Steve Smith Designs

BBB report 9-9-2012: Complaint Description: Failure to honor contract, failure to meet scheduled appointments, substandard work. Steve Smith Designs contracted to replace existing residential landscape and install sprinkler system. Majority of work was done in October 2011 and vendor was paid in full with the understanding that sprinkler maintenance was covered for a year and additional planting and final landscape work would be finished in Spring 2012. The sprinkler system was activated in April 2012. However, Steve Smith Designs, despite more than a dozen promises, customer-supplied Punch List, a few fly-by visits in May and June, has failed to fix numerous problems with the yard, the sprinkler system in particular. Three (3) sprinkler system vendors inspected the yard in July and detailed the short-cuts - substituting PVC for copper pipe, substituting heads (Hunter and Toro instead of all Rainbird products, as specified in bid) - and substandard work (heads not placed properly to cover turf) that need to be remediated. Steve Smith was notified that he would be replaced on July 31st and that the cost for fixing the sprinkler system (Time & Materials) would be passed on to him for payment. Your Desired Resolution: See complaint. 1) NEED "AS BUILT" of sprinkler system immediately for the replacement vendor; Steve Smith never delivered. The As Built was requested for the 2nd time on August 2. No response was provided to two emailed requests. 2) REFUND. New vendor needs to replace and / or reposition nozzles and lay new pipe in order to remedy inadequate installation by Steve Smith Designs. REFUND looked for from Steve Smith Designs so Consumer is not paying twice for the same work. 3) WARRANTY extended on all other landscape work and commitment to h-o-n-o-r it. Resolution: After more than a month, Steve Smith responded to the BBB with inexplicable excuses. He never responded to 9-23-2012 rebuttal so the BBB had to close the case as unresolved. A final bill for remediation of the sprinkler system ($944) was submitted 10-9-12 (no response) and again 11- 20-12 (certified mail not picked up). Analysis by replacement sprinkler vendor: Nine nozzles were replaced for proper coverage. After proper adjustments were made to each zone, the clock required reprogramming to abide to restricted water usage guidelines set by Denver water; it was determined that with the existing settings to the clock, a total of 38 hours and 22 minutes were being used each week the system was on. Savings of water per week = 22 hours and 22 minutes. Two zones were not on the clock at all and programmed time for one zone was set previously at 6:00 hours; the clock would use this time and not allow any zones past this to turn on until the 6 hour cycle was done. This affected timing in the water cycles for entire property. There also was a mixture of nozzles used by brands from Toro, Rain Bird and Hunter. All nozzles changed to Rain Bird for consistency throughout property. It is our opinion that the current systems heads for placement, nozzle choice and clock settings are all contributing factors to why the turf has stressed and died off. The back flow unit upon initial check had the bonnet portion loose with no rubber seal. The unit was tightened and a new seal was installed and the unit appears to be holding. The unit may need to be raised due to not being more than 18" above the tallest head on property. This may cause the unit to back charge and release water. _____________ Additional landscaping work costs was not recouped (re-laying brickwork, tree trimming), equalling several hundred more dollars.