Thankfully, 0 stars is an option! I rarely write reviews but my experience with this company is so terrible that I need too. I hired So Quiet Sound Proofing because I was creating a basement apartment and wanted to significantly reduce sound transfer between their unit and ours. Upon meeting with Brandon, I explained that I had two newborn babies and a dog and did not want to lose good tenants due to them being bothered by the everyday noises a young family would create. I also did not want to hear music, TV, talking etc. from the tenants downstairs. He assured me that this was a straightforward job, which they could do in a week. He promptly provided me with a quote and recommended an STC level that would meet my soundproofing needs. After reviewing both, I decided to pay an additional costs to raise the STC level even further. I was led to believe that this would ensure that the soundproofing would be more than adequate. In finalizing the deal I mentioned my concerns about the door allowing significant noise transfer and Brandon assured me this would be taken care of and was kind enough to offer a sound reducing door kit free of charge. Work began and almost immediately, there were red flags. The ‘professionals’ that work for this company would often show up between 10-11am and were gone by 4 at the latest. The week estimate came and went and after countless no shows, ‘misunderstandings’ and late arrivals, to date; the door kit is not installed. They also decided my brand new laminate flooring would be a good place to cut their rubber/insulation and left my basement flooring with multiple deep scratches and dents all over the place (see attached pictures). They also dry walled over two pot lights leaving the exposed wires in my ceiling. Regardless of the flooring replacement quotes provided to the company, the owner and myself are still in disagreement over appropriate compensation for this damage. The main reason I chose this company was their sound proofing ‘guarantee’. Marcus (the owner) promised me a full report detailing the improved soundproofing and STC level reached. To date I have not received any such report outlining his findings. The tenants report that they can hear my children crying, people talking when we have dinner parties and the dog whining and barking. Essentially, many of the noises I had made clear that I wanted to eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) from being transferred. This is easily the most unprofessional company I have ever worked with. From workmanship to management it was truly a disappointing experience. ****UPDATE**** After posting this review I was notified by HomeStars that: "The company has contacted us about your review and they're disputing that you are one of their paying customers"
- Approximate cost of services:
- $8,000.00
- Company Response
Jerome,
Although we dispute the claims in this review, we are sincerely sorry for your sense of disappointment and for the mistakes made by the sub-contracted installation crew who worked in your home.
We've never claimed that you are not a client, and we're not sure why you would write such a claim in a public review.
Regarding your floor damage: the photos show the extent of the damage, yet you have demanded $2,500 cash. We have compensated you $1,200 in discounts and products.
About the noise control levels: as we have stated many times before, the noise control rating that you purchased will not stop the sound of babies crying, which is *extremely loud* at 95dB to 130db. That's as loud as a chainsaw. A dog braking is in the same range. To dampen those levels of sound, you would need to purchase an STC rating of 70 or more to reduce to a level where it can't be heard.
The costs of an STC 70 installation are in the range of $40-$50 per square foot, or roughly $18,000 to $22,500 for your 450 square foot basement apartment. You would also require an STC 49 entry door, which costs upwards of $7,000 installed. That's a $30,000 budget, and basically a sound studio. You paid less than $7,000 for your project, and your expectations are out of line with budget that you allocated.
In regards to the floor damage, we feel that you have been duly compensated with discounts and free services amounting to over $1,200, which is equal to $120 per square foot for the area damaged, or roughly 10x the cost of the flooring. You also have not allowed us to have it repaired, and instead have demanded a large sum of cash on top of the discount and free services that we already gave you. We cannot provide further compensation, and wish you all the best in the future.