DaBella — Local services in Federal Way

I recently had a knock on my door by a DaBella canvasser offering a free roof estimate. I thought, why not, can't hurt. I had no intention of getting a new roof any time soon, though I did have some damage from a couple of heavy windstorms in the last year or so. I set an appointment for an inspection. The time came, and I must say, I was not prepared for the extent of what needed to happen. I thought they'd go up on my roof for ten minutes, knock back on my door, and give me a quick write up. The salesman could sense my weariness when he asked to come in, as I was probably letting off a crazy vibe, like why do you need to come in my house? Because of this I feel like he took a slower approach, and took a step back to explain to me the why behind what they needed to do. He started outside, and explained that they not only did roofs, but other exterior products and he'd take a look around for anything that might need attention. When he was done there, he came back in and finished up with the inspection from the interior in the attic. My salesman was Mateo DeLeon. Part of the reason I was apprehensive of this whole thing was because I knew at this time I couldn't afford a new roof. Mateo went through his findings with me and showed me pictures of some concerning areas that if I didn't act on right away could end up costing me a bigger headache and financial crisis later. He didn't try to oversell me on products for my home I didn't need, just because he could, and I appreciated that. There were things that in the back of my mind I was worried about, or that I'd walk by and look up at my awning and eaves and wonder what was going on with the water damage I was seeing. He explained to me why I was seeing that damage and showed me the beginning of water penetration into the wood material in my attic. I am a single mom and these major home maintenance things can be scary and intimidating when there isn't someone around to watch out for me being taken advantage of, when I don't know what things I really need and don't really need. Not only did he show me problem areas but he pointed our where some things weren't up to code. Luckily for me, DaBella offers financing with some great companies. When we were going through numbers I was still really stressed out about the costs and didn't think I could afford it, but Mateo saw this and found another financing solution that did work for me, one where I could defer the payments for 12 months, so that it wouldn't hit my checkbook right now and would give me time to get where I needed to be. He also made sure any way he could lower the cost he did, like doing a flexible install date. I think one of the things I am most grateful for through this experience was just how well he explained the install process to me, so I could see how much more sound my new roof would be by the time it was finished. The financing paperwork was ready in about 48 hours and that was that. The roof was installed about two weeks ahead of schedule. I would say that during the installation itself, I was nervous that the install would be different than what was explained to me, but, the final person who was out at the site, did answer all of my paranoid questions and made sure I was comfortable with the final product. I would say the value with DaBella is quality, integrity, guarantee, and peace of mind. They saved me from what I would've done, which is defer evaluating the issues until it was too late and the damage was more costly. Thanks DaBella for my...

Monday August 7, 2023 DaBella and Alside RE: Issues with contract and windows To whom it may concern: When Gabe and Dods came to talk with us regarding ordering windows, they were on time and personable. They were doing their job as sales reps. The person who came to do the actual window measurement was on time and personable.
Both Dods and the person measuring the windows assured us that the trim would be replaced with new by the installers. I received a phone call from Dods telling me that the small bathroom window could not be made by them. I verbally agreed to remove that from the contract. I did expect to receive an amended contract or change order prior to installation, however I did not. July 27, 2023: Jeremy called telling us that the windows were ready. We agreed on a day and time (Aug 4th). August 4, 2023: The installers arrived within the time frame with the 3 expected windows. However, their copy of the contract showed four windows. I do not know if Blad had questioned this before or not. We did not receive a phone call regarding this either. ALSO, they did not have new trim to replace the old that, once again, we were reassured that would be replaced by the installers. We agreed to replace it ourselves. I’m also questioning if window installers are required by OSHA, WAC, or L&I to wear PPE. No safety googles were used. Fortunately, Blad was not injured (at that time) by the shattering glass when one of the old windows was removed. When we were shown the price at the end of the installation, we were surprised that it had not changed to reflect the one window not to be installed. We called the local DeBella office to get this fixed, no answer. We called the national number; they could not reach the local office. We called the sales rep Dods. He did call back and implied this would be taken care of earlier the next week. At that time, Blad advised us to hold onto the check.

ISSUES In the meantime, we removed the old trim the installers put back up. Knowing that we would be replacing the trim, did they have to use so much caulk? They put so much on the trim/wall like it was going to stay. They knew we would just be taking it down and replacing it. That created more work for us than just removing the old trim. As we removed the trim from the large window (dining room) it appeared that there was no caulking/sealant on the outside portion of the window/frame. We tested the windows to make sure all was working and found the kitchen window with the up and down sash is very loose in the frame. Poor manufacturing/fit/measuring????

Our expectations for the amended contract / change order: Credit for Materials and time for the 4th window that could not be replaced by Alside/DeBella Credit for Materials and time for the trim that was not replaced by Alside Credit for window that is loose in the frame/not fitting properly.

Rick and...

Be vary careful using this company. Their salesmen are very pushy and have no issues lying. I was told of a deal where the first 18 months were no payment. I was up front and honest that i did not have a good credit score. He told me that wasn't a problem and that he had the same credit score (red flag 1). I agreed to meet with their rep the next day. I informed him that i previously met with a company and had a bad experience with them attempting to change the interest rate after everything had been signed. The new interest rate was almost triple what was signed for in the contract. I told him i believed it was DaBella. I asked about this 18 month promotion and was told no that was only for people with 750 credit scores (red flag 2). I was up front about what I could afford to put down and pay monthly. I was told numerous times that this was no problem at all. We figured out the final deposit, monthly payment, and interest rate then signed the contract. They offered a marketing discount for writing reviews on google. DONT DO THIS UNTIL EVERYTHING GOES THROUGH. He insisted on doing the reviews before leaving. When i went to do the google review the first one that popped up was from me exactly when i had tried this two years ago! Red flag 3. So it had to be DaBella who had been shady previously. i should have questioned this more but at this point the rep had been there for almost 4 hours and it was almost 10 pm. Next day i received a message stating that i could not be approved unless i had another person co-sign. i said i had no one. he got very pushy asking about other family or friends to sign. i said no. After that i just got short cold answers that they would not longer be stopping by that evening. so long story short they have very shady practices where they make it sound like everything is all set and good to go including monthly payments amount and taking my card for the deposit then several days later its well give us more money or co-signers or we drop you. I understand i don't have good credit and i clearly stated this up front so this was an absolute waste of all of our time and i will absolutely refuse to ever use this company or anyone associated with it. I was so irritated i ordered no soliciting signs so that i wasn't bothered again. I know they comment on every review so: Do not contact me or ever come to my...