# Response To Customer



## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

MFM’s Response to BRAD NC’s post:

This client called us to remodel the bathroom in their 1960 split level home over a year ago. The bathroom was original to the house & would require a full gut. As an owner of a small company who’s been in the remodeling business for over 20 years, we treat each customer with respect, and we go about our work with honesty & integrity. Short cuts are never a part of our business plan.

I will complete the picture with dated notes written on the client’s folder throughout the project. I could write a novel about this project but I will concentrate on some main points.
PROJECT START: It became apparent early on in the project that Mr. Chomko would be a challenging client to work with. The lead carpenter began taking detailed notes & jotting down customer reactions in case things turned accusatory.

DAY 2: Several defects were uncovered in the 50 year old bathroom. One was a cracked and leaking sewer pipe the other was a large gap (approximately 1”x4”) through the roof flange of an existing waste pipe. It was a large hole in the roof. These two conditions lead to water running down the walls of the house for what could have been many months to years. There was significant water damage as well as mold. The customer was presented a change order for the plumbing issue, and the plumbers repaired the sewer pipe after receiving authorization from the homeowner.

The roof had multiple layers and was well beyond its service life. We recommended calling a roofing professional. Mr Chomko became visibly upset and said “I thought you guys were a full service company” and “the right thing for you (MFM) to do would be to fix it” We disagreed but did repair the water damaged drywall in the basement area as an act of good faith at NO ADDITIONAL COST.

DAY 5: The front door lockset (which the homeowners not only admitted was defective/broken but even showed us the required “TRICK” to get it to close) stopped functioning. It had some broken internal parts that would no longer activate the latch when the thumb knob was depressed from all of the extra stress put on the mechanism from years of closing it with their “trick”

Just to give you an insight on our company we always have an owner on site at all times. In the case of this bathroom it’s usually 1-2 people in the client’s home at a time. Everyone is always careful & respectful of our client’s property. Needless to say we disclosed the issue to Mrs. Chomko and recommended she purchase a new lockset or we could pick one up for her and install it while we had the proper tools and ultimately add it to the final bill. She replied “I would have to speak with my husband first.” The ensuing conversation with Mr. Chomko was “so, you guys broke my door lock! What is MFM going to do about this?”. We offered to install a new lock that the client purchased. Mr. Chomko was quite upset by this and said that it was “terrible customer service.” He installed the hardware begrudgingly but our lead carpenter fixed the rotted sill with Bondo Putty and re-drilled the catch on the door to close properly for the homeowner at NO ADDITIONAL COST.

There was a defective light switch (in the kitchen) that was repaired by the electrician at NO ADDITIONAL COST to the client. Being that the home was over the 50+ year old there were NAIL POPS all over the homes walls. The homeowner blamed them on us and we began to get the feeling that if ANYTHING else in the house was to break-MFM would be expected to replace it! Needless to say our Lead Carpenter screwed the sheetrock above and below the hallway nailpops and also spackled and made “PAINT READY” out of gratis and at….. you guessed it NO ADDITIONAL COST to the client. 

Here’s how crazy his interaction got with us. At one point we actually had a conversation with the homeowner about which things we would be responsible for --the following examples were taken out of our job notes and is not a joke!

If the stairs collapse or fall while we are walking on them-MFM needs to replace them>> CLIENT RESPONSE “YES”

If the garage door falls off the track or fails to operate in any way-MFM is expected to repair/replace>>CLIENT RESPONSE “YES”

To the homeowner’s credit-if the hot water heater were to fail upon us washing our hands-we would get a free pass on that one!!

