AJM Construction Services

"We have been in business for more than 30 years with the vast majority of our business based on repeat customers and referrals (HomeAdvisor is new for us). Our goal is to leave every customer happy, but there are rare occasions when it's not just about the work and the customer cannot be made happy. Our estimate was given based on photos provided from Mike's side of the property showing fence panels that had fallen but they did not show the neighbors side which had a lower elevation with a planter bed that ran the length of the fence, or the irrigation lines that fed them. We take responsibility for providing the estimate without visiting the property however it wasn't discovered until after we started removing the old fence post footings. When Mike and I spoke, I was having trouble understanding the problems he was describing so I agreed to drive out the following day and assess what needed to be done. Once onsite we reviewed the work together and agreed on what needed to be done; 1) clean up the concrete footings, and 2) he and the neighbors didn't like how the old 2x4s were splintered at the ends where they attached to the new posts. Mistakes happen but it's how they are handled that matters most. Unfortunately, we mixed and poured our concrete from Mike's side of the property and because of the different elevations the concrete was not as clean it should have been. With regard to the splintered 2x4s, I explained to Mike that the 2x4s were old and had broken off of the original posts when the fence fell down but this wasn't a reasonable explanation for him so I offered to patch the wood to make it more attractive. The following day we returned at our expense, fixed the concrete footings, and did our best to clean up the 2x4s with the use of the wood repair but the neighbor didn't like the color of the wood patch so we only repaired one board. Once the repair work was completed, I sent Mike a text message, and here was our communication; FRIDAY APRIL 2 AJM: "Good morning Mike have you and your neighbor had a chance to review the work?? MIKE: ?Yes? AJM: "Ok Great? MIKE: "How do I get the second check to you?? AJM: "Would it be possible to send the money via Zelle or Venmo? Mike: ?How much do I owe you?? AJM: ?$800? Mike: "I am happy to mail you a check or you can stop by. If you want me to use Venmo, I'm fine with that if you are ok with me deducting the Venmo fee. Also, if you could please send me the receipt by e-mail. Please let me know and I'll take care of pmt today.? AJM: "Thank you, Venmo works and we should be able to do it without a fee. My Venmo username is xxxxxxx? Mike said he would send the money on Friday April 2nd but then without any explanation, he stopped communicating. So after 3 or 4 days days of not getting a response, I started sending multiple messages each day asking for him to respond and to let us know if he intended on paying. Finally the following Friday, April 9th, he called to tell me that he had planned on paying us but because I was ?harassing" him for payment he was only going to pay some of the money that is owed. When I said that wasn?t acceptable and that I would take him to court, he laughed and said it would cost me more money to take him to court and promised to give us a bad review. I followed our call with an email that documented the conversation and indicated that we would file a mechanics lien as well as take him to small claims court. Fortunately the following Tuesday we received a check from Mike for the balance. We had excellent communication prior to and during the project, but when it came time to pay, Mike disappeared. Our goal is to make our customers happy and when problems occur, we stand behind our work. We respect our customers and their time and make an extra effort to communicate every step of the way. Unfortunately Mike didn't reciprocate this respect."