Ravensworth Custom Home Improvements LLC

"Working with the Members made for one of our favorite projects. We're so grateful, not only to have met them, but that we were able to help them with so many different projects. It was truly a great experience. The Members' home was distinctive, functional and beautiful when the many projects were complete. We very much appreciate the kind and generous comments and wish the Members the very best."

"We greatly appreciate the member's kind comments. She was a complete joy to work with and for. Her kitchen really did come out just great. We agree with her that it's a nice addition to her home. We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant customer with whom to work. Running into the unexpected on day one of demolition is not an unusual thing but it's always fun, of course, when it DOESN'T happen. Nonetheless, all's well that ends well. The member was tuned in as we discussed options so it wasn't tough coming up with a good solution for her. We're grateful for every opportunity to serve our clients but this particular client was a real joy to get to know."

"A little extra perspective may be helpful to the rest of the Angie"s List members. We know that our handling of this BigDeal was so disappointing that I do not expect to salvage our reputation with Angie's List members anytime soon; my father's lingering illness and subsequent passing notwithstanding. At the same time, it is only right that the record be correct. I'm not sure how this customer spent $80 when everyone else spent $59; but either way, he paid that money to Angie's List, not our company and was able to receive a refund so he was not defrauded or cheated. The member asked for a 600 sf deck of a rather elaborate design and wanted to spend $6,000. I explained that I could not purchase the materials for this budget much less provide labor and have anything left over for a nominal profit margin. He suggested that I should absorb the loss and consider my compensation to be his good write up on this forum. I likely risk the ire of some members but I will still suggest that this dilutes the intent, value and integrity of the original Angie's List intent and vision. I had a phone appt with this customer (a conversation in which he was belligerent with me insisting me that I break down pricing in ways that we do not typically offer). Following this, I did visit his home, he did not make it to the appt but I measured, photographed, created a file and began working on some compromise plans that might accommodate some of the priorities we discussed during our phone interview. I told the member that we needed some alternatives because we could not possibly come close to his budget but would like to help him find some arrangement that would work for both of us. He did not have interest in this suggestion. I have no idea where we could have gone from there. There was no way to provide a realistic plan for a 600sf deck for $6000, a quality job simply cannot be done. As always, we regret that the member was disappointed but I do not see how a report like this serves the Angie's List member community in any constructive way. Thank you for this opportunity to clarify the details."

"While we appreciate that the Angie's List member is obviously unhappy with our approach to this offer, we would like to point out that we did not insist on working remotely. We simply explained to all the Angie's List members that the most efficient way to go about this was to begin with a phone interview and an online review of the property. Once narrowing down the direction of the project, we would have been happy to visit the site. The member was disinterested in discussing the value of this approach. We regret that an understanding could not be reached. Again, as some time has gone by, we feel it may be appropriate to point out that Ravensworth collected NO funds from this Angie's List Big Deal. Angie's List collected all funds (which is something to which we agreed in advance and are making no complaint about it; but we feel it is germane to the context.) Again, we appreciate the candor offered by the Angie's List member but believe some clarity needed to be added to the comments."

"We appreciate the fair and objective response from this Angie's List member. It is not unreasonable given the events with which we were dealing at the time and our subsequent lack of ability to provide the level of service for which we were known beforehand. We very well may have been mistaken but thought that this member was not ready for drawings at the time that we talked and, for the time being, was in need of an order of magnitude about the general type of work discussed. Again, we may have been mistaken. We would still be willing to provide drawings should this member desire them. Again, we appreciate this member's contribution to the Angie's List knowledge base. We, as a company, look forward to returning to a level of excellence for any prospective clients."

"Thanks to (deleted member name) for a fair and reasonable response. He was very considerate and exeptionally patient about the problems we experienced. We do apologize for not being better suited to follow up with his request."

