Basement Rx
www.basementrx.com

Basement Rx contracted with me to waterproof my basement in March of 2006. They assured me that re-sealing the home’s foundation or re-grading the yard was not necessary. The salesman was the company’s president, Stephen Schulz and he showed up for our appointment about four hours late. He arrived between 8 and 9 PM and did not leave the house until after 10PM. I later realized that he was trying to get me tired before making his final pitch. He showed me photographs where he had done work for celebrities and supposed mafia members. He told me to be aware that other companies often used ex-convicts to do their work, so I couldn’t be sure that my belongings would be safe. He emphasized that they offered a lifetime guarantee which ultimately convinced me to hire them.

Stephen Schulz estimated the work to cost around $10,000, but because they had a crew idle the next day, they would discount the estimate to $8,220, but only if I accepted and scheduled the work for the next day.

They installed a French drain and a sump pump the next day. I have continued to get significant water in my basement, particularly in an area next to the basement door which they never addressed in any way. They returned three times under the guarantee, and while they obviously re-dug the French drain, there was no improvement. As I continued to call them to honor the guarantee, they frequently did not return calls. Three separate times they did come to the house. Each time the employee who came agreed that the previous person had done a poor job. They promised to make it right and then never showed up at the appointed time, and never called.

Ultimately, I hired another contractor who re-mortared and sealed the foundation, and changed the grading in my yard and in my neighbor’s yard. This has fixed the problem.

I contacted the Better Business Bureau, and while they did nothing, they did tell me the State Attorney General was investigating this company due to the significant number of complaints.

I took Basement Rx to small claims court where I was awarded $5000 (the max allowed in small claims court) plus my court costs of $122.71. Basement Rx had 30 days to appeal this decision, but they never did. However, they also have not paid me the $5122.71.