KC Window Siding and Roof Replacement Co. (f/k/a Beautiful Exteriors, Inc.) offered to replace four windows and a sliding glass door. The owner said his crew were all certified/licensed Master Craftsmen, that his business had an A+ on the Better Business Bureau and that we would receive the best care. I checked him out and indeed he did have an A+ on the BBB’s website. What I later learned the owner failed to mention was that the designation “licensed/certified Master Craftsmen” didn’t exists (at least his crew didn’t have any titles like that) and his A+ rating, though true, had only existed on the BBB’s site for a couple months (it subsequently plummeted and the business lost its accreditation). Poor installation caused rain to flood my home. I called the company numerous times and only got them to come out once and their efforts failed to fix the problem. Did they honor their warranty after one failed attempt? No way, they said I was trying to defraud them even though I had already paid them and could produce signed documents from building inspectors and other contractors attesting to the damage being a direct result of poor installation and that some of the product I received was not what was stated in the contract.
A mold test confirmed that the numerous storms that occurred while I waited for the company to fix my leaks produced a healthy amount of mold in my walls (I can still recall the many late nights my wife and I spent holding towels against the wall to sop up all the water). Did they offer to pay for the mold test or for the cost of remediation? No! Instead, the owner got angry (or pretended to be) and refused. His reasoning? He said I probably had mold in my walls before I hired him and claimed I hadn't informed him I planned to have another company fix his employee's mistakes. Brilliant really. Ignore the customer for a while and then when they can't wait any longer and fix it elsewhere and come to you with the bill, claim you had no idea and state that it was their fault for incurring those expenses and refuse to pay.
The owner didn't stop there. He accused me of slander, and trying to steal services from him (unbelievable nerve). He encouraged me to take him to court if I thought I had a legitimate complaint. I believe his exact words were “You think you have trouble paying your bills now? When this is over I’ll sue you and garnish you forever”. What a fantastic business model! After that spent a lot more time researching his company. I found the business falsely claimed affiliations with two businesses and after those businesses were alerted, they contacted KC Windows and forced them to remove their claims on their website. I went through dispute resolution services with two companies that KC advertised with, Angie’s List and Service Magic. Both companies’ attempted to resolve the matter. Do you think they were successful? Let’s put it this way, both company’s no longer advertise KC on their sites.
Shall I continue? KC did not have licenses and permits required by my city to install the incorrect door they put in my home. Did they obtain the licenses and permits when the city later contacted them about it? No way. In fact, the owner’s court date for failing to respond is scheduled for April 2011.
Here’s a good one. KC was required by federal law to use lead paint preventative measures when working on my home due to its age and the likelihood of lead paint. I had no idea of this law or the risk at the time but should have been notified of it by KC. Instead, I found out by accident 3 months later and then learned they did not have a Kansas lead renovator’s license to even allow them to perform the preventative work they should have done in the first place.
Not only did they not perform the preventative measures (laying down plastic over windows, floors and vents, carefully disposing of dust and debris, vacuuming with HEPA filter vacuums) but they didn’t do any clean up at all after installing the windows. Imagine my horror when I realized we had spread all that potentially lead filled dust around our home trying to sweep it up and my then 14 month old daughter had been playing in that room for 3 months!
The scary thing is, I could go on and on (makes you wonder why they suddenly changed their name doesn't it?). Bottom line, don’t take my word for it, research them yourself (I recommend starting with the Better Business Bureau - http://www.bbb.org/kansas-city/business-reviews/roofing-contractors/beautiful-exteriors-in-lees-summit-mo-99152750. You might also try https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do and search by the owner's name or the business's prior name - "Beautiful Exteriors" and see what you get. Then swing around and search for their old business name on Google and check out the the yahoo reviews). And if after all those reviews and ratings you decide whatever price their offering is still too tempting to pass up, all I have left to say to you is… I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.
Good luck.
