Unsatisfactory client service

We have been renting property in Schoogezicht Estate in Brackenfell through C4 Property Group for a couple of years now. During our stay in the rental property we decided to build a home in the estate through the building contractor GLC Development.

This has been the most frustrating and stressful process due to the unorganized and unprofessional manner in which these companies conduct business.

We as the clients had to scrutinize quotes, documents, bond applications, finishes lists, architectural drawings to such a point, that in summary all I can say is that before anyone decides to do business with these companies they should first become experts in the trades required in purchasing and building a home themselves to be able to foresee issues and point it out.

This has been the most disappointing process ever where you feel like just telling them to do whatever they want and get done. You don't even feel like staying in that home anymore due to the unnecessary problems. And one of the things they like saying in response is: "Well, this is how its always been done". That's no excuse to provide sub-standard client service and satisfaction to people who are paying you millions of rands to build their dream home as they advertise to do.

Here are just a couple of things we ran into:

We asked C4 Property Group and GLC to please handle the transition from our rental property to our new home being built in such a manner that when we give 2 months notice as requested by C4 Property Group of termination of the rental property that our new home will be ready for move in.

We gave notice of termination of the rental property at the end of June 2020 and at that time there was no mention about any delays and concerns about the move in readiness of our new home. Now, two weeks before we need to move in they are telling us that the property won’t be ready for move in and that we should make arrangements with friends and family.

They are aware of the current pandemic in the country which they themselves use to motivate why our home won’t be ready yet they expect from us to arrange a whole new moving strategy in 2 weeks under this pandemic. So it's easy for them to make excuses due to external factors, but not to keep the client in mind who needs to face these external factors also. So we are told that the new renters are moving in the 1st of September and we must make arrangements to be out of the house.

Unfortunately it is an unrealistic expectation to give us two weeks notice that our home will not be ready for move in by end of August 2020 and suggesting that we make alternative arrangements for housing, storage, animal care, internet connect for business etc.

Due to the pandemic I am working from home and for me to conduct daily business to the health and life insurance sectors in the country which is classified as a essential service I need a stable internet connection to attend meetings and conduct daily tasks. We have a child that is already being tossed to and from school and home schooling due to the pandemic and now this as well.

Furthermore when we started the process here are some of the issues: And please note, that from the time when we even started looking at plots, applying for a bond, deciding on a design for the home etc we had these kinds of issues.

Choosing a plot: After looking at the available plots with the agent we decided on one. After telling the agent which plot we wanted they came back with a response that that plot's cost went up to the cost of a phase 3 plot even though it's not located in phase 3, but because of its size they now want more for the plot.This should have been my first warning sign, but we then decided on the plot we are currently building on.

Applying for a bond: The preferred bond originator is Mortgage Max and we were told that we must go through them. After Mortgage Max applied for bonds at ABSA, Nedbank and FNB, they came back and said that we were declined at Nedbank and FNB, but after speaking to Nedbank, they said that they didn't get the documentation(Mock Payslip, and Letters of appointment from our new employers) as requested, yet we gave Mortgage Max this documentation as it was needed for applying at ABSA, Nedbank and FNB also, and i'm still investigating with FNB why they declined, but after a quick phone call it seemed like a similar reason as what Nedbank had. After driving the application process ourselves, we are today financed through Nedbank at a better interest rate than ABSA.

Deciding on a floor layout for the home: After we initially gave a draft of what we are thinking about regarding the design of our home, we received about 2-3 designs that didn't even reflect closely to what we had in mind, it seemed like they just pulled out some town house plans and presented that to us. When we got to a point where the design started to look like what we initially handed over, there still required a change or two, but then it was said that from this point onward we will be charged for changes, but this after that the initial draft wasn't even close to what we handed over. Initially we had a signed of plan from the architect which included a 8 meter stacker door. Later on it was said that they cannot do a 8 meter stacker door becasue they would have to raise the roof and do reinforcing and the cost would be around R20 000.00 extra. This after we applied for a bond based upon calculations on a signed of plan with a 8 meter stacker door. This is a common trend that you will experience with these companies. They say and promise one thing, then come up with issues and want to charge you for it. So we settled for a 5 meter stacker door.

Finishes: We allocated R100 000.00 on our budget for possible finishes that we would want to upgrade from the standard list. When asking several times for an updated list of our chosen finishes in order for us to be aware of how much monies are still available for i.e cupboards and granite tops etc, we were given documentation with incorrect components. Here are some email extracts regarding this: In summary: According to their list we owed them +-R8000.00, but after scrutinizing the documentation there should've been shown +-R19000.00 in credit to us.

GLC: I urgently need you to sign off on all the finishes as per the schedule sent previously and attached again.

Clients(Us): We have emailed you regarding this information in an email dated 20 July 2020 and on 22 July 2020 and the 27th of July 2020 whereupon you have made no adjustments reflecting the information in those emails and now you have started a new email thread which causes us to capture this information again. Please use the "Reply All" feature in the future in order to have one email thread.

