Action 9: Homeowner struggles with builder to finish warranty repairs

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Ed Portello bought a new home 10 months ago, but said he can't get the builder to complete his warranty repair punch list.

"They constantly come out and say they're going to take care of things and nothing ever gets resolved," Portello said.

He said the granite kitchen countertops True Homes installed overhang the sink and build up mold and bacteria.

"They're saying this is standard. This may be standard with True Homes but if you go to any of the other large builders, it's not cut this way," he said.

Portello also said his back door doesn't fit properly. "When it rains hard we get water that seeps through," he said.

He said True Homes attempted to fix it by shifting the door hinge. "They shoved screws behind the molding instead of fixing it properly. That's their way of fixing things at True Homes."

So far, Portello said he has made 50 phone calls to the builder about his problems.

Action 9 made just one call to True Homes President Scott Wentz and it got them moving.

The builder wasted no time putting a crew to work replacing Portello's countertop and installing a new back door and frame.

Action 9's Don Griffin checked in on the work and talked to Portello's wife, Kathy.

She said the guys were working on the fixes. "Without your help we wouldn't have gotten this done at all," she said.

She now tells others persistence pays off.

WSOC