Murphy Bros. Design | Build | Remodel

Scott, just like you, we are frustrated when things don’t go as planned despite detailed plans and directions. And even when it isn’t our staff making the error but a trusted trade partner who passed on the work to an unproven new hire, as in this case, we are still responsible. That is why we replaced both of your stoops as soon as our project manager learned of the slope error. We also offered to tear out and replace your entire driveway. Against our advice, you declined. Instead, as directed, we poured additional concrete to successfully meet the original specifications that were not followed by the concrete company in the first place. Believing you were satisfied, we wrapped things up with a mutual handshake and a smile. A few days later, much to our surprise, you complained to our owner, wanting additional compensation, but when he offered to meet with you and discuss other alternatives, you declined to do so.

Regarding your “leak”, we did inspect your entry door as part of our 2-10 limited warranty commitment. Our expert on such matters, who has more than 30 years of experience, concluded the single bead of moister on the sill he noted was normal window condensation, a common occurrence in our extreme climate. This is especially apparent when new more efficient products are introduced into existing environments, which we have no control over.

Scott, we completed all the work in our building agreement and did so according to codes and industry standards for best practices, which we shared with you at the outset. There is only so much we can reasonably do to make clients happy Scott. I’m sorry you are still angry, but we are at a loss to know what else we might do to fulfill an obligation we have already met.

Thank you Barb for your kind comments. We think of you now as our friends too! Enjoy your new kitchen. it is very impressive.

Emily, I am sorry that our design/build consultant failed to meet your expectations and deliver the level of attention all our clients deserve. I think you should know that during your project she had personal issues that were likely distracting, eventually resulting in her resignation in October. I am not sharing that as an excuse but only to let you know that I think she is a better and more competent person than how she performed for you. Even so, the response you gave online was justified and I would really rather be informed than to wrongly think that we satisfactorily weathered a tough patch or two with you.

If you think that we might ever have a second chance to earn your trust in the future, I would be grateful. However, I completely understand if that is not the case. For what it’s worth, I want you to know that we have instituted a series of mini “satisfaction” surveys at key milestones in each project so we can monitor and respond to issues while they can still be addressed and the “experience” put back on track if needed. We’ve also added a new Communications Checklist to set shared and realistic expectations regarding communications with our key staff before projects begin. This is very important because an unmet expectation is the very definition of frustration—the last thing any of us wants!

I believe every failure, every obstacle, is an opportunity to improve. And so, because we do care very much about the client experience, we are taking this opportunity to improve both responsiveness and communication.

I can see that it would be easy to conclude that smaller projects, like yours, warrant less care and attention. While smaller projects may logically require fewer resources, they should never receive a lesser degree of care on our part. So, rest assured the size of your project had nothing to do with your experience.

Fortunately, we do still garner mostly great experience ratings. Be that as it may, I am not happy at all about any that come up less than great, so again I apologize.

Sincerely—John Murphy, owner.

Thanks for that great review. We are more than pleased to add your screen porch remodel to our Houzz list of great projects!

Thanks for the positive feedback John. Staying customer focused is a big, big deal to us. And yes, you are so right about having a dedicated project manager to handle all the details, especially the ones that present challenges. Jamie is one of our best.

That's fantastic! We are so glad your remodeling experience with us was so positive. We love it when our clients use the words "no surprises". That means we did everything right! Looking forward to our next project with you.

What a great review! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and kudos. We always love (and need) to hear from clients that had a great experience. Thanks so much for sharing!

It's great to hear the new BuilderTrend app is adding to the remodeling experience!

Hey Bev thanks so much for the kind words! You guys were so much fun to work with and I agree, your project(s) turned out fantastic!