General Steel Reviews

Original Review: April 8, 2015

Salesman was not honest with the building we are trying to purchase. I had to ask if the price included doors, windows & insulation. I am trying to purchase a building for my area. They should have some specifications for the areas they are selling buildings in. Evidently the salesman doesn't have access to this. The salesman is just after a quick sell. Yes, I put down a deposit for what I was supposed to purchase for my area & come to find out it's not designed for my area. Bad company to work with. I would personally call them crooks!

Married to an insurance salesman since 1960, I saw many salesmen come and go through the companies my husband worked for. Some salesmen were high-pressure, non-caring, greedy, cocky and dishonest shysters. They had a rebuttal for every excuse. They knew when to close, and when to ask for the signature. They were hired and groomed to sale. They became the face of the company, and in a sense they became the company. There were also salesmen who were sincere, kind and respectful. Those were the ones who built the company's trust. This is what Bob ** represented to me. He became the face of General Steel.

When I decided to have a garage built, I virtually knew nothing. I had several people around me who became my go-to advisers. My husband gave me carte blanche and also the responsibility in making the wisest decisions. I asked a lot of questions and felt very confident that a steel building was the best way to go versus a wooden structure. We live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado 7,600 feet elevation with four feet of snow any given winter. I knew the snow load and ground load was an enormous factor. I also knew there would be many hoops to jump through with regulations from our county's building department.

I spent many hours looking at websites for steel buildings. There were a lot of impressive websites. I am sure many webmasters were paid big bucks to make the company look really good, but it was an abstract look at what I needed to know in reality. I needed to know who I was dealing with. I looked for the ratings and the top ten steel building companies. I looked for endorsements, also for prices and locations that would be familiar to our severe winters. I sent inquires to several steel building companies and this is when I began formulating in my mind the best company to go with. It was Bob ** that made up my mind to go with General Steel.

The process actually began in July with a trusted relationship with Bob **, a sales representative with General Steel. He called me from my inquiry about a steel building. He e-mailed immediately a price structure on my design. He was there for every question. I was amazed that he was in the office until ten at night when there was something important we had to deal with. When my day was full from morning until night, he gave me his private number to call him at six in the morning or whenever I needed to ask him something.

Contrary to another company that was #1 in ratings and very impressive, which I could comfortably had gone with, but the salesman dropped the ball. He did not follow through until a month later. By that time I had decided on General Steel. There was another company whose salesman knew too much and didn't like dealing with a woman. He wanted to talk with my husband. That was a big turn off to me. By that time, I knew a lot more about steel buildings than my husband did. He would just hand the phone to me.

When I saw a site with bad press against General Steel from a competing company, I could have easily walked away. At that time I had not invested any money yet. I e-mailed Bob immediately with my concerns. He put my mind at ease and clarified any negative information that I had about General Steel. He sent e-mails to show me exactly where the bad press was coming from. Bob did not high-pressure me at all. He stated facts, and was concerned about steel prices going up and time issues going into winter, but he patiently waited until I felt very confident about every step I needed to go through.

There have been a few glitches, as would be in any project. I reported some errors on the plans to Ronald **, my Project Coordinator. He responded immediately, but I was impressed with Bob. Even after the project had been passed to the coordinator, Bob called to make sure that I knew those things would be taken care of and reassured me that he was still on board with this project.

As to date, this project is still in motion. I am waiting for the foundation drawings from an engineer, and another trip to the County Building Department before I sign off on the contract. This will take another six to seven weeks until completion. No one has dragged their feet, it has all moved along in due process. Yes, this has been a very good experience and it has been through the relationship with Bob ** that all the workings have been tight and satisfying.

As the May delivery date approached, the salesman stopped responding. I was told he no longer worked there. The GS foundation plans also came in wrong. The building didn't get delivered until late August just as the 8 month rainy season up here started. Our family had made alternative plans by then. I've got photos of the rusted condition of the components, the heavy mill scale, and a dent in the beam. The drum of hardware had been busted open during shipment and cardboard boxes were soaked during shipment.

I specifically asked the GS office about offloading instructions and they repeated 'a 2-ton forklift' period. I used a 7-ton rough terrain forklift with 6' spread. When offloading have the roof panels they bent in the middle, thus destroying half the roof. General Steel said all the problems were my fault because their recommendations were only 'suggestions'. I took them to mediation (had to be in Colorado) and the mediator found for GS because he didn't think anyone could fall for something so obvious. I tried using as evidence the Colorado State lawsuit judgement against GS but the mediator said it wasn't 'final enough'. I told that to the State Attorney's office and they were aghast.

At least as of ten years ago, General Steel didn't make anything. They contracted it out to another steel building company. They had no full-time engineers on staff. Their foundation plans were contracted out. They were a sales outfit with a dubious record.

