Here is another vendor warning. ?I had some small areas of leakage in my basement. ?Had "A Better Choice" waterproofing come in and install interior French drains, a subpump, and a humidex. ?They guaranteed me that I would have a dry floor upon completion. It has actually been much worse since the work was done back in January. ?I now have leaks springing up all over the floor and the wall is soaked. ?They have come out a couple of times at my insistence and patched a few places on the floor, but this has not solved the problem at ?all. ?They clearly misdiagnosed the problem and made a recommendation and plan of action which was completely unsuccessful. ?I have not been able to get them to take care of this. ?It is looking like I will now have to spend around 11,000 more ( in addition to the 5600 I spent with them) to have the job redone. ?Be warned . ...I would strongly recommend against using "A Better Choice" for any work. -----Original Message----- From: lawrencewood1@comcast.net To: neighborhood@highlandparkpa.com Sent: Tue, Aug 25, 2009 3:28 pm Subject: [Highland Park] Vendor warning Unfortunately not all businesses seem to have good customer service habits (as pointed out below) ? 1. I had a new boiler installed by Beverley.? I thought I was doing the right thing by upgrading efficiency but the new Carrier boiler they installed has been significantly inferior to the old Burnham.? I haven't detected significant fuel savings and the "Carrier" is actually made by a low end company called Dunkirk; the boiler broke down at least 3 times in the first year of operation (the old one hadn't failed in 10 years since I purchased the home).? Also, Beverley installed it in an improper manner (failed to conform to code vis a vis?low water shutoffs and something else I forget?-?which?I learned from another contractor).? Lastly, the radiators and pipes now make horrible irregular knocking sounds (water hammer?) which they did not before and have not disspiated with several air bleeds and a system drain. ? 2. While at it, beware of Biondi Motors as well.? ? I got a new job which required me to get a car, fast.? I purchased a Ford Focus (which half a year and 15,000 miles in I am quite pleased with as basic transportation).? However, I specifically requested cruise control as the only option I cared about since I drive long distances.? The salesman basically said the control was "down here" which silly me I didn't feel the need to specifically verify.? Well, once purchased the car didn't have one.? Since it isn't exactly possible to retrofit and I realized the dealer wasn't making tons of profit on the car,?I asked just for a single oil change and tire rotation to keep me happy despite what I considered an element of poor salesmanship and deceit.? ? They refused (even when?I took it all the way to Mr. Biondi)!!!? I just got the oil change and rotation for $19.99 at Midas.? Any dealer (or businessman) who doesn't think of investing $19.99 for a lifetime of good customer relations is a fool.? My only regret is Biondi hasn't gone bust like so many other dealers.? If buying?a car, know that Biondi will NOT stand behind you as a customer.? Don't go there and warn all your friends from Monroeville and the area as well. ? Caveat Emptor I guess ----- Original Message ----- From: dbbogen@aol.com To: neighborhood@highlandparkpa.com Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:37:13 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [Highland Park] contractor warning We had a versa-lok patio put in 5 years ago by Anthony Landscaping. The fellow we dealt with was Chuck Palmieri. He made very specific recommnedations about what would work for the? patio and seemed good as did the work for a year. But the patio began to buckle as the sand beneath it settled. They came back once to put more sand beneath it but it kept settling unevenly. I called last Spring to ask them to fix it again as it was still under warranty and they agreed to come do it -- but never did. I let him know we have small children next door and I was concerned they would trip and fall right off the raised patio. After six weeks and many phone calls Palmieri told me he had too much work to get to us anytime soon.? So in my view they failed to honor the warranty and I wanted people to know. I am currently looking for someone else to fix their work. -- -- <http://lists.highlandparkpa.com/mailman/listinfo/neighborhood>