Warranty Misrepresentations: The reason that you cant get Horton to repair is twofold: First, according to the 2006 D R Horton Annual Report to Shareholders, pages 45 and 59 available at the official D R Horton web site under 'investor relations', Horton has “established warranty reserves by charging cost of sales and crediting warranty liability to each home sold.” Also, “claims relating to workmanship and materials are generally the primary responsibility of the sub contractors.” In other words D R Horton points the finger to the sub contractor and then the sub points the finger to D R Horton.  (I personally present both with my finger.) Also note that the cost of our warranties have been built into the sales price of our homes and money we have already paid to Horton.  As contained within their own documents, D R Horton makes money on their warranty operations. The more that Horton does not honor their warranties, under which they are only secondarily liable, the more money Horton makes.  Second, since sales and revenue are slow and low this year, and D R Horton must meet its wall street imposed financial targets, therefore Horton is not spending much on its liabilities which happen to include our warrantable items.  D R Horton's very own documents are plainly supported by the following sources and consumer testimonials: Colorado Home Alliance, Issue #1, March/April 2005: 2004 JD Powers and Associates New Home Customer Satisfaction Study: D R Horton ranked at the bottom of the list in the Denver/Colorado Springs area, with a score almost 50% below the industry average. D R Horton also ranked at the bottom of Warranty Week’s list of warranty spending in 2003, with only 0.3% of total sales being used to complete the warranty work. D R Horton and Centex pay out 1/3 or less than their competitors KB, Pulte, Richmond and Beazer in warranty claims. “D.R. Horton keeps costs low while battling rivals” Nov. 30, 2005, By James R. Hagerty and Kemba J. Dunham, The Wall Street Journal: Despite soaring sales, D.R. Horton regularly ranks dismally in customer-satisfaction surveys done by J.D. Power & Amp Associates, a Westlake Village, Calif., consulting firm best known for its rankings of automotive quality. In the latest report from Power, released in September, D R Horton rated average or below in each of the 25 cities where its customers were surveyed. The surveys cover the quality of workmanship and materials, price and value, and home design. Rivals Pulte and Centex do far better on the surveys -- and trumpet the results. Patrick Missud, Las Vegas, closed 3/04: I documented miscellaneous construction defects within my first year as required. I also discovered a major structural defect and detailed it in an engineer’s report sent by certified mail to three D R Horton representatives and contacts. D R Horton’s attorneys told me that they never got it. The USPS tells me that they did -right down to the minute. After I made a fuss, two D R Horton warranty representatives came out and started taking pictures of minor home owner landscaping improvements. My guess is that D R Horton wanted to now claim that defects were of my own creation and therefore non warranted. Alternatively, those same reps stated that the interior cracking all along my western wall in the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom was merely ‘cosmetic.’ The state Building Department and Contractors’ Board found that there was atypical ‘roof truss settling,’ which resulted in cracking in virtually every window’s corner, inside and out, as well as shifting an interior column and partition. The roof trusses had begun to break and tear through the ceiling at 24 inch intervals. The western and northern walls are now 5/8 inch out of plumb. The extensive damage is as a result of insufficient lateral bracing which does not resist cyclical wind forces. The back of my home flexes and ‘flaps’ in the wind. Rather than properly repairing the structure, which would require the admission of a major construction defect, D R Horton elected to caulk, plaster and repaint the cracking. One year later, along with the winds, the damages have returned. Others in my development also have recurring window corner cracking which is no longer ‘warranted’ by D R Horton. However, the structural framing defects, and the originating source of the cracking, are warranted for ten years. Ex-Subcontractor Knows In Other States J, Virginia: My husband and I worked as a subcontractor for D R Horton (aka Dobson Builders) out of VA. Believe me, I know first hand how AWFUL they are. As a builder on site and office work. When we first started working with D R Horton, the 2nd house we were at, one whole side of the upstairs floor had a huge hump in it. We were able to get it leveled somewhat for them, but there still is a hump in the floor. Of course new homes have flaws, all man-made items due, each has it's own characteristics due to the material involved. However, many, many mistakes were made on D R Horton job sites due to lousy subcontractors. Do you know how hard it is to try to do your job when the person in front of you didn't do theirs correctly? Then the D R Horton superintendent tells you to just 'go over it the best you can'. Mistakes upon mistakes are covered over and some just barely enough to pass inspections. In fact, there were a couple times where things were put together just to pass inspection and then taken apart right after. Many of the D R Horton subcontractors have their own agenda as well, and that does not help. But it is hard to work for a company and do good work when the company itself finds ways to cut your paycheck short. The finger pointing begins and no-one wants to complete their job until it is settled. And we can be talking thousands of dollars. That in no way excuses the lousy work some contractors do, but it is up to D R Horton to be sure of who they hire and the quality of the work. After just a few months, we left. It was an awful circumstance to be in when you can see the lying and cheating going on all around you. If you think an all-girls office can be 'catty' you haven't been on a job site of cut-throat, money hungry guys. D R Horton really gets into the backstabbing. And when a homeowner calls into the office to complain on warranty items that are still not taken care of.....well, let's say I was present on a couple occasions in the office while that topic came up. Once, the General Manager told the secretary “I'm not here” and walked off. Yes, that happens, but this was a customer who has had a problem for 5 months and should have been taken care of before closing. That's why D R Horton was putting them off, if they were able to close w/the problem at the time, they can manage.... another time I overheard 'I don't care what they say, we are not going to waste any more time on them. Tell them “it's not covered on the warranty or we can't get it fixed.” After all, time is money and a builder hates to loose money. D R Horton is one of the most disrespected companies we have ever worked with.	THE VERY NEXT WARRANTY HORROR IS CURRENT!!!!!!!!! I have reviewed the following buyer's guide at an affiliate's site: http://www.homebuildingpitfalls.com/affiliate/affiliate.php?id=56  Other larger consumer groups have also endorsed it as an effective guide for protecting home buyers.  