M & F Concrete

"We would like to take this opportunity to respond to [remoevd member name] review of our services. It is unfortunate that this review has been posted, as his claims are not supported by the facts or our written agreement. We contracted to do the work with [removed member name] as stated above for the requested areas. We contracted to install a textured finish with a seamless mat utilizing colors he selected. We showed [removed member name] several possible outcomes of his color selections and noted the potential for variation as the process is not completely controllable. We performed site visits with [removed member name] to other projects of ours using the same techniques so he could see the variation between projects. No promises were made or given that a color would darken after it was poured. Our contract states: “When placing and finishing colored, stamped concrete or stone pattern overlays, M&F Concrete will be using natural products to produce natural effects with concrete. There will be variations in texture and color as it occurs in nature. Due to inconsistency in sand, cement, and aggregates, these variations are expected and what makes each project unique and will not be viewed as a defect.“ Concrete colors settle slightly as the concrete cures over a 3 week period but they do not change colors. [removed member name] stated in his review he selected a black color. We do not have black in our color options. He selected colors from a sample board to match the slate shingles on the roof of his home, and since there was no exact match, he selected the closest colors which were Dark Gray and Charcoal. These selections were reflected in our contract with [removed member name]. The project is beautiful and came out extremely clean in color saturation and hue. It matches very well to the colors selected, so we were naturally surprised to learn of his dissatisfaction. We provided [removed member name] a letter from our concrete supplier verifying that the concrete contained the colors required by our contract. We have since used that color combination on a few other projects as well with great success and client satisfaction. Two Vice Presidents of M&F Concrete, Tiago Silva and Josh Case, were on site during the pour and the stamping. [removed member name] claim that Mario was not present is false, since we have no owner or employee by that name. Our site foreman was also at the jobsite for the entire duration of the project. All employees of our company go through extensive training before they are put on a stamped concrete crew and that particular crew has been with M&F Concrete for almost 10 years. Once the project was completed, and the final payment was due, we began receiving complaints demanding the color be darkened or removed. At this point we cannot remove color once it has been added to the cement. We offered, on several occasions, to retreat the surface and darken the project, going so far as to make sample boards, at our cost, for review even though he had seen on-site samples and approved the colors prior to the work being performed. He refused any additional work on the concrete, requesting instead that we bury drain lines for his drainage problems in his back yard. We performed that service in a good faith effort to satisfy which took two men a full day even though it was not a part of our contract. [removed member name] still refused to pay in full even though we had exceeded the terms of our agreement. Only when we requested arbitration did he make payment to us. It is unfortunate and rather sad that [removed member name] has attempted to discredit our company even though we complied with our written contract and provided extra work beyond what was required. We stand by our work 100% and we stand by the work on his house as well."

"I would like to clarify some points made by Mrs. [member name removed] in her review. I am sorry Mrs. [member name removed] estimate appointment had to be cancelled, however, we did not cancel the appointment. A male at the property cancelled the appointment while I was en-route. As a matter of fact, I have never actually spoken with Mrs. [member name removed]directly at all. I initially left a message on her voicemail to follow up on an estimate request. I received a call/voice mail 3 weeks later apologizing for the delay in getting back to us after we had responded to her estimate request. We have no record of an appointment scheduled for the 6/27/13 as mentioned; we do however have an appointment in our records for 7/1/13, which was moved to 7/9/13 due to scheduling conflicts since no address was provided to us at the time of initial inquiry. Upon arriving at Whites Ferry on 7/9/13, a phone call was placed to the number provided by Mrs. [member name removed] and a male, who spoke on her behalf, answered the phone. We briefly discussed the need to find an alternate route. I was not aware that we would not be able to use that route if we accepted the job since our equipment would not be allowed on the ferry. The alternate route suggested would have added significant mileage and travel time to the project. This information had not been provided at the time of the initial request for the appointment or when rescheduling the appointment. I indicated that we would have to add a nominal travel fee for the distance since the alternate route put the project outside our operating area. The man who took my call understood and said that it would be better if they found a company more local and to “not waste M & F Concrete’s time for an estimate”, despite my being nearby when I called."