ComplaintsforGridley Enterprises, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted **** ******* on March 27, 2023 regarding replacing my tile backsplash. **** gave me a quote of $1,394.50 and he required half down before starting the job, so I paid him $697.25. Upon payment, **** ******* committed to removing the old tile backsplash replacing it with new tile. I picked out a marble tile which **** stated would be no problem to install. After **** installed the marble tile it immediately started turning yellow and the net backing on the tile actually soaked through (see pictures) and you could see it on the front of the tile. **** stated for weeks that the tile was defective and I gave him the benefit of the doubt until the manager at The Tile Shop stated that **** used mastik when installing the marble and this is the reason it turned yellow. **** kept stating he would make it right but after 16 weeks and several excuses, it was clear that **** was not going to make his mistake right. I have since had 2 other contractors in and they also confirmed that mastik was used when installing the marble tile. Now I am out $2,300 it cost me for the marble tile and $697.25 I had to pay this contractor.

  Business response

  10/23/2023

  I was contacted by ****** ***** about a quote for a backsplash as she was having her kitchen updated and wanted to replace the tile work.   I responded to her request and emailed her a quote.  The quote included a time sensitive matter as there was a company coming to replace the countertops.   She accepted the terms of my contract and made a deposit payment .   At that time she had not picked out a tile for replacement and i explained that i could give her some suggestions but i was not a decorator and could not offer advice on what she would like.   

  I offered as a courtesy to pass on my discount from several places.   She was happy to use my discount.   I had zero to do with selection or design as i had been been warned about her changing her mind.   *** ***** purchased the material and sealer using my discount at a local tile store.  I let *** ***** know that if she picked a natural stone such as travertine or marble that there would be inconsistent coloring throughout.  She claimed to understand how natural stone has a wide color variation.   
  

  Moving forward, I did the demo of the old backsplash on the day she requested and had no complaints or issues.  The tile she ordered came in and she picked up and delivered to her home.   I scheduled an install time and we discussed again the fact that marble is inconsistent in color but according to her she "loved it" .   I installed the substrate and confirmed that with a natural stone, a stone adhesive over that substrate was acceptable according to industry standards.   I completed about 40% of the tile install on the first day being that it was a difficult pattern and a window was involved.   *** ***** had expressed nothing but admiration for the install at the end of day one.  I applied a grout release on a small portion of the tile to be sure the grout wouldn't  affect the color as it tends to do with marble.   

  If the cap is reinstalled on the sealer and tightened it can seal back up the foil cover which is why i was confused the next day as to why it did not look to be opened. After speaking to several contractors who use that same product, they made me aware.  

  On day two I finished the install of the tile.    I did not get any bad  feedback from the homeowner, **** *****.   

  It was after hours when i received a message about a yellow tint on the one wall of tile   i had suggested that maybe it had something to do with the soft white undercabinet lights.  The area of concern had not had any sealer or grout release on it.   

  The following day i met with ****** about the tile and she thought it was a bad batch of tile even though i saw marble tile that was inconsistent in color but that had been talked about so many times I did not understand why she was upset.  I told her i would reach out to some people and get their opinion.   

  I had a professional come look at it and his opinion was that it looked like white marble under soft white bulbs.  so, any yellowing was caused from lighting.   

  The manager from the tile supplier came and looked at it and told me there was nothing wrong with the material or install but the customer quote "had buyers remorse and wanted something for free " 

  *** ***** accused me of using a product  that turned the marble a different color.   Being self aware i told her i would take responsibility if it was in fact my doing.   I made up 6 different sample boards using different setting materials to check if it changed the color of the tile.   It did not.   I took the boards to her house and she could not tell a difference either.   I will include pictures of sample boards .

  I offered to replace the backsplash if she picked something different that she liked at no more additional cost.  

  This is when she told me i was responsible for her choice of picking the marble tile.  She informed me if i didn't pay her for her purchase she would  "destroy my name" via social media.  I stopped communication at that point.  I did not block her but she defamed me on facebook and now BBB.   I am working on legal action for libel and slander along with not paying for work completed.   I was willing to be reasonable but i can not be responsible for the color of marble tile.   The stone adhesive is water based and does not affect color.  She made multiple threats and i am not willing to discuss directly with her.

