I did an interior reno for a family last winter, and they aren’t happy about a few things. Some concerns are valid warranty issues, like a window not operating properly, some faint cracks in the drywall, etc.
However, the clients are also complaining about minor blemishes in the pre-finished floors, and a transition between an additon and the main house has a slight hump – I leveled it over 6′ but they think it should be perfectly flat… and saying that the entire job needs to be re-painted. I think the paint is completely excellent, but they say it’s sub-standard!
They are threatening to have the contentious issues “fixed” by other contractors, and then back-charge me. I wonder how the courts would judge whether or not the work was valid?
If the clients had been reasonable throughout, I would probably just do anything to please them, but at this point, I have already done far more than the contract calls for, and have lost money.
How do you think a judge would determine that my work is “sub-par”?
Edited 8/9/2009 2:09 pm ET by Damien Stokholm
Replies
I feel for ya'.
I really try hard to make all my customers happy, and sometimes it becomes an expensive quest. I had a client similar to this a few years back, a friend of a very good friend. I did everything possible to please him, really bent over backwards, and he nearly put me out of business with neverending nitpicky stuff.
When I bid it, his story was "this is just a rental - give me some new inexpensive cabinets in the kitchen, throw a quick coat of paint on the rest of the house, and PLEASE keep the price down." The house was in a terrible state of neglect and disrepair. His son-in-law had added on and remodeled several times, all the work substandard, not up to code, done without permits, and very shoddy workmanship. Once the work began, it was punch lists and questions and special requests ad nauseum (my email box shows I have 153 emails from him - they were daily, sometime 2 or 3 a day!).
Of course, since his son-in-law was a failed contractor who knew all about construction, he would helpfully drop by to compose 2 and 3 page punchlists. So when I just couldn't do any more, I told him That's it, I'm done, do what you have to, but don't call me anymore. About the time I was considering hiring an attorney to see if I could stop his emails, he sold the place and that was it. He called to tell me and I said Great - and please never call me again!
Your story is one that every remodelor will eventually tell.
Homeowners have unrealistic standards and they tend to ignore the standards that actually govern our industry. Industry standards don't mean anything to some types of people. It's amazing how much value these types of people will put on any tiny flaw AFTER the work is priced and is done . Before the price is set, everything is dismissed and cheap. After it's done, the tiniest flaw is worth thousands LOL.
This is one reason that I'm focusing on the roofs. I haven't seen a perfect roof and I find it much easier to collect..mainly because THEY WON'T GO UP THERE!
One of the most maddening "discussions" I had over the years was with those third party experts that are often quoted. I'd ask "what experience and credentials does your cousin have". The replies were quite comical...but they were the experts and my experience counted for zilch.
Remodeling is a double edged sword...danged if you do and danged if you don't.
My new job is a project manager for a restoration and remodeling companyOur biggest problems with customers seems to be expectationsThe customer started out with a simple tire swing
The storm wrecked the tire
The insurance will pay to replace the tire
We replace the tire
The customer thought they would get a new Michlin with white wall, new rope and a new tree limb
Plus some money left in their pocketsSometimes it makes ya crazy
Yes, expectations is the crucial element.
The problem with expectations is that if you lower them too much in the selling process, you don't get the job because you are a "hack". If you push them too high, you can never live up to your words.
The entire process is flawed. In the perfect world, the remodelor would do the job, then the homeowner would view the work and then pay for the quality, or non-quality, of the installation. That's how we purchase most of our goods. We look at a car, then settle the price. We look at a loaf of bread, then agree to the price.
There is no easy answer but I know this: I don't like standing in front of a homeowner and trying to reach a conclusing on an impossible solution. Even if we rip the entire house down and rebuild it, there will be flaws. In theory, we would work on one house, and only one house, for our entire life.
Very very true are you
would you stop making so much sense - you're depressing me!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Damien,
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!! I just quit a client, first one in 30+ years in business. I just couldn't do anything fast enough to meet the deadline. They would keep making changes and STILL want everything finished by "the deadline" to move in. They just couldn't comprehend that changes = more TIME + more $. Usually my wife and most friends say that I'm "too nice to a fault" , meaning that to make the client happy I'll do just about anything, including all those "little things that won't take any time (or extra materials) - according to the client- to give the client the level of satisfaction they want. This time I just had to tell them that if they want to make the "deadline" THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANGES,,,,PERIOD!! The response---- "They couldn't promise "no more changes". My response " Then I can't meet the deadline"------NOT ACCEPTABLE--- they said....... I said GOOD-BYE.
I'm gonna start building birdhouses to sell along the side of the road.
Bill D.
Edited 8/9/2009 1:58 pm ET by billy5151
Edited 8/9/2009 1:59 pm ET by billy5151
Time is one of the biggest gripes I have with changes. With a lot of clients the attitude is that they're paying for the changes so there shouldn't be a problem.
I always add extra time to the schedule when a change is made.
Oh, man, you said a mouthful there! In fact, I need to start charging more for extras, for that very reason. They are a huge wrench in the gears of the process. One customer changed a door, and it was a 7 week delay waiting for it!! (Pella)View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
A few years ago our Province made home warranties mandatory. One of the benefits of this was that the companies involved publish manuals of standards for homeowners laying down the law on what they can expect as a finished product, and also what the contractor is expected to do in the case of minor deficiencies.
It covers things like drywall pops and touch ups where clients might push for the whole wall to be re-painted, how far out of plumb you can get away with, minor scratches on kitchen cabinets etc. Even on projects where the warranty doesn't apply, I have made reference to it in contracts. Then when situations like your arise, you have objective standards to fall back on.
Although I'm not from Ontario I have used the ONHWP standards in the past. They used to have a good website with the document available as a pdf, I think.
j
I had a client about 2 years ago who was a complete pita. every night she would call me and walk around her house and 2nd guess everything I did that day in a "devils advocate" tone. then there were a few mornings when she got up in my face the second I walked through the door and I would have to spend a half hour explaining how things are done
all of it was for no good reason. the work was all top notch. I got the feeling she was just raised as a spoiled brat and that was not going to change. she was going to bitch at anyone who crossed her path
the work was being done in stages, that way I could cash out at any interval. at one point I left and committed to other work. she hounded me to come back and finally I e-mailed her and said I was not coming back
the woman immediately called me on the phone sobbing in tears and promised to never complain about anything ever again
I never went back