Stand By Services LLC

quality work done, love the floors, would definitely use this company again

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I would like to point out that what prompted me to join Angie's list and write this review is simply due to the fact that Mike Ayoub/StandbyFloors has failed to make good on a promise he made to me.

·A neighbor mentioned one day that as she walked by my unit, she noticed the door propped totally open, and walked inside the unit while no one was there and had total and free access to my unit. The workmen were nowhere in sight for at least the 10 minutes or so that she was there roaming around my apartment.  When I mentioned this to Mike he said, "they were probably moving things down to the truck." (as if this were any kind of valid excuse).  Not I'm sorry, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, or anything like that. This shows little respect for the client's home and property. Also I have a pet who could have escaped during that time.  

·I received an email from my condo building manager and I quote "Your floor people parked in my spot. They were belligerent with Gene when he told them to move. They have three trucks here. They were told by Gene they couldn?t stay in the loading dock.  Again, the attitude.  Carmen, the cleaning lady, said your contractors leave a mess in the trash room. Lots of debris, etc." I live in a condo, and there are rules that need to be respected and followed.  

·More than once I received complaints from neighbors when the banging in my unit would start before 9am (the days I wasn?t there). The workmen and Mike were advised several times no noise allowed before 9am. That didn't seem to matter. It was at that point that I decided to be home whenever they were there. There was clearly no one overseeing or supervising the project.  

·While moving my new refrigerator to install the hardwood floor underneath it, they made a hole in the plastic pipe that brings water to the unit. Immediately after that, whenever I got a glass of water from the water dispenser on the door, there would be a stream of water leaking out of the front of the unit. When I called and told Mike about it, he said it couldn't have been his guys, because if it had been, there would be a steady leaking of water. I ended up having to deal with that issue myself. One of Mike?s subcontractors (who was not there at the time but later commented to me) knew right away how it had happened. There was a gap between the concrete floor under the fridge and the wood surrounding it. When they dragged instead of lifted the refrigerator out of the niche, it made a hole in the hose. The point is that Mike immediately said it couldn't have been his guys that were responsible, and basically blew me off and told me to call a plumber. According to him the timing was pure coincidence and it couldn't have had anything to do with his team having moved the refrigerator. The damage was later confirmed, and corrected, but Mike took no responsibility for what happened.  

·On the day when the boxes of bathroom and balcony tile arrived, I was taking inventory, as there was a $$ allowance he had given me per square ft. I needed to track this in order to keep track of actual versus allowed cost (something he did not do). Mike happened to be there at the time, and when he saw me counting the boxes that had been delivered, he looked at me and said "...what are you looking at?" I explained that I was looking at the tile that I had paid for so I could know exactly how much was delivered and determine the cost versus actual allowances. He was clearly not happy with me doing that.  

·Another huge floor issue: his guys left adhesive residue on all the floors throughout my unit, closets included. When I pointed this out, they started using paint remover in an attempt to remove it (which didn't work and smelled up the house terribly). That didn?t seem right to me so I contacted the floor manufacturer who said the paint remover should never be used, that it could damage the finish. Also, when I had asked Mike the best way to clean the floors in general he said to use dishwashing liquid and water.  The manufacturer said to never use that as it would end up dulling the finish and should not be used. They were surprised that the Mike would have made such recommendations).  I would have thought since flooring is this business's main thing that Mike would know the best way to clean up the adhesive at least and how to clean the floor in general! I ended up buying something from a local dealer that the floor manufacturer recommended and did the adhesive cleanup myself, which took several hours. I expect more from ?professionals?.  

·My brand new stainless steel kitchen sink was damaged from his guys putting a metal paint container in it. They used the sink constantly to clean their tools. Since the scratches they made were not repairable, I ended up having to replace the sink. Again, little attention to the small details or due diligence in respecting personal property.  

·The days I was not at home while workers were there, I?d return home to find that they had gone into my master bedroom turned on the television, and tuned in a rock and roll music station and the volume had been cranked up pretty loud.  They were there to do a job, not listen to music. I would have had no problem had they asked my permission, but that never happened. That shows a lack of respect for a person?s home and personal property.  

