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Mary E. Barfield
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posted 19 June 2007 15:53 CET
Huneke Homes is not true to their word. |
Wendy Flottman
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posted 18 June 2007 12:29 CET
This was my letter to the Tarrant County BBB responding to a certified mail letter from Cheldan letting us know that we would be floating away on an ARK before they'd assist us. 
This is to inform you that we are in receipt of your letter dated April 30, 2007 regarding items you refuse to cover under warranty. Please be informed that we have now filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at Fort Worth serving Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Wise, Parker, Erath, Somervell and Palo Pinto Counties (Case No. BF80-D0D%). We have no intention of dropping this as we were told before ever closing on the house by your contractor (Randy) that we weren’t to worry about the obvious problem with the grade of the yard and that if there were a problem, Cheldan would remedy it, even after closing. We were told that Cheldan would not leave us hanging with a soggy yard and bad grass, which we paid additional money for.
The recommendations in your letter were simply absurd. Our neighbor in the occupied home is no longer watering and the problem still exists. Perhaps if Cheldan would not profusely water the unoccupied home on the other side of us, that would remedy the standing water on that side. We have no way of knowing as it seems to be watered rain or shine. As a result, we have dead grass in need of replacement.
We also have video of rising water in our backyard, coming up onto the porch by almost two inches. We also expressed our concern before closing that the slope of our back porch seemed to be extreme and were ONCE AGAIN assured by Randy that the slope was fine and that Cheldan wouldn’t leave us hanging. Thankfully, we have video to prove that it is a problem and we have apparently been left hanging.
Now, we are being told that Cheldan has no intention of honoring these words, as we should have known at the time and not closed on the house. Needless to say, we look at this purchase as one of the worst decisions either of us has ever made and continues to be one aggravation after another. We will try to help others not make the same bad decision in any way we can.
As a result of this, we will be polling all of our neighbors in the subdivision to inquire as to whether or not they are happy with the poor quality and craftsmanship of their home. If we find they are just as dissatisfied as we are, perhaps Cheldan will listen. I’m certain the company would rather not have a lot of bad publicity since the subdivision is far from being completed.
May I suggest that in the future, you caution those working for you from making claims that Cheldan has no intention of honoring.
If you wish to communicate with us further, you may reach us through the contact information above.
Our second response is below:
This is in response to your letter to the Better Business Bureau at Fort Worth of May 18, 2007.
Your position to take no action to remedy our drainage problem is unacceptable. I am only aware of one time that your landscaper viewed our property and, at that time, he told my husband that there was a problem and he would get with the “powers that be” to have the French drains installed. If this person claims to have viewed our property without our knowledge, then I must doubt the validity of his claim.
Since our last correspondence, my husband and I have sent a letter to all the residents in our subdivision asking for similar experiences and I’m sure you’ll not be surprised by the responses we’ve received.
We were told by one resident that Kathy Stroud, the Cheldan salesperson, told his wife that the last four homes in the subdivision weren’t graded properly as the person that normally does this is no longer with the company. She pointed out our lot as being one of the last four. This same person had just received French drains in his yard to remedy his drainage problem.
We’ve also spoken to four other individuals with the same or different problems. Each claiming to have complained to the warranty department at Cheldan with no result. The ones complaining of poor drainage keep getting the same song and dance as us – we’ve received a large amount of rain this year; let’s wait and see what happens once your grass grows in – etc.
I cannot understand why Cheldan would want to compromise the integrity of our foundation as we wait “for the ground to dry and start taking in water again”. The Midlothian area is not prone to monsoons but we do occasionally get normal amounts of Spring-time rain. It is not unreasonable for us to expect our new home to drain properly. Does Cheldan expect us to live with this mess every Spring? Wouldn’t it be cheaper for Cheldan, in the long run, to install the drains rather than repair foundation problems?
We are hoping to resolve this soon without being forced to take legal action. If it goes that far, the issue of our roof having to be replaced, the fact that the home was completely open to pollutants after the carpet was installed, the backyard easement issue, the story of the “second phase” going in to raise property values, the dilapidated mobile home park being sold and moved, as well as others, will surely be brought up.
