Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
About us
Full waterproofing and foundation stabilization company that is family owned and operated since 1978. No contractors - we use only our trained employees. Fully licensed, bonded and insured. Dba: Ram Jack of Illinois. Additional fax: (630) 595-5377. Award winning. Uses licensed subcontractors for structural engineering.
Business highlights
47 years of experience
Services we offer
Waterproofing: drain tile systems, crawl space, foundation stabilization, piering & underpinning. Now offering Carpet Cleaning and Restoration!, sump pumps & foundation crack repair
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.452 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 75% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 10% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 6% |
Showing 1-25 of 52 reviews
Shelley R.
Mar 2023
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Here is a list so you can read everything we’ve been through with this company. Spent over $11,000 in 2020 to have interior drain tile and a landing drain connected to a new sump pump Had water enter through the doorway by the drain 3 times since 2020, with the most water coming inside September of 2022 Called Safeguard in September 2022. Safeguard refused to even check the system, sent us a quote for $1,800 more work to “fix us up” without even checking anything on our property Had a 3rd party company out to inspect the drain that Safeguard refused to check. Discovered they breached our contract and connected the drain to village stormwater tiling without our consent or the consent of the village. Have never received as much as an apology. Instead, Safeguard blamed us saying the drain was clogged with leaves, and that is why we flooded. This was disproved by Roto-Rooter. Update as of 3/3/2023 AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Here is a list so you can read everything we’ve been through with this company. Spent over $10,800 in 2020 to have interior drain tile and a landing drain connected to a new sump pump. Had water enter through the doorway by the drain 3 times since 2020, with the most water coming inside September of 2022. Called Safeguard in September 2022. Safeguard refused to even check the system, sent us a quote for $1,800 more work to “fix us up” without even checking anything on our property. Had a 3rd party company out to inspect the drain that Safeguard refused to check. Discovered they breached our contract and connected the drain to village stormwater tiling without our consent or the consent of the village. Have never received as much as an apology. Instead, Safeguard blamed us saying the drain was clogged with leaves, and that is why we flooded. This was disproved by Roto-Rooter. The company refused to fix anything and did not respond to requests until I submitted a formal complaint on the BBB website exposing the breach of contract Have spent months (5) trying to come to an agreement we are comfortable with in order to have them out to fix the work. They do say they will repair the work for free, BUT… They tried to get us to waive their liability should the village fine us for the stormwater connection. There will be NO WARRANTY of this free work. So, if the concrete starts breaking a few months after the fix, they’re not liable. They claim they did not connect the drain incorrectly, and they are doing this fix to appease us (even though I have my contact that clearly states what was to be done, and a signed letter from the president stating that they did in fact do something else). As a result, we asked for a simple 1 year work and materials warranty just to ease our fears about something breaking in the future. Their response- WE WILL NOT ALTER THIS CONTRACT. Bob, John and Karen have been nothing but awful to work with. They are argumentative at best. The amount of times sarcasm and ALL CAPS have been used in emails by Karen, as well as the amount of times my husband has been screamed at over the phone or in person by Bob and John are immeasurable. As soon as you write them a check and they finish the work, they’re done. Even if they blatantly breach your contract (like with us), or the work is faulty, I believe they will not fix or stand by anything. They claim they have one of the strongest warranties in the business- I assure you this is a lie. If they do work and it never breaks, consider yourself lucky, because if something goes wrong they will not help you in any way shape or form to solve the problem, in my opinion. Instead, they will blame you as the customer and ignore you until you become too loud to ignore. Do yourself a favor, spend a little bit more money and go somewhere else that actually backs up their work and treats their consumers well. This is not that place. RUN AWAY. The company refused to fix anything and did not respond to requests until I submitted a formal complaint on the BBB website exposing the breach of contract Have spent months (5) trying to come to an agreement we are comfortable with in order to have them out to fix the work They do say they will repair the work for free, BUT… They tried to get us to waive their liability should the village fine us for the stormwater connection There will be NO WARRANTY of this free work. So, if the concrete starts breaking a few months after the fix, they’re not liable They claim they did not connect the drain incorrectly, and they are doing this fix to appease us (even though I have my contact that clearly states what was to be done, and a signed letter from the president stating that they did in fact do something else) As a result, we asked for a simple 1 year work and materials warranty just to ease our fears about something breaking in the future. Their response- WE WILL NOT ALTER THIS CONTRACT Bob, John and Karen have been nothing but awful to work with. They are argumentative at best. The amount of times sarcasm and ALL CAPS have been used in emails by Karen, as well as the amount of times my husband has been screamed at over the phone or in person by Bob and John are immeasurable. As soon as you write them a check and they finish the work, they’re done. Even if they blatantly breach your contract (like with us), or the work is faulty, they will not fix or stand by anything. They claim they have one of the strongest warranties in the business- I assure you this is a lie. If they do work and it never breaks, consider yourself lucky, because if something goes wrong they will not help you in any way shape or form to solve the problem. Instead, they will blame you as the customer and ignore you until you become too loud to ignore. Do yourself a favor, spend a little bit more money and go somewhere else that actually backs up their work and treats their consumers well. This is not that place. RUN AWAY.
