Asphalt Help Paving Columbus - Consumer Report and Experience

Dear Sirs: My office represents <redacted> with respect to your Estimate #<redacted> and more specifically, the deficiencies with respect to your work for Mr. <redacted> applying asphalt to his driveway and installing concrete steps and walkway. As you are aware as a result of Mr. <redacted>' numerous communications over the past year, an island in the middle of Mr. <redacted>' driveway which you resurfaced has become a de facto retention pond, killing a mature tree in the area. As you also know, at the end of the driveway, a drainage pipe at has begun to pop through and deteriorate/crack the surface of the driveway and the asphalt needs straightened. Finally, the cement steps who frankly shoddy workmanship. If you need me to forward photos to you (all of which have already been provided to you by Mr. <redacted>), please advise. Mr. <redacted> has documented his attempts to amicable resolve these issues with you without result. Accordingly, the purpose of this correspondence is to formally request that you immediately rectify these items, and to otherwise invoke Mr. <redacted>' written warranty. Failure to commit to repairing/replacing these items on or before 8.15.24 and setting a reasonable date certain to perform this work will result in Mr. <redacted> taking further which could include potentially filing a complaint with the BBB and/or filing suit. Should suit be necessary, I will recommend that he include a cause of action under Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act, Home Construction Services Supplier Act and/or ORC 905.51. Such claims, if successful provide for an award of treble damages, attorney's fees and/or statutory damages. Thank you for your prompt attention. Very Truly Yours, <redacted>

While I appreciate your quick email response, Mr. <redacted> finds himself back in the position where he was when I penned my original letter to you on 8.7.24. <redacted> did call Mr. <redacted> on 8.7.24 late in the afternoon and ultimately advised he would contact <redacted name>, Mr. <redacted>' landscaper, to arrange for the quoted work to be completed. Parenthetically, Mr. <redacted name> previously tried to contact <redacted> twice without response. As of yesterday, <redacted> still had not contacted <redacted name>. You also promised to reach out to Mr. <redacted> before 8.15.24 to schedule a meeting at the job site to address the other problems. This has also not occurred. I now sense Mr. <redacted>' frustration on resolving this issue. Your company's lack of urgency after many months and follow up is concerning to me. I urge you to immediately rectify this situation as you are quickly leaving Mr. <redacted> with no alternative but to seek redress through the court system. <redacted>

From: <redacted customer email> To: Asphalt Help <redacted email> I have Asphalt Help on my schedule for repairs on June 24th. Here is a list of what needs to be completed (as discussed with BBB) on or before that day: 1. Call OOPS to mark the water line at the culvert. If it is not marked, Asphalt Help will be barred from working on the property on June 24th. I do not want the liability of another struck water line and no clear line to recovering the costs from Asphalt Help. 2. Install culvert pipe to code. Fairfield County and Lithopolis building code indicate the culvert pipe must be buried to a depth to allow for 12" of coverage. Currently there is less than 3" coverage and it is mostly asphalt. 3. Patch over culvert pipe. 4. Patch where asphalt was cut in circle to facilitate drainage pipe 5. Repair concrete on rear steps of house 6. Pay $1,021.26 to <redacted landscaping company> for tree removal and replacement in the circle - as discussed last year. Their number is <redacted phone number>. After these items are completed properly, we will finally be in agreement.

From: <redacted customer email> To: Asphalt Help <redacted email> This email serves as formal notice regarding Asphalt Help's repeated failure to honor scheduled warranty appointments and fulfill contractual obligations for my driveway, culvert, and concrete steps/walkway installation. Pattern of No-Call/No-Show Incidents: Asphalt Help has failed to appear for seven (7) scheduled warranty appointments without advance notice: - March 11-15, 2024 (scheduled March 4, 2024) - May 23, 2024 - May 24, 2024 (promised afternoon completion) - October 4, 2024 - May 5, 2025 - June 4, 2025 - June 24, 2025 This pattern demonstrates a fundamental disregard for professional standards and contractual obligations, causing significant inconvenience and continued property damage. Required Action: Please schedule a new date and time for warranty repairs and appear as scheduled. All warranty work must be completed in accordance with the requirements outlined in my email dated June 18, 2025. Timeline: Please complete all required warranty work within ten (10) business days from the date of this email. Conditional Concession: To facilitate prompt resolution, I am temporarily waiving my warranty claim regarding the crooked driveway installation. This concession is contingent upon your completion of all other outstanding warranty work within the specified timeframe. If the work remains incomplete after ten days, I will resume pursuing all original warranty claims, including the driveway straightening requirement. I remain willing to work with you to resolve these warranty issues promptly. Please confirm your scheduled repair date within 48 hours of receiving this notice.

