Public Mediation

Christopher Cohen-Dispute-#2516311

O. S. vs. Cohen Contracting
138 Carmen Drive, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 19426-2603, United States
Amount Involved: $428.00
    • Status: In Negotiation
      This claim has posted for public comment and negotiation. It will remain posted until resolved to the claimant's satisfaction. Suggest a resolution to help these parties reach a settlement.
    • View response from: Cohen Contracting
    • Claimant Seeks: View.
    • Claim #: 2516311
    • Amount Involved: 428.00
    • Filed On: Jun 14, 2013
    • Posted On: Jun 25, 2013
    • Complaint(s):
      • Bad business or marketing practices
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Statement of Claim
Complaint Involved (1) - View
Claimant says:
"I hired Mr. Christopher Cohen in 2010 to replace my roof when I discovered a leak in a back bedroom, which is situated under the rain box on the roof.

Mr. Cohen installed a new roof and charged me $3,700 for it. However, the original problem, a leaky rain box which was installed too low, wasn't replaced or corected, and the roof continued to leak. I wasn't aware of it for over a year, because I didn't go into that room until I was finally able to afford the replacement of the plaster board, which was damaged by the initial leaky roof. That was a year after the new roof was installed by Mr. Cohen.

Two weeks later I noticed a new leak on my newly painted wall. I contacted Mr. Cohen as soon as I noticed it, but he didn't answer my calls or emails. I finally called him on someone else's cell phone, which he didn't recognize, so he answered my call. When I asked him to come back and repair the leak, he was furious and blamed me for not calling him earlier! I reminded him about the ten years warranty he gave me, and demanded that he'll return and fix the problem.

When he finally showed up, he smeared asphalt and cement over the rain box, which blocked the rain box even further, and prevented the rain from going down the rain pipe. This, in turn, caused the rain water to stain the new interior wall. The new plaster board is also stained by the water.

I finally hired another roofer, who corrected the problem. The new rain water box and the removal of all the extra cement and tar from the roof near the rain box cost me $400. I contacted Mr. Cohen and demanded that he'll reimburse me for this expense. I have not heard from him, and do not expect to hear from him.

I need help. Thank you."
...
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Exhibits View
Additional Communication Between Claimant and Cohen Contracting Hide
  • Jun 22, 2013, Claiming party added:

  • Mr. Cohen refuses to answer his emails. Most likely, his office staff deleted your emails. I emailed him, repeatedly, about my leaky roof, but he says that I never contacted him. He either lies, or his office staff lie. I was finally able to reach him, and his reaction was that he plans to sue me for defamation of character. (I have a legitimate complain: My roof leaks, and he does not honor his warranty!!!) He also said that the warranty is void, because I had another roofer repair my roof, (I had to have it done last week, because Mr. Cohen did not return my calls and emails, for months, while my roof and bedroom wall were being damaged by the rain). He also said that I did not coat my roof within 60 days after installations, so the warranty is voided. (He never told me that I needed to have my new roof coated after he installed it. I have the contract to prove it). Then he (Or his staff) wrote nasty lies about me on Angie's List web page, calling me "Difficult" and saying that I am a bad home owner because I neglect my house! Mr. Cohen and his cronies are fly-by-night bullies with no morals nor work ethics. They will lie and cheat, for as long as they can, and then threat to sue the customer if s/he continues to complain about their shoddy work.

  • Jun 28, 2013, Claiming party added:

  • 1.) The new roof which Mr. Cohen installed for me is 3 years old. It was installed in 2010. It is NOT five years old, as he claims. I have the contract to prove it.

    2.) Mr. Cohen never told me that the new roof needed a silver coating right away. I already paid $3,725.00 for the new flat roof, which is almost twice the normal fee, because I believed he was a reputable roofer. A silver coating would have costs over $500 EXTRA!!! I would have never hired him had he told me any of this!