Beverly R.
Jul 2016
There was a cave-in at one location outside the foundation where they had put their equipment, and they came quickly to repair it. They did not clean up very well after themselves for the interior work, and they left cracked tile. They have not come back to look at the extra cracks.
Brian E.
Apr 2016
the porch was raised approximately 2", which is fine. I was also led to believe the gap between the porch and the home which had developed as a result of the porch settling would be closed as the porch was raised (and rotated back toward the house). The gap was not closed, which was my primary reason for contracting the work. While I have to believe that the porch is now completely stable based on the helical piers, the aesthetics were not improved. Furthermore, when I returned home, the gap had now been filled with a caulk (about 2" wide) across the entire length of my porch. Unfortunately, whoever put applied the caulk did an extremely poor job. After a $9000 job, I now have to have someone else come out to meticulously remove the caulk and reapply in it in congruent and professional manner. When I questioned John about this, he said "Well, caulking is not our forte'". If it is not their forte, why did they do this? I did not ask him to do it nor was it a part of our agreement.
What was further irritating, after they completed the job at approximately 4pm on a Tuesday, I rec'd a call at 8am Wednesday morning demanding payment of the balance of the bill. When I let the admin know that I was about ready to get in a cab to the airport, she got nasty and said "The Contract states that full payment is due upon completion!". While that is technically true, it wasn't more than 16 hours after the fact. Understandably, this left a bad taste in my mouth and feel that the professionalism and courtesy that drew me to RamJack was dissolved as soon as $$ was in the picture. For the record, I provided her my credit card number and paid them during the phone call.
In the end, I'm not sure whether another firm would have 'closed the gap' or not, but the point is that John all-but-promised me that it would be closed. I of course didn't anticipate it being flush with the house once more, but certainly expected some progress and I would not have expected a botched caulk job to cover it up.
I am neutral on my rating, but the test of time will determine whether they stabilized the porch.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"It’s unfortunate that Mr. [Member Name Removed] isn’t happy with the way the project turned out. We stand by our work and our contract clearly state what will be done and what to expect. In regards to our demanding payment, our contract clearly states that the balance was due upon completion - not the next day or the next week after returning from a trip."
Mary H.
Feb 2016
unknown
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for taking the time to comment on our service! We are glad you are completely satisfied!"
Andy S.
Nov 2014
Phil was great, professional and reliable; provided his cell phone just in case any questions came up. Also wanted to make sure he understood the job so came back for second visit to ensure alignment. Great customer service and quality of work, no need to look further. No pressure sales pitch and understood what we wanted and injected opinion based on experience. Job well done.
UPDATE: following the winter we turned on our sprinkler system and had a lead where the drainage pipe goes, after removing the rocks I noticed that the sprinkler pipe was bent *probably to fit the drainage under the bent. The bent was so bad that it disconnected that sprinkler pipe from main connection underground and had a hole due to the bend. I am disappointed that not only this was not communicated during install but was not fixed *it is right above the drainage pipe covered by gravel was installed and the soil that was put back on the side of the house is higher then the "normal" ground.
UPDATE: following the winter we turned on our sprinkler system and had a lead where the drainage pipe goes, after removing the rocks I noticed that the sprinkler pipe was bent *probably to fit the drainage under the bent. The bent was so bad that it disconnected that sprinkler pipe from main connection underground and had a hole due to the bend. I am disappointed that not only this was not communicated during install but was not fixed *it is right above the drainage pipe covered by gravel was installed and the soil that was put back on the side of the house is higher then the "normal" ground.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for the great review! We appreciate your business."
Donna P.
Oct 2014
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Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thanks! We appreciate you taking the time to write this great review!"
Rick G.
Jun 2014
It went fine. They did a nice job. I got them off Angie’s List. It was the best price.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for the great review!"
Catherine M.
