Academy Sealers
About us
At Academy Sealers we are committed to outstanding service for area homeowners and businesses. Our number one goal is the satisfaction of our customers. Our core service consists of a heavy hand applied coating of premium sealer that should last twice as long as most of our competitors. We are fully licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Additional address - 9812 Falls Road, Suite 114-311, Potomac, MD 20854-3963.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Clean, gutter & downspout cleaning., seal asphalt driveways
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 73% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 4% |
B. They were quick to attempt the job
C. They were poor in actually doing the job; details of poor workmanship below:
-- Failed to patch any cracks
-- The coating looked like a cheap coat of flat black paint, not a "heavy coating of...."
-- They failed to even cover all the asphalt surfaces (including the edges
-- They didn't even complete the coating out to the end of the driveway at the road
NOTE: I cleaned and edged along all asphalt edges very thoroughly to make sure their job would be easier.
When I called them to let them know that what was done did not meet what they're "Custom Quote" stated, they said they (a supervisor) would come out to inspect.
They did come out to inspect and said ... "we put on a heavy coating and think it's okay".
Bottom line to would-be customers of Academy Sealers ... T ry someone else that will actually do what they say they'll do; this was a rush job that was poor at best and not worth the cost!
Signed,
Dissatisfied Customer
"I am so sorry about your experience. We will contact you to try to improve your outcome. There was a 40-50% chance of storms on Wednesday 8/8/14. We called our customers to reschedule for friday. I pulled up the call log and found that we inadvertently dialed one of your digits wrong: 1703887xxxx 703 08/06/2014 07:49:03 AM Answered 00:00:42 I omitted the last four here but we dialed all those correctly, I am so sorry for that. We cannot do anything about spider web cracks but normally fill isolated large cracks wider than 1/4". Nils Warga Manager Academy Sealers"
"Many of your photos showed clear spider web cracks which we try to make very clear that sealing cannot fix. I am sorry you misunderstood that. If you have any peeling we will be glad to address that. It is quite anomalous. I will also contact you about that. Sorry again for the miscommunication. Academy Sealers"
I first emailed them for this years quote and asked the manage to schedule me in. He said they come to Vienna on Mondays so I told him to do it the following Monday. Guess what, now show so I emailed him again and he was like I you didn't confirm (I have the email) so I asked him to send his crew the following Monday in which they showed up bright and early. I had a few small cracks on the driveway from last harsh cold winter.
I specifically told the hispanic guys to spot treat the cracks as I was leaving for work but they obviously they could care less as they want to spread the thin sealer that they use as fast as they can and bolt to the tune of $110. I had a bad feeling before I left as the guy could not speak english. When I got back home from work, I immediately saw the cracks and some irregular spreading of the product as it left dark and light marks on the pavement. So I called right then and sent them photos of the cracks and the manager replies via email and says that their product will not cover cracks less than a quarter. Why wouldn't the sealer cover such small cracks if is had enough density or why would I seal a driveway if the cracks won't be filled? Next time I'll use Collegiate and see what they are all about as my neighbors driveway was paved at the same time as mine and looks a heck of a lot better now a days. As a money manager, my thinking is that this outfit is saving cost with inferior product and lack of guarantee and I guarantee you that they will be out of business in the future with this kind of service. Good riddence.
"I am sorry you had that experience. All our crews speak English, most fluently, some proficiently. We fill isolated cracks that are wider than 1/4", we do not fill spider web or surface cracks. Crack filler does dry darker. If you have cracks that you would like us to refill, please contact us at [email protected], and we will be happy to return at our own expense. Nils Warga Manager Academy Sealers"
"We actually did the work on October 23, 2013. Some shadier driveways can have problems properly that late in the year. I have no record of you contacting us about quality of the work. Please contact us as soon as possible to schedule a free recoat (the summer always gives us the best curing). I am very sorry about your experience but we firmly stand behind our work. I will also try contacting you. Nils Warga Manager Academy Sealers"
I called to let them know. They asked for photos, so I took a bunch of photos and sent them an email. I get an email response back from a manager. He replies with a rebuttal to each of our complaints, defending his company and his guys. Here is a quote from him in response to my complaint about sealant on our brick and cement:
"We do apply our sealer by hand, which allows us to be very precise. Our foreman have been working with us since inception of the company and are very vigilant. There is an extremely minute amount of sealer on the areas you have listed."
