ComplaintsforUlrich Barn Builders, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I wanted to purchase a building. I put $9,000.00 down. The land I was purchasing fell through. I explained this to Ulrich. Told me no problem, we can refund your deposit in full. I have made numerous attempts to call and figure out why I have yet to receive my deposit back. I have left numerous messages. No one answers, no one calls back. And I still don't have a refund check.

  

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  This refund has taken too long. To explain the delay, Ms. ****** purchased this shed with a third party check and we needed to contact the owner of the check for instructions as to how he wanted this money refunded and this process took longer than it should.

  We have contracted the owner of the original check and, per his instructions, we are send him a refund check directly today.

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9/6/2023 I signed a contract with Ulrich Barn Builder for a small garage project. I paid a $10,000 deposit on the project with a total cost of $98,000. After 6 months of back and forth, the project is still in the planning stage. Ulrich ultimately hired another company to try to get the building permit because Ulrich had no experience in our county. Due to the length of time anticipated to obtain the permits we decided that Ulrich was not working in our favor and so we canceled the contract.Two weeks ago we were advised that we would receive a refund of $5168, however we have not heard anything back from Ulrich since then. We are asking for a full refund of the $10,000 deposit, due to the company not providing the service we paid for.

  

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  Because every customers property is unique and we are building a unique, custom structure, we cannot guarantee the steps that will need to be taken to successfully permit a new building.

  Unfortunately, ********************** property required a number of unusual processes during the permitting process, including:
  -An Engineers Wet Stamp
  -Riparian Vegetation study
  -Archaeological Sensitivity Study
  

  Because these are atypical, we use third party partners that have the required expertise or licenses to properly perform these services.  Of course, each party requires a fee to perform these services.

  Attached are the following:
  -The contract ******************** signed ****** that we, the seller, are not responsible for the fees or services required during the permitting process (highlighted in yellow in *********************** Complete Agreement).
  -Explanation of Refund Deductions detailing the fees paid for the services provided during the permitting process.
  -Correspondence from *********************, Principal Environmental Specialist at County of San **** Obispo Planning and Building discussing the Riparian Vegetation study requirement.
  -Correspondence from *************************, AICP, Principal Planner at County of San **** Obispo Planning and Building discussing the Riparian Vegetation study requirement.
  -The confirmation of the refund sent to ******************* less the fees for the services provided.

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

  Complaint: 21527387
  
  I am rejecting this response because;

  1. I was advised at the beginning of September 2023, by *************************** ***************************************** of Ulrich, that "should any problems stop the project due to permitting" that I would receive the entire deposit back.

  2. In response to itemizing details on the refund, it should be noted that a complete set of architectural drawings was provided to Ulrich.  Therefore the excessive charge for a redundant set of drawings by Ulrich is absurd.  Transferring the design into a different software system for a 20'x32' one story structure is a simple process and does not require 2 months and $3500 to complete.

  3. We waited nearly a month for the initial "site visit" from *****************************.  A site visit should have been done as a prerequisite to the process and should be an included service.

  4. Since the Ulrich staff could not understand or take the time to deal with the San **** Obispo ************************** they hired an outside organization to do so.  This is not something that was agreed to and should not be charged against the customer.  This is an inefficiency of the Ulrich staff and the customer should not be penalized.

  5. I am requesting the full refund of the deposit of $10,000.  It should also be noted that a Home Equity Line of Credit was obtained in order to pay for the garage project, and which is a substantial cost for the three years of the term, money that is now wasted due to the lack of contractual fufillment from Ulrich.  The remaining $4831.25 of our deposit must be refunded in order to resolve this claim.

  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  04/18/2024

  With regard to the bullets in the previous response:
  1.  The signed agreement is very clear that we, the seller, are not responsible for permitting fees.  If ***** said this, he was incorrect.
  2.  The $3,500 fee was to obtain an Engineers Wet Stamp from ****** Engineering, not to transfer a design from one software package to another.  This is a flat fee ****** Engineering charges for every stamp provided, regardless of the software package used.
  3.  Unfortunately, this is not an included service.
  4.  As previously explained, the fee from **************** is related to the Riparian Vegetation study required by the County of San **** Obispo Planning and Building.
  5.  The refund is complete, less the permitting fees as explained above.

  Customer response

  04/18/2024

  Complaint: 21527387
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  the Salesman advised that I would receive a full refund.

  The Company officials say one thing and do another.

  The Company officials did not respond to requests in a timely manner and as a result I been subject to a financial loss.

  The company is unethical and incompetent.

  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The builder wouldn't build according toe the contract therefore I canceled the order before any building of product took place. The company will not return my calls and has not returned my deposit of $1959.71

  

  Business response

  03/29/2024

  Unfortunately, the way the building was specified, there is no way we can be certain it will not leak.  Our team worked with ********************** for approximately two weeks attempting to find a solution that would meet her needs.  Unable to find a solution, ********************** cancelled her order on 3/12.  

  ************************** refund was returned to her credit card this morning.

  Customer response

  04/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  

  Initial Complaint

  08/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They wont answer any calls from their office in ******** **, they wont return emails and representatives are not answering cell phones or texts and the issue is ongoing. I filed a "warranty service' request for roof repairs for my 89yr old Mother in law and was asking for some guidance on who to call and how to file request and when Ulrich could get someone out to look at the roof and repair it. I sent a formal email on 6/14 and followed that email up with certified letter on 6/20, signed & received on 6/22 by Ulrich and we have never received a call, letter, text or email from anyone.All future buyers need to be made aware that they may never get a person on the phone to help them if something goes wrong with the cabin/home that they just spent their hard earned money on. Buyer be ware, the company looks great on the outside, peel back the cover and this company is horrible from the service and warranty support side.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  I apologize for the difficulty in contacting our Service Department.  I fear somehow ************** was directed to the wrong office.  In the letter attached to this complaint, ************** mentions discussions with ****** and *******, these were the correct people and are located in our ********* office.  Our ******** office is our factory and they should have redirected ************** back to ******* and *************  Why this did not happen I am uncertain, but will make sure our team knows better in the future.