I believe we’ve been more than reasonable with our requests, especially considering the general poor workmanship of the home and the below standard customer service we’ve received.
Needless to say, we are utterly dissatisfied and I'm at my WITS' END. Please let me know if anyone out there has any suggestions. We're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and I've contacted one of the local news agencies today to see if they can't assist. |
Wendy Flottman
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posted 18 June 2007 12:24 CET
Complaint against Cheldan Homes |
Mark
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posted 18 June 2007 09:53 CET
AUSTIN, TX
I purchased a newly constructed condo from Missing Link, Ltd. on August 10th,
2006. Prior to closing, I paid $4740 to upgrade the master bathroom tub to a
shower. The shower was to include a 48 inch by 90 inch frameless glass door.
The door was to consist of 2 pieces of glass--one stationary and another
swinging door. Several pictures are at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marksoenen/ProHomeShowerDoor
3/8 inch glass is normal for a frameless glass shower. I have contacted
numerous glass contractors and internet resources to verify this. 1/4 inch
glass was used on the door in my condo. This design flaw has caused several
issues.
Safety is the foremost concern. Both sides of the door wobble when bumped or
moved with the slightest pressure. In addition, the hinges came loose the first
week I moved in. The result was the door and stationary pieces overlapping and
banging together. A movie showing the issue is at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marksoenen/ProHomeShowerDoor/photo#5056420466198561026
Steve Forehand, the super from Pitt Building Company (PBC - http://www.pittbuilding.com/), attempted to fix it
e the week after I closed. He tightened the door but it came loose a few days
later. He told me to contact ProHome (warranty company).
Over the past 10 months, ProHome has sent Russell Glass (original installer - http://www.russellglass.com)
out 4 times to attempt to "fix" the door. All they do is tighten the hinges
and it comes loose just weeks later. Now they want to come out a 5th time to
fix the hinges again. In my opinion, this is just another attempt to bandaid
the problem.
I contend the door was poorly designed from the beginning. 3/8 inch glass
should have been used. Several other glass contractors have said 1/4 inch is
unheard of. Furthermore, C.R. Laurence (manufacturer of the hinges) said 3/8
is what should be used. One guy even said the hinges would be more appropriate for a stereo cabinet door.
I have simply asked to be reimbursed $1500 for the defective door. This covers
the cost of replacing the door with a 3/8 inch glass door. Ultimately, I
believe it is Missing Link's responsiblity. They hired PBC who hired Russell
Glass. However, that doesn't excuse those parties for using materials they
have admitted are less then sufficient and certainly not the norm. NONE of the parties are taking responsibility nor being held accountable. |
Sherry Ramm
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posted 14 June 2007 15:39 CET
January, 2006 - Purchase of home to be built included sprinkler system, sod, and shrubs (additional cost of $2,990). In June of 2006 when construction was completed, we were advised sod must be laid to obtain cert. of occupancy. After it was laid, we were told of severe water restriction in area (we are out of state). Due to restriction, adequate watering could not be done to establish new plantings; hence landscaping died. Further, we discovered that the sod was laid in a very shoddy manner, with gaps between pieces, allowing weeds to overrun the lot.
Builder agreed to replace sod during rainy season. (We have this in writing.) After approx. 6 months, only a small amount of sod was replaced, and some of that was laid on top of old dead sod. We have received complaints from neighbors, our property management company, and notices from homeowners association threatening fines; Other landscape professionals have advised the job was not done in a satisfactory manner and that we were taken advantage of since we were not able to be on site. We had to constantly make phone calls and send emails, attempting to get the work done.
While waiting for the new sod to be laid, we had a landscape architect design a heat- and drought-resistant tree and shrub plan, and install same. In doing so, we spent an additional $2500 to replace the other dead plants.
Holiday Builders claims the installation was just fine and in keeping with professional standards. Other landscaping professionals have begged to differ.
