We found Johnson Home Improvement through Yelp and contacted them based on the number of positive reviews. This was their busy season and we had to schedule an estimate about a week in advance but we understood that summer is busy.
The estimator is also the owner of the company and we found him to be informative and pleasant. He came on a Wednesday and explained that because they were so busy we would not see the estimate until Friday or at the latest Monday. By the end of the day Monday we had not seen the estimate and on Tuesday we called several times without answer and then emailed the company. We received a return email from a receptionist (who was very pleasant each time we interacted) informing us that we would receive an estimate later in the day which we did.
The estimate was more than the two we had received before it, but was still in line with what we expected the project could cost. Our plan was to obtain 1-2 more estimates, compare them carefully and make our choice. We wrote back to the owner and explained that other estimates were lower and that one agreed to some trim work that was not covered in the Johnson estimate. We sent a copy of the other estimate to show that our claim was accurate. The owner wrote back and informed us that once they write an estimate they do not negotiate prices and we respected his position. We asked if they would consider including the small amount of additional trim work specified in the other estimate and they agreed.
At this point all signs pointed to using this company- good reviews, positive experience with owner and price that was slightly higher than others but close enough we were satisfied. The next day I emailed the company back informing them of the status of our project, that we had one more estimate that had been scheduled in advance and that afterwards we would make our selection. We understand that estimates and communication take time and we wanted the company to know where we stood.
The next morning we received an email from the owner which said "When I agreed to your request regarding the additional work at my expense, I assumed we were moving forward with your window project. Considering that is not the case, I am going to withdraw my proposal at this time."
Quite confused, I called the company (no answer) and followed up with an email which stated, "We have attempted, in each case with good intentions to clarify the price and scope of the window project estimates provided by you and each contractor. When spending over 10,000 dollars, it makes sense to know precisely what each company offers and what they don't offer so we can make the best choice... I am having trouble understanding how [asking about additional trim work] indicated to you that we had selected Johnson for our project and I apologize if the confusion was on my end. After we received the final estimate we planned to make our selection... Does this mean that Johnson is not interested in this project?"
I followed up with another phone message a day later but never heard back from anyone at Johnson Home Improvement. I made one last attempt to call the next day, left another message but did not receive a return call.
There are a lot of positive reviews for this company online and in general we really try to give folks the benefit of the doubt, but our experience with Johnson Home Improvement was confusing and in the end, disappointing. Communication is challenging- we made 8-10 calls over the course of 2 weeks and only had a person answer once. Emails were not answered promptly (although except for the last one, they were answered). After the "withdraw my proposal" email, and subsequent misunderstanding, we did not have any calls or emails returned. We communicated honestly and in good faith, spent considerably time trying to clarify the proposal. In the end it just feels like it should not be this hard to spend over 10,000 dollars. read more