Jun 2014
unknown
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for the great comments! We are glad you were completely satisfied with our work."
Michael P.
Jun 2014
Job completed in 2 days. Over 2 month wait from time contract signed; but other providers were almost as long and were booked solid due to many request for foundation repair due to dry summers. Technician showed up on time for our initial consultantion/ appointment and was very knowledgable. Signed contract same day to get on the job list and have repair done before end of summer.
Would use them again. Only company with warranty that will transfer to new owner that I talked with.
Would use them again. Only company with warranty that will transfer to new owner that I talked with.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thanks - we appreciate your positive review!"
Jim B.
Jun 2014
They are not so great. They did a lot of work to find out the problem with water level but could not find a solution for it. Eventually, I found out what was causing it. They also installed a new sump pump and left without plugging it in. They could pay much more attention to detail.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"I don't believe we ever did work for you. We had an appointment for a consultant to assess your water issued set for 6/17/13 but you cancelled it. Please remove this incorrect review."
Debra S.
May 2014
I would not recommend this company if you have a finished basement. The workmen were careless and caused damage to the room that was not discussed during the meeting with the salesman. They put duct tape on newly painted walls causing the paint to be removed with the tape. They were climbing in and out of a window and caused damage to the window ledge. Quarter sized holes were made in the drywall at all levels of the walls and a chunk of my staircase was gouged out. In total it cost $250 to repair. The company acknowledged that it was neglectful on the workers part but would only reimburse $125. Apparently they felt that we were partially responsible for the damage...I guess we were in that we hired them!
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"We are sorry the customer isn’t completely satisfied with our service. However, our contracts are clearly written and include a customer preparation sheet which alerts customers to the fact that waterproofing work can in fact be considered major construction on a home. We ask customers to cover items with plastic, to prepare for dust, remove stairs and landings in work areas and remove drywall or paneling on walls in certain cases. The photos taken on the job show the area was not prepped correctly. Our foreman did try to protect the area. The photos sent to us by the customer show very minor nicks in the drywall which could have been touched up, and in my opinion, certainly did not require repainting the entire room. As a gesture of good faith we did offer to split the cost with the customer. Customer agreed to this settlement and cashed our check. It’s a shame when unscrupulous consumers try to hold hard working people hostage to gain monetarily and then proceed to bash those same hard working people with negative unjustified complaints. Respectfully Robert Shipyor Director of sales /marketing"
RAYMOND L.
Feb 2014
The work was performed in cold weather (6 degrees above zero). The crew was extremely hard working, neat and efficient. All work from making holes in the concrete and digging in the soil outside through removing debris was clean and neat. The work was completed faster than expected and the site was cleaned up beautifully. They did a great job!!!
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"We are thrilled you were happy with our work! Thank you for taking the time to post."
Vitantonio D.
Dec 2013
I was very happy with the experience. The work looks nicely done and haven't had any problems since. They epoxied a number of large cracks in my basement and a ton of tie-rods that were leaking. They even came back and did some follow-up work after that was beyond the scope of the initial work. I would definitely use them again and did an extensive search prior to hiring them with a number of viable options.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for the post! We are glad that you were completely satisfied with you experience."
Kate S.
Dec 2013
Friendly helpful assessor, on time. Team were great. And they came back promptly when we had a second separate issue and provided advice.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for your post. We are glad our sales staff and crew impressed you."
Estelle E.
Oct 2013
unknown
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you (Member name removed)! We are glad you are happy with our service."
Melba A.
Apr 2013
In April 2013, we wake up at 5am to water pouring in the basement and the sump pump not working again. We call the service and we are told they will pass this along. So at 8a.m we get a call and are told they will get there soon. All the time water is pouring in - at 12:30 they show up and we have 2 ft of water in our basement. They pump it out, replace the pump (which again is bad) and leave us to clean up the basement and throw away all the things that are damaged. The lifetime warrenty I guess is just to continue pumping the water out and replacing bad pumps. THIS HASN'T EVEN BEEN TWO YEARS. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"On the day of our most recent natural disaster to hit the Chicaogland area, the same day that our Governor declared a state of emergency, a day we received well over 500 phone calls and E-mails for help, we disappointingly received a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, one that we have proudly been complaint free for four years. This is something we take extremely seriously and strive to receive this award each year. We received a call from the member, stating he was concerned about the pump that we installed. We elected to move this homeowner to a priority status and sent a crew out immediately. When we arrived we offered assistance in pumping out flood water from their basement (a service we do not offer) so that we could assess the situation and honor our warranty, which is to fix system failure if any. We found our system was trying to keep up with the massive flood water but understandably under these extreme conditions was struggling to do so. The homeowner requested compensation for lost time of work and items in the basement, our warranty clearly states on our contract we are only liable to fix system a failure, this is an issue the homeowner needs to direct to their home owners insurance or FEMA. As a jester of good faith we replaced the main pump with a new upgraded model just introduced to us by our manufacturer, have waived the cost of the pump, labor and as well as any service fees that would have been charged for the emergency service performed on a system in working order. We do find it unprofessional and unfair for complaints to be written all over the internet before trying to discuss any issues with our company management, last week was a very long week as we tried to keep up with the desperate calls for support, our crew and staff had unbelievable workloads and hours trying to service everybody that needed our help. If an open line of communication had been attempted we would have made sure we would have worked with the customer to make them satisfied, unless it was something outside of our contract, which is what this complaint was about from the homeowner. Sincerely Robert Shipyor Director of Sales/Marketing"
James C.