  Customer response

  10/26/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  Responding to the BBB after the case was closed is a good example of **** ********* time management skills. My kitchen was torn apart for 6 months and I am out a lot of money. **** stated that he would get a resolution even if it was at his loss. However, 6 months later **** was still giving me excuses. I have also had several of his past customers reach out to me stating they have had the same problem with this contractor. **** always says he will fix the problem. However, there is always an excuse and he never accepts responsibility. 

  **** ******* states that he had zero to do with my tile selection which is correct. So for him to say he was warned about me changing my mind is a story fabricated by ****. Infact, there was no regret on my part what so ever. I loved this tile until **** used mastic which caused the tile to yellow. This has been verifed not only by the Tile Manager but also 2 contractors. If I would have know that **** had never laid this type of tile before, which I was told after the fact. I would have never hired him for the job.

  The inconsistency in the marble is normal and is what I loved about it. The yellowing is NOT normal and is what happens when a contractor uses mastic. I have 3 professionals willing to state that this contractor used mastic (pictures taken). Not only did the contractor use mastic he also never secured the new drywall to the studs!!!! (pictures taken)

  I purchased all of the materials from the Tile Shop that the contractor would need. When I questioned **** ******* as to why he didn't use them he stated he did. I showed him the completely sealed bottle (in front of the Tile Manager at my home) of sealer that had a foil lid that had never been opened. Foil cannot reseal it's self. Infact the unopened bottle was examined by the Tile Shop and because it was never opened they issued me a refund.

  **** stated he finished installing the tile on day 2 and never heard from me which is a lie. It was not after hours that I contacted him, it was 4:02 in the afternoon when I got home from work. Please see the attached text.  As soon as I got home I saw the yellowing of the marble and I immediatly called the Tile Shop and then I sent **** a text. **** was working a couple of streets away and he came over. He even admitted to the Tile manager that he used mastik.

  It was not me who stated it was a bad batch of tile it was **** (the Tile Shop) will verify this. I backed **** for a long time and then enough was enough. It was also not the lighting (another excuse). To apease **** I even replaced my kitchen lights with brite white light bulbs and this intensified the yellowing of the tile.

  There were no threats made. ******* Contractors has a C+ rating for a reason. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

  Business response

  10/27/2023

  *** ***** claims I've never installed marble?    Please provide proof. I have pictures dating back 15 years plus with over 30 projects that included marble so to make a statement that I've never worked with a marble product is again a lie and defamatory.
  I've installed plenty of marble and I do in fact have an email from another contractor warning me about her which I can provide.  
  she has again tried to defend me by stating that other people have made negative remarks about me, and that it took me too long to respond to the complaint which the reason that it took so long was because under advisement of an attorney, I had to get it approved for the fact that she defamed  me on a public forum, which she will be held accountable for.    
  Just because she decides to pick contractors that state that I use a certain product does not make that factual. I have proof of what material I used and I also have proof and audio and video of Tile Shop claiming that she was wanting something for free and she had buyers remorse so that being said if you'd like to continue to defame  me and make false statements we can do so, and we will do it in front of a judge and we will also go for damages that you've created to my company by making ridiculous statements.  
  The reason that it took time to respond was because there's litigation and I wanted to be sure that I responded appropriately without making any non-provable statements, so that when we do go to court for the loss she has created, she will pay for the damages.   

  Customer response

  10/27/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response.

   

  Please reread my response. I never once stated that you had not worked with marble.

  Also, the Springboro Active Page is a page for Springboro residents to share their good and negative experiences. If you search this, you will find this to be true.

  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had an issue with water egress in my walk-in shower, in my master bathroom. My realtor recommended **** ******* to me. I contacted him on 2/8/22 to see if it was something he could look at and remedy for me. **** said that he could take a look at it and help me out. He came out to look at it on 2/18/22. He said he would get me an estimate, and kept giving me excuses as to why it wasn't going through. On 3/7/22, I finally got an estimate. He suggested to demo the tile pan, skim the area, waterproof it and do envelope cuts of the tiles I would provide, then grout and caulk. He was supposed to come out 4/2/22 but another excuse came up. He showed up on 4/10/22 to do the work, but it was a multi-day job. He came by on 4/15/22 to finish up the tile work. When he was finished with the cutting of the tiles, I realized he didn't do the envelope cut he said he was going to, but it had been such a hassle to get him to come out and after many excuses, I just wanted it to be done, so I didn't bring up the discrepancy. He came back 4/18/22 to wrap something up (I don't remember) and again on 4/19/22 to caulk and finish. I paid him in full at that time. The first time I used the shower, it backed up and I had the same water egress issue. On 5/17/22 he came out and cleaned the drain out. Then the water backup was fixed, but I still had the same water egress issue. I advised him that I still had the same water leak on 5/19/22. He said he'd work at it until it's fixed. The next time he reached out to me was a phone call to get together on father's day morning, which he later cancelled (6/19/22). I never heard from him again. I texted 7/20/22, no response. On 8/25/22 I texted saying how I paid him in full over 4 months ago and still have the same issue. He won't reply. I tried calling him multiple times. He blocked my number and it goes right voicemail. He won't respond to fb messenger. He's now blocked my texts. He took my money, didn't fix the issue and has completely ghosted me.

