Signed contract on 5/20/2016 and paid $4000 deposit. Work did not begin until almost a month later after I demanded my down payment back. Demolition of both rooms , more extensive than originally quoted. Exterior walls of laundry room had to be replaced due to wood rot, so were removed during demo phase, as well as old water heater that needed replacing. It looked like things were moving quickly, so we designed cabinets, and I gave contractor checks totalling $11,171.40.
Then I didn't see anyone for days on end and no responses to my calls and texts. Suddenly a subcontract framer and subcontract electrician come and do rough-in. Inspection failed because plumbing (drain to sewer) needed to be brought up to code. One or another employee would come out 1 or 2 times a week to work on plumbing issue, but never a plumber. Chipped a huge hole in the kitchen and foundation, left it open, and there it sat. Many promises that "someone" would be there to do the work, but nothing was resolved. During the hole-making process, there was also some petty theft of my home by one of the contractor's employees, and they promised to replace it and gave me a new schedule for completion if I would not file a police report. I paid for the rough-in, even though it was not complete, so that the electrician and framer would be paid. I checked with them and they confirmed they received payment.
Then nothing continued to happen. I called the company the cabinets were being ordered from, and went over to meet with the salesperson whose name was on the quote. She informed me the cabinets had not been ordered or paid for, and that I was not the only customer in this situation. I tried to reach the contractor, finally they responded by text when I threatened to call the police, and said they would pay for the cabinets later that week. I arranged to meet them at the cabinet company's office, and they no-showed.
Upshot, I have a huge unnecessary hole in my kitchen floor, no plumbing in the kitchen or laundry, no hot water, laundry is open to the elements, and I have been robbed of $11,171.40. I will pursue legal means of obtaining the money, but I doubt I will see any of it, since they don't seem to have it. I will try to get the local TV investigator involved, make complaints to the Contractor licensing board, and will continue to post reviews on every website I can find. Needless to say I still have to buy new cabinets, they won't be as extensive as I had planned because I can't replace $11K+, all the work still needs to be done. It will be a lot more "DIY and friends".
I checked reviews on this company before hiring them and they were all good. The trouble seems to have started just about the time I signed my contract, and there are numerous bad reviews out there now. I don't know what else I could have done to prevent this, and I feel very foolish for having been taken advantage of this way.