We also finished the job a week early! Actually we wanted to get out of the house quickly before he blamed anything else on MFM. It was seriously getting to that point.
Recently, I received a call from the client that there was a leak coming from the upstairs bathroom (we remodeled) to the downstairs bathroom (existing) I was told that it was a slow leak that only occurred when the bathroom was being used. I was on vacation with my family, so I made sure that it was not an emergency which needed immediate assistance or risk of flooding to the home. The homeowner and I AGREED that I would come by first thing when I got back into town. The following day after my arrival, I called the homeowner to confirm that I was going to come by to diagnose/repair the problem. I was told by the homeowner that his family member came by and decided to repair it and that it was “taken care of” and that it was “my fault” “ He also said the toilet needed a new wax ring and we used the ”wrong one” First we didn’t use the wrong ring, secondly I felt that it was unfair to have an unlicensed family member make a repair without allowing us the opportunity to remedy the situation after that we VERBALLY AGREED MFM would do it. Making an innacurate judgement against us before we had any recourse was a bit of a blind side. That said, I did not feel the need to get defensive, quite contrary I said that I would still like to come by to inspect the leak to make sure that there wasn’t a leak in the attic or coming from somewhere else. Water takes the path of least resistance and sometimes a leak on one side of a roof or drain can travel and give the appearance of being from the location it collects at. The next step I suggested to the homeowner was that we keep the downstairs ceiling sheetrock that his family member ripped out “open” After about a week of usage of no leaks/ maybe a rain storm to rule out the roof leaking would make sense before closing up the ceiling and spackling/painting it (homeowner agreed) About a week after stopping by I received a text/ phonecall/ stating “will I be by tomorrow (Friday) or the weekend.” My response was can I come by on Monday instead. I received somewhat of an angry response that said that “ill make sure to tell people about your service” 
That brings me here to find what I suspected after his text. The client feels the need to exact revenge and somehow invalidate my business’ reputation and integrity. Look at the items that we did at NO COST. They weren’t in the contract and took time and materials to complete/ repair CORRECTLY. We like to do extras for clients while we have tools on site. It’s a form of gratis and we like to exceed customer expectations. But in this case, I don’t think anyone can fulfill this gentleman’s expectations short of rebuilding his home. That said,
Our company’s lifeblood is referrals and customer satisfaction. That is at the forefront of my business. Our work is 100% guaranteed and we stand by our craftsmenship, knowledge as well as the strong relationship we have forged with our suppliers, subcontractors and designers.
I hope this perspective gives you some clarity to OUR account of the project. I can honestly say that I’m almost happy that it has taken us almost 12+ years to find an “unsatisfied customer” I also realize in that regard that I can’t make everyone happy all the time.
If you would like to view some of our past/current projects please go to the FACEBOOK link below:
http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/MFMDesignandConstruction
I would be more than happy to supply you with a list of referrals as well as an opportunity to view our work in person. Thank you for your time and consideration.
MFM DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
Jonathan Bandomer, Marcus Maslo


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

It started when you budged initially. Never ever do anything for free outside of a contractual agreement. The first free bee opened his greedy eyes and opened the flood gates. How dare you not replace his whole roof after all you did fix the drywall.. Good luck moving forward and thanks for sharing. Stick around awhile lots to learn here.


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

Are you venting?


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Now that introduction post should count!


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## Shellbuilder (May 14, 2006)

He who has the next hunk of money in their pocket controls these situations. I may have a small down payment sometimes but that second draw……for example ….Draw 2: Demolition complete…they start that crap and they can finish it.


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## Astrix (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm a tad confused. Who is Brad NC and where is his post that the OP is responding to?


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## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

yeah i needed to use contractor talk for my response as a thread because my response for his YELP review was too long. So i linked it to this response. Every now and then we get that client. We like to offer add-ons free because we under promise and over deliver. 
Its just good business. For the 50 people that appreciate it there is always that ONE that wants MORE MORE MORE MOOOOOOORE. 1 out of 50 is ok with me, a headache about every 5 years is not bad


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## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

Astrix said:


> I'm a tad confused. Who is Brad NC and where is his post that the OP is responding to?


 sorry he reviewed us on yelp, my response is hyperlinked to this page


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## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

venting and using it as a thread to his YELP review of my business. I would normally let this slide. But the guy is making up lies and thats just not cool with me


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## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

Good luck


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## Andrew6127 (Aug 14, 2012)

jonbandomer said:


> sorry he reviewed us on yelp, my response is hyperlinked to this page


Link to his review on yelp?


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## JHC (Jun 4, 2010)

Sounds like the ideal client.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

jonbandomer said:


> venting and using it as a thread to his YELP review of my business. I would normally let this slide. But the guy is making up lies and thats just not cool with me


i wouldn't worry about the Yelp review staying. they have removed and deleted all of the ones that were left for me even though they were all good. Yelp have some serious issues with the way their system works but this will benefit you.


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## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

i see the problem already..Bridgewater or somerset county NJ and the name CHOMKO....no brainer


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

Looking at the initial post of the OP......is this the first half of a book you are writing ? Sorry, but I fell asleep about half way through. :jester:


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

cwatbay said:


> Looking at the initial post of the OP......is this the first half of a book you are writing ? Sorry, but I fell asleep about half way through. :jester:


I never start reading until I see how long it is... Anything longer than a 'Mike's Plumbing' post, I don't read :laughing::laughing:'


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

jamestrd said:


> i see the problem already..Bridgewater or somerset county NJ and the name CHOMKO....no brainer


Sounds intriguing - tell us more?


