Complaint Review: America's Home Place - Florence South Carolina
Ripoff Report on CBS 19
Ripoff Report on CBS 19 - Global Marketing Alliance
Ripoff Report on ABC 15 - Smart Shopper
Ripoff Report - Girls Gone Wild
Ripoff Report on Fox 11 - Car Repair
- Author Not Confirmed
- America's Home Place David McLeod Blvd; Florence, SC 29501 Florence, South Carolina U.S.A.
- Phone:
- Web:
- Category: Builders & Contractors
America's Home Place fraud, poor workmanship, failure to honor warranty and building codes ripoff Florence South Carolina
*Consumer Comment: Try this avenue to resolve your dispute.
*UPDATE Employee: Letters of Recommendation
*UPDATE Employee: Letters of Recommendation
Show customers why they should trust your business over your competitors...
listed on other sites?
Those sites steal
Ripoff Report's
content.
We can get those
removed for you!
Find out more here.
Ripoff Report
willing to make a
commitment to
customer satisfaction
Click here now..
We entered into a contract with the Florence, South Carolina office of America's Home Place in February of 2000. During the discussions of the house design, we specifically requested that the heating/cooling vents and associated hardware be located underneath the house. However, when the actually built the vents were put in the ceiling and the ductwork and other hardware in the attic. When we requested that it be redone to our original specifications, we were informed that it would result in a considerable extra expense to us. We also objected to the design of the ductwork as being inefficient, but we were essentially informed that we did not know what we were talking about. There were a number of other problems, but the answers from America's Home Place always followed one or more of three basic responses: 1. We did not understand what was going on and how a house was constructed; 2. It would cost a lot more money and would probably involve our having to pay a late penalty; and/or 3. It would be addressed during the warranty period. The latter excuse faded after the house was completed, and was replaced with assertions that they would either fix everything or that nothing needed fixing.
America's Home Place (AHP) was aware of a serious medical problem that Kimette was dealing with and that required frequent trips to the Medical University of South Carolina and Emory University in Atlanta, GA. It appeared as if AHP was taking advantage of the distraction and put the work on our house behind other houses started after ours, including one in the same neighborhood. AHP did not supervise its workers, so that a great deal of work was performed unsatisfactorily. Every question and meeting with AHP was put off and the house was turned over to us to finish before AHP had finished its part. Specifically, the drywall was put in poorly, and the worker did not clean up or put down a tarp so that Robert had to spend days cleaning off the subfloors (Kimette was unable to assist). All of this caused serious problems with our being able to finish on time, although we did manage. Our hard work was to no avail since AHP picked the inspector who would appraise the house. He left the inspection on his desk for two weeks and we had to pay almost two thousand dollars in late fees, even though we had actually finished our part of the house.
Despite frequent requests, most of our concerns were never addressed and at the end of the one-year warranty period, we seemed fated to living with the problems or fixing them ourselves. Specifically, we had repeatedly complained of an extreme temperature differential within the house and that the cooling unit was generally inadequate for our needs. Again, we were assured that everything was fine and met all of the contractual requirements. Some repairs were promised but not made.
A few months after we moved in we complained of an infestation of ants, spiders, and other bugs. We were informed that the house had been treated as required by law and that any other problems were ours to deal with. We had a termite inspector come out to examine the house and he informed us that the house had not been treated. When confronted with this, America's Home Place finally admitted that the house had not been treated. The excuse was that a former worker had been signing off on houses that had not actually been treated. Our question was, if this had already been known, why had not there been a response to our requests? Eventually, AHP did have the house treated, but only after many complaints and threats.
After almost three years, the ceiling in a hall closet collapsed. It was quickly determined that the cooling system was leaking, soaking the insulation and drywall until it caved in under the weight. We called a heating and cooling company to get a repair estimate, but when they arrived, they told us that the entire system was not built to the required building codes. We then contacted the Darlington County Building Codes Enforcement office and an inspector came out to examine the house. He actually found multiple code violations beyond just the design and installation of the cooling system. There hadn't been a required walkway and work platform installed in the attic. The bay window in the house was completely unsupported, also against code, and which has already resulted in some dipping of the floor in that area. Even after being informed of these and other problems, it still took about two months, lots of time and effort, and threats from the building inspector before AHP finally (three years late) brought up to building codes.
Even this process proved expensive and frustrating. There were numerous times when we were told that workers would be coming to the house, but they would not show up or call to say that they were not coming. Thankfully, Kimette was working on her Masters degree, and could arrange her schedule to stay at home when needed. However, she needed to go to the university library to complete her research and these no-shows dramatically delayed work on her thesis. There were also several occasions when workers damaged property and they always left messes that we had to clean up. There was never any mention from AHP about compensation for any of this. When we asked for compensation we were told that we "should have given them a chance to make things right"! Like we hadn't?! So far they have claimed that they intend to repair everything, including the shoddy workmanship, but they want us to provide proof of all of our damages and losses and don't seem to think that they have done anything wrong since they have at least brought the house up to code (but only after they were forced to). I have no great hope that we will actually get much else out of them, even though we have been left with a house that isn't worth as much as we owe.