We sought restitution through the Better Business Bureau for Holiday Builders' failure to provide a quality product installed in a professional manner. Holiday Builders, not surprisingly, LIED in their response, saying we wanted it replaced twice and that no watering was done.
Though we have their promises in writing, they continue to DENY, DENY, DENY! They are not to be trusted! |
Bruce Holte
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posted 11 June 2007 09:20 CET
ADI Custom Villas/Homes LLC build my house in Bedford, TX. Builder offered in the purchase contract a 12 month builders warrantee, but has refused to fix many outstanding problems related to defects in material or workman ship. Builder will not answer any registered letters or phone calls. I have incurred many expenses having to fix some of the problems, like garage doors that would not operate and large gaps in abbutting brick walls. |
Craig Winsor
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posted 7 June 2007 22:16 CET
Visit our latest update.
Wareham Development
Click on the update icon to see additional news on our situation. |
steve fuller
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posted 4 June 2007 16:56 CET
Robson Communities
I am forwarding this email in regards to a builder, Robson Communities, in the State of Arizona who has been victimizing seniors by conducting unfair and dishonest business practices, and will continue to do so unless addressed.
Robson has entered into contracts with many potential homeowners and misrepresented information, provided sub-standard products and used threats and leverage to manipulate many of its clients.
We were made aware of this issue after purchasing two homes in the PebbleCreek Community, in Goodyear Arizona, one for our parents, and one for ourselves. During the construction process (which took 17 months and twice as long as we were told by Robson at the time of purchase) we found some work that was grossly sub-standard. We brought it to the attention of the builder, advising that we would not accept the home in its current condition.
This event led to our meeting many victimized homeowners that were financially devastated, upset and frustrated by the builder for many reasons. What we found was:
1. There were many homeowners that were purposely given incorrect information by the builder's sales representatives regarding building start dates, completion dates and closings. We are not referring to inaccuracies of only several months, but often six to twelve month discrepancies. Many homeowners have sustained hardship and financial loses as they were not able to coordinate the sale of their existing homes and move-in dates with the closing of their Robson homes.
Many were forced to sustain the inconvenience and financial burden of moving twice and paying for a rented or leased property. Some, due to changes in the recent real estate market were unable to sell their homes and were forced to forfeit large deposits of tens-of-thousands of dollars, Amounts not easily recouped by senior citizens, especially those on a fixed income, or those with limited earning potential.
And all this avoidable had the Robson Representatives only been honest and not misrepresented crucial information to its buyers.
My wife was a licensed Real Estate Agent in the State of Arizona for the past several years, exclusively for New Home Builders such as Toll Bros. and Centex Homes. She said that it is unthinkable that a sales associate (except for the rare occasion) would not be aware of the average build time of its builder’s homes.
2. Many of the homeowners experienced a situation similar to ours, where prior to closing the homeowner identified sub-standard construction or workmanship. Or perhaps product that was not equal to the standards represented in design center where their upgrades were chosen.
The homeowners we spoke to said that they advised Robson that they would not accept their homes in its sub-standard condition. They were told by Robson that the necessary repairs would be completed after they took possession of the home. Many resisted, requesting that their homes be completed correctly before closing escrow.
Robson’s response is to then threaten and manipulate the homeowner (victim) into accepting a home in sub-standard condition by stating: The home will be repaired after you move in. The needed repairs do not render your home uninhabitable, and if you do not sign and close escrow, we will cancel your contract and you will lose your entire deposit, often within five days.
The homeowner, who now fears the loss of their home and money, is pressured into closing escrow and fighting the builder to remedy the necessary repairs. We have spoken to some who resisted closing and insisted on the repairs being completed…some successfully. However many who do not know their rights feel they had no choice.
3. Many of the homeowners that were forced into prematurely accepting their homes and reluctantly closed escrow have now found themselves in a frustrating battle with Robson to have their repairs remedied, some for as long as two years or longer.
