TBS Basement Waterproofing

Horrible sloppy work! Don came out and told me I needed a new sump pump because Radon was run into my current sump pump. Told me the sump pump he installed would drain outside into my drain spout. I approved work and when sump pump was installed they did not run it where they stated because the wall was thick concrete (should have known before). As a result they ran the pipes from the sump pump in the air and drilled a hole through the outside of my house. They did not secure the pipes properly and did not use the proper joints. Loud banging noise kept me and my neighbors up all night! Don came back out and agreed job was sloppy and he would fix it. Suggested running pipes from new sump pump into my current sump pump that he previously said we couldn't use!!! I pointed out to him that workers did not use the negative air which was promised, hence my basement was covered in dust, pipes were dangling, and outside stone landscaping and wall were in disorder from worker trying to drill through foundation wall. Pipes are now run across ground (eye sore), joints are still wrong and leaked. I was told I would have money refunded which I have been pursuing for over 2 months. Don, owner is rude, arrogant and hot headed! So much more went wrong!

First of all before I butcher this Beep!!!    They tore up the shrubs in front of the house.   We knew they probably had to.  They dug down 5 feet and put a rubber material down.   They removed moldy wood around the area.  Then filled in the hole and tried to replace the ep Henry pad.   What a botch job.  They broke a lot of the stones, some chipped.   Why would they care it's not their front door pad.   They glued all over our new siding and chopped our j channel.  Leaving huge gaps all around.  The bottom of the steps has a whole on the side big enough for a small animal to get in.   Not to mention the fact they put this together in the rain.   Today months later,  its sagging and crooked.  They also chopped up our existing side walk and it is  a joke.   Who in their right mind would hire a sloppy, unprofessional , joke of a waterproofier.  Don Weiner , the owner has a lack of conscience.   Who would sleep at night doing this to a neighbor down the street.  Obviously he needs help!!!!! Do yourself a favor, never ever use this man for anything.   You'll pay but get crap for a result... See you in court Donny!!!!!!! This is no joke.   I wish it was a dream but it's a nightmare.   Also known as TBS waterproofing.   Please give this jerk an F rating.

They do good work.

We were extremely pleased with all aspects of the process. The owner,with whom we meet initially, was well informed, friendly, and interested in offering the best value. After the initial meeting a proposal was sent via e-mail which detailed all aspects of the job. After scheduling was arranged the crew of @6 gentlemen arrived to complete the job. A shield was installed to prevent dust/debris from entering our home. A vent was created to allow dust to escape through basement window. Great care was taken to ensure the remainder of our home remained intact. At the completion of the job the foreman did a walk through and explained the following years complimentary clean-out of the drainage system. In addition the foreman identified a problem with our furnace which we subsequently had repaired. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the service, value, and interaction with TBS waterproofing. Thank you you all are great!!!!!!!

Below is a letter we sent to Don the owner explaining our dissatisfaction with the way the project was handled...it pretty much says it all...about two weeks after I sent this letter, we received a call from Don, stating he would come out and discuss...of course, he never did, which is par for the course for this outfit...they never follow up anything in a timely manner, and not at all, once they have been paid.....I do not have water in the basement (thank goodness for that) but we feel its because we replaced the defective water softener that was probably the main problem. All in all, a very expensive mistake going with these people. I would urge anyone considering this outfit to definitely seek out second even a third opinion, even if it costs you money for the evaluation.

I am not asking for the moon from them, as we feel the decision was ours, and we should have had a second opinion...we are senior citizens and we mistakenly took their word that the procedure was absolutely necessary...that was our mistake...however, the poor quality of the finishing work and the breach of contract by not carrying down all the furniture etc, back down to the finished basement as promised was a big problem for older people like us to handle by ourselves. Again, the following letter says it all...

7/30/2014

To the management of TBS Basement Waterproofing;

My wife and I decided to write to you in the hope that we can get closure on what has been a very aggravating and unsatisfactory experience with your Company. We were unable to address this issue sooner, due to family health issues. From the beginning, we were first pressured by Don to proceed with a full perimeter system, that destroyed our nicely finished basement, including custom cedar wood tongue and groove paneling and expensive ceramic tiled flooring in the bar area. The original perimeter system did not stop the water flow, even after a lateral pipe was installed, as it was discovered that the main leak came from a defective water softener.

