A Lubbock couple will soon take legal action against a local home remodeling business after what they say was supposed to be an eight-week job, has yet to be finished.
On October sixth of last fall, Lisa Willson and her significant other decided to remodel their home. They had plans to expand their living, dining and laundry rooms as well as remodel their kitchen and build a carport in the back end of the house. They began their search for a general contractor online, which is where they found Castle Rock Finishing, LLC. They read the online reviews and were thoroughly impressed with what they saw.
On October nineteenth, they decided to go through with business with Castle Rock Finishing.
However, it would be a matter of time before calls went unanswered. Today, half of their home remains left unfinished. There is little insulation, a layer of dirt and dust across the floor, wires are suspended from the rafters, and an open trench travels from the living room to the kitchen area.
“There’s dust and grime everywhere from the concrete. I have a child that just got done with chemotherapy and she has to live with her dad because it’s not safe to live here,” said Willson. “We can’t sit down, we can’t watch television, we can’t have friends over. We can’t, I can’t cook, I can’t, you know, we live out of a microwave and a crockpot.”
The only region of the house that has warmth is the bedroom and a bathroom. Willson says she feels fortunate that some of her neighbors have even volunteered their kitchens and laundry rooms so that couple may be able to cook and do laundry a few days out of the week.
“If you’re not going to provide the work you promised then give us our money back,” said Willson in regard to Castle Rock.
Castle Rock Finishing is not an accredited business within the Better Business Bureau of the South Plains, but it is not the first time the business owner has received complaints. The owner also runs another home reconstruction company, “J.D. & Sons.” Online, there are six unanswered complaints against this business also reporting of work left unfinished.
“Most of the consumers are alleging that they spent a pretty substantial amount of money to get some work done, and we [the Better Business Bureau] came in,” said Greg Linder, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of the South Plains. “That they [Castle Rock Finishing, JD & Sons] did a little bit of work, and then left, and they either haven’t heard back from him or have heard back very sporadically. There’s still not much work getting done.”
Linder also said while issues similar to this case are not completely uncommon, he says it should serve as a reminder to customers to be aware when dealing with contracts and large sums of money.
“Do as much due diligence as you can, and before you sign off on a contractor, get a copy of their insurance bonds and stuff like this to make sure they’re actually carrying an insurance,” said Linder. “Sometimes contractors will ask for a portion of the money upfront. Use your gut, be very careful of how much money you give to contractors.”
The owner of the business did contact everythinglubbock.com over the phone on Friday, and said that he was unaware of the complaints made about his business(es) online with the B.B.B. He told everythinglubbock, that had he known about the complaints, he would have addressed them.
Business and company reviews are made available to the public on the B.B.B. of the South Plains’ website.
“We are a small family business. We are not dishonest. We do try to handle every issue that comes our way,” said the owner of Castle Rock Finishing, LLC and JD & Son General Contracting in a phone interview on Friday. “This was a rough winter for us. There is not a high demand for these jobs right now. This is an ‘I want’ job, not an ‘I need.’”
He also says he hopes to resolve issues with Ms. Willson and her family.
The couple says at the moment they cannot afford to wait any longer living in the situation they’re currently in, and have already begun working with another contractor in town.
“We’re praying for a better outcome this second time,” said Willson.
In the meantime, their main hope is that their experience can help others be more aware when dealing with contracts of any kind.
“I strongly suggest don’t always go by what comes up on the Internet. Not everything on the Internet is true,” Willson said. “And ask questions. You should always ask questions. We don’t want anyone else to be a victim.”
Phone calls made by everythinglubbock.com to the company numbers listed online for both Castle Rock Finishing and JD&Sons went unanswered. No one was available at either of the Castle Rock Finishing facilities at Industrial Park on Friday afternoon for questions.
The owner of Castle Rock Finishing says his customers “know how” to get contact with him for any questions they might have.
