JZ was the electrical sub for Knight Construction Design Inc.. Neither company followed the contract's scope of work. Not only did I not receive the home remodel that I was paying them for, they charged for work that was NOT provided + both performed inexcusably substandard workmanship.
For breach of contract, excess profit taking, & grossly shoddy workmanship I had to file a law suit. Knight, as the contractor, & JZ's employer, did not honor a signed mediated settlement to correct a multitude of problems with the over-all project work, which included JZ's electrical work. The matter of getting due money back & compensation for needed corrections was eventually settled through binding arbitration. It was 4 years of my life from the signing of the contract with Knight to payment in full of the arbitrated settlement.
Before the law suit against Knight was filed, JZ claimed that they would correct their work, but refused to disclose what Knight had already paid them nor would JZ put their commitment into writing. Without proper & enforceable legal documentation I, as any homeowner, would be at a severe disadvantage. I did not agree to this under caution from the city inspector's office & the office of the State Attorney General. I also talked to the Department of Labor & Industry. All stated the limitations of what they could & could not do. Hiring an attorney was left as my best option.
It was explained that if JZ did not follow through as promised, JZ could later say that what they did was what was agreed upon & I would have no proof to the contrary & there would be little, if any, help to make things fair & right. In this case, verbal agreements are not enforceable. JZ could also put any price on their remaining work. There does not seem to be a limit to what workman can charge. This fact was brought up by Knight's own attorney, as well. So, JZ could say I owed $5,000.00, $10, 000.00, or $20,000.00 more for the job.
All trust with both companies was lost. To me, it is criminal how the companies took money for work that was not provided & tried price gouging along the way. During the Discovery phase of the suit, Knight's documents showed that JZ was paid over $4,000.00 and $3,000.00 (+) was to follow upon completion of the job.
In addition, Knight rewrote the contract - no date or signatures, but emailed it to me 10 months after the legal contract was signed. Knight tried to force this illegal contract onto me 7 months after the entire project should have been completed. In the bogus contract, I was being charged an additional $3,345.00, for just the electrical. So, for basic wiring to a 600 sq. ft. roughed-in space that already had some electrical wiring, Knight & JZ were trying to charge $9,315.00!!!!!
Because JZ had done such a poor job with the placement of recessed lights and ceiling fans + put a junction box in the wrong place that interfered with a major aspect of the remodel, the majority of JZ's work was demolished. The electrician used by another contractor did a quality job the first time & without any omissions & no Code Correction Notices from the city & for less than what I would have ended up paying through Knight.
Please read the comments with the photos of Knight's & JZ work. See how it compares to the other contractor's work who finished the remodel. Judge for yourself what quality you'd want & expect for your money.
Until you go through something as wicked & bad as what we experienced throughout the coarse of this home remodel & the aftermath ( this was just the tip ), you may find it hard to appreciate the massive amount of hours & money you'll end up spending for just a chance at justice.
It is with the encouragement I received from a criminal investigator with the Hennepin County Prosecutor's office that I write about what happened to me & my family. read more
