M.D.C. Holdings / Richmond American Homes

Consumer Reviews and Complaints

1. 

   M.D.C. Holdings / Richmond American Homes Reviews & Complaints

   (1)

   First off the sales guy acted like a used car salesman for about 75% of the time we interacted with him either in person or on the phone. We should have known from the start not to move forward with contracting to build a new house with Richmond from the experience with the sales guy but instead we wrote it off as sales guys will be sales guys. We SHOULD HAVE listened to our gut. Everything seemed to start off ok at first and even as the home was being constructed. I”ll spare the little buying nuances associated with new home construction as almost any and everything you want in the house that you think should just be a given is an “upgrade” that they charge you for like A/C. So stupid but there were a ton of things like that so buyer be ware with new construction – it”s going to cost a lot more than you think. Anyway, the real bad issues came at the end. First, our initial walk through was scheduled 1 week prior to the closing date. We were completely rushed through the whole thing by Aris, the “manager” supposedly, who was getting a noticeable attitude with us as we pointed out things that needed to be addressed. He seemed like he just wanted us to come in an get out so they wouldn”t have to fix anything. Which, if things are wrong with the home or need work then they SHOULD BE FIXED and pointed out to the home buyer. Why would Richmond or any builder want to deliver a poorly constructed product to their “customers” aka home buyers??? So, b/c we were rushed I completely missed a big crack under our master bath sink cabinets on the side – about 8-9 inches long – that from standing you can”t really tell it”s there but once you bend down to put things away it jumps out at you. I read other reviews during this process that said “do your walk through like you live in the home. open things, put things away, etc.” I thought we did a decent job of that but again, we were being rushed and I regret not telling Aris to hold off, we are going to take our time and do this our way. I mean, I spent a lot of money on this “new” house but in the end I regrettably let the construction guy rush me and missed things, sigh. We missed many more things that we have only noticed now after settling in after a few weeks. Things like caulking not completed around door frames and base boards, paint spots on walls, tile grout stuck to the tile and not where grout should be, screws not securing ventilation grates, closet doors not sliding open (note: make sure ALL of your doors and windows open, close, and secure properly), master bath sink light installed crooked, etc. Also, things not completed that Aris said he would have done while were were closing (this is second walk through by the way, day of closing) kitchen sliding drawer slide wouldn”t stay in place so the drawer will slide out and not back in, a lightbulb for our master bath over the sink light, grout clean up from a tile they had to fix that they didn”t fix until an HOUR BEFORE FINAL WALK THROUGH, stuck on grout on tile, paint/drywall touch up in side and outside of house. Then, we had a plumbing issue day 4 after move in with our floor drain in the mechanical room backing up b/c they left a test plug in the drain and didn”t remove it. So with the A/C going all June and July while they did the inside of the house it just filled up with water run off and then overflowed in to my mechanical room and dripped pools of water in to the crawl space below the house – this is Saturday at 9:00pm by the way when we found this out. THEN the warranty company says they don”t want to reimburse the $136 plumber charge to come fix it afterhours on the weekend b/c we should have give them a chance to fix the issue even though their “emergency after hours line” says “leave a message and we will get back to you on the next BUSINESS day” – again, this is water pooling out on a Saturday evening. I don”t have the luxury to wait until Monday for you to get back to me then get someone out here maybe day of or perhaps Tuesday causing even MORE issues to pile up costing even more money on MY NEW HOUSE!! Needless to say we are going to take the warranty company to arbitration over $136, but that”s my money and they should be reimbursing me b/c it was their mistake, NOT mine. They messed up but won”t make it right. SMH. Basically we feel that Richmond American Homes just wants to throw houses up and make their money while setting up a bootleg “warranty company” in between them and you that will never help the home buyer when something goes wrong b/c of them. If you are going to buy a new build, be aware of the issues upfront and don”t let them push you or rush you or you WILL regret it later. I am and I shouldn”t be. I wish I could get my money back or SOME money back for these issues as even if they did come to fix issues you have to take off of work to get let these people in to fix it and they won”t all come the same day so you are inconvenience and out of your much needed vacation days at work. Truly experiences like this are where BUYER BEWARE came from.

   By Leslie Zych

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2. 

   M.D.C. Holdings / Richmond American Homes Reviews & Complaints

   (2)

   I just want to forewarn any contractors considering working for Richmond American Homes. They play games with their billing paperwork, frequently taking months to resolve simple issues. Then suddenly you”re time”s up for collecting any money they owe for this, that, and the other – and you have to write that off, because they owe you thousands more, and what”s a couple of thousand compared to tens of thousands? They backcharge you without cause, because they have to backcharge somebody to justify that line item. Their house packages are frequently wrong, and require on-site orders and adjustments, which only prolongs what should be a seamless operation – particularly given the size and scope of this builder. And too often it”s not the companies who”s owners golf with the big shots at RAH which get backcharges, but the little guys who just have to suck it up if they want to keep working. They”ll try to strong-arm you into doing things without getting paid for them, not on site, but just with paperwork. Too often their employees are far less educated about the actual job sites than they are about the forms and reports required in the office. Trying to explain to an office geek why you should get paid for that extra work is like pulling teeth. And then the next thing you know they owe you over $100,000, or $500,000, and they want a discount, a break on work you”ve already done. Once again, you”re in the position of having to take what you can get, or file suit and lose the work. In short, they are a powerful employer in the construction business, but poor financial ethics proliferate this company, making it a dangerous proposition to work for them unless you have legal counsel on retainer. Of course, all the savings they”re able to achieve by ripping off the honest working men who are building these homes they sell are paid out in multi-million dollar “Production Bonuses” to the CEO and President and their families…

   By Yaeko Keating

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