Flood evacuee angry with contractor's broken promises
Lydia Grubert says A.N.D. Contracting did not finish work on home
CBC News
Posted: Jan 17, 2013 6:06 AM CST
Last Updated: Jan 17, 2013 8:14 PM CST
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A Manitoba couple whose home was destroyed in the flood of 2011 are dealing with another disaster, as the contractor they hired to help them rebuild has left them with thousands of dollars of work to be completed.
Lydia Grubert says she and her husband paid $62,000 to Trevor Jaculak and his company, A.N.D. Contracting, to replace drywall, exterior siding, doors, windows and floors on their house, which they are rebuilding in the Twin Lakes Beach area.
The work began on June 20 and was supposed to take three weeks.
While some tasks were completed, not everything was done. Today, the windows remain unfinished, the doors have no doorknobs, and the closets have no shelves.
"None of the casings have been put on any of the windows, the baseboards haven't been done," Grubert told CBC News during a recent tour of the home, where they live year-round.
Doing some work themselves
Grubert said the last time she saw Jaculak was in late July. So after six months of incomplete work and unanswered phone calls, she and her husband have been hiring other contractors to help, as well as doing some of the work themselves.
"I know we shouldn't have to, but I can. Like, we can do that this winter," she said.
"But we want what we've paid for. We want these windows done, and we want the electric baseboards which are supposed to be put in there."
Severe spring flooding forced the Gruberts out of their home, where they live year-round, in May 2011. They moved back over a year later, with the aim of rebuilding the house.
After the couple tried contacting Jaculak numerous times in the fall, someone showed up twice in November, working a total of 10 hours. But Grubert said she hasn't heard from the company since then.
"I wake up at 5 in the morning … I'm so angry at him," she said.
Contractor responds
Jaculak told CBC News on Thursday that poor weather conditions and the customer's behaviour prevented him from finishing the work at Grubert's house.
"She was literally screaming and swearing at our employees," Jaculak said.
"It's the construction industry, but at the same point, nobody deserves to be treated like that."
Grubert said she never swore at anyone, but she acknowledged that she has been upset the work has not been complete.
Jaculak has not responded to several requests from CBC News for comment.
Grubert said she was referred to A.N.D. Contracting by a friend.
She has since filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which has given the contractor an 'F' rating due in part to the 13 complaints that have been filed against it.
Twelve of the complaints were regarding problems with the product and/or service, and one complaint was about guarantee and warranty issues, according to the bureau's website.
"If I look at my work orders, the one we're doing right now, we're at 2,195," Jaculak said.
"So out of 2,195, you know what? There are just some people that you just literally cannot please."
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