- Report: #1146388
Complaint Review: MBMI Metal Buildings - Delray Beach Florida
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MBMI Metal Buildings
955 NW 17th Ave # H Delray Beach, 33445 Florida, USA
Web:
mbmisteelbuildings.com/
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MBMI Metal Buildings Poor Quality Product and Poor Customer Service Delray Beach Florida
When I researched MBMI metal buildings, I could find only the one report on this forum, they had an A plus rating by the Better Buisness Buerau. This is a company really does not live up to its positive reputation. It is merely a engineering service company and it contracts out the metal materials for its building kits. As such, they have essentially no quality control on the materials in the building kits and require the customer to find and document all the flaws. Their staff are friendly, but are unable or unwilling to deal with defects in their building kits. I do not recommend dealing with this company. If you are a small customer like me I would suggest that you go with a national firm such as Butler or Star to have a metal building. If you live near Walton, Kentucky, I might also suggest you look into Baumgartner Metal Buildings.
Early in 2013, I purchased a 24X30 foot barn kit from this company for $10,300. There was a paint warranty for 40 years and a 25 year waranty on the plain Galvalum roof panels. Included in this sale was roof ridge vent.
Poor shipment time for defective or missing parts. The building kit was delivered on July 19, 2013. The corner column was severly bent and had rust on it indicating the fabrication company sent along this damaged component. MBMI required a digital photograph to be sent to them to prove that the part was damaged. Fortunately, my building contractor had a camera phone [I do not have one nor a digital camera]. A replacement column was not shipped to me until July 29. This ten calender day delay worked out to 5 working days lost for a crew of 4 men. The cost to the customer was never a concern for MBMI, since it was not possible to proceed with construction without a usable corner column. Also, the kit was missing a lower trim piece and about a dozen structural half-inch bolts. These components were purchased and fabricated locally to avoid any more costly labor delays.
The defective ridge vent. It was found that the ridge vent was leaking badly and the damper did not funtion properly. Also the flashing on the bottom of the vent did not span the purlins properly as the top cap covers did. MBMI was contacted about this problem on August 13. It was decided to replace the defective ridge vent with cap pieces. The builder charged me an additional $270 to remove the defective ridge vent and replace the hole with ridge caps. MBMI has not refunded me on the defective ridge vent nor offered any compensation for their defective vent. Ultimately I had to purchase a digital camera to document the claim for MBMI. After sending them the photographs of the defective vent, they still have done nothing.
Rust spots on the roof. The roof of the barn has rust spots. MBMI claims the builder must have left metal filings. This I can not say for sure. The roof vent has rust spots which obviously did not come from the builder's mistake. It clearly was shipped with a scrapped corner.
Misleading Advertising. MBMI on their website states that their kits are US made. The bolts provided in the kit are headstamped HHW which stands for h*o Hung Works of Taiwan. Their fastners are also made of soft steel and are not self tapping as indicated on MBMI website.
Please find another metal building kit maker if you are a small custemer. MBMI ignores them after they are paid.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Clint
Walton,Kentucky,
Update and Corrections to First Posting
#2Author of original report
Sat, June 14, 2014
MBMI Update-Corrections from Clint
My previous post on this forum, representing my opinion, was overly harsh on MBMI. After some interaction with Mr. Brian Fabricant, the general manager of MBMI, I need to make some significant corrections to my previous review. There are some omissions, lack of appropriate detail, some sloppy writing done in haste, a general lack of precision in the first posting, and in a few positions, a need for retraction to make appropriate corrections. None of these mistakes were intentional and the written record needs to be set straight. The author desires all honest and ethical companies to succeed. It would not be fair to Mr. Fabricant or MBMI not make this update. Mr. Fabricant has clearly and eloquently stated his position and given me his full assurances on MBMI’s quality standards as well as those of the companies that act as their suppliers. After interacting with Mr. Fabricant and talking to some past customers of MBMI, this company does work hard to maintain their BBB A plus rating and their fine reputation There was a great deal of impatience and frustration on my part during the construction of my building, and many small problems cropped up in what can be a complicated process. My main frustration revolved around a leaking ridge vent and lead to the first post which will be described in detail later.
First off, MBMI has quality standards, and as was mentioned previously, the staff was always friendly to me on the telephone before and during the building process. There were a number of minor difficulties with parts. As was mentioned in the first post, a bent corner column (a 10 foot long “U” channel piece made of 16 guage steel) had to be replaced and MBMI was good enough to do that at no cost to me. Mr. Fabricant explained that it was a non-stock item and required fabrication and then standard shipment. In my original opinion, this 10 day column delay seemed long especially with a work crew in place. Obviously, MBMI did their best they could during this situation.
Mr. Fabricant has also explained that he had no record on my telephone calls (July 29 through August 1) about the missing base trim. MBMI’s shop order indicated a total of 75 feet of trim ordered for a building requiring 88 feet. That was probably on of those “it just fell through the cracks” events or a small humanly error from a complicated job. This minor problem was saved by my builder who knew of a steel fabrication plant nearby that could duplicate the missing part. A few missing bolts from the kit, less than a dozen, were also purchased locally.
The main frustration of the project was in a leaking roof vent from an internal seal. Mr. Fabricant has identified that problem as a builder error, not a manufacturer error. MBMI kindly sent additional ridge caps at no charge to fill in the gap from the vent that had to be removed. I now have a dry barn.
Rust spots on the roof, which have been identified by MBMI as left over metal fillings from the builder. This explanation is consistent with a Nucor steel guide that I have acquired on the internet just this week. The builder has probably misplaced the blame for this error on MBMI and I have taken corrective action with him.
MBMI advertising is, in general accurate and not misleading. The bolts provided by MBMI were head stamped “HHW” which apparently were from h*o Hung Works of Taiwan (see the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Fastener Insignia Register). This was a disappointment to me in not being “Made in the USA”, but I have been assured they meet MBMI’s standards. They most likely meet all building specifications, correct tempering and Rockwell hardness.
An finally, the most important omissions of a balanced review. What were the good points? The painted panels supplied by MBMI were excellent. They were delivered with no noticeable scratches or dents from the shipping process. The paint was perfect. I chose “old town gray” of which I was high highly pleased. This color is also energy star rated so it should be good at keeping the building cool. Paint chip samples can be obtained upon request by calling MBMI. Many panel fasteners were sent in the MBMI kit, and I have been assured by Mr. Fabricant that they are of correct specifications and quality.
Those who desire a metal building should do their own extensive research [ie. BBB, agricultural or building internet forums, etc.] and check with locals who have taken the plunge into building a steel or metal building.. Also, if might be wise to check with your builder and see if he has any experiences with MBMI. Good rapport between your builder and your kit supplier is one key element for a good outcome. A consumer may wish to consider MBMI in their pre-purchasing evaluating process.
Disclaimers:
This and the previous post only represent the perceptions and opinions of the reviewer. These are influenced by the personal experiences and skills acquired during his lifetime. No special skills in design, construction, engineering, metallurgy, the metal or steel building industry or related fields are claimed or implied. No malice is intended or implied to MBMI, any other company nor any individual mentioned in these postings. These opinions are based upon personal observations and experiences only. No engineering laboratory testing was performed on any components in this reviewed product. Any company, individual, organization or forum specifically mentioned in this or the previous post does not represent an endorsement; mentioning of any competitors do not represent and endorsement over MBMI or its interests by the author. Any example cited were part of a discussion was for the consumer who wishes to conduct pre-purchasing on-line or personal survey research. The author of these posts is not being paid nor has been made any promise of payment by MBMI nor any of its competitors.