  Business response

  10/26/2023

  I was contacted by ***** ***** out of Bellbrook, Ohio about some concerns he had with his shower. His realtor had given him my phone number and I went and looked at the job and noticed several issues with the shower, including slow drain time, The Tile was not graded properly to the drain, poor caulking job, see pictures below, and condensation on the outside of the glass during a shower event.

  I gave David several options to try and help him come to a solution one of them being repair of the existing shower with caulking of all seems ,clear the weep holes, and  patched the grout, but that there would be no warranty ..number two was to take down the glass, tear out the bottom roof tile replace the liner rebuild entire shower unit with customer supplied tile, grout and he was responsible for having the glass uninstalled and reinstalled.  The Third was to tear tiles off the shower pan. Clear the weep holes replace the shower drain and do an overall assessment,    he chose number three. I scheduled a time to do his job at a price of $750 which would include of removing all of the shower pan tile replacing the drain clearing the weep holes cutting out of the caulking, which was not included in the quote, but I did it as a courtesy  and replacing the door sweep with a new plastic door sweep. Upon completion of the job, David expressed that he was grateful for the work that had been completed and actually tipped the job. The only concern that I had had during the repair of the his shower was , several items such as turning around while I am trying to work and having a 6-7 foot.snake.  I'm not sure how large snake the  snake was that he basically set on my shoulder or close to my face and scaring me as I didn't feel it was professional for him to do such a thing.  number two at one point I had turned around and he was holding a pistol where he decided to tell me that he was an avid gun collector, and wanted to take time to discuss guns, and or how he carried himself which I did not feel was appropriate for the particular job but I try to  just partake in the conversation keep it simple and then get out of the location.

  After I finished the job and caulked it, which again was beyond my $750 bill option, David actually paid me $800 so he included a $50 tip

  About 10 days after the completion of the job, he told me that he was noticing that the drain was still slow and wasn't draining properly. I did explain to him that it had the proper pitch, but there may be an actual issue with the plumbing, but I was willing to come by and take a look at it. I went and purchased a drain snake and went to his house and pulled out a very large ball of hair and skin that was stuck in his plumbing and P-trap. I did not charge him for this and told him that I thought that might be part of the issue or all of the issue and he thanked me and we parted ways shortly there after I received another message from David stating that the outside of the glass appeared to have some condensation on it they would run down and cause water droplets , on the top of the curb, I explained to David that the fan being at the other end of the bathroom might be the main cause for the condensation on the glass but I could not control anything that had to do with condensation on the glass as I did not do the original shower build, or the glass install . I made another trip to his house and inspected all the caulking and ran the shower for a bit about 30 to 40 minutes and I could not find anything other than a extremely steamy bathroom with glass that had a fog or slight condensation on the outside of the glass , I explained to David that his next bet would be to contact a company that could come in and put another fan in or somehow circulate air as it was a cathedral ceiling in the bathroom and when cold air meets hot water, it tends to condensate.

  See attached for complete response

  Customer response

  11/08/2023

  On 10/4/22, I filed a complaint against **** ******* because he failed to fix my problem, said he was going to return and keep at it until it was fixed, and then he completely stopped responding to my messages. He ignored my texts, wouldn't answer my phone calls, and he ignored messages via facebook messenger. I filed this claim and never heard back from him.

  
  

  On 10/26/23, over a YEAR later, he replied with nothing but false accusations and complete lies. He had a year to reply, and the best he could do was make some weak lies that are very easy to debunk.