He then says they will send someone out to power wash. This is what got me: "there is an extremely minute amount of sealer..." This is akin to painting a wall in your home, getting that paint on the trim and saying, ?It?s just a little paint.? ANY amount of sealer on your house is too much!! ANY amount is unacceptable. I was upset by the fact that he minimized the sloppy work and defended his guys, rather than just taking responsibility and saying they'll fix it. So I called him because I lost all confidence that he took my complaints seriously and was really going to rectify things. He could tell I was upset but rather than try to diffuse the situation, he said I was angry (yes I was!) and that I couldn't be satisfied. Not true. I could have been satisfied in less than 30 seconds with some words like, ?I?m sorry. I see your point. Don?t worry ? we will make it right.? That?s all it would have taken. Instead he chose to argue with me, interrupt me continuously, and talked over me. He was incredibly rude, arrogant, and unprofessional.
UPDATE: The owner came out to look at the work. He began going down the same road as the manager, minimizing everything and saying it was acceptable the way it was. I learned this: Apparently my expectations were too high. He said it?s reasonable, normal, and customary for some sealer to get on your home façade (in my case, brick). Who knew? Also he told me that none of the cracks in my driveway qualified to be filled. They were either too big, too shallow, or too thin to fill.
He suggested I get a new driveway. In his defense he told me they would put another coat of sealer on and he apologized for the unprofessional behavior. That apology went a LONG way towards making me feel better.
"Admittedly we were a little defensive. The issues brought to our attention would have not even be noticed by the vast majority of our customers. When applying 10-30 gallons of driveway sealer very small amounts on abutting surfaces is unavoidable. We pointed to the fact that every sealed driveway in the neighborhood (many not done by us) had these same exact circumstance. Most of the cracks that Mrs [member name removed] brought to our attention were spider web cracks which we try very hard to disclaim in all our advertising and on the website. We apologized for moving her hose onto her ornamental grass. Yes the customers expectations were a little out of line for driveway sealing. Yes, we were a little defensive because the amount of disappointment and anger from the customer was out of line with the outcome. We did respond to every call, every email, and had a manager out to talk to her the same day she called, and agreed to redo the entire driveway at our expense. We want every customer to know that there are limitations with driveway sealing. It is a relatively inexpensive maintenance on your driveway that makes it look a lot better and extends the life. Any customers with concerns will be responded to and rectified as we did in this case. We love all our customers and strive for the best customer service. Nils Warga Manager Academy Sealers"
The driveway was brushed off to remove any debris. Some of the cracks were filled with a filler. The end result of that filler is that a 1/4" crack ends up with a 4-6" wide mark that is produced by the smoothing tool and is noticeable under the driveway coating, when the job is complete. These wide strokes made by the smoothing tool causes you to ask, "Why do they do that?" A smaller tool would do the same thing and make the large wide marks much smaller so it isn't so noticeable.
The workers completed the job, put a yellow tape across the end of the driveway and left. The end result is that the driveway was coated and the work was performed in a professional way. It looks good (except for the noticeable wide marks made by the smoothing tool that spreads the preliminary filler.
"Rain showers are common in the late afternoon. This time of year (midsummer) driveways usually are dry to the touch in 1-2 hours, so it is unlikely the rain affected it. We fill isolated cracks wider than 1/4". If you believe that cracks were missed, please email us at [email protected] and we will gladly make it right. I would contact you directly, but we were not given your contact information when your neighbor set it up. Thanks!"
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