I would NOT recommend this company.
As of 3/12/24, we are beginning legal proceedings for a ~$4k refund after the company pulled out of the contract and has since refused to contact us.
Facts: In March '23, we chose VA Decks for a $37k three season room project. They were not the cheapest option, but we liked their design and plan the best. Within a day of signing the contract, the owner (Nikolay) came to our house personally to pick up the 50% deposit check (which we have been informed is now an illegal deposit % in the state of VA). Then, we didn't hear from the company for two months. In May, after a number of attempts to reach the company, I submitted a complaint to the BBB and left a review on Google. Within an hour, Nikolay reached out saying there was a misunderstanding and that he had submitted the permits and we were just waiting for them to clear. Not completely untrue, as he had submitted the permits that day (I assume after my complaint/review, and before contacting me).
I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the delays in the coming months were out of their hands, as permitting in the City of Alexandria can be cumbersome. However, the company not once reached out with an update; rather, I was constantly having to check in to make sure the permitting office got what they needed to move the permit forward.
When the permit did finally come through, in the Fall, the company came out within a week to tear down our existing porch and install the new one. In their favor, the team worked efficiently to get the new porch up - and it appears to be of decent quality. [Though the work crew did insist on going to the bathroom behind our shed, despite having access to a bathroom, and leaving trash all over our yard.]
Once the porch was installed and the second payment was paid (35%), the company went dark again. It took MONTHS for them to admit that they were not going to be able to install the windows/screens, per the contract. And, since agreeing to cancel the remainder of the contract and agreeing upon a refund amount, I have not been able to reach the company, despite numerous texts, voicemails, and emails. Nikolay, the owner, hits the "on a call - will call you back" auto message when I call, and then has never once returned my call or texts. At the time of this writing, we are waiting on a $4k refund (the remaining 15% ($5k) was never paid, so the outstanding work not done is around $9k).
Besides the horrendous communication of this company and the near fraudulent business practices, a couple of things to note:
- Their claim of a high BBB and AngiesList rating are false; they are intentionally misrepresenting their customer satisfaction.
- They continuously breached contract. The contract stated that they would begin work within 3 weeks and the job would be finished no later than 6 months from the signing of the contract. Neither of those things took place. When I tried to cancel the contract, Nikolay was evasive and immediately made progress.
- There is no project management team. It is completely overseen by Nikolay, who is impossible to reach.
- Their place of business does not exist. The Holland Lane address is a condo building in Alexandria, so there is no location to go to get answers.
All in all, this has been a painful and regrettable experience that I do not wish on other consumers - hence the lengthy review. We are working with HD Exteriors to have the remainder of the work completed, and we are very happy with their professionalism so far and their communication. The remaining work will cost modestly more than that contracted with VA Decks. All I can hope is that we eventually get the refund for the work that was not completed. read more