Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing

In 2005, we called Mid-Atlantic to have an estimate done to waterproof a wet basement. The house was to be renovated and used as a rental property. After obtaining the estimate and explanation of what is needed to be done, along with all the other work the house would need, we, the owners, decided to sell the house "as is". Sale was completed in March 2006. I continued receiving calls from Mid-Atlantic about the work to be done even after I explained that we had decided to sell the house. The house was sold and still the calls were coming. I have explained each time to the person on the phone this: "The house has been sold in 2006. I no longer own it. Please close your file and remove my number from your call list."

I even asked to speak to a manager or owner of Mid-Atlantic. I was told that I should be on a do-not-call list so I did not get called. I told him that I was and he needed to remove my number from their files. I have just received another call! This is 2012! I was very short with the person who called after I again explained the house was sold in 2006! Take my number out of your call list! I do not understand what is so difficult about this concept. I consider this to be harassment. I would advise everyone: do not get involved in any way with this company. Do not call any of the numbers they list for any of their locations. I am so glad we never went ahead with having them do any work for us.

I tried calling today to setup the free estimate for a leaking foundation wall on the basement. This is a minor flooding only when heavy and long rains happen. I went to schedule the inspection and it would be next week. Then they asked when my wife would be home too so that all the questions could be asked, they assumed I was married. I am the one who makes the main financial decisions and they denied my request to be the only one here because of their rule to have everyone home. This is not feasible because their time frame would interfere with getting our child ready for bed. The supervisor, Jason, was rude and ended the conversation by saying that the talk was going nowhere and to go find someone else.

The installers failed to install the system according to the contract. Every phase of the job from start to finish (not done as of yet, over a month) was done incorrectly and that's according to their own people. Apparently, they sub out their work. Mid-Atlantic has a couple of troubleshooters, no installers.

We have tried twice to have them come and give us an estimate to waterproof our basement. The first time we stayed home and waited, no one called or came. We called them the next day and they said that they were sorry and would send someone at 6pm that night so we left work early and waited, but once again, no one showed up and no one called.

Our basement is still leaking water and we would love to have it fixed but we can't even get them here to give us a quote on fixing it.

On 9-08, Mid Atlantic installed French drain and assured dry basement for us. On 8-09, we had our first service call to repair the installed window taps. On 12/09, the window taps failed again. We called again and it was serviced. On 3-10, we called again to repair the window taps and asked the manager to come out. The manager never showed up. On 9-2-10, the window taps failed again and another call was placed for service. On 8-28-11, it failed again and discovered that Mid Atlantic failed to put in the 3rd tap, which is part of the contract. We could not see this before because the wall was covered with sheetrock. Now, we have a $15,000 water damage claim because the window tap was not installed and this was discovered by our claims adjuster.

The Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing system is a complete scam! The system they sell simply makes it easier for the water outside your basement walls to enter your basement. After hurricane Ivan hit the East Coast, we had 3 feet of water in our basement. And now after hurricane Irene, we have another foot of water down there. We purchased this system back in 2003, anticipating the finishing of our basement for additional living space. I thought it would be a good idea to insure that the basement will always be dry. Boy, was I wrong? I thought that with their lifetime guarantee, this system had to live up to our expectations. Unfortunately, we are left feeling ripped off and foolish.

Hurricane Ivan hit only about a year after we installed the system. It turns out one of the new pumps they installed had failed, and the battery back-up system we purchased was completely inadequate to make up the difference. Mid-Atlantic replaced the bad pump, but that was it. They provided no assistance in cleaning up the mess the flood had created, or reimbursement for all the items lost.

Fast forward another 7 years, hurricane Irene hits. We find that now, both of the pumps installed by Mid-Atlantic are dead. Neither one is working. I called their service department only to find out that they will only warranty the pumps for one year after they're installed. And it will cost another $700.00-$800.00 to replace the pumps, each. So, I went fishing out the pump to figure out what I need to replace it with. Behold, there's a 1-800 number on the pump from the pump's manufacturer. It turns out the pump is warranted for 7 years. I called on the last day of the 7-year warranty. They graciously accepted to fix the bad pump. Unfortunately, the other one was original and out-of-warranty.

