K. H.
Vienna,#2Consumer Comment
Mon, September 26, 2011
Randy Hall purported herself to be a licensed interior designer and licensed realtor, both of which I discovered too late, are false. Ken Hall represented himself, also falsely, as a licensed kitchen and bath contractor. I hired them to 'update' 2 bathrooms and to add a hutch to the kitchen to prepare it for sale. A contract from the Hall's, complete with job descriptions and specific costs, was agreed to.
The schedule ran more than double it's stated length, because the Hall's continuously pulled their only worker, who I later discovered was an illegal immigrant, for other client's jobs. Toward the end of the job, I decided to keep the house for an additional year, due to the rapidly declining market which began during the renovation. Immediately, the Hall's abandoned the incomplete job.They sent me a new bill, with many figures more than triple their initial written amount, even though I never once requested any changes to materials or altered the scope of the job. Several thousands of dollars worth of false labor hours were padded into the bill;suddenly, dozens of stock items from Lowes, etc had triple the prices for the same installed materials originally agreed to.
They kept over $4000 of my deposit and refused to respond to all written requests for them to both complete the job and return the unused portion of the deposit. A year afterwards, I sued them in small claims court, to which Ken Hall filed a counter-suit, seeking not only to keep my $4000,but also an additional $5000. In court Ken Hall was unprepared, with no paperwork, and repeatedly lied to the judge. The judge ruled completely in my favor, and ordered Ken Hall to return my funds. He filed an appeal, which is pending. However, my attorney knows Ken Hall's case is flimsy and is confident his appeal has no merit in court.
In addition to the utter frustration of being stolen from, the workmanship was very poor. At my own expense, I had to hire tile specialists to repair cracked or loose tile and grout. The finish on three bath faucets began peeling off. The hot and cold water was reversed in the shower. I had to hire a carpenter to finish days of carpentry work the Halls abandoned.
It is appalling to have lived in a city as nice and friendly as Milton with 'neighbors' such as the Hall's.