FYI: Sureshine Care and Restoration Services

irvineoc2016

New member
Buyer beware: Do not hire these people. Don?t even engage them to give you an estimate. These people are arrogant, condescending, rude, unprofessional and ultimately, thoroughly disreputable.

We contacted them for an estimate. They sent this person, Sergio, who was arrogant and condescending. However, most contractors, and the people they employ, have some sort of personality issue and so we simply ignored it at the time. After he finally gets around to providing an estimate, and if you decide to hire them for your needs, you then have to deal with scheduling with Ashley; again, arrogant and condescending. They will ask you to sign a contract and provide a ten percent deposit before the scheduled work is to commence, but be forewarned: they have no intention of adhering to the terms of the contract.

On the day of the scheduled service, their crews showed up almost an hour late. Despite the company?s representations that they adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols, none of the crew members wore masks. They made claims that they were vaccinated, but failed to provide any proof. If you have people in your home who are immunocompromised or are too young to be vaccinated, this is a real danger to the health of those individuals.

The crew then began to undertake the agreed upon tasks but, despite there being a contract that clearly spelled out what they were engaged to do, they began to make selective deletions from the tasks required. We immediately pointed out to them they had to do the complete and entire job they were engaged to perform but we got pushback from the workers. We then get calls from both Sergio and Ashley telling us that they ? the company and their workers ? can make unilateral choices about how and even if they will perform the work, despite the fact that they signed a contract the clearly spelled out the agreed upon work and the charges. In essence, these people were either trying to explicitly extract more money from us or, failing that, reduce the amount and quality of the work so that they were paid more relative to the work they would do. When we stood firm and told them that we would not stand for these kinds of games, essentially extortion, the crew packed up their materials and walked off the job. That?s right: they abandoned the contract.

We have dealt with all types of contractors, but have never been subjected this kind of disrespectful and unprofessional behavior; they will also flat out lie about their behavior and their performance, or, in this case, lack thereof. These people have no business being in business and they should be avoided.
 
Should probably lead with what issue you were trying to solve or what work was done... I read the whole thing without getting a picture of what service was being provided and their business name doesn't make it obvious. I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
 
Sureshine Care and Restoration Services (?Sureshine?) basically provides services for all types of interior and exterior stone surfaces. We engaged them to (1) strip, clean, refinish, polish and seal a two-tier marble kitchen island top; and (2) clean and seal outdoor travertine that is used throughout the exterior of our home.

When we seek out contractors, we search all possible sources of information and inquire with friends. We then first look at all available ?public? information, e.g., Yelp, Angi, Houzz, etc. ? any information that comes from people who have engaged the contractor that would provide some sort of basic barometer reading on the quality of the work and the overall behavior of the contractor, e.g., whether they show up on time, do the work for which they were engaged, behave in a professional manner and behave like reasonable adults; any hint that something is off in any of the categories gets someone eliminated from consideration. Truthfully, this initial process eliminates the majority of people we may consider.

We then make sure that the contractor is licensed, the license is current and that they have insurance. You can look up any contractor here at the CA Contractors State License Board [https://www.cslb.ca.gov/]. Again, anything that is missing or wrong at this stage eliminates any consideration of engagement.

We then go the CA Secretary of State Business Search feature [https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/]. We check to see that the company is properly set up according to the laws of the State of CA and that their registration is current. We also check to see ?where? their business is set up which you can do by checking their latest Statement of Information; you also get the name of any officers and their location by checking this document. Any companies that are operating out of the home of the owner or officer ? in other words, any company that looks dodgy and isn?t set up as a formal, credible business and has an acceptable presence ? is eliminated from consideration.

If we are looking at a contractor located in Orange County, we then go to the Orange County Superior Court website and use the Case Access feature to see if the business or the owner or owners of the business have had any legal entanglements [https://www.occourts.org/online-services/case-access/].

You can immediately see if (1) the company has been sued for any civil matter (breach of contract, failure to perform, construction defect issues, etc., etc.) or if (2) the owners themselves have been sued for these actions or, and also important, if the owner or owners have personal financial issues, e.g., bankruptcies, actions for failure to pay subcontractors, tax liens, or any other financial issues that would affect their personal and/or business performance. Any company, or owners of companies, that have ANY issues here are eliminated immediately. I think most people would be amazed at how many companies or owners of companies have these issues on either a corporate or personal level.

However, you can do all of the above and STILL get burned. There are plenty of people out there who go through life harming or taking advantage of other people and who are never held accountable; contractors are no different ? it is entirely possible that people can slip through the cracks or that people who got burned refuse to do the work to hold people accountable for their actions and behavior. It is time consuming and tedious to have to go through the formal channels to hold a contractor liable ? and get a positive legal resolution ? and most people simply give up in the face of the work involved.

