Acme Sand & Gravel

I ordered 30 tons of chat (fine gravel) from Acme Sand & Gravel, to be delivered in my driveway. They damaged a few square feet of a path I had just put in and refused to fix it. I made some mistakes and ignorance is no excuse, if you ask the owner. A month earlier, I had extended my concrete pathway to the sidewalk and covered it in tile. The first truck arrived on time and the driver came out to discuss details. He even helped me lay the tarp down and asked if he could drive on it. My only complaint here is that he did not warn me how anomalous his behavior was for the company and that the next driver would likely just see it, back up onto it, and dump. That is, according to the company's owner, standard operating procedure and I should have known. The second truck showed up maybe half an hour after the first truck. Again, I came out to talk to the driver, but he was not looking for conversation. He pulled up, turned around, and started backing up. When the first driver and I laid down the tarp, its edge covered our pathway. He did not seem to think it was worth mentioning that the next driver would assume this meant it was OK to drive on, and never even came close to it while depositing gravel. The second driver backed up right onto it. Just before, as I saw where he was going, I signaled and shouted to the driver to stop, but he did not hear me before I heard the heart-wrenching crunch of his back tire over the end of the path. He got out, saw the damage, and told me that, while it wasn't necessarily my fault, it certainly wasn't his. I should've "hollered louder." In his defense, the edge of the tarp was over the pathway and he did not notice it. On my part, I should have clearly marked where I did and did not want the trucks to go. I should not have assumed either driver would attempt to communicate with me at all, even if the first one did. We called their office and spoke to the owner about it. He used the word "unacceptable" and offered us some free concrete or to refund 1 or 2 out of the 30 tons we'd paid for. He also said he would come out and see for himself. I naively thought this a good sign, that he would try to make things right. I realized after the fact that he was just there to get evidence in case we litigate. He made the same offer of a little concrete or a refund on 1 or 2 tons. I mentioned I still had the materials to rebuild the few square feet of damaged pathway, hoping we could at least discuss repairs. He hemmed and hawed and said something about giving us concrete, which he now knew I already had. I finally asked if he would at least help me fix it by tearing out the few feet of concrete and tile so I could redo it myself. It was a horrible compromise, but I figured at least I wouldn't have to undo it and THEN redo it, and it was better than nothing. To be honest, I was already somewhat embarrassed, asking a grown man to do the right thing for no other reason. He agreed, reluctantly, to have someone come out in a week or two. This was not a priority. The next day, I went to their office to try and salvage a slightly better deal. If I supplied all the materials (I'm repeating myself now), would he have someone fix it? The answer was no. I asked what it would cost, in labor alone, to fix it, and he estimated $100. He was willing to "go out on a limb" and refund two tons, or $65; this is the same offer he made before talking to his drivers or seeing the damage. By his reckoning, he saved himself $35 and a few minutes of his time (maybe not even, since he had the time to argue with me) by refusing to accept responsibility or fix anything. He also doesn't care about losing my business (I asked), which, from a cold numbers point of view, makes sense in dealing with a one-off customer. I don't think he'll care about yours, either. "If the tarp hadn't been there," he claims, he would happily fix it himself. I doubt it, since his version of "making things right" never changed the least bit between the first phone call, when he had almost no information, and the last conversation, when he had practically all of it. If his drivers see a tarp, he expects them to drive right over it and I should have known that (again, I asked). The first driver must have known that as well, but assumed that I was happy with other trucks driving anywhere on it. Just because he asked before doing so was no reason to assume the next guy would. Importantly, I signed a form releasing them of liability ahead of time. On paper, it's not their fault. The gravel was fine, even if they do weigh and deliver it sopping wet. If you decide to order from Acme Sand & Gravel, please take every precaution. Use traffic cones and other signage to direct drivers. Don't sign anything you don't agree to 100% or don't get a copy of first. Record the delivery. If it seems paranoid, do it. If anything happens, they will absolutely avoid taking any responsibility. Or just buy elsewhere.

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No issues.

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The truck was right on time and delivered the type and size rock we selected on pretty short notice. The staff at the store was very knowledgeable and courteous...nice people! It was a smooth and somewhat educational experience since I have had no prior experience in xeriscaping. I recommend Acme very highly.

They were very helpful. They don't deliver but we had a truck to pick it up. The experience was good. We liked them. It was nice that they had everything in one place. We were able to get everything we needed there. The people were very nice. We talked to them a few times on the phone before we went and they were very knowledgeable. Their price was comparable and maybe cheaper. They did have weird hours.

Perfectly

I had a bad experience with another materials company, so I decided to try this one. They were slightly more expensive with the delivery charges because they were further away, but it was worth it. Mike helped me select the right kind of rock and helped me estimate the amount I needed. He was super helpful and friendly. The were able to set up a time to deliver the rock driveway very quickly. The delivery driver had a blowout on the way to deliver, so he was a little late; but it was just an unavoidable act of nature. The whole company came across as very professional. Not only would I recommend their service, but I'm going to use it again personally.