For those of you that have also had the misfortune of working Doug Livingston and John Ostendorf  I am sure that you also have your own story.  For those for you that are thinking about it, I hope that you read this, my story:

Before going in to contract with Home Team Advantage I thought I did my homework.  They had a very strong rating with the Better Business Bureau, of which Home Team Advantage is a member of, and Mr. Ostendorf’s license showed no complaints. Even the referral service that placed me with Home Team Advantage said they were reputable and backed that up with a service guarantee.    

My wife and I went in to contract with Home Team Advantage inc March of 2006, and were told that our project would be completed by August 2006.  They are now well over a year behind schedule.  Other schedules were made and broken over the past year.  Work was done on the house without permits and inspections.  I found out that the work that was done required a permit, and thus this work was done illegally.  It was clearly stated in my contract that permits were to be filed. I have since been served notice by Broward County.   About a year ago I was told that the appliances for our new kitchen needed to be in the house with in a week.  I had them there when I was told they were needed.  They sat in my living room for 8 months and were then stolen from the house.  They were never installed.  According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, it had to be an inside job, because there was no forced entry, and the security system was disarmed.  Besides myself, the employees’ of Home Team Advantage are the only other people to have access to the house, they were given a key and code for the security system, and I was told that Home Team would replace the stolen appliances.  Now I am being told that they are not responsible and they are even saying that they never accepted responsibility.  Due to Home Team Advantage’s delays they were unable to install the Central Air Conditioning system that was in the contract, at the cost that they promised.  I was forced to get that installed myself.   While I now have a permit on the job site this is only because they were caught by Broward County’s Building department for doing work without a permit.  

Electric permit---(Issue Date July 26 2007)
Rough Electric   8/10/2007   Disapproved
Rough Electric   8/13/2007   Disapproved
Rough Electric   8/17/2007   Passed
Final Electric     12/05/2007  Disapproved
Final Electric      1/23/2008   Disapproved
Final Electric      2/1/2008     Passed!

Pluming permit---(Issue Date July 26 2007)
Rough               8/10/2007    Disapproved
Rough               8/13/2007    Disapproved
Top Out            8/20/2007    Cancelled
Top Out            8/21/2007    Disapproved
Top Out            8/30/2007    Disapproved with Penalties
Top Out            9/4/2007      Disapproved
Final Pluming    11/29/2007   Disapproved
Final Pluming    12/04/2007   Disapproved
Final Pluming    12/26/2007   Finaled!

Windows/Doors/Shutters---(Issue Date June 6 2006)
Bucks        8/10/2007   Passed
Final Building 8/14/2007   Disapproved
Windows & Doors   10/3/2007   Disapproved
Windows & Doors    10/4/2007   Disapproved with penalties
Windows & Doors    12/28/2007  Passed

I was given schedules from Mr. Ostendorf, one dated June 23, 2006 that said the Electrical and Plumbing trim – interior completion was scheduled to be finished in seven weeks.  According to this, the original schedule and the only one that I approved, I should have been living in my house in August of 2006.  There was a revised schedule was given to me October 13, 2006 over a year ago.  According to this my entire project including the closing in of my car port was to be completed December 17, 2006.  Due to the way that they left my house, Over a year later and I am still unable to live in it.    

I have filled with the Better Business Bureau (Complaint ID: 55002647).  There was no resolution.  Home Team Advantage Inc. claims that I did work that was not within the scope of the contract.  I have a contract that states different.  They also go on to blame my central air contractor for doing there work without a permit; I have paper work that shows the truth.  The facts of the matter is that Home Team Advantage was caught doing work without a permit that was required by both contract, and the laws of Broward County.  Now that there is an active permit on the job site, they are unable to close the permits due to poor quality of the work that was done. 

It is because of this experience that I have lost all faith in the Better Business Bureau.  Even after my complaint, if you were to look them up, they are still rated as an A- company.  Which, according to the BBB website (www.bbb.org), is “An excellent rating. A company with this rating may not rate higher because of a greater number of rate-lowering factors, but we do not consider them to be factors that would likely adversely affect consumer transactions.”  I also filed a complaint with the referral service, according to them Hillary, who was there contact, is no longer returning calls.  I have exercised the service guarantee.  I also think that the state of Florida needs to take note of this, allowing someone that has over 60 felony counts of Grand Theft pending, should not be allowed to run loose, to find move victims.   I only hope that our justice system can help provide just that justice. 

Have a story of your own?  Email me Webmaster@hometeamdisadvantage.com