Here's what happened to me. I need to build a four-car garage directly adjacent to an existing structure. This is going to be an expensive proposition for me and I've had two or three general contractors come by to give me estimates, all of them were comparable price wise. I decided to call Gen. Steel and investigate one of their products as an alternative to a traditional garage. I spoke to a guy named Denny who initially was extremely helpful and spent the majority of the time explaining to me how wonderful their company is. I got an earful about all of their fabulous relationships with Disney, churches, municipalities, etc. all of which is designed to give you the idea that if these organizations trust them you should too. He gave me a quote and then started the most ridiculous high pressure sales tactics I can remember in recent days... It was like a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.

First he tells me that they're experiencing an abnormally high call volume and that if I don't lock my price in right now, I could lose the pricing he just gave me. Now I'm sure there are prospects stupid enough to fall for that but let's be honest, I don't know of any company that has the problem of too many customers and not enough product. I politely told him that I am in the research stage and that I'm not doing anything until after I have architectural drawings and the weather breaks (this was going on during the winter). He called me five times and sent as many e-mails if I'm not mistaken) even know I was very clear that I did not want to be pestered by his company. I absolutely hate giving my phone number to anyone because it's like inviting a vampire in your house... Or cockroaches.

The polar vortex in Northeast Ohio is almost gone and we are approaching spring so I started researching again and contacting various architects in the area. Keeping my promise to my buddy at General Steel, I was going to give them a set of drawings and have them quote me on one of their buildings. When I googled General Steel I saw all these lawsuits which made me uncomfortable because they were consumer sales practices violations and when you see something like that you really need to consider if you want to take a gamble with that company. My new tenacious friend sent me another e-mail saying that he's assuming that I'm not interested in their products to which I responded, "I saw some negative reviews on the Internet and I'm concerned about that".

So here's the bottom line I have no idea whether or not this company sells a quality product and I never will. Here's a little more free advice, if you still plan on calling one of these prefab steel companies don't give him any of your actual information. Make up a PO Box with your zip code, give them a phone number to directory assistance, and if they say that they have to e-mail you the quote, you should always have a bogus e-mail account for nothing more than these types of inquiries Absolutely never use your real e-mail address. The fact is any federal regulator who oversees the securities industry or derivatives will tell you that the first red flag for consumer is the constant mention of urgency. This company's been around for 20 years? If I don't buy their steel building today something's going to change? Never give these people or anyone your credit card information for a deposit until you are 100% sure of what you're buying.

So in conclusion was Denny just doing his job? You bet, and that more than likely means that they have a corporate environment of encouraging salespeople to be flippant and high-pressure with prospects. If it wasn't a corporate policy it would be stopped. There are so many options out there. Why deal with the company that talks down to you during the sales process? Can you imagine what it might be like to deal with them that you actually have a problem as the client? Maybe he could tell me all about how all of their other customers have never had problems and therefore it must just be me. Tread lightly my friends and read the other reviews.

I wired General Steel $8,700 from my bank account, for a deposit on a steel building. A few days later, I learned that I was not approved for a loan to cover the complete cost of the project. I asked for a refund of my deposit. The salesperson avoided my phone calls for months. Finally, I was able to speak with Wayne and Bruce via telephone. They both told me that I could not get a refund of my deposit. I have never received the financing that was guaranteed to me by a salesperson in their company. Please help me get a refund of $8,700.

I immediately called Ryan *** and told him to put a halt to everything that the Genstone was included in the price quoted to me. He said no way that it would be an additional $11,000. Told him no way and immediately pursued getting my deposit back. I spoke with Wayne *** and then Bruce ***. They said I should have made certain that the Genstone was in the contract.

I told them both that had I known I needed to make sure it was in the contract I would have done so. I trusted Adam *** when he gave me a total price for my building. I don't understand how people can daily deceive people. How do they sleep? Here it is two and a half years later and I still have no money. I am pursuing this matter in small claims court. Hopefully, justice will reign and they will have to pay me my deposit plus interest and fees/costs incurred by me to take them to court!

They said they would line up people that would do the job for me that were experienced. The list they gave me in fact netted only one person that called me back. This person came out and collected money for the work and then went out of business. When I talked with GenSteel about it, they said It was basically my problem and they had a contract. It was up to me to find someone. I finally did at the last minute because they said they were getting ready to deliver the building... This was almost a year later after many calls to them. It turns out the building wasn't even in stock when they sold it to me. Now they wouldn't help me with a subcontractor to put the building together. They just wanted to dump it on my from lawn, collect the rest of their money and leave.

