Re: MHIC Complaint Against Navy Sealcoating

[balti_...@yahoo.com]

On Apr 27, 6:31 pm, Anonymous Sender <anonym...@remailer.metacolo.com>
wrote:
> From the files of 1) the Better Business Bureau (BBB),
> and 2) the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC):
>
> Complaint Against Navy Seal Coating (MHIC # 92424)
>
> Richard Stevens from Navy Seal & Paving who was driving a white Chevy
> pick-up truck (MD License plate # 42R-266) knocked on my family home
> door without an invitation on the morning of Wednesday, June 28, 2006,
> asking if I wanted my gravel driveway “blacktopped.” He then proceeded
> to tell me that he had 50 tons of asphalt material that he needed to
> get rid of before the start of the July 4th weekend holiday and that he
> could offer a great paving job for $3,000.00 cash. So we proceeded to
> walk to the lower half of my driveway which has crush-n-run gravel on
> it. After looking at my driveway, we both agreed that it needed: 1)
> grading, 2) removal of the excess gravel and 3) herbicide applied to
> kill the grass growing in the driveway. Because of all the recent
> drenching rains, I inquired: 1) if he could pave over the soaked gravel
> driveway, and 2) if the applied asphalt would withstand heavy truck
> traffic since heating oil is delivered to my home during the winter
> season? He stated that the pooling water in the driveway didn’t matter
> and that he would put down an “airport mix” which would withstand
> 70,000 lbs of truck weight before cracking or breaking-up!
>
> Later that same day, Richard Stevens returned with a front end loader
> and proceeded to grade the lower half of my gravel driveway. After he
> finished grading, I proceeded to ask him why he didn’t load and remove
> any excess gravel as previously agreed upon? He told me it wasn’t
> necessary. I then stated that the finished paved driveway would be
> significantly higher than my pre-existing lawn and he responded that it
> wouldn’t be. I told him that he was the expert and that I needed to
> defer to his judgment, but he’d better be right or I would call him on
> it! When I asked him about the application of grass killer, he said he
> would do that the next morning prior to paving.
>
> On June 29th the following morning, Richard Stevens and his work crew
> arrived at my family home around 8:30 AM. I told him that I was still
> waiting for a written contract. So he proceeded to his truck where he
> retrieved a blank contract which he completed. He entered under Section
> F that the machine applies “3” inches of hot asphalt type along with
> the letters “AP.” I asked what the letters “AP” stood for and he
> said “airport mix.” I then asked him to spell it out and he responded
> that he couldn’t spell the word “airport.” I told him I would spell it
> for him and he proceeded to write it out on the contract per my
> request. He then asked me to enter my name & address and to date & sign
> the contract which I did. He then gave me a copy which is attached to
> this complaint.
>
> Around 9:45AM, his son Mike Stevens (who was driving the company dump
> truck) showed up with 25 tons of asphalt material. Richard Stevens and
> his crew proceeded to apply the asphalt to my gravel driveway which
> measured about 80 linear yards. After laying approx 50 linear yards,
> Mike Stevens needed to get another load and departed. At approx 11:00
> AM, Mike returned with an additional 15 tons of asphalt material which
> he said he got from an asphalt plant in Aberdeen, MD. Richard and his
> crew proceeded to apply the remaining asphalt to the end of my gravel
> driveway where it meets with Jerusalem Road. The asphalt was then
> rolled with a small (approx 1 ton) roller to compress the asphalt
> aggregate. By 11:30 AM, Navy Seal Coating was packing up and leaving
> the jobsite. Richard Stevens approached me and asked for payment and I
> proceeded to hand over $3,000.00 in cash. I asked for a receipt and he
> then asked me for my copy of the written contract where he wrote “Paid
> in Full” and signed with his two initials “R.S.” He told me that I
> could drive on the finished asphalt by early evening that same day.
>
> On July 3rd the following Monday, my aunt who resides next door to my
> property had a lawn care company over to cut her grass. In the process
> of turning around their truck and trailer, I noticed skirmish marks on
> my asphalt driveway. After further inspection, I noticed several stones
> flaking away and separating from the top layer of the coarse asphalt
> aggregate applied to my driveway. On Wednesday, July 5th, my brother
> and I closely inspected my newly paved driveway. We noted: 1) that the
> finished asphalt material was rather coarse compared to the asphalt on
> Jerusalem Road which was just replaced during 2005, 2) that the asphalt
> in the middle half of my driveway appeared to be as thin as 1” instead
> of the 3” that was promised in writing on the contract, and 3) that the
> coarse asphalt aggregate seemed loose particularly around the edges of
> the finished job. Over the next few days, I noticed that aggregate
> stones could be easily flaked away and were separating from the edges
> of my paved asphalt driveway. Inspection of where the paved asphalt
> meets with Jerusalem Road revealed even more aggregate stones flaking
> away and separating from the paved driveway with relative ease.
>
> So I began to wonder what kind of asphalt mixture was applied to my
> gravel driveway a week earlier. I started calling several asphalt
> suppliers (eg. Lafarge, Maryland Paving, Maryland Infrastructure) in
> the Aberdeen area to inquire about their “airport mix.” I was
> repeatedly told by all asphalt suppliers that they didn’t make or sell
> an “airport mix.” After a morning of calling around, I ended up
> discovering that Maryland Infrastructure (aka Independence Construction
> Materials, 910 Old Philadelphia Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001) had sold 40
> tons (eg, 25 tons followed by 15 tons) of a  “base” asphalt mixture to
