Costly and unpleasant experience with Allard
Had an unpleasant and costly experience with Allard Custom Homes. At first, we found him to be refreshing compared to other contractors. He seemed to grasp everything about our project quickly, was very detailed and he was was able to provide a competitive quote, which we paid him $400+HST to prepare for us. Unfortunately, he became quite difficult to work with just before our start date.
He ended up dropping us as clients 2 weeks before we were scheduled to start the work and move out to a rental, leaving us high and dry without a contractor to start work, and a pricey rental lease signed.
Before signing the rental lease, I had confirmed that he was 100% able to start on the date agreed upon. He had also advised us to order the new windows ourselves, as needed to start the project on time. All before sending us a contract to sign or asking for any deposit (which should have been a red flag for us). Now here we are, with new windows on the way, a rental lease signed, but no contractor.
After having his contract professionally reviewed, he didnt handle contract negotiations well, along with not taking recommendations and feedback well. He initially said he would make some requested changes to the contract, then his defences went up really fast, as soon as he saw the requested changes (which were always phrased as requests and up for discussion). He then emailed us saying he wouldnt be making any changes to the contract, and seemed quite unreasonable and inflexible - not great qualities in a contractor. This was the first glimpse of his character we saw. On the phone, he was becoming quite defensive and irritable. If he was that unreasonable in the beginning of a project, we can only imagine how communication would be handled throughout the project.
He also said he would be in the middle of 4 jobs when starting ours, so it would seem to me he perhaps bit off more than he could handle. At times, his unreasonableness even seemed like he was looking for an out and didnt really want to take on the project. He ended up saying that his Spidey senses told him that we are not a good fit as his clients. Very mature.
Based on my experience, I would advise anyone to use caution when considering using his services. Call several references. He only provided us with 2 references of people who were still living in his projects. But ask for more references. Maybe others can speak to his actual project management, which I cant. But based on his character coming out in the last few weeks we were working together, I would speak to several others before considering him. His communication style isnt for everyone - he said we seemed like we were looking for a yes man, and he would never be that yes man for us. But we were simply looking for someone who could communicate and negotiate the contract in a mature and reasonable manner. And we certainly didnt get that from him.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $400.00
- Company Response
We appreciate you taking the time to write us a review. However, you were not our clients yet. A proposal was submitted, but there was no binding contract yet in place. During contract negotiations, we were unable to make your requested changes as they were not inline with our standard terms and conditions. More importantly, the nature and spirit of the requested changes led to challenging interactions before any work actually began.
Large scale renovation projects are inherently stressful and an excellent working relationship is a critical success factor. We, at Allard Custom Homes, strive to deliver outstanding customer service, and in the best interest of the project itself, we felt it best to part ways. We agree that due diligence is important before committing to a contractor and absolutely recommend getting references. It is rather unfortunate that you locked in a lease on a temporary home before a contract was signed. We wish you the best of luck with your project and hope you will find a contractor that is better suited to your needs.