Browse Forums Building A New House Rubbed the wrong way... 33Aug 30, 2007 9:46 pm We invite you to follow the journey of our home building experience here: http://fundingthedream.blogspot.com/ Impressive Comeback! 34Aug 31, 2007 10:11 pm Well, don't know how many people have actually read the previous post I made in relation the the less than favorable experience I had yesterday, but if you are back for an update I have some pleasant news.
My post was put up last night at 10:46 PM. At 7:13 AM this morning there was an email waiting for me in response to my email from the previous day, detailing the building process which was what I had inquired about. Impressive! So, I quickly wrote back, thanking the substitute admin for the information and had one last question for her pertaining to the wrapping of the house. Within 3 minutes I had a phone call from said admin and a full explanation of the building process with an excellent attitude to boot. I then got an apology for being mislead in relation to Henley stating the wrap had been complete when it hadn't and an explanation as to how and why this might have happened, all to my satisfaction. I know this person is very busy, but she then went on to explain that with my regular admin on leave she was running two desks and attempts to keep me as informed as possible but might sometimes be delayed in getting back to me and that she will endeavor to continue to keep me posted on all works that are scheduled to happen or are happening as early as possible, though she herself is only updated once per week. We had a very pleasant discussion and ended with her tentatively scheduling me for my first walk-through with our Site Administrator for Thursday of the coming week. Not only that, but my wife went by the house later in the morning to check the mailbox and low and behold there was a tradesman there putting up the wrap on the house! I said in my previous post that I would hope Henley would get an understanding of where their customer was coming from and that they would adjust accordingly. I was very impressed to see the quick response to my email, a follow up call with an apology a calm and collected tone that answered all of my questions and wasn't merely trying to get me off the phone. To this admin's credit she was up and responding to emails at 7:00 in the morning, which proves how busy she must be covering for a colleague who is on leave and cared enough to take responsibility for her previous actions and to set things straight. Someone in another forum related to customer service once posted that they rate the company by how well they respond to issues as they arise. Let's face it, we are all going to have a few in the building process, but judging by this response, I know (so far), I have a company that cares about me as a customer and in the quality of work they are producing for me. As I've said before, I'm always going to be fair and give praise when it's due (which I'm happy to report is mostly what I've been doing), but will call them out when I feel it's necessary as well. I'm glad to see they rose to the occasion. We invite you to follow the journey of our home building experience here: http://fundingthedream.blogspot.com/ Re: Any good/bad experiences with Henley? 35Aug 31, 2007 10:41 pm bry&cbear,
Great to hear that Henley are treating you well. One day builders will realise that spending time and looking after customers ultimately improves a businesses success. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Impressive Comeback! 36Sep 03, 2007 6:33 am well done b&c...glad to hear everything is going so well.
Our build is pregressing very nicely too and we are very pleased with the comms and workmanship so far. My parents who are moving to Melbourne later this year, have decided to build with Henley too, providing Henley complete our house to a good standard and in good time. Its good to see a building company making obvious efforts to improve their workmanship and image. Re: Any good/bad experiences with Henley? 37Sep 03, 2007 12:37 pm Well done! I think that communication between both parties is the key to a good building relationship. So far, we have had a great experience with Henley....
Everyone is busy so it doesn't take much to get people off side. Hope everything goes well for Thursday's walk through. Let us know.... Re: Any good/bad experiences with Henley? 39Sep 04, 2007 9:10 pm Thanks for the comments and support guys & gals. Brittany, you are right the power of th Internet is truly amazing, if used in the right way and Phoenix, you are exactly right, communication between both parties is key to successful relationships between owner & builder, but I think it's important to emphasize constructive communication as well.
Touchingcloth, the power of 'customer experience' is clearly demonstrated by your post. If things don't go well for you, Henley could lose a potential customer, not to mention several others who would read about your experiences here while considering which builder to go with etc. Hopefully of course everything goes great and both parties win. I think the key to our success was not getting mad and 'losing it' over the phone. I could tell the Admin. was a bit stressed and though I didn't like how things were being handled at the time, the more constructive means of communicating my dislike for the situation was to post it here and on my blog. I try to always remain fairly pleasant on the phone because often the person you would like to get mad at doesn't have the power to change anything anyway, so better to voice your concern to the masses. Nothing has happened this week which is fine because the brickie is scheduled to start Monday with nothing scheduled in between. Would be great if he could get out earlier, but if not no worries. Will let you all know how the site meeting with the Supervisor on Thursday goes. I'm optimistic that it will be all good. We invite you to follow the journey of our home building experience here: http://fundingthedream.blogspot.com/ Re: Any good/bad experiences with Henley? 40Mar 16, 2009 7:24 am Hi bry&cbear
What were your site costs for Henley in Craigieburn ? I have purchased a land in the Newbury village in Highlands and checked with Henley about the site costs. The sales rep quoted an approx figure of 15K which includes upgrade to an "H" slab, rock costs and other charges. I thought 15K was slightly on the higher side. Looking at what other people are paying in that area, 10K would be a more correct figure. It would be good to know your site costs as its better to compare the rates from the same builder. Cheers Avish You have mandatory building inspections and privately engaged building inspections. The difference between the two comes down to inspecting the building so it's safe and… 3 18374 You might be able to apply to divert the sewer at your expense. In NSW you would contact a Water services co-ordinator and they would give you advice as to whether or not… 1 16311 do not pay until you are satisfied with workmanship windows require flashing over the head archithrave and up under weatherboards 3 28414 |