Brick Doctor

"This is discouraging, as we went the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th mile to please this customer. The areas repaired represent the condition of the brick walls on the entire house. Our aim is to reasonably match the original look. Her original brick walls have countless technical “flaws” such as small mortar smears, inconsistent mortar colors, etc., in addition to paint splatters and smears. The scope of work was to grind out specified voids, cracks and deteriorated/washed out joints, then repoint with new mortar of a reasonable match, all as sketched. We explained at the original appointment that her irrigation system had exacerbated much of the mortar deterioration, as well as causing hazy gray staining on lower walls (from minerals in the water). Our scope of work was never to address mismatched mortar, previous smears, water staining, or paint on the brick. Our agreement also warned, “NOTE: The original mortar color on this house was black. Over the near 40 years since the house was built, the mortar has been bleached out by the sun to various degrees all over the house, leaving a variety of shades of color....Homeowner should expect to see a difference in color in some areas.” Once we were done, she pointed out numerous “flaws,” many of which we corrected, in an effort to satisfy her. After four separate return trips, it became apparent we would never be able to satisfy her. Our agreement also states that, “Although workmen will exercise reasonable caution, Brick Doctor will not be responsible for damage to landscaping adjacent to work areas.” But, we gave her a $50 credit from her bill nonetheless, because she complained that we damaged two adjacent ferns in the landscape. We have repaired much more than our agreement stipulated. After the third “re-visit,” she finally was satisfied. Amazingly, she changed her mind, per this negative review. We since went back a fourth time and took care of still more items. Unfortunately our best is simply not good enough for about one in 1,000 customers. So sorry to disappoint."

"Thanks so much!"

"The proposal was originally sent to Mr. [Member Name Removed] last year on 10/22/2019. Though the offer expired 90 days later, I honored the price 9 months later on 7/23/2020. Our welcome emails include explanations about wait times and delays. We do jobs in the order received. During Mr. [Member Name Removed]'s wait time, 7/23-9/30, we had 15 actual rain days, adding approx. 3 weeks to his schedule. Meanwhile, I obtained brick for Mr. [Member Name Removed]'s repairs, which is a 20+ year old brick that is near impossible to find. (We have salvaged and stored brick for 34+ years). I am always happy to help if anyone has any questions. Brick Doctor received an email inquiry from Mr. [Member Name Removed] 5 weeks into the wait time, and we updated him. On 9/23, Mr. [Member Name Removed] wrote a fiery review of Brick Doctor on another site. I promptly apologized and gave him an update with a target week to start his job - 10/5. No response from him. Mr. [Member Name Removed] received a call, a voicemail and a text message from my foreman 7 days in advance of start date. And though Mr. [Member Name Removed] says he returned the call and left a voicemail, my foreman did not receive the call or message (no one has accused him of lying...we simply did not get his message). Because of that, no confirmation was ever given from my foreman. A follow up call from either party could have solved this problem. 7 days passed and Mr. [Member Name Removed] assumed we were coming, yet never confirmed with us. We want Mr. [Member Name Removed]’s business. We would not skip him, decline him, or ignore him intentionally. Though I could have called on those rainy days and given more updates, we are human, doing the best we can. We are a small company of 22, and stay busy, but I will always respond to my customers if they call the office, or me directly. Every one of my customers is important. We asked for forgiveness and offered to come the next day, his job is ready to go. Regretfully, Mr. [Member Name Removed] cancelled the job. [Member Name Removed] Jennings, PM"

"Thank you!"

"Thanks very much!"

"Thank you!"

"The job absolutely was complete as both parties agreed, in writing. Scott, the Project Manager, personally went back and reviewed the details and took care of a few minor clean-up items. Kenny, the crew foreman (30 yrs experience, 12 with us), executed another great repair job. Any brick repair involving cracks around the house requires judgment calls when designing the scope of repairs. Our customers are urged to carefully review the scope of work before signing the agreement and before we begin work in order to avoid these unfortunate situations. Obviously, adding more work to the scope adds to the price, so we try to use discretion and design a scope we would want done as if it were our own house. The area she wanted added later for free was high on the roof, practically out of sight. Our agreements are very simple and clearly outline what is to be done for the agreed upon price. Customers often give input or request us to do more once they see the quality of the results. We believe strongly in the "second-mile philosophy," and indeed did perform work above and beyond the initial scope in this case if one was to add up and actually measure the linear footage. The work is complete per the agreement, and done with excellence...they even agreed as much. Although normally our minimum charge is $300, we were willing to send the crew back out for only $75 to do the extra work which was clearly not in the original scope of work diagrammed, and agreed to, in advance. No customer is ever asked to supervise our workmen. However, if there are favors to ask, or expectations beyond our agreement, we suggest sticking close by and asking for these favors while we are still working, potentially saving them time and money. Our masons are seasoned craftsmen...men of character who are trained to go "above and beyond," and are prepared to make minor decisions related to such requests. I personally emailed and called the customer when the Project Manager could not seem to satisfy her. I left a detailed message, and am regularly available to take phone calls from customers. We are a small business, but our phones are answered 99.5 percent of the time 8:00-5:00 M-F, and we have voice mail if for any reason you can't get us during these hours. We have no unanswered phone calls, voice messages or emails from this customer. Every one of us at Brick Doctor give it our best to serve people with second-to-none quality, value, and service. However, though we strive for it, we are not perfect. About 95-97 out of 100 are happy with us, and the other 3-5 we try to win over, but sometimes fail (hundreds of available reviews and 33 years of repeat customers contribute to our reputation). I've learned that the customer is NOT always right, so occasionally I will defend our employees instead. Finding honest, hard-working, conscientious employees is actually much harder than earning another customer. Often, as in this case, it's a situation where the customer wants more work than what we agreed to, and/or are looking for an excuse to not pay us (this one did finally pay on April 22nd). The service and work we did here would score well at my own house, or even the governor's. I do sincerely regret our practices don't measure up for this customer. We are still willing to come and do the extra work for the discounted price."

"Thank you!"

"Thank you!"

"Thank you! And yes...please let us know how it holds up over time...we'll be here!"

"Thank you! (Except for that word "pricey..." ouch! Perhaps you did convey "expensive, but worth it." We are not "cheap," but as you acknowledged, you often get what you pay for. Our aim is not to be the least expensive, but to offer the greatest VALUE. We actually guarantee it, with a "Low Price Guarantee," as explained on our website. So far, no one has ever been able to qualify for it, because the "cheaper" proposals did not include what we offer. The best is rarely the lowest priced, and we strive to be the very best.)"

"Thanks so much! Actually, we installed a minimum of five lag bolts, securing the new angle iron to the header behind it. What you are referring to that may need replacing is not the header, but the trim board on the underside. The structural problem is fixed, along with the masonry cracks, but , yes, you would need a carpenter to address any trim carpentry issues, as we had explained earlier. We sometimes can address minor structural carpentry issues behind walls, but are not qualified to perform cosmetic carpentry work, so we do not include it in the scope of work in our proposals."

"Thank you!"

"It's always particularly satisfying to serve discriminating customers who notice such details. Thanks so much...your kind words mean a lot coming from you, and we'll pass them on to Chuck and Ryan! -James J, Chief Steward"

"Thank you very much! -James J."

"Thank you, it was a pleasure to serve you! -James J."

"Thank you! -James J."

"(Address is incorrect...that is our office address) Thank you so much! -James J."

"Thanks for the nice review, we really appreciated the chance to serve you. -James J, Owner"

"Thank you!"

"Although we did offer a bid to repair this mailbox, we were never awarded the job. Apparently the customer has us confused with someone else."

"Thank you!"

"Thank you!"