Tub trouble

COMPLAINT: Paul Snyder, West Chester, Pa.
"When the soap dish fell out of the bathroom wall above my tub, I discovered the plasterboard behind it had disintegrated. I asked Home Repair Service for an estimate to replace the plasterboard and tiles and caulk the tub. [Silvio Cifa, owner] is a nice guy, and I think he's honest, but my experience with him was disastrous.

"After he left, I noticed the tiles sliding down the wall, and I could see the taping he did wasn't adequate to keep them in place. The adhesive was slopped on in huge lumps in some areas, but many sections of tiles had no adhesive at all. Tiles were floating on top of the lumps, which partly explained why the wall looked so bad when he was done. The cement board he installed didn't fit - there was a considerable gap at the top.

Worst of all, he screwed the soap dish into the wall and didn't caulk or glue it in place. The first time we showered, water would have run behind the soap dish, through the wall and into the rooms below the tub. His caulking was messy and inadequate. I scrubbed black marks off the edge of the tub and removed adhesive that stuck to the tub. I paid him when he left; that was a mistake. I was unaware of the extent of these problems when I paid him."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I want him to refund all costs, except for his materials. I'm not asking for an entire refund because I don't think he intended to do a poor job."

RESPONSE: Silvio Cifa, owner, Home Repair Service
"A 100-percent refund was mailed to this member."

STATUS: Resolved