Now, why couldn't Mid-Atlantic do that? Why did they not tell me about this? Why don't they cover these bad pumps under their "lifetime warranty"? I was told that the warranty only covered the "system", not including the pumps. However, if the pumps don't work, then the water will pass through the walls, into the drains, into the pits, and right up onto the basement floor. My basement is a living proof of this. How can you advertise a dry basement if your system only promotes the passage of water into your basement? How is it that the pumps are not considered part of the "system"? If the pumps don't run, then the water has nowhere else to go but into your basement. Their reasoning is absolutely ridiculous! I wish I had never done the system and wasted $11,091.00 I spent on it. Buyers, beware!

When I first moved into my first house , after a mass snow melt and tremendous rain storm in March of 2010, my basement started taking in some water. So like any concerned homeowner, I called in expert in IE ( Mid Atlantic), to see what could be done. Their salesperson came at about 7PM, and proceeded to methodically inspect my walls, and start chipping away at them. After finding nothing major, he proceeded to tell me that my foundation was going to cave in within a few months, and that only they could help me. He then proceeded to give me a lengthy sales pitch about the services, testimonials, and successes of other Mid Atlantic waterproofing companies (none about his particular one though), and gave me a price of $18,000 to tear up my basement, re-pitch some of the floor, and install two sump pumps.

After the initial shock and feeling that somehow life had it out for me, he then proceeded to say "well, we are a very busy company, and we can't assure you we could get back to you quickly, but we have reserved dates that we hold for real estate companies, for special emergencies". They also told me that if I pay him up front now, we could have service done within a week. We had then explained to the salesman, that we spent most of our savings on buying this 3 bedroom small house, for our 12 month old daughter to grow up in, and was there something he could do to make things more affordable.

He then proceeded to tell me that , well we could cut back on the size pumps, and you could put a sign up front, and write us a testimonial ahead of time, and that may offset some cost. I was shocked because this sounded like I was going to owe him a favor, no matter what would have happened. I told him i would get back to him and decided to call a few plumbers. When 3 different plumbers/waterproofers came in, two told me I had no such problem with my walls, and that I had ground water, not wall issues, and a separate type of fix would be needed.

To do that would only cost about $5,000, and I was better off monitoring how bad the water was going to be on a consistent basis, before paying for any serious work to be done. I felt rather relieved and felt Mid Atlantic almost pulled a fast one on me. Mid Atlantic did call me back, about 2 weeks later, stating that they had some free days, and that since we were new homeowners, the price previously quoted for the total service ($18,000) could be adjusted down to $15,000. Thinking how "gracious" this sounded , I asked if they could go any lower. They said they would have to speak to a manager about this and would get back to me .

Within 2 more weeks time I received two more calls, with one quote going down to $12,000, and still another going to $9,000. I was amazed, that within 3 months, the price had mysteriously been cut in half. I decided to thank them, but I had to think things over. About a month ago I recently got a call from Mid Atlantic's sales team, wanting to know if I was still interested in their service. When I said no, and that I had had no use for their service, they proceeded to state because, they had such a stellar year, they could give me an excellent price on service. When I asked what sort of price, they said we would have to have someone come back out and inspect things. Oh no, not again. I had some water in the basement during the worst storms. At the worst, I got about 2 inches of water in a small area, that was easily vacuumed up.

They are a first rate company that will do anything for the customer. The few negative comments are from the "can't please all of the people all the time" crowd. This is a very large improvement and will get messy. You want to deal with a large company who will be around to service their customers and Mid-Atlantic has always been there for their customers.

