Kelbie Home Improvement Inc

I was a little disappointed by this extra cost but it was may have been mentioned in the fine print. The extra cost wasn’t outrageous. They also pointed out some additional work that needed to be taken care of.

The package that we purchased stated "This package includes an overall roof inspection and minor roof repairs that can cause water infiltration. They will reseal pipe collars, caulk exposed nail heads, inspect and reseal caulking around chimney flashing and exhaust fans if needed, inspect wall flashings, re-caulk flashing at corners of walls as needed. Any major repairs that are found a photo will be taken and estimate provided to the customer." These guys were on our roof for like 5 to 7 minutes. Then they rang my doorbell and showed me pictures of some shingles on our roof that had cracks. They told me that they would be sending a write up of suggestions and estimate for repairs. I asked well did you re-caulk everything and fix any minor repairs? They told me everything was fine besides these cracks. They never even sent us anything after that. No suggestions or estimates. No contact of any kind. Our roof is very old and we know that it needs replaced. There is no way that there was nothing for them to re-caulk for fix up for us. That was why we called. We had a leak just the week before that I put some roofing cement on myself to try and stop it. I'm sure I didn't do a very good job. I am not a roofer, and I do not know how long that will last. They should have been able to find any other possible problem areas and do SOMETHING. What a ripoff. Never again will I purchase a deal from Angie's List. This was the first and last! Response To Provider: We did not want service for free. We just don't want to pay and receive NO SERVICE AT ALL. We have had other companies come in previous years to do roof maintenance and they were up there A LOT LONGER. The bottom line is that the men that came said that they would be in touch and contact us with feedback about our roof. They did not give us details OR tell us to replace the roof while they were there. THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD CALL OR EMAIL SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS. We were planning to express our concerns with the service at the time. NO ONE FROM YOUR COMPANY CALLED OR EMAILED US AT ALL. We waited and waited and waited. If you tell a customer that you will be in touch the the ball is in your court. We should not have to call you. If you can't even call your customers back why would we want to continue to do business with you. If you can't call me back then it isn't worth my time to call and complain to you. I do not have personal problems but thanks for the insult. I just wanted the service that I paid for and the follow up that you promised. Nothing more. Nothing free.

