http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/jd-power-associates-release-2008/story.aspx?guid=%7B3E0D5596-646C-4BCF-97BB-F778096BD9D6%7D&dist=hppr

Ok folks, this is what we wait for all year-Sept. 10,2008. The announcement of the outstanding builders as scored by JD Power. I know we wait with baited breath.

you have got to be kidding.  Here is how they win.  They give the new homeowners who are busting with excitement about closing and moving in - and of course before they get off cloud 9 the survey.  Then the customer rep and the sales rep, if you have any issues attempt to strong arm you into giving 100% across the board.  I had a lot of issues with the mortgage department and refused to give them a good ranking.  Ahhh, but Susan I won't get my bonus, I won't win the trip. what a bunch of BS.  I have come to the realization that as soon as I filled out the form as I was watched intently by these two people, they threw the survey away.  If I was a betting woman, I would bet only really good surveys make it to JD Powers.  I would love to see if there were statistics on how many surveys get passed out as to how many make it to powers.

Now powers? they don't take complaints, they only take surveys. So their information is not only from last year, it is really skewed.  Since I have found out this information anything that has won a jd powers award is skeptical.

If you read, you will find some articles from jd powers stating not to rely on their findings totally.  What a crock.  This survey is so skewed, manipulated and gives the consumer a false sense of security when purchasing a product.

I sometimes wonder how my neighbors would  fill out their surveys today after having their basement floors ripped out, their leaking and cracking basements siliconed, and having their grass torn up to install drainage systems. Yeah, I would like to know.  Ah but then again on the other side (I am on a tangent now), these people want to pretend. They don't want people to know (and I have been told this by a couple) because they want to sell their house in the future.  You see the builder told them, as they told me and my friend Cindy, that as long as the builder fixes the issue (my mistake- slathers over it so it looks like it is fixed),  you don't have to disclose anything when you sell your house.   I don't know about your state, but in the state of Kansas, you can get sued and go to jail or both for not disclosing defects, and foundation issues are a bonified defect.

So, my friends don't believe everything you read, and take everything that powers awards with a grain of salt.

Off my box now.

JD has become a yearly tradition on this board. I would suggest the newbies do a search and read the posting on this survey. I remember when KB was hit was huge fines from the gov. and somehow made the top 3.
Just have to do it each year!!

They also claim the settlement:


I tried working with my builder and they told me to just try and sue them, because they wouldn't do anything to help otherwise. Having such a large project riddled with sporadic defects, even with that settlement, was still cost effective for the builder's bottom line. The ruling just tells the builder go on and half ass build houses when they feel like it, IMO.

But sure, that was better than most outcomes.  The plaintiff's attorney likely couldn't reply as a result of the gag order the builder had also forced into the settlement. That let the builder put only their spin on the matter, which was misleading. Had these people not joined forces with an attorney, even as individuals, and instead worked with the builder, nothing would have been resolved at all. Chances are they already had worked with the builder, and that's why they went to a lawyer.