STERICO SIGNS & DESIGNS

I am utterly amazed at how unprofessional this company is and so surprised that is still in business. My small Condo Association is part of a very large (almost 9,000 residents) senior, gated community in Silver Spring Maryland. There is a very large part of the population who live in co-ops here and there are several condo associations as well. Recently, the cooperatives put up signs to mark their parking lot areas, as each parking lot area has a distinctive name. The signs were great and our Mutual wanted to get a sign exactly like the rest. We got estimates from a few companies and Sterico signs came in much less expensive - and it sealed the deal that the owner of the company told me that he had made about half of the signs for the cooperatives here. We wanted the exact same sign so we had the dimensions and the material and the color all ready to go. Steve Christner, the owner, said that we would have a resign within a few weeks and he would call with an installation date. Well, the installer showed up a month-and-a-half later and the sign was a different material, a different color, different measurements and the painting was all messed up. I wouldn't even accept it. The installers laughed and said they wouldn't have accepted it, either. I called Mr. Christner and asked why he completely changed the specifications in the contract and he said he upgraded us. I don't think so. And why was the painting so bad? I took my finger and rubbed it on the sign and the paint actually came off. The color of the posts for the sign was completely different than the sign itself and the material went from PVC to a foam. Completely crazy I also found out from my development that Sterico signs did Not make any of the signs for the cooperatives and that Mr. Christner was not telling the truth. I should have known then that we should not be working with this company. I was put in touch with the head of the production Department, who seemed very nice at the time. Ernie Galyen said that he would personally take over and make sure that our sign was made to our specifications and perfect. We were told that the new install date would be the week of May 15th, 2017. And when that didn't happen we were told it would be the week of the 21st. And when that didn't happen we were told the week of the 29th. And then I was told that it would be on June 7th, today. I did not hear from Mr. Galyen before that, so I called to make sure of the timing and was told that the sign wasn't ready and that it would be installed on June 8th. I asked that he call me on June 6th to give me a time so that I could be home and he promised he would call me before the end of the day. He did not. I called him and he said that one of the "installers" was trying to paint the sign and messed it up and it would have to be repainted from the beginning again. Heck no. I'm out of here! I have been hung up on, left on hold, lied to numerous times and treated so disrespectfully by the employees of this company that there is no way that I would ever, ever deal with them again. I would rather pay more money and deal with an honest and reputable company with honest and reputable people than ever make or take a phone call from Sterico signs. Mr Christner was going to call me back to let me know exactly which signs his company produced for our development and he never did call back which is pretty self-explanatory. And Mr. Galyen told me that the sign was ready over a month ago and the paint just needed to dry, but if that was the case why was it being repainted and repainted and repainted? We ordered this sign at the end of February and here it is June and it has been the most aggravating and insulting business transaction I have ever been involved with. What makes me the angriest is that I was told that the company produced many signs for the development - and that was an utter lie. To me, that's fraud.

Could not be worse! First of all, the owner of Sterico told me that his company had made the signs for the rest of the development in my community (there are almost 9,000 people here). I found out that he did not make the signs, not one! Before I knew that, I believed him and contracted him to duplicate the signs that he "had made," color and dimensions. Just the addresses and court name would be changed. Secondly, it took almost a month after we were promised the sign for it to be ready. Apparently, the paint was wrong and they had to redo it two more times. Say what? Thirdly, Sterico was to call me before the installers came to put in the sign - and I received a call from guys saying they were lost. I gave them directions, and after seeing a truck go by me two times in 15 minutes, they finally arrived. As the sign was being installed, I noticed that the color was NOT like the others and that the posts were not the same color as the sign. THE KICKER? The materials that I had signed for on the contract were switched. I called the owner, Steve Christner, and he said he decided the new material was better. Again, WHAT????? I would not accept the sign and the installers laughed and said they wouldn't, either. They said a LOT of bait and switch happens with this company. Needless to say, I found out they did not make any signs for Leisure World and I found the company that did. They were a tad more money, but the sign was perfect and the warranty terrific. Steve Christner refused to answer my calls regarding any of this. Beware of this company and this man. Totally lied outright and - though I can deal with errors and mistakes - I cannot deal with unethical people.