EDUCATE YOURSELVES BEFORE BUYING FROM A-N-Y BUILDER, -that way you may not need warranty repairs. http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6913126 August 13, 2007:  RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS), by Maggie Alexander - Michaela Gonzales emailed WIS News 10 saying her family has a "home with water coming in, floors peeling up, granite cracking, mold, etc. It's so bad!" D.R. Horton is the largest homebuilder in the United States.……Larry Schwartz moved into his new home in Lake Carolina two years ago. After four months he had to temporarily move out because of mold. …. Schwartz says the hardwood floors in his bathroom had to be replaced twice. The toilet wasn't set properly, causing a leak. It took two times to get it right. "They took it out, didn't set it right second time, so another six months before we could get them to come out again and reset it." Schwartz's neighbor, Jim Pletcher, also has flooring problems. "The surface is just peeling off." Pletcher has also had problems with his fireplace since he moved in. That was two years ago. "We are fed up and that's the only way to put it." Pletcher says, "All we want is to have repairs done." And Schwartz agrees, "You try to be nice. They say the nice guy finishes last and that's how it is with Horton." To see the effect that the adhesive, no choice for consumers, mandatory arbitration clause has on your rights scroll down to the very bottom of this page.  You have less than no rights, you're better off dealing with the devil. Don’t just take my word for it, many other sites do a good job of documenting the lack of warranty services: consumeraffairs.com Other sites are found at City-data.com, Ripoffreport, HADD, HOBB, .....just serach for 'd r horton' and terms such as 'construction defects, fraud, misrepresentation.....' Survey ranks homebuilders on customer satisfaction, Jeff Ehling, 11/8/05, KTRK Houston: Kelly Li has spent the last five years in her Pearland home and has not had any major trouble. Most homes on her block were built by Pulte Homes and the residents we spoke with said the company took care of any problems that came up. "The customer service is very good," Li told us. Li's assessment is backed up by a big name. According to J.D. Powers and Associates, Pulte Homes is the highest ranked home builder in our area based on customer satisfaction. It's the fourth year in a row the home builder has been at the top of the list. Rounding out the top five are KB Homes, David Weekly Homes, NuHome Designs, and Centex. The study takes into account ten different aspects of a builder's work, but warranty and customer service hold the most weight. Window seals were cracked. They needed to be replaced," said Richard Spiotto of his home. "There were markings on some of the bricks." Spiotto also owns a home in Pearland, but most of the houses in his neighborhood were built by D.R. Horton. According to J.D. Powers and Associates, D.R. Horton is on the bottom of the list when it comes to customer satisfaction. Spiotto says most of the problems were eventually taken care of, but it wasn't easy. "You're screaming a lot about them," he told us. "In general, it just took a long time to have someone come out." The worst home builders when it comes to customer satisfaction were D.R. Horton, LGI Homes, Coventry, Emerald, and Parkside/K. Ferrell. Despite soaring sales, D.R. Horton regularly ranks dismally in customer-satisfaction surveys done by J.D. Power & Associates, a Westlake Village, Calif., consulting firm best known for its rankings of automotive quality. In the latest report from Power, released in September, Horton rated average or below in each of the 25 cities where its customers were surveyed. The surveys cover the quality of workmanship and materials, price and value, and home design. Rivals Pulte and Centex do far better on the surveys -- and trumpet the results. SL, Alabama, closed 06: I recently purchased a D R Horton home, unfortunately I found this website thereafter. Several of my neighbors and myself has a laundry list of things that need repair. Can you tell me where we should start other than being dismissed by the warranty department? Should we contact the local Home Builders Association or our Congressman or who? Any information you can forward would be great. I had no idea that this national company was this unprofessional. KP, Louisiana, closed 06: Horton was advised via a private inspector that the a/c unit on our house was too small. Remember we live in Louisiana and it is HOT. The first jerk came out while I was home without my husband, I guess he thought I was a stupid woman, and he told me a/c's in LA are not meant to cool to 70 degrees which is what we keep ours set on...really, I have lived in LA all my life and never had a problem. Then this "kid" that worked for the a/c company that seemed to really want to help told us that Horton's policy for a/c's is that it is only required to have a 20 degree difference, such as if it's 100 degrees outside then they only have to cool to 80, and so on. I also read some poor victims stories about their plumbing. We have to flush several times...I called the plumbers right away, and I was told that toilets are made like that now! These people are jokes...they come out with such big lies, I cant believe that anyone would believe any of it. http://www.my-drhorton-house.com/purchase.html: WORD OF CAUTION: Don't assume the company will make the repair, even if it is covered in the warranty. As you can see throughout my story, DR Horton would not make the repairs needed on my house. It took them over 4 years to finally repair the foundation, and many repairs still need to be done. Always remember, if you don't get an item changed before closing - consider it never getting done. (Unless you take care of it yourself). AA, SC, closed 06: One neighbor stated that DR Horton stalled in fixing a defective air conditioner. A few months ago, another neighbor relayed that DR Horton would not fix their yard. When the house was finished and the sod was placed it was actually placed on rocks. This caused sink holes all over the yard and walking on the lawn is difficult without breaking an ankle. I have contacted an attorney regarding my defects and they sent Dr Horton a letter requesting that they fix the problem. DR Horton refused to comply to the request. I didn't have the legal fees to go any further. ?K, CA, closed 06: [Predatory lending]……I also have trouble getting them to respond to problems or sometimes they do not want to fix them. There are many construction defects in the house with the floors repeatedly creaking and uneven floors. RS, FL, closed 06: I read your web-site and can relate to almost all the contents. D R Horton are by far the worst of the worst human beings on the face of this great planet. They sold our community (actually a blessing) to a private investor and told us tough shit in so many words……………… I was told our community was to far from their main office in Pensacola, and our community was a thorn in their side and a huge mistake. They left everyone hanging with warranty issues and a half built community that looks like crap. We were promised the word yet got nothing in return but a lot of structural issues with our home and a community that regrets ever buying from them………….. You are right, they all really do suck!