After that totally destructive process was completed, and we paid one half of the price quoted for the finishing work, no one showed up when promised, and we are told by Dennis that Don scheduled him for another job and it would be two weeks before he could start work on our project. This unplanned delay totally disrupted our personal schedules and other workmen we wanted scheduled (rug installers, etc), and caused undue stress to both my wife and I. Everything that was in the basement was still in our upstairs living/dining room until this process is completed. After this surprise delay, and after we paid him one half of the money due, calls to Don?s phone went to voicemail, and we finally had to contact the main office to get any attention at all to our project. Finally, some 3-4 weeks after the job was supposed to be completed, Dennis returned to begin the finishing work. We expressed dissatisfaction with the chair rail and drywall, again as we feel the job was rushed and sloppy. We were told that if there was anything we saw we did not like, he would return to fix it to our satisfaction. We were also told by Don, and had it written in the contract, that his men would be back to carry down all the bins, furniture, etc, that they originally carried up from the basement, as neither my wife nor I are physically able to do it. In good faith, we paid for the balance of the work, which in hind site, we should have never done, but we wanted to be fair, as we were told he would be back to take care of these issues. It is our opinion that work was rushed and sloppy. However, we had no one to express this to, since all phone calls after we paid for the work went to everyone?s voicemail, and were not returned.

 I finally called the main number and had to threaten Loush (?) with legal action if no one got back to me. Finally, after more calls and aggravation they scheduled Dennis and his crew to return to fix the chair rail and other drywall defects that we found once we were able to get better lighting down there to really see how bad the job was. We were promised he would come on the weekend, but now learned he would only come during the week. Since my wife had a trip planned months in advance, I had to take off work, which I was not paid for, to be there when Dennis and his crew returned. We marked items that we saw, and Dennis came back to fix the chair rail, which was acceptable, and many of the dry wall defects. We finally got the rugs down, and my wife was on the phone with the office manager, and  Don  got on the phone and promised that he would send people to carry down the furniture, bins, pictures, etc, even if he had to do it himself! Well, we waited for them to come, and no one showed up, nor did we ever receive the courtesy of a phone call to explain why no one showed up. At 67 yrs old, knowing that any further contact with Don would be useless, and not in the best shape of my life, I was forced to spend the entire week alone (my wife was away for 8 days) after work, carrying chairs, pictures, accessories, heavy bins filled with books and Christmas decorations, etc, back down to the basement. Needless to say, this took quite a toll on me physically. Also upon further inspection when my wife returned, other dry wall defects  were found, and they seem to crop up every day?.nail pops are occurring, more paint drips were discovered, as well as other dry wall defects.

In summary, this has been a very costly and unsatisfactory experience. I fully expect to be reimbursed for the time lost at work, the lack of any workmen to carry down remaining furniture, (Dennis carried down a love seat and a chair as a favor to us) bins, paintings, books, etc, which took me an entire week to do, and was promised in the contract, and verbally by Don.

We consider a sum of $1500. to be a fair amount for all the aggravation, inconvenience, and failure to perform as promised, plus the loss of a work day?s pay. Failure to do so, will result in further unpleasant action by us?I hate to do business this way, but we have not been treated fairly or as promised when we signed up for this work, and the quality of the finishing work is such that I will need to find and pay someone to take care of persistent drywall issues.

If we do not hear from you, we can only assume you have no interest in rectifying this matter, and we will act accordingly. Please do not call us until after 8/11, as we will not be available until then.

I received several estimates for the work but I was impressed with the professional knowledge and demeanor of Joe who did the estimate for TBS and came back a 2nd time to go through everything again before scheduling the work.  When the team arrived to do the work I knew I had made a good choice.  Mike and his onsite team were all professional and very courteous.  They did an outstanding job prepping the area and protecting my stuff and because of the number of guys on the job they finished earlier than I thought they would.  After the job was done they cleaned up perfectly.  Mike walked me through all the work they had done and answered all my questions. Outstanding service.  I highly recommend TBS Waterproofing.

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Workers were professional courteous and neat. One or two hiccups as to start date but the job was done in one week as promised and we are happy with the result. TBS is a leader if not the leader in this field and they know how to produce a quality result.