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## Astrix (Feb 23, 2009)

Andrew6127 said:


> Link to his review on yelp?


Rather than wait for jonbandomer to return, I searched and found it:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mfm-design-and-construction-bridgewater-township


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## J F (Dec 3, 2005)

I think I hear the attorneys salivating already. :laughing:


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

jonbandomer said:


> We like to offer add-ons free because we under promise and over deliver.
> Its just good business.


I offer a professional service for a fair price. That's good business. Doing things for free isn't.


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## Spike7 (May 18, 2012)

cwatbay said:


> Looking at the initial post of the OP......is this the first half of a book you are writing ? Sorry, but I fell asleep about half way through. :jester:


pretty insensitive .
turn the computer off , and put your " onesie" on .
and go to sleep .


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## ranteso (Nov 11, 2010)

"We like to offer add-ons free because we under promise and over deliver"

This I find very interesting. What amount do you over charge your clients to give them the perceived free add-ons? 

Is it a percent of the proposed project? What you think will come up that you'll "throw in" 

Do you just take it out of your profit and chalk it up to good will?

I understand the why, but not the money part.


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## GTX63 (Sep 9, 2011)

Unless the HO took photos, who is to say what they found and what they did?
Once the guy told my crew chief we would replace the stairs if they collapsed on my dime, the show is over. There is such a thing as foresight.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

When you do something free for a client its never a good thing. They then just keep asking and asking and if you say no, then your done in their eyes.. 

if i do something for free its super small right before i leave for good so they cant keep asking. And only if it takes 5 minutes. If i dont want to do it the answer is that was not included in the proposal/estimate, And i dont have time.

And what really made me ponder about your post..

Why would you bondo the rotted threshold???? Just replacing the door knob is too much for free.


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## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

We do free add-ons within reason. The lead carpenter usually makes the call. But they are by no means BIG change orders. For instance we work for a client who basically gave us a key to his home for the last 5 years. Our first project was a small trim job. The homeowner had some "honeydo" list tiems while we were there. Floor door stop on tile floor (masonry bit required) and some other small type things. While we are there with the tools we knock them out at no cost. He was super appreciative and only uses us. We did his master bathroom/ childrens bathroom/ rebuilt a custom portico on the front of his house and currently have plans for a kitchen/ addition. He always jokes how the first job he gave us was a "TESTER" He was happy with the quality of our service and professionlism and realized we werent nickel and dimeing him. Now, if he had some large change order or something that would take a lot of time we usually time/material. It has worked for us over the years in REPEAT business and strong relationships with our clients. Customer referral is the backbone of our business, we dont advertise at all


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## jonbandomer (Sep 15, 2012)

i agree about not offering FREE, im not rebuilding the home. Knocking out certain little items is gratis. It has given us huge repeat business so I don't mind offering it. I didnt bondo the threshold. I bondo'd the jamb. It was drilled all over the place because the original screws for the catch no longet held. Short of replacing the entire jamb. I chizeled out the broken areas, applied bondo and sanded it. Then i redrilled the hole and scribed and made it recessed for the catch plate. I also did it because after he replaced the hardware it still didnt work properly and I didnt want any further accusations. At that point I was deep in the project, and honestly I dont know how the lawyers are in your statew, but "WALKING AWAY" from a project in my opinion is not going to end smoothly. Even if I'm right, getting lawyers involved is costly.


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## Spike7 (May 18, 2012)

Rich D. said:


> When you do something free for a client its never a good thing. They then just keep asking and asking and if you say no, then your done in their eyes..
> 
> if i do something for free its super small right before i leave for good so they cant keep asking. And only if it takes 5 minutes. If i dont want to do it the answer is that was not included in the proposal/estimate, And i dont have time.
> 
> ...


i`m a bad example on this one .

i am going to stop this.( seriously , today) 

i am there for $ ,i do a very good job , i am very attentive 
i am not over priced .i really care .
but i`m seeing i don`t need to give away a product for free .

the grocer won`t say " oh here , take a can of milk for free . ,since your here by the butter, i see you need it"

and you are so right 

thanks for that one .
therer really never is that appreciation you expect for it anyway


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