I hired Warren Pieces to finish the renovation of a resort condo in Warren, VT where I'm on the Board of Directors. Matt Groom, one of the owners of Warren Pieces, quoted the project at $1,200. At first, Matt seemed like a really nice guy and I thought his business name was clever. I thought he might be a cool guy to get to know, but the more I've gotten to know him the more I realize I was just a sucker with a bullseye on my back.
Even though Matt had quoted the project at $1,200, he emailed me and said he wanted to take the project on an hourly basis and said we "didn't need a contract".
I didn't like how open ended that was, and he already knew I didn't have much money for the project, but I agreed to "an hourly basis with a cap, so we don't run over a fixed amount," I then reiterated the price he quoted me of "$1,200 for the job” and told him I would cap any potential overages at “a 20% cushion of $240 so we wouldn't exceed $1,440, all-in.”
I made sure that was in writing before he started any work because I was a little uneasy about how he didn't want to have a contract and I wanted to have something in writing. I'm glad I did, because they're trying to scam me out of thousands of dollars now and I'm glad to have the paper trail.
Despite having set a cap on the project, I received an invoice about halfway through the project for $5,359.38. That's nearly $4,000 more than I agreed to pay, and they didn't even finish the work.
When I questioned the invoice, Matt Groom and Whitney Phillips showed up unannounced early the next morning, became aggressive towards my wife, and literally threatened my life (wish I was making that part up, but Whitney seriously said he'd "mop the floor with me" and told me he was going to have a "welcoming committee" jump me when I wasn't expecting it. Whitney (a guy, not a girl) had to be escorted out of the meeting by his business partner because he was so aggressive and unprofessional. To Matt's credit, he said I would never see or hear from Whitney again (although, that turned out to also be a lie and I've been harassed by Whitney several times since). At the advice of the Vermont State Police, a Notice Against Trespass was filed against both Matt and Whitney due to the threats. They're no longer allowed anywhere on the 35 acre resort.
I made several attempts to compromise with Matt and Whitney, including an offer to pay more than twice the amount we had agreed upon, if they finished the job. But they refused to finish the job or to compromise. Instead, they filed a fradulant lien against my property.
I was careful to cap the project in writing, before any work was done, so I'm very confident we'll be successful in Court. But, we shouldn't HAVE to go to Court.
These guys seem to just think people with second homes in the area are easy targets and can be taken advantage of. I was right to have been worried about how Matt refused to have a contract in writing and I'm glad I made sure to cap the budget in writing before any work began. It may be one of the only things to save me from these scam artists.
After they filed the "spurious lien" against my home I was advised to submit a claim against them with the Vermont Attorney General's office through the Consumer Assistance Program, the Better Business Bureau, and the FTA's Consumer Financial Protection Agency for the illegal debt collection practices they are engaging in, in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I've done all three, and expect we'll find ourselves in court sometime soon.
Be careful with these guys. They'll file specious liens against your property and threaten to physically hurt you if you don't cave to their threats. Consider yourself warned if you're thinking about hiring them.
Warren Pieces LLC Reviews
I hired Warren Pieces to finish the renovation of a resort condo in Warren, VT where I'm on the Board of Directors. Matt Groom, one of the owners of Warren Pieces, quoted the project at $1,200. At first, Matt seemed like a really nice guy and I thought his business name was clever. I thought he might be a cool guy to get to know, but the more I've gotten to know him the more I realize I was just a sucker with a bullseye on my back.
Even though Matt had quoted the project at $1,200, he emailed me and said he wanted to take the project on an hourly basis and said we "didn't need a contract".
I didn't like how open ended that was, and he already knew I didn't have much money for the project, but I agreed to "an hourly basis with a cap, so we don't run over a fixed amount," I then reiterated the price he quoted me of "$1,200 for the job” and told him I would cap any potential overages at “a 20% cushion of $240 so we wouldn't exceed $1,440, all-in.”
I made sure that was in writing before he started any work because I was a little uneasy about how he didn't want to have a contract and I wanted to have something in writing. I'm glad I did, because they're trying to scam me out of thousands of dollars now and I'm glad to have the paper trail.
Despite having set a cap on the project, I received an invoice about halfway through the project for $5,359.38. That's nearly $4,000 more than I agreed to pay, and they didn't even finish the work.
When I questioned the invoice, Matt Groom and Whitney Phillips showed up unannounced early the next morning, became aggressive towards my wife, and literally threatened my life (wish I was making that part up, but Whitney seriously said he'd "mop the floor with me" and told me he was going to have a "welcoming committee" jump me when I wasn't expecting it. Whitney (a guy, not a girl) had to be escorted out of the meeting by his business partner because he was so aggressive and unprofessional. To Matt's credit, he said I would never see or hear from Whitney again (although, that turned out to also be a lie and I've been harassed by Whitney several times since). At the advice of the Vermont State Police, a Notice Against Trespass was filed against both Matt and Whitney due to the threats. They're no longer allowed anywhere on the 35 acre resort.
I made several attempts to compromise with Matt and Whitney, including an offer to pay more than twice the amount we had agreed upon, if they finished the job. But they refused to finish the job or to compromise. Instead, they filed a fradulant lien against my property.
I was careful to cap the project in writing, before any work was done, so I'm very confident we'll be successful in Court. But, we shouldn't HAVE to go to Court.
These guys seem to just think people with second homes in the area are easy targets and can be taken advantage of. I was right to have been worried about how Matt refused to have a contract in writing and I'm glad I made sure to cap the budget in writing before any work began. It may be one of the only things to save me from these scam artists.
After they filed the "spurious lien" against my home I was advised to submit a claim against them with the Vermont Attorney General's office through the Consumer Assistance Program, the Better Business Bureau, and the FTA's Consumer Financial Protection Agency for the illegal debt collection practices they are engaging in, in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I've done all three, and expect we'll find ourselves in court sometime soon.
Be careful with these guys. They'll file specious liens against your property and threaten to physically hurt you if you don't cave to their threats. Consider yourself warned if you're thinking about hiring them.