Complaint Review: Legacy Communities - Atlanta Georgia

After hearing the great news that my husband and I were expecting our first child, we decided to search to purchase our first home as our small one bedroom apartment was no longer enough space for us. We were excited to find a floorplan we loved and could afford from a company called Legacy Communities, LLC and were excited to be able to pick many features to "customize" our new home. It wasn't long before our dream became a NIGHTMARE!!

To start, we had a written document stating we had 15 days to choose our "customizable options" (brick and siding color, carpet color, counter-tops, cabinets, appliances, tile), however we chose everything that very day we signed the contract and gave them our earnest money. Well, two months of construction went by and finally it came time to put up the brick and we realized it wasn't what we ordered. We were told something similar to, "It was already chosen for the house, and it is very close to the color you chose. I'm positive you will love it when it goes up."

Well, being young and inexperienced we thought we had no choice. In the end, the only thing we got that we picked was the cabinet color, having to end up with seriously hideous 1980's fake marble counter tops. [Despite completing our time obligations per our written contract] Due to our apartment lease, we extended our closing by one month, at which time we would have had 2 weeks to move, and I was 8 months pregnant at the time.

Prior to closing it was constant nagging on my part to get things fixed and finished, and they delayed closing until literally the last day of our lease, leaving us one night to move all our stuff. At the closing table, the builder literally LIED right in front of the lawyers, stating all the work was finished on the home and that it was ready to be inhabited. I signed the papers and went to the home to "move in". That was a Wednesday night.

I opened the door and walked into a wall of Gas. It was so incredibly strong I became ill instantly. My husband ran around opening all the windows but we had to leave and it was already 10pm. PLUS... there was NO electricity either. Luckily we had money to stay in a hotel. The next two days I tried to get Legacy to come check for a gas leak and turn the electricity on, but they said they went to the house and didn't smell anything, refusing even to investigate.

By Friday afternoon I was so fed-up after 20 or so unreturned phone calls and called the gas company myself, upon arrival whom immediately turned the gas off due to extreme hazardous conditions. It was Saturday now and no one would come fix this until Monday, I guess an 8-month pregnant woman is safe to stay in a 50 degree home with no heat and a gas leak! On Monday, they said this wasn't an emergency and I had to stay at the house for hours (all day) waiting on a repairman in the cold rain too. (Still no electric) I was also told that it would be a week before the electricity would be on because they hadn't even put in the electric box to the house!

So, we ended up spending 4 nights in a hotel that was not even reimbursed by Legacy, although we were told it would be, and it was nearly two whole weeks after closing that our house had both gas and electricity. (Get EVERYTHING in writing is my lesson). That doesn't even include the little things the builder claimed they fixed at the closing that to this day aren't done (a year later).

At the time we were both students too, so we really didn't have extra money for a hotel after paying rent and a mortgage that month. Eventually, I ended up going into pre-term labor having our daughter 3 weeks early, which I sincerely believe is due to the extreme stress caused by this situation.

More recently, we submitted our 10-month "walk-through" for Warranty. Within two weeks we had some guys out here that started the repair work, but it has now been over 3 months and it is still not finished. This was mainly for a bowed wall in the master bedroom. AND, a man that was covering a non-working phone jack in our kitchen for some reason used a hammer to enlarge the hole or get the plastic thing out of the wall, I'm not really sure, but he ended up going straight through the wall making a larger than softball sized hole into the Dining room on the opposite side.

I didn't see because I was putting my daughter down for a nap at the time, and he left in a big rush never mentioning the new larger hole. It is obvious, and you can see right through the wall. We called to complain and were told, "It is really hard to believe someone would do that, it's highly unlikely." I had to call over 5 times and beg to speak to a manager before someone was finally sent to our home to just look at the hole to confirm the problem.

Then, it was over 2 more weeks before it was covered, and it's been a month now merely wainting on someone to spend 5 minutes sanding it! Plus, we had that wall custom painted since last year, which was specifically matched to fabric, and we no longer have the paint. We were told by Legacy that they don't recommend custom painting, and refuse to reimburse for custom paint since their policy states they don't cover that.

However, when I asked the manager if that also applies to their mistakes, especially since it was on a wall I did NOT give permission for them to touch, she litterally was speechless, and then repeated herself, that they don't cover custom paint from repairs. Then, proceeded to say there was not an available appointment for repairs for over one month! Since then, I've made over 15 calls that went ignored trying to get someone to sand it.

THEN...an electric circuit overloaded. We put in a new fuse (I took electrical engineering courses in college and know how to make electrical circuits), and re-set everything and it was okay for 2 weeks. Then last week my husband was putting a light switch cover back on in the Master bedroom after painting, and heard a "pop" and we saw sparks. Half the upstairs went out, and it took 5 hours of trying to reset the circuit until it came back on for 10 minutes, at which point the entire upstairs went out.

We got it back on, and noticed that most outlets near water in our home were not the special GFCI ( I think) protected ones, and that randomly the outlet to the refrigerator is completely out and two in the master bath. Now, with a puppy and one year old, we have to have extension cords across our kitchen. I called and stated it as an emergency to warranty. A manager called back, and said they'd get someone out here immediately and that it was covered under our 2 year warranty. No one has called back yet, and it's been 3 days. I will be writing a letter tommorow to warranty about the electrical issue, as it states to do in our warranty booklet.

I Seriously recommend ANY OTHER builder than Legacy, this is completely ridiculous what we've gone through, putting myself, my husband, and child at serious risk in the short time of just over one year. I would have contacted a lawyer long ago, but we simply can't afford one. I cannot fathom how this is legal behavior in any way. Also, my best friend has a contractor company in Milledgeville, GA and has told me of several code violations that Legacy has done with our home, leading me to believe this is nothing new to them.

E.E.S.

Atlanta, Georgia

U.S.A.