Comment from Harmony Basements:
Dear Ruslan and Margarita,
Thank you for your feedback and review regarding your experience with Harmony Basements Corp.
We appreciate your kind words about Diego’s design abilities. Many clients have chosen us for his impressive design layouts and modern concepts. As someone who attended OCAD myself, I can attest to Diego’s talent as a designer.
As the sales manager, I would like to address some of your concerns. At Harmony, our commitment is to provide clients with the highest quality in materials, workmanship, project management, and design, while prioritizing a “safe and proper basement renovation” completed in a timely manner.
Our projects often exceed $100,000, with an average basement costing around $75,000–$80,000. This range reflects the investment required for a high-quality, fully-equipped basement renovation, as opposed to a more basic finish. However, we aimed to accommodate Mr. Ruslan K.’s budget of under $59,000 by providing a simpler build, while still upholding our standards for quality, safety, and design.
Regarding the staircase, our project manager and structural engineer found an unexpected safety issue during the pre-inspection, which required attention to ensure a secure staircase for your family. This is precisely why we conduct pre-inspections — to identify and address any potential issues before work begins.
We offered to resolve the staircase issue free of charge, including the necessary structural engineering drawings and permits, once we discovered the issue. This offer was made with the understanding that Mr. Ruslan K. would proceed with our original agreement to complete the basement. At the time of the estimate in May, the issue with the stairs was unknown, and only became apparent after the pre-inspection.
We acknowledge and respect the personal matters that delayed the project, although Harmony was prepared to start on June 26, 2017, after the contract was signed in May. It is now January 2018, and we had hoped to complete your basement long before this point. I personally left several messages to discuss starting the project and resolving any outstanding issues in a professional and friendly manner, but I did not receive a response.
Despite these delays, Harmony offered to complete the staircase at no additional charge and was willing to incur a loss to accommodate the unforeseen staircase issue. This, I believe, demonstrates our commitment to high standards and business ethics.
By Ontario law, clients have ten days from signing a contract to cancel. Given that it has now been eight months since signing, and considering our willingness to take a financial loss to ensure your family’s safety, we felt our approach was fair and reasonable.
Thank you once again for your feedback.
Warm regards,
Lawrence A.
Sales Manager, Harmony Basements Corp.