RM, Las Vegas, closed 03: Within the one year warranty period, I prepared a punch list of unfinished and warrantable items. D R Horton dragged its feet and then told me that since the items were not repaired within the year, that I was out of warranty. BN, Reno, closed 06: We have had much more that what would be normal in defects for a new house. D R Horton does agree to fix everything, but it usually takes us to follow up to make sure it gets done or they have to come in several times to fix the same problem every time needing someone home to complete the repairs “Thank God for my stay at home wife otherwise I would never be at work”. All of the neighbors I know on my street have had the same issues as we have and are just as unhappy with D R Horton. We had are closing date pushed back three times. On the final walk through I believe the fix it list was twenty some items which where not fixed when we moved in, nor was the gas to the house even turned on. S?, California, closed 6/06: At the time of our final walk through, there was no AC nor was the gas hooked up. D R Horton was rushing to move us in. Our outside lights flicker, the entertainment center niche is crooked, gas fireplace not hooked up, balcony missing a rain gutter, two shades of paint in the master bedroom, bent garage door, and a broken microwave. To this day only a few things have been fixed, but only because we call every day. I would never buy a D R Horton home ever again. D R Horton customer service is terrible. The sales office people treat you great until you close escrow. Please consider not buying a D R Horton home. David, Taylors South Carolina, 10/04: I was a D R Horton insider for 5 years as the warranty manager in Greenville South Carolina. If anyone wants to know what D R Horton is really about please call me. If you live in a D R Horton home in Greenville and are having warranty issue I may be able to help. E?, N. Carolina, closed 03: We were told at our final inspection that the bubbles in the ceiling would be taken care of right after closing. Now that we closed, D R Horton tells us that the ceilings are our problem, since the sub contractors used cheap paint. The dishwasher has leaked from day one. D R Horton tells me to call the plumber or the electrician. I am sick of these people, they are liars!! I will not tell anyone to buy a home from them ever…major mistake they make promises they do not keep, big fat liars, and they are rude as hell!!! RM, Las Vegas, closed 03: D R Horton forced me to file suit to get warranty repairs. GS, Las Vegas, closed 04: I can not understand that paying 1.4 million dollars for a D R Horton house and we are getting treated like we live in the ghetto. The shoddy band-aid work that they are doing to try to make us happy is not going to work, they break other things in the process and hope we don't notice and go about their merry way. D R Horton’s agents are as sneaky as they come along with Neil from the main office supposedly. I wish I knew how to get a hold of Mr. Horton himself because I would have a few things to say let me tell you. John, Florida, closed 6/06: D R Horton customer satisfaction is a joke. We called them over 10 times to come fix a brand new leaking dishwasher which wasn’t fixed until 3 weeks later. The carpet that it soaked wasn’t repaired for an additional 3 weeks. DH, Las Vegas, closed 10/05: We have experienced several difficulties in getting D R Horton to perform warranty repairs. We are very worried about the structural integrity of our home. Kimberly, Jacksonville FLA, closed 04: BEWARE all new residents of Jacksonville Florida DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM D R HORTON! Our problems started the day we moved in we noticed that the carpet in the formal living room had a seam showing from one wall to the other and that it was not done very well, we of course being decent and trying to get everything moved in and get ready from Christmas with our children decided that it could wait till after the new year to contact D R Horton and have them come out and look at it to get it fixed never thinking that they would not honor their warranty……. BL, Las Vegas, closed 03: I asked D R Horton to come and inspect my construction defects. They told me that they would honor the warranty and that I was on my own. ??, Arizona, closed 2/00: D R Horton homes has provided the worst built, worst supported home we have ever seen. Our future neighbors even warned us that if we moved in before final completion, that D R Horton would never finish the house. We couldn’t believe it but its true. AM, Arizona, closed 1/07: The words ‘customer service’ are not in D R Horton’s vocabulary. Sewage is shooting up from the toilet and shower like something out of a horror movie. D R Horton replaces cosmetically damaged parts, but has completely denied that there is an actual plumbing problem and refuses to address this issue. FC, Las Vegas, closed 03: After having my front brick veneers patched three times, as well as the same walls’ interior surface cracks repaired D R Horton told me they would not be coming back for further repairs to the same walls. These walls are still experiencing the same problems and were never properly fixed, but are now out of warranty. S?, Georgia, closed 05: We have lived in our D R Horton home for a little over two years now, do you think you can fix the 2 page list from our 11th month walk through this year? TP, ??, closed 06: We have had many problems with the D R Horton warranty department. I have tried many times to get things repaired without getting anything accomplished. I even spoke with a representative late last year. She told me to fax my problems to D R Horton in writing. The fax number I was given didn’t work and when I tried to call back, the regular phone number didn’t work. If you try to call the number in the warranty book, it states that it is a non working number. I have several areas of concern with my D R Horton home, and need to know what steps should be taken. JL, California, closed 5/06: We are not happy at all in our home it has some many problems and D R Horton won’t fix it!!! Harriette of Sacramento CA (06/08/07), CC: Since buying my D R Horton home two years ago I have submitted dozens of requests to get things fixed. I have taken just as many days off work in order to meet the repair persons only to be set up with yet another appointment so someone else can come and finish up the job. It has been very frustrating and time consuming. Two items I have been dealing with from the beginning are with a cracks at my front porch and a mantel that was never put in on a fireplace I had added to my bedroom. The cracks D R Horton said were to small to fix and the fireplace mantel no body seems to know if it came with one, yet I wasn't given any options at the Design Studio. I have another fireplace that is dual and has a mantel on both sides which was not extra. I'm just so tired of getting the run around. I've taken pictures of other homes like mine and their cement has not cracked