  Earlier this week, I had *******, another member of our ******************* contact ************** to inform him that weather damage to his mother-in-law's **** is not covered under her warranty and should be directed to her homeowner's insurance provider.  ******* left a voice message, but I have asked her to continue to attempt to make person-to-person contact.

  We have reviewed the other information attached to the complaint and, given this information, have no reason to believe the roof is improperly installed.  The screws that were pictured are the correct screws and are used in different aspects of the installation.  With regard to the 30# felt paper, ************** is referring to an outdated specification.  We have upgraded our roofing process and replaced the felt paper with synthetic underlayment, which is visible in the attached picture.

  With regard to an inspection, this is a for fee service that I believe ******* mentioned in the message she left ***************

  I sincerely apologize for the communication issues.  Everything I have mentioned here should have been addressed by ******* and ****** back in June.

  Customer response

  08/31/2023

  Complaint: 20402997
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  I apologize for the difficulty in contacting our Service Department.  I fear somehow ************** was directed to the wrong office. No one redirected my calls to the factory because no one answered the phone or the office messages that were left by me.  In the letter attached to this complaint, ************** mentions discussions with ****** and *******, these were the correct people and are located in our ********* office.  Our ******** office is our factory and they should have redirected ************** back to ******* and *************  Why this did not happen I am uncertain, but will make sure our team knows better in the future. Again there was no response because no one answered the phones at the factory, it always went to a auto-attendant. FYI I called the same phone numbers that we called when we ordered the cabin, when we did a tour of the manufacturing facility and the customer service number that they UBB posts on their website and brochure as the number to call. I was able to reach them at the same phone numbers when we moved the cabin from ******** ***** to ********* ** at the very same phone numbers 3+ years ago. I also called and texted ****** & ******* to their cell phones and they did not respond to their cell phone messages or texts, not once.

  Earlier this week, I had *******, another member of our ******************* contact ************** to inform him that weather damage to his mother-in-law's roof is not covered under her warranty and should be directed to her homeowner's insurance provider.  ******* left a voice message, but I have asked her to continue to attempt to make person-to-person contact.

  We have reviewed the other information attached to the complaint and, given this information, have no reason to believe the roof is improperly installed.  The screws that were pictured are the correct screws and are used in different aspects of the installation.  With regard to the 30# felt paper, ************** is referring to an outdated specification.  We have upgraded our roofing process and replaced the felt paper with synthetic underlayment, which is visible in the attached picture. That outdated specification they are referencing is what was provided to us when they built the cabin 5 years ago. It was the specification we used to submit for the windstorm rating. So they installed a roofing system with newer specs and didnt upgrade their specifications, I find that hard to believe as those changes would have had to go through engineering and operations and that would have required a draft with specifications and procedures.

  With regard to an inspection, this is a for fee service that I believe ******* mentioned in the message she left ***************

  I sincerely apologize for the communication issues.  Everything I have mentioned here should have been addressed by ******* and ****** back in June. It was not addressed by either of these 2 people. Very unprofessional and horrible customer service.

   I did get a phone call on 8/7 from ******* addressing my complaint but if I have to pay someone to fix what I believe is a warranty issue due to improper installation, it certainly isnt going to be the company that doesnt answer their phones or provides me with a wrong specification.

  I will go with someone local that I can trust.

   

  Thank you for your help.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a shed from Ulrich Barns to convert (minimal effort) into a dwelling for AirBnB. As I walked into the ************, ** location, I told them my plans and they showed me a specific shed that fit my needs. I was told it would pass all county permits to be converted into a short term dwelling with minimal modifications. As this was a discounted shed they had as a demo for a 3+ month period, I was granted it at a reduced price. I then put half down in the sum of $15,000 and will pay the remaining once it passed all permits with the county. I had the county come out to view its dimensions and they concluded that there would be major modifications to the structure to make it a dwelling. Once I received this news, I reached back to *********** at Ulrich to tell them this and requested to cancel my order. They agreed and they stated there would be a refund coming via wired bank transfer within 5 business days. This was two months ago. My fianc and I have tried to reach out to them and higher echelons of the company with no response. The date of putting the down payment is 12-05-22. The date of cancelation is 12-15-22. $15,000 is a lot of money and we are looking at taking legal actions to retrieve the money.

  

  Business response

  03/06/2023

  *****************' down payment was made via a debit card.  When she cancelled the order, we tried to reverse the transaction only to have the bank refuse the transaction because the account has been closed.  Since we are unable to reverse the transaction we only have two options to *************'s down payment:
  1)  ****** may dispute the charge with her bank / debit card service provider.  We have informed ****** that we will not challenge her dispute and that this is likely the quickest way for her to get her down payment back.
  2)  Since we are unable to reverse the original charge, we must wait for the window for her to dispute the charge closes; 90 days from the original charge.  After this window closes, we will return the down payment by check.  Doing otherwise, exposes us to the potential someone could cash the check and then dispute the charge to steal $15,000.

*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. ↩