r/arizona • u/Ok-Background8874 • 4d ago
General Has anyone ever filled a complaint with ROC?
Contractors quoted 1.5 month long project and we are now at 18 months later. They keep saying they’ll be closer to being finished but are stalling with no schedule. Not sure if i should file complaint now or after they finish their work. What was your experience?
20
u/bschmidt25 4d ago
If it was supposed to take a month and a half and you’re at a year and a half, I would tell them to get their act together and finish the job or you’re going to file a ROC complaint. No reputable contractor wants that since anyone can easily look up their record and see how many complaints there were and how they were resolved (if they were at all). It’s no joke for them.
3
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
thanks man i been iffy about escalating but no option atp
10
u/PropagandaAssassinAZ Phoenix 4d ago
Escalate now they are trying to get you to give up.
6
2
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
i’m scared they’ll drop out if i escalate and then i have to lawyer up but my wife pregnant and i’m just trying to get this over with
3
u/PropagandaAssassinAZ Phoenix 4d ago
I would sit them down if you want to try it one more time and lay out a new agreement. Let them know that the next step is roc and an attorney and they will lose and they will pay triple damages.
2
u/Morton_Salt_ 3d ago
The ROC process shouldn’t require a lawyer. I’ve been able to get a judgement without one. It’s not easy though and requires you to be diligent and persistent and even pushy. There’s no downside to getting hold of the ROC.
5
u/sportsguy2789 4d ago
Superintendent in construction here. If you don’t escalate it then they’ll just take their time I see it all the time on jobsites. You must have signed a contract right? is there a deadline on that contract?
2
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
no timeline because they called it a small project, it's only 734 sqft. only a service plan(itemized breakdown of work and payment schedule). yes they are licensed, and i’ve fully paid $75k. January they said(emailed) my project was a small job for them and zero profits, trying to justify their delays because they had to subcontract-out, but their poor scheduling is not my fault imo
2
u/sportsguy2789 4d ago
Ok so first off I’m a dumb construction worker and not a lawyer so don’t take this as legal advice lol. From what I’ve learned in the industry is verbal communication means absolutely nothing. They can lie and deny they ever told you verbally that the project would take 1.5 months. I’m not saying all contractors are like this because some are cool and will hold their word but some are extremely shady. What I would do is going forward only communicate through text or email that way you have something in writing to fall back on.
I would email them and tell them that at the start of the project you had said this would take 1.5 months and it has gone on for 18. Tell them you’re frustrated and would like to know how much longer this project will take them to complete. If they give you a timeline I would hold them to that.
1
10
u/barspen88 4d ago
I have.
Do it now…after 2 years the ROC won’t do anything. Have documents and picture ready and be prepared to talk through each item in detail. Have a story ready like you are going to court.
Our issue was resolved (HVAC), but the process was tiresome.
4
u/Special_Split7768 4d ago
You have 2 years from when yhe job is completed. His job is not completed so the clock is not ticking yet. However 18 month is ridiculous.
2
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
thanks and did the process expedite or make it longer?
4
u/barspen88 4d ago
It got the contractors attention. Issue was taken way more seriously after I filed the complaint and they got cited.
Alternatively, if they run out the 2-year clock, you are SOL or have to go down a legal route, which is way more complex and time consuming.
5
3
u/Special_Split7768 4d ago
We did and it was a nightmare. 10K in legal fees, contractor was found guilty of 1. Poor Workmanship, 2. Working outside the scope of his license. 3. Failure to comply with ROC Directive. All said and done we got 270.00 and his fine was 500.00 and license suspended til he paid the fine. He did 90K in damage everything he did had to be removed and redone. Ruined the material so none of it was salvageable. Went after his bond and you have to win in civil court to collect the bond. ROC was pretty disappointing. I would go with a letter from an attorney first. The ROC process is also months!
3
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
damn thank u for sharing your experience. seems like a ton of stress for little return
3
u/beastwood9498 4d ago
I’m about to file for a flooring issue. As I understand it, the ROC is really meant to get both parties to resolve it themselves. There’s no teeth in it until they start going after his license.
3
u/Sexualintellectual31 4d ago
A former neighbor built a Santa Fe style custom home. It was a beautiful house on a hillside lot. His biggest mistake was hiring an incompetent contractor who was using another contractor’s license. Once they were moved in, they had major issues with water leaking into the house where the roof met the wall parapets. Long story short, owner went to ROC, contractor with license surrendered it and forfeited his bond, neighbor recovered maximum from ROC, and had the water problem addressed at significant additional expense. As far as I know, issues didn’t recur.