because they placed several joints to avoid that problem. I've seem D R Horton take out entire drive ways because something was wrong with it initially, yet they refuse to correct mine. Dorina Corrente, Sugar Land TX, HOBB excerpt: “Look at the mold, look at the damage.” She said poor drainage and bad construction have sent her new home to rot. The lawn is always wet. The foundation, crumbling. The blue tape marks what she says is wrong — what she says her home builder, D R Horton, won’t fix. One place she won’t turn is to the state of Texas and the Residential Construction Commission. Lawmakers established that agency to help people just like her. But last year a scathing report from the state comptroller found it has no authority to resolve disputes and “lacks the authority to enforce its own building standards.” “They are together with the builders,” Corrente said. “They only support the builders — not the homeowner.” SM, Phoenix, AZ, closed 99:[ …lots of construction defects.] The arcadia door was not square with the opening and when we asked if it could be repaired D R Horton just simply referred us to the booklet. A repair guy would come out to replace the wheels and the door u-joint and state this work would have to be done every 4 months as all doors wear out. After the coverage was no longer available we could not budget for $318 repair costs for the arcadia door any longer and replaced the sliding door with regular swinging doors. I have paid professionals out of pocket, I have documented the events and each time D R Horton always has a way to stick it too you. I paid $25,000 more for my home because they told me my home was built better than the others. I am so beside myself I feel like another Katrina person but hit by a different kind of scam. I am worn out angry emotional frustrated...I am so tired of fighting and working to pay for my repairs. It is even more difficult to find out who to talk to or what number to call as they are the master at changing their phone numbers or being part of a buy out. I mean here is a list and who are they? All details coming your way soon as there are YEARS of fighting with this company. One Pissed Off AZ Republican.	Email, NC, closed 06: [Construction defects and mold….] D R Horton finished half ass. We are not a sealed crawl space yet we have a dehumidifier. We do not pass state code!!! D R Horton left us hi and dry they think they have gone above and beyond. We live in fear everyday. They refuse to come back! This August will be one year, that we were out of our home for 1 month then again 5 days to remediate. Sick ness, stress. My little girl diagnosed with Asthma 6 months after we moved in, we never put 2+2 TOGETHER. VC, Texas, realtor: I do not believe that the Emerald Home Warranty (D R Horton) is worth the paper on which it is written. In my 25 years I have dealt with other builders who were there at the drop of a hat when a customer called about a needed repair to come back and correct. I just cannot believe that so much can happen to one house. Problems from the walk through before closing are still undone. DC, Texas, closed 12/03: [Construction defects….] For seven months after closing, the finishing list of a dozen items had not been addressed. The D R Horton warranty isn’t worth the paper its printed on. I have had to hire four realtors to get D R Horton to even reply to my concerns, and I am still at ground zero. DB, Texas, realtor: [Advocating for a client’s request for warranty repairs….] It is perplexing that D R Horton did not bring engineers or inspection staff as expected and agreed at the first site visit, but rather secretaries and customer service representatives. Despite the years of broken promises and the most recent unexpected set back, we will once more extend the opportunity for D R Horton to perform a thorough inspection…… MC, ??, closed ?: I am not surprised at all....D R Horton is not a good nor honest nor quality builder. Fortunately for us we did not obtain our mortgage through D R Horton. Nonetheless we have had countless issue with our home which we have had to repair on our own or force feed D R Horton to take care of. I have collected numerous complaint e-mails from various D R Horton homeowners across the country. I have learned one thing for sure....a. never buy a home from D R Horton and, b. never buy a home from D R Horton or any affiliates of D R Horton. E?, California, closed 06: D R Horton not only uses subs that just want to get in, throw the house together and leave, but they keep you waiting endlessly to correct their cheap work. It is CLEAR that all they care about is throwing cheap track homes together. And when I say cheap, I mean their quality, our home was almost $1 million. What a disgrace to the building industry. D R Horton will leave you out in the cold, wishing desperately that you had never purchased a home from them. D R Horton is without question the shoddiest, most unprofessional builder ever. E?, Arizona, closed 06: I HAVE OWNED MY D R HORTON HOME FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND IS NIGHT MARE FROM DAY ONE. CHEAPLY BUILD HOMES. NO SOUND PROOFING. CHEAP STUCCO KEEPS FALLING OF THE WALLS CRACKS ON THE WALLS. DOORS NOT HUNG CORRECTLY. BAD FLOORING. D R HORTON REFUSES TO FIX THE HUNDREDS OF LOOP HOLES TO GET AWAY WITH IT AND EXCELLENT ‘CON-ARTIST TEAM WHO WORK FOR THEM. NOTHING BUT PROMISES AND LIES. STARTING WITH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE. BRANDON WORKS OUT IN MARICOPA. HAVE MORE THAN ONE PHONE CONVERSATION RECORDED WITH APOLOGIES ABOUT NOT SHOWING UP AND PROMISING THEY WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. D R HORTON DOESNT CARE WE ARE ALL HAVING PROBLEMS OUT HERE THEY JUST DON'T CARE. TOOK NEARLY SIX MONTH FOR THEM TO FIX THE PILLARS ON MY COVER PATIO AND THE END I WOULD PAYING FOR IT THEY USE UNSKILLED WORKERS TO DO REPAIRS THEY MAKE IT WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER Rosanna, Sugar Hill Georgia, closed 01: My husband and I have been working with the D R Horton Warranty department for the last 3 years in getting our issues addressed and resolved. I have gone so far as filing a BBB complaint and we just keep going in circles. The head of D R Horton’s warranty dept had reviewed my issues as a project manager and at the time said he needed to obtain the department head's approval to proceed. He is not the department head and yet no resolutions. We wanted to go to arbitration but the BBB said that D R Horton didn't have it in their clause so they didn't have to participate. We have mold, structural issues and water retention/flow issues in my back yard. Every time D R Horton sent their contractors in to do a warranty repair, they would cause more damage than repair. We have considered legal action and are hoping this site can help. R?, Florida, closed 06: D R Horton is responsible for making sure my yard is properly graded and if an employee of D R Horton states I need a French drain, then they need to follow through. It's unfortunate that D R Horton did not respond to my calls, e-mails, and letter. I had to ask for help through a third party to have them respond. It is because of this that I was not surprised when D R Horton tried to put the blame on me, the