Overall, the job went very poorly, primarily because of poor communication. First, when I called for the appointment in September, the earliest date was Monday October 24th. This date was confirmed in an email, as were all the other dates I will mention in this review. As the date approached, I had heard nothing from them about the upcoming appointment. On Saturday October 22nd I called and left a message, but got no return call. By email, I learned on the 24th they didn't have me on their appointment calendar and the owner was on his son's school field trip that day. He rescheduled for Saturday Oct 29th, but they didn't show up and didn't call. Finally heard from him Nov 11 and the job was scheduled for Nov 23. It rained that day, so it was rescheduled for Nov 25 (day after Thanksgiving). On the evening of the 23rd, I got a call from someone with a Spanish accent who said they worked for Kelbie and asked if they could come on Thanksgiving Day in the morning. He said he was driving up from Virginia. I thought this was a local company, and since the owner couldn't do the work on the original date because he was on a school field trip, I assumed the owner was involved with the work, not sub-contracting it out! I agreed to let them do the job on Thanksgiving Day. Three men arrived in the morning: 2 men to do the work and one who supervised (the only one who spoke English). They did a good job pressure washing and said they would be back in 3-4 days to apply the sealant. Four days later, Monday 11/28, the deck looked dry but no one showed up. It rained off and on for the next 3 weeks, but there were stretches of 3 or 4 days without rain. Heard not a word from Kelbie. After I complained in an email on 12/14, they finally sent someone to apply the sealant a month after the powerwash. The quality of the sealant? Not so good. I wasn't home when they applied the sealant. If they used a "brightener" first, as was stated in the Big Deal, I wouldn't know from the appearance of the wood. It looked the same after sealed as before. Water doesn't bead up on most of the boards. The wood is starting to grey too quickly (based on my experience with past sealant jobs). Each time the owner contacted me, he apologized and said he was very busy and his schedule was crazy. Yes, it rained a lot last fall and I'm sure that played havoc with his schedule. But I at least expect some communication! At one point I asked for my money back so I could get it done by someone else before it got too cold and that seemed to help light a fire, but I really shouldn't have to do that. I will not use this company again. Mr. Kelbie, I was surprised to read your response to my review on Angie's List. First, I never sent an email saying I didn't want to move forward with the job. My last email to you was 12/13 asking when you were sending the crew to finish the job. Second, on 12/14 you emailed me back saying the crew would be out in a few days. Within about a week, your crew left a note on my door saying the job was complete. But on Angie's List you claim you didn't do the job? No wonder it doesn't look like any sealant was applied! To jog your memory, here is a copy of our last emails: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Kelbie [mailto:mrkelbie@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 9:40 AM To: Corcoran Family Subject: RE: Angie's List Big Deal We will be out the next coupla days to finish your job the technicians name is james mcgavin as long as the temperatures are below 30 degrees we are ok sorry for the delay we just been really busy lately mister mcgavin cell phone number is 443306 8700 if you would like to call and check the schedule we appreciate your business thank you On Dec 13, 2011 10:50 PM, "Corcoran Family" wrote: Your crew came on Thanksgiving morning and power washed my deck. They told me that the deck had to dry for 3 or 4 days and then they would be back to apply sealant. Four days later, Monday 11/28, the deck looked dry but no one showed up. It has rained off and on, but there have been stretches of 3 or 4 day without rain. When will you send a crew to finish the job? It has been almost 3 weeks. What is the temperature range at which the sealant can be applied? How many weeks before it must be power washed again before applying sealant? I don't want the deck to turn grey again! I paid an additional $375.75, which I expected, because the deck and rails were more than 200 sq ft. I also think your crew did a good job of power washing and I tipped them generously for coming out on a holiday. I expect, at minimum, some sort of communication from you or a representative of your company. I'm beginning to regret paying the entire amount for the job up front. Your quick response would be much appreciated. Linda Corcoran

Work done was very good overall. But after the job was completed I was asked for additional money because according to workers my house was bigger than covered by coupon. I have a one level ranch with a garage. I checked the coupon and there were no restrictions or limitations on the coupon or in the details on the coupon. It turns out that on the Angie's List listing there was a limitation. The limitation was buried in the second or third page of the listing and even then is not clear. Neither this or the worker's house measurements were discussed PRIOR to work being done. I refused to pay the extra charge. The owner and I discussed the problem and agreed to disagree. I filed a complaint with Angie's List about the details of the listing not about the service or the company. Restrictions or limitations in listings should be up front not further down in the listing.

I called to schedule the work and was given a full day window. The work was being done at a rental property and I informed the scheduler of this and my need to be called 30 minutes prior to arrival to make sure I could meet them there and inform the tenants. Neither the workers or dispatcher called as instructed prior to arrival and completion of the work. Being that it was roof maintenance I have no idea if they did anything. Once the job was completed the worker called me and explained that he was done. I asked why I was not called and he could not give me a satisfactory reason, only that he didn't know why. I asked what he had done and he told me that he performed the caulking and so forth as part of the package and had recommendations as far as repairing the roof and/or replacement. I informed him that I was interested in receiving a quote for that work. Additionally, I asked how I was supposed to know that he had done any work and he said that he took pictures of the work while on the roof and would forward them to me via email along with recommendations and a proposal. I verified that he had my email address and we ended the conversation. I have never received an email or phone call follow up from the company. I called once since then and explained the situation and was told I would receive an email right away with everything I was expecting. Still nothing. I would be willing to amend my report and grades accordingly provided I receive the report and pictures of the work that was promised.

