Anchor Waterproofing

We hired Anchor Waterproofing about a year ago to install a French drain and sump pump in our basement. The installation was sloppy and we continued to get water in our basement every time it rained for months. We made several phone calls to the Anchor staff asking them to come out and correct the problem, but they kept putting us off saying they were unusually busy. The finally agreed to come out and install plastic sheeting to redirect any water that was flowing through our stone foundation, and when someone finally came out to install it, he said they had installed the entire French drain incorrectly. They ripped it out and reinstalled it. Then they tried to charge us an additional $700 on top of the nearly $6,000 we'd already paid. The customer service along the entire process was terrible. Now, a year later, we still get water in our basement during heavy rains.

First of all, as current and past small business owners (medical and law practices), my wife and I do not like to make complaints against other small businesses. But in this case, we must. On November 10, 2012, Anchor waterproofed a 14 foot by 6 foot section of our basement wall, inside and outside. We paid $3800. They supplied a lifetime warranty. Earlier this year, we noticed water along the entire the bottom of the wall. We called Anchor. They sent a crew out on 8/10/2018. I asked them about the warranty. They said that they would be able to answer that question after they opened up a 2 foot by 3 foot hole in the wall (which we would have to pay someone else to repair). I didn't understand why they needed to do that for warranty purposes since they did not need to open the wall when they gave us an estimate for the initial work in 2012. Nevertheless, I agreed for them to open the wall. After they did that, they said they still did not know whether the warranty applied. They only said that the wall had been leaking for quite a while. They wanted to open up more of the wall. I objected to that unless they were going to honor their warranty. The foreman called one of the owners, L. Thompson and I spoke with her. She said the same thing the foreman said. Later, Ms. Thompson, told me she would send her son, Matt, out to look at the situation. I agreed. Matt Thompson later called me on 8/21/2018 and on the phone, before coming out to the house he said he could tell from the contract that the WARRANTY DEFINITELY COVERED THE REPAIR. He came out the next day, 8/22/2018. After examining the problem for several minutes, he told me AT LEAST TWO TIMES THAT THE WARRANTY WOULD COVER THE REPAIR. He also even said that he would reimburse us to have the dry wall replaced, which is something they don't normally do. He also at one point mentioned that we might need a sump pump installed and if so, he would install it for free. That's how sure he was that the work was covered by the warranty. A few minutes later, he started saying he did not know how to repair the problem. He claimed he had never seen this situation before and did not know what to do. A few minutes after that he suddenly claimed that the work was NOT covered by the warranty because the leak was allegedly coming in through an area they allegedly did not work on. I showed him in the contract where it said they did work on the wall 6 feet from the floor and the leak was within that 6 feet. He had an electronic measuring device and he claimed the device said the leak was 6' 6" from the floor. I then got my folding 6' rule and measured the area and the leak was less than 6 ' from the floor. He then changed his argument. He then tried to say the warranty was void because the contract requires that we grade the dirt outside the windows. I told him that the contract states no such thing and asked him to show me that in the contract. He couldn't find it because it is not there. A couple minutes later he pointed to where the contract says "Anchor is not responsible for "exterior neglect" and then argued that since we failed to "grade the dirt outside the window" we were guilty of exterior neglect and that voided the warranty. However, the contract defines exterior neglect as not keeping the gutters clean or downspouts extended as needed. There were no problems with our gutters or downspouts. Also, the contract states that Anchor was responsible for the grading. He claimed he "thought" the window needed a window dam or blister (he did not appear to be sure of this) and, of course, stated the warranty did not cover that issue. The initial crew who came out examined the window and never said any such thing. It appeared that since co-owner Matt Thompson did not have the knowledge or expertise to repair the work as he promised at least three times, he just simply decided not to honor the warranty as a way out of the situation. So we filed a complaint against Anchor with the Baltimore Better Business Bureau. We hired an expert to look at the problem and issue a report with that agency. His report indicates that the leak developed in an area Anchor waterproofed and therefore the warranty should apply. On 9/5/2018, Anchor co-owner L. Thompson, in a phone conversation with me, agreed to fix the leak regardless of whether the leak was covered by the warranty. She even said Anchor would install any additional components such as window parts and sump pumps at no further cost. She claimed she was doing this to make us happy. I didn't trust her so I requested that she put that in writing with the Better Business Bureau. She agreed to but never did it. Instead she told the Better Business Bureau that she wanted us to agree to have yet another technician come out and determine whether the leak was in an area they worked in originally. We denied that request because they had already twice had technicians come out, including their top technician, co-owner Matt Thompson, who had found the leak but denied warranty coverage after three times promising said coverage. He took several pictures of the leak, both inside and outside so there is no need for anyone else to come out. In our opinion, the real reason they wanted to send another technician was to try find a way they could rebut our expert's report which is highly damaging to them. Anchor had initially argued in the Better Business Bureau that the leak is through a window sill and they did not waterproof the window sill. Our expert ascertained that the leak is UNDERNEATH the window sill and through the foundation in an area within the 6 foot area they waterproofed. See attached photos showing a screwdriver sticking in a large hole underneath the window sill. This hole lines up with the leaking hole on the inside. Anchor, when they did the original work in 2006, removed the bushes outside the window, dug up the dirt several feet down, waterproofed the outside (as well as the inside) up to the windows, replaced the bushes and dirt and graded the area. We informed the Better Business Bureau that since Anchor now has FOUR TIMES PROMISED TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY AND THEN RENEGED ON THEIR PROMISES, we are filing a lawsuit against them in court rather than utilize the Bureau's voluntary mediation/arbitration services. Stay away from this company. They will not honor their warranty! Anyone seriously considering this company should look at the Baltimore Better Business record of the proceedings on our complaint. Complaint #36145951.