After Mid-Atlantic supposedly fixed my basement leaking, it began to leak again. I was told that the contractors who repaired my basement did not do the job correctly, so it had to be done again. Recently, I noticed a major leak after a storm and now they have to fix it again. This will be the 3rd time it had to be repaired. Although they were very nice and courteous, I can't understand why the problem was not fixed correctly in the first place. I am very fortunate that this has a lifetime warranty, but am not very pleased that the problem still exists.

I had a great experience with Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. I was given a free estimate and was explained in detail the work that needed to be done. It was all done in a timely manner, and their price reflected the quality of their work. I have no complaints. I do have a dry basement as the salesman promised.

On January 26, 2010, I signed an agreement with Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing of NJ Inc. Their guarantee: dry walls and a dry basement as long I own this house. The job was completed on February 4, 2010.On February 17, water started coming through walls, and immediately a warranty claim is filed. On the 22nd, after filing the claim, Mid-Atlantic reported that the problem is fixed. The next day, the 23rd, it's raining for the first time since the job was completed. I have noticed new wet areas. I called Mid-Atlantic one day after it rained. They replied, "Somebody will call you tomorrow".

After no return call, I called back the following afternoon. Since the 24th, I have called Mid-Atlantic 9 times. I left 3 voicemails, and received one return call with the same answer: "Somebody will call you tomorrow". On March 2, I have posted pictures slide show on Youtube named "Mid Atlantic Waterproofing Perth Amboy, NJ 2-1-2010". The same day I have called the main office and wanted to talk to Dan, the warranty manager but he was not available. The next day, Dan returned the call and came to my house to inspect the water seeping walls in my basement.

On March 12, the day that warranty crew should start fixing my basement for a second time, I called the office at 4:00pm asking why nobody was at my home fixing the leaks. The manager's response was. "They are on the way to your house and they will fix it today, tomorrow and on Monday, March 15. We will finish the job by putting a new concrete floor." After completing full two hours of work, the supervisor told me that he did not know if they will be able to fix the problem. Yesterday March 15, I have called the office twice. For a first time at 11:15am, I left Dan a message asking why nobody showed up at my house on Saturday and Monday and to call me back.

I called the office 3 1/2 hours later at 2:30pm and Lori the office clerk said that Dan was still on the phone. I asked for Paul, the manager but he was also on the phone. I asked for the president of the company, Willard Smith and she replied that they are all on the phone since 6:00 this morning. I gave up. I called Discover credit card to dispute payment of $6990 and filed a claim to BBB. On March 16, Dan called me and asked when can the workers come and finish the poor concrete job. I said anytime and asked him what they were going to do with my walls because water is still leaking. He replied, "Paul will call you within 15 minutes"- never did.

On the 17th, a worker called me to tell me that they would come tomorrow to pour a new concrete and disconnect the disposal of water from waste pipe and dispose it outside. I asked again what they are going to do with my walls. He said that there is nothing that he can do. I asked him to tell Paul to call me. As of March 26, nobody called me yet. On the 31st, Paul called and told me that he had to talked to people from corporate office and asked me if I would give him until Monday, April 8 to respond. I said no problem. On April 7, Dan called and said that they would like to come to my house and take more pictures and talk about my basement. I said anytime. He responded, "maybe today" and I said great.

Dan took pictures and I asked if they could fix my basement and he did not give me answer. He asked me if I would give him until Monday, April 12 because he has to call corporate office to ask what to do. I said no problem. On Tuesday he called and asked me if he could come and put some aluminum foil on my walls and that is what corporate office told him to do, I said anytime. He came the same day on that Tuesday and taped that foil to the walls in four places. On Thursday April 15, two days later he came and took them of. He said that those two had some moisture. I recorded that conversation and asked to every time when we talked, to send me an email. This way nobody would say that I did not want to talk to them. "No problem", he responded.

