Ground Tech Inc

This was one of my worst contractor stories to date. Kurtis Kizer is the biggest crook I have encountered in years. He came across as very professional with expertise in landscape design. His price was expensive but all the quality and craftsmanship he promised is what led me to hire him. To make a long story short, he started the work and stopped after he received approximately $20,000.00 of my money. I had to file a complaint with the better business bureau against Ground Tech Inc. (complaint # 9075020), which only helped me to get some of the material back that he had purchased for the project. Needless to say, I had to hire another contractor and electrician to complete my backyard renovation.

The contractor from Groundtech - Kurtis -first met with my mother who is a senior and he gave her a quote that I thought was quite reasonable. We requested that he come back to meet with me. After having a less than satisfactory experience with a local contractor I wanted to make sure we do our homework before hiring another contractor to do work for us. This began with joining Angie's List and using it to find reputable, honest, skilled and reliable contractors. Kurtis answered our questions patiently and professionally. When I asked for a portfolio of his work - before and after pictures - he did not have one. He did have some pictures on his cell phone that we looked at, but it really wasn't enough to see the real quality of the work. I asked him if he was licensed and insured, he said he was. I've learned not to take a contractor's word for this, so I told him we would need to see proof if we decide to hire him. I also requested customer satisfaction reports and referrals. He said that he would email them to me upon return to his office. He said we could drive up to Long Island in our own time to look at some of his work, but I don't think this is the only option we shoud have to get an idea of the quality and expertise of the work they do - especially when they've been in business so long. I asked him if he was on Angie's list and he wasn't at the time. He has since set up a profile, but there are no referrals yet - except for the one I am writing. I told him that if we choose him as a contractor, upon completion of a good job, we would be happy to give a referral on any forum he wishes. To this date, I have not received any customer referrals from Kurtis/ Ground Tech. Over a month later, I called him this past week to let him know I did not receive any referrals from him. He implied that he told "the girl in the office" to send it - since this is her responsibility. He again promised to take care of it when he returns to his officice. Several days later - no referrals. A contractor who cannot follow through on a simple request like this leads me to believe that I cannot trust him to deliver as promised on the job that we have agreed upon. It's a real pity that contractors don't understand how important good customer service is in building trust and confidence in prospective clients. Business 101 = Positive customer referrals are priceless. Word of mouth recommendations are far more valuable that paid advertising to cultivate business. This is the whole premise of Angies List. To date, the referrals on Angies List have not steered me wrong when choosing the right contractors. It's one of the best investments I have ever made. I have contacted Cambridge Paving Stones to refer contractors to us. If they don't pass the Angie's List test, they're not even going to be considered.