PERFECT! I got three in-house estimates and Anchor was the best price and the most impressive. They were competent, hard-working and successful in the project. Left the place clean, too. I would sincerely recommend them. This is my first review - that's how impressed I was.

Wow! The company owner arrived promptly to give me a price estimate. He was extremely honest and knowledgeable! I was very impressed with his assessment of my situation. I would highly recommend this company. They stand behind their work 100 percent.

They did exactly what they said they would do and completely fixed my problem.

unknown

I can't believe this company has ratings as high as it does.  I have had the absolute worst experiences with them.  They are unprofessional bordering on really really shady.  The worked described above was done last summer but I've been so emotionally spent by the experience that I a.) haven't had them come back out to address continued water issues until a few weeks ago and b.) haven't written a review.  But after the "service" call I finally decided to make after water was streaming into my basement from a window well during a storm, I decided to make writing this review a priority.
Hayward and his crew did the window well drains and completed the french drain system that had been installed in my basement by the previous owner.  Each day they were either late or didn't show.  They never put drop clothes down (as the salesman assured me they would) so my house was a mess.  They left their trash in my yard.  The work was only supposed to take a day but they needed to come back, which is fine, but then didn't show the next day.  I called the company and got the run around.  Hayward called me and told me that he'd come out to complete the work against the company's wishes (I guess they had him scheduled to go somewhere else) and asked that I not tell the company!  So shady.  Eventually the work got done, but their shoddy workmanship had them out soon after because they had allowed some wet concrete to fall into the window well drain and so, of course, it wasn't draining after that concrete hardened.  To this day it doesn't work and I have to use a pump to get the water out.  And the pipes that drain the water from the wells into my basement system look terrible.  They tried to drill in a number of places and just left the holes they didn't use.  Nice.
A few weeks ago as I said I finally bit the bullet and decided to have them come back out to address some continuing water issues. Justin immediately started offering me his own services on the side.  Again, "don't tell the company" mentality.  What is with this company??!!  He used my bathroom plunger to try to unclog the window well drains.  He left it outside.  He would have also left my hose unraveled an in the yard if I had not insisted he wrap it back up.  He left without telling me what the problem was or what to do.  When I called the company to ask, the "manager" assured me she'd look into the situation, talk to Justin, and get back to me.  Never heard back.  I also told her about all these shady dealings...she just gives you the run around too.  They're all in on it.  This company is the worst.
I'm cutting my losses and finding a new company to address the continuing water issues.  I suggest you look elsewhere too.  I'm so mad.  I feel like I did my homework by checking Angie's List but wasn't given real information so I'm making sure some real information gets on there.  Don't hire this unprofessional, shady, shoddy company.

