DAMIAN JOHN CONSTRUCTION

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We contacted a couple of contractors and local appliance stores to see if someone could give us an estimate to swap the gas range and range hood between our old and new home. Most appliance stores won't do the job because of liability issues. However, the local Albert Lee Appliance Store recommended Damian for this job. Damian was responsive to our inquiry, gave us an estimate, and quickly scheduled the work. He and his assistant were punctual and quickly disconnected the gas range and range hood. They loaded the range and hood into the truck was brought them to the new house. He then disconnected the gas range and microwave range hood in our new home. Damian took the necessary precautions not to damage the brand new hardwood floor and swapped the ranges and hoods. He had no trouble installing the gas range and range hood and was quickly on his way back to our old house with the second gas range and microwave range hood. Once he arrived back to our old house, he quickly installed the range and hood. He checked that both gas ranges were working properly in both homes. All in all, the whole operation took about 3 hours to complete. He even gave us some options on fixing the damaged backsplash tiles behind the microwave range hood (done during the initial installation by Albert Lee or builder and NOT by Damian). Damian was professional, courteous, and quick. My only two minor criticisms are that he did not vacuum any drywall dust and/or wood shavings from drilling into the wall and cabinet during the installation. We had to vacuum and wipe the counter surfaces during and after the installation. The second minor annoyance is that he left the job with a lot of fingerprints on both gas ranges and range hoods. The Maytag Store, who installed my professional stainless steel gas range and range hood, cleaned up and wiped all stainless steel surfaces before I signed any paperwork. It's minor. I am happy to have found Damian and would hire him again for other renovation work in the future. Great guy and fantastic work.

Damian John was recommended by a local appliance store to install a new dishwasher last Dec '08. I mentioned to Damian that the old dishwasher had its own separate outflow pipe, so he was well aware of it. He disconnected the old pipe, plumbed the new dishwasher's drain to the garbage disposal (correctly), but he neglected to cap-off the old pipe. Less than one year later (on this past Thanksgiving) a clog of the main drain caused water to back up and flow out the old UN-CAPPED dishwasher outflow pipe (the communication between the two is a "Johnson Tee"). I had to call in a plumber and water damage specialist. They remarked that they couldn't believe the installer didn't cap off the old outflow pipe, that it was a no-brainer to do so. I called Damian the next day, he said he guarantees his work and to fax over the invoices from the plumber and water damage service and that he'd "make it right". The following Monday, his mom, who handles Damian?s business from their office in New Jersey(!) called to say I was "on Damian?s schedule" for the following Thursday (nearly a week after I first called). He did not call or show up. Also of note, the plumbers pointed out that the old electrical wiring used to hook up the new DW was frayed and looked like it should not have been re-used as Damian did for the new machine. I promptly had an electrician repair that. Damian's also listed on the WA L & I site as having an electrician?s license. Remarkable, since I recall his response when I offered to turn the breaker switch off so he could install the dishwasher was a flippant "Nah, no need, I've been shocked lots of times, ha ha!") After two weeks and hearing nothing from Damian, I called his insurance carrier listed on the state of WA L&I contractor license site. Finally and only because they knew I'd filed a claim, they got back to me. A series of calls followed, each time Damian's mom becoming more hostile and trying to bully me to settle for substantially less than what I'd had to pay out of pocket due to Damian?s negligence. I'd repeatedly told them that I was willing to pay my share of the plumbing bill related to clearing the clogged drain and miscellaneous work not related to the flood, but I felt the rest was their obligation. There would have been no flood if he'd capped off the pipe. This is a business that?s unprofessional in dealing with dissatisfied customers. The contractor, Damian, never called me directly. His mom, acting from their New Jersey "virtual office" as she called it, is hostile and argumentative on the phone, interrupts and talks over the top of the caller. She treated me as though I was inconveniencing THEM, hello? Thanks to them, I'd had just a wonderful THANKSGIVING frantically mopping up water on the kitchen floor in front of my guests and family, not to mention being unable to use the dishwasher on that day of all days. Rather than be accountable and just pay their share, she wanted to parse out reimbursement of the related bills to THEIR satisfaction, not mine. She went so far as to state that the clogged sink drain would have caused a flood anyway, regardless of the pipe in question being capped or not! Unbelievable. Only if someone let the sink overflow by not turning off the faucet. I guess we're a little smarter than that on this coast. My request for compensation was simply that they pay the remainder of the plumbing bill and the water damage bill, which I shouldn't get stuck paying for. Deducting what the plumber said was my portion of the bill, their share was nearly $800, of which they at first tried to tell me they'd pay only $300. Weeks later, they said they'd pay slightly over $600. Since it didn't make sense as to how they arrived at this number, (not to mention odd how the numbers kept changing in their view) and tired of being subjected to Damian's mom on the phone, I asked them to email me an account of how and why they came up with that figure, she flatly refused. I eventually accepted a check (from their much more polite local agent) for little more than that from their insurance company. It still didn't cover all that I was owed, however. Maybe this is how they handle their business in New Jersey, but out here I think we expect better customer service and more professional behavior. You don't tell a dissatisfied customer who?s just experienced a holiday flood due your negligence that you'll put them "on your schedule" a full week later, then not even show up or call on the appointed day to evaluate the problem, phone weeks later only because their insurance agent called them in response to a claim, repeatedly imply that the error was an assistant's fault (it wasn't, and why would that matter?), or the customer's fault (adding insult to injury), then brashly dictate to an unhappy customer that they will not be compensated fully. I've dealt with other contractors who've made mistakes, but the way in which they handled it made all the difference. They've offered sincere apologies, then truly did whatever it took to compensate me and "make it right". Damian John is not one of those contractors.

Just great - I explained what I wanted and then he just did it. Floor looks great, plumbing doesn't leak, he clean up all the mess. He even was careful with my plants outside the windows when installing the new windows. Unobtrusive, a guy who just gets the job done.

Great guy who does a very good job.