Kimette
Hartsville, South Carolina
U.S.A.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/24/2003 12:52 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/americas-home-place/florence-south-carolina-29501/americas-home-place-fraud-poor-workmanship-failure-to-honor-warranty-and-building-codes-75769. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:
#3 UPDATE Employee
Letters of Recommendation
AUTHOR: Brandon - GM - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, October 07, 2009
10/1/09
I serve currently as a General Manager for one of more then 30
Though there will always be issues with any company or business I want to focus a little more on the big picture and not just the worst of the worst. As a company, we are proud of who we are for many reasons. We are here to face our problems and we are here for our customers.
It is disheartening to read stories from clients that claim we have failed them and their expectations with building a new home. I will be the first to admit that home building is never flawless or perfect, and in rare circumstances we have failed our client. There are instances where we have made mistakes, however, we do all we can to repair those mistakes within reason.
Building a strong, quality home is extremely important to our company; equally important, is our relationship with our clients. It may be easy to repair the one, but often much more difficult to repair the other. I know that I do all I can, and Americas Home Place does all it can to serve our clients, to build a strong lasting relationship, as well as a strong, quality home. In most cases we exceed our goals with flying colors.
Below you will find just a few letters of recommendation from thousands of satisfied clients that I have had the opportunity to work with over the years. We are proud to say, a vast majority of our new home owners provide us with superior ratings with their overall satisfaction and building experience with
Sincerely,
Brandon Wilkinson
March 5th, 2009
I contracted with
Brandon Wilkinson (General Manager) and I started the process over the phone and I felt comfortable with him and AHP and flew from
AHP was VERY PATIENT with me. Several times
Mary Webb (Office Coordinator) was very knowledgeable and helpful whenever Brandon or Nate was not available. Nate Bell-Ellison, (Construction Superintendent), was in control at all times with the SUBS and the scheduling of each phase of construction from Start to Finish and he communicated to me on a weekly basis and sent me photos of the home as it progressed.
Overall, I was very pleased with their ability to complete my custom home on time, and within budget. I have dealt with many builders as a Real Estate salesperson over my 30 year career and I must say that AHP is a reputable as it gets. In these challenged economic times, it is wise to deal with a larger company that has the cash flow needed to stay afloat. So many independents have gone bankrupt and left customers high and dry.
I wish
Regards,
Bob Cable, Customer and Realtor www.bobcable.com
I don't know where to begin, but you guys and gal at AHP place were not only our builders, but GOOD friends. I'd even say GREAT new friends. The closing was terrific and I'll put this in an email soon. Both Nate and Mary are the best we ever ran into (and YOU also). Yes, they're a tad crazy (like you), but golly we (Jackie too) had fun with everyone of you during the entire building process. I'd even work at AHP (next life only).
I've not seen Jackie this HAPPY, since we moved into our old home 32 year ago. When we down sized, she became very despondent (not deeply depressed, but close to it) when moving three years ago into our Pulte home. That has all changed now. Jac is a brand new person since moving into the cabin on
I simply can not believe her new lease on life. We were sitting on the porch today and she said, " I'd like to bring the AHP staff down to Cumming and show the Pulte people how to build a good solid home. Now, I'll admit, we haven't lived in the cabin much, but I think she'll love the cabin even more as time goes by. She didn't even want to come home today (nor did I) and already wants to go back tomorrow. But we can't do that, because of our volunteering jobs.
Oh, Stewart was a fun guy also. I just didn't have much time to get to know him. You can share anything in this email with anyone you desire. As we speak now, Jackie is telling one of her girl friends of what a great cabin we own. See ya soon kid.
Your friend........Gene Alderman
Dear Tim,
Ive written this recommendation of your work to share with others.
When my husband, John and I really needed someone to walk us through the process of having our first home built Tim was there. Tim provided us with a level of service we had never encountered before. He literally held out hands and walked us through each phase of the home building process. Because of Tim my husband and I were left with no unwanted surprises. Anytime we had a question or concern Tim had the answer, or found someone who did, and was able to ease our fears.
Tim is extremely knowledgeable about the home building phase and assured us that even if things seem to not go smoothly at times in the end we would still have a home we could be proud of and enjoy for years to come.
Tim is an excellent Custom Home Building Consultant. I recommend Tim as a Custom Home Building Consultant to anyone who values trustworthiness, consistency, reliability and superb and outstanding results when faced with the highs and lows of custom home building.
