MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A Muskegon Township couple who paid to have a handicapped-accessible shower installed in their home is still waiting to use it, after they say the contractor who installed it botched the job.
The Bakers wanted the new shower for their 94-year-old mother. At the end of January, Infinity Home Improvement visited the house and gave them a project quote of about $7,400. The couple paid roughly $3,400 upfront.
A contractor installed the shower on March 1. Ron Baker said the worker didn’t finish until 1:30 a.m., so they didn’t notice problems until they woke up later that morning.
The builder cut through their floor to make room for the base of the new shower. The measurements were off, though, leaving about a 1-inch gap between the floor and new base. Any water that would splash out of the shower would fall directly into their basement.
The shelves in the shower’s corners also weren’t angled properly, which can lead to water buildup. The builder had to use a vent pipe reducer between the wall and new shower, but the new portion is too wide and pushed the wall out.
All of the problems aren’t necessarily obvious when you walk into the bathroom, making it even more frustrating for Baker.
“If you don’t know what you’re looking at, it looks fine. But it’s not what you look at — it’s what’s done in the construction end of it. This needs to be torn out and redone,” Baker told 24 Hour News 8.
Baker said when the project manager visited the house on March 6, he told the manager he knew they didn’t pull a township permit for the project. After that, he said, their repeated calls were not returned.
Infinity Home Improvement has an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau, but the 44 complaints filed in the last three years indicate the company has a problem with communicating to customers.
The Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan told 24 Hour News 8 that its ratings are based on 13 factors and relative to a business’ size. The organization also said Infinity Home Improvement has always been responsive to the BBB in dealing with complaints.
Infinity Home Improvement also has an open complaint with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Target 8 is still working to learn more about the issue.
After Target 8 visited Infinity Home Improvement’s Wyoming office Wednesday afternoon, the company called the Bakers and told them they’ve already ordered new parts and will redo the shower. An Infinity Home Improvement representative also told 24 Hour News 8 the contractor who installed the original shower is no longer with the company.
The Muskegon Charter Township Building Official told 24 Hour News 8 he received a call from the company about pulling the appropriate permit for the redo Wednesday afternoon as well.
Baker is willing to give them another chance.
“I’ll stand right [there] and watch them and they will pull the building permits and an inspector will inspect it and if the job is done right, I’ll accept it,” Baker said.
