Warning to Stafford/Woodbridge/ Fredericksburg homeowners: My experience with a concrete contractor who promised a refund and never returned
I’m sharing my personal experience with Jose/Perez Martinez construction** **and the concrete work he performed at my home because I don’t want another homeowner to go through the same thing.
When I first spoke with Jose about the job, he told me that he was going to have someone come with him to do the concrete work. That gave me the impression that someone experienced with concrete would be working with him.
When it was actually time to start the job, however, Jose was the only person there working. I specifically asked him, “Where is your help?” He told me the other person was coming later.
That person never showed up.
The following day, a woman came with him, but from what I personally observed, she did not appear to have knowledge or experience working with concrete. At that point, Jose was essentially doing the concrete work himself, which was not what I understood would happen when we first discussed the job.
I had initially trusted him partly because he had been connected with work done inside my neighbor’s home. I later found out that Jose himself had not actually performed that interior work he had brought someone else in to do it.
I paid Jose $1,800 for the concrete work at my home.
While I was out of town, he kept contacting me asking for payment and telling me that he was finished with the job. Since I wasn’t physically home, I looked at the work through my security cameras. From the camera view, it appeared okay, and because I trusted what he was telling me, I paid him.
When I returned home and saw the work up close, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
The concrete work was a disaster. There were problems with the finishing, uneven areas, deterioration/peeling, and other issues that can be seen in the photos I’m attaching.
Jose had also represented to me that he was licensed. After I began having problems, I checked Virginia contractor licensing information and was unable to verify the contractor license he represented himself as having.
After I got home and saw the condition of the work, I called and texted him. He eventually returned to look at it.
He told me he would come back and power wash/remove everything and redo the work.
I agreed that he could come back and power wash/remove the defective material, but I did not agree to let him redo the concrete work because I had lost confidence in the quality of his work after what happened the first time. I told him I want my money back,
He told me okay and agreed to refund my money. To me, his agreement to refund the money reinforced my belief that he recognized there were serious problems with the work. However, he never came back, and I never received my refund.
I am attaching the actual photos of the work so people can see it for themselves.
I’m not telling anyone what conclusion to reach. I am simply sharing exactly what happened to me so other homeowners can make an informed decision before hiring someone
If anyone else has personally hired Jose or recognizes the business information, you’re welcome to share your own firsthand experience.