From: <redacted customer email> To: Asphalt Help <redacted email> Dear Asphalt Help, I am writing to document the ongoing failure to complete warranty work on my property and to request an immediate resolution. Despite your July 1st email stating you were not "avoiding me," you failed to appear for the scheduled July 10th appointment without prior notice. I provided an additional 10-day period for you to reschedule, during which no contact was made. On June 18, 2025, I provided a specific list of items required for warranty completion. The following items do not appear to be weather-dependent and requires immediate attention: 1. Call OOPS to mark the water line for the culvert 2. Repair rear concrete steps 3. Pay $1,021.26 to <redacted landscaping company> for tree removal and replacement The original warranty work was scheduled for May 5th, 2025. It is now July 22nd, 2025. Weather-related delays do not reasonably account for a 10-week delay in completing warranty obligations. For record-keeping purposes, the following appointments were missed without advance notice: - March 11-15, 2024 (scheduled March 4, 2024) - May 23, 2024 - May 24, 2024 (promised afternoon completion) - October 4, 2024 - May 5, 2025 - June 4, 2025 - June 24, 2025 - July 10, 205 Please provide a completion date for the warranty work and an explanation for the extended delays beyond weather considerations.

Nature of the Complaint: Repair Issues Consumer's Original Complaint: Asphalt Help installed my driveway and walkways on September 27, 2023. I paid $31,800 minus repair costs for a water main break they caused. On November 21, 2023, I claimed corrective and warranty work under the 1-year warranty. Issues include: - Flooding in driveway circle - Remove/replace dead tree due to flooding - Failing asphalt over culvert pipe - Crooked driveway straightaway - Poorly built rear patio steps Despite written messages from myself and my attorney where we attempt to get these items addressed, Asphalt Help has failed to address any of the problems for over 10 months as of the date of this complaint. With one exception. Asphalt Help dispatched two people to cut a channel across the driveway at my circle in late May 2024 and just left it. Rendering a portion of my driveway unusable since that day. Since August 7th, Asphalt Help has attempted to blame a subcontractor they haven't hired for the delay. Being nearly 7 weeks later, this excuse for delay hasn't aged well and is discussed on a website I reference below. In order to bring this dispute to full resolution, I want Asphalt Help to remedy all claims of corrective and warranty work. I also want reimbursed by Asphalt Help all expenses associated with my attempts to get the work completed. These expenses include attorney fees, arial photography fees, and any other fees that may arise prior to completion. I also want a $6,127 refund. If we are unable to bring this dispute to full resolution, this offer to Asphalt Help is withdrawn. Many attempts have been made to resolve this dispute both by phone and in writing. Written attempts to resolve the dispute and Asphalt Help's written responses are available via the website: https://asphalt-help-consumer-notice.com. Consumer's Desired Resolution: Repair; Replacement; Refund

I am rejecting this response because: As of the date of this letter, it has been 10 months and 21 days since Asphalt Help was first notified of an issue with the driveway installation. Since 11/21/2023 there have been numerous text messages, phone calls, emails, and in face to face meetings. Asphalt Help sounds very encouraging when they proclaim they "remain committed to completing all corrective work". However, Asphalt Help has sent similar words of commitment to me and to my attorney in the past. Yet the corrective and warranty work remain incomplete. I don't understand why Asphalt Help is shifting focus to a subcontractor for their failure to install a drainage system. Or worse, shift ownership of the matter to me. Asphalt Help asked me to use my network to provide them with a quote to remedy the water retention problem. I contacted my landscape company which is referenced as "subcontractor". On July 15, Asphalt Help was sent an estimate by a subcontractor for installation of a drainage solution. Asphalt Help accepted the estimate. On July 16, Asphalt wrote to me, "After discussing the matter, I agreed to the contractor's terms and gave the go-ahead for the drain installation." On July 17, Asphalt Help was sent a message by the subcontractor that 50% down was required to start the work. Asphalt Help responded in the affirmative to the message. On August 7, Asphalt Help sent an email to my attorney in which they stated in regards to the subcontractor, "We will follow up with them to determine the status of the work and coordinate our repairs accordingly." Asphalt Help didn't pay the 50% downpayment to the subcontractor. Therefore the work was not started. Asphalt Help claims that it "… is an unfortunate situation that was outside of our direct control". However the evidence indicates this is in fact a situation created by Asphalt Help and was (and still remains) in their direct control. In order for this to settle in the best interests of both parties, we must be able to agree to the facts. Unfortunately, my experience with Asphalt Help has only worsened. On 10/7/2024 Asphalt Help arrived at my home do the warranty and corrective work. They did not discuss with me first what would be completed and how. I tried to have this conversation by phone on 10/3 and on 10/4 and was told "we would figure that out when we get there". Upon arrival of Asphalt Help, I learned they would no longer honor their promise to install the drainage pipe and that they had decided to instead patch over the trench. This unilateral decision by Asphalt Help effectively renders a permanently damaged driveway and no promised remedy to this flooding. I felt Asphalt Help was trying to conduct a bait-and-switch. Considering the enormous elapsed time and past assurances over phone, text, and email that the flooding would be corrected; I decided that if I couldn't trust Asphalt Help to remedy the flooding, then I couldn't trust them to address the remaining items. Given the audacity of the attempted change to our understanding, I sent Asphalt Help away with a Trespass warning. Asphalt Help will not be invited back until we have a written agreement in place as to what will be completed and by which date. Regards, <redacted>

