Deck Medic of Fox Valley

Things went from bad to worse. I replaced a few boards before the sanding and staining was to be done. The carpenter told me "a few of the boards are thicker than the existing". I told the carpenter "don't worry about that. The deck guys are going to sand it all down". This was my understanding from the start. I have evidence I communicated with DeckMedic my understanding that the deck would be sanded to get rid of the rough surface. Their ad calls it "sanding to remove the raised grain". I even mentioned he will most definitely need to hammer all nails before sanding. Otherwise he will tear up his sander. He agreed. The sanding was never done and many of the nails were never hammered down. I brought a third party service company in for their opinion. Their professional opinion "the deck was never sanded as the raised grain on the wood stands out and is very rough" Second issue: my deck stairs needed rebuilt then would need stained. Ryan and I came to an agreement. He would give me a $400 discount due to my dissatisfaction. He would send me a discounted invoice marked paid and would include a contractual promise to come back in the spring to stain new stairs. After I paid him, he said the invoice is in the mail. It never showed up. Now he still won't give me the invoice.

It was very well, any problems I had they corrected with no issue. Very responsive.

Deck Medic is the worst contractor with whom we have ever dealt. They make a lot of empty promises about getting work done but do not fulfill them. They do not show up when they say they will. We signed a contract for them to stain our fence and deck. In terms of the quality of their work, when they stained our fence they did not do the top (I was told the workers were too short). They also did not stain it the color we requested. In terms of the deck, when they finished staining it, it began to rain. So it ruined the deck. That was one week ago. I asked them to come out later that past week to re-stain it but I was told that other customers were waiting. What about me, who was before the 'other' customers? They said they would come out today to re-stain the deck but no one has shown up. And we are scheduled to get significant rain the rest of the week. So who knows when they will get back to us. We would NEVER use Deck Medic again and I hope anyone who considers using them reads this cautionary tale.

Ryan was the contact and project lead for my area. Our initial impression of Ryan was that he was the most informed and professional amongst the services we were considering. We talked to 2-3 other companies to give an estimate and answer any questions. I was home at the time of Ryan's visit. He asked questions as to what my ideas and expectations were. Then he took a couple minutes to take measurements. After he knew the job was feasible, he took some time to present the quote and Deck Medic's 5-step process. A professional folder with all the information was included. Deck Medic won we at that moment, because no other company that detailed their services to me. I felt informed about what they were going to do, and because of that I felt they were also offering me the most services. Bonus credit for offering the largest and most diverse offerings of stain colors. We spent close to 30 minutes talking and answering any questions. I paid the deposit in August. I called to confirm with Ryan that the deposit came though. Ryan stated that the project will start in middle September. Mid-September came, and Ryan called to confirm that they will start Monday. The first day of work came (Week 1 - Monday), and two guys arrived for Steps 1-3, power-washing, cleaning, etc. I was impressed that all surfaces agreed upon was completed in one day. I knew it would need a couple days to dry before the next steps could be started. The weather that week was above 80 degrees, hot and no chance of rain. I called Ryan the next day (Week 1 - Tuesday), to confirm that the crew had done work the day before. I inquired to when they would be coming back. Ryan stated it would be done that week. Ryan stated he would be having two crews come in on Thursday for Steps 4-5 and complete the job, and that Friday would unlikely be needed. (Week 1) Thursday comes, and no crew has arrived. No one calls me. I call Ryan to ask what time they maybe will be appearing. Ryan admits that even though he remembers himself saying the teams would be coming Thursday, they were are not coming that day. Instead, Ryan 'meant' to say they will be coming (Week 1) Friday to finish the job. This was then I had to express a conflict of interest. Because Ryan had set expectations that the project would be done by Thursday end of day, I had already scheduled another company to remove a treehouse on the property that Saturday. The deck, however, was the only way to go to the treehouse and back. I asked Ryan that if the project was completed by Friday, would it not be enough time to dry for use on Saturday. Ryan agreed with my concern. I asked then to reschedule for (Week 2) Monday to complete the job. Ryan confirmed he would reschedule for Monday. (Week 2) Monday comes, and again, no crew arrives. Again no calls to me. I call Ryan and ask when the crews are coming. Ryan then states that he had the appointment in his calendar for Tuesday, and never claims it was Monday. I get frustrated and state that I am worried about the project after two incidents of false expectations. Ryan tries to counter argue that the project would have been done, if I had not rescheduled the job. I agree that Deck Medic is not responsible if I reschedule due to conflicts. However, I am again pointing out that the reschedule wouldn't have happened in the first place if the crews came in on (Week 1) Thursday, as Ryan had originally stated on the phone. Further, Ryan had already admitted he said Thursday, even though that was a 'mistake'. Ryan states that the crews will be coming (Week 2) Tuesday. I made Ryan state to me over the phone that I am the top priority and there there are no other projects to be juggled around with. The morning of (Week 2) Tuesday comes, and it rains. Ryan does call me first and leaves a voicemail indicating that it is too wet to finish the job that day. I call back and agree. We both agree to reschedule for (Week 2) Wednesday. (Week 2) Wednesday comes, and only the gazebo roof is completed and left to dry. I was not home during the work. Only two employees come - not 'two crews' that was available to come last week. No calls to me to update on the current status of the project. (Week 2) Thursday comes, and the gazebo is completed and left to dry. The entire deck is still unfinished. I was not home during the work. Only two employees come - not 'two crews' that was available to come last week. No calls to me to update on the current status of the project. (Week 2) Friday arrives, that the two man crew finished the job. I was home at the tail end. They knocked on my door to inform me to come out and take a look. From the areas I could see and reach, the job looked finished. No call from Ryan. Week 3 comes. No follow up call. Invoice is mailed to me. The information on the invoice is incorrect. The payments/credits, the amount I already paid, was shortchanged. I call Ryan on Friday to express my concern. Ryan states it will be corrected. I request a new invoice gets mailed. Ryan asks if he can email. I state email is fine. Instead, I get a text message with the new invoice... My frustration is all with Ryan. The job itself, for what I can say with limited expertise, looks fantastic. The crewmen I met were friendly and non-conflicting. Deck Medic had sold me on its services, and Ryan was the one who made me believe Deck Medic would also care about me and my property. However Ryan did not live up to a lot of the exceptions he set. I would hire the services again, but I would not necessarily hire Ryan.