It feels like our email correspondence with the parties involved are being ignored until time gets constrained for proper analyses. And this has been one of the issues from the beginning. We as the clients should not have to scrutinize your work and accounting to this level of detail.

Please see the PDF document where items have been pointed out to be either removed or amended and update your sheets accordingly.

As soon as this is rectified we can sign off.

Thank you very much.

GLC: Good Evening ,

I think that there appears to be a misunderstanding all around and I would like to set the record straight.

There has to be a final reconciliation of ALL AMOUNTS DUE BY OR DUE TO before the house gets handed over to yourselves. The emails sent on previous occasions are to have the extras signed off so that the stock may be ordered to facilitate completing your home timeously. In view of the fact that there is a credit due to you at this stage, we have already ordered some of your finishes that were urgently needed on site. This would not be done under normal circumstances, as according to our contracts all extras need to be paid prior to installation I think that your concern about the final accounting before the project is completed is rather premature. You are asking for credits iro amounts that are not yet charged for ie the supply of the water lines to the actual prep bowl. The supply of an additional water point to the double vanity. In the final reconciliation we will debit and credit accordingly and I am sure that you will then understand, but at this stage of the project it is almost impossible to provide these details. The home and design that you have chosen is different to the normal and as such has more windows in then others. It is therefore not a standard to have a window on either side of the braai. I ask you to please consider all of the above points and if anything is not clear, please feel free to call me so that we can work through the various points. I look forward to hearing from you in the morning.

Kind regards.

Clients(Us): Thank you for your response, but I am not signing anything off until the documentation reflects the correct information.

At this point in time you should be aware of all our choices regarding our finishes and the construction of the building and if not, then note it so that we can attend to it.

If you are aware of anything that needs to be added to the extra's list or taken off then do so, this is what we have been discussing for the past 3-4 weeks and yet we are still at the same point where we started.

i.e the water point for the prep bowl as you mentioned in your response: you know about this point, so why isn't it noted on the list, why leave it out?

You require us to make decisions regarding finishes etc. but how can we make the best decisions if we are not aware of how much money is left?

In your summary you have us owing +- R8000.00, but when we went through the lists and made calculations there were over R30000.00 in credit obviously now minus the prep bowl water point, but once again why isn't it reflecting on the documentation?, this waterpoint was laid months ago.

Can you see how our choices in building our home are impacted by the information you provide? And we need to manage the account appropriately not to over spend.

I don't think that our expectation regarding the handling of the account and documentation is unreasonable.

Please see my response to the points you raised.

My response to the points that GLC raised above are in brackets next to the points.

There has to be a final reconciliation of ALL AMOUNTS DUE BY OR DUE TO before the house gets handed over to yourselves.(Understood, but only if the documentation reflects the correct information)

The emails sent on previous occasions are to have the extras signed off so that the stock may be ordered to facilitate completing your home timeously.(And every time we send you a response (as noted in the days of emails sent in our previous email to you)with our concerns regarding components that need not be on your list and or altered, then you take days to weeks to respond without addressing these issues we raise.)

In view of the fact that there is a credit due to you at this stage, we have already ordered some of your finishes that were urgently needed on site.(Yet the amounts are not reflecting the correct information)

This would not be done under normal circumstances, as according to our contracts all extras need to be paid prior to installation(The quicker you get the documentation corrected the quicker we can sign it off, any delay in the project will be noted against miss management of documentation.)

I think that your concern about the final accounting before the project is completed is rather premature.(This remark of yours is unreasonable, as I am not required to sign off anything that represents miss information)

You are asking for credits iro amounts that are not yet charged for ie the supply of the water lines to the actual prep bowl.(I am not asking anything at this stage, besides the fact that the documentation be updated accordingly so that we can sign it off, and as I mentioned above, if you are aware of such things, then why don't you list it?)

The supply of an additional water point to the double vanity.(As noted above, If this is the case, list it, but you can't list other components to be signed off to make up amounts for components not listed.)

In the final reconciliation we will debit and credit accordingly and I am sure that you will then understand, but at this stage of the project it is almost impossible to provide these details.(At this stage you should have all the information in order to compile proper documentation, lists and accounts. As I mentioned above, If anything is still outstanding, please raise it so that we can attend to it.)

The home and design that you have chosen is different to the normal and as such has more windows in then others. It is therefore not a standard to have a window on either side of the braai.(This seems a bit unreasonable as you save on bricks, cement and labor, but be that as it may, noted)

I ask you to please consider all of the above points and if anything is not clear, please feel free to call me so that we can work through the various points.(I have considered all the points and you have my response to the points.)

GLC: Good afternoon ,

I refer to your earlier mail today re the signing off of finishes.

Please note that the matter of your schedule is being addressed and I will respond once all points have been checked and verified.

Kind regards

Clients(Us): Good Afternoon

Thank you very much for the update. Much appreciated.

Best regards

End of emails for this particular issue. So after all this time wasted, we finally got the updated list reflecting the correct finishes and choices.

And this is where the frustration lies in communication and miss management.