As a matter of fact, it was several of those frustrated, unsatisfied homeowners who advised us after viewing our home; do not close or you will never receive the necessary repairs.
These are just some of the consistently reoccurring problems that have been identified at Robson Communities. We are attempting to expose the problems at Robson, not because we are hostile regarding our own loss of $62,300, but because it is a consistent problem that will continue unless it is investigated further. Robson will continue to victimize unsuspecting, unknowing seniors who do not have the resources, knowledge, assistance or funds to fight back.
Our current situation is only one example of many that Robson is conducting business in an unfair and dishonest manner. We contacted two Arizona Real Estate Attorneys, providing all documentation, correspondence and exhibits. Both agreed that Robson is in Breech of Contract and that we have a legitimate case to pursue, unfortunately we are in the same predicament as many other victims to this type of situation; the builder has deep pockets and ours are empty.
We have identified many victims of Robson’s unfair business practices. In a short period we have spoken to several homeowners that asked that they be contacted by us regarding a possible class action law suit. Those that we have spoken to thus far are in a similar situation in regard to finances, and since this is (so far) a civil matter, we would be forced to bare the entire financial burden.
We have also spoken to many homeowners that advised that these types of incidents have occurred at other Robson Communities; including those in Tucson and Texas. Out of concern and desperation we have placed a website; www.robsonunfair.com to inform potential buyers of what to be aware of. And to create a place were other victims may contact each other, discuss issues and locate the necessary resources to avoid or resolve their damages (links page). Please read the emails from PebbleCreek Homeowners on our stories page. There is also a link to an additional website regarding Robson at: www.masengarb.com />
Any attention, recommendations or assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated. We understand that this is a sensitive matter and considered a civil problem. However we believe, and have evidence, that it is much more than that.
We both provided civil service for a combined total of forty years as law enforcement officers in Southern California. We both have the ability to recognize abuse when we see it. We only hope that others may also recognize it, and rather than turn their backs and ignore it, assist in correcting it before too many others are victimized.
Even if nothing more than the overdue attention to these problems by other authorities, agencies, organizations and individuals, it may be enough to persuade Robson Communities to improve, or even change the unfair to downright deceptive ways they treat their seniors.
For the details of how Robson illegally cancelled our contract and wronfully kept our life saving of over $62,000 please visit our website at: wwwrobsonunfair.com
Sincerely,
Steve & Kathy Fuller
www.robsonunfair.com
Sm.fuller@verizon.net |
Hillary Dolaher
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posted 1 June 2007 12:17 CET
I am wanting to REMOVE MY COMPLAINT I posted on May 30 at 15:12 CET on this website. Mattamy homes in Jacksonville, Flordia has agreed to refund all of the money we have paid to them. The complete $ 9500.00 with 10 days. The contact there, Tammy McKennon handled herself in a professional mannor and we are both walking away from the deal amicably. With the way they are handling this now, we are happy. Please remove the complaint. Thank you. Hillary Dolaher |
MAY SHUPE
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posted 1 June 2007 10:34 CET
My husband and I signed a contract to build our first home, at which we choose a house that was built through Gehan Homes. We have had alot of problems. Total lack of communication from them, poor workmanship, severe lack of follow up/through. Their Area Super has told us "If they dont like it to cancel their contract" and the Sales Assoc at the Model told us "Well your not building a custom home". When we have contacted the Corp office they now are not returning our calls and as of today we where told not to contact their Corp office anymore. They are going to proceed, and go back to fix problems later, even though they are insulating and sheet rocking over the problems. We have talked to many of the neighbors, some who have already moved into their homes built by Gehan and others who are in the process of building with Gehan. None of the storys are good, it seems to be the same issues. We were told by the neighbors to not close on our house until they fix everything, because they moved in 6 months ago and still waiting to have things fixed at which Gehan told them would be done withing 14 days after closing. After doing some research and looking at the JD Powers survey, I can see why Gehan is at the lower end of the list.
Gehan Homes is defintly a builder that needs to be on the "watch out" list. |
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