Good news!

I just got a call from Kelli O’Hara at ABC4. The story on Richmond American will air tonight at 10:00 p.m. Mountain Time. I am so appreciative to utahscams.com for making this happen. If you are aware of a scam in Utah, submit it to utahscams. It was this action that brought us the press of ABC4, and the attention of Richmond American.

Great news!

Richmond American is following through on their promises. Right now, Superior Insulation is busy insulating our home. They found a large portion of our attic (above our master bedroom) that did not have any insulation at all. Apparently there was no access to the attic above our room, so when the home was insulated, this entire space was neglected. Also, the rest of the attic was not at code, so they blew-in insulation to rectify the issue.

I was going through some old emails, and found correspondence from my husband to Richmond American over three years ago regarding the temperature of our home:

From:	Tim Gilson (timothygilson@hotmail.com)
Sent:	Wed 1/17/07 9:32 PM
To:	XXXX.XXXX@mdch.com

Thank you for your response.  I understand your explanation on the windows,
however, I feel that the cold air coming in through a couple of them is more
than a small amount.  I've lived in several houses, apartments, and condos;
new and old, and this is the first house where I've had to set my thermostat
at 78 just to keep the house at 68.  As you can imagine, it's taking a toll
on the gas bill.  On three of the windows (1 in the kitchen and 2 in the
master bedroom), you can place your hand in front of the window and feel the
cold air streaming in.  More particularly on windy days of course, but also
when there is no wind.  In any case, we'd appreciate you checking it out for
us.  The best time to stop by would be on Thursday morning around 8:30am or
Saturday (if you work on Saturday's?) in the mornings.  Let me know what
would work best for you.  If you cannot make it either of these times, let
me know and we can arrange our schedule.

Thanks again!

(Below is the email from Richmond American to Tim)

It is an expected finding to feel a small amount of around the windows.  The
windows have weep seals built into the frame to permit any condensation
build up to exit to the outside of the house.  The weep seals also allow a
small amount of air in and out.  Single hung and vent windows are sealed
with a dual felt and rubber seal.  The felt seal cannot keep out 100% of the
air, but is necessary to permit opening and closing of the window.

I will have to come and take a look.  Let me know when you are available.

--XXXXX

At the time, we did not know we had an insulation problem- we just knew our house was BEYOND cold and our windows were leaky. It is interesting to me that neither issue was ever addressed by Richmond. Our windows still leak (leaking is probably an understatement. The wind BLOWS through.) Instead of getting results, we received an email telling us why we shouldn’t be concerned. Absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me. It wasn’t until we had our insulation evaluated by SunRoc (about a year later) that we found it was significantly below code.

My question is, was it a policy for Richmond to ignore or dismiss warranty requests at that time?

What is their policy now? Poli Peters is delivering on his promises to us. Will he deliver to other home owners?

A bigger question may be related to Eagle Mountain City. How did our home even pass inspection?

As a reminder, if you have outstanding warranty issues, submit a request on their website, and reference frickinmom.com. AND- tune in tonight for the ABC4 Richmond American Investigation at 10:00 p.m. It should be really interesting (and you get to see my smiling face. What is better than that?)

ALSO- they are measuring driveways between now and March 12. If your driveway needs replacing, contact Richmond American ASAP so you can be included in this group of repairs. To submit warranty issues, go to RichmondAmerican.com/homecare, and submit a customer service request, or call 801-743-7440. The Home Care Specialist for our division is Kevin Jensen. You can also ask for Poli Peters, who is the Director of Construction for Richmond American Homes. Again, for some extra leverage, be sure to mention that you were referred by frickinmom.com.