The Baluster Company, LLC

The Baluster Company installed banisters for us in 2018. Within the first year, the detail work on the banister posts fell off (they were glued on).

Over the past couple of months, the banisters had become structurally unsound and dangerous. When I called the owner who sold us the railings, she said she would look up our file and call me back. Instead, her construction associate was the one who called us back and left a message. I called her back and left her a voicemail and asked her to call me, and not her construction associate, as she is the one who sold us the banisters and this is her business.

She then sent us the e-mail below telling us she is too busy to call us back and to deal with her construction associate. Bottom line - The banisters are unsafe and the owner/sales consultant is not willing to call us back to discuss this because she is "extremely busy". The lack of communication to not only make this right but to make the banisters safe is unacceptable.

This is her e-mail to my husband and myself -
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your staircase. I did some research and the Baluster Company completed your staircase in 2018. I wanted to let you know the Baluster Company only guarantees the work and materials for a period of one year from the completion date. Unfortunately, you are well past that date and we will need to charge you a service call of $75.00 to come and see about any repairs.

Steve would be the one who would be setting the appointment to repair your staircase as he is responsible for the construction end of things and he sets his own appointments. He is the one who offered to call you as I am extremely busy. I am not sure what issues you have with him returning your call to set up such an appointment. If you would like to speak with him to set up an appointment for the repairs, please contact him.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:No effort has been made on The Baluster Company's part to resolve this matter and nothing short of a reasonable monetary refund is acceptableI have gone to great expense to pay an experienced and capable finished carpenter to tear out, replace and repair the work performed by the Baluster Company.Apparently Ms*** would rather settle this matter in Small Claims Court than through the assistance of the Revdex.comSincerely,
*** ***

