February 2007 we met Hickory Dickory Decks at the home show and quickly inked a contract to build a deck and back fence. We were thrilled with the unique design for the deck.
One of the things that helped us with choosing Hickory Dickory Decks was that it was part of a larger organization. We were told that this allowed them to use resources in various areas should there be a need. This should have allowed them to meet their commitments.
The ground was broken April 23 and last nail went into the deck the first week of June. That was a long time for a job that was estimated to take 7 days. The carpenter would show up and work one day, or half a day, and then not show up for a week in spite of good weather. We would then call Ray Tierney of Hickory Dickory Decks Etobicoke to find out the status and when the carpenter would work on our deck. Commitments would be made and missed. No follow-up came from Ray.
Once completed we pointed out that the deck was squeaky. We were told they were investigating this with their head carpenter and they would get back to us. Many follow-up calls and notes went unanswered. We also noted that the composite deck material had bleached out in color. Luckily the decking material needed replacement from the manufacturer (because of the colour bleaching) and this led us to have the joist caps removed (which were causing the squeaking). We were later told that the two materials had not been used together before and were not used for subsequent deck purchasers. After much follow-up we finally had the decking materials replaced in November 2007.
The story does not end... in replacing the deck material they forgot to replace the material on the top of the railings, which was of the same substandard composite deck material. So back we go to the company to get this fixed. As I write this, this is the end of January 2008, almost a year from when we inked the original contract. All but one piece of the railing has now been replaced. I hope that it will get done...
The biggest frustration in dealing with Ray Tierney of Hickory Dickory Decks Etobicoke was the unresponsiveness and lack of follow-up. Commitments would be made and not kept. There were no calls made to us to let us know what was going on; we had to initiate all communication. We had to go to the head office many times to get resolution.
We would definitely not recommend this company... it was much easier to renovate our house (bathrooms, kitchen and structural changes) compared to getting a deck built by Hickory Dickory Decks Etobicoke!!!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $14,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Communicate - tell us when the carpenter is coming or when they are going to do it and do it Follow-up to make sure what was promised was indeed done... if it wasn't done call the client and explain when it will be done Have response standards - you place a call or email into them and they wil respond within a prescribed timeframe such as 24 or 48 hours
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Ask how long they have been using the products or the product they are specifically using. How long have they been dealing with the manufacturer? What has their experience been? Ask if the products used have been used in combination before. Ask for their service standards and the protocol to escalate issues. And get it in writing.
- Company Response
Hello Trish and Jacques,
We appreciate your comments and the review. We would like to apologize for the service you received from our previous Etobicoke franchisee Ray Tierney. He is no longer part of the organization. It is quite clear that you did not receive the service you deserved.
I would like to point out a few things regarding your comments.
1. Using the joist cap is meant to increase the longevity of the frame of the deck and was a great option that many people use. Unfortunately for some reason it was not compatible with the Veka Deck PVC product and not something that could have been anticipated.
2. The Veka Deck PVC product that was replaced is one of our most proven products and is still being used today in 2014. There were a few color fading issues that were taken care of by the manufacturer.
Again we would like to apologize for negative experience with the project. We hope you have been enjoying the deck since completion.
Regards,
Hickory Dickory Decks MGMT