"Member is a very kind lady and was quite understanding. We appreciate the opportunity she gave us. Her assessment is not unfair. We would only like to point out that we did visit this member's home, discussed what was desired, took measurement including elevations and began the rendering process. The renderings can be seen here: https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D21504_4810551_6556635 https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D21504_4810551_6556763 While this is, in no way, an indictment to the Members, we would like to point out that we presented these drawings as an initial sense of whether we were on the right track. Outdoor construction can cover such a wide gamut of possibilities; and it can take quite a bit of time creating accurate drawings. So we like to get a start and then find out if our client has an initial inclination toward or away from what we are planning. We don't like a one-size-fits-all approach, essentially forcing our ideas on our customers. Member was not able to give me any sense of how this suited their goals and plans for the area to be served. That said, I did offer to send him a price and in all fairness and truth, must admit I did not get that done. To reiterate, all in all, the Angie's List member is very fair in their assessment of our performance in this scenario. We will strive to improve as we continue recovering from the financial difficulties we experienced from our family's difficulties. Thank you for reading."

"We appreciate this member's comments and their recognition that we make every effort to be of assistance; that we are not there to sell. We know this member has some tough decisions ahead of them and pray that they are able to work out what will be best for their needs."

"Let me point out again, the member did not pay our company $59. He paid this to Angie's List. They are happy to refund him the $59. We cannot refund him the money, we were not paid the $59. The member called our company a number of times. I called him back repeatedly. We attempted to set an appt with this member but it never seemed to work out. We do not believe we are deserving of an F rating for this. Certainly not an A but not an F either. We trust the Angie's List member recognizes that he only need ask Angie's List for a refund. We are aware that the member received other estimates from other contractors and hope that one of those projects worked out well. Thank you for this opportunity to respond. Merry Christmas to all."

"Customer; Thanks so much for the acknowledgment. You are one of the Angie's List customers who we were able to help with plans and we are, of course, so happy that you were pleased with what we offered. We are grateful for your kind words, they are, as the ancient author said, like water to the dry soul. Thanks again!"

"Well, after the last year we've had, I can't tell you how much I'd love for this report to be ours. But we are honest so I have to say this is not our report. And it's only fair that whatever company provided this great service for the Angie's List member get the credit for it. It will take us a while to regain your trust. But we will. Happy Veteran's Day to all."

"I have realized that I owe yet another apology to the Angie's List community. While I take full responsibility for it, I was not aware that an email had been sent from our company stating that we were not honoring this deal because we were not making anything on the it. That statement was never the intent of the mgmt; but it was made and I am willing to bear the brunt of it. I sincerely apologize for it. Our company handled this process poorly. Although we were experiencing severe difficulties, that does not excuse the egregious mistakes that we made. We regret this all deeply. We have learned from the experience and plan to incorporate the lessons learned as we move forward. All the best to the Angie's List community."

"While we appreciate the member's frustration, we will not belabor what we have said before. We would like to clarify a particular inaccuracy on the part of the member. We did not suggest that she contact Angie's List because we did not benefit from the offer. What we said was that if the member wanted a refund, they should contact Angie's List as we did not collect or receive any of the monies from the transaction. All of the monies were collected by Angie's List. And we want to be clear that we are not criticizing Angie's List for such. Nothing different from that was represented to our company beforehand. But that does not change the fact that our company did not collect any of the money and that refunds should be sought from the firm which collected the funds originally. This does not seem unreasonable to us. Again, we regret that our personal family's situation created the hardships that made it impossible for us to live up to this offering. We had every intention of doing so. We would suggest to the Angie's List clientele that some consideration might ought to be given to the fact that there is absolutely no benefit in any way shape or form for us not to have lived up to this offer. To the many who have been so understanding, we offer our deepest gratitude. All the best to the entire Angie's List community."

"We continue to offer that we do understand the frustrations that the Angie's List members have experienced. We do regret the poor or completely non-existent service that is NOT characteristic of our company over many years. The timing has been very unfortunate. We are beginning to get uncovered from this year's events. There is nothing new to say other than that our apologies are sincere and that we will continue to offer to any Angie's List customers that are interested an effort to fulfill our original offer. For reasons that I won't go into again, we just have been completely unable over the last few months. We do understand that this is not a satisfying answer for most people. Any Angie's List customers who would like to discuss refunds can contact us and we will tell them how to go about receiving theirs. Otherwise, again, if members are interested in re-scheduling (and, yes, we understand why many would not be), we're happy to do so. In fact, we just set several appts this week to get caught up with another few Angie's List members. And, with all due respect, they were not stories. Our Dad did pass away this year, his death was a lingering one which caused many unavoidable interruptions in our personal lives and business, and getting our Mom into suitable long term care did consume the majority of our resources and required considerable time. These are not facts one usually shares with the public, we understand, but, in this instance, it seems the Angie's List members deserve and seem to want some explanation. We regret the unfortunate timing. For the many Angie's List customers who have been so supportive and understanding, we offer a hearty Thank You!"