ID No***This is my response to the claim filed by Mr*** ***I would respectfully ask that my name be removed from Mr***'s complaint before any posting is considered for posting to the Revdex.com websiteAs you are aware there are two sides to every storyThis is the Baluster
Company's response to Mr***'s claims. Mr*** a/k/a "the client" called the Baluster Company to inquire about remodeling his staircase and proceeded to set an appointment for the design review and consultation. I visited the client's residence on February 10, 2018, wherein he showed me a stock photo from the Internet of what he would like his staircase to look likeAfter reviewing the picture, I knew exactly what materials the client would need to make his staircase look like the pictureMy installer also visited the residence with me that day and took pictures and measurements of the client's existing staircase. It is important to note that the client's spouse was not at home and did not participate in the design review. I showed the client the actual balusters and red oak wood samples. I also showed him pictures in the catalog of the balusters and newels postsI conducted a through design review with the client and he paid me $to do soDuring this meeting, the client never specified that he wanted anything "special" other than what was shown in the catalog or actual samples. In fact, the client was more interested in letting his eyes take a walk all over me, especially my female body parts more than he was interested in reviewing the catalog photographs or asking questions about the installationMy installer even made comment about how inappropriate, weird and unprofessional it was. As a female business owner, I am very sensitive to this type of behavior. I decided to ignore what had transpired, but on second thought, maybe I shouldn'tHe also mentioned to the installer he wouldn't have hired the Baluster Company if the installer hadn't come to the design meeting with me, stating, "That I wasn't that knowledgeable or competent about staircases." I beg to differI have over years of design experience and could take apart his staircase and put back together by myself, if necessary. I did not appreciate his, chauvinistic, degrading comments or the looks he gave me and I think he should apologizeMy advice to this client is to watch what you say about someone; it will always get back to them! After the meeting, I emailed the client the Design Approval/Quote based on the materials in the catalog and his selectionsThe client signed the Design Approval and the Wood Products Disclosure without questionThe client mailed the documents back to me with a 50% deposit to proceed and order his materials. I am attaching a copy of both documents for your reviewThe materials he signed for, Scope of Work and the Wood Products Disclosure are all clearly spelled out in the documents. I proceeded to order the client's materials and called him when they arrived in Denver to set up an appointment for the tear-out and installation of his staircaseThe Baluster Company began the remodel on Monday, February 26, and completed the job on Friday, March 2, The client paid the remaining balance to the Baluster Company and remarked to the installer "That everything looked great and that he was quite pleased with result and satisfied with the work". I deposited the client's check. On Monday afternoon, I received a call from the client stating some things were not right with his staircase and asked me to visit the residence again so we could discuss and go over some of the issuesI agreed to do so that evening at 5:I also brought along my installer who did the work to this meeting, as he would need to fix the issues. I was also uncomfortable with being alone with the client. I wanted to make sure all parties were on the same page. I made copious notes during this visitThese were issues the client pointed out: Fill in nail holes left by installerThere were approximately 4-tiny nail holes noted. Fix small gaps in wall trim in basement. 3. The railing leading to basement needs to be lightly sanded and more polyurethane applied. 4. The trim board leading to the basement needed chalking and painting. 5. The upstairs railing needed an additional coat of stain to the railing to try to better match the darker side. During that visit, the client and his spouse were both presentAll parties were in agreement how we would proceed to repair and/or replace (if necessary) the issues. We all agreed that the nail holes would be filled, the hand railing on the wall leading down to the basement would be lightly sanded and more polyurethane would be applied to itWe agreed to cut and stain new wall trim and to apply chalk to the trim board in the basementDuring the initial consultation, we spoke to the client about the excessive chalk along the trim board going to the basementThe client said he would chalk that piece and paint it himselfDuring the follvisit we offered again to chalk that part and paint it for himHe said he would like for us to take care of itWe agreed to sand the upstairs railing to match the color differentiation in the wood. If we couldn't get it to match, we all agreed we would tear it out that section and start over again. During our visit, the client also brought up the quality of work and stated that our pictures on our website showcased quality work (in his opinion) and that is not what he received. I explained to him that the photos on our website are examples of work under the tab "Our Work" are taken from a multitude of photos on previous projects that we have completedThese photos also have testimonials by the homeownerNone of these photos show any type of detailed work, so I am baffled about his quality comment? How can you tell quality from a picture that is taken at a distance? On the "Design" tab, these photos come from a stock of photos from projects we have completed in the pastWe take photos of all our completed work and have tons of themThey are strictly there for the design ideas while utilizing the Staircase Artist toolWe do not make any claims to quality of the photos or that they are our photos of previous jobs under this tabThey are simply photos of our previous work to aid the client in seeing different types of baluster designsI did admit to the client that these photos under this tab have been photo shopped to eliminated wall plates, ceiling fans, enhance lighting, eliminate dog hair, etc. This is a common acceptable practice in advertisingIf this were not the case, every magazine should be sued for airbrushing every freckle and wrinkle out of a model's faceAll of these photos are also taken at a distance, so I am not sure how they emphasize quality if you can't see any detail workHis claim that the company's website is deceptive advertising practices is insanely falseWe paid a professional web page designer a lot of money to design our websiteHe would have advised us if there were any deceptive pictures or claims. Upon on initial visit we even showed the client numerous unedited pictures of previous jobs on our IPad during the initial design consultationAfter viewing the unedited IPad photos, the client was well aware of our work. There have been no deceptive practices or claims on the Baluster Company's part or on our websiteWe do have a comment on the website about quality work and still believe our approach with customer offers a quality experience in craftsmanship, customer service and design. The Baluster Company set an appointment with the client on Monday, March 12, 2018, for the client's repairs to commence on Saturday, March 17, at 8:a.mto correct these issuesThe Baluster Company also purchased a new railing to Mr***'s specifications without a seam, any color differentiation, new floor trim, and chalk and nail fillerOur installer also spent additional time in the shop to stain Mr***'s new railing, trim boards and wall trim. On the morning of the repairs, at approximately 8:a.m., minutes before our installer was to arrive at his house, the client called me and said that he had lost faith in the installer and did not want us to fix his staircaseThe client "DEMANDED" that I give him back, $2,for the projectHe stated: "It will be far worse for you having negative comments/publicity out on social media than it would be to give me back my $2,500.00." He also stated that was what he was going to do this if I didn't give him the money back immediatelyI informed the client that we had offered to repair his staircase and had incurred additional costs to do so, at his directionI never stated his staircase "looked fine to me." I also told him I would have to talk with my business partner to discuss giving the money back, but it was highly unlikely, as it was his choice not to proceed with the repairsI also reiterated that the Baluster Company had offered to make the repairs and that is what all parties agreed to during the last meetingThe client then "THREATENED" me again that he would take down my business in the social media and hung upI have not heard from this client since he threw his temper tantrum. I quickly called my installer and told him to turn around and come back to the shop. In summary, the Baluster Company addressed the client's concerns and offered to fix the issues, purchased new materials, and incurred more labor costs to make this right for the client at his direction. The client also signed the Design Approval, which states line-by-line the materials he would be receiving for his projectThe client was shown the samples of wood and balusters and there were no surprises. He also signed the Wood Products Disclosure, which also specifically states: "Solid hardwoods, (and veneer polywoods) will have variations in color and grain of the woodThe degree of variation changes with the species and may affect the way the wood accepts stainTherefore, any request for consistent/exact color and/or grain in the hardwood is almost impossible to achieveThe Baluster Company will strive to match the existing stain or chosen stain, but does not and cannot guarantee that there will be an exact match with any of the pre-existing or new stair railings, newel posts or treads." The Baluster Company in no-way was deceptive with regard to the client's wood products he received or how the wood would accept stain colorAll wood is harvested from different trees and railings are all pieced together during the manufacturing process. I also reiterated this to the clientThe client is foolish to think otherwise. In fact, the client should actually read the documents before he signs them or at least ask questions. He had every opportunity to do soThe client and his wife were home during the entire installationThe installation took one week and never did the client, or his wife contact me with any issues or concernsThe client had plenty of opportunities to file a complaint during the installation, but failed to do soThe client even paid the Baluster Company for their work when the installation was completeThe Baluster Company believes that since his wife didn't participate in the design review, she doesn't like it now and wants something else other than what her husband pickedStatistically, 98% of couples participate in the design review togetherIt was strange that she didn't participate. It is akin to putting a new fireplace in someone's house...they say they like it, they pay you, and then three days later they don't like it, and want it torn outNow, they want you to pay for something else for them with a different contractor. I will not even dignify his analogy about filet migon vshamburger! This client also had days to contact the Baluster Company to cancel the repairs and not wait until approximately minutes before the installer was supposed to show up at his house that morningI feel that this client should pay the Baluster Company for the additional expenses for supplies he agreed for us to purchase and for the lost time and revenue we could have earned that day on another jobWith such short notice, I was not able to set up another location for my installer to work that day. I lost $1,in revenue. I am a small business owner and my time and incoming revenue are also valuable. At this time, we have come to an impasse on this matter and don't feel there is any way to solve these issues with client. In my professional opinion, I do not feel that the client's repairs require another company to start over and tear out everythingHis staircase was properly installed, minus some minor touch-ups and repairsAny other contractor is going to tell him it needs to be redone, so they can make the money tooIs this client so naïve that he believes everything? We are still willing to work with this client to repair his staircase, despite of everythingUnfortunately, it is his choice not to have us do soWe have done everything possible to fix these issues for the clientLet me be clear again "I am not going to give the client $2,back for some minor repairs that I could have my installer take care of in a couple of hoursWe have spent numerous hours on this staircase, purchased additional materials at his request and feel the $2,is an unreasonable demandAgain, the client should NOT have paid the remaining balance to the Baluster Company if he felt his staircase was not up to his standardHe also had many opportunities to state his dissatisfaction regarding the work while it was being performed, and never did so. The Baluster Company will also be seeking damages from this client for his false claims, lost revenue, additional materials costs and his inconsideration of our schedulingThis client can threaten me all he wants to with destroying my company in the social mediaI will not cave to such "THREATS" by this individual! It is his prerogative to free speech and opinionWe have plenty of satisfied customers that will attest to our "quality" workThe client's behavior demonstrates a "Vindictive" individual grasping to obtain $2,600.00. If you feel you need any other questions answered regarding claim, please contact meThank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, *** ** ***
The Baluster Company

