MARTIN GROFF CONSTRUCTION CO

Description of Work: .

Description of Work: He charged an extremely excessive price for materials that were made in China. The builder was a total thief and I had to fire him and get another contractor who was reputable to finish the job

Description of Work: He visited twice to get info for a bid, Never called with it. I called 3 times, twice left a message, he never called back.

Description of Work: The man is a thief

Description of Work: This guy lied to me about the work on my house. He ended up costing me more to have someone else fix and finish what he F@#ked up! Don't use him unless you don't mind being ripped off.......

Description of Work: I am Kevin C. Betskoff the former owner of the “property” that is the subject of this complaint which is located in Worcester County, Maryland “Ocean Pines”. The property address is 13 Moonshell Drive, Berlin MD 21811. The person and company I am complaining about is Martin Groff of Martin Groff Construction Company who is a Maryland home builder and Corporation and whose principal business office is in Worcester County, Maryland Martin 11024 Five L Drive Berlin, Maryland 21811. At all times I dealt with Mr. Groff who was acting as the agent, servant and owner of his company during the course of construction. On June 13, 2005, I Kevin Betskoff entered into a written contract with Groff to erect a new single family residential dwelling on my property for Two Hundred Fifty Five Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Eight Dollars $255,658.00.I had obtained a construction loan from Severn Savings Bank for the full amount / cost of this construction . After paying Groff an initial deposit check of $7000.00 on the job, “out of my own money” not the loan proceeds, he initiated construction in early April of 2006, almost one year after I contracted him. Groff performed some of the work at the contracted price. By April 25, 2006, Groff had sent a series of not less then ten change order forms to me requesting additional monies totaling more then $12,000.00 above and beyond the contracted construction price. These un-contracted for increases were discussed in writing and via phone conversations. After initial payments were made for some of these increases, additional monies were continually being requested by Groff for many more thousands of dollars for the structural completion, fixtures, cabinets, electrical receptacles, and appliances all above the contract price. Subsequently, problems arose regarding these payments due to the inflated costs, which were continuous in nature, and when it became apparent that this was Groff’s method of operating, it caused a serious deterioration in the working relationship between us. I owned a waterfront property with a deeded boat dock. Groff went so far as to pull my boat dock out of the ground and water without being asked to do so and clearly against my wishes, which devalued my property significantly. Then he attempted to charge me for its removal. I feel he did this out of malice because I told him I felt he was extorting me. Due to the adversarial relationship that was developing, Groff slowed the pace of construction on my home significantly. This caused additional expense to me, in that I had to continue to make mortgage payments on a high interest, adjustable rate, construction loan that had a one year term which was based on Groff’s contract schedule for completion of 180 days. This prevented me, Kevin Betskoff, from obtaining a use and occupancy permit which would have allowed me to refinance in to a thirty years fixed conventional loan with a low interest rate and affordable payment. Groff knew the term of the construction loan that I was approved for because he called my loan officer, Steve Morris of Severn sfb and asked him. Mr. Morris, later told me that my builder had called him regarding my financing. On October 23, 2006, I examined the bid sheet and inspected the property. I found that more than Twenty Seven Thousand Dollars ($27,000.00) had been charged to me and paid by me to Groff for services and materials not delivered or performed. Additionally, Groff resorted to less expensive building materials, contrary to the specifications and descriptions in the bid sheet when I refused to continue to pay the increases in price. The construction sight is showing 1/2”OSB on the floor and walls instead of plywood as contracted and paid for. Also, see the attached specifications sheet which disclosed plywood at ¾” as well as other building materials that I paid for and were not installed or used. Per contract addendum No.2 , I requested an accounting of all goods and services covered by each payment made by me. This request went unanswered and ignored by Groff. Per my own accounting, I had paid Groff more money to date then what work had been completed. Groff was paid for items and materials not delivered. On Monday, November 6, 2006 I went to the office of Groff and informed him personally, that he was terminated from this construction project and that a new contractor, who is a more reputable contractor, would finish the job. Once the new contractor was obtained, his price to finish the construction was significantly less then that of Groff’s and the materials to finish were superior in quality than Groff’s, thereby, supporting the fact that Groff was significantly “ripping me off”. Because of the monumental carrying cost, due to Groff taking one and a half years to get to this point in the construction, which was over a year more then the contract completion date, I contacted a realtor to list and sell the property. This was so that I could just get out from the expense Groff caused me when, on November 6, 2006 Groff intentionally interfered with the sale of the property by threatening the realtor, until he could prefect a mechanics lien, effectively blocking any sale. Groff materially failed to keep his agreement with me. I paid monies to Groff up until work stoppage that were unjust, in that, Groff was paid for services not performed and materials not provided. It is not fair that he be permitted to keep my monies paid for the property’s construction that he did not do. Groff failed and refused to comply with the applicable articles, schedules, and addendums of the contract. I, Kevin Betskoff, have been damaged by Groff’s action in that the property’s construction was over charged to me above the contract price, and I suffered a devastating financial loss in the amount of Seven Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($775,000.00). this was because on October 30, 2006, I entered into a contract to list and sell the property for Seven Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($775,000.00). Upon learning of the contract Groff solely in an effort to “kill the deal” contacted my listing agent and real estate company and coerced the agent to withdraw and cancel the contract. Groff then filed suit for a mechanic’s lien, which was placed on the property thereby, rendering me unable to consummate a transaction of sale. I eventually, prevailed in the case instituted against me by Groff and the Mechanics lien was removed. Due to the amount of time it took the court to render a decision removing the wrongful mechanics lien and the increasing interest rates on the short term loan which significantly increased the mortgage payment, I was unable to maintain these payments, thus the property was eventually foreclosed upon by Severn. Additionally, during this time, the economy worsened and property values decreased significantly, leaving me not only without my property, but with a deficiency judgment in excess of One Hundred Twenty One Thousand Dollars ($121,000.00) owed to Severn Savings Bank. Groff knew that by filing a Mechanics Lien it would result in the property not being sold, given the amount of the mortgage pay off and the amount of Groff’s unjust mechanics lien, it would prevent me from selling the property. The mechanics lien instituted by Groff was done out of malice and with out cause. I have incurred a loss of Seven Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Dollar ($775,000.00) from the lost sale because of him. Groff also falsely and fraudulently caused his employee, a “witness” to acknowledge my signature to a document, after the document had been altered. I had no contact whatsoever with this signatory witness. Groff’s fraud contributed to and resulted in my property having unjustly been subject to the contract and subsequent change orders and then to a mechanics lien. This ultimately blocked the sale, or refinancing, of my property and prolonged its construction. I know there has been some time since all of these actions by Groff until the filing of this complaint, but I was told to write to your division because, I did not find out all of this information and the extent of the thievery on the part of Groff against me until March of 2010. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General for the state of Maryland and ask for their help. Kevin C. Betskoff