Our experience with Details has been a complete and utter nightmare. We hired them to knock out a…read morewindow and install a sliding patio door.
They require a $10,000 deposit to even consider projects. That was the first red flag that a huge mistake on our part. I've also learned now that per Florida Statute 489.126: A contractor who receives, as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price for repair, restoration, improvement, or construction to residential real property must:
(a) Apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made, except where the work does not require a permit under the applicable codes and ordinances, and
(b) Start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued.
None of the above occurred and the work, according to Details was $12,000 of which the $10,000 deposit is well over the 10%. Per the same Florida Statute: Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of theft and shall be prosecuted and punished under s. 812.014.
Keep all of this in mind when hiring a new contractor.
Now back to the "work" Details performed:
They failed to install our door according to Florida Building Code (FBC) requirements, as confirmed by an independent engineer we had to hire at our own expense. The installation was poorly done, leaving exposed concrete and flashing, which was completely unacceptable.
After abandoning the job halfway through, they sent us a ridiculous extortion email demanding an additional $3,000 in a change order to "ensure a smooth continuation of the project." Shockingly, this change order was supposedly to bring the work up to code, something that should have been done from the start without extra charges. It's clear they were trying to cover their tracks and take advantage of the situation.
The contractor also repeatedly cancelled meetings, failed to show up when promised, and even resorted to cussing at us in our own home--in front of our toddler. To make matters worse, they left live electrical wiring dangling at eye level, posing a serious danger to our little girl.
The lack of professionalism, integrity, and competence is staggering. I found a negative Glassdoor review from one of their former employees shortly after they abandoned our project, but it has since mysteriously disappeared. I screenshot it before the suspicious deletion and it is attached for all to see. I'm also attaching photos of the interior and exterior job that Details felt was "complete" enough to extort a change order against, as well as the live electric that they left in our living room.
Like other clients of theirs, we have had to hire an attorney to help us with this disaster. If you conduct a court records search for Details you will find 5 cases in the past 4 years. Here's a link (https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/Cases/search) and I've also attached a screenshot. But wait, there's more! I was curious as to what kind of people we were dealing with and looked up the Project Manager (who never showed up on site to assess the project) on Facebook and found a public post of his alluding to bumping up charges to cover for a new hire's potential mistakes...
There's so much more to this debacle, but please just do yourself a favor and avoid this company at all costs. They will leave you with unfinished work, lies, and headaches in addition to attorney's fees and the task of finding and hiring a new trustworthy contractor.
