DirectBuy -Tom Giacchi - Keymasters - Bob Bartoo
DirectBuy - Tom Giacchi - Keymasters - Bob Bartoo ripoff 8-12 wks completion approaching 1 yr for kitchen/bathroom renovation no show contractor no projects completed phone not working

H*l's Kitchen — and Baths

In March I signed up with Direct Buy because I needed a new kitchen and 2 new baths in my 50 year old newly purchased home. When I told DB what I needed, they told me that Bob Bartoo/Keymasters was the person to do it and so I proceeded to write my first check to him for plans.

He first installed a HUGE [replacement] bay window in front and 2 double hung windows in back where previously there was a plain pane of glass. The back window needs a replacement for a torn screen; the front window has never been finished under the house overhang.

The laundry has been moved from the basement (I have limited breathing capacity and had knee surgery recently so I have eliminated stairs.) to my FL room. The dryer vent is hanging loose in the basement and there is no baseboard around the W/D. Also in the basement, the old hot water heater needs to be removed.

My kitchen is mostly finished but I have no drawer/door handles on my cabinets (61 in total). These were ordered last summer. 2 corner cabinets need holes drilled to install the second shelf in each. Stove/fridge need to be leveled as well as cabinet doors. Replace dented stove part. Finish formica on desk and buffet. Caulking.

Guest bath (mostly finished) still needs finishing touches on beadboard, caulking and repair to wallpaper border that BB drilled through.

My bath has recently been started. Shower stall installed so that is out of my FL room where it remained for over 6 months. My toilet and vanity are still in the FL room.

Skylight shades (2) were ordered (and paid for) last summer and only recently did BB get a refund which he applied toward installation of insulation in the sleeping area of the house. I gave him a check for $750 for the extra insulation; he has failed to give me a receipt (it's in the truck; I left it at home — ad nauseum).

Overhead light in garage is a bunch of loose wires minus bulb just hanging there — why?

On his first walk through my house he mentioned that security was important since I was a senior, a woman living alone. He was very solicitous and courtly.

He put very little in writing and I still contend that he is a wonderful craftsman but a lousy businessman. I wonder if his verbal concessions were his out — he said, she said.

Things progressed until the end of August when there was a rapid downward spiral. His pa/helper moved away in September and he was on his own. He said he underestimated my work and that he was no longer making money off me (not my problem BUT really my problem).

Complaints to Direct Buy last Fall did nothing to help. The man to whom I spoke (Harvey) said BB reported to him (although the DB Prez is quick to point out that BB was not a DB employee) so he should have known that little was being done at my house — especially since I was phoning to complain. Promised return calls never materialized.

No shows became the norm. Or, when BB did come, he would work for 2 hours then leave. Never in a week's time did this ever amount to a total of 8 hours.

Example of one day: He will come bright and early10:00 phone call — I'm buying supplies but I left my wallet at home and had to go back for it12:00 arrive at my house; leave immediately to get tools, etc.in Macungie2:00 back at my house to work4:00 leave for the dayIn sum: 2 hours work at my house

In December the Prez of DB came to my house to do a walk thru with BB and me, making a list and seeing first hand what remained to be done. He told BB what he expected to be done for the remaining weeks before Christmas; needless to say, most went undone.

He started work on my bathroom in January. It was demolished; a new sub floor was put in as well as my shower stall (out of my FL room after more than 6 months; toilet and vanity remain there).

On February 2 he said he would be finished next week. Since he has never met a deadline, it was no surprise that a week later he was not finished.

On February 14 we had a big snow storm and he missed 2 days of work in my house.

He was a no show/no call 2 days the following week and at the end of the week he explained that he had taken a new job and worked there both days; that he was starting full time on Monday (2-26) but that he would finish my work on Saturdays or in other increments of time that might come up.

He called Sunday (3-11) to say he had a window of opportunity on Monday morn. He showed up at 8 A.M., took his equipment from my basement and left for his new job at 8:30. He said he'd be back after work that day to clean up more (2 trash bins and one trash bag remain at the side of my house). He also said he'd try to get Friday off to work at my house — no show/no call = no work.

3-17 is the third Saturday since that time. No call/no work done. His phone is out of order so I cannot communicate with him; his business card lists no address. He is talking of moving closer to his new job (in Conshohocken?).

I need help; I am a 69 year old woman living on Social Security. My lifelines are my 91 year old mother and my 11 year old dog. I have spent close to $50,000 (from proceeds from the sale of my former home) trying to make this new home safe and secure as I head into the Twilight Zone. This is a one-time [ad]venture and I hope to live to see its completion.

This work was supposed to completed in 8-12 weeks, i.E., July then Sept., then Thanksgiving, then end of year, then February. It is mid-March and where is my contractor?!

I want the work completed properly and/or I want a refund — preferably the former. BB has been paid in full and has not done his part. Is there any recourse? Justice? Help for the elderly who have been cheated in this way? Surely there is some sort of consumer protection for circumstances such as these; this is the second ranked complaint of PA seniors. HELP!

KayAllentown, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

Company: DirectBuy -Tom Giacchi - Keymasters - Bob Bartoo
Country: USA
State: Pennsylvania
City: Allentown
Address: 7036Snowdrift Road - #110
Phone: 4842231545

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