Complaint Review: Professional Wood Interiors/David Portell - Maryland Heights Missouri

This is the true story of our dealings with Mr. Portell:

1. The down payment check was cashed within days
2. There was no "third party" contractor
3. No windows were moved.  We have no bay window.
4. The cabinet dimensions were not changed.
5. The cabinets were promised to be installed by Thanksgiving.
6. Numerous calls to Portell were unanswered.  
    That is why my husband visited his home/workshop in late December.
7. We hired a lawyer who worked out an agreement with Portell.
8. We inspected cabinets at Portell's home/workshop in February.
    The cabinets were delivered and a reduced payment was made per agreement.
9. The cabinet construction was okay, but the paint job was defective.
    It will cost us $2,000 to have the cabinets repainted by a reputable company.

I am the owner of the house in question. Mr. Portell's explanation is a complete fabrication.
The truth: 1- Down payment was cashed within a few days
                 2-There was no 3rd-party contractor  
                 3-No windows were moved. We have no bay window.
                 4-No changes were made to cabinet dimensions
                 5-The cabinets were promised by Thanksgiving
                 6-Numerous calls to Portell were left unanswered. That's why
                    I went to his residence in late December.
                 7-We hired a lawyer who negotiated an agreement with Portell
                 8-I inspected the cabinets at Portell's residence and approved
                    delivery in February. We paid him a reduced amount per agreement.
                 9-The construction of the cabinets is ok but the paint job is defective.
                    The cost for repainting will be $2000

Mr. Portell's rebuttal makes no sense whatsoever.  He lists his business/home address on every internet site out there with hours in which he is open and even a map giving directions to his garage/shop.  If he doesn't want anyone "invading his personal space" why on earth would he put his home/business address all over the internet with maps that lead directly to his house/business?  It gives consumers the idea they can visit a showroom with the hours he has listed on these sites.

Having dealt with Mr. Portell myself I can say these people probably tried to get hold of him many times concerned about their $3K deposit and no cabinets.  Once Dave Portell has a job he's basically done with you. He has 0% guarantee even though he toots his horn in saying he likes to do it right the first time I beg to differ. Just try to get him back to repair something after he has installed it and see how far you get. And I'm not the only one I can list other consumers who have had the same problem but no names are allowed. I have a picture of Dave Portell standing in his garage as my husband and I sat across from his home phoning him. He didn't answer the phone but just looked at it. We had been trying for literally months upon monhs to get him out to look at our cabinets, finally got a lawyer.  He told us the same thing he told the other people he did work for.....it was wear and tear.

The advise I would give anyone wanting to hire this "contractor" is do your homework. Check US district court records to see if the company and/or owner is solvent and isn't a career bankruptian. Check casenet on St. Louis county government websites for lawsuits against this man and outstanding judgments as well as St. Charles County.  Although this guy is cheapter then some, you get what you pay for. You worked hard for your money and it took you a long time to earn it.  Take a little more time and do your homework. Contractors lie.......court records don't.  They will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about this guy. I wish to God I would have done it. REM EMBER........NO CONTRACTOR IN HIS RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO GIVE YOU REFERECES OF JOBS/PEOPLE THEY HAVE SCREWED OVER!!!!!

THEY WILL NEVER LIST THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUED THEM OR THE MANY PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T AFFORD TO SUE HIM AFTER PAYING HIM HIS FEES BUT JUST LET MATTERS GO.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!  You won't be sorry. 



As far as this rebuttal......read the woman's story and then read Dave's rebuttal. It just doesn't add up.

One more thing........you will know this contractor is lying if his lips are moving........period. 

After waiting 30 days for our down payment to clear the bank after 2 attempts.  We were over 3 weeks into this project when the customer called and informed us the demo contractor ran into problems and had to lower windows in the bay. We informed the customer that the cabinets were already manufactured to the original dimensions per our contract.  The Customer wanted us to make changes to our cabinetry to fit the new measurements. I told the client that the cabinets were already built and we were already working on the doors. Customer refused to pay additional charges for remaking of new cabinets. Since the customer would not come to an agreement, we were stuck with material and labor and the customer was not entitled to any refunds. We're sorry the customer wouldn't come to a workable agreement.    Its sad in this business, that we as legitimate contractors are the first to blamed and ridiculed when there are two sides to every story.  Our #1 goal in this business is for customer satisfaction and job referrals.  Its sometimes impossible to please everyone but we always make an attempt for customer satisfaction.  The customer went as far as to invade my privacy at my personal residence.   Because of this situation that incurred due to a 3rd party contractor our new policy is to not commence manufacturing until all demo work has been completed.