Your top qualities include: Great results, expert knowledge and high integrity.
Thanks for all your help, Tim. We could not have done it without you.
Kim and John Harris
Dear Brandon:
We just returned from our second trip to
In planning the construction of our home at
During the building process, Nate was an excellent project supervisor. We really appreciated the frequent emails and pictures that he and Mary provided to allow us to monitor progress from
We are attaching a few photos that we took during our summer vacations with this letter. Thanks again for making our dreams of a lake house a reality.
Yours truly,
Randy and Heidi Martin
Hello Ms. White,
I wanted to write you back and tell you thank you for your help in addressing the problems I experienced during and after the construction of my house. I also wanted to commend those at the
I know I wrote several things in the evaluation that I was unhappy with. I feel like I needed to write you back and let you know that I couldnt be happier with the service I have received since we last talked. In my opinion, if you are going to point a finger and say that things are bad, you had better give credit were credit is due also. Richard and his staff have certainly done everything they could, to rectify any problems we did have, as well as service any problems that have arisen since the evaluation. Please see that this e-mail is sent to the same people that the evaluation was sent to, so they too will know that the problems I experienced are not going unnoticed.
Thank you for your time,
Ryan Raby
It has been more than a month since we moved to our new house. We are very please with it and would like to express our gratitude to the great team of
Best regards,
Jose & Nancy Orench
This note is to thank each person who helped build our mountain dream home.
First, Josh, who sent us a flyer on Seven Reasons to Build. We called and within a few days, not weeks, we had a set of plans to our liking.
Second, Richard, our contractor who made us feel as if he were building his dream home with his money. Richard also kept us well informed during the building process.
Third, Lisa, she kept the photos coming and the paper work moving. Lisa also helped us hire help on moving day. The twe gentlemen Lisa chose could not reach us due to no cell phone service at our remote location, but they drove up anyway.
Stewart, you should be very proud of your team. Building a great home in three months; unbelievable. We have our mountain dream home thanks to
Sincerely,
Nona & David Crews
The staff at
Bob and Margie whittles
Old Fort, TN.
#2 UPDATE Employee
Letters of Recommendation
AUTHOR: Brandon - GM - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 06, 2009
10/1/09
I serve currently as a General Manager for one of more then 30
Though there will always be issues with any company or business I want to focus a little more on the big picture and not just the worst of the worst. As a company, we are proud of who we are for many reasons. We are here to face our problems and we are here for our customers.
It is disheartening to read stories from clients that claim we have failed them and their expectations with building a new home. I will be the first to admit that home building is never flawless or perfect, and in rare circumstances we have failed our client. There are instances where we have made mistakes, however, we do all we can to repair those mistakes within reason.
Building a strong, quality home is extremely important to our company; equally important, is our relationship with our clients. It may be easy to repair the one, but often much more difficult to repair the other. I know that I do all I can, and Americas Home Place does all it can to serve our clients, to build a strong lasting relationship, as well as a strong, quality home. In most cases we exceed our goals with flying colors.
Below you will find just a few letters of recommendation from thousands of satisfied clients that I have had the opportunity to work with over the years. We are proud to say, a vast majority of our new home owners provide us with superior ratings with their overall satisfaction and building experience with
Sincerely,
Brandon Wilkinson
March 5th, 2009
I contracted with
Brandon Wilkinson (General Manager) and I started the process over the phone and I felt comfortable with him and AHP and flew from
AHP was VERY PATIENT with me. Several times
Mary Webb (Office Coordinator) was very knowledgeable and helpful whenever Brandon or Nate was not available. Nate Bell-Ellison, (Construction Superintendent), was in control at all times with the SUBS and the scheduling of each phase of construction from Start to Finish and he communicated to me on a weekly basis and sent me photos of the home as it progressed.
Overall, I was very pleased with their ability to complete my custom home on time, and within budget. I have dealt with many builders as a Real Estate salesperson over my 30 year career and I must say that AHP is a reputable as it gets. In these challenged economic times, it is wise to deal with a larger company that has the cash flow needed to stay afloat. So many independents have gone bankrupt and left customers high and dry.
I wish
Regards,
Bob Cable, Customer and Realtor www.bobcable.com
I don't know where to begin, but you guys and gal at AHP place were not only our builders, but GOOD friends. I'd even say GREAT new friends. The closing was terrific and I'll put this in an email soon. Both Nate and Mary are the best we ever ran into (and YOU also). Yes, they're a tad crazy (like you), but golly we (Jackie too) had fun with everyone of you during the entire building process. I'd even work at AHP (next life only).