"We appreciate this member's report. And we don't disagree that our performance has been sub-par. We have shared with the membership before the difficulties we could not foresee and were encountering just as this Big Deal came out. To be completely frank with the Angie's List membership, the financial and time load of getting our Mother in an acceptable long term care arrangement following our Dad's passing was quite overwhelming consuming a considerable part of our resources. While that is of no help to the Angie's List members who trusted that they would receive better service, it is the reality we are facing. We do continue to offer that we will, at any reasonable time going forward, honor the Angie's List Big Deal. We recognize that our performance with respect to this Angie's List Big Deal has been sub-par. We regret that and are working to recover from our recent challenges. We'd love to put a better face on this or offer a more elegant answer; but the plain truth is always a good policy. We ask only that Angie's List members reflect on life's ups and downs and recognize that things may not always be what they appear to be. We are committed, caring and honest people who work hard for their clients. We will do anything in our power to fulfill our commitments as we are able to do so. As to refunds, because this was a smaller deal, the service fee from this deal consumed the entirety of the $59. Ravensworth received no funds for this Big Deal. Please direct any requests for refunds to Angie's List. We thank Angie's List for providing this opportunity to respond to this member's concerns. And, again, we publicly apologize for our unacceptable performance. Given the opportunity, we will strive to rebound just as many companies and individuals before us have had to do. Thank you for reading."

"Member's are great customers! They are friendly and were easy to work with. We very much appreciate this report and will always do our best to provide the best value and service for the Member's and every Angie's List customer that we are able to help."

"We thank this Angie's List member for the report about our efforts to assist them with the early stage planning for a potential future project. As discussed, we are looking forward to meeting and working with the member when he is prepared to move forward."

"We appreciate the member's response and can certainly understand his frustration. Our performance has been sub par for us and we deeply regret that we undertook the Angie's List Big Deal when we did. But that is only because of the unforeseeable events which occurred for us personally. We did not want to broadcast the news but the reality is that our father (my brother and I are partners in the company) became very ill around this time drawing quite close to death repeatedly. He passed away about 3 weeks ago now. Being a very small company and never dreaming we were going to get over 50 responses -- thank you Angie's List customers! -- we were overwhelmed. We provide highly customized work and draw each of the plans ourselves. But the sheer number of responses coupled with our Dad's prolonged decline in health (which pulls one away from one's work over and over each time new is received of deteriorating conditions and then rush to be there in the event he passes) and eventual passing simply proved to be the perfect storm for us. All of that said, we have completed meetings with about 1/2 of the Angie's List customers and have spoken with others who have very kindly understood our situation and have been willing for us to reach out to them as we were able. We are doing just that and as rapidly as we can. We asked the members to respond with any pictures of their yard and simple descriptions of what they would like to accomplish. Most of been very helpful by responding, a few have not. Having said all of that, we have records of emails sent to the member twice in Feb, twice in March and again twice in April with no records of any response. I have no way of attesting to whether or not the member has called (I assume he has but cannot confirm or deny this). As to the member's use of the Angie's List Big Deal coupon, we are more than happy, under the circumstances, to extend the offer for any reasonable length of time. Again, we do apologize to the member and to all of the other members who purchased this Big Deal. It is our intent to follow up with everyone who may still have interest in speaking with us. The situation is behind us now for the most part but, as one might imagine, a considerable toll has been taken on our productivity and schedule. We are recovering and endeavoring to meet our commitments as efficiently and quickly as we are able. We do appreciate the compassion, sympathy and many kind well wishes from so many Angie's List members."