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Katie
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posted 12 May 2009 16:09 CET
Top Notch Homes Vendor Ratings
Rating Scale: 1 (worst) – 10 (excellent)
The following is a consensus of customer feedback regarding some of the vendors used by Top Notch Homes.
C&K Appliances:
Okay service, nothing special. Prices aren’t too bad. Returns are subject to 30% restocking fee. Average experience.
Rating: 7
Jay Elston Plumbing: Nashua, MA
Awful service. Jay lied to customers about ordering parts when he actually had no intention of getting back to anyone. His work was second rate, i.e., mismatched plumbing components, sewer odors coming through the sinks, didn’t return calls, attempted repairs with silicon sealer, etc.
Rating: 2
Cabinets by Norfolk Factory Direct, Nashua, NH
Excellent customer service. Good workmanship. Very unusual for a Top Notch vendor. No complaints to date. The good news is you don’t have to buy a Top Notch Home to hire them!
Rating: 10
Flooring: Carol’s Carpets, Chelmsford, MA
Products weren’t bad. Initial estimates have a tendency to be a little high, but costs decrease somewhat if customers ask detailed questions regarding the installation costs and room measurements. The owner can be a bit argumentative at times.
Rating: 6
Design Lighting, North Andover, MA
Helpful salespeople. Good products available. Be careful! The allowances cover the cheapest products. When upgrading, costs add up fast!!!
Rating: 8
Gutters: Quality Insulation, Nashua NH
Insulation service isn’t bad. As far as gutters are concerned they did terrible work. They used regular clear silicon to seal all the seams and it didn’t last. Also, they don’t install enough downspouts. It is strongly recommended to use another vendor for gutters.
Rating: 2
Electrical:
BST Electric, Tewksbury, MA
Friendly, but …why is there always a but, sloppy and lazy. Customers have had damaged lights installed, fixtures not properly tightened, missing bulbs and switches, damaged electrical boxes, etc. Problems literally took months to solve!
Rating: 6
Door Knobs: Jackson Lumber, Lawrence, MA
Cheap garbage. Keep a budget aside to buy new doorknobs and have the locks changed. The builders don’t allocate money for good quality doorknobs. What do you want for $600k ?
Rating: N/A
Hardwood Flooring: Quality Floorcraft, Pelham NH
Flooring, …yes
Quality, …No?
Rating: 5
The Ultimate Bath: Bathroom and Kitchen Products, Lowell, MA
It ought to be called the Ultimate Price. Watch out for Marianne. She pushes the products that yield her the highest commission. Kohler products aren’t bad, but they are expensive. Allowances cover the least expensive product line.
Rating: 4 (if they use Jay Elston Plumbing)
Rating: 7 if they don’t.
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John Niermeyer
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posted 11 May 2009 10:10 CET
May 11, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
In Nov. 2007 I purchased a home from DH Horton. The HOA in 2003 we were told that the neighborhood would solely consist of Trendmaker and David Powers homes ranging from the low to high $200,000 range, and David Weekley and D.R. Horton homes ranging from the $150,000s to the $180,000 price range.
The developer did not continue developing the neighborhood and sold the remainder of the neighborhood (almost half of the remaining lots) to KB Homes. We purposely did not purchase a home in a neighborhood containing KB Homes as we are aware of the devaluing effect this homebuilder has.
KB Homes (as both the only developer and the HOA board – on which there is NO neighborhood representative) changed the deed restrictions to allow themselves to build houses that are substandard to our neighborhood.
KB Homes is replatting 49 lots that were 65’ into 69 lots that are 45-48’, to build their $70,000 homes on right in our very own backyards. These homes consist of two bedrooms, a one car garage, siding on three sides of the home.
KB Homes announced that the public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 14th 2:30 pm, City Council Chamber, City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby, Houston. The public hearing is only a formality due to state regulations. The residents were told as long as KB Homes is not violating our deed restrictions they can do what ever they like in regards to our neighborhood. Since KB Homes has control over our HOA, and we currently do not have a Stablewood Farms resident on the Board of Directors, KB Homes has changed the deed restrictions as of November 2008 to accommodate their $70,000 (1000 sq ft) homes. KB Homes are now in compliance with the newly written deed restrictions without any resident input. This is unethical behavior.
We are concerned about the fact that KB is the developer but even more concerned about this price point and what it is going to do to our neighborhood environment, the values of our homes and the overall look of the neighborhood.
We, the residents of Stablewood Farms, wish to take a stand and fight for our home investments, especially in today’s economic distress.
