Sterling Group DKI

MARCH 8TH, 2017 we had fire damage to our house due to negligent neighbor. Our insurance company recommended Sterling Group DKI, however it was up to us to use them. Never having gone through this type of claim before, who would think your insurance company would set you up for the worst experience of your life!!! From the get go Sterling Group DKI did not communicate with us. They would not return communication through email or phone. I HAVE NEVER MADE SO MANY PHONE CALLS OR SENT EMAILS IN MY LIFE!! My insurance company had to contact a supervisor there to make the project manager and estimator call or respond to anything. I had to do the leg work to track down the color of the siding. I had to babysit them to do the "right" job and all I got was excuses like "I didn't notice or it was like that before (I'm no dummy, I have pictures of what it looked like before and gladly pointed it out to EVERYONE). They could not seem to grasp the meaning of "do it right the first time", so they had to do it multiple times. They also stated they could repair the damage to the backyard pavers etc. Boy was that a mistake! We rejected work done and THEY had to contract out to A LANDSCAPER. They said they did not charge us for the horrible job they did HOWEVER SEE BELOW ON WHAT THEY CHARGED! SCAMMERS. Oh...and to date the Landscaping CO. still has not been paid by Sterling..2 months later! Landscaping CO. is re doing our front yard at our request and advised us they still have not been paid! They said they were told sometime in August as they did not have the money...well what did they do with all the insurance money they received from me? Oh..and they charged my insurance company $7,455.09 for the backyard but Landscaping CO. did it for $4,640..what did Serling do with the rest of the money?? Folks..this does not even touch the frustration or other issues we had with them, but isn't this enough ? DO NOT USE STERLING GROUP DKI UNDER ANY SIRCUMSTANCE!!!

