HawthorneVillager.com

Congratulations...second year running...

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/r ... ID=2007161

So if they came around today and asked us all to rank their buying experience with Mattamy out of 5 starts, what would you all put?

Here is the big decline between 14b and 15a. At least for us, they are getting lower score this time.
Labor issues.

Everyone I spoke to was not satisfied for one or another reason.. so how do they get the highest rank, competition that much worse??
Big fat check to JD Power??

I've had Customer Satisfaction issues from day 1.
Plus I am not going to fill out one of those surveys untill one year is up or at least all the warranty items have been corrected (it's been four months already).

Regards Martin

I think I would give them a 3 as of right now, but I haven't got my house yet so that could change. This is for two main reasons.

They definitely lose one star for the delays. I know, I know, delays happen beyond anyone's control...however...for a company who claims they are a five star company, they didn't handle the issue in a five star manner. All I heard at Mattamy University was how they go above and beyond with their houses. For example, they fully drywall the garages when they don't have to by code. However, when the delays started happening, all they would do is point to their Tarion (bare minimum) requirements, in some templated letter, and usually at the last minute. A true five star company would go above and beyone the minimum requirements enforced on them (perhaps $1000 or $2000 in upgrades, maybe?) Delays are probably the touchiest subject with all of us, and I find it was handled poorly.

They would also lose a star for the tied coercive selling that goes on in the design centre. All of the people are amazing (in fact, everyone we spoke to anywhere with mattamy has been awesome), but I don't like feeling like I'm being taken when I'm dishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars. They play little games that we all know about (refusing to leave the stairs unfinished, and then saying if you don't pay them a fortune to stain it, they'll seal in the ugliest, most undesirable colour) and don't really have any shame in doing so. I understand that this is their business, and upgrades are how they make a boat load of money, but to do so in a tied, coercive manner (which is actually illegal in some industries) does not meet my standards for a five star company.

Let's hope that these houses are so amazing that we can change our minds.
Justin.

By the way, has anyone seen if 219 is out of the factory yet?

When we moved into our first Mattamy home 4 years ago, we were not delayed or anything. They were great with their 30 day and 1 year stuff. 5/5 for sure! Now we're waiting for our next home on the escarpment. So far no delays but we know it's coming. I can live with that. I've heard horror stories about delays of a year or more. I see what the other developers produce, in particular Coscorp, and I'm so glad I have a Mattamy right now. I've noticed Coscorp owners have been living at the Derry/Armstrong neigbourhood, some for well over a year now, and they still have no grass, don't think they have sidewalks yet and I seriously wonder about their customer service in relation to Mattamy. Plus their houses tend to be more cookie-cutter in nature, especially other builders in the area. That's what I notice anyway, so I'm quite happy with Mattamy even though they are not perfect. Can't get any better than them in the GTA unless you custom built, but that's just my opinion.

I would believe they are in a contractual bind here, where they have agreed to sell you a house in accordance with building practices, laws, and tarion, and that means certain things are finished. So the stairs have to be finished in some way, they have a fee for staining them, or you can have the default carpet. If you really don't want them to put in the carpet or the stain they paint them.

I'm not saying it is smart, but they are probably legal bound in some assanine way to do so.

We finished up in phase 13, and not only were we virtually defect free, but what little there was was wrapped up within 6 months. Including allowing us to upgrade to tile at the original design centre price instead of just replacing a bad vinyl job with the same vinyl better done.

So I suppose they made sure to drop off the surveys at houses like ours

_________________
14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

See, this is what they tell us, so I wrote to Stephen Warner from Milton who is in charge of Occupancy Inspections he said this.

"Our Inspectors will request that the house is totally complete inside at
the time of inspection. This prevents the Inspector from having to gain
access to the interior of the house after the homeowner has moved in.
This is our business practice but not enforcible by Code. I'm sure you
can appreciate this approach with amount of new houses in our growing
Milton. We would have no issues with you or Mattamy leaving the flooring out andthe Inspector listing it as an outstanding deficiency to be
completed/recalled later, at your convenience."

So policy and code are being blurred a bit by Mattamy.

Justin.

Well that says to me that Mattamy and Milton have an agreement on what "finished" vaugly means, and the people at the design center won't accomadated you.

While the milton inspectors are open to it, and probably the trades and builders on site. There is enough burocracy to slow the who thing down.

For everything to move smoothly they have defined interfaces, unfortunetly what you want is outside of what they normally do. That doesn't make it wrong, or what they have done right, but not everything (even something reasonable) can be accomadated.

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

I honestly don't see them any different than Mattamy when it comes to 'cookie-cutter' and I've worked in both manufactures during all stages of construction.

You buy houses from a bunch of fixed models. You can choose your location, most of your colours, and a few upgrades here and there.

Production houses focus on cost and quick turnaround. Custom homes tend to focus more on quality as cost usually isn't an issue.

Mattamy just happens to get a lot of good PR. They are making a large footprint on Milton and I am sure this will open a lot of doors to them that may not be available for other developers/builders.

Either way you feel about your builder, hopefully you can enjoy your new home with as little problems as possible. Just keep in mind, no matter what the builder (custom or otherwise), it will not be 'perfect' on the day you take possession. This will happen in time.

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Professional - Audio - Video - Data - Security - Central Vac - Insured - Trained - Certified
http://www.phand.ca/

Exactly.

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Professional - Audio - Video - Data - Security - Central Vac - Insured - Trained - Certified
http://www.phand.ca/

Went through PDI this week.
One of Mattamy guys comment was - You are not going to stay for long at this house.

Here's another great example of customer service...

Over a week ago, our 'builder' rep from mattamy left us a message saying that he had a devilery date for us (Tuesday the 18th, yesterday). I thought about taking the morning off work to go see it, but I decided not to. I live an hour away from milton, but I was so excited to see my new house, that I drove there after work. My parents also came to see it. They live in Pickering and had a ways to come.

So I show up and notice that my house was not there. I drove over to the factory and, before kicking me off the property, the guy told me that my house shouldn't be ready until thursday. Wow, was that awesome. My parents were really happy to drive across Toronto in rush hour only to turn back around. I'm really happy that I didn't take the day off work.

I think that this JD power thing has been a turning point for them as far as not giving a crap about us anymore. They'll pretend to care again next May.

We are also now into week two of waiting for a response from Kelly Spencer regarding a question. Am I dreaming?

thats odd...Kelly ussually replys within hours- I email her in the evening and she replys before noon the next day...I find her to be very efficient and helpful....I emailed her twice this week with the same quick responses

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Maybe she takes her time with 'those kind of' customers...I always get quick responses from her as well.