From the Ground Up

Approximate Cost:
$ 15,300.00
We hired Jason Aduddell to remodel our kitchen, remove and replace tile floors in several rooms, paint the den and stairway and remove and replace several chandeliers. Jason sold himself as a contractor. Handyman more closely defines his work.
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When Jason arrived to give us his bid he assured us he would be doing all of the work himself. What a surprise when on the first day he had a helper with him that had never removed or installed tile floors. Jason assured us that was fine as he would be supervising and inspecting the work. After the tile floors had been completed, my husband found 13 tiles which made a hollow sound when tapped on which Jason agreed needed to be redone.
When it came to the painting another helper showed up and Jason wasn’t here at all for days at a time. We were becoming concerned as we (foolishly) were paying out large sums of money as Jason kept saying he needed to pay his crew, pay his mortgage, fix his transmission, and the list goes on. Trusting that the work would eventually be done in a satisfactory and timely manner we paid more upfront than we should have. When we had paid almost the entire $ 15,300 with weeks of work still unfinished Jason was unreachable. He would not answer his phone, respond to voicemails or answer emails. During the entire project Jason was here less than half the time of his helpers.
We found out that he had been running a Groupon for less than $ 100 for handyman work and he was taking care of those clients before finishing our job. A 3 month job turned into 7 months.
When he finally contacted us after dozens of attempts to reach him we asked him to put in the transition strips between the wood floors and new tile that his helper installed. He told us to go find and purchase the strips and get them to the house and he’d finish the job. These strips were listed under supplies in his bid and we had already paid him the money for the strips but we were so frustrated with all the delays we just did as he asked in order to get the final phase completed. He came to the house one morning and hastily worked on the transition strips. It was a terrible job. The strips didn’t match, some were elevated, the edges were jagged and glue very prominently showed through the areas where the strips met the flooring. We were in shock at the poor quality of the outcome and he agreed it would need to be redone. He told us to hire someone else and he’d cover the cost. That was the last time we ever saw Jason. We hired another contractor to remove and replace the strips (after we had to purchase them a second time) and sent Jason an invoice. Jason was non-​responsive. We contacted the Better Business Bureau who sent two letters and several emails to Jason with our complaint. He never responded. We finally had to take him to Small Claims Court. He did not show up which was no surprise. The judge looked at the pictures of the inferior work and granted us a judgment. We have never heard from Jason again.

I just wanted to write a follow up on my experience w/​From the Ground Up. Not because it’s gotten better, but because it’s still horrible. I’m so completely frustrated.
I don’t know if it was coincidental that I heard from Jason about 24 to 48 hrs after I posted my bad review, but he contacted me thru email. Not a phone call to discuss what I’d like him to work on. On a Sunday, I got an email that said, «Sorry about the delay, I can get it done next friday if you would like.» OK, that’s a start, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t work for me because I was going to be out of town for work. I emailed him back & ask that he CALL me so we can discuss my job & see if we can find another time. Friday rolls around & I never heard anymore from him. Big shock. He returned that email almost 2 weeks later. Again an email, even tho in my return email I had asked for the best way to reach him so we can get this on his schedule. The only thing he said on the 2^nd email was, «I apologize, I am extremely busy but I am not going to put an expiration on the voucher.» Well, thanks Jason for offering to extend the voucher expiration date, but guess what? My time w/​you has already expired. I need to get this work done & if you can’t get to your customers from July to November, you obviously are way too busy to be taking on more vouchers. Be aware that if you buy a voucher for this co.‘s work, more than likely you won’t get it done. $ 65 down the drain.
To add insult to injury, i contacted Livingsocial a week or 2 ago to tell them I wanted a refund because the co can’t get to me to do the work. They told me I was outside the window of getting a refund, but I could have a $ 65 credit towards future vouchers. Really? I need that $ 65 to put towards another handyman that can actually get to me before the holidays when I have company coming in town to stay w/​me. They said they’ll send my complaint to «review». I can already see the writing on the wall. If they didn’t understand my situation w/​this voucher after talking to 2 supervisors, my guess is the «review» board won’t either. So, not only did I get screwed by From the Ground Up, but I’m almost sure I’ll be getting screwed by Livingsocial too.

A comment about some previous reviews about Jason not responding to messages via email. He is a contractor who works in the field all day. Most of the time, these types of companies do not do daily email. The best way to get ahold of people is by picking up the phone and calling or maybe texting.
I do have to say that Jason showed up when he was supposed to… to give me a bid for a job. He was not the cheapest we had quoted. But, right in line with some of the other quotes. Based on a reccomendation from a friend, I felt good about using him for the job. He stays until the job gets done. He does quality work. I reccomend this company.

I don’t know what the last person to review was talking about. The difference between their experience and mine is like night and day. Perhaps something that the last person doesn’t realize is what kind of strain deals like LivingSocial can put on a small business. Often times the business has no idea what kind of havoc LivingSocial can actually create for them by sheer number of responses, which are followed by appt’s, etc.
Anyway, Jason showed up on time and got the job done within the two hour window. I had my doubts at first, but after he had finished and I saw what a stellar job he had done, my doubts were put to rest. He was professional, relaxed, and very personable.
I had him provide a quote on other work that needed to be done, and his was the best we had received. I trust the work Jason does and will definitely call for repeat business.
Please don’t base you decision off of the poor experience of one person at a busy time.