Please advise us of how we, the residents, can cease the intentions of KB Homes to build sub-standard homes in our neighborhood that will drastically decrease the value of all of our homes in this crutched economy. We do not wish to fall victim to KB Homes lies and deceit.
The residents of Stablewood Farm would greatly appreciate your help. Thanks
John Niermeyer
16107 Spur Canyon Ct.
Cypress Tx. 77429
713-202-6938 |
Gail Marxhausen
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posted 6 May 2009 19:34 CET
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Dan
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posted 21 April 2009 18:53 CET
TopNotch Homes & CMS Sullivan Builders = $$$
No recommendation for these clowns. Shortly after moving in Ive discovered the following:
1. Cigarette packs and coffee cups thrown behind the insulation in the basement and attic.
Other trash and debris left in the attic, yard, under the deck, and underneath the porch.
2. Leaking facets, improperly matched components installed from their Mickey Mouse of a plumber
3. Too many nails pounded into the base of some of the 2x4s. As a standard, only two are supposed to be used.
4. Drainage problems HUGE puddles of water accumulating in the driveway. Improperly installed gutters.
5. Amateur finish carpentry work, e.g. wood floors, trim work, doors, chair rails, etc.
6. Loose pieces of wood left on beams and walls in the attic, some of which eventually fall and cause damage.
7. Electrical switches held in place with sheet rock screws.
Dealing with Top Notch Homes/ CMS Sullivan really was a bad experience. I would NOT wish it on anyone. You cant image the amount of stress and aggravation caused by their incompetence.
Trying to reason with the foreman is like trying to reason with a spoiled 13-year-old brat. The builders, their broker from Coldwell banker and the foreman give the illusion of being friendly while the house was being built. When things went wrong their attitude turned quickly.
Feel free to send me emails with any questions.
dvsmith91@gmail.com |
Eddie K
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posted 19 March 2009 07:46 CET
***********McGUYER HOMEBUILDERS, INC. (MHI) IS A RIP OFF**********************
If you own a home built by MHI, I'm interested in hearing your story. Also, file a complaint with the state attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). |
Eddie K
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posted 19 March 2009 07:42 CET
************DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM McGUYER HOMEBUILDERS, INC. (MHI)***************
This unhonest, deceiving company builds Pioneer Homes, Plantation Homes, Coventry Homes, and Camel Builders in Autin, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas.
MHI does not stand up to their warranty as they advertise. Their sales people, Leonard Christian and Christine Lilley (at Plantation Homes in Houston), will lie and make misleading statements knowing that they will not deliver.
MHI's has employees, Rick Klinger and Mike Davis, who make excuses and try to get out of all warranty work by lying or saying they fixed something when they really didn't. |
Eddie K
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posted 19 March 2009 07:42 CET
************DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM McGUYER HOMEBUILDERS, INC. (MHI)***************
This unhonest, deceiving company builds Pioneer Homes, Plantation Homes, Coventry Homes, and Camel Builders in Autin, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas.
MHI does not stand up to their warranty as they advertise. Their sales people, Leonard Christian and Christine Lilley (at Plantation Homes in Houston), will lie and make misleading statements knowing that they will not deliver.
MHI's has employees, Rick Klinger and Mike Davis, who make excuses and try to get out of all warranty work by lying or saying they fixed something when they really didn't. |
Eddie K
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posted 19 March 2009 07:42 CET
************DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM McGUYER HOMEBUILDERS, INC. (MHI)***************
This unhonest, deceiving company builds Pioneer Homes, Plantation Homes, Coventry Homes, and Camel Builders in Autin, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas.
MHI does not stand up to their warranty as they advertise. Their sales people, Leonard Christian and Christine Lilley (at Plantation Homes in Houston), will lie and make misleading statements knowing that they will not deliver.
MHI's has employees, Rick Klinger and Mike Davis, who make excuses and try to get out of all warranty work by lying or saying they fixed something when they really didn't. |
Dave Romesburg
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posted 18 March 2009 18:54 CET
Major issues with our brand new built townhouse by Heartland Homes in Pittsburgh PA...
Major water infiltration into our entire cinder block foundation. Water infiltration into our foyer from under our front door. Water infiltration into our electrical conduit outside our home, which resulted in corrosion in our electrical panel we had to replace or risk a fire hazard. No warranty work completed. |
Meredith
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posted 16 March 2009 15:16 CET
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Dave Romesburg
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posted 16 March 2009 08:42 CET
more pictures and updates coming soon.. Brand new townhouse, built by "Pittsburghs #1 Custom Home Builder".. Check out our site and see what issues we've had since 3 months into our brand new house. 5 years later, issues still exist and the builder is committed to customer satisfaction? |
Eddie K.