From the moment we met with Joe, one of the owners, we knew the experience with TBS was going to be a pleasant one. Joe walked thoroughly, inside and out, and looked at and assessed virtually everything that could have been causing our water and mold issues. When the multiple problem areas were discovered and brought to light, we all sat down and discussed possible solutions. Joe told us exactly what would be done and how, how many workers would be there, how long it would be, the noise levels, etc. No stone was left unturned, and we were comfortable with Joe and with TBS from the moment we contacted them. The office staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable, not just some answering service trying to get off the phone as soon as possible.
After determining we needed a full drainage system to relive water pressure and trap water into the system before it entered the home, we decided to go ahead with the project, as we also had lots of dark and grey mold growing down there, and the source needed to be fixed before the mold could be professionally remediated. Joe and his workers came in, and worked nonstop from start to finish, everyday. The end result was a beautifully waterproofed basement with NO mold!! They also took the time to put down some extra layers of cement on my floor and walls to make it even and look nicer, without it ever being discussed or mentioned. Above and beyond is an understatement. Clean, intelligent, and very polite workers!!
It's about 1 year later, and multiple rain and snow storms later, and my basement is dry as can be, with no signs of mold or any kind of pungent odor. If you need waterproofing and mold work done, TBS is the place to be,. They won't try and sell you something you don't need, and from what I see, all their employees are very honest and helpful in all cases. We will be contacting TBS to finish our waterproofed basement sometime in the summer of 2014. Thanks a million, Joe!!!

The work crew started on time and Mike was the supervisor on the site.  They removed my laundry sink, washer and dryer and the drain pipe for the AC unit.  They then dug up the basement along the wall out to the door, installing a 4" drain by my back door, a clean out and sump pump that will empty into my down spout outside.  The work order included a 1" drain around the hot water heater however Mike said that it was not needed and so was not done.  They poured concrete to seal the ditch and the wall as well.  Out side they used my rock salt to put down on the drive way because of water on the ground and the cold weather.  However I did ask that they turn off the outside faucet because of the weather and it is good that I checked because they left the valve open.  Mike told me he would be back to reinstall the sink and put the washer and dryer back. We had some snow and the first call was answered and I was told that there was no one there.  I have since called three times to have this completed however I have only received one phone call telling me someone would be back to take care of it.  I am now missing the drain to my air condition unit which they removed.  I have since had a plumber out to hook up my sink and will put off the drain to the AC unit till better weather. The plumber cost me $137 but It need to be able to do wash and without the sink I was stuck.  I did call Don and went to voice mail that was full, called the office and was told everyone was sent home due to weather.  My wife is not happy at this because she has been able to go to work despite the weather.
To sum it up, no 1" drain around the hot water heater, no drain pipe for the AC unit and I had to pay a plumber to hook up the laundry sink and check to make sure the washer connections were correct.  No one came by to check on the work or offer to make an  adjustment due to some work being removed however on the second copy of the work order it shows that the drain around the hot water heater being completed that is a direct misstatement.

tion.

We had two excellent experiences with Don and the team at TBS Basement Waterproofing. We had a flood in our powder room that had caused mold to grow not only in the powder room, but also in the adjacent kitchen wall. Don did an evaluation, gave us a fair price for the work, and started the job the next day. Within 2 days, all the work had been expertly done. Don heard us talking about replacing several windows in our 100+-year-old house, and he volunteered that they do windows as well. He showed us a sample, gave us a great price, and we gladly gave him more business. The 10 windows were installed on a Saturday, with the crew taking only 4 hours to complete the entire job. What a difference -- the house feels cozy and quiet now that we have double-pane windows instead of very old, very warped single-pane windows. We highly recommend TBS Basement Waterproofing -- they deliver what they say they will, they arrive on time, and they are very respectful of the home in which they are working. We could not have been happier.

I was looking for a basement water proofing company. I found TBS through a value pack coupon mailer. There were a few choices but TBS was a local company that was within 5 miles of my home. I called the local phone number even though there was an 800 number and it was promptly answered. I was given an appointment of 7:00pm on a Tuesday to accommodate my schedule. Joe  who is one of the owners arrived at my home 15 minutes early for that appointment, I was 15 minutes late. We went  into the basement which I referred it to a dungeon. Joe took measurements and we discussed the stuff that was in the way. Joe stated to me that all I had to do was mark the things I wanted to keep and his people would remove the rest. Joe gave me an initial price of what he thought it to be. I feel like we negotiated the fair price for all he was going to do. I actually felt comfort in dealing with Joe and went on my gut feeling he was trustworthy. I agreed to the price and Joe would return later in the week with a formal contract and start date.