Mar 2013
I selected Safeguard after getting bids from two other companies, and I'm glad I did. Everyone I interacted with - from the field representative to the technicians to the office staff - was professional, friendly, and helpful. I had three foundation cracks and a pretty weak secondary sump pump that I decided to replace. The work was done quickly and skillfully.
A few weeks after the job was completed, the office called me as a courtesy follow-up to ensure my satisfaction, and to see if there were any issues or questions I had. I mentioned that I found what appeared to be another very subtle crack that was missed at the time of the first estimate. I also mentioned that I was having an issue with my primary pump. Later that night I spoke with a technician that went out of his way to help diagnose the primary pump issue. The next morning, the field representative was back at my house to look at this other crack and confirmed what I suspected. A few days later, the crew was back and repaired the final crack as well as replaced my primary pump. Turns out my primary pump had bitten the dust.
I had used an Angie's list coupon on the first job, and after talking to Safeguard, they agreed to apply that coupon to the second job as well since they missed that last crack. In the end, no harm done, and they went above and beyond to make sure that all work was complete, and that I was a satisfied customer.
I would recommend Safeguard for foundation repair, although I hope I don't need any further foundation work for a while!
- Steve
A few weeks after the job was completed, the office called me as a courtesy follow-up to ensure my satisfaction, and to see if there were any issues or questions I had. I mentioned that I found what appeared to be another very subtle crack that was missed at the time of the first estimate. I also mentioned that I was having an issue with my primary pump. Later that night I spoke with a technician that went out of his way to help diagnose the primary pump issue. The next morning, the field representative was back at my house to look at this other crack and confirmed what I suspected. A few days later, the crew was back and repaired the final crack as well as replaced my primary pump. Turns out my primary pump had bitten the dust.
I had used an Angie's list coupon on the first job, and after talking to Safeguard, they agreed to apply that coupon to the second job as well since they missed that last crack. In the end, no harm done, and they went above and beyond to make sure that all work was complete, and that I was a satisfied customer.
I would recommend Safeguard for foundation repair, although I hope I don't need any further foundation work for a while!
- Steve
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for taking the time to write a report. We are thrilled that you are pleased with our service!"
Robert M.
Jan 2013
Overall it was an expensive but successful experience.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"We are glad that you are happy with our work. Thank you for taking the time to post this great review!"
Roger F.
Dec 2012
The garage portion of our house had foundation and settlement issues when purchased six years ago. We deferred the repairs at that time although we did get three estimates. The work was rebid this fall and each proposal was very different in scope and price. Ramjack was selected and sent their engineer to review the project. The engineer found significant additional problems. The president of Ramjack contacted me saying he wanted to look and figure out what was happening. Long story short, they prepared a second price (and offered to refund my deposit if I chose not to use them), were still competitive, and completed the work including new piles and foundation splice plates. The crews were outstanding and the jobsite left in pristine condition on time and without extra charges.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Your review is appreciated. We are glad that your expectations were met and/or exceeded!"
William W.
Dec 2012
They honored the warranty, which I believe was at least 10 years, and found some new problems in the home that were unrelated to the original work. They were easy to work with, took their time to study the problem, and cleaned up what was a huge mountain of dirt. They even replaced one of our rusting window wells at no charge!
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"I'm glad that your experience with us was exceptional. Thank you for taking the time to write a great review!"
Sheree F.
