Southeastern Metals

SEMCO Southeastern Metals are unprofessional, unethical, manipulative liars!!!

We originally had our old gutters replaced due to water leakage with new gutters through SEMCO’s Gutter Helmet. Our sales representative, Linda Radunsky, had the installers Zac and Scott install new gutters. After the install we continued to have water leakage, so we had the company come out to fix the problem. This time the employee representing Gutter Helmet, Troy, cocked the brackets of the gutters that was never the issue and said, "You're good to go! No more leaks...I guarantee it!" However, the leakage problem continues to this day! Our gutters now drain incorrectly and leak water in-between the gutters and fascia boards themselves causing more water damage and rot that we never had an issue with before our "new gutters" were installed! After calling out several other reputable companies, we found that all our gutters were improperly installed. Next, I spoke with a new co-owner, Vicki Byerly, and an employee, Iris Shaw, on two separate occasions. Both women explained Gutter Helmet would fix the problem at no additional cost to us and they would honor our warranty (which we were given a 10 year warranty on parts and labor). However, when Vicki’s husband, Kirt Byerly, came out to inspect the work done he accepted no liability or responsibility!? He even went as far as to pass blame on our roofers, ripped down a portion of our gutters during inspection and then voided our warranty? Kirt Byerly was incompetent, condescending and unprofessional and I would strongly advise against his company, Gutter Helmet of the Pikes Peak Region. And after posting our grievance with the company, Gutter Helmet, we received no communication or assistance from the local owners, Kirt and Vicki Byerly. These business owners displayed how completely unsympathetic and unwilling to assist with their company’s improper gutter installation. So, I tried to receive contact information on my territories regional manager, corporate office and/or a customer service department to complain where none was found or given by Gutter Helmet. This is a telling sign of their company policy; bottle-neck any legitimate complaints moving up the chain-of-command and making it so difficult to reach an authoritative individual that their dissatisfied customer base will just give up out of pure frustration. It was only through my own inquiries and no assistance from the company that I found Chelsea Welsh was the National Marketing Manager of Gutter Helmet/SEMCO. It turns out that Gutter Helmet is owned by SEMCO Southeastern Metals. I had to post another complaint online asking Chelsea Welsh to contact me since the only information I could find on her was personal and not business related and did not feel comfortable contacting her outside of work. Chelsea Welsh contacted me and stated she would mediate our situation and keep an open line of communication at all times, which turned out to be false. She explained some details to us that we were never aware of and that Gutter Helmet failed to inform us upon. First, we were told by Gutter Helmet’s sales representative, Linda Radunsky, that we would have a 10 year warranty on parts and labor. That fact was even confirmed by Vicki Byerly (Gutter Helmet of the Pikes Peak Region) when she stated we were covered due to our 10 year warranty, but later refuted. After looking over our original sales receipt it states that a “written warranty’s” duration was supposed to be given at the time of job competition that we never received? However, Gutter Helmet’s documentation states they guarantee a “professional install,” which was also…never received! Now, I am starting to see Gutter Helmet’s shady and unethical business practices at this point. Second, Gutter Helmet does not normally install gutters. I was confused when Chelsea Welsh discussed this information since Gutter Helmet sold, installed and warranted our gutters!? Well, it turns out that Gutter Helmet subcontracted out our work with another company and never informed us upon this decision. If we had known all this information up-front we would have taken our business elsewhere. However, Gutter Helmet felt it was better to lie and deceive us out of our money instead. After Gutter Helmet hires a subcontractor to incorrectly install our gutters, I wanted to know what Gutter Helmet/SEMCO at the corporate level was willing to do to correct this issue since the Byerly’s were reluctant to assist in correcting the issue their company created. Chelsea Welsh stated she needed all our original paperwork form Gutter Helmet before moving forward. I thought this request was a bit odd since the last time I discussed this matter with our local Gutter Helmet (in Colorado Springs, CO.) they had copies of our original paperwork…mmm…how else were they able to look up our gutter installation information and state our warranty duration? I would have imagined Chelsea Welsh would have requested it from this particular Gutter Helmet location? Unless, Chelsea Welsh wanted to see if we still had our original paperwork and a possible legitimate legal case against them. Again, Gutter Helmet’s crude business tactics are quite apparent and is practiced, regrettably, throughout the entire company itself. It seemed Gutter Helmet was looking for an excuse to relinquish themselves of any liability and/or responsibility from their improper install; however I decided to accommodate her request. I sent Chelsea Welsh a copy of our original paperwork and figured they would want to fix the problem and not prolong this matter further. Yet, I underestimated Gutter Helmet’s deceitfulness to force their will upon us. After several weeks of tying to delegate this matter, I finally received a voicemail message from a man named Kirt representing Gutter Helmet out of Denver. He stated that, “Chelsea Welsh gave him the okay to move forward in fixing our gutters.” So, Kirt said, “He would be sending out a subcontractor to get an estimate of work needed to fix our gutters properly.” The subcontractor, Jon Quesenberry, with Rain Guard Seamless Gutters came to the house and gave an estimate of work needed. Jon said, “He would send this information off to Gutter Helmet and would do the work as soon as Gutter Helmet approves it.” A few days passed, yet again, with no contact from either Jon Quesenberry or Gutter Helmet, I contacted Chelsea Welsh were she sends a “legal document” for us to sign at the last minute before proceeding with their promised work. Chelsea Welsh never stated we would have to sign anything before and now Gutter Helmet/SEMCO is making it a requirement? Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s legal document strips us of any legal action against the company, absolves them of any wrong doing and silences us from ever speaking out against the corporation in person or in writing for the rest of our lives…no joke…it states it as a requirement. Here is an example, “It is also agreed that Betty Duran and Jason Griego will never make a complaint or say a disparaging word in public or private or in person or electronically about Gutter Helmet and any persons or business associated with Gutter Helmet from now until the end of time. Betty Duran and Jason Griego also agree to immediately take down, remove, cease and desist any active complaints, disparaging reviews anything and everything in print or electronically with any naming Gutter Helmet or its agents.” Yes, this is verbatim and just a portion of their absurd document they wanted us to sign. Once I question this legal document’s necessity and expressed our reluctance to sign it (especially before any work was done) Chelsea Welsh became extremely agitated and cut off all contact. So, how do you mediate if the mediator themselves will not communicate with you? That’s right, you can’t! Chelsea Welsh’s mannerism was extremely childish and unprofessional on her part. She went as far as commenting on another post afterwards, but did not have the common decency to communicate with us? And as far as her comments, I never tried to hide the fact that I was speaking on my family’s behalf upon this matter…where I told her this fact from the beginning. Also, Chelsea Welsh’s distasteful comment of accusing me of cyber-bulling her is a straight out lie and ridiculous. I was contacting Chelsea Welsh because she was our negotiator in this matter. I cannot believe Gutter Helmet’s extreme unprofessional, combative and unethical manner has gone unchecked from its affiliate, Gibraltar Industries Company? After Chelsea Welsh broke off all contact, I decided to contact Kirt at the Denver office to find out what the *** was going on? I was immediately contacted with another Gutter Helmet representative, Carl Shive, which had to call Chelsea Welsh personally to find out what was happening. Sad, but true, I was forced to talk through a third-party in order to communicate with our “unresponsive mediator.” Quite absurd I know, but it gets worse! Carl Shive told me the Vice President of Gutter Helmet/SEMCO, Michael J. Scott, would be taking over this situation personally. I thought we would finally be able to move forward in a timely manner with a more experienced professional, but I was terribly mistaken. Michael J. Scott’s first email communication was to advise us not to communicate with Chelsea Welsh, which was apparent at this point. Also, by personally replying to Chelsea Welsh’s unprofessional comment was “inflammatory and libelous and will not be tolerated!” Really? So, Gutter Helmet is finding fault in trying to clarify a situation or just exercising the First Amendment right altogether? Yes, an awful start towards mediation if this was ever Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s true intention. At this point, I spoke with the Better Business Bureau to help facilitate this situation and forwarded the needed Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s documentation for review. The Better Business Bureau advised to receive the $800 check and pursue our own subcontractor for work needed for the signed legal document, which is stated in Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s own document. However, this exchange should be done in person to assure Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s sincerity to fulfill their promise at time of signing. Here is that portion of the document verbatim, “Please understand, Gutter Helmet can’t be held responsible for gutter installations, but for this special situation we will remedy this problem by hiring Rain Guard Seamless Gutter or issuing a check for you to pick your own contractor. Gutter Helmet will pay a sum of $800 to repair your installation issues. This payment is to correct the slope of your gutters and install a new drip edge.” And Michael J. Scott’s shocking response to this reasonable proposal was to refuse, accuse me of blackmail and stopped all communication!? Michael J. Scott states, “What you have offered is not acceptable; we have offered a generous solution for a problem unrelated to our products but we will not issue a check.” What!? It is obvious Michael J. Scott did not even read his own legal document created by his own employees! This corporation cannot even communicate with each other successfully- it is no wonder why they are so counterproductive and contradicting from person-to-person. Next, Michael J. Scott says “Offering to remove your posts for payment is akin to blackmail and we will not be party to such action.” This comment is absurd and belligerent (at best) for the $800 payment is for fixing the improper gutter installation done by Gutter Helmet. And the request for updating/deleting my reviews is a request made by Gutter Helmet/SEMCO and not us; I just reaffirmed the fact that this would be done. If Gutter Helmet/SEMCO truly wanted to work with us they would have done so already and would not have been so closed to negotiations…yet…they will not even communicate to mediate. Why? Gutter Helmet/SEMCO’s business model is by far the worst display of ineffective, unethical, unprofessional and combative conduct I have ever encountered in my entire life. So, I have to stand behind my original view of SEMCO's Gutter Helmet and inform everyone to “STAY AWAY!”