Dan asked me to give him until Monday,Tuesday to reply with an answer to what to do. I said OK. On the 19th, Monday Paul called me and left me a voicemail. I called him back at 6pm, just after my work He said that there is only one thing that they can do, this is to paint my basement walls with sealant epoxy paint (something like paint with robber). That will guarantee that water will not leak anymore. He said that they would also change the pumps that were not working well. Is that what I paid $6900 for, for paint sealant? I said that I will let him know what I want to do.

I had work performed, per their recommendation. I felt concrete work was not done right. I tried to have someone come out and tell me if work was done right. It has been 2 months and no response. Can Consumer Affairs help?

I hired them for $5500 to water proff a room in my basement , the salesman promised you everything in order to get your business , thus they gave me a dry basement guarantee that it worths nothing, when you complain because your roonm still wet they want to charge you more money and when you read the fine print in the guarantee it says it will be dry only 2 ft from where they excavate , which means they do not guarantee not even a room.

Complaint Summary: I contracted with Mid-Atlantic Water-Proofing in November 2004 to install their so called patented dual drain system which they convinced my wife and I to be the solution to a potential water problem in my basement. One corner of our basement wall would get extremely damp during heavy snow or rainful and black mole had begun to surface.

My wife and I were advised by a Mid-Atlantic expert who visited our home that the problem would worsen to the point of the wall buckling and that the only viable solution would be their dual drain system. Performing the job entailed breaking up the perimeter of the basement floor, drilling two holes in each block, and running drainage to two pumps in the basement. This job cost $10,600 and was supposed to be 100% guaranteed for life. They unsuccessfully performed the job twice, with the first time being performed by an inexperienced sub-contracting crew. This crew left an extreme mess, and the job was acknowledged and documented by Mid-Atlantic as being done incorrectly and of poor quality.

This crew was fired by Mid-Atlantic. The second crew was sent out a month later (December 2004) and they once again broke up the concrete floor to re-work the system. The system to this day still does not work as witnessed by a constantly damp and moldy wall. Almost a year later,(October 2005) a foreman was sent out by Mid-Atlantic after several calls by me to voice my complaint. The foreman subsequently drilled more holes into the block in an attempt to release the water. He was perplexed by the fact that the water did not drain from the wall and left to discuss with his peers at Mid-Atlantic. I have since been unsucessful in reaching anyone past the secretary's desk when I called for a follow-up.

I am told that someone from the production floor would get back to me but it never happened. At this point, I would like a full refund of the money to do this job since I have no confidence that they can perform the job in a quality manner. I would like to use this refund to contract another water-proofing company to do the job correctly.

This company performed waterproofing service at our (above) residence in August 1999. They supposedly provided full waterproofing system, wherein a complete draining system and sump-pump with backed up battery system included. Their service contract pertained to 4 walled areas and 67 total footage of work. They guaranteed that the wall and floor systems, etc shall be warranted for life time; and the submersible pumps will be warranty for 1 year as per manufacturer.

Since, we have had backed up water and red mud to seepage into our basement from the floor base for 2 days; August 11 and August 12, 2001. They have been contacted several times to send technicians to analyzed and correct the matter. On Saturday, August 25, 2001, in the early AM that sent two technicians who stated to my husband that he must remove the panel from the wall himself for their own protection and company policy or company tehnicians would do it, but would had to cut our panel straight across and would not be accountable or liable for any damage or costs associated with the damages (if this should be done).

The result, they have still neglected to corrected the condition in which they are (accountable) for, and as promised for Saturday, August 25, 2001 at our residence. In other word, they didn't do the corrected job as promised and told my husband the conditions as already mentioned as well as always when contacted and they happens to respond, that they cannot do it today or tomorrow, but 2 to 3 weeks from now because they have other customers.

But, we were very important customers on or about August 26, 1999, when Mr. Purdy was promoting their company work and collected almost $7,000 in payment upon completion of the job. Please assist us in this matter and let us know what we can do to correct this matter before seeking the power of an attorney and to save on cost of employing one. We thank you for your assistance in this matter.