Design Plus 2000 Inc

Let me begin by telling you one of the things that Jim Binandeh of Design Plus 2000 inc. told us when we first met with him. He said "whenever he does any work for any of his clients, if it is not good enough for my own family, then it is not good enough for you". The initial impression he gave us was that of a trust worthy and honest man. We wanted to find someone we can trust since we have had unpleasant experiences with other contractors over the years and you read so much about service providers not being what they say they are. Here is a list of my(our) complaints with Design Plus 2000: - When Jim was doing work in our attic, I asked him if there was any asbestos up there ? He replied "no, not at all". I eventually found out from his plumber (who by the way has since severed ties with him) that there was indeed an asbestos coated exhaust tube that was part of the old A/C system. As soon as you climb up the ladder into the attic, the asbestos coated exhaust tube was one of the first things in your face. I eventually had some roof work done by another company and they had also confirmed that it was asbestos and agreed to remove and properly dispose of it for an additional cost. The roofers and plumber both agreed that an experienced contractor would immediately recognize the asbestos. They said that since it would cost $ to properly dispose of it, Jim claimed that there was no asbestos in the attic to avoid the extra cost. Would Jim expose his own family to such a hazard ? Probably not. So much for his "if it is not good enough for my own family, it is not good enough for you" philosophy. - The new $325 toilet that was installed in our newly remodeled bathroom has LOW flush strength so we have to not only flush the toilet twice, but have to stand there and WAIT for the water reservoir to fill up after the first flush. A waste of water, $ and time ! And, a toilet bowl ring appears within 2 days after cleaning because of the incomplete flush. I mentioned it to Jim but he insisted there was nothing wrong with it. I went to Home Depot and saw the same toilet. Not only was it one of the most expensive toilets, but there also was a flush strength meter next to each toilet to let the customers know the flush strength of each toilet. The exact same model that Jim had installed in my bathroom had the lowest flush strength as indicated by the flush meter. It was the most expensive toilet and the worst performing. Now I have to pay more $ to have this toilet replaced. - The tankless water heater that Jim had installed in our attic failed after only a year. It leaked and caused water damage to the newly painted ceiling above the entry. We had to pay someone $500 to cut out and replace the ceiling dry wall, bull nose the edge and re-paint. Jim's ex-plumber told me that the warranty was only for 1 yr. so I had to also pay for another new tankless water heater ! I asked the plumber what the average life span is for these tankless water heaters and he said approx. 10 yrs. I then asked why did mine fail so soon ? Did I get a lemon ? He then confessed to me that this particular product is junk...cheaply made... and that Jim instructed him to install the cheapest and lowest cost product to keep the overall price quote low. Jim is the one who talked us into installing a tankless water heater. He made it sound so good. Would he have installed an inferior product like this in his home for his family ? NOT ! If it is not good enough for his family, then it is not good enough for me.... yeah right ! I smell a wolf in sheeps clothing. - Less than 2 yrs. after Jim did our electrical work, an electrical outlet in the newly remodeled bathroom doesn't work, an outlet in the living room doesn't work and 3 of the newly installed energy efficient recessed lights are out. - Jim tends to get impatient and do things out of proper sequence or careful thought. One example is the placement of the lighting fixtures in our kitchen. We had 9 ceiling recessed lights and 3 hanging pendant lights installed by Jim. He first measured from wall to wall, then marked and cut holes in the ceiling for the recessed lights. Then he did the same for the 3 pendant lights that hang above the granite counter where we sit to eat. After he finished installing the lights they looked perfectly centered above the kitchen. BUT, when it came time to install the cabinets and granite counter, he failed to factor in the ceiling space that would be taken up by the cabinets when he did his initial measurements for the lighting. So now the 9 ceiling lights are not evenly spaced in the ceiling and 3 of them are right up against the cabinets. All 9 lights should be shifted approx. 6 inches so they are evenly distributed and properly centered in the ceiling. Also, the 3 hanging pendant lights are not evenly distributed above the granite counter and should be shifted over approx. 6 inches. Speaking of pendant lights, since this was our very first time having some installed in our home, we did some research as to how low they should be hung from the ceiling. We looked at approx. 5 restaurants and 3 hotels to see the position of their pendant lights. Every single example we looked at had their pendants hanging approx. 2 1/2 to 3 ft. above the table. This made sense to us because the pendants were high enough to not obscure your view or bump your head against, yet low enough to cast the proper amount and distribution of light. But Jim insisted that they should be positioned lower at 1 1/2 ft. above the table. When we told him that we preferred that the pendants be positioned higher, he seemed to get frustrated and upset. In fact, his electrician had mentioned to me that Jim was ranting several times throughout the day about how ugly the pendants looked at that height. I also went to the lighting store where we purchased the pendants and they also recommended the height be 2 1/2 to 3 ft. above the table. I realize that sometimes these decisions are subjective or a matter of taste and should really not be such a big deal but his stubborn opinions got in the way several times and he makes you feel like you are stupid and don't know what you're talking about. Another example is that my wife wanted keep the carpeting in the living room and 3 bedrooms. Jim doesn't like carpeting and had an attitude about our decision. We are the paying customer. He should respect our opinions and ideas whether he likes them or not. Especially if it doesn't create extra work for him or cut into his profits. - The carousel in our supposedly new microwave stop working after only 6 months. I now can not repair or return the microwave under warranty because Jim never gave me the receipt or operator's manual that I had asked him for several times. Does he have something to hide ? Is the microwave a refurbished item ? I had asked Jim, several times, for receipts and manuals for the various items he purchased for our home in the event that we need to repair, return, exchange or for warranty purposes. But he kept delaying and saying he would produce the receipts but never did. - The shutters we had Jim install on one of our windows is junk. Within 6 months after the installation, 3 of the wooden slats developed moisture cracks. It is only a matter of time before the other slats develop cracks. We have shutters on our other windows throughout the house and have had no problem with them after 10 yrs. - His painter is terrible and always complained about how Jim doesn't pay him enough. He will only paint one coat and when I pointed out to him that there were streaks here and there and you could obviously see the old paint still, he would just touch up the small section where my finger pointed and ignore the rest of the wall that obviously still needed attention. I complained to Jim about him many times but he was unable to get his painter's full cooperation. They also did some exterior painting on the stucco. Jim didn't even wait 24 hrs. for the paint to properly dry and had his painter use a pressure washer to clean the facia. Since the paint was not totally dry yet, there were water stains running down the painted wall. After 2 days I noticed that the water stains were not going away and mentioned it to Jim. He seemed irritated and in a condesending tone said "the stains will fade away". After 2 more days the stains were still visible and it was obvious the stain was permanent so Jim grudgingly called his painter back. You would think that the 2 so- called professionals would right their wrong , right ? Nope, they bought new paint that was not even close to the original color of the other exterior walls, and, once again, he put only one thin coat of paint and it was streaked. I had to eventually call and pay another painter to redo the job right. I have much more to say about Jim Binandeh but there is not enough space left for my review. You are probably wondering why I let him get away with all this. I called him and left messages but got no response. I eventually saw him at a social function and he claimed that he did call me back but still didn't even ask why I had been trying to contact him. Seems odd that he NEVER had a problem getting in touch with me before and I always did get his messages. We had him do a lot of work to our home and he made some good money. Maybe there were no more opportunities left to make more $ off of us so he decided to ignore us. -