After much hassle I finally found someone a state away that would come out and do the job. Meanwhile, GenSteel charged me to store the building. Once the contractors got here to my location, GenSteel didn't send much of the critical pieces for construction and in fact I had to wait and pay the crew extra. All this almost a year later when the building was supposedly already in inventory. GenSteel didn't disclose that there would be an exorbitant delivery charge, that the building was built when in fact it wasn't, that the prices of extra pieces needed for the building weren't included in the price, that there was no foundation plan included, that the blueprints were not totally to spec, that they have engineers on staff when in fact they don't, that they would help me with the City securing permits and so forth which they didn't. I basically had to do all the work myself with no experience and at great cost and during the course of almost a year.

I sent in $20,000 on April 30, 2008. On June 13, 2008 I sent in another $63,803.28. They never explained to me the process of how I was going to get my building at this point. The city said I needed drawings to get it approved. General Steel said the drawings would cost 9,600 so they needed another deposit of $2,880 which I sent in on June 27, 2008. The drawings were so bad the landscaping engineer said I couldn't use them. In June I called the sales man, Jared Miller and asked him exactly how much this building was going to cost.

I could see they just kept adding on more and more charges. For instance, they called and said they were going to have to charge more because they didn't realize how heavy the snow load was in my area. But on my first conversation with Jared Miller back in April, I told him that we have an 85 pound snow load so to be sure to put that in the bid. So in June when I asked them to give me a completed price for the entire building being built as a grocery store and conforming to the city's requirements of not having exterior steel showing, covered with stone or similar, Jared said it would be between $85 and $90 a square foot. That means that the maximum cost should be no more than $1,350,000. The landscaping and parking lot were to cost $300,000.

In July I was contacted by a man named Jim Spruill. He said it was time for us to talk. He worked with General Steel but said his business name was Design Services. Whenever I called him they answered the phone, General Steel. He said it would cost an additional $70,000 over and above all the other costs for design work. I had to send him $10,500 to get started. I sent the $10,500 on July 23, 2008. As I learned more and more about General Steel I became increasingly more and more uncomfortable with their misrepresentation and the dishonest way they rope people in as if it's an emergency to get your money in. Then they add more and more to the price. They also tell you that your deposit is nonrefundable. I presented their bid of $2,114,000 plus an additional $70,000 for the design work to my banker and his board of bankers. They all agreed that the price was too high and would not give me a loan unless the price was reduced.

General Steel then came up with quite an inferior building, lower ceiling and smaller floor plan and the new price was only $254,000 less so my banker felt the price was very unfair. To date I still do not have financing for this building as the bankers have stated that they overcharged me. Also, I have $80,000 down on the land I want to build on. The $80,000 is nonrefundable earnest money and I can't close on the land until I get a lender approval on the whole project (SBA loan). All I am asking is that General Steel gives me my money back. I spoke with Jonah Goldman, their Vice President and he said NO, MY DEPOSITS ARE NONREFUNDABLE. I even had my attorney call him and it was to no avail.

I received calls from their sales manager and other sales people from General steel 'insisting' that the price of steel was going to increase and I that i needed to 'lock in' the current market price of $10.00 per sf. by sending in a cashiers check of $36,000.

The 'original' quote of $129,000 was never modified in their invoice even when the building was REDUCED in size from our initial plan of 130,000 sf to our 'final product' of 8000 sf.

we purchased on a manager's special but it was not explained to us (and not specifically written) that if the building does not get delivered in 3 months then the price would go to $159,000. Even so, another $18,000 was added to the bill as a price increase.

Our initial order of $129,000 is now $288,000 and they hold our deposits of $61,000.00, and we have no building

We decided to build with insulated panels and use our own contacts and pricing, so we would not be using their metal. The price did not change. We began to question these sales tactics, and were told this is just the way it is. So, we began a search of this company, and found your article. Now we are trying to find some recourse. Can you assist ?

We do feel we are being strong armed into purchaseing what should be half price, windows and Doors, at Double the price.

Three months into the process, before fabrication, I had second thoughts. For business reasons, I did not want to spend that much money on just a building. However, I had already paid in $9,000 and was told that I could not get any of the money back. I felt trapped, and did not want to eat the 49000. My work was slowing down in fall of 2006, when the delivery was due, so I put it off as long as I could. Finally, under threat of a lawsuit against me, I was forced to take delivery of the building. I maxed out the equity in my home to come up with $31,656 for the building, which I could not put up, because it requires footings to be poured, and I was out of money.

My building is still sitting in pieces. The housing market is shot, and all my equity is gone for something I was led to believe was starting at half the price of a woodframed building, and at a deeply discounted clearanced rate. After recently giving a bid for some stonework to an acquaintance, and finding out that he has ordered materials for a 40'x60' pole barn for LESS THAN $10,000, I was really steamed. I got online and googled General Steel. Immediately I came across the 2004 lawsuit which General Steel lost for doing what seems like the same things to others. I don't know if what, if any rights I may have, because of contracts, going through with the delivery, etc. I feel misled and cheated though, regardless of whatever legal rights I have or ever did have. If I had went with a pole barn, I would have saved $30,000 up to this point and had a usable building up.