With Sureshine, we did all of the above, and there were no red flags that would have caused us to eliminate them. They also seems to spend a considerable amount of money on advertising and on having a "dynamic" market presence, e.g., their website and other advertising materials give the impression of a larger and more sophisticated operation. Their "performance" reviews indicate a reputable company. However, you can buy all of this: a sophisticated website and advertising materials are not that expensive and reviews can be arranged or paid for.

Where it really matters is when it gets to actual on-the-job performance, and this is where the earth craters. And this is the problem with any contractor: sometimes you don?t know until you actually engage them and spend time, energy and money to find out that the contractor has burned you and wasted your time. You then have to decide whether it?s worth it to go after the reprehensible parties to hold them accountable.
 
That response is replete with misrepresentations and outright lies. But this is par for the course with people, like this company, who refuse to conduct themselves responsibly and with integrity.
 
So the business owner is defending not moving the pots because they aren?t movers but was going to seal anyway?  That seems like a half*ssed way of doing the work.

Isn?t that like vacuuming without picking up stuff that was left on the floor?

Only way that is left out if the contract is intentional or too careless to do the work, IMHO.
 
The company should have not started any work once they saw that the heavy objects were not moved.  My guess is that they usually try to help out the customer (do more than contract states) by moving certain objects, but they risk running into this very situation that the OP is complaining about.

I wonder if the contract states that the client would lose their 10% deposit if services are not provided due to customer fault (ie. flooring is not in a ready state to be cleaned.. ie. heavy objects still on the floor).
 
I'm an attorney; this means that, unlike most people, I know how to read, write and think. "Fatduck" above can post all the non sequitur ad hominems he or she wants but unless that person knows and understands the nuances of a certain situation, they should probably keep their snarky comments to themselves.

In the almost thirteen years that I've resided in OC, I have never, ever, ever encountered one contractor who has a contract that is drafted in a way that satisfies all the necessary requirements of the California Business and Professions Code. What this means is that, as a consumer of contractor services, you are basically at the mercy of the market and the individual contractor when it comes to obtaining service and getting what you paid for. It's the wild west out there and it comes down to using all the methods I previously mentioned and then taking a chance.

This particular contractor provided a contract that was and is severely deficient. These people were so ignorant of their responsibilities - and arrogant in dealing with the situation - that they didn't even know and understand that they left themselves wide open to being sued and subject to treble damages. That means that in the event of a breach, the contractor, having failed to provide a customer with a contract that conforms to the requirements of the CA Business and Professions Code, would possibly have to pay the customer not only three times what the customer had already paid, but also three times any consequential damages as a result having failed to complete the work that was governed by the contract. As a consumer of services, it is not my responsibility to do the work that the contractor must do to conform to the law; the contractor decided to enter the marketplace and offer services - it is their responsibility to know what they're doing and conform to all business and legal requirements to operate properly. It is not my responsibility to chase them down and then educate them as to how to correct any operational deficiency.

In this circumstance, the contractor should have clearly and explicitly dealt with the need to move and then replace items BEFORE the estimate was provided and the "contract" signed, and most certainly before the day that the work was to be performed. The representative who came to our home to take measurements and provide an estimate for the outside work knew full well that there were planters and other items that had to be moved out of the way in to order to clean and seal the outside stone work. That person never raised the issue and the "contract" provided doesn't deal with this situation.

When the crew arrived at our home the day the work was to be provided, I walked all of the crew members through the work to be performed both inside and outside. When taking them through the tasks to be completed outside, I explicitly told them that outdoor furniture and planters needed to be moved out of the way BEFORE the cleaning and sealing work commenced, and then those same items had to be put back when the work was finished. The crew agreed and explicitly stated that they would do so. What this means is that, even if the so-called "contract" provided dealt with and disallowed the movement of these items - which it doesn't - the crew WAIVED THIS CONDITION by agreeing to move the items and then commencing with moving the items.

It was then that we saw that the crew, after agreeing to move ALL items on the outside surfaces so that those surfaces could be cleaned and sealed properly, decided to engage in selective performance; they started cleaning around some of the planters with the clear idea that they would not move some items and then clean and seal the stonework, leaving mismatched surfaces. When we pointed out to the crew that this was completely unacceptable and didn't meet even the most basic understanding of the work to be done, the crew became resistant and the people at the company office started playing games. When told that they were obligated to perform the work agreed to and at a level of quality expected, this company, after having already breached the contract, decided to walk off the job and abandon the contract. These are the signs and behaviors of irresponsible and disreputable people.