Paint job went well. We had one minor issue and it was corrected.

Great! Dave knew the exact type of stain to use. i had previously used a painter who applied the wrong type of stain which peeled in less than 1 year.

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I first contacted Ryan in early May of 2014. He was such a personable and kind person. We set an appointment for him to see my deck and give me an estimate for their Restoration Process in which they clean, sand, and stain the deck. Ryan came out and measured the deck, explaining the process to me very carefully. His explanation was very clear and comprehensive so that I had a perfect idea of how this job would proceed. He was able to print a report and estimate from his truck so that I didn't have to wait several days and play phone tag to get things going. 
We sat on the porch and he gave me a packet with all of the information we'd already gone over. The estimate for my deck, which was quite large, was only $850. I've had quotes in the past of $500 just to STAIN the deck. However, Deck Bright would power wash the deck, fix all nail pops and screws, sand the deck, and then stain it for the price of $850.00. I said yes immediately. After I spoke to Ryan, and just for informational purposes, I got a quote on a newly built deck of the same size and structure. To replace the deck would cost $9,500. With Deck Bright's work, I believe I will get another few seasons out of this structure, which was built 30 years ago and not really cared for. It was in need of repairs beyond what Deck Bright does, so I've gotten those taken care of. 
Ryan brought before and after photos of decks they had restored so that I could see what they were able to do. I was impressed with both his preparation and the pride they took in their work. Having the photos helped cinch the deal for me because a contractor who is willing to show you their work and offer references is an honest one. He also brought samples of wood stained with their different options of stain colors. Again, a better way to choose a color than to see it on paper. Ryan again had photos of completed decks with each color of stain. The whole selection process was so easy and this small but important preparation on his part enabled me to make my selection more quickly and with greater confidence. It also ensured that I would be happy with the final product. I would that all contractors thought of these small gestures to make the process easy on clients. 
I was asked to put down one quarter of the price to retain their services when I signed the contract with Ryan. Again,  was very impressed because contractors typically request half. Overall, I was thrilled with the price, the experience of getting an estimate, and the cost of proceeding with the project. Because this work depends entirely on weather (rain will ruin the staining process), Ryan couldn't give me an exact date, but estimated the project would begin in late June. I was fine with that date. 
Well, in this area, it rained every single day for 4 and 1/2 weeks for at least 2 hours a day. It seemed we would be humid all day, get a thunderstorm in the evening, and a downpour at night. For the record, it's normal to get severe storms in June in the Midwest, but the constant rain was excessive. I waited out July because of the weather, knowing there was no way they could work in those conditions. I understood that the process would be delayed and I didn't mind because I want the job done right. Rushing a contractor on an outside job ends in disaster. Yet, I know that's what happened to Deck Bright of Fox Valley. I'd encourage any client scheduling an outdoor project in the summer to be patient with unusual weather. Trust me: these companies WANT to do your job because that's how they get paid. They aren't dogging it or ignoring you. They just don't want to have to repeat their work. So be patient, for heaven's sake, and don't harass them if the delay is clearly caused by weather. 
I called the last day of July just to see where I was placed on the work order and Ryan, ironically, was set to call me that day to let me know my job would begin the very next day. We discussed the process again. Ryan apologized profusely for the delay. I assured him it was fine, because it was. I would have liked to have had the deck look good all summer, but I'd lived with it in that condition for six years. Six weeks was no problem. Still, it was very nice that he took so much personal responsibility for the delay. That isn't usual for contractors. 
The project began the next day, as he promised. The power washing alone was done so well that the deck looked new. They took care to avoid wounding all of the plantings I had around the deck. Only one was slightly damaged--nothing critical. And, again, I received a personal apology from the head of the crew for that. He was the one who pointed it out to me. Very honest group at Deck Bright. The crew was very nice, even asking me if I needed the furniture placed back on the deck in between this step and the next. I told them not to bother, but they were prepared to replace everything and then remove it again when they returned for the final process. 
A week later, Ryan called me to inform me that they would be out either the next afternoon or, if timing would require them to stop the job in the middle, the next morning. He explained that they want to finish the job once started rather than leave it halfway. This makes sense as the stain will look uneven if they stop in between. 
They came out and completed the sanding, the nail pops, and the staining the morning he said they would. They were finished in a few hours and our deck was jaw dropping. They brought me to see it and explained clearly when we could walk on it, when the dogs could walk on it, and when the furniture could be replaced (the timing for each is different). Again, very clear, coherent, and easy to understand directions for us. I paid for the remainder of the deck, which was exactly what was estimated: $850. The deck looks like new. It's gorgeous. Now we can put up the canopy we purchased for it. We're very excited. 
Do NOT hesitate to call Deck Bright of Fox Valley. You will be thrilled with the experience, the results, and, most importantly, the price. You will also be happy with the way you are treated as a customer. You can tell that customer satisfaction is how Ryan and his team have built their business. We're more than customers, now. We're fans. 
Thank you, guys!