· Part of the agreement included the hauling away of old kitchen appliances. My old refrigerator was in my living room for 5 weeks before Mike?s team hauled it away.  At the 4 week mark (when Mike had stopped by), I pointed to it and asked him ?what about the old refrigerator?? His response was ?What about it?? (no really!). It was not removed until an entire week later.  

·An electrical outlet in the kitchen was left sticking out of the wall almost an inch and uncovered, very near where the kitchen sink faucet is. Before the renovation it was covered and flush with the wall. When I pointed it out to Mike and his worker, the answer was ?the tile man will take care of that.? (he did, but it cost me more $$$$). It should have been done right the first time ?. Plus I had already paid an additional amount to Mike to fix that.  

·There was a period when weeks went by with no one coming by to work. There had been some flooding in the metro area due to weather. When I asked Mike why the delay he said he now had emergency jobs took precedence over me. I understand that was more lucrative for him, but we needed to get the job done.  That was MY priority several months into this project. (It?s worth pointing out that on the StandbyFloors website,  it says ?24 Hour/Emergency Service = NO? so I don?t really understand the emergencies excuses.  

·Due to incorrect measurements, wood filler had to be put between the new kitchen cabinets and the new refrigerator. I had emailed the exact measurements of the new fridge to Mike way before the cabinets were ordered, but they were not taken into consideration when he ordered the cabinets. He said he missed the email. Then he tried to charge me for the cost of the filler.  

Summary:  There were other issues, missed appointments with no advance notice, sporadic communication, and general sloppiness and lack of attention to detail. Numerous emails requesting information on pricing and allowances, no responses. We would have conversations that he later didn?t remember, which is when I started documenting everything. Mike tried to change the terms of the signed contract half way through. To show him that I was a team player, I made the additional payment despite the written agreement (50% down and the rest at the completion of the project). There was little or no consul

Getting in contact with the company was a logistical nightmare. That being said, the workers were extremely professional, prompt and did an excellent job!
I had to call Angie's list and was prepared to get a refund for the Angie's list deal because of the lack of responsiveness coordinating an appointment. Angie's list was able to get me in contact with the company and we were able to schedule a time to have their employees come out.
It took about 4 hours to complete installation. The original quote included another ~70sq/ft however, I completed that work prior to the worker's arrival; the owner was unwilling to take off any money from the original quote due to the reduced work saying that "he really doesn't make any money on these deals". I guess he wasn't interested in getting more customers through the deal either. I don't think it was asking much to have $50 taken off due to the reduced square footage. After all, I had to spend a lot of time just to coordinate a time for his workers to come out.
Overall, I'm very happy with the work performed. Just feel that this contractor is difficult to coordinate with.

Although this is about 9 months later, it also gives a long term response to how happy we are with their work. Overall, Stand By Flooring's work has held up well to the traffic we have subjected it to.  They were the subcontracting company who in stalled our floor and did a great job on their part.  Lowes had failed to order some of the materials and had to reorder supplies. Consequently, we had to reschedule installation dates, etc.  Stand-By was great about working with us and making what was otherwise a very frustrating situation much more relaxed and pleasant.  The cost is unclear since it was combined with the cost of supplies and I no longer remember the percent of the total cost of the project.

We're very pleased with the quality of the work. We were certainly very, very pleased with the price.

Couldn't be better.

We purchased a Groupon and were treated like any other customer.  In so many instances, you can tell that you are receiving discounted services to match your discounted payment.  The owner came out to provide an estimate and while running late, he was communicative beforehand so that we weren't left waiting.  He identified the work to be done and provided an estimate for a few additional services.  The estimate was for three days of work, but when the day came the team arrived before expected and with a larger crew so that the work could be completed in a single day.  The refinished floors look fantastic and we are very pleased with the additional touch-ups he did.

The job was done quickly and was very professional. We couldn't have been more pleased

I purchased a Groupon for this service so received a substantially reduced rate.  However, I was treated first class in all respects.  Mike, the estimator, was ready to come to my house immediately upon my call to him.  His workers were ready to start any time the following week.  It was quick, smooth, and entirely satisfactory.

Mike, gave estimate promptly, his team arrived on time and did a good job. I found stain on my white kitchen cabinets and they fixed it as promised shortly.

