# Ripped off by concrete company.



## indriti (Aug 31, 2010)

Hello everyone, i found this site when i was searching for questions about the driveway concrete because i got ripped off by a concrete company.

I decided to do the driveway this summer and after getting many estimates i decided to hire a well reputed company to do it. Even thought it asked for $5000 which was more than the competition i wanted a good company which at least was a small business with offices. Also they offered me 18 month warranty on the workmanship.

Anyway long story short, they finished the driveway about a week ago. Finished it in one day and the next day came to cut it and make the lines. I made sure i watered it twice a day but after around 4-5 days small deep dark wholes started coming all over the driveway concrete. It seemed like they released something dark as the area around these holes became darker. 
I called the office of the company (which are actually located somewhere) about what happened and they told me they would send someone to come and check it. nobody came for a week, than yesterday i call again and they told me today someone would come today. no one came.

I am very frustrated and angry, i spent 5000 dollars the the same reason that i wanted peace of mind and now this happens. Me and my wife have low paying job and it took us 1 year to save the money for the driveway. I have no idea what these holes are or why they came on top, i checked a neighbors driveway which was recently done and he had nothing.  I made sure i saved the signed receipt of the payment and the warranty they gave me as well as i took pictured of the driveway. 

I will attach some pictures if anyone with more experience can tell me what the hell this dark wholes are. These whole are all over the new concrete.


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## kok328 (Aug 31, 2010)

I can't say for sure but, it looks like something metallic in the mix rusted and stained the driveway.


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## itsreallyconc (Aug 31, 2010)

i'd bet something in the mix - call the co who delivered the mud,,, very likely their stone was ' dirty '


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## mudmixer (Aug 31, 2010)

Who bought the concrete? If you did is it tough/costly to prove the responsibility. If you had a contract with the contractor that including him to supply it and be responsible for the project and end performance and there is no question.

Even if you did not buy the materials, call the concrete supplier and explain the problem and that contractor will not return any calls. The supplier wants to know if there is a possible problem with what was supplied because they want to track down the causes (aggregate source, contamination during trucking, handling, etc.).

We have some concrete suppliers here that have "black-listed" some contractors and will not sell to them.

In your climate, I hope the contractor used 4000 psi air-entrained concrete for durability since the use of salt in your area is a killer, but it does promote more new car purchases.


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## indriti (Aug 31, 2010)

mudmixer said:


> Who bought the concrete? If you did is it tough/costly to prove the responsibility. If you had a contract with the contractor that including him to supply it and be responsible for the project and end performance and there is no question.
> 
> Even if you did not buy the materials, do the concrete supplier and explain the problem and that contractor will not return any calls. The supplier wants to know if there is a possible problem with what was supplied because they want to track down the causes (aggregate source, contamination during trucking, handling, etc.).
> 
> ...




I did not buy the concrete or know who the supplier is, the contractor was responsible for supplying the concrete. This is a big company with all the tools/machines needed that i contacted, they blocked the whole side of the street when they came.

Is this a cement defect or workmanship becase the warraty the gave me said they cover only workmenship. Could it be the way they prepared it bought the defect on the first place. Either way i have the signt contract, i took the pictures and i will begin recording the phone calls. I will also call another contractor to come check it out and tell me what they think the problem might have been and if they willing to testify for me. I think i might have a case and i will take them to court if i keep getting ignored.


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## 1victorianfarmhouse (Aug 31, 2010)

Document your communications, ie when you called and left a message, when they returned the call, etc.   Make copies of any receipts or letters you send out.  If within a few weeks you don't see any progress, then it's time to call the local Better Business Bureau and see what they say.

You can also register and post your unsatisfactory experience on websites like Angieslist and Yelp.

I originally came to this site for help after a less than reputable furnace shop tried to sell me a new furnace rather than replace the motor in my existing one.  After I resolved the problem and had heat again, I wrote up my unhappy experience on Yelp, and within a week received a call from the company.  I explained that yes, that was how I felt and that they could have easily made a happy customer out of me and made a good profit on the furnace motor, but never made an effort to do that; rather they tried to sell a whole new furnace, etc.

A couple weeks later I received a check in the mail for the entire amount they charged me for the visit and minor work.  

Some of these contractor types will do most of the work, and once they have the money, a little thing to them like rust spots on the driveway they'll try to ignore.