Bought this service through one of Angie's MyDeals. Big mistake. Called the company in March and tried to set up a date. They promised to call back. Never did. I forgot. My bad. Disappointing that company Angie presumably picked for great and reliable service would fall down.

Scheduling was easy but the crew arrived 35 minutes late. I called the main office at the 30 minute mark to confirm my appointment but the receptionist had no visibility on scheduling and could not assure me that anyone was on the way. Once at my house, one man climbed to the roof and one stayed in the car. I was shown pictures of pipe collars that needed replacement--there were clear gaps from shrunken rubber. The work was completed in a total of 40 minutes for a total sum of $725. Assuming the parts cost $50, that equates to over $1,000/hr for unskilled labor. Totally absurd when considering there are paint contractors on Angie's List offering 40 hours of semi-skilled labor for $999. To add to the insult, the workers tried to bury the empty tar cartridge in the large paper bag that I was filling with grass clippings which everyone knows are only for recyclable objects.

I needed to have some loose nails taken care of and some rubber boots replaced. Both were pointed out on a home inspection when I was preparing to buy the house. The Angie's list big deal came at a good time, so I scheduled the inspection, which included repairs of minor things, like the nail heads poking up, and some caulking. There were two workers who showed up (really one worker and one supervisor/salesman). They were a little late, but got right to work. After the inspection was complete, the nails taken care of, and a loose ridge vent was secured, the supervisor started the sales pitch. My roof, it seems, was made of inferior materials and needs to be replaced. I listened and then agreed to have the vent boots replaced. I'll need some more experience with my roof before I decide it needs to be replaced. Both men were quite professional. I went up on the roof and looked at the work and it was done very well.

When they powerwashed the house it went well. They powerwashed the deck and did a good job with that. They were supposed to powerwash and seal the deck on Friday Sept. 17th but they called and said they wouldn't be able to come until Saturday morning. When they came out Saturday morning they just powerwashed the deck and did not seal it. He didn't come back to seal the deck until Oct. 11th. By the time he came to seal it the leaves were piling up. I had to constantly try to sweep the deck to keep it clean. He had to come back out Oct 22 because there were leaf prints every where. He tried to scrape them off which helped but there are still leaf prints.

They were quick to respond, easy to schedule, polite and efficient.

See above "work performed

Their service was good. They were prompt and did the work. They cleaned up.

I met with Mike Kelbie on June 4, 2012 to discuss the work I wanted to have done and to choose the new roof color. Since I had purchased the Big Deal, I had only to make the down-payment on the additional work to be performed. Mike said that it would take approximately 4-6 weeks to get the materials, so it would be July before the work was complete. This was fine, as a 4- to 6-week lead time is not uncommon. On July 7th, I sent Mike an e-mail to follow-up on the scheduling, since I hadn't heard back from him. He did not remember who I was and I had to remind him of our meeting and my purchase. Understandable, since he was on vacation with his family. He said that he would contact me the following Monday to let me know when we were scheduled. On August 13th, I still had not heard back from Mike, so I sent him another e-mail. He informed me that he has been very busy with all of the Big Deal customers, but that my house was scheduled for September 4th. Mike implored me not to be upset at the scheduling because there were a lot of customers in front of me (understandable; I have no problem with this); the company has been busy (again, understandable); and Angie's List has been slow to release the money from all of the Big Deals. I'm afraid I am not at all understanding of the last point. I purchased the Big Deal in March, and I seriously doubt that he had not received "my" purchase amount by mid-August. In addition, I had already paid him for the additional services. I am most displeased at the lack of communication from Mike and his company. It does not surprise me that a company is busy, but when I have to be the one to make contact--EVERY time--it's completely unacceptable. Each time Mike said that I would hear back from him "on Monday" or "by the end of the week", I was disappointed because it never happened. And if a company is so busy that it cannot take care of its current customers, I do not understand why that company would keep selling Big Deals to get more business. Finish the work you've started before you move on to something else. September 4th has now come and gone with no work performed and no communication from Mike. I have requested a refund from Angie's List and I am trying to get the $2,510 down-payment returned to me. To say that I am upset about how this company has done business with me would be an understatement.