> Navy Seal Coating on the morning of June 29th while paying for both
> transactions with cash. Arch Bullock and later the Plant Manager Joe
> (Maryland Infrastructure, 410-272-8640) told me that Navy Seal Coating
> ordered and purchased a “19 mm base material made with 64-22 Level 1
> oil.” Mr. Bullock told me that this “19 mm base” should: 1) have been
> rolled with at least a 10,000 lb roller (as compression of the asphalt
> aggregate is probably the most important part of paving), and 2) have
> had another top coat applied over the “19 mm base” since it wasn’t
> impervious to water. Mr. Bullock commented that if the coarse material
> wasn’t covered with a top coat (using 9.5 or 12.5 mm stones), that
> water would infiltrate the “19 mm base” this coming winter, freeze and
> then likely crack/break the “19 mm base” into smaller pieces shortly
> thereafter.
>
> The reason for filing this complaint is multifaceted:
>
> 1) I was never told that Navy Seal Coating was paving my driveway with
> a “base coat” asphalt material at any time. In fact, on Section D of
> their written contract, it outlines application of “blank” inches of a
> binder base. Richard Stevens left Section D blank and proceeded to
> complete Section F instead never mentioning that he was intending to
> apply a “base coat” of asphalt to my driveway.
>
> 2) Navy Seal Coating cooked up the name “airport mix” and never
> mentioned the word “base” as it applied to the asphalt product they
> ordered and purchased from Maryland Infrastructure for exclusive use on
> my driveway. None of the asphalt suppliers (eg. Lafarge, Maryland
> Paving, Maryland Infrastructure) makes nor sells an “airport mix” for
> sale to paving contractors like Navy Seal Coating.
>
> 3) Navy Seal Coating left the job (with no hint of returning) and never
> told me that I would need a top coat of fine asphalt applied over the
> coarse “base coat.”
>
> 4) While my written contract from Navy Seal Coating specifies that 3”
> will be machined applied, the middle half of my driveway is lucky if 2”
> was applied and in some places, the thickness looks to be less than 1”
> of finished asphalt.
>
> 5) According to Maryland Infrastructure, Navy Seal Coating did not
> compress (by steamrolling) the applied “base coat” with enough force
> and this is likely a leading cause why aggregate stones are flaking
> away and separating from the paved driveway with relative ease just one
> week later.
>
> 6) According to Maryland Infrastructure, I am sitting on a time bomb as
> it is only a matter of time before water infiltrates the “base coat”
> asphalt on my driveway, freezes and then cracks/breaks the coarse paved
> surface into pieces.
>
> 7) My neighbor (two doors over) had Navy Seal Coating over approx a
> month ago to pave over his gravel driveway and they used a “top coat”
> of asphalt aggregate on his driveway. In addition, no aggregate stone
> from that driveway is flaking away and/or separating from his paved
> driveway.
>
> 8) Navy Seal Coating has paved several other driveways in the area
> (3001 Woods End Drive, 3005 Woods End Drive, 12420 Jerusalem Road,
> 12514 Jerusalem Road) and none of them has the coarse “base coat”
> applied which can be found exclusively on my driveway.
>
> 9) Richard Stevens never applied grass killer to my driveway. I ended
> up doing it myself since his contract reads “all material is guaranteed
> for one year except for grass and/or cracks.”
>
> 10) My finished driveway now sits anywhere from 1 to 3 inches higher
> than my adjoining lawn despite Richard Stevens promise that it wouldn’t!
>
> When these ten aforementioned issues were brought to the attention of
> Richard Stevens and his two sons John and Mike, they became extremely
> agitated, defensive, argumentative and rude over the telephone while
> using numerous cuss words.
>
> Further investigation reveals that Richard Stevens is doing business
> under his daughter’s name Regina Stevens. One won’t find Navy Seal
> Coating listed among “Paving Contractors” in the local yellow pages.
> Navy Seal Coating has only had a MHIC (Maryland Home Improvement
> Commission) license for two months dating back to May 8, 2006. Richard
> Stevens and his crew appear to be living temporarily in a recreational
> motor vehicle in a trailer park at 11345 Pulaski Highway, Lot 36 which
> is located behind Brooks Ramsey Motors. The recreational motor vehicle
> located on Lot 36 is up for sale! One has to wonder how long they will
> stay around in the neighborhood before the MHIC complaints start to
> pile-up!
>
> At this point, I want all the inferior asphalt material removed from my
> driveway. I then want my gravel driveway graded to allow for water
> drainage including removal of excess gravel followed by application of
> a 9.5 or 12.5 mm fine “top coat” such that the finished asphalt surface
> doesn’t sit above my adjoining lawn. Needless to say, I don’t want Navy
> Seal Coating back on my property to remedy the situation. I can’t trust
> them to do what they verbally say they will nor what they contracted
> (in writing) to do!
>
> WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS JOHN & REGINA STEVENS?
>
> LOOKS LIKE A VALID COMPLAINT TO ME!!!
>
> LIAR, LIAR, JOHN'S PANTS ARE ON FIRE!!!
>
> CARE TO SEE THE MHIC INSPECTOR'S COMMENTS?

According to John Stevens (john....@gmail.com):

"md [home improvement] commision can verify we have NO-COMPLAINTS"
in his own words as noted at: http://groups.google.com/group/balt.general/msg/e55d759ab63b65b7

Hey John, then how do you explain this valid complaint filed with: 1)
the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and 2) the Maryland Home Improvement
Commission (MHIC) as noted at: http://groups.google.com/group/balt.general/msg/1235370342fd9435

John Stevens ... YOU'RE A LYING MAN!

And so his your brother Mike Stevens and your daddy Richard Stevens!

BUYER BEWARE IF ANY OF THESE LOWLIFES COME KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR
OFFERING A GOOD DEAL ON BLACKTOP FOR YOUR DRIVEWAY!