Bad company to work for

Worked for them an found drug needles

“The Sterling Group DKI: Poor Workmanship Triggers Mental Anguish for Senior Citizen in Poor Health… On October 22 of 2007, Steven Hartmann owner of The Sterling Group DKI submitted an estimate of $5,127.33 plus additional overcharges to Carol J. Schrader’s insurance adjuster. This estimate was for a water damaged bathroom. Carol J Schrader (age 65) was in poor health during the time period when The Sterling Group DKI began repairing the water damaged bathroom. From beginning to end of the entire repair process the subcontractors or hired help were simply careless and disrespectful about her property. For example: Tools such as a wrench was dropped in the bathtub thus causing a cosmetic chip. There was no excuse for this or apologies apparently ever made to Carol J Schrader from Steven Hartmann owner of The Sterling Group DKI. Nor from any representative. Clean-up was not thorough. In other words, in commercial construction you always protect the floor with carpet or floor protection where you are entering & leaving the place of construction or repair while preventing dust with plastic or visqueen sheeting. This was not done. Why was my mother reportedly always forced to clean up the workers dust after they left? For the costly repair of $5,127.33 and additional overcharges you would expect to see a newly restored bathroom considering how small it is! Would you not expect to at least see a new bath tub, toilet, and sink? If you were repairing or remodeling your small water damaged bathroom wouldn’t you use this opportunity to replace the old/dated bathtub and Tub/shower wall with a brand new updated version? Especially, if the costs were cheaper to replace instead of repairing? Why would you pay more money to repair something when it‘s cheaper to replace with something new? Steven Hartmann simply wanted to extract more money. This presumptuous decision caused my mother emotional distress to the point of mentally breaking down and crying! Apparently it was a major hassle dealing with Steven Hartmann and The Sterling Group DKI about this issue. In the end she was not satisfied and ended with a lackluster remodeled bathroom. The Mental Anguish Begins with Poor Workmanship If a licensed general contractor like www.sterlingdki.com is experienced in water damage repair, charges you over $5000.00 to repair and fix the plumbing problem or cause of the water damage… Wouldn’t you rightfully expect to see this remedied, instead of having the costly water damage coming back to haunt you at a later time? Especially, when this could have been easily avoided w/o getting ripped off financially then drained emotionally because of stress? Wouldn’t you rightfully expect a licensed general contractor like www.sterlingdki.com , who claims to be experienced in water damage repair to totally fix the plumbing or water leak problem which caused the damage? Especially, if Steven Hartmann and The Sterling Group DKI expected you to pay over $5000.00 to remedy the problem? My mother Carol J. Schrader was already disappointed with cosmetic appearance of the remodel/water damage repair. However, my mother and others noticed the smell of Urine in the bathroom which was disconcerting within 6 months of the plumbing repair, which Steven Hartmann owner of The Sterling Group DKI overcharged her $1513.13 for. Carol J. Schrader, the homeowner complained about this to The Sterling Group DKI and to her Insurance adjuster, but absolutely no action was ever taken to remedy the foul smelling smell of urine. Take the money and run should to be the new mission statement of Steven Hartmann and/or The Sterling Group DKI when it comes to customer service, instead of honesty and integrity. My mother became really nervous about using the toilet because of all the hassles and costly damage repair bills she incurred. It was almost unbelievable to see her reaction when even mentioning the bathroom for any purpose! A New Water Leak Appears Triggered by the Poor Workmanship of Sterling Group DKI When Carol J. Schrader passed away in July of 2012 due to a terminal illness. The family met together at their mother’s house after her memorial service. Naturally the bathroom toilet was extensively used. The smell of urine appeared then later on a pool of water around the toilet. Hmmm, what’s happening here? It appears the toilet wax ring needs to be replaced. Note: a wax ring can lasts up to 20 years or more w/o leaking! So, I go buy a wax ring and remove the toilet, only to discover two wax rings are used! Wow really? Why were two wax rings used, instead of just one wax ring? It was a cheap, lazy and quick way to avoid adjusting the toilet flange above floor grade after www.sterlingdki.com just repaired the floor! Any experienced professional plumber should know, if your toilet flange is set below floor level you will need to install a toilet flange extension before resetting the toilet to insure a proper seal against water leaks! This was obviously not done, which indicates poor workmanship, especially when using a cheap temporary fix to prevent any water leaks. The Sterling Group DKI failed to correct a hidden water leak caused by their own ineptness, lack of concern or cheapness. I now understand why my now deceased mother was in mental anguish! This could of have been easily fixed by www.sterlingdki.com However, I repaired the water leak by installing a toilet flange extension. If I had not done the repair this would eventually lead to further costly water damage, which the Sterling Group DKI just repaired and then caused! Is this an isolated case of just only one lady or senior citizen with poor health being exploited by a careless general contractor with poor workmanship? Sadly, the answer is no. For example visit: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/Details/lawsuits.aspx?UBI=60222****&LIC=STERLGI983NW&SAW=&CASENO=48332 You’ll find a complaint filed by Janet Hacking on 05/12/2015 in the amount of $28,434.35 against The Sterling Group DKI. Next read the complaints on the Better Business Bureau against the Sterling Group DKI: http://www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/fire-and-water-damage-restoration/sterling-group-dki-in-tacoma-wa-2201****/Complaints#breakdown Next read the negative complaints on yelp against Sterling Group DKI: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-sterling-group-dki-tacoma?sort_by=rating_desc FYI, Yelp hides the negative reviews! Here’s what Yelp says: Note: The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating. They’re complaints or negative reviews on Yelp which are not factored against the overall rating of the poor workmanship and other money exploitive schemes of Steven Hartmann and/or Sterling Group DKI. The Sterling Group DKI and its owner, Steven Hartmann has a history of poor workmanship and exploiting homeowners of their hard-earned money by gaming the Insurance company’s and it’s insurance adjusters. Steven Hartmann, admittedly has an adjuster’s license which gives him access to legally exploit as many homeowners as possible with shoddy workmanship or uncompleted work. FYI, insurance adjusters are typically emotionally detached from your insurance claim. In other words, the general contractor they suggest or tell you about is not an endorsement or recommendation of their work! It simply means they are licensed to perform the work for the insurance company. But don’t count on your insurance adjuster informing you about this. The contract is between you and the general contractor you choose. So do your homework/research before hiring any general contractor. And remember, the general contractor works for you and not the insurance adjuster. Now, if one homeowner is complaining about a problem, then most likely they’re ten others who have experienced the same frustration triggered by The Sterling Group DKI, but won’t report it or say anything about it, for whatever reason. If you have experienced any shoddy workmanship you have incurred damages to your property from The Sterling Group DKI. Simply click the direct link below to report damages or violations: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/Detail.aspx?UBI=60222****&LIC=STERLGI983NW&SAW= Remember, there is a 2 year statute of limitations for filing a claim for damages against any licensed contractor in the State of Washington. Why was this complaint, just now filed after almost 8 years? Let me explain, my mother was seriously ill with cancer during this time period & did not have the energy nor time to fight or challenge this unresolved poor workmanship problem with Steven Hartmann, the owner of The Sterling Group DKI. As I said earlier in this complaint, Carol J. Schrader passed away in July of 2012. However, it’s obviously too late to resolve this now, but not too late to warn others about avoiding the costly mistake of working with a dishonorable and unprofessional general contractor. My mother’s Insurance claim was just recently discovered this July of 2015, together with the estimate issued by Steven Hartmann, the owner of Sterling Group DKI which gave me the details I needed to file this complaint. I hope this complaint prevents other homeowners, especially women and senior citizens from experiencing mental anguish and learning a costly, yet avoidable frustrating lesson by not doing hiring Steven Hartmann or his company, The Sterling Group DKI. PS. Contact Steven Hartmann, owner of The Sterling Group DKI here: 1. https://www.linkedin.com/pub/steven-hartmann/44/751/647 2. https://twitter.com/sterlingdki If you're a member of Angieslist you'll be able to read a detailed negative review posted below by Janet Hacking against The Sterling Group DKI, which I mentioned earlier in this complaint. I accidentally discovered this while searching reviews revealed on Angieslist, which supports my claim of poor workmanship and unethical business practices typified by Steven Hartmann, the owner of www.sterlingdki.com . http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/wa/tacoma/sterling-group-dki-reviews-571****.htm