Kelbie arrived prepared with their power wash equipment. They gave special attend to one side of my home where there was heavy mildew. The staff were professional, friendly, and used their time wisely.

The roofers were very professional. The friendly supervisor introduced himself and showed me the company's business card before I unlocked the door. He verified my requested service and told there would be an inspection and then he would consult with me on what they found before proceeding. I would definitely use Kelbie Home Improvement for my roof again.

Everything went well. I have an end unit townhouse. I explained all the surfaces that neede to be cleaned and the crew did it.

They cleaned the gutters and performed a roof inspection. A tree hit the roof during a storm in early June and I was concerned about roof damage, so I was happy to see that my deal included a roof inspection. He took photos during roof inspection and promised to email them to me along with a full roof inspection report and an estimate to fix the damage. I never received the report, photos, or estimate, even after several calls. Cleaning the gutters went fine and I don't have any complaints about the work they performed.

They were professional and persistent. They came out and did great work. I really liked his responsivesness and the price! I would definitely use him again.

The overall job was donequickly and on time. It was all very professionally done. I would have them again and i will recommend them to anyone.

They did a great job! Completed it in about 20 minutes and cleaned up after themselves.

I had a leak in a newly built three-story-up screened back porch that it seems only Kelbie could find and fix. The builders of the porch (not Kelbie) never properly connected the new porch roof to the house's flat roof (as I understand it) and I had a leak. Those guys, unfortunately, had already been paid in full and would not return my calls. I tried one person, recommended by a friend, who "knew just what to do." He tried twice to do it, but couldn't (and then he disappeared, too). And then I called Kelbie. He fixed the leak immediately and I haven't seen a leak since. He also put in a roof hatch. And, as promised, weeks later he found and dropped off a ladder for me to be able to climb up onto my roof from the porch. When I discovered that his workers installed the hatch in a way that makes me to scared to climb out on the roof, even though I didn't call him back for more than a year (I thought maybe I'd get my nerve up and be able to climb up there) when I finally did call him, he made an appointment within a week and told me he would turn the hatch so that the door sits the opposite way at no additional charge. That's excellent service! Kelbie is a problem solver that is fair priced, reliable, honest and fast. He does what he says he's going to do when he says he's going to do it. And I feel like he appreciates his customers by going the extra mile for them. At least, that's how he's always treated me. I also love that the business is an old family company.

As at least one other reviewer noted, it's run like an amateur operation - very unresponsive. But, having paid already, one had to keep at them and finally an appointment was scheduled. Ironically, the crew then came early - which I suppose was not overly problematic given that it's an entirely outside job. No feedback was given (e.g., what one could do to protect the gutters, something that was supposedly part of the service as they mentioned 40% off gutter protection supplies in the advertisement).

As I stated above. they walked around on the roof for a few minutes. I guess this was the inspection. A few minutes later I received the call I mentioned above.

We originally scheduled the work for Friday, Aug. 24. They did not show up at the specified time, and they told me they were unable to make the appointment because the previous job was too big. We agreed to do the work on Wednesday, Aug. 29. They called me at 10:55A to tell me they were at my house. I asked about the cost and the technician said he would have to measure the house. I asked that they please call me back before they started with an estimate and a time they would be completed, so that I could come check everything and pay them. At 12:40P, they called me back to tell me that they were done with the job. They never called me back with an estimate or a time of completion, and I was never able to check the work. I asked that they allow me to check on the work; their response was that they had another job. It surprised me that they were able to finish so quickly, as my house is more than 3000 sq. ft. The work they did do was not to my satisfaction.

I am pleased with the price and job performed by the Kelbie group