They showed up on time and did the work promptly. They cleaned up everything and did a fabulous job. I could not be more pleased. It is a first class business and I would recommend them with no reservations. I would use them again in a minute.

Mike and his crew were punctual and professional.  Job completed thoroughly in less time than estimated.

The estimator was punctual, flexible in scheduling, and provided a complete estimate (and was the only 1 of 4 contractors contacted that provided a complete estimate).  All others were uncertain that they would be able to locate suitable replacement flooring for the necessary infill repairs.  But the price was in line with the loose estimates from the others, if not slightly cheaper.

The laborers were punctual, professional, and appeared to do good work.

However, when the salesman realized that he did not have the correctly-sized replacement flooring in his warehouse, he attempted to install smaller floorboards (3" wide boards instead of the correct 3-1/4" wide boards), fill in the gaps with wood putty, and then convince us that it was "the way it was often done in old houses".  It was quite clearly a poor solution and we would have had putty cracking loose as soon as the humidity dropped.  When confronted about it, he was intially defensive, but eventually admitted to the substandard solution and further indicated that he did not know where to find reclaimed or replacement antique pine flooring. 

Luckily, I was able to find a perfect match at a local architectural salvage using Google and we got the project back on track after only a few days.  After getting halfway through, we were not about to give up and start over with finding a contractor.  

It was somewhat frustrating at times, but if you know what you want and are willing to stand firm, then this contractor can and will do a good job at a reasonable price.

We could not be happier, the floors are beautiful, and the staff were very courteous and professional throughout the entire job.
They were prompt, worked steadily and completed the job in a very timely manner.
The owner, Mike Ayoub, was very vigilant about the job progress and made sure that  we were happy with the floors and his staff.
I have recommended them to friends and neighbors, and sing their praises whenever asked about who installed our flooring.
We will definitely be using them again for any floor related service that we need.

I think they did a great job. They even added an area for cleaning that doesn't even apply to the surface. They came out and they made sure they don't disturb any of the flooring. They were on time and they did a very good job. They were true with their pricing. I have an old carpet and I actually called them to stretch the carpet. They came here and during the estimate they told me that it would be a bit costlier to stretch the carpet than to replace the old carpet. They were fair in their estimate and their pricing.

The floors look great. There were some delays in getting the estimate and getting started on the first day, but the owner was apologetic, professional and offered to replace a couple of stained boards without charge as a consolation. His contractors were also very professional when we walked through in the middle of the project. The work was completed on time. I would definitely recommend Stand By Flooring and would work with them again.

I found Stand By Flooring on Yellowbook's website. The pictures on their website showed a threshold of two hardwood floors that were different, but flush which was exactly what we needed. We didn't want to redo our other floors, but needed a new floor in our kitchen. It was vinyl and in horrible condition. They were very prompt with everything from timing for an estimate and even showing up early for the job every day. The other parameters we were working within was a surgery date my mother was going to have. They were very accommodating and able to completely finish the job well before we needed it done. The floor is beautiful and it is not creaky at all. The workers were very professional and seemed happy in their work. The workers forgot the shoe molding behind the refrigerator and I didn't catch it until a day went by, after I had finished paying. I called Mike Ayoub and he sent some workers back out a few days later and put in the last little strip, no problem. I would highly recommend them and I would definitely use them again when we replace other flooring in our house.

The two-man crew was fantastic, they came when they said they would, and finished the job in 2 days. The crew was polite and respectful, and understood the importance of the work to me personally, which was part of a project to restore the house. And, the quality of the work was top notch. The crew put up plastic to block the wood dust from reaching other parts of the house. The look of the restored floors exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend this company, and would use them again (but I don't have any more floors to redo at the moment!).

The experience was extremely positive from start to finish. Stand By began the project almost immediately. It installed the flooring while I continued to live in my home with minimal disruption. The project was finished a full day early. Stand By delivered on every promise it made. The floor is beautiful, was finished ahead of schedule, and at the quoted price. Stand By treated my home with respect and followed up with me after the project was completed to ensure my complete satisfaction. I would recommend Stand By to anyone in the DC area, and I would enthusiastically seek them out again for future home improvements.