Don't give up, keep fighting!

vince


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## mudmixer (Sep 1, 2010)

I think the real question is the problem and correction of it. A refund just leaves the poster the opportunity to  take a chance to tear it out and follow the old pattern with a check in hand or make different selections. - Do you want to win a skirmish or lose the war?

I think you are looking for answers before jumping. You may get a check for a discount once the cause is determined, but removal/replacement is not likely unless it is not just cosmetic, but related to durability or loss of function.


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## indriti (Sep 1, 2010)

Hello,

Thank you for the support everybody but still after 3 phone calls and false promises of showing up no one have came yet and it has been 2 weeks now. And to the poster above me, if you were in my situation you would feel the same way i feel.

Do you understand i picked the highest bid and a reputable company because i figured the quality of work would be much higher and i got robbed. They took my hard earned saving for a crappy job and the worst they treat me like crap now that the jobs is finished, lying to me every time i call them.

The way the driveway look with those godawful black dots i don't want them to fix it i want the to tear it down and make it new. I am not asking for much since i payed 5000 dollars and my money deserves a professional job and not a half assed job.

I also want to add that those small holed with the Michigan winter and tons of salt will became huge and probably crack the cement.

What is my next step now as these clowns don't seem to care no more.


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## 1victorianfarmhouse (Sep 2, 2010)

Hi Indriti,

"reputable" and highest bid don't always mean what they sound like, as you're finding out the hard way.  Disreputable contractors like this won't respond quickly, as they are counting on you to give up easily.  

As I pointed out, you will need to pursue this farther on your own, perhaps start by contacting the local Better Business Bureau for their advice.  Do the local Detroit newspapers have a consumer advice column you can contact?  What about the Chamber of Commerce in the town the business is registered in, try contacting them with a complaint about one of their members.

As Mudman pointed out, a refund may not be ideal, but personally, I would insist on a refund and that they remove the entire driveway they poured, so you can have someone else you find whose previous work you've seen can redo the job correctly.  To accept less will devalue your home if you plan on selling someday.

vince


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## Rusty (Sep 2, 2010)

The rebar is too close to the surface and is rusting. Those are rust stains. They probably won't affect the integrity of the concrete but look terrible.


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## indriti (Sep 3, 2010)

samfloor said:


> The rebar is too close to the surface and is rusting. Those are rust stains. They probably won't affect the integrity of the concrete but look terrible.



Only one problem we used no rebar on our concrete, we used small stones under it.  The owner of the company finally came and told us he has never seen anything like this....he said he will ask some more people and get back at us...now more waiting


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 3, 2010)

indriti said:


> Only one problem we used no rebar on our concrete, we used small stones under it.  The owner of the company finally came and told us he has never seen anything like this....he said he will ask some more people and get back at us...now more waiting


 

OK, I'm confused, you say that _we_ used no re-bar, but you have a contract with an installer to pour concrete, who did what?

The installer has a workmanship warranty. Workmanship warranties don't cover materials. What is the material warranty from the supplier. Here is the issue. Find out who the supplier is and get a representative of their company to inspect the finished product. Ask the installer where the concrete came from. They should be able to determine if it is a material or workmanship failure. 

Is using small stones under the concrete appropriate for the installation and not re-bar?


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## indriti (Sep 4, 2010)

oldog/newtrick said:


> OK, I'm confused, you say that _we_ used no re-bar, but you have a contract with an installer to pour concrete, who did what?
> 
> The installer has a workmanship warranty. Workmanship warranties don't cover materials. What is the material warranty from the supplier. Here is the issue. Find out who the supplier is and get a representative of their company to inspect the finished product. Ask the installer where the concrete came from. They should be able to determine if it is a material or workmanship failure.
> 
> Is using small stones under the concrete appropriate for the installation and not re-bar?


 
When i mean we, i meant the contractor i did not do anything, and i did not provide the supplies. The contractor provided the supplies. Sorry for the confusion.


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## itsreallyconc (Sep 16, 2010)

we don't use steel OR wire mesh in 4" driveways nor does ANY specifying agency suggest/require it to my knowledge,,, most people realize it doesn't add anything to conc in a driveway,,,that being said, we DO use #5 bar at the street side where the ' load ' comes onto the d/w,,, there steel adds ' flexural ' strength but never compressive strength.

still thinking something was in the transit barrel ( iron dirt ) - how it got in there is anyone's guess --- even mine  :beer:


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