Joe returned on that Thursday with a written contract. He also said that he would have a crew there on Saturday to clear out the basement and that the work would be started one week after that. As Joe stated that Saturday his foreman and two helpers and a dump truck showed up at 9:00am. They were very polite and down to earth. They spent a good 5 hours filling the truck. They were unable to get everything in that trip. The foreman said they would finish the following Monday when they were scheduled to start the job. The entire job would take between 4 to 5 days.

TBS started on a Monday and were finished on Thursday. After work each day I would check on their progress. I was skeptical that this size job would be done in 4 days. I received a call on Thursday afternoon from Joe that he would meet me that night to do a walk through and give him the final payment. I did give a third down to start the job. I did meet with Joe and although the mold remediation material was still wet the job was complete.

I waited until now two months since the work was done to write my review. There has been several storms with a lot of rain and the basement has been dry. I also would say the work areas were always cleaned up. I never smelled what they were doing at night and they left my yard and driveway clean. TBS exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend.

Outstanding

Don is passionate about his work. He did the work promptly, cost-effectively most importantly, CLEANLY. Highly recommend giving him a call.

Chuck and his crew did a great job installing the french drain and sump pump.  But there was a problem with removing the loose paint and repainting the walls.  After 2 days, we noticed the paint job was uneven - a worker on the job told me that they had run out of their special antimicrobial paint (which is very expensive) and were just using paint from Home Depot.  When they left, the owner promised us they would return to repaint with their antmicrobial paint.  It took about a month for them to return after repeated phone calls.  Hurricane Sandy had hit, so that could have been the problem with them returning promptly.  The owner came back to finish the job himself.  We do have a lifetime guarantee on this paint, and they promised us that they would fix any problems that might occur.
  We'll keep you posted.

Met with Don and signed a contract containing a lifetime guarantee against water penetrating from the floor or walls in my basements. Chuck and 6 workers started the work the following day. They used drop cloth, fastened with blue painters masking tape to the floor, and used plastic curtains at the basements entrances. This and a negative airflow machine controlled the work generated dust effectively. They removed all the wood I had stored in my basement because it was moldy and also other stuff the had accumulated over the years. They used a jack hammer to make trenches along the walls, filled them with gravel and put a plastic ?grating? against the walls so that any water from the walls can drain into the trenches. After checking that all the trenches drain into the sump pump they covered the trenches with concrete. The work was completed by the end of the second day.
This is when the Code Enforcement Officer showed up and demanded that the sump pumps drain into my front yard. 17 years earlier my lawyer negotiated with the Borough to install a pipe from my house to the drainage ditch down the street especially for my sump pumps. This was necessary because the water from my sump pumps iced up the street in the winter. This new officer did not know about that and threatened me as well as TBS with citations plus daily fines if the pumps do not drain into the yard this same day. Chuck, who was very pleasant to deal with, said the company cannot get a citation and he has to do what the officer demands. We still had frost during the nights and the next day the sidewalk was icy in the morning especially in front of my neighbors house. After one week I got a phone call from the Borough ordering me to drain the sump pumps into the pipe provided by the Borough. I called TBS and Chuck came the next Saturday and did the job - FREE OF CHARGE!
I waited with this review because I wanted to see what happens when it rains.  So far so good!