customer. Some of the statements by Mr. Hughes were completely false and I hope my response will help to show a clear, overall picture of my problem. A?, Florida, closed 06: We recently purchased a home from D R Horton homes. It was the most terrible experience we have ever had. First of all, the closing was at 2:30 AM. Second we received the keys after a week. We had to call them about thirty times just to get the wrong set of keys. So we had to drive about 200 miles to grab the right keys. D R Horton tried to close the house without having us walk through the house. There was a good reason for that because there were so many things that were not done. First there were holes in the walls and in the garage floor, then the paint job was just terrible, it was like it was painted by a little kid. Then they threw the rest of the paint on the bushes. THE DRY WALL HAD BUMPS IN IT ALL AROUND THE HOUSE. There were holes on the ceiling. Whenever we call D R Horton about finishing the work, they always have an excuse. For example they said that the house was locked and they couldn't get into the house, so when we drove over 200 miles to get there the house was wide open. So we went and talked to them and they swore up and down that it was locked. Then we left the house open the next day and left the keys with our agent so if D R Horton said it was locked again she can run them the keys. The next day the agent said that the garage windows were broken the guys were just standing around. the agent flipped out on them because she had to drive over an hour to bring them the keys, but when she went past them to unlock the door it was already unlocked. Emilio of Maricopa AZ (10/22/06), CC: I have owned my D R Horton home for almost a year and it is a nightmare from day one. cheaply built, no sound proofing, cheap stucco keeps falling off the walls, doors not hung correctly, bad flooring. D R Horton refuses to fix anything. They have hundreds of loopholes, nothing but promises and lies, starting with their customer service. ??, McKinney Texas, HADD: Under D R Horton's policy, we have an 11 month "warranty check" that we can take advantage of in order to get things fixed throughout our house that we found while living there. Well that was in August of 2005 and we are still dealing with the issues. Our warranty checklist has been closed out 4 times without our signature. We have unfinished work done by the D R Horton workers. We have called several times with no return phone calls. I am highly disappointed in the work that "America's Builder" provides and the customer service that we receive is lacking. SFGate.com, “No place like this home--fortunately,” Chip Johnson, April 28, 2006:The house leaked like a sieve. There was no way to get into the attic. And though they didn't know it at the time, there was a gas leak on the property. D R Horton set up the family in a temporary home a few blocks away and promised to fix everything. That was two years ago. The house, gutted to the framing studs, has been vacant ever since -- and Holmes is still making mortgage payments. At first, Holmes was patient, sure that D R Horton would make things right. But when the contractor did an abrupt about-face in July 2004 and offered to buy the place back instead of fixing it, his patience began to wear thin."It seems to me like they've spent more money keeping us out of the house rather than trying to get us back in it," he said. ….D R Horton lost control of the situation when the lawyers got involved. That's a fairly honest -- and unusual -- admission in the world of big business. ktrider, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: DR Horton Develops, constructs and sells single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. ( NYSE: DHI ). too bad they are fall apart in two years, the paint is coming off, the drive way is cracking and my foundation needs repair. they dont care, they got their money already, now they left me with a broken home. Dr Horton sucks. They build crappy homes that are over priced and the customer service sucks even worse than the homes they build. Purty Mommie, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: I agree!!!!! I hate DR Horton. They have the worst possible customer service I could ever imagine! I wish someone would make a Drhortonsucks.com like kbsucks website, only better because they suck more. Especially Taylor and Boyd Martin, President of the Salt Lake area. They suck! By Anonymous, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: DR Horton sucks in the Seattle area too! At least they're consistent. The mistakes and re-do's made during construction are too numerous to list. The only thing worse has been the customer service. All DR Horton is good at is saying "no" to requests. All they care about is $$$$ - have you every noticed that their employees all wear shirts, jackets, etc with their stock symbol - it's obvious what they care about! DO NOT BUY A DR HORTON HOME AND DO NOT BUY A HOME IN ISSAQUAH HIGHLANDS BECAUSE THE DEVELOPER, PORT BLAKELY, IS AS BAD AS DR HORTON!!! HOLLOMAN et al. v. D. R. HORTON, INC. et al., Gwinnett Superior Court, 1999; The Hollomans provided expert testimony that the house was defective in many respects, such as improper installation of the manufactured floor system, framing defects, and other construction defects, including improper installation of stucco, siding, and windows. The Hollomans' expert witness concluded that the house had so many structural defects that it was unsound and not suitable for its intended use. He attributed the defects to "a general performance failure at all levels of the construction process." It is undisputed that Horton is a builder-seller chargeable with special knowledge of the alleged defects. See Wilhite, supra; Worthey, supra. The Hollomans also allege by affidavit that they "have . . . been informed" that Horton was notified by a floor joist manufacturer of certain necessary structural corrections but failed to make them. We do not consider this allegation because evidence on summary judgment is held to the same standards of admissibility as evidence at trial, and inadmissible hearsay has no probative value unless an exception to the hearsay rule applies.