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posted 11 March 2009 07:10 CET
***DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM McGUYER HOME BUILDERS, INC. (MHI) - PLANTATION HOMES AND ANYOTHER HOME THEY BUILD.
Unless you want to find holes in walls, unpainted drywall, and othe deceptive trade practices that violates the Texas Consumer Protection Act. |
Eddie K.
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posted 11 March 2009 07:05 CET
If you've purchased a home in Texas from McGuyer Homebuilders, Inc. (MHI) to include Plantation Homes, and are having problems with poor workmanship or structural issues that they are not willing to repair please file a complaint. Please file a complaint with the Fderal Trade Commission, the Texas Attorney General General, and the TRCC (which really won't do anything, but it's worth a shot). With these agencies, there is always power in numbers. Thanks and good luck. |
Eddie Kim
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posted 5 March 2009 11:40 CET
In December of 2008, I purchased a Plantation Home, which is apart of McGuyer Homebuilders, Inc. (MHI). I closed on the home with the promise from the Plantation Homes staff that any faults or poor workmanship would be corrected. As part of closing I signed a sales contract and an Affidavit of Acceptable Completion (AAC). The sales contract says they will follow the performance standards in builder's warranty (per state law) while the AAC says that even though there are any other faults found, they will not fix them. They contracdict themselves in order to deceive the homebuyer and relinquish them of their shoddy work. Per the signed contract, items on the AAC is to be fixed within the first 31 days after the execution of the contract. This did not and still has not happened. They didn't even fix things that inspectors told them to. They breach their own contract, but want to hold the homeowner to the AAC, so that they don't have to fix their mistakes. After closing, I noticed many issues with the workmanship of the home. Plantation Homes did not use a primer on the walls and sprayed (not rolled the walls) with only one coat of paint. This caused excessive uneven shade throughout the home and the greyness of the drywall is showing through the paint. Anywhere the drywall was patched can be easily seen throgh the paint. Anywhere a paint touch-up was done shows up as a different shade and you can even see their brush strokes. They also painted the trim with only one coat of paint as well. They did not paint behind any of the cabinets nor finish the drywall properly. The drywall has bump and dings everywhere. You can see the studs locations through the drywall in the living room and some bedrooms. The drywall at the top of the window wells are crooked and not installed properly, which the builder tried to hide with the blinds. The pipe pentrations through the drywall everywhere was not finished properly with drywall mud and tape. The builder left large gaping holes at these locations, which are so big you can see in between the walls. Instead of fixing them correctly, the builder wants to just spray foam to cover up their mistake. There were and still are scratches and paint overspray on every single window. The backyard has dying grass and floods. They installed a drain in the backyard which overflows so much that the pop-up drain completely popped off of the end of the pipe. They don't even give you gas logs for the gas fire place and say that it is an upgrade. When doing some simple warranty work, I found a large hole in the drywall behind the mirror in the master bathroom. The builder tried to hide this hole behind the mirror without fixing it. This hole's dimension was 3' x 1.5'. Behind one of the bathroom's upper cabinets, the drywall was not painted, the screws were not covered with mud, the drywall had cut marks, and the corner joint (where two pieces of drywall meet) was not finshed with tape and mud. The corner was only taped and mudded to the top and bottom of the cabinet, but was not finished behind the cabinet. The list of things that continue to find keeps growing and growing. I regret buying this house since they try harder not to fix things then they do fixing them. They refuse to fix the painting issues, which my living room walls have giant sqaures of varying shades of paint. This builder lies, cheats, and is dishonest. Who paints walls with only one coat of paint and without a primer? The management of this company says that this is normal procedure for this company. Do not buy a MHI home since they will rip you off and will not fix things that are even recommended by a professional home inspectors. MHI is the cheapest and most dishonest builder, who only cares about taking money from unsuspecting home buyers. Their homes are cheap, they use cheap material, and do not have strong internal controls as they claim on their advertisements. They lie so much that they do not "Build with Integrity" as they advertise everywhere. I have tons of pictures to show how shoddy their work is and the things they try to hide. If you would like to see them please contact me. |
Maighen Helmer
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posted 19 February 2009 22:23 CET
Vision/Woodhaven Homes were supposed to have completed our home by the end of December 2008. It is now Feb. 19, 2009, and not only is the house STILL not done, but they have ignored our e-mails, phone calls, and certified letters asking for status updates.All we want is our house; we're even willing to gloss over the mistakes if they can just get it to be habitable for the certificate of occupancy or let the bank file a foreclosure so we can buy it from them and finish the work ourselves. |
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