Tub Hub & Tile

The final product was good, but arrangements were awkward. You must mail a check deposit; no credit cards accepted. The workmen were late, but finished on time. They also showed up in a truck from another company, which was confusing. Again, the final work was fine -and that’s the most important thing.

Finish cracked after 18 months, Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. refused to honor their 5 year warranty.

Poor workmanship, Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. had to return a second time a couple days later to fix drips. Then the finish bubbled and cracked within 18 months. We followed the cleaning and care directions perfectly. Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. had all kinds of excuses how it was our fault that the tub bubbled and cracked, like we used the wrong cleaners (we did not) and that the house shifted (it did not). Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. said they would send out a supervisor to look at the tub, that never happened. They do not honor their 5 year warranty. Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. stated that they could recommend someone to fix the issue! I'm thankful I didn't have them refinish our other tubs!

Poor workmanship, Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. had to return a second time a couple days later to fix drips. Then the finish bubbled and cracked within 18 months. We followed the cleaning and care directions perfectly. Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. had all kinds of excuses how it was our fault that the tub bubbled and cracked, like we used the wrong cleaners (we did not) and that the house shifted (it did not). Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. said they would send out a supervisor to look at the tub, that never happened. They do not honor their 5 year warranty. Tub Hub and Tile, Inc. stated that they could recommend someone to fix the issue! Then they ignore calls and emails.

When I talked with them I liked them, but when the work was being done I was disappointed. The job was done in a very sloppy manner and it did not look like it was done by a professional. This service was supposed to be guaranteed for 1 year, but the surface started peeling after 1 month. They asked me to send pictures so they could understand what I was referring to. They have refused to send me the touch up kit. They recently said they would need to charge us $25 for the kit. They then told my husband that he could come in and pick it up free of charge but when he arrived they insisted on charging him. They eventually gave it to us but were very rude about it. I would never use them again.

I saw Hub Tub & Tile's advertisement in a neighborhood brochure and it looked very good.  By cutting out a section of the existing tub, and then building an enclosure around the cut-out and installing a removable watertight door into the opening they create a walk-in shower.  When the door is inserted the bathtub can be used.  I went to their store in Skokie and looked at their displays and they all looked good.  I was told that the entire job would take about 3 to 4 days.
They partner with Crafty Beaver, and I ordered the vanity from them, including an extension of the vanity top to go over the toilet tank.  A Crafty Beaver representative came to the house to measure.  When the order arrived, we found that the extension of the vanity top and the backsplashes did not fit.  The Crafty Beaver rep came to the house again and measured once more.  It took weeks for the ?corrected? pieces to arrive, but one of the backsplashes again did not fit!  The worker from Tub Hub was able to adjust the piece without having to send it back to Crafty Beaver.
Once the toilet and new sink/vanity where installed they started to make the opening in the bathtub (which was metal and hollow inside) by cutting out a piece large enough to allow a person to walk through.  They then refinished the tub (spray painted) and it looked good when the worker left in the evening.  However, the next morning showed that there were dark gray dust particles all over the newly finished tub and the paint was running in places.  It seems that these dust particles had still been in the air and on surfaces from cutting out the tub when the paint was applied.  They then had to sand the tub and spray paint it again. Next, they inserted the frame to the new opening which was supposed to be watertight.  We were then told that the tub can be used.
We used the tub the following week and discovered that all the water from the tub above the level of the newly caulked-in frame had drained right through the ceiling into the basement where it was pouring down and causing a flood on the floor!  Water was even coming out of electrical outlets!  That part of our basement is finished and the ceiling plaster board was ruined.  Also, the space between the bathroom floor and the basement ceiling will not dry easily as it is enclosed, and in time will most likely grow mold.
Upon closer inspection of the ?watertight? enclosure of the new tub opening we found that the lower part of the caulking was extremely sloppy and showed several holes into which the water had drained.  This sloppy caulking and the holes were only visible from inside the tub with the help of a mirror.
Upon describing the situation to Tub Hub they blamed this on the worker they had sent who had apparently come to the job drunk (I did not observe this).  I was assured that the problem would be corrected and the water damage in the basement would be repaired, namely the ceiling would be opened up to dry and new dry wall would be installed.
During the ensuing weeks Hub Tub?s foreman, came and did fix the tub by scraping and sanding off the old caulking and reapplying new caulking correctly.  This necessitated yet another spray painting of the tub!  We have since used the tub with no apparent leakage.  The upper part of the caulking, which is visible around the opening frame, still does not look professionally smooth.  However, I was told that this is as good as it gets!  The foreman assured me that he would be back to repair the damage in the basement.  That was on February 1, 2013.  It is now March 17, 2013 and he has not been back nor have I heard from Tub Hub at all.
Time frame:  The actual work (installation of toilet and vanity) was started on Monday before Thanksgiving 2012 (Nov. 26, 2012).  The last time the foreman was here to finish the tub was February 1, 2013.  During the weeks between Nov. 26, 2012 and February 1, 2013 we often had to call them to ask when somebody would come to finish the job.  Only rarely did they initiate a call.  It was always difficult to reach them.  We left messages to which they did not always reply.  There were weeks where we were unable to use the tub at all!  It was a very frustrating time for me as I had to care of my handicapped husband and deal with doctor appointments, etc. in addition to having to be at home during Tub Hub?s infrequent visits and no-shows (I never knew when they would come and often no one showed when they said they would come).
I might add that all bills where paid by us promptly.  The toilet, vanity and vanity top were paid at the time of order.  The remaining amounts had all been paid prior to the time of the leak.