(CBS13) ROSEVILLE, Calif., Curtis Ming reporting, HOBB excerpt: Scott Wall and his family have been living in chaos since September when they returned from a trip and tried to pull into their garage. “And when I couldn't get the door open I went around to the side of the house and that's where I saw the water coming down,” explained Wall. Scott says the water was pouring down from the second story. When he got inside it was dumping out of the light fixtures and down the stairs. The carpet soaked with an inch of standing water. The culprit to all this, he claims defective plumbing the builder knew about. In fact, a letter from the builder D R Horton dated three weeks before the burst reads: “We recently learned of a potential issue with the toilet supply lines. They may fail in the future which could cause water damage to your home.” But it was too late for Scott who called the builder D R Horton. He says they told him not to turn it over to his insurance because it would be quicker and cheaper if they just fixed this mess on their own. “D R Horton made grand promises, they said they had a crew of people to come in to do it and could get it done,” said Wall. Instead of charging DR Horton for lodging, Scott and his family moved in with his in laws while they worked on the problem. But the so called quick fix dragged on for months. “Where we ran into problems was with the floor coverings and stuff,” said Wall. Scott claims the tile DR Horton wanted to put in wouldn't match what he already had throughout the house. And he says they didn't want to replace the water soaked cabinets. Scott asked if they would put in wood flooring he already bought instead of carpet and claims they said no. “I'm the homeowner and you're not gonna tell me how my house is gonna be put back together, and you're not gonna go cheap at my expense?” questioned Wall. Very unhappy with DR Horton, Scott told them…..We placed five calls to the builder over three weeks leaving messages with two different people. Not one of my calls was returned. Scott's stuck dealing with a builder he feels is more interested in profits than customer service. “There was nothing about customer service that they did for us,” commented Wall. The insurance company has paid to have the house fixed up where the family can move back in. The Times-Standard By H. Dennis Beaver, HOBB excerpt: "Its just a fridge!" Dietz-Crane builds homes all across America. They are part of the D.R. Horton family of construction firms, and describe themselves with these words: Pride, Care and Craftsmanship go into every home we build. Come meet the builder other builders talk about. Business is good for Dietz-Crane, and for D.R. Horton, very good. Unfortunately, what is good for them -- a home construction universe on steroids -- may not be especially good for some of their customers. Over the next two years Andy Tang lost two refrigerators full of food and put up with 5 repair attempts by Whirlpool service technicians. “It gave new meaning to the words incompetent service,” he told me. Even after being told by both Whirlpool and Dietz-Crane employees that his fridge should have been replaced, it seemed that was not to be. Neither Whirlpool nor Diet-Crane did what common sense called for. I asked these questions of everyone I spoke with: “What is your policy concerning immediate replacement of a customer's defective refrigerator? Why was Andy put through two years of nonsense?” Everyone I spoke with was polite, friendly, assured me that I would be called back immediately, but that seldom happened. In fact, they were sooooo nice, and I concluded that is their way of dealing with complaints; be nice, but that's about all, if Andy's situation was typical case. B M M, Auburn, CA: I have worked as a customer service representative for a builder and a customer service manager for a subcontractor after a ten year hands on construction career. The truth is that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions. Warranty means absolutely nothing anymore. It is just ink on paper, or just hot air coming out of a sales person’s mouth. Just be aware that you as the consumer are protected by a ten year latent defect law, even if the builder and/or subcontractor say that they only offer a 1-2 year warranty. The builders and/or general contractors such as D R Horton have bullied the consumer, employees, vendors, and subcontractors. It is sad but true. They have taken all the profit and burned it. They have spent every dime on themselves and now it is time to dish out the promise, but since the money is gone, the promise is now empty. There is no one to blame but the greed of the previous and/or current upper management. AL, Las Vegas, closed 200?: Interestingly enough, since the first week we moved into the D R Horton house we have had nothing but problems. 1. front bathroom tub/shower was cracked (they finally repaired the fiberglass) 2. sewer odor is in the front bathroom sink (it has never been repaired) 3. front door area hose bib broke inside the wall and had to be repaired (caused leaking inside the wall) 4. air conditioning unit stopped working and we had to call for service 5. some of the electrical wiring was not connected properly (we had to have an electrician fix it) 6. home is poorly constructed (sound proofing was NOT one of their priorities) 7. my biggest issue is that after the home was purchased, any level of customer service was non existent! SINCERELY....SCREWED BY D R HORTON GS, Las Vegas, closed 2005: [Construction defects]….I also have ripples in my ceiling that I am positive that is caused by the 4 leaks but D R Horton refused to look at it at this time. Here is the good part Dennis Traina, the warranty manager told one of the sub-contractors that I was a class A [expletive]. Blanca Hansen, Newark, CA, closed 06 : I agree- the D R Horton costumer care service is completely fraud. It has been 3 months since they started "fixing" the warped wall in my master bathroom-- to date we have called our customer care representative (Jason Green) many times both my husband or myself have yet to hear from him. Mean while, I have to sit around with my master bathroom torn apart in my D R Horton home that is no more than 6 months old. Missmypfc, City-data: Another guy in the squadron just bought in Redbird Ranch (past Bella Vista) and although they love the area, they are having problems with their D R Horton home... not sure what price-points are in R.R. We are going on six months in Westcreek in an Armadillo home... yes, they still come by to "fix" things. Chi2Midlands, City-data: In Columbia our experience with D R Horton was awful. I will admit they had a lot of good people work for them, but with their high employee turnover in the Greenville/Columbia division, things always fell though the cracks. Our house is not falling apart, but the construction and warranty experiences have been from underwhelming to terrible (with occasional flashes of goodness). They have had serious upper management issues for at least two years now, and they keep losing good people to other builders (which tells me it's a terrible work environment, and this is substantiated by an employee who relayed this to me on her last day there). They also have had bad apples. I know of at least one or two realtors who have soured on them. I would not recommend D R Horton, at least not in the Columbia market. There is also a potential class action lawsuit against them from one neighborhood in Northeast Richland (including problems such as building 8-foot ceilings when 9-foot ceilings were ordered by the customer, or putting in "popcorn" ceilings rather than smooth ones). Again, they have some very good people working under extraordinary circumstances, but they are stretched very thin. Roger1945: My wife and l have bought a D R Horton home in Florida at Kissimmee, Orlando. We closed in October 2005, it was December 2006 before most of the problems were sorted. Due to very bad finishing and repairs not being carried out by the maintenance team, who were under instruction from no less than the Vice President Mr. Chris Wilson, our home was flooded and $15.000,00 worth of damage was done. D R Horton was not interested, though they were working on the house during the flooding. They told us