Porter Davis homes

Just a quick update on My Frame Inspection.
Rob from newhomeinspections.com found 9 items that require rectification. We have advised the SS CSA and Accounts team on Thursday that they require rectification prior to the frame invoice being paid.
Received 1st response from our new SS yesterday and again today, so far so good he seems to be a good operator and in 1 week has highlighted all of our defects and listed them in order or completion
Still no word from the CSA though, on review of our PCV's and paperwork re our contract variations

I think I've found our issue, PD admin processes.

For those of you in Tender and Contract Phase, do not accept items missing from your contract that you have asked for in writing asd PCV's. Ensure that the contract shows ALL ITEMS you have requested during the PD Procedure of purchase

+1 .. Till date, every time I call the CSA's so called direct line, the call is redirected to the reception who take a message. Nine out of ten times they won't call back. Same is with email..
And this is still the pre-contract stage ! I haven't even given them my money yet ..

throughout our build we have had 4 or 5 CSA's - so far our current one has been good with getting back to us, but and there is always a but - some of the information which is given us doesnt always sound right, not her faullt, its the info they feed her I think

Hi guys,

Sorry to hear of your frustrations with our policy for reviewing contracts.

We appreciate the signing of your contract is an important decision and can be quite stressful, so we try to make the process as easy as possible for our customers, while still adhering to HIA requirements. While your CSA can't provide you with a contract to take away to review, they should be able to address any questions you have and provide you with enough information to allow you to feel confident when signing. Should you need to, we'll happily arrange a second appointment to accommodate further discussions.

The five day cooling off period should be used to ensure that the contract is clear and outlines your build exactly the way you wanted. If you need any further clarification, this is the perfect opportunity to take it up with your CSA, who will be happy to address any issues and make amendments.

This procedure is certainly not meant to make our customers feel pressured in any way, but rather helps us to ensure we can keep builds on track and continue to deliver the best home build to schedule. Remember to keep an open and ongoing dialogue with your CSA, who should be able to help you through any initial concerns and guide you through a contract process that is clear and easy.

Thanks, Jess.

Jess,

If PD emailed or sent a copy to the client a week before the contract signing appointment then the customer could ensure any mistakes are rectified prior to the signing and also have a list of questions to ask the CSA about things they need clarified. If you think that all this can be covered in a matter of a few hours then please re-read the above posts where these clients clearly state that it can not. This is just one of the reasons that I am cancelling my build with PD and going to a builder that will give me transparent access to these types of documents (Carlisle Homes) so that I can go over them numerous times at my own pace and fully understand what I am signing up for. When I am about to hand over several thousand dollars I do not take it lightly and want to know exactly what I am signing. I understand that its PD policy and not designed to bully people into signing but it obviously gives that impression to clients.

Hi baronx,

It's unfortunate to hear that you've been experiencing these difficulties contact your CSA via both phone and email. I will happily organise your CSA to contact you for a chat. Please send me a PM if you continue to experience these difficulties & I'll do my best to help you out. Cheers, Jess.

Good on you Titch.. You have made the right decision.
We were also contemplating into going with the builder u've gone with but couldn't cause we didn't like the plans.

Can anyone give feedback on how long it took for a building variation form to be processed, or an email request actioned?
is 10 days too long or just par for the course?

seems to me thats its about 9 days too long

It is way too long. From my experience, I got email reply within 24 hours & building variation within 48 hours.

Thanks SSAZ & FIngers crossed, just sanity checking whether I am being too demanding

I've PM'ed Jess with a response on how to escalate

Jess


So this is a HIA requirement? Did I interpret that right?

I read that as "Porter Davis will do the minimum required to adhere to HIA requirements. Since allowing clients to take home contracts prior to signing isn't an HIA requirement Porter Davis don't allow it".

Is that correct Jess?

I would have thought that giving a copy of the contracts to the customer for reviewing prior to the signing appointment would "make the process as easy as possible for our customers"

Good on you...

We walked away after signing contract. We were not happy with delay of site start.. Always excuse

The Impression we got after going thru the building process was more like ... if you want to build with PD then the conform to rules and guidelines set by PD. When we raised this issue about Contract copy etc etc with the CSA and the Sales consultant ... the answer we got was that if you cannot make enough time for such variations and choices etc etc ... then you should not be building a house. We were running out of time thanks to us being pushed around due to FHOG deadlines on contract signing. You get to hear all this tone once you have put down your $1000 deposit during the tender process. Once again if you do not put this deposit ... the base price of the house is going up.
honestly, I could keep writing ... this was one of the biggest mistakes we made wish we had pulled out.

This is an issue for me which had gone on and on for over 2 weeks now! After the site start, I received a letter from PD about building variation (changing from carpet to tiles). PD discovered this error where I wasn't charge for changing to tiles only 4.5 months after I signed the contract and site already started! Besides, post contract variation was signed in Dec for the tiles where the amount was $0.
According to Consumer Affairs site:

You should not have to pay for variations to deal with issues that the builder should have identified before starting work. For example, extra costs to deal with rock, when the builder could have predicted this problem by reviewing the foundation data. 


I had informed PD of what I saw on web site and PD insist that I have to pay for this!

Why should I pay for someone's else mistake??

Hi Menang, did the change from carpet to tiles included/stated in the signed building contract? If it does then I don't think PD has a legal ground to ask you to pay.

& as it has been included in PCV as $NIL then you shouldn't have to pay for it. It's a legal document signed by both parties.

Menang,
i am in the opposite situation where PD have advised that the Contract is the overriding document, in addition to PCV's and as a result something I have asked for is not to be done, if you have it in your contract or a PCV they are legally bound to honour it. I think there are many examples where it isn't in the contract or a PCV so PD cannot have it both ways IMHO.

Keep on them about this.

Jess,
I sent a PM on Wednesday night.
Any Update on my questions?

Hi George's,

Thank you for sending me your PM. I did receive it and have been in contact with the Lifestyle East office in order to determine the best course of action, so I apologise for the delayed answer. I would like to help you out by organising a relevant staff member from the PD office to contact you to discuss your issues, can you please Private message me your full name, contact phone number, lot address and name of your CSA and I'll do this for you? Otherwise Please keep me posted on your progress via PM after you've been in contact with the Construction Manager. I appreciate your feedback and honesty. Regards, Jess.