In 2018, when we wanted to remodel our bathroom, we came across Andros, who informed us that they did much more than just flooring, but could also remodel our entire bathroom. After shopping around and getting a few estimates, we decided to go with them. Being new homeowners, unfortunately we did not check yelp before going forward and were in for nearly a year of deception, neglect and hard lessons. I will share those lessons here:
The Company
Initially, they put forth a very nice facade. The owner, Rocco, came by the house, brought his dog and some family members, and presented a very wholesome, family business "we care about you" front. It was the perfect psychological move (especially the dog) that conveyed sincerity, and integrity. Once we signed the contract, it also marked the last time we would ever see Rocco.
LESSON: Don't fall for the first impression.
Timeline
We could never get a clear start or finish date. If in the end you decide to use this company anyway, Do not let them start without telling you when it will be done. And build into the contract deadline penalties. Yeah, they're gonna tell you about delays and "the way the industry works", but as the customer, you can build contingencies into the contract as well.
LESSON: DO NOT allow the work to begin without an estimated completion date..in writing.
Workflow
Initially (the first week), there was bustling activity. The crew seemed to be on the job, steadily making progress. Looking back, it was basically demolition work which is fairly easy. Then things started to trickle down from a crew to a single worker.
The main worker they sent was as slow as you could possibly imagine. I mean SLOW. And not because he was a master craftsman who needed time to do intricate work. I mean, 2 weeks to paint the bathroom. 2 WEEKS. I would watch him and literally see him do two brush strokes and then take a break. Toward the end (coming up on Christmas now), my 9 year-old daughter jumped in to help him finish the painting!
Prodding and encouraging did absolutely nothing to speed this guy along. He really started taking advantage of the situation and loafing off: showing up late, leaving early, or not showing up at all for days at a time. I even came home one day to find he was working out in my home gym!!! Eventually we did hear from Rocco (after sending off a fiery screed of an email) and he gave us the soothing "We care about our customers" boilerplate PR response. He committed to fixing the situation by doing a walkthrough of the job and getting to the bottom of things.
He never showed.
But he did send a "fixer." Enter "Mr. Fix," the one who's going to take over the daily operations of the job and get it on the right track. He strode in with confidence and assurance... all set to make things right. He disappeared 2 weeks later. No more texts, all calls went to voicemail. He finally responded and told us we were on our own and to take it up with Rocco. Thanks Mr. Fix.
LESSON: A bad work ethic cannot be fixed.
Craftsmanship
The thing about hiring a contractor (and the reason references are so important) is that you simply don't know the outcome, so you trust in the contractor to do their best. And if this was their best, they are shoddy at best. The craftsmanship was far from the superior product they proffered initially. Corners were cut, and when it came to the final trim work, we really had to watch them like a hawk as they were willing to let unacceptable flaws go through. for instance, during the baseboard installation, one of the baseboards was destroyed. No problem, it happens. But their solution was to "patch up" the damage as opposed to swapping out the baseboard. ??? No bueno.
After nearly a year (the job started in the summer of 2018) I decided to finish up myself and be done with Andros.
Summary
Overall I learned that this company was far from what they presented themselves as. They were NOT reliable. They did NOT treat us with honesty and transparency. Their invoicing was very sloppy and at times flat out non-descriptive... you had no idea what you were being charged for. As an example... we received an invoice saying that it cost $2000 to paint a closet! A closet. A 5' x 10' walk in closet. We asked them about it and the charge magically disappeared.
I would have much rather worked this out in person, but the owner simply would not respond. So, here I am on Yelp.
In the end, I really, really REALLY wish I had read the Yelp and Angie's List reviews before giving them my money. As someone new to the whole contractor game, I was made aware of the fact that this industry, being so loosely regulated, is full of skeevy, shady types who will look to take advantage of you with no moral or ethical compass whatsoever. As a parent, I always try to impress on my kids the importance of integrity and keeping your word. And we use Andros as an example of how not to be.
LESSON: Buyer beware and proceed at your own risk. read more