TBS Basement Waterproofing
About us
We are TBS Basement Waterproofing, your total basement solution. We are a family owned & operated business, proudly serving the Philadelphia & surrounding suburbs, south & central new jersey areas since 1995. Let our family help your family with your total basement solution! Tbs has changed the standard in waterproofing! We are licensed and fully insured contractors specializing in complete basement waterproofing, mold remediation, french drains, indoor/outdoor waterproofing systems & structural repairs. We do not use subcontractors. Tbs waterproofing offers, senior discounts, armed forces discounts, police & fire discounts, free lifetime guarantee on all pumps, free transferable, warranties, only green chemicals used, give us a call for a free, no obligation estimate, and give your house the makeover it deserves. Call now about our monthly specials, tbs waterproofing is a proud supporter of longevity foundation since 2007.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Basement waterproofing, concrete, doors, drainage systems & plumbing., hardscaping, home remodeling, landscaping, mold remediation, patio work, roofing, siding, structural repairs, windows
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 56% | ||
| 19% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 11% | ||
| 11% |
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.
"To Whom It May Concern, [Member Name Removed] received a basement waterproofing job for about $2,500 less than it should have been. That is a plain and simple fact. There were tons of unforeseen circumstances down in his basement, which we would never up-charge for, as we put a price down on a contract, and stick to it, regardless of what we come across. The moving of the furniture and unplugging of utilities, electronics, appliances, etc, is necessary, since we are using hydraulic machinery to break open thick concrete, to expose the footer located underneath the house. That is what basement waterproofing is. [Member Name Removed] was fully 150% aware of the process, what will be moved, what will be covered, etc. As far as the stolen money and coins, that is beyond ludicrous. We are a family owned business, and we pay our guys more so than any waterproofing company in the industry. Also a plain and simple fact. Our workers, new or veteran, would never DREAM of removing something out of a customer's house without permission. This comment is just too ridiculous to even discuss, and it DID NOT HAPPEN. Whether or not certain things got shifted around during the moving process, that MAY be possible, but, again, was mentioned in full detail to the customer. [Member Name Removed], please do not accuse our workers of stealing, cause that is blatantly untrue. There has been tons of rain since the system was installed, and we have not heard anything about poor quality of work, not have we heard anything following up on the accusations of "stealing," so it is likely all the materials claimed stolen, were recovered, yet we still receive this poor review."
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!!!
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.
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.
We'll keep you posted.
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!
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.
"TBS tried many times to rectify this situation from all angles. There was a small tape mark on the floor, which could have been fixed by TBS in less than a minute, with a simple waxing, but the customer wanted the entire floor replaced, which is unreasonable for such a minor blemish. Our representatives went out to the customer's home on many occasions to try and rectify this situation. We suggested that we do the outside dig to correct the remaining water entering the basement, even though there was no signs of any water penetration. The customer kept telling us that they needed to think about it and did not want us to do the work. There were several back and forth calls placed between Don, the owner, and (member name removed), the homeowner, and we made many attempts to get this situation resolved. Then out of nowhere, we received a lawsuit asking us to pay $12,000 for all the repairs. As far as the lawsuit goes, we had a date set to go to arbitration, and the customer could not make the court date, and they set up another date, and we could not do it. Now, its up to the lawyers to resolve this situation, because once the lawyers are involved, there is nothing else that can be done by TBS, as it is now the responsibility of the lawyers to handle this. TBS always stays with our customers and make sure everyone is handled to the utmost satisfaction, as is evident from our reviews on Angie's List and the Better Business Bureau. We tried to do everything we could to make the customer happy, but they kept putting up barriers preventing us from doing the work, and instead wanted us to pay for their entire floor, which is ridiculous, considering the small extent of the problem. It is unfortunate that now it is out of our hands, because we would have done anything and everything to remedy this situation, but once it goes legal, there is nothing else we can do."
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!
"Customer, As far as running your credit card a little earlier than the job completion, that was an honest miscommunication by our accounting department, and we truly sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We apologize for our crews using your extension cords without permission, that is unacceptable and we will certainly reprimand our workers for doing something this unprofessional. As far as the belongings being moved back into the attic - generally when a mold remediation is completed, the area that is treated should be clear of as many belongings as possible for a few days, which is why they were left out of the attic. That is absolutely standard and that should not be held against us. It's a shame the Customer is unhappy, considering TBS workers helped build some shelves for her mom, move things around in her basement that were asked of us, cleaned other belongings out of the attic, we rearranged her garage, we powerwashed the driveway, and a few other small things, all free of charge. Not to mention the Customer's brother was thrilled with the quality of work. We are sorry that the customer is not happy with the price, but considering all the work that was done (just in the attic alone), and the installation of a top of the line solar fan, the price should of been upwards of $5,500, not to mention additional fees for credit card payment, which we waived. The price of the job was way more than fair, and few companies would be hard pressed to do a job of that caliber, for the price that TBS did the work. On another note, we did not leave a lawn sign there because we did not get a chance to ask the customer for permission, and we do not leave lawn signs without getting the OK from the customer. If the Customer had any issues with the work, she could of called the office at anytime, or Joe directly, and we would have rectified any and all issues. A report like this is totally unwarranted and not fair. We will still honor our warranty with the customer, but this report has no valid foundation."
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.
"To Whom It May Concern, This is a completely false report. When agreeing to install a french drain system with a sump pump, as well as tearout certain areas of drywall and studs, both the member and TBS Waterproofing came to an agreement, per our mutual contract. When work was being done, our workers had the member's wall and ceiling come crashing down on top of them, because the original basement finishing (done by a different independent contractor) was done 100% incorrectly. The studs and the drywall was installed using nails, which is already a recipe for disaster, and because those nails rusted out and became weaker over time, there was no thread to hold the walls and ceilings in place, therefore they came crashing down during the slightest disturbance. Rather than accusing us of wrecking his basement, the member should have went to the original contractor that did a quick, cheap, easy, and not professional job on the basement. We have been in business since 1995, and pride ourselves on our honesty and integrity, and if there was one shred of evidence showing that this event was caused by TBS or its workers, we would without hesitation do what is necessary to repair the member's basement. The fact of the matter is, whoever finished the member's basement did an extrememly poor job, not to code, and the next person who would be doing work in his basement, would of had to go through the same debacle. The member kept persisting to go through our insurance company, and we kept notifying him that they would not cover someone else's work, and since we have nothing to do with that, they will not give him any money for it. We tried to give him the lowest price possible to repair the original contractor's joke work, but the memberdeclined, and decided to still go through our insurance company. We have pictures and schematics showing that it is IMPOSSIBLE that anything done by TBS Waterproofing's workers could have caused something like this to happen, and there is no other explanation for it other than prior work done to the basement. We have reports and pictures to show we are 100% not at fault, and would be happy to present these pictures to the necessary channels. The member wants his basement issue fixed, which is understandable, but at the same, TBS is not going to fully pay for something that was not our fault. Our insurance company, nor his township, will be solve this matter in the member's favor, because it is very clear that the fault does not lye on TBS Waterproofing. We hope this matter gets resolved, since we want all of our customers to be satisfied, regardless of the situation, but we will not completely pay to fix another contractor's work, who may or may not be in business still. TBS Basement Waterproofing"
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.
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