We retained TBs's services to waterproof our basement in 2011. The work was to be completed in 1 day but and the end of day one I was told theywere able to complete 2 sections of the basement but not the third and would need to come back the next day with a stronger drill to complete the job. Although a crew member did return to complete the work, he did not claiming the concrete was too thick for the drill. I had stepped out to run errands leaving the payment check with my son who in turn, gave the worker the check for payment in full not understanding the situation-- the check was promptly cashed.
In addition to not completeing the work contracted for, as a direct result of the work done, damages were incurred to the hardwood floors on the first floor of my house . The workers had taped drop clothes to the hardwood floors. When said clothes were removed the tapes adhesive pulled the polyurethane coating off the floors. Debris from the basement was left in a pile on my front lawn killing the grass. Don, the owner was made aware and came to my home to inspect. He took pictures of the damage to the floor, saw the dead grass and inspected the area in the basement which was not waterproofed and left after reassuring me that it would be remedied. I placed numerous follow up calls  and was assured he would fix the problems. My last call to the office was in December 2011. At that time I was told Don was on vacation and would follow up when he returned. I never heard back. 
I then filed a civil action and on October 3,2012 was awarded a settlement which TBS still has not paid.
My out of pockets have been significant-- TBS $10,900,  $2045 to have my floors repaired , over $5000 to excavate outside to keep the water from entering that part of the  basement where TBS failed to complete the work, $100 reseeding the lawn and  legal fees to file the action and  pursue the collection of my award.
I understand things can go wrong on a job and worked in good faith to reach a mutually agreeable solution. Lesson learned is this is not a company you want to do business with-- words mean nothing if not followed by action. Integrity, quality  and commitment to customer service are not what this company is about.

I cannot thank TBS Waterproofing enough!!!
This is an absolute top-notch company that not only cares about the work they perform, but also goes the extra mile caring about their customers and making sure they are comfortable and educated every step of the way!
I first met with one of the owners, Joe, who provided a detailed estimate/quote for the work to be performed.  He made sure that I understood the process of remediating my crawlspace, with step-by-step photo illustrations and utlization of the highest rated products, as well as the additional attic moisture remediation. His quote for work to be performed outmatched the competitors, even with use/installation of top-of-the-line equipment/products. 
TBS wasted no time to schedule the project - we scheduled two days later at my request to fit my schedule.  I was greeted by the foreman, Chuck, and his crew, arriving promptly in the morning to start.  Chuck made sure to keep me informed on every process they were working on - you could definitely tell he genuinly wanted to keep me as comfortable as possible throughout the project, which I was very grateful for.  Mike led the attic remediation, and he as well was extremely good-natured and took extra steps that really showed pride in his work.  All workers were extremely conscious of my home interior, making sure plastic and tarping was installed everywhere they would be working, HEPA vacuumed areas after completion, and didn't leave any trace of unsettling behind - they treated my home as if it was their home & that went a long way in my book.
Both Chuck and Mike made sure they walked me through the finished areas and answered any additional questions I had.  It brought tears to my eyes to see the outstanding work that was done on my crawlspace and attic, and to know I was in such good hands.  The sense of security and respect the crew gave to me really hit home and I am extremely grateful.
TBS is a family-owned company (with an A+ BBB rating) that takes great pride in setting a high standard, not only for their company, but for themselves personally.  Each crew member had an outstanding, professional work ethic, and really enjoyed their job - my finished products are definitely proof of their character.  Anyone that has to go through any process of basement/crawlspace remediation, attic remediation, etc would be lucky to have TBS perform the work for them - and this, coming from a very detail-oriented (on the cusp of anal-retentive) individual.  I spent many hours researching and receiving highly-rated competitors estimates - TBS completely exceeded my expectations and my home is now a source of hard work and pride of the oustanding jobs they performed!

TBS Basement Waterproofing came after I called them. The guy came the first time and he was very professional. They came when they said they were going to do the work and that's what he did. I had a little bit of an issue afterwards and they came right back and fixed it so I was very happy. They were supposed to come the following week, then they called, they had some time and asked if they can come and I said it was fine. They came exactly when they said they were going to.

Met with Don,  who I enjoyed,  gave me a good price and started work the next day.  Maybe 7 guys came the next day and they finished by the end of that 2nd day.  Looks good and went as well as that stuff goes.  I wound up having them put in a new boiler for me too. They did however agree to return and repair some damage to the concrete floor ,  did not show up on the specified day.  To date that has not been repaired.  Several phone calls have not resulted in any action.  So I chose to say, this started off pretty good, but has left a bad taste in my mouth.

The service was wonderful. They were great. They went the extra mile with the work.