<redacted>, At the bottom of this message I list a partial history of interactions with regard to my attempts to get Asphalt Help to do warranty and corrective work. It's paints a pretty awful picture of what it has been like to work with you. In messages to the BBB dated 10/8 and 10/15, Asphalt Help claims that the delays in getting corrective and warranty issues addressed are cause by me. Please review the history of interactions below. I have questions you should try to answer: - At which point in the 26 documented touches, did fixing the issues become "out of your control"? - Of the 26 documented touches, at which date did the flooding not "become part of your contractural obligations"? - Was it after you assured me you would take care of it? (see 12/22/23) - Was it after you cut a trench across my driveway with the intention to put a pipe in? (see 05/28/24) - Was it after you told me you didn't feel qualified to install the drainage pipe and you asked me to reach into my network for a quote? (see 06/19/24) - Was it after you agreed for the subcontractor to do the work? (see 07/15/24) - Was it after you assured my attorney you would do the work? (see 08/07/24) - At which point in the 26 documented touches above, 13 of which are labeled "No followup ensued" by Asphalt Help, was I delaying you? If you find answering these questions difficult, it's because these touches indicate that you knew you had the obligation to fix the flooding your work caused. In addition, nowhere can you find where I caused you any delays. The reality of the situation is the opposite of what you claim. I encourage you to check your text messages, emails, and phone logs to validate what I have provided. In short, stop trying to reframe this situation as one that I have caused, the facts don't support you. The facts actually prove you failed to follow up at nearly every step of our encounters. Also, please reconsider your stance that fixing the flooding is outside the scope of your warranty. It is your responsibility, you have taken steps to address it, and then at some point decided not to. This is a bait and switch at best and conducting business in bad faith at the worst. Your last offer as it stands is rejected. Choosing which issues to fix do not come from an a la carte menu. This is my best offer to you: 1. Pay $2,299 in full for installation of drainage pipe directly to me. This is the exact amount you agreed to with the Landscape company. I will manage the installation, pay them, and will release you of any further liability related flooding in the circle. 2. Replace the crooked portion of driveway to make it straight. 3. In the process of replacing driveway, fix culvert area. 4. Fix the concrete steps. If they cannot be fixed without damage, replace the concrete steps. 5. Patch where you cut the driveway in the circle after the drainage pipe is installed. 6. All work by Asphalt Help is completed in it's entirety within 3 business days of drainage pipe installation. 7. I will release you from reimbursement for the tree the flooding killed. 8. I will release you of my attorney fees to incurred to the date of this letter. 9. I will release you of other expenses I have incurred in preparation for a court case. 10. I will release you of owing me the $6,127 refund I have demanded. My attorney has instructions to file a complaint against you in Fairfield County and you are literally in a race against his busy schedule for getting it filed. Once it's filed, this offer is revoked and we let courts hear these facts. <redacted>, I am as eager to end our encounter as much as you are. To be done with this and never revisit each other again. Doesn't that sound nice? This is a serious and ALL OR NOTHING offer. I strongly encourage you to accept it, and quickly. Begin partial list of interactions: 09/20/23 - Installation of driveway. I inform <redacted> several times (3) during the install that I fear the turn-a-round will flood (circle) and that a drainage pipe will need installed. <redacted> assures me it will not flood multiple times. 11/21/23 - First contact via text about flooding in turn-around. <redacted> said he would come out and look. No follow up ensued. 12/22/23 - I follow up about flooding. <redacted> sends me a text, "We'll get it rectified". No follow up ensued. 03/04/24 - I follow up about flooding. <redacted> says he would come out 03/11 to 03/15 to address. No follow up ensued and no-call-no-show. 03/25/24 - I followup about flooding. <redacted> said he will be out the next day. 03/26/24 - <redacted> shows up for appointment. <redacted> tells me he wants to explore going under the driveway, will fix the concrete on the back steps, and fix the cracking of the asphalt where the culvert is installed. No Follow up ensued. 