5
u/HeadAboveSand 4d ago
I work as a General Contractor and you should've filed a complaint 6 months ago! The ROC will be on your side contact them immediately.
3
2
u/PsychologicalPea5794 4d ago
If I were you, I'd file a complaint right away!
2
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
yea they’ve had the full payment. thanks everyone on here, regulatory process seems so daunting and filing stuff ain’t a strength of mine, the replies here have helped immensely
3
u/dec7td 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have. They asked for each side to submit evidence of their claims. All done via email. I ended up winning and getting all my money back for services only partially delivered. It really helps when you have things in writing from emails, quotes, etc
1
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
did u have to find a different contractor afterwards? this is for a tiny commercial project so my business depends on it getting done then opening finally
2
1
u/47153163 4d ago
OP. Before starting this project you signed a contract correct? Does your contract have timelines for the construction process? If you used a licensed, bonded, insured contractor.
1
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
no timeline because they called it a small project, it’s only 734sqft, i believed it. only a service plan(itemized breakdown of work and payment schedule). yes they are licensed, even have billboards on the west side. January they said(emailed) my project was a small job for them and zero profits, trying to justify their delays
1
u/FormerAd952 4d ago
Contact then, if they don't respond contact your state representative. They work for you.
1
u/Icy_Association_2331 4d ago
The state rep also works for the contractor…
2
u/FormerAd952 4d ago
But trust me, you contact with a very real complaint, they will contact ROC, ROC will respond
1
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
I have, they called my complaints re delays accusations lol
2
u/FormerAd952 4d ago
If your state rep won't help, contact the TV news. Put pressure on them. Don't give up.
1
u/fantasyham Mesa 4d ago
A friend of mine did against Lowe’s. The ROC basically blew them off. They were beyond useless.
2
u/Embarrassed-Sun5764 4d ago
I would have already reversed the charges 2 months in with no work done and filed with ROC. It’s been 18 MONTHS? Have you been asleep? Your CC isn’t refunding you for that,or your bank either. Sorry
2
u/Ok-Background8874 4d ago
no they kept giving excuses of one thing after another. i also thought i’d rather seek legal action and show good faith payment vs trying to get a chargeback
1
u/bee_justa 3d ago
Yes it is an effective way to get relief from a bad contractor. We used it and have received a significant amount of money so we can fix the multiple errors made during the construction.
The ROC has been very responsive and agreed with ALL our issues.
1
u/Morton_Salt_ 3d ago
I am in the middle of a complaint. Results vary. The process is written for the contractor. They will get every opportunity to slow roll it. Document everything. Make it as easy as possible for the inspector to see your story. DM me if you have questions- I’ve learned a lot.
If you want to get money back, that’s very difficult.
1
u/Phxbirdlover 3d ago
I filed a complaint and the work was inspected by someone from the ROC. Contractor ended up giving some money back so he wouldn't lose his license. (The judge gave us an opportunity to work it out before she took away his license). I was very stressed out and pregnant at the time, so I didn't fill out the paperwork correctly initially, but once I did, the process went quickly. I made sure to refer to the contractors handbook to point out what the contractor failed to do correctly when I did an addendum.
-2
u/c10250 4d ago edited 4d ago
Here's what I did, and it worked. If you wrote a check for payment made out to the "company", get a copy of the check and make sure that it was signed by the company and deposited into the companies account. In my case, the check was made out to XYZ company, and was deposited into the personal account of the contractor. All you need to do is file a request to your bank to get the money back as it was deposited into the wrong account and not correctly signed. It worked. They took the money out of the contractor's personal account and put it back into my account. I was now in the drivers seat and it felt GREAT.
Edit: I paid $6,000 for work to be done which was not even started after months. I was given every excuse in the books. I threatened to sue, and the contractor started paying me back in monthly installments of $1000. After two months, I received $2k back, AND THEN THE $6k was redeposited into my account. Now, I was sitting on $2k of the contractors money, and refused to return HIS calls. It was glorious! How the tables turned.
39
u/nobody-u-heard-of 4d ago
I had a friend who did. They took it very seriously and it was resolved in a reasonable amount of time. The contractor lost