They didsome extra things.  They also dug up the walls outside to water proof the outside.  I'm not satisfied. 

unknown

My husband and I bought a new house. The inspector recommended updating  the foundation drainage system and recommended Anchor Waterproofing. We  called them out for an estimate for an interior drainage system and sump pump. They were very knowledgeable, and their estimate was 2-4k less  than the other estimate we got. Really nice guys who worked very hard.
An insurance person and a plumber has been by since and both  complimented the quality of the waterproofing.

unknown

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Our basement recently flooded when the original gravity drain system in our 75 year old house failed. We called Anchor Waterproofing to assess the issue and we had someone come over in less than 24 hours. Greg gave us a thorough explanation of the problem and suggested that we install a new drainage system with a sump pump. We were given an estimate of $5,000. Three days after the initial consultation, Anchor began working in our basement. Hayward and his crew did an excellent job and were able to finish everything in just 2 days. Hayward was very knowledgeable and explained everything in detail. The best part is our walls were kept intact during the whole process. Not many companies offer this service. In addition, both our plumber and insulation installer praised Anchor and the work they do. Anchor also offers a lifetime warranty on their work (make sure to read the back of your contract). I am very pleased with the end result and will highly recommend to anyone.

They did a nice job

The estimate I got from Greg beat the competitors by a landslide. He had no issues whatsoever using the quality sump pump I already owned, and even factored in some savings since I already had a pit as well. A simple yet thorough explanation of the process followed by a fair quote was greatly appreciated. No sales tactics. No pressure. He was happy to come out a second time as well when I had more questions (even on a weeknight).
Fast forward a month - Brian and Joe show up first thing on a Monday morning ready roll. They encouraged me to come down and see each stage of the process and seemed to take a lot of pride in their work. My old house was stubborn when it came to just about everything, so the work ended up going an extra 1/2 day, but the emphasis was always to not cut any corners and make sure it was a quality install that I was happy with. They were careful with all of my stuff and even replaced an old junky utility sink that accidentally took a tumble. Again... greatly appreciated.
A few days after the job was complete, I noticed some of the concrete by the new stairwell drain had deteriorated due to a flash storm that hit right after they left. I called Anchor and they had someone out the next day to patch it right up. Free of charge of course. This gave me confidence they'll stand by their lifetime guarantee in the unlikely event I have any problems in the future.
Finally (and most importantly), after several rainstorms over the last few weeks - the basement has continued to stay dry. Not a drop of water in sight. Anchor Waterproofing has definitely earned my seal of approval. Be sure to add them to your list when getting estimates.

unknown

Matt from Anchor Waterproofing was one of 4 people I received estimates from for waterproofing my basement. Out of everyone I spoke with, Matt was the most helpful and personable. I really appreciated how straight forward he was and how he explained their waterproofing process to me. Anchor was also the only company that I received an honest quote from upfront. The 3 other contractors ALL initially gave me a very high quote, and then backed down to a lower number when I reacted to how expensive it was. I get why they did it (to make the real number seem more reasonable), but it just rubs me the wrong way. Anchor's first price, was the real price and it was competitive and fair.



