to check all areas, but the few areas that I could check show that again, shortcuts were taken. Was told during estimate that boxes would be built around my LED lights. Instead they too some of my old insulation that I wanted removed and used that combined with spray foam to air seal.
  
  5) Mold spraying: I paid for entire attic to be sprayed but on day of job, tech said he would only spray the discolored areas.
  
  Crew also accessed sealed off areas of my house instead of contacting me first.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Wise Home Energy acknowledges the errors that occurred
  during the course of this project. These include a failure to contact the
  client after the first day of installation due to miscommunication from our
  office and not adequately stuffing the baffles in place. Wise knew the project
  was incomplete and no balance invoice was sent to the client. We have expressed to the client our willingness to correct
  the baffles, remove the three bags of ********** insulation (wood fiber), and
  complete the project to this client’s satisfaction. However, this client has
  indicated an unwillingness to allow us to finish the project as contracted. Wise Home Energy stands behind our work, takes measures to
  improve our processes, and addresses any client concerns. We dispute several of
  the client's claims, including improper baffle sizes, blocked soffit vents, and
  issues with the mold treatment roof deck spray to name a few. This client is requesting a refund of their deposit and
  reimbursement for the prior insulation removal and soffit work they completed.
  The labor and material cost of our work to date exceeds $4,000. Despite this,
  we are willing to part ways with only a partial deposit payment of $1600 from
  this client and accept a loss due to his unwillingness to allow us to complete the
  project. Considering our offers to remedy the issues at no additional
  cost and our commitment to quality work, we believe the client's requests for
  financial compensation are unwarranted and unreasonable. We maintain that most
  of the project was completed in good workman like manner and that we are
  willing to make any requested repairs. Please refer to the emails uploaded by the client and
  contact us if further clarification is needed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  The reason I am unwilling to allow this company to come back to my property is pretty clear: they took shortcuts on every aspect of the job and have caused me time, money, and aggravation. The entire project was a disaster and I am essentially going to have to start over from scratch with a real, reputable company. Again, I would have to be nuts to ever allow a company who screwed up a project as bad as they did to step foot on my property again. Therefore, I believe my requests for a refund of my deposit as well as compensation to correct their mistakes is fully justified. I find it ridiculous that the company is trying to "dispute my claims". Its pretty clear that the baffles used are not the same width of my rafter bays. Its also pretty clear that insulation bypassed the baffles and dropped into my eaves. Again, I actually check peoples work and was not afraid to get up in the attic and check how the baffles were installed and lo and behold you could clearly see insulation bypassing the baffles. Regarding the mold treatment, I know what I was told the morning of the job; that the crew would only spot spray instead of spraying the whole deck like I paid. Now they can claim they sprayed the whole deck in hindsight but I know what I was told and the fact that they took shortcuts on every aspect of the job only adds to my confidence. I also find it funny that the company makes no mention of the absolute joke of a job they did "air sealing" my light fixtures. To re-use old insulation that I wanted removed, and repurpose it for air sealing (combined with a ton of spray foam), just screams of laziness. I was told boxes would be built around my wafer lights. I mean how much extra effort does it take to make a box? Just insane that a company can do this and then claim they are "committed to quality work" and "most of the project was completed in good workman like manner". They also make no mention of the fact that they took the liberty to enter a sealed off portion of my house to test a vent fan. Instead, they think I am upset because respirator filters were left behind. No, the reason I am upset is because I had my house clearly tarped off to reduce dust/chemicals/debris. If they needed to test something, they could've called me on my cell phone and I would've tested it myself. Again, a company who just takes liberties to do whatever they want (enter house, not air seal as was promised, not mold spray as was promised, not remove insulation as was promised, not install 100% cellulose as was promised), cannot then try and claim they are some standup company with high work ethic. Rather, thats highly unprofessional and that company should never be allowed on your property again. A few more details: There's no way they only used 3 bags of ********** insulation. As you can clearly see in the pictures, almost all the insulated areas are covered in what looks like sawdust. I did not want wood fiber insulation in my attic. I was told ****** cellulose would be installed and thats exactly what I wanted, 100% cellulose. And, as you can clearly see in the pictures, they didnt fully cleanout the sunroom area. So in summary, they took shortcuts on every aspect of the job. Therefore, I believe a refund of my deposit is clearly warranted. I also believe the check requests are warranted so that I can: 1) re-open my soffits up due to their baffling shortcuts and 2) remove all insulation so that project can be started over from scratch with a reputable company who does things the right way (air sealing, cellulose install, etc.). 
  Regards, 
  
  ******* *****