The greatest damage I (and really my whole family) have suffered is financial. I no longer have the equity of my home to fall back on. I need that right now, given the sustained housing slump (which was my bread and butter.) Currently, we are juggling bills, including the second mortgage, and incurring late fees and penalties on various accounts. This has really put me on the edge financially. Also, since I can't afford the cost of earthwork and footing masonry and finally to put the building up, it still sits. I'm afraid if it sits through the winter, it will warp and will be impossible to assemble once I have the money to. I'll be left with scrap steel. Maybe it'll be worth enough to buy a wood framed building.

Lastly, they still have some parts. I have made several call to try to get them shipped, but have not had any reply. Even with the parts and the money to build the building, I would still have to buy overhead doors to have a complete building, but it still bothers me that I get no callbacks now that they have their money, when I got multiple calls per week when it was time to pay.

I was also told that since I was going to put up the building myself I could buy the building direct from them. In addition to all of this I was told that they provide financing, and as long as my credit was fine they should be able to finance me, no problem. After calls and e-mails back and forth stating these terms up to the time of 12:00 A.M. E.S.T, I decided to send in my deposit to not loose the tonnage special.

A couple weeks later I found out a roof pitch change, but General Steel would not honor the locked-in tonnage price as promised and charged an astonishing price--60% of the building cost.I also found out they do not offer financing but have a consulting firm that works with select financing firms. I was told because I only needed to borrow $20,000 there was nothing they could do for me. Finally, when I was faxed the door and window prices I found that they were almost 2 times the cost of buying them myself. I e-mailed several people ending up with Wayne Gastron. I offered to let them keep $500.00 of the $2500.00. I was finally told that I was obligated to my contract, and if I decided to back out of it my deposit would not be refunded. I researched General Steel and found numerous complaints similar to this including 3 class action law suits from 3 attorney general's offices. My request for contract termination is based on high pressured sales practices and deceptive sales practices misrepresenting important information. I'm out $2500.

The company demands a deposit to hold the building but then you find that it is a shell without doors, windows or accessories. You must buy the components from them at grossly inflated costs. And you cannot get your deposit back when you learn that the actual cost will be 150-200% of the represented special price.

Because of this fraud we were delayed in building the facility by 4 months, lost our concrete and erection contractors becasue the ready to ship building didn't exist. COnsequently we are having to rent storage containers to facilitate the building of our house and we are unable to get reimbursed for our $8700 deposits.

Later, they claimed to have left over product from another building that would fit my structure, and they would let me buy it at a lower cost. I refused the first offer because it was too much. Then, they made another offer of extra parts that I took. Altogether, I gave them almost $16,000 in deposits. A few weeks later, they sent me a list of extra components; gutters, windows, doors, etc.

The prices were outrageous, and I complained to them. I was informed that I didn't have to buy their components, but if I didn't, the 50 year warranty on the building probably wouldn't be good. I began to do research and found out that I could get the same building, made of the same grade of material, and the same components for less than half the price that General Steel was charging me. Now, they are suing me for loss of profit because I have never finished the contract. I now have an arbitration meeting June 12 to decide the outcome.

I am concerned about the many people they are defrauding, and I wonder how many contracts are never fulfilled and they just keep the deposits. The reason they are suing me is because I threatened to sue them. Can there be anything done to stop this con game they have going? This has cost me almost $16,000 in deposits, appr. $250 in interest on the deposit (credit card check), $12,500 for a countersuit with the American Arbitration Assn., and over $3000 in legal fees thus far.

I was also mislead in the fact that I was told by the sales person that the doors, windows, and interior walls where a part of my original cost of the building. Not an additional $20,000! So far I have only put a downpayment on the building. I'm reluctant to proceed any further. I'm at a loss as to what to do other than to feel stressed and angry.

Might lose my downpayment if I decide to back out of my toliet paper contract!

Wright faxed the paperwork and said to fax a copy of the $4,000 deposit ASAP. I did. There was a sense of urgency by them to get my deposit.

The following week I was faxed another form which added an additional $16,000 to the order. They had sold me a steel box with no doors or windows. So I asked for a refund. Nobody would deal with the refund but continued as though I was going forward with construction. Now they want to penalize me for an additional $2,000 for late fees.

I sent the deposit on February 8, 2005. On December 9, 2004 the Colorado Attorney General's office won a consumer fraud case against General Steel for sales practices that were riddled with misrepresentations and omissions, as stated by the judge that granted an injunction against them, Brooke Jackson.

As a result of the fraud, I've lost my $4,000 deposit and General Steel wants an additional $2,000 for the cancellation. They continued to violate the court's order of 12-9-2004 by using the same fraudulent sales practices on me.

Rob Louisell