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May 14, 2007
gregg's express warning
do NOT use Gregg's Express for your rubbish removal/yard clearance.
we have just had the worst experience we have ever had with any company.
We hired them to clear out a LOT of broken up concrete and cinder blocks form our back yard as part of a big landscaping project.
The relationship started off well enough with a very reasonable quote from a guy called Jimmy.
But it soon went sour, as most of these types of relationships do in my experience.
In short, the crew showed up 3 hours late, so sidn't have toime to finish the job. They filled their truck with about 3/4 of our rubble but because they started 3 hours late they didnt have time to go empty it and come back and finish.
They promised to come back the next day to finish the job and isisted that we pay the crew the full $650 on our estimate.
Surprise surprise they didnt show up on Saturday morning.
Its now Monday and they still havent shown up despite several phone calls between myself and various people at the company.
So far we have been told the truck driver was hospotalised, and various other tall tales but we still canot get them back here to finish the job.
Consequently the rest of our landscaing project -- installing bluestone patio, laying sod, and relevvelling sidewalk, planting dozens of shrubs, has been put on ice.
because we still have a ton fo rubble in our back yard.
what ismore they didnt clean up after themselves and five days later they have yet to return to finish the job.
We are idiots for trusting them to show up so I uess the simple lesson here is do notpay in full until the job is complete.
In two years dealing with contractors and other companies here it seems there is no such thing as a reputable company in Brooklyn.
Comments
You should learn to communicate more with the individuals you deal with. Sounds like you have the issue and fail to address your need. Why pay them upfront? They're not fabricating something for you, and if they were they would only require 1/2. If you gave them the entire amount then you set yourself up for this type of drama. What's the age old adage: You fool me once...
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 4:41 PM
OP, why not file a claim against them in small claims court? It's pretty easy.
Don't mind retards like Anon 4:41pm. Everybody makes mistakes once in a while. It's understandable that you made a poor decision because of the pressure you're under to get the project completed.
Next time you won't pay until the job's finished -- live and learn!
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 4:51 PM
I'm with 4:51. Get somebody else and finish the work and sue Gregg for what you pay the second guy. Document and go to small claims court. Everybody has one story like this - just make sure in the future you don't pay till the work is done. Go to small claims court, file a claim, and the court will award you the money. Take pictures.
Good luck. Keep the faith. There ARE good guys out there.
Posted by: anon at May 14, 2007 6:24 PM
I'm with Anon 4:41. Why'd you give them payment in full for an incomplete job? Were they threatening you with physical violence or something?
Time to move on and hire someone else to do the job. Unfortunately I doubt the amount of money you'd recover in small claims court would be worth the time and aggravation. Just take a deep breath and move on; these kinds of things sometimes happen and dwelling on it won't help.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 6:34 PM
Nice "blame the victim" attitude, 4:41pm. You sound like you're a defensive contractor if not Gregg himself. Maybe if you were better at your job, then you'd be out working and not posting on brownstoner, hmm?
I agree with the others, OP. Sue this company to get your money back. I also agree with you and think Brooklyn has a disproportionately large number of losers working in home improvement. I've lived in and renovated old homes in a couple other regions including L.A. and even L.A. has better contractors and handymen. It's nearly impossible to find a truly talented, professional handyman in Brooklyn. NYC is "Caveat Emptor" in every respect possible, with home ownership!
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 6:35 PM
You guys, I understand the idea of suing, and I'd say go for it if it were a large amount, but $650?!? Or less? They did 3/4 of the work, no? So it's actually far less than $650. Think of the time you'd have to take off work to go to small claims court! And what a PITA it would be! For what, 163 bucks??
(and no, I am not a contractor)
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 6:40 PM
OP, continue to receive advise from guys like Anon 4:51, 6:21 and 6:35 and you'll fall right on your face again.
Looks like 6:35 got hit with the same and has yet to recover. It's a good thing his posts are after work as opposed to mine that are during
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 6:44 PM
I used Gregg's for a big demo and clean-up job (actually, talked to the same Jimmy) and they were great. Some small hiccups like having to come back a second day to finish the job because the main truck was on another job and late. They were VERY competitive in their bid. It wasn't the most super-professional white glove demo I've done but for the price and service, it was the best value out there. I would use them again. And they’re insured.