    For the record: I have had my flat roof replaced FOUR times since 1973, and it NEVER needed a new coating right after the installation. A new flat roof is coated in the factory, or by the installer, at the time of installation. Eventually, it would need a new coating, either asphalt or silver, every three to four years afterwards. He actually admits that the need for a new coating right away was NOT in his warranty! This is one of his lies.

    3.) I called him in the spring of 2011, a year after the roof was installed, to complain about the new leak. He did not reply to my calls. I left messages in his web site, but he did not reply to those, either. I finally called him from someone else's cell phone, which he did not recognize. He said he was on vacation, but suggested that I call his son, which I did. His son did not return my calls. I eventually contacted the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General by email, and complained about Mr. Cohen to them. I forwarded those emails to Mr. Cohen. Only then he showed up to repair the leak. That was in 2012, two years after the new roof was installed by him. By then the new drywall in my back bedroom was totally damaged.

    4.) Mr. Cohen showed up, obviously angry and revengeful. He lifted the top part of the rain box above roof level, so the run-off water from the roof could not go down through it, and smeared asphalt all around it, which blocked the rain box completely. (The three pictures off his asphalt smear and the raised rain box opening were sent to you). I had two independent inspectors here to examine his work, and both of them said that this was NOT the way to repair a leaky rain box.

    5.) Since that repair, last year, (not two years ago, as he says), I left many emails in his web site page to tell him that the roof was still leaking. There was no reply, ever. I finally hired someone else to do the repairs. The correct repairs should have been what Reiter Contracting Co. did, eventually, last month:

    EAVE BOX STYLE DRAIN ON TOP MAIN ROOF ($400.00)

    Existing drain is pitched wrong and has excessive build-up of roofing cement which prevents water from draining properly.
    Remove existing 4” eave box from rear roof area.
    Chop out/lower built-up roofing material from drain area.
    Furnish and install new 4” white aluminum eave box.
    Furnish and install 5’ sheet of smooth torch down rubber roofing material to drain area.
    Furnish and install new rubber wall flashing to party wall in drain area.
    Seal perimeter of repair using roofing cement and membrane fabric

    6.) Mr. Cohen is a bold face liar. Yes, he has many positive referrals in his web site, but there are no negative ones, even though I wrote a negative referral a few times since 2010. I bet there were many more unsatisfied customers along the way, but their reports were never published on Cohen's web site.

    He is despicable.

    Ofra.

What Claimant Wants Hide
1. Recovery of Losses: I paid another roofer to repair the damage done by Mr. Cohen Jun 29, 2013 $428.00
2. Other – Copy claim to regulators Jun 29, 2013 $14.99
3. Other – Pay for claim posting cost Jun 29, 2013 $7.99
4. Other – Physical delivery charges Jun 29, 2013 $2.99
Cash total : $453.97
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Do you agree with the claimant’s demands?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)
Respondent's Counteroffer Hide
The claimant's settlement terms were rejected with the following explanation:
  • I disagree with the explanation / grounds provided

    "In response to the review by Mrs. Sharon:

    As she stated in her complaint, this roof replacement is now five years old. Also, I told her that the roof should be silver coated (not in our contract), but it never was.

    As for the claim that I did not answer her calls and was abusive to her are just not true. I answered her call when I was on vacation and the roof was repaired two days after my return. That was roughly 2 years ago. I have done hundreds of flat roofs in my career and have no idea how her roof cracked, probably because it wasn’t silver coated. The proper way to repair a roof leak like this is to use an asphalt patch, which is what I used.

    I honored the warranty, but she never contacted me about the current leak she says she has and now she wants me to pay for someone else. When she called in the other company to work on her roof, it voided any warranty she had with me. This is common practice.

    I have been in business for 35 years and have a great reputation. Read the reviews others have given on my website cohencontracting.com or on Networx.com. I stand behind my work, just as I did with Mrs. Sharon.

    Christopher Cohen"

This claim will remain posted until resolved.

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Do you agree with the respondent’s Response?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)
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