Dec 2012
Tim Barry spent lots of time with us in person and on the phone explaining the process of piering and why that is what we needed to do to repair our house. He was always responsive to our questions and was very thorough. The repair was costly but very competitive with other estimates we received and they came highly recommended. The workmen they sent were punctual and efficient and they cleaned up after themselves every day. The work took around three days. I would highly recommend them to any one who needs foundation repairs.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"We are glad that you were completely satisfied with our work and we appreciate the great review!"
Stewart S.
Dec 2012
basement
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"It seams Memeber has several issues in his complaint so let me try to answer them for him. First, it’s difficult to respond to the pricing as I’m not sure who we're competing against or if it’s apples to apples. With that said, our cost is not simply $15 / hr laborers (which by the way is an inaccurate pay rate!). Our pricing includes a 5 million dollar insurance policy, trucks, fuel, sales commissions, overhead etc. We are not a man and a truck working out of our garage; we are a fully licensed, insured and trained structural foundation company with a proven tract record. Second, I believe the Cusotmer is mistaken in regards to his comments on the proposals. He was given several options. The proposal for $65,000.00 was for lowering the existing floor 24”-30" (not 10"),building structural curbs, tying those curbs into the existing foundation wall, installing new support columns with structural pads, helical piers, engineering, permit. The Customer has an architect that guessed it would cost less. We use independent structural engineers that don't guess but do provide proven solutions. Third, in regards to a smaller waterproofing company, well, I'm not surprised you see the biggest difference there. We are not a waterproofing company that does structural work but a structural foundation company that happens to do waterproofing. We are capable and equipped to perform this project professionally and at a fair cost. Fourth, the last correspondence we had from the Customer was him informing us that he had chosen to go a different direction. At that point we wished him well. We don't chase or harass unsold prospects; we simply let them know we are here to help them if/when something goes a-rye with their project. I would suggest the Customer hires a competent, state licensed architect or structural engineer to get a detailed drawing and or set of plans for the work he is looking for. Once he has those, let us bid apples to apples and compare our services and price to others. I believe he'll find we are simply one of the best at what we do and very competitively priced. Sincerely Robert Shipyor Director of sales"
Rick S.
Nov 2012
This company was very professional. Salesman was knowledgeable and answered all my questions. Price was reasonable compared to some of its competitors. I like their lifetime guarantee and also the cost came with engineering reports and township permits, which they took care of. That was a bonus. The work was well performed, everything was taken care of in 1 day. I am happy with the outcome.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for taking the time to post your review. We are thrilled that you are happy with the work!"
Eileen H.
Aug 2012
Terrible, the problem i had one year ago, i still have today. I have about 4 gallons of water when it rains hard come in my basement and that is exactly what i had last year before the work was done. I had bad experience with another waterproofing company and Safe Guard assured me that this experience would be better and that they would guarnte that they will fix the leak. The basement only floods when there is a hard driving rain, this year it has only rained heavy twice - both times in August. I called Safe Jack and Bob the salesman who sold the job to me last year came out. He told me that they fixed part of my problem and the rest is something that they do not cover. He said the other water is coming in the threshold of the door and they do not cover that. I never was told when he sold me the job that if water was coming in the threshold that it would not be covered. I am out 3800.00 and my basement is still flooding. Safe Guard offered no help and tried to point out how it is not their responsibility. They said I should caulk the front threshold. If all I need was caulk, I don't know why the sold me a 3800.00 membrane.
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Upon original inspection, through a water test, we concluded that water was coming in over the top of the foundation AND through the threshold of the front door. Member was told that both items needed to be repaired to completely solve the issue. We contracted with Member to do the over the top repair and also, as a courtesy, FOR FREE, caulked the door threshold. Member was informed that the caulking carried no warranty and that she needed to maintain it by either regular caulking or installation of a storm door. Member did neither. When we were recently contacted by Member we returned to perform a water test in the same area and found no water coming from the over the top repair that we did. The water was coming in through the front door threshold. We will be happy to supply Angies List photos of water testing we recently did as well as the original contract showing no charge was the caulking. We would also be happy to return to Members house to caulk the door again and leave some caulk to make it easy for her to maintain this. We look forward to hearing from Member."
Roz B.
Jul 2012
See above... What every contractor should be..
Response from Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois
"Thank you for you report! Recommending us to your friends-family-business associates is the BEST compliment! We are glad that you were satisfied."
Licensing
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FAQ
Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois is currently rated 4.4 overall out of 5.
Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
Yes, Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois offers free project estimates.
No, Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois does not offer a senior discount.
No, Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois does not offer emergency services.
No, Safeguard Waterproofing - Ram Jack Illinois does not offer warranties.