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:See attached document.
Regards,
[redacted]4/13/18Ms. [redacted]’s choice to respond by fabricating a bizarre and delusional story in an attempt to put my character in question is yet another ruse and a desperate attempt to direct attention away from the issue at hand and threatens to broaden this claim against her, her associates and her company. Her response is inappropriate, unacceptable and inflammatory and does not show an attempt in good faith to reach a reasonable resolution. Ms. [redacted] and her associates need to understand this claim is not going away.If Ms. [redacted] is concerned about the blemish of having a Revdex.com Claim on her record then she should seriously consider minimizing the impact of further exposure from negative publicity by putting this dispute behind her post-haste. If she insists on maintaining a combative approach and is not interested in working toward an amicable resolution with the assistance of the Revdex.com then I am fully prepared to take this case to Small Claims Court and appeal to other dissatisfied Baluster Co. customers to support my claim through all possible channels including Social Media. The public would then be informed ‘Buyer Beware’ that The Baluster Co. website is a ruse and does not represent their true capabilities and end product.  Further I will be encouraged to file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission whose governance includes deceptive Internet Advertising intended to dupe and mislead the public; “under the law, claims in advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based”.  Posting stock photos of other people’s work and claiming them to be recent work completed by the Baluster Co. falls under this FTC protection of the public/consumer and Ms. [redacted] needs to understand she will be subject to more serious scrutiny and answerable to a government agency with additional potentially unfavorable consequences.I am confident that I will prevail in this case based on the facts and evidence I have to support my claims against Ms. [redacted], her associates and her company for ‘false and misleading advertising’, which is further supported by documentation of the unacceptable and substandard poor quality work and the replacement cost in tearing it out and having it properly redone. I strongly encourage Ms. [redacted] and her associates to reconsider their position and the way they have elected to approach this increasingly serious matter and urge them to provide the appropriate response along with the requested reimbursement in order to reach a quick and satisfactory resolution before this situation continues to spiral out of her control.