Complaint Review: One Time Construction - Shay Fretwell

We hired One Time Construction in January 2008 to undertake a remodeling project before the birth of our son. We were remodeling an old house - focusing on two bathrooms and bedrooms and an adjoining hallway and entryway. After refusing to make some of the final payments (for work that had NOT been completed) Shay stopped work on the job. We hired a consultant to inspect the work performed. He found 19 building code defects, including a lack of inspections. He informed us it was a good thing that we refused to pay him the remaining installments on the contract. The cost of fixing all the problems and having them inspected was more than the cost of the original contract (since we had originally supplied most of the bathroom fixtures, tile, thinset, granite, etc.)

In addition to those code defects, here are some of the other problems:

- Unapproved Change Orders, Overcharging, Bait & Switch:
The original quote was for ~$32,000, but change orders (some of which were NOT approved) ran the price up to ~$46,000. In many cases, the change orders were partof a bait and switch routine that I now understand contractors commonly play. The contract was writen so generically, and charges weren't assigned to specific items, allowing Shay to play a shell game with charges. In more than one case, Shay tried to charge on a change order for work that had already been specified in the original contract. IN another case, he demanded payment for a change order which had not been quoted and authorized by us.

- Skill Level:
Shay marketed the idea that all his "tradesmen" were "in-house" employees giving him better control of quality. It became painfully obvious that most workers were NOT skillful in any trades they performed, especially plumbing, electrical, & painting. Other trades were performed to minimal passing quality. In a few cases, items purchased by us were damaged or destroyed, requiring us to have to replace them. Note: The ONE single person that stood out was the cabinet maker and finish carpenter, David. He made an attempt to try to correct some of the poor quality left behind by others, but seemed to be getting in trouble with Shay for doing so.

- Supervision:
Shay's supervisor Patrick was emotionally unstable and incapable of dealing with our questions or concerns. Usually, he would storm off the job site at the slightest inspection of the work by us. When he was finally thrown off the job, he begged me to hit him so he could "own my house". Other workers confirmed that this was not the first time he had exploded in such a manner. Much of the time, it was difficult to determine WHO was supervising as Patrick was not there. It was obvious that no communication was being passed down as others stepped in to supervise (who were NOT qualified to supervise the project anyway.)

- Property Damages:
1. Workers left a garden hose zip tied open for over 4 hours flooding the back yard.
2. A granite countertop was cut an inch too short rendering it useless. When confronted, the supervisor became irrate which finally resulted me in throwing him off the job. We were never reimbursed for the cost of the new granite.*
3. Workers placed a plywood cover over a new whirlpool tub scratching the finish of some parts. We had to purchase new parts for which we were never reimbursed.*

- Inspections:
Shay did not get the necessary inspections. In his contract, on one single line he states that the inspections are the responsibilty of the homeowner. However, according to the consultant and lawyers we've hired, it is the contractor's responsibility to make sure that necessary work is inspected. As homeowner's, we were not aware of what, if any, of the work required inspections.

- Payments:
Shay attempted to collect for installments which were set at the finish of plumbing and electrical. Having been informed there were problems with the plumbing, and the electrical work had not even been completed, he still demanded that we pay him. After the consultant's inspection, we found that severe plumbing and electrical problems resulted, which we will have to pay to have fixed.

- Completion:
* After having refused to make installment payments noted for "finish" work, Shay became angry and stopped work on the contract. I informed him I was hiring a consultant to inspect the work and determine what should be done. If the consultant determined all work was done to reasonable standards, and Shay completed the work necessary for the installments to our satisfaction, I would pay what I owed. As stated previously, the consultant found a lot of problems I wouldn't have been aware of. Shay then had the audacity to file a lien on my property. Our lawyers are reviewing the case and Shay's company's ability to pay up when we win the lawsuit. Unfortunately, the lawyers are as greedy and immoral as the contractors, so it is like swimming with sharks while you're already bleeding.

Given the list of defects found by our consultant (and the details of other problems we had) are more than can be reported here. , we will try to make the report available to potential other customers of this company. You can write to wayne.ripoff@cox.net and I will try to send you a copy. We hope to help others avoid being ripped off by this company. One Time Construction's name says it all... if you use them one time, you'll never want to again.

Unfortunately, we did not see the previous report on this same company written in 2006. Would we have, we probably would not have used them. Hopefully, others will see this and be forewarned!

Wayne&Meri
Mission Viejo, California
U.S.A.