A few more points. After encountering the intransigence of the workers in performing the work properly, one of the members of the crew that was sent to our house tried to provide an "explanation" of the so-called "contract". As a licensed, practicing attorney, I found it laughable, at best, that someone who probably hadn't even finished high school, and who may well have had experience as a guest in the California penal system, was trying to "advise" me on the interpretation of this company's contract. Also, the owner of this company stated in his Yelp response that his company is comprised of a ". . . group of elite technicians . . ." Really? Elite? Do these day laborers have degrees in "Stone Restoration" from MIT or CalTech? Last time I checked, neither one of those institutions - or any other similarly situated institutions - offered anything that would even remotely qualify as this area of study - nor should they.

The upshot here is that this company is thoroughly disreputable and their behavior qualifies them as an entity to be avoided.
 
irvineoc2016 said:
I'm an attorney; this means that, unlike most people, I know how to read, write and think.
In your OP, you accused the Sureshine employees of being arrogant, condescending, and rude.  And yet you started out your sentence like that, which sounds arrogant, condescending, and rude.
 
I'm also an attorney, so I guess we're at at stalemate.  The only thing to do now is compare diplomas.

Look, I don't pretend to know anything about sealing patio tile.  It's entirely possible that failing to move some pots is the crime against humanity that it's portrayed as in this review.  All I'm saying is if everyone you encounter in life, from the lowliest California Pizza Kitchen employee to the CEO of Sureshine Care and Restoration Services, is rude, arrogant, and condescending from the moment you meet them, you might want to look in the mirror.
 
I dont think I ever left a harsh review for any company online.
If I do complain, I usually contact the company if there is an issue. I find companies are open to hear feedback and will correct the problem.

 
As the old adage goes, "get it in writing".  You should have had the crew members sign and date (maybe even notarize?) an addendum to the contract stating that they would move and replace the heavy objects as part of the sealing work.
 
woodburyowner said:
As the old adage goes, "get it in writing".  You should have had the crew members sign and date (maybe even notarize?) an addendum to the contract stating that they would move and replace the heavy objects as part of the sealing work.

Verbal agreements are legally binding; that includes any verbal modifications of a written document. In addition, as previously noted, there was a performance modification on the day of service that waived any claimed language, or interpretation of any claimed language, in the contract. Once the workers agreed to move and then moved the furniture and most of the planters, the contract was modified.
 
eyephone said:
I don't think I ever left a harsh review for any company online.
If I do complain, I usually contact the company if there is an issue. I find companies are open to hear feedback and will correct the problem.

Despite the erroneous claims by another party who has chimed in on this thread, I rarely leave negative reviews. Of the hundreds of retails establishments, restaurants, hotels, and various service providers I've dealt with in the last twelve years, I've left a small handful of deservedly negative reviews; this number hardly comes close to comprising a representative sample.

The negative reviews I have left have been circumstances where the other party behaved so egregiously that the circumstance simply demanded a public notice. Companies, and employees of companies, that conduct themselves in a professional, responsible manner don't require corrective action or input; they already know what to do and how to do it and they don't play games. I do my homework upfront and this usually eliminates the probability that things will go off the rails. However, there are outliers and in those cases, I don't see a problem with providing a public notice.
 
How large is the travertine tiled area?  If it's not too large you can probably DIY with a cheap harbor freight polisher.

I used a DA polisher (for auto paint) to strip & light polish my tile floor in baby room.  Prolly not the right tool for the job for it worked.
 
CalBears96 said:
irvineoc2016 said:
I'm an attorney; this means that, unlike most people, I know how to read, write and think.
In your OP, you accused the Sureshine employees of being arrogant, condescending, and rude.  And yet you started out your sentence like that, which sounds arrogant, condescending, and rude.

Thanks for sharing.
 
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
irvineoc2016 said:
I'm an attorney; this means that, unlike most people, I know how to read, write and think.

Lol this says everything you need to know.  Can you imagine, an attorney thinking they're the smartest guy in the room?

Mazel tov! You have confirmed that you're among the "most people" referred to as you obviously cannot read - or think.
 
irvineoc2016 said:
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
irvineoc2016 said:
I'm an attorney; this means that, unlike most people, I know how to read, write and think.

Lol this says everything you need to know.  Can you imagine, an attorney thinking they're the smartest guy in the room?

Mazel tov! You have confirmed that you're among the "most people" referred to as you obviously cannot read - or think.

Lol ok buddy.  Good one, glad you got me with your second edit.
 
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