Anyway, other readers, just take my review and the above negative review with a grain of salt. Also, the OP sounds like a first time renovator or just anal … welcome to construction … everything take a bit longer than expected. Based on my experience, they will be back to finish the job. Don’t do anything stupid like suing or you'll never see your cash or have the job finished.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 6:56 PM
6:56pm, or should I call you Greg?
Any company that demands full payment prior to completion of a job is a lowlife scumbag outfit that deserves to be run out of business. Your prior experience mean nothing in my book. You sound like a serious jerk. If Gregg will rip off the OP, he'll rip off anybody.
After hearing the OP's story, I hope he sues Gregg's Express and gets awarded damages. If Jimmy doesn't come back and finish the job, Gregg's Express will be known on Brownstoner as the worst in Brooklyn.
Why are so many losers like you posting on this site? Are you a rental agent with nothing better to do? Can't you at least sell some garbage on Craigslist or something?
Posted by: Anonymous at May 14, 2007 10:12 PM
6:40 is off the wall. Why shouldn't you sue for 650 dollars? Someone should steal that money from you and you shrug? And you don't have to take off from work. If this person had the slightest idea of what he/she was talking about, they would know that you don't have to take off from work to do small claims court. They have evening hours for filing and evening court hours.
What a bunch of clowns. OP, get your money back and don't be intimidated by these bozos.
Posted by: anon at May 14, 2007 11:24 PM
Hire someone else to finish the job and then sue for that amount. Going to small claims court may cost you in the short run due to the time and aggravation, but it will mean this Gregg won't have gotten away with screewing you and will think twice about doing it to someone that reminds him of you in the future.
Also never pay for more work than has already been done, except for initial payment for things that require materials. Once the contractor has your payment in hand your only recourse is to drag his reputation through the mud (and your ability to do this is limited by your reputation) or to sue, which is a pain.
Posted by: danielk at May 15, 2007 12:06 AM
OP sorry to hear about your bad experience with Gregg's express. I used them for a basement cleanout. They showed up on time and did a professional job.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 7:11 AM
Anon 11:24,
It's not $650. They removed 3/4 of the rubble. One quarter of $650 (which is the part of the job they didn't do) is $162.50.
If you have the kind of time to deal with small claims court for less than $200, good for you. Some of us have other commitments.
-Anon 6:40
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 8:11 AM
Hey OP, if it was me, I'd drag their asses into Small Claims even if it was for 50 bucks. At that point, it's not so much the money as being able to have in hand a judgement against them-- that way, the next person who comes along will think twice about using them. Report them to the BBB, write a review on angieslist, etc. Why should anyone have to accept shitty service, even if it’s reasonably-priced? Also, the other great thing about Small Claims is that your receipt could be written on a banana peel, but if these asshats don't show up, you still win.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 8:51 AM
Go after them OP. If customers don't go after lame contractors like this, then things will never change in Brooklyn.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 9:24 AM
I agree with the previous posters. Take hime to court.
He made a deal to clean out the entire yard, was paid in full, and didn't finish the job. The case is simple.
You should get a full refund.
6:40, er, Gregg, er Jimmy, er whomever,
do you own your own place? I'll bet you rent a small studio or share a place. You don't sound smart enough to make the money to buy anything.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 9:55 AM
since greg has trucks all over brooklyn why do you all think every post that said he did a good job are written by greg himself. do you think he got to be big by doing a bad job? anyway i used greg a few times and he is just fine and now im not him!! in anything not everyone will have great experiences but it seems this poster gets burned all the time and maybe there not spelling out what they expect from the get go.
Posted by: adam at May 15, 2007 11:47 AM
Adam at 11:47am you are SO Greg, or his wife or family member. As are the other posts that are very defensive. Sorry, we're not fooled.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 4:04 PM
How childish. I posted that I had a great experience with the contractor. You think I am the contractor? You are mistaken, and naive to think that the contractor even readst this blog.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 16, 2007 5:33 AM
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