We hired A Cut Above for a project in August 2016. The work completed was done well, however it started a day late (due to Clayton chipping his tooth the morning the job was scheduled to begin - we understood this delay).
In spite of the unavoidable delay, we hired them (on Sept 28) to complete an additional project at our home, contracted to begin December 6. Unfortunately, we were informed BY EMAIL, a mere 24 hours prior to the start of the project, that our job was being cancelled, and could be rescheduled at our “preferred month” and that they would “do their absolute best to accommodate” our request. What is worse is that we received a confirmation of start date 18 hours prior to the cancellation email!
Upon phoning Clayton to figure out why our job was not being pushed back a mere day or two – but would be delayed until at least January. Upon further inquiry I was told “they were not required to discuss their scheduling”, but we ultimately learned the following:
- Their current contract was running a day behind (due to other trades)
- The large commercial contract that was scheduled to begin after our job, was going to start on time because it “could not be delayed”.
- Our job was therefore cancelled, and would be rebooked in our “preferred month”. No alternative timelines were suggested or provided in the cancellation email. We were left feeling like our small $700 project was being sacrificed to keep two bigger projects on schedule, regardless of the vacation time we had needlessly booked to oversee the work.
After a lengthy, and at times a heated discussion with Clayton, he called us back and offered to complete our project a few days later on a Saturday. While we appreciated the offer to work through their weekend, we no longer have any confidence that they would actually arrive at the agreed upon date and time.
The workmanship of A Cut Above’s is good, however dependability has been an issue for us. We ultimately could not depend on the work beginning at the agreed upon date and time. We have therefore decided to take our cancelled contract, and all subsequent work to a competitor, who has subsequently completed the work beautifully!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,400.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Thank You Nathan, We acknowledge your frustration with the delay in your project.
It is very important to us that we stay on schedule with our clients. We know that at times our clients are rearranging their schedules for us. Having a delay is frustrating for both you and us. Despite our best efforts, delays can happen.On this occasion we had found out last minute that the current project we were on would be delayed a day due to other trades. We had let you know the moment we found out. We emailed you because it was early morning. We explained in detail what was happening and why. Normally in this case every project following would be equally pushed back allowing us to complete yours a day late. However in this situation the project following yours was the painting of a Non-Profit Women’s Shelter. These women were being displaced from their housing and already had temporary accommodations arranged for them. We were hoping you would be understanding of the logistics of this particular situation. You were not being pushed back because you were a “small $700 project”, all projects are important to us. Our painting company has been built on small jobs.
As we stated in our email we would still have been able to complete your project before Christmas. During our only conversation, you had stated that you would be posting a negative review about our company if we did not complete the project on Dec 6th. Despite this comment, we offered to work the coming weekend to complete your job and make up for the setback. This conversation ended with you being satisfied with the alternative date. You then emailed us late that evening and cancelled the project.
We are sorry we couldn’t come to an understanding but wish you all the best in your new home.
Thank You,
Clayton & Kelly