04/11/24 - I follow up about flooding. <redacted> said he is waiting for his guy to get back with him and that I will be contacted on 04/12/2024. No follow up ensued. 04/18/24 - Incoming call from <redacted>. Said he will have to cut the driveway and that I am on the schedule for 05.23 for a repair. 05/23/24 - <redacted> was a no-call-no-show for the repair work. 05/24/24 - I follow up about flooding and no-call-no-show. <redacted> said he will be out in the afternoon today. 05/24/24 - <redacted> was a no-call-no-show for the repair work. 05/28/24 - I follow up about flooding. I told <redacted> he was no-call-no-show on 05/23/24 and 05/24/24. Two people came out and cut a channel across the driveway today. Drainage repair completion will require a drainage pipe installed and the driveway patched. I asked about the cracking at the culvert. I was told they would take pictures and forward to <redacted>. 06/06/24 - I sent <redacted> a message highlighting all of the failures to follow-up and complete the work. <redacted> called and said he regrets his past behavior and that he will be out next week. 06.10 to 06.14. Didn't say which day. No follow up ensued. 06/18/24 - I sent <redacted> message - "<redacted> on June 6th, you told me on the phone you would call me the next week (6.10 to 6.14) to schedule repairs. It is June 18th and I haven't heard from you. When will you complete the repairs?". <redacted> responded via text that he would be out the afternoon of 06.19.2024. 06/19/24 - <redacted> called and told me did not feel qualified or setup to install a drainage pipe and asked me to find someone to quote the work. I agreed and contacted the landscape company I use. NOTE: It took 6 months and 19 days to 06/19/24. Asphalt Help has accepted responsibility for the flooding and cut a channel across my driveway to facilitate a drainage pipe. 07/15/24 - Asphalt Help was sent an estimate by a subcontractor for installation of a drainage solution. Asphalt Help accepted the estimate. 07/16/24 - Text from <redacted> - "After discussing the matter, I agreed to the contractor's terms and gave the go-ahead for the drain installation" 07/17/24 - Asphalt Help was sent a message by the subcontractor that 50% down was required to start the work. Asphalt Help responded in the affirmative to the message. No follow up ensued. 08/07/24 - My attorney sends an email to Asphalt Help. <redacted> calls and argues with me. Tells me to get the subcontractor to do the work. I tell <redacted> he owns the managerial and financial responsibility for the subcontractor. No follow up ensued. 08/21/24 - My attorney sends an email to Asphalt Help. No response, no follow up ensued. 08/30/24 - I call <redacted> and ask him a direct question, "What is preventing you from completing the work?" <redacted> says he is waiting on the subcontractor. I inform <redacted> that I had told him he has to schedule and pay for it and that <redacted> himself sent an email to my attorney saying he would get it scheduled. <redacted> is busy, the call ends. Says he will call me back. 08/30/24 - <redacted> sends me a text and states "I didn't forget about you. I'll get with you on Tuesday and we'll get it all taken care of." No follow up ensued. 10/01/24 - I file a complaint with BBB. 10/3/24 - I called <redacted> today around noon. He answered, I asked when the work would be completed. Said he was coming out today with a crew. I asked what they are going to do and he said "he will figure it out when he gets here". Office called me, <redacted> not able to make the appointment. Reschedules for 10/4/24. 10/4/24 - Called <redacted> at 1:13 and asked when he will be out. Said sometime today. 10/4/24 - I called <redacted> at 5:27 and told him he "no called no showed again". 10/7/24 - <redacted> arrives and is sent away after attempt to change the agreement of what to fix.

From your last message, I'm hopeful we are able to resolve this issue and very quickly. 43215-1005 1. On July 16, I brought up the issue of the crooked driveway with you. I feel like I've been pretty consistent with it since then. I know you didn't intend to in... 2. Please prepay for the $2,299 to me or the landscaper so the work can get started right away. You have two options: I am home all day today if you want... BBB only offers the option for me to Accept or Reject a response. I want to be clear, I have accepted your response with the understanding you have accepte... 1. The driveway is straightened. 2. The work for the drainage pipe installation is prepaid to me or the landscape company. The first step is getting the drainage pipe scheduled/installed so we can move on to the other work, so please prepay today.