They were supposed to rebuild the bottom of the bathtub. When the man arrived I asked what time he would need me to return, and he said by 1 o'clock. The owner said that he would be here all day.The man came to work and I asked where his boss was, she was supposed to come but did not. I went through the job with this man to make sure everything got done. He explained what he was doing, and I told him that it was different then what the owner sold me. He started the job and I was here but it was necessary for me to leave because of the fumes. He did not put up plastic to protect the rest of my house, he said that it would stay in the area. He said that he would put in an exhaust fan and it would not go anywhere else. I came back to check in on him and there were 3 places where he had applied bondo. I said that he was supposed to rebuild the bottom of the tub and he said that no one told him that. The guy sprayed while I was gone. He was supposed to come back in 5 days to buff it, because they said the longer I waited the better. I looked at it the next morning and he had missed a lot of spots. You could also see where he applied bondo. I tried calling and reaching the owner but could not get through to her so left messages. She called me a few days later to say that the guy was coming back to buff. I told her that the paint was not right and they needed to fix that first. I wrote her an email to say she needed to be more hands on on the project. I spoke with her about rebuilding the bottom of the tub, which is in the contract, and she said that it was just where I needed it. I asked if 3 spots of bondo was rebuilding the tub. Her response was that that was all it needed, but that's what it says in the contract to rebuild the tub, which was the big selling point. She is very aggressive and over powers you in a conversation which makes it difficult to state your case. She said that she would send him back, which he did and applied more paint. She called back to check it out, and I said I would look at it that next day. I called her the next day and photographed the tub where he must have rubbed against the paint. There was 4 to 5 inch rubbed off part of the paint. There was also a paint run. I also saw that he had not put plastic up leading to the rest of the house. He had moved what was in the doorway and had gone into the next room and opened a window and turned on the ceiling fan, thereby drawing the white residue to the rest of the second floor. I sent her the pictures and told her that I had been cleaning the white residue all weekend and all the emails bounced back.  He returned again and touched it up again. This time he left a few more problems. She called me and I told her that she needed to come and look at it. She did look at it and saw the problems and identified them. She said that I was a perfectionist, but I knew you were a perfectionist when I took the job. I gave her the job because I looked at the bathtubs in her shop, and she said dismissively that they were perfect, and I told her that is why I contracted to pay you $300 more to do the project. She said that he would be back to do what we had discussed. He did not show up by the time he needed to be so that I could let him in and go to work. He called me an hour and a half later and said he was at my back door. When I came to let him in, it seemed like he was under the influence. I said that he was messed up and he said that he was fine. He had a buffer in his hands and he was supposed to paint that day, and the owner had told that he was going to paint and buff. I asked what happened to the days of drying that made it better and she said they would dry it with a hair dryer. I told him to call his boss. I let him in to use the bathroom and fell up the stairs, because he could not walk. I told him to call his boss, and I told her what condition he was in and she needed to come over right away. She talked to the man and said she was going to send him home. They stood outside and talked for over an hour, while I locked up. The next morning, an hour early, the same man was sitting in a car outside my home. I asked what he was doing here, and he said that he was here to finish the buffing. Finally, I let him into my home. I called the owner and asked why she sent him back. I told her that she needed to be here because I had to go to work. They also had to put up plastic and there had never been a reason to go to any other part of the house. She came back and worth to check in on the guy and told me that it was going great. She told me that it was finished, and that I would love it and it looks great. I told her that I would look at the finished job tomorrow because I had a baby with me, and pay her after that. She called me the next day to arrange for payment, I told her that there still problems with the job. I said that I had looked at it and other people had checked it out. She said that she could not believe it. She wanted to come over but we had to taped off for other work to be done. I told her that it was obvious that there was a paint run, it was a black and white issue. She has called me 3-4 times a day on 2 different numbers with various long winded messages why I should pay her, never acknowledging that I told her that there were problems with the job.

Tub hub & tile came in and made short work of the task at hand.  The first day the entire bathroom had been prepped for the new tile and refinishing products.  By day 3 they were finishing up some odds and ends to complete the job.