to see our insurers. Fortunately the insurers met the claim and D R Horton dropped us like a hot potato. We still have a grading problem confirmed by the city architect but D R Horton just will not talk about it. We paid to see an attorney who told us, that we are unable to sue D R Horton as when we bought the house, we signed away any rights to sue the builders. He said its the builders who buy the lawmakers the Margareeta's not the members of public so full protection is given to the builder. As an English person in Florida we are staggered at the inability to bring D R Horton to book. We paid cash $287000.00 for the house, we currently have the house up for sale at $267000. We would never buy another house from D R Horton . In England D R Horton would be made to make restitution. Florida law is dubious. Check your sales contract when paying your deposit. D R Horton states that they may not finish all the building by the closing date, they reserve the right to finish off after closing and all monies have been paid. If you do not pay by the closing date, you are liable for extra costs as you will have already signed to say full payment would be made on closing when you paid your deposit. This was written into our contract, as we assumed D R Horton were national company with a reputation for quality building we accepted this. We have spent the last 17 months regretting our being naïve. Buying our house from D R Horton has cost us $10s of thousands of dollars.	B?, Florida, closed 10/05: D R Horton delivered me an incomplete home in September 2005. They promised me at that time all the issues concerning the home would be corrected. It is now March 2006, over 5 months later and I have yet to have any items corrected. I have been completely ignored by D R Horton. I have never been contacted by a customer service or warranty associate. I have mailed multiple letters to the southwest Florida division and D R Horton’s corporate office. I have received no response. They have given me no other choice than to bring my problem public. My warranty issues include: scratched cabinets, scratched countertops, missing light fixtures, broken light fixtures, incomplete landscaping, poor stucco, missing paint, bad carpet seams, discolored dishwasher and more. DO NOT PURCHASE A HOME FROM D R HORTON!!!! Jamee of Katy TX (05/24/07), CC: I purchased a D R Horton home in March 2006. I took what I could get because I needed a home that was almost ready. I had no time to have one built. I knew from the time I walked in that it was very basic. There was really nothing spectacular about it, except it was BIG. I have had to put in NUMEROUS requests for warranty work from the doors & windows to the garage. It has taken FOREVER for D R Horton to respond to things and some things take multiple visits to get repaired and it's only mickey moused to look fixed! I have learned my lesson! I recently got out of warranty, Mar 2007 and my A/C just went AGAIN! So now I have to start paying for all these cheap repairs D R Horton supposedly made on a brand new house! I wish I had seen all these complaints before I paid CASH for this house!! Jarod of Bakersfield CA (05/02/07), CC: We all have the same experienced dealing with D R Horton's defective homes and their lousy customer service employees. We even hire a lawyer just to get their attention. However, since we have a Binding Arbitration with D R Horton - we just cant do anything period. The government should not allow builders to require home buyers to sign this stupid binding arbitration because its hurting the consumers and builders are untouchables. Trellie of San Antonio TX (04/25/07), CC: My family and I are a military family. When moving back stateside we thought buying our first home would be a grand experience. We really should of researched more carefully into who we were going into business with because we believed that once the closing was completed the hardest part was over. We had 4 walkthroughs -- 2 with a professional inspector and 2 with the superintendent onsite. We were promised that our home would be completed and all the inspectors pointed out problems would be completed. We moved in March 5th 2007 and have been calling D R Horton ever since to get the numerous problems fixed. We've found that phone calls don't work, no matter who takes them, emails are the best way to deal with the situation because you have proof to cover you and D R Horton can't say you caused the damage. Patrick of Townsend DE (03/16/07), CC: I recently purchased a D R Horton Home in Townsend Delaware January 2007. I had a punch list from the walkthrough with no response from the service representative. I purchased a spec home and during the initial walkthrough there was water damage from a roof leak in the third bedroom. D R Horton assured the problem was corrected and the ceiling was replaced and repaired. I did notice a small spot during a snow storm, but a large spot came after the first significant rain. Immediately calling Mr. Messina and leaving a voice message 2/28/07, I followed with several calls finally reaching Mr. Messina on 3/6/07, who committed to have the roofer fix the problem. I contact Mr. Messina again 3/8/07 and mentioned that I had a concern that the roof hasn't been repaired and there was rain forecasted for the weekend. Mr. Messina again assured me he would have the roofer come out and repair roof, he knew where the problem was and there was no need for the roof to access the attic to find the leak. In addition D R Horton representative would contact you on Monday 3/12/07 to coordinate repairing the ceiling. Friday and Monday came and went with no contact from anyone roofer or D R Horton. The rain came causing additional water damage to the ceiling. Again on 3/16/07 I contacted Mr. Messina leaving another voice mail about the leak because it was raining and the roof was leaking. I have made 6 phone calls with no results the small spot has turned into a large spot. Ed of Castle Rock CO (03/08/07), CC: The biggest problem I have with D R Horton is that they do not respond to their customers in a timely manner. In our community of Horton homes there is one customer service rep., if he is busy or gone for the day you are out of luck, because no one else in entire company will respond to your request. The cooktop in our kitchen was not installed correctly, fine, things like that happen. When we asked for the cooktop to be installed correctly under warranty D R Horton sent to individuals out that had absolutely no idea what they were doing. I called to ask a simple question, "How is the cooktop supposed to be installed?" I left a message on the customer reps voice mail. The next day he was working on a D R Horton spec home (obviously more important then any home owner), he yelled out, "I got your messages, let me finish up here and I'll call you." He left the spec home, but after two hours no call. I called the D R Horton main office, asked to speak to some one about my problem, but was told that I can only talk to my customer rep. that no one else can help me. I said that was ridiculous and ask to be passed through to the supervisor. They did and of course I got his voice mail. I left a message for him to call me regarding my problem; two