Type of Electrical Work that was done: I removed Sterling Group DKI from working on the rebuild of my home at 813 Dundee Road NW, Olympia, WA on February 16, 2016 for not working on the project since December 2015. On arrival and seeing what had been accomplished, I discovered there was an electrical panel installed and connected to the meter. There was a two gang outlet installed under the panel with two GFI outlets, marked “A” and “B”. No other wiring, boxes, or other work was done by Sterling. I called Puget Sound Energy (PSE), under the belief that Sterling would have made arrangements to have temporary power put into their name. But, PSE told me the electrical bill was in my name and was never changed. Then, I contacted the City of Olympia to get the permits transferred into my name. It was then I discovered the electrical permit was never picked up by the electrician from Sterling. It was at this point the City of Olympia, Community Planning and Development became interested in how the panel was installed and by who. However, they did issue an “Owner’s Permit” to me and I did use the panel. But only yesterday I discovered the primary cables from the meter to the box were installed so the cover can’t be put on the box. So, once again we will need to clean up problems left by Sterling and pull the meter, pull the cables and reinstall these so the cover can be used. The company is located in Tacoma Washington. Sterling Group DKI. We had a fire that resulted in a total loss. On the recommendation of our insurance company, we hired Sterling Group. They did start the work in December 2015, and I went to see the progress in early January 2016, but nothing else had occurred. I was assured the repairs were underway. I returned in early February, nothing had been done. The house was still the same as it was in December. The did put in an electrical panel, without a permit. They did put in a fiberglass tub, over a rotted floor, the did put in some framing, which didn't pass the City's inspection and had to be torn out and redone. They billed us $33,000 for work and material that was either wrong, not delivered, had to be re-done, or was done so poorly that it would have been better if they never did anything. I am now doing the work since Sterling has placed a lien on the house. In short, they want money for work they didn't do or work they did perform that was so bad it had be completely removed and replaced. The scam works like this: They start work to a point where they feel the homeowner can't take over or hire another contractor. Sterling then stops work and says they won't continue until they have received full payment for the "Work". However, they bill for items not delivered and over bill for those items they did deliver. An example is the fiberglass tub. These can be purchased for $379. However, Sterling billed me $1,600 for the tub, and another $579 for refurbishing the tub. How much "refurbishing" does a new tub need? None. The windows were being billed at $2,900, but these are available for $1,100. So, I suspect in most cases they "Blackmail" the homeowner into paying, doing shoddy work, and leaving a disaster in their wake. I looked into this company, after the work started of course, and found they had their bond pulled in May 2015 and found others that had serious complaints about their business practice. So, I am not the first to have a serious complaint and problem with this company. So, be warned. It will not end well if you hire Sterling Group DKI.

After sever water damage in my home I called the Sterling Group DKI to do the repairs. They said it would take 2 months. They started on Aug. 8, 2013, and it's been 3 months and they are still not done. They replaced a sliding glass door and it's about 3 inches above the floor making it so I have to step up and over the frame. They removed the parts that go under the siding so that they did not have to cut and repair the siding (estimate of 1300.00). They never covered my bathtub, sewer pipes or sinks (until I asked them to) and have clogged all my drains with drywall and tile depris leaving me with the cost of a plummber to snake and clean the pipes. The workmanship is so poor that I had to tell them that one of the walls, they cut, was not straight and that one side was an inch higher than the other, they were just going to drywall and paint it that way. The flooring in the bathroom was laid before they did the tile work and now has gouges and stains from the grout. I made them redo the tile around the shower after they put it in because the tile was cut so crooked that the grout was thick in some spots and falling out. When they put the vanity back in the bathroom it was at least a 1/4 inch from the wall and they just put a huge amount of caulk around it. In the kitchen they removed the built in cabinets and did not sand or even attempt to smooth the walls before putting new ones up so there are many areas that are exposed showing gouges and protruding pieces of wood that were left from the original cabinets. They just painted over all of it. The counter tops are so low on the cabinets that the drawers catch on the edge. The shoddy work continues with the poor cutting of the baseboards that overhang instead of meeting at the corners. They ordered a cleaning and move back from the water restoration company (*******) that was holding all of my furniture and belongings. This was done last month while construction was still going on so everything in my home is covered in dust. My brand new microwave was dented when they installed it. They didn't protect any of my appliances, the stove and the washing machine has drywall, nails, screws and broken tile inside all of them. I will now have to replace these. They put in new carpet and it has stains and a melted spot in the middle of the room. When I mentioned it, they just tried to clean up the stain instead of replacing it. They never brought a honey bucket (323.00 in the estimate) so they have been using my yard for a toilet. They leave garbage all over my home, inside and out. I had to have them clean my return vent inside due to garbage being thrown in there. I sent an email to the owner and he replied telling me that I could call anytime but when I call he will not talk to me. I have sent several emails to him with no response. My project manager does not inform me of what is going on until I finally get mad and call him. The communication with this company is so poor that even when I leave notes taped to the walls with instruction and to call me if there is questions about what I'm asking, they ignore them and just do what they want. I have photos of everything that I have mentioned. Today is Nov. 15th and they are not done. I had to cancel a walk though that was ordered by my mortgage company because it wasn't done.