Distinctive Clean Up & Repair

I called the company after researching on the BBB website. I spoke with Steve and he gave the impression that he was busy. I explained that I was looking for someone to remove 4 partial tiles from my downstairs and replace them with 6 new tiles: replace the partials and add tile to a currently carpeted area. I also explained that I only had 8 tiles to do the job. Steve said that he could do the job and that he needed pictures to give me an estimate. I took pictures of the tile/carpet and sent them to him via text. It took him a day to respond, and he called me with a quote of $275. I told him that I would think it over and call him later. Two weeks later I decided to call Steve and have him do the job. He did not remember me and wanted me to text pictures again. I did so and he again called me to ask me what was the price he originally gave me; I reminded him $275. A date was picked and his tile installer came 11/8/16 and looked at the area and asked my wife if we had the grout and mortar. When she said we did not, because we were unaware we needed to provide any and we assumed he (the installer) would have the needed materials, he said he would go to Home Depot to purchase the materials and took a photo to match the grout. About 30 minutes later, I received a call from the installer who gave his phone to the Home Depot worker asking for my credit card number to purchase the material the installer would need: grout and mortar. The transaction was made and the installer returned, removed the 4 partial tiles and another tile that he accidentally cracked in the process. The installer placed the 7 tiles on the mortar on the prepared area and placed carpet over the tiles to cover them for the night. The installer gave the instruction to stay off of the new tile. The next night, 11/9/16, the same installer grouted the new tile and instructed us to clean the area due to the lye in the grout. I began inspecting the tiles after he left and discovered one of the poorest jobs of tiling that I have ever seen. 3 existing tiles that surrounded the replaced tiles are scratched and chipped where the installer hit them with a pry bar or other tool. Another existing tile is popped up on one side and has a hollow sound under it, indicating that it has pulled away from the mortar. Out of the new tile that was installed, 2 are raised higher than the original floor, 2 are lower than the original floor, and the new grout is flaking because of the drastic unevenness of the tiles. Steve called me within 15 minutes to ask how the tiles looked. I began to try and explain the poor workmanship of the job. Steve apologized and said that he would take $100 off the original price. Steve would not accept the fact that his worker had done a poor job and tried to blame it on the complexity of the tasks. Steve refused to come to my house to actually see the job; I wanted him to see the disaster that his installer created, but he would not. Steve offered to have the same installer come back and try to repair the damage. I asked him what could he do with only 1 tile and a multitude of problematic tiles. I explained that I had no success in trying to find similar tiles in the month before the install, so replacing all 7 tiles was impossible. He agreed and said there was nothing more he could do. Steve also had the audacity to say, “I am not God. I can’t just wave my hand and make it better”. Within the next few days, my wife asked me if I had seen the side of our house where the installer had washed out his bucket in the landscaping rocks. I noticed a gray area of approximately 2 feet wide by 10 feet long coated with a hard powder substance. I attempted to wash the powder off with a hose but was totally unable to. It appears the powder substance is like a concrete powder that has hardened. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the very credit card number I gave over the phone to the Home Depot worker through the installer was compromised within 2 days of the completion of the tile installation. So in a nutshell, I spent $175 for Steve’s installer to chip and scratch 3 tiles, lift up another tile, place 2 tiles lower than the current flooring and 2 tiles higher than the current flooring- with flaking grout in between- in a high-traffic area of my home that now obviously visually and physically contrasts with the level, original flooring that the job was supposed to match. That’s to say nothing of the concrete powder in my rocks and my credit card being fraudulently used.

Steve and crew did excellent work cleaning the tile and tub, toilet, sink, and floor in the bathroom. I would hire the company again.