I called TBS on Monday and Joe the owner was at my home in 24 hrs. He was on time, went thru my entire house looking for mold. The only place that we located mold was in my attic. In the 30 years that we have lived in this house we have never had mold. I replaced my roof in 2009. Had a ridge vent put in. I am not sure how the mold started in my attic. Joe explained that he would empty the attic and scrape, sand and spray paint my entire attic and ceiling. They were to put down plywood to create a walk way in my attic. Joe took the time to explain what his company was going to do. He stated that we would not have to pay anything until the job was done. (that point was very important point for me). His team arrived on time and cleaned out the attic. Joe called me and asked if he could have my credit card number just to put on the paper work so at the end of the job he could run it. Within an hour of giving this to him I got notified that the complete amount was run on my credit card. I did contact Joe right away and he stated that he dropped the ppwk off at the office and "the girl" in the office must have run the card by mistake. We had to go up in the attic several times to ask why certain areas were not sprayed with this mold preventing paint. They did go back each time to spray the area that we indicated. Joe also stated that we needed a solar fan  and that it would be low profile and we would not even notice it would be there. We agreed but to be honest it is not low profile and bright silver and o'so big. It took 2 days to complete the job. They did not put anything back into the attic that was not to be thrown away. They also used my extension cords without asking which are now completely covered with paint. I feel they should have at least have asked or supplied their own. After the job was completed Joe never called to see if we were satisfied with the job and never left a sign out in front with his company name. Was  he not proud of his job?

So my basement was already finished, and the initial plan which they told me they do all the time, was to remove the bottom 3 ft of the wall.  They would do the french drain/sump pump, and leave, and it was agreed that it would be up to me to repair the bottom 3ft of wall.  While they were doing the work, one of the workers told my wife that the entire wall came down, because he believed it was built incorrectly during prior construction, with the wall the dropped ceiling came down.  He stated he would put the studs back up. He never showed us the wall/ceiling when it "came down" and did not take any pictures of the wall/ceiling down.  When I came home there was bare wall, and no ceiling anymore.  They claimed they put the studs back up,  but they were still held up with the original old nails and two new additional screws. . Attached are photos showing the wall that supposedly fell down still connected to other walls that show no signs of damage. The old/rusty nails are still holding up the top plate and when you rub your finger on them the rust comes off on your finger. If the wall came down like they claim, why would the top plate be put back up using the same old rusty nails. Furthermore, if those nails were hammered back in, the nail heads would not still have old rust rubbing onto your finger. There were obvious worker errors made and the company is trying to blame prior construction as the fault so they don't have to be held


I had spoken to the owner, and he kept sticking to his guys story.  It took me about a week of not getting a call back to get their insurance company information to file a claim.  In the end, they stated their policy doesn't cover worker error.  After that,  I sent in a formal complaint to them through my county.  I've still heard no word from them.


I did get an estimate on cost to repair the damage done, and that cost was $5646.


2/21/2013

TBS Basement Waterproofing has continued to ignore all avenues of trying to resolve this issue as well as totally ignore my disputes.  Since my original review I have had to result to small claims court against TBS Basement Waterproofing. I have been awarded a certified judgment by the District Judge against TBS.  Unfortunately it is now up to me to collect on this judgment, and based on TBS' total disregard during my experience, I have very little hope that they will be taking responsibility and paying this court ordered judgment.  I have reached out to the owner since the judgment was ordered and I continue to get brushed off and phone calls are never returned.  I felt it would be beneficial to anyone considering to use this company in the future to know the extreme level of unprofessionalism and lack of integrity displayed towards me during this entire ordeal.

When we suddenly started to get water in the basement I started calling  water proofing companies. I called in around 5 companies and the estimates were all over the place. I narrowed my chose down to two vendors. In the end I made my decisions based on personal feelings and value that these companies were offering.
In the end TBS was the clear winner. I worked with Andy and he was always there to talk and always answered his phone. He was on point with the issues and I did not feel like he was pushing to do unnecessary work. He made us feel comfortable and was very professional. His price was fair and all the extra work he put in put them over the top.
When it came time to have the work done his crew was on-time, professional, worked very hard, and in the end cleaned up after
themselves completely.
I would recommend TBS to all my family and friends.  They did great work, on-time, budget friendly and very courteous and professional.
**** FOUR STARS IN MY BOOK! ****
Neal & Stacy
One Month Later this review was written. All work performed has held up to all rains since installed and we are still bone dry. Great company and have to say their owner/sales ANDY was a pleasure to work with.