  
  

  I was told I had 10 days to respond. My Dad died, unexpectedly, and I've been a little busy dealing with that, the shock, the agony, and the logistics of getting things handled. The case was closed before I had a chance to reply. He had a year to respond, and I was given 10 days...right after losing the greatest man I've ever known... Then I'm told that I have to reach out to the BBB to explain myself, why his response is insufficent and didn't resolve my issue, etc. So here are the issues with what he sent:

  
  

  For the record, 99% of our conversations were over text message- each and every one of which has a time and date stamp which can corroborate my argument and disprove his.

  
  

  He started off by saying that I complained about a slow drain time- that is a lie. I never complained about any drain issues. My issue was a slight seepage, some water egress from my walk-in shower, in the area where the riser/curb meets the floor tiles on the outside of the shower. I never had any issues with the drain until after he did his repairs. I can prove that via our texts because at no point did I ever mention a drain issue...until after he worked on my shower and I literally told him via text that "I never had any drain issues before". I can prove that via time stamped texts; he cannot provide any text showing that I complained about that before he started work. So that's the first lie.

  
  

  He went on to say that I had condensation on the outside of the glass- that is also a lie. I never had any complaints about condensation, and he NEVER mentioned any condensation issue until his response to this case... over a year later. I have pictures to prove and show exactly where my water issue was- again, where the outside curb/riser meets the floor tiles. If it were an issue caused by condensation on the outside of the glass, then I would have water on the top of the riser, going down the front, and onto the floor. So that is the second lie.

  
  

  He mentioned giving me three different repair options, which he did. I told him that I didn't care which one we did; I just wanted the job done right and for it to be fixed. I was ok with doing the most expensive option, if that's what it took. He advised me for the second, middle option, so that's what I did. As part of that option, I was to source and provide the shower tiles, which I did, and he was to perform and envelope cut of the tiles- he did not. So he didn't even do what was in the contract. By the time he was finished, after multiple months and lots of messages and waiting, I didn't even argue too much...I just wanted it done, but I figured it was done right and would fix the issue, which it didn't.

  
  

  He mentioned me tipping him, which I did. I did it because I wasn't sure if that's customary or not. I work as a master tech for BMW, so I tend to fix most issues, and don't have to pay somebody. Having never done extensive shower work, requiring me to hire somebody, I thought tipping might be expected. I also figured payment in full was due at the time of completion. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have paid him half upon completion, and the balance after verifying for a few days/weeks that the issue was actually resolved...it wasn't.

  
  

  He then went on to make a weak arugment to assuage himself of any guilt or morality issues he would otherwise feel, for the way he treated me and handled the situation. He claimed that he didn't feel safe and that I tried to put my 7' snake in his face and over his shoulders. Even a third party who wasn't there can easily discern that is an obvious lie. I did have my snake out on one of the visits, as I was preparing to feed him. He gave me one of those few-hour windows for when he'd show up to do work, and on that particular day, I was holding my snake and getting ready to feed him when he showed up. At no point did I put my snake in his face or try to drape him over his shoulders. Kris is a grown man, and older than I. If he were truly so offended or scared, he could speak up. Instead, he was inquisitive and was asking me questions about my snake and getting closer to take a look at him. He expressed no fear. He never made any requests in regards to my snake. He showed up to my house multiple other times AFTER the one and only time I had my snake out. Again, it's just a sad and pathetic excuse.

  
  

  He also made a claim that I showed him my firearm, and acted like it was a threat. I did show him my firearm. He came to my house and looked at the shower for 10-15 minutes, then went on to talk about random other stuff for 45 plus minutes. He talked about how he thinks his old Acura was the best car because the door seals made it very quiet, and how he liked to hop up his trucks and make big power- enough to the point where he started breaking driveline components. Yet, he couldn't figure out how to fix a wheel bearing on his trailer- one of the many excuses as to why he didn't show up. During that conversation, we talked about guns for a while, and were just two guys shooting the breeze. I told him about some of the ones I own and he seemed curious about one of them I mentioned, so I showed him my unloaded firearm and let him take a look at it. Again, it was just two guys shooting the breeze...there was no tone of anything that would resemble a threat.

  
  

  Because of my snake and me showing him and unloaded firearm, he claimed that I was "unprofessional". The onus of prefessionalism is on, you guessed it, the "professional"...not the client. At no point did I do anything that could be considered unproffesional. Again, he cannot show you any text between he and I, where he mentioned discomfort or asked me to refrain from showing him any firearms or my snake. Each event only happened one time.

