Amaral Industries Inc

"Eduardo, the Owner and Head Blacksmith, visited the member's home on a Friday. The member was not present. Eduardo spoke with her husband Gregory. He measured the job, discussed what they would like, and then on Monday, wrote up a proposal with clear terms, complete with drawing. It was emailed to them Tuesday morning. I had a phone conversation shortly afterward with the member. She asked about some details which were unclear to her, and explained that they were being a little over-cautious due to a bad experience with another fabricator. I answered all her questions, including her question about our 50% deposit, and she seemed satisfied. At that point, the member asked me to clarify in writing that the existing old wood posts would be removed and that we would be installing 4-6 weeks after receipt of contract & deposit, as discussed during Eduardo’s visit. We did not refuse. This is in fact written into the revised contract we sent the following day. Over a week later, we received the contract back, signed by the member's husband, but with several addition stipulations the members had written in themselves. As explained in my email, we elected to not sign it for the reasons stated. All correspondences were handled in a timely matter, and our prices are competitive (if they weren’t, why did they sign the contract?) We just could not agree on the terms. When you work outside, the weather is a factor. We do everything in our power to install within the timeframe we promised, as written on the contract. We would never make a client wait from Fall until the Spring, and never have in 15 years of business. If we think we cannot do the work on time, we do not do the job (see other Angie’s List report about our honesty with time frames) and refer customers to another fabricator we recommend. Demanding a deposit back on a custom product because unforeseen circumstances may put us a few days behind is a bit unreasonable in our view. We have had to begin proceedings with clients for small claims court in the past because we too have dealt with crooked building contractors. We installed work at homes they built, and then they tried to withhold pay as long as possible in order to try to sell the house first, or to claim bankruptcy. How does our needing to go after bad clients for payment reflect on us poorly? It does not. In my email, I used this fact as an example of extreme situations, which do not need to be addressed in the context of a legal contract- this falls into the arena of trust. We do not apply the “One Bad Apple” rule to all our clients, and expect the same. Both clients and contractors need to understand business is a two-way street, and good business practices are ones in which both customer and provider are well-served. Our policy is to be clear, honest, and accurate in our time frames, our payment terms, and work to be performed. We have been in business for 15 years and our proud of the level of artistry, craftsmanship & professionalism we bring to the field. In the time we’ve been on Angie’s List, we have gotten 12 reports with straight A’s- then this one. Our work and record speaks for itself. You just can’t please all the people all the time!"