Michael Vaia, the roofing owner, came across to me as mean, rude, unprofessional, unfriendly, extremely disrespectful, unapproachable, impatient, dishonest, dismissive, negative, and unwilling to take responsibility. In my experience, he was also a poor listener and communicator and showed very little humility, fairness, or understanding when dealing with me as a customer. I have had two encounters with Michael, and unfortunately, I experienced these characteristics during both interactions.
Without going into the entire story, a customer should never be made to feel belittled, uncomfortable, dismissed, or disrespected, especially when doing business with the owner of a company.
Michael did not make an appointment with me or notify me that the roofing crew would be coming. The crew would have showed up without me knowing they were coming. When I questioned Michael about this, he told me directly that because it was a roof, there was no need to call and that he puts that on the paperwork. When that particular issue was brought up again later, Michael denied ever telling me that. This practice was also confirmed to me by members of Michael's staff. Unfortunately, that was not the only instance in which I felt Michael was dishonest with me.
To make matters worse, an 8:00 a.m. start time had been agreed upon, yet Michael did not stick to the agreed-upon time. The roofing crew rang my doorbell at 6:44 a.m.--more than an hour before the agreed start time. There was no communication with me beforehand letting me know that the crew would be arriving that early. When you agree to a start time with a customer, that time should be respected, or at the very least, the customer should be contacted before a crew arrives at their home.
Due to Michael's behavior and the way our interactions were handled, it was ultimately agreed that Michael would no longer call my phone or come to my home. The fact that it reached a point where this boundary had to be established speaks volumes about how uncomfortable and unacceptable the interactions had become.
The men came to put a new roof on my home, and I do want to specifically recognize Jorge for his exceptional customer service. Jorge was professional, respectful, approachable, friendly, and customer-focused from beginning to end. He knew how to communicate with a customer and made the experience much more pleasant.
The difference between my interactions with Jorge and my interactions with Michael was night and day. In my opinion, a business owner should set the standard for professionalism, honesty, communication, respect, accountability, fairness, and customer service. Unfortunately, my two experiences with Michael were the complete opposite.
Jorge deserves recognition. He was truly the positive part of an otherwise very negative experience with this company. read more
