Extremely Poor Communication, Workmanship, and Customer Service
Easily the worst experience with a contractor that I have ever had- and I didn't even choose them. They were called by my HOA to explore a plumbing leak in my ceiling. From start to finish, it was a disaster on every level. Communication was nearly impossible, so we used translation apps as best we could. The first contractors to arrive clearly had no clue what to do beyond sawing open the ceiling, so the issue was "diagnosed" by a guy (apparently, their supervisor) the contractors called on FaceTime so that they could show him the damaged area. It was decided that the repair work would be done a couple of days later, so the massive hole (much too large) they cut in my ceiling had to be covered by a large contractor bag. I had to stop the contractors from drilling multiple holes into the corners of the ceiling to attach the bag instead of simply using tape, which would have made the drywall repair much more difficult and expensive. The best part was when the plumbers arrived a couple of days later to fix the leak and attached an elbow-bend pipe SIX INCHES BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE CEILING and considered the job done. Thank goodness I happened to look up as they were packing their tools to leave to bring it to their attention. The icing on the cake was discovering after they finished that they had left all of their trash, drywall pieces, and piles of dust on top of the kitchen cabinets directly below the work area. I'm sure they thought it would go unnoticed. I'm still digging particles of drywall from the corners of my kitchen cabinet shelves. My worst mistake was attempting to work with this company to have the job covered through insurance. I needed to discuss the bill. They added a charge for "water extraction" when there was none. Also, the first group of contractors (including the FaceTime "supervisor") agreed that the leak originated from the tub drain, which they replaced, but they would not back that up when the time came to submit the insurance claim. At least two dozen calls to the office went unanswered for weeks. Emails, voicemails, and messages left with the administrative assistant were completely ignored. It took a full two months to receive an even somewhat accurate bill from this "company." Long story short, we have so many options in the DMV for contractors. Please save yourself the weeks and months of frustration and find literally anyone else to handle your job.
By Violet N.