I've not seen Jackie this HAPPY, since we moved into our old home 32 year ago. When we down sized, she became very despondent (not deeply depressed, but close to it) when moving three years ago into our Pulte home. That has all changed now. Jac is a brand new person since moving into the cabin on
I simply can not believe her new lease on life. We were sitting on the porch today and she said, " I'd like to bring the AHP staff down to Cumming and show the Pulte people how to build a good solid home. Now, I'll admit, we haven't lived in the cabin much, but I think she'll love the cabin even more as time goes by. She didn't even want to come home today (nor did I) and already wants to go back tomorrow. But we can't do that, because of our volunteering jobs.
Oh, Stewart was a fun guy also. I just didn't have much time to get to know him. You can share anything in this email with anyone you desire. As we speak now, Jackie is telling one of her girl friends of what a great cabin we own. See ya soon kid.
Your friend........Gene Alderman
Dear Tim,
Ive written this recommendation of your work to share with others.
When my husband, John and I really needed someone to walk us through the process of having our first home built Tim was there. Tim provided us with a level of service we had never encountered before. He literally held out hands and walked us through each phase of the home building process. Because of Tim my husband and I were left with no unwanted surprises. Anytime we had a question or concern Tim had the answer, or found someone who did, and was able to ease our fears.
Tim is extremely knowledgeable about the home building phase and assured us that even if things seem to not go smoothly at times in the end we would still have a home we could be proud of and enjoy for years to come.
Tim is an excellent Custom Home Building Consultant. I recommend Tim as a Custom Home Building Consultant to anyone who values trustworthiness, consistency, reliability and superb and outstanding results when faced with the highs and lows of custom home building.
Your top qualities include: Great results, expert knowledge and high integrity.
Thanks for all your help, Tim. We could not have done it without you.
Kim and John Harris
Dear Brandon:
We just returned from our second trip to
In planning the construction of our home at
During the building process, Nate was an excellent project supervisor. We really appreciated the frequent emails and pictures that he and Mary provided to allow us to monitor progress from
We are attaching a few photos that we took during our summer vacations with this letter. Thanks again for making our dreams of a lake house a reality.
Yours truly,
Randy and Heidi Martin
Hello Ms. White,
I wanted to write you back and tell you thank you for your help in addressing the problems I experienced during and after the construction of my house. I also wanted to commend those at the
I know I wrote several things in the evaluation that I was unhappy with. I feel like I needed to write you back and let you know that I couldnt be happier with the service I have received since we last talked. In my opinion, if you are going to point a finger and say that things are bad, you had better give credit were credit is due also. Richard and his staff have certainly done everything they could, to rectify any problems we did have, as well as service any problems that have arisen since the evaluation. Please see that this e-mail is sent to the same people that the evaluation was sent to, so they too will know that the problems I experienced are not going unnoticed.
Thank you for your time,
Ryan Raby
It has been more than a month since we moved to our new house. We are very please with it and would like to express our gratitude to the great team of
Best regards,
Jose & Nancy Orench
This note is to thank each person who helped build our mountain dream home.
First, Josh, who sent us a flyer on Seven Reasons to Build. We called and within a few days, not weeks, we had a set of plans to our liking.
Second, Richard, our contractor who made us feel as if he were building his dream home with his money. Richard also kept us well informed during the building process.
Third, Lisa, she kept the photos coming and the paper work moving. Lisa also helped us hire help on moving day. The twe gentlemen Lisa chose could not reach us due to no cell phone service at our remote location, but they drove up anyway.
Stewart, you should be very proud of your team. Building a great home in three months; unbelievable. We have our mountain dream home thanks to
Sincerely,
Nona & David Crews
The staff at
Bob and Margie whittles
Old Fort, TN.
#1 Consumer Comment
Try this avenue to resolve your dispute.
AUTHOR: Atctower - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, January 26, 2008
I think the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission's Compliance Department will be very interested in your situation. I believe they can get them to respond to your request becuase their license is on the line if they don't. I just found out that there's a state mandated 10 year structual warranty on your home that they must honor. Use this statute to get some results that you deserve.
http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/ResidentialBuilders/
South Carolina Residential Builders Commission
Street Address
Synergy Business Park
Kingstree Building
110 Centerview Dr., Suite 306
Columbia, S.C. 29210
Mailing Address
PO Box 11329
Columbia, S.C. 29211-1329
Directions/Map
Telephone: (803) 896-4696
Fax: (803) 896-4656
Stan Bowen, Administrator
Christine Driver, Administrative Assistant
Related Reports
09:50 PM
01:59 PM
06:51 PM
05:19 PM
09:04 AM
01:18 PM
04:09 PM
12:48 PM
08:22 AM
06:54 PM
06:48 PM
06:36 PM
06:32 PM
01:25 PM
11:18 AM
10:37 AM
09:05 AM
03:34 PM
06:44 PM
01:27 PM
New Updated Rebuttal 
Photo 
Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.
