DAN F.

Response to Update on July 29th,

Dan,

Again, we are truly sorry you had trouble with the erection process of your building. Days before you posted your quick summary, we were working with your erector and your wife to solve your delivery issues. Our logistics department was in the process of ensuring the correct parts and components arrived at your job site as quickly as possible.

We appreciate your business, and hope you enjoy your Armstrong Steel Building for years to come. If any other issues arise, please contact us. We’ll be happy to assist you in any way possible.

Originally posted on 6/24/15:

Dan, we are extremely sorry your experience is not what you expected. The process of buying a building can be complicated, but we strive to make it as easy as possible for every customer. Because each building is customized and tailored to the specific needs of each individual, we don’t publish a list of prices like you’re accustomed to seeing at Home Depot or your local hardware store. We’d like to apologize if you felt rushed into a sale; however, because steel is a commodity, it is subject to price increases of the market. You are under no obligation to sign a contract once you receive a steel building quote. We are absolutely NOT "taking advantage of the hard working American,” and frankly, that statement is insulting. Our Building consultants are attempting to save you money, not subject you to hidden costs, as you suggest.

Again, Total project costs – meaning the entire amount you will pay from conception to completion – is different for everyone based of size, shape, dimensions, roof pitch, location, building type etc. Total project costs aren’t advertised, not because “a customer would not commit,” as you say, but because it’s quite impossible to know what labor, dirt work, etc. will cost due to each project's uniqueness.

As far as specifics: The amount of money required to obtain drawings isn’t merely “a deposit.” It’s a non-refundable payment for engineered drawings and blueprints, as well as raw materials for your project. In order to be accommodating to our customers, we can be flexible on this payment, but our work, and often times the purchase of the steel for your building, begins as soon as we receive this payment.

Our contract terms and conditions are very thorough, and detail costs a customer might incur. We provide a short and detailed explanation of what every customer is agreeing to on the first page of a purchase order, not hidden anywhere. In addition, we also publish steel building informative blogs, which also point out ways to help a buyer make a realistic budget by accounting for expenses one might encounter. We understand, for many people, a steel building is a once in a lifetime purchase. We strongly believe that everyone does his or her research. That is why we provide a blog dedicated to first time builders like yourself, and our resource headquarters (http://armstrongsteel.com/steel-building-resource-hq/).
In fact, every quote we provide to our customers includes a link to the resource headquarters for this exact reason.

Armstrong Steel doesn’t and can’t control the costs of the building erection or the cost of concrete. This is a different contract between a customer and their contractor. We are as responsible for the cost of you erecting your building as Home Depot is responsible for the cost of you building your home after you purchase lumber from them.

That said, we empathize with our customers, and want to provide the most cost effective form of construction on the market. To do that, we constantly update the Armstrong Steel Blog Network (http://armstrongsteel.com/network) with information pertaining to the many different ways to accomplish that goal.

Please reach out to me if you have any more questions or concerns.