The crew that actually did the work were awesome as well. Joe and Brian did a wonderful job. They were always on time, and they were great with answering any questions I had along the way.Through each step of the process it was obvious that they: A: Knew what they were doing. B: Were not cutting corners/taking short cuts. As they broke up the existing floor they ensured that they kept the dust under control (there really wasn't much at all believe it or not because of they way they did it - don't want to share trade secrets here!).



Since my basement was a complete renovation I already had the walls torn out so I could see everything they did throughout the process. Their attention to detail was amazing. The wall barrier was hung perfectly straight and flat and the concrete work was feathered beautifully back into the existing floor. They worked with me to ensure that the locations of the clean out, pump and drain were exactly where I wanted them. I couldn't be happier with the level of service and the finished product.

so far the basement has been dry, even after some very hard rains!

My job was handled in a very professional and pleasant manner from the person who answered the phone until the job was completed. Worth every bit of piece of mind to know that after it rains you will come home to a dry basement! I highly recommend this company.

BEWARE! This is a "you get what you pay for" company. Their bid was the lowest, but boy were we sorry we took their bid. The person who bid the job said the water from the pumps could be expelled out side of house. This work was then done against city code! This meant we had to beg the company to come back and redo the job--i.e. route the water along the outside of our house and underneath our sidewalk. They tore up our sidewalk, poured cement in below freezing weather (which has since crumbled) and RAN THE WATER PIPE UPHILL along the side of our house! When the pumps did come on this winter, the water backed up inside the pipe and froze breaking the pipe open. Overall, this experience was insult to injury because I asked about both issue (pouring cement in 30 degree weather and the pitch of the pipe running along the house. The workers laughed in my face. It is slim comfort that I turned out to be right on both counts. The people doing the work were concerned only with doing the work quickly. BEWARE

Some moisture had been found along a basement wall in the basement of a rental property I had recently purchased. I telephoned three companies to come inspect the basement moisture problem and to provide me an estimate for the work they thought was required to solve the said problem. ANCHOR WATERPROOFING was recommended to me by a friend who knew several people who both had great experiences with this company. The other two companies I found on Angie's List. ANCHOR WATERPROOFING made a good impression and after some negotiation offered the best price. Being that this house was an investment, an important condition for me was that ANCHOR WATERPROOFING offered a lifetime certification of their work that ran with the house and not just the owner. In other words, the lifetime certification was transferable to future buyers/owners. This type of certification the other waterproofing companies did not supply. In conclusion, the work was done quickly, the workmen and office staff were polite, the basement was left clean, and according to my contractor and friend who knows more about these things than I, they did a nice job. I would recommend that Angie's List members get an estimate from this company for any waterproofing work they require before they hire another company and then make their decision.

I was satisfied with the job they did, using the sump pump I already had for hookup. However, I guess I will have to wait for the next heavy rains to see if it works. No reason to thing it will not. I did not find this company through Angie's List, but I did check with them and they came up with information for me. Deena did call me after the date was set up, and ask if I would be willing to change it. She explained they had a request from a previous customer for an emergency job, and since they were only putting me off for a week and offered $50.00 off the job estimate as well, I agreed. I also thought that it showed that they had a certain amount of loyalty to previous customers.

I found out that they were not using the right materials in the product that was agreed upon, In this case, it caused leaks that they had to continue to fix over an extended period of time. Poor service.

Work was done as expected and as quoted by our contract. Our experience with the salesman to the workers to the office was all very good. I had one worker pick up a cigarette that he threw on my lawn but that was my only complaint during the whole process. We had a tight time schedule to get this job done and they finished it right on time! They kept the mess to a minimum as much as possible since the whole process is quite messy due to the nature of the work. The bottom of my drywall had to be cut to have the work done but that is the price you pay to keep a dry basement. We may repair/replace dry-wall in the future. There was only one small area that couldn't be trenched without removing an entire bathroom but that represents only a few feet of an entire basement drainage project. Overall, I would recommend Anchor. My understanding is that they are the cheapest and I think they try to do a good and reasonable job. Nature of this work involves hard physical labor.