  
  

  Toward the end of his response, he lied, yet again. He mentioned the ceiling structure, talked about condensation on the outisde of the glass again, mentioned the fan location not allowing for the condensation to be controlled, and that he said I should seek out another company. Every single bit of that is a blatant lie. The only time he mentioned any fan was after he did his demolition work. He took out the shower floor tiles and put in a fresh concrete base. He told me that I could put an external fan on the concrete to speed up the drying process. That's the only time he mentioned a fan. He never said anything about the ceiling structure. He never mentioned any other fan. He never mentioned condensation (since it wasn't an issue). He never told me to reach out to another party to remedy the situation.

  
  

  I had to call him back after I paid him in full, plus the tip. My shower wasn't draining properly. Again, I didn't have this issue prior to his demo work. He came out and snaked the drain. Yes, he was able to get a large amount of hair out of there. I'm a single male, and that's not my hair. But I didn't have any issues before his demo work. What else was extracted with the hair was a lot of debris, chunks of concrete, etc... He didn't properly cover the drain while doing the demolition work, so that debris, combined with the hair, caused the backup and slow drain. He cannot show any evidence of my complaining about a slow drain until after his work, and I said right then and there, that it wasn't like that before.

  
  

  Literally everything he said is a lie. He can't show any text that mentions a fan, condensation, initial drainage issues, or telling me to contact somebody else. I have everything in plain text: the contract where he was supposed to perform an envelope cut, picture evidence of my water egress, video of my drainage issue after he worked on it, etc. Every text has a date and time stamp.

  
  

  I reached out to him time and time again. He kept saying that he was going to come out and make it right...and then he stopped answering my texts, my phone calls, my facebook messages, etc. He even blocked my number and my facebook account.

  
  

  On 5/19/22, I told him I was still having issues and he said, "of course, if it continues to be an issue, I'll keep going til I get it resolved". He never showed up.

  
  

  On 5/27/22, he said "ok, time to diagnose. I'll be in touch. I'm going to guess it's the caulking where the glass meets the curb or wall." He never showed up

  
  

  He finally called me and was supposed to show up on Father's Day. He said he would be free in the morning. He sent a text on 6/18/22 saying, "yep. I messed up. My parents are coming over for brunch at 10:30. I can shoot for the following weekend, or if you want to fit it in throughout the week, later in the day. Let me know what works for you." He never showed up.

  
  

  I texted him on 6/19/22 to schedule a time...no response.

  
  

  I texted him on 7/20/22 "Hey man, what's going on?"...no response.

  
  

  I texted him on 8/25/22 trying to touch base...he still won't respond. I paid him over 4 months ago at this point, and he stopped all communication.

  
  

  I texted him on 9/7/22 "texting to document that I also reached out to you via Facebook messenger on 9/7/22 at 7:30pm"... no response.

  
  

  I went to the address on the contract, thinking it was his business. It ended up being his home. He wasn't there, but his truck was. His wife talked to me and I told her that I've been trying to get in touch with him for months. She said she would make sure he called me. I let another day or two go by...no response. I sent his wife a message on facebook, telling her that he still didn't call me. Then she became very argumentative and combative, completely different than how she acted when I was there. I tried to show her screeenshots of our texts, and she basically made excuses for him and she blocked me as well.

  
  

  It's not about the money; it's the priciple. I paid him for a job because he's the expert. He didn't do the things he was supposed to in the contract, but more importantly, he didn't fix my issue. He said he would come back out and make it right... and then he just completely cut off all communication and ghosted me. Now he wants to lecture ME about "professionalism"!? If he truly told me about any fan issue or to reach out to a third party, it would be pretty easy for him to provide the text where he did so. The "professional" person decided to run away and hide, not be a man of his word, not honor what he said he was going to do, etc. He ran away and hid, then blocked me. Now, a year later and after losing the single greatest man I've ever known in my life, I have to deal with him making accusations against me, lying through his teeth, and attacking my character and morals. This is absolutely unacceptable.

  
  

  Again, it has nothing to do with the money. I don't want him doing this to another person.

  
  

  Oh, and my realtor who suggested him to me...I reached out to him to let him know what was going on. I told him that I wasn't mad at him for the actions of another (great real estate agent and person), but that I didn't want him to ruin his reputation by recommending Kris to any other clients. My un-named agent's response: "Thank you for letting me know! Sorry you're going through that. I had heard that he had drama with some of his clients and was shutting down his business sometime this summer. I had hoped that anyone I knew would have been done with him." 

  
  

  So does that sound like it's an issue with me, or an issue with the "professional" **** *******?

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