hours later no call. Lori of Thornton CO (12/07/06), CC: I bought a brand new D R Horton home in June of 2006. The concrete garage floor had a rather large crack in it, which when I did my walkthrough, I was told 'would have to be replaced, but not until it was 1/2 wide'. Almost immediately after moving in, my front yard sank over 8 inches, to the point of being able to see underneath my front porch, and underneath my driveway. D R Horton's representative came out and said that I had a 'trench failure', and that lots of people in my area had the same thing happening. They removed my rock, pulled back the freshly laid sod, and backfilled most of the area involved. D R Horton didn't compact the area, nor did they backfill UNDER the driveway; just pushed dirt up to the edge of it. Less than a month later, it happened again. This time they did push dirt under the driveway with 2 x 4's, however in the process, buried two of the sprinklers. Again D R Horton didn't compact the surface areas. Now, two months later, it has dropped again. I followed their 'rule' and complained about it online, and it took someone SIX weeks to get back to me. The driveway now has two large cracks in it, right where they say the 'trench failure' goes diagonally underneath it. I don't park on the driveway; its doing this all on it's own. Several homes in my area have had to have their concrete garage floor re-poured, and one house down the hill from me actually had to be lifted in it's entirety because the WHOLE HOUSE had dropped a couple of inches. So far it feels like they're just waiting until my warranty period is over, and doing nothing in the meantime. If I had any idea D R Horton customer service would be so poor, I definitely would have found a different builder, and am recommending to everyone I know NOT to buy from D R Horton. I paid over 350k for this house, and certainly expected the concrete to not crack within just a few months of it being poured. I don't know yet what the economic consequences will be, however at the rate everything is cracking, I'm guessing my warranty period will be just about over when the cracks reach their '1/2' requirement for warranty replacement. And, I'm worried the whole house is going to start sinking.
D R Horton has a binding mandatory arbitration clause in their contract.  If you even try to enforce your rights, you might as well run to the bank and burn about $40,000.00 Get all the details at: Read More Arbitration Horror Stories Jordan Fogal, Houston, Texas: Jordan bought her dream retirement home in Houston, Texas. Within months of moving, she discovered over $150,000 worth of damages--damages so severe that her doctor forced her to move out immediately, because of the harmful health effects. Jordan pleaded with her builder to fix the damage on the home but instead he forced her in to arbitration because, as with many homebuyers’ contracts, her contract included a binding mandatory arbitration clause. Jordan went through arbitration, spending thousands on experts and witnesses. After successfully proving fraud against her builder she only received $26,000 for her $300,000 home, which is now uninhabitable. Jordan now cannot appeal and has no recourse for action. She is left homeless and stripped of her basic American right to get justice through the courts. Dale Beinusa, Dixon, Missouri: Dale Beinusa is a US Army Combat Veteran of 22 years, recently returned from a tour of active duty in Iraq in October 2006. Still on active duty, he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, when he purchased a newly constructed home in November 2002 in Waynesville, Missouri. There were multiple problems with the home, including major structural damage and an unstable, un-level kitchen floor. Dale notified the builder about the problems but the builder only a few of the many problems were resolved. Dale was forced to settle the dispute through arbitration, as required by his warranty. Dale paid $500 in arbitration fees and $80 in additional travel expenses for a meeting that only lasted 38 minutes. The arbitration process was severely slanted in favor of the builder. The arbitrator had not read the information on the case and he did not inspect the structure of the house as requested. The final arbitration ruling provided no remedies to his home. Dale did not understand the references in the ruling so he asked for clarification. He was told that the arbitration ruling would stand and that the case was closed with absolutely no explanation. While he tried to fight this unfair ruling, Dale received orders to return to Iraq. For Dale, it must be difficult to fight for freedom and justice abroad when he cannot get proper justice at home. Scott and Leslie Kimbell, Jefferson, Georgia:  Scott and Leslie Kimbell decided to build their dream home. After extensive searching they found a beautiful lot and a reliable builder to do the job. Toward the end of their first year in the house they noticed a dip in the fireplace and some cracking in the walls above the fireplace. The builder offered to repair the problem, but the “repairs” did not correct the problems which only grew worse. They spent thousands of dollars on structural engineers who confirmed the horribly defective construction of the home, including numerous code violations. When the builder would not return their calls or fix the problems, they filed a lawsuit. That is when they discovered that an arbitration clause in their contract denied them access to the courts. The arbitration process took over two years and cost them $40,000. They were harassed and threatened by the builder throughout, and could not do anything about it. The arbitrator’s bias and incompetence were displayed by his lack of knowledge and disregard for the facts of the case. The Kimbells presented a case with indisputable evidence, including expert testimony and video evidence that proved the builder committed fraud. The arbitrator exceeded the month-long deadline in rendering a decision. Defying logic, his final decision stated that all the defects in the house were the fault of the homeowners, but all fees would be split by both parties. When they requested an explanation of the verdict they waited two more months, when the arbitrator finally told them that he would not state the evidence or law he used to reach his decision. The Kimbells have spent all of their savings on arbitration and were left with a house that no one will buy. Greg Cole, Marietta, GA: Greg bought his dream home for his two boys and his wife. Greg noticed a few structural problems with the home so he hired an engineer who discovered three pages worth of defects in the house. In particular, there was mold growing throughout the house. His family was diagnosed with dangerously high levels of mycotoxins in their bodies because of the mold. His two boys have mold in their bloodstream and his wife has a fungus eating away her ear canal that her doctor cannot cure. The family’s doctors say they are all slowly dying. Greg tried to go to court with the builder, but was forced into arbitration. When he bought the home, he was instructed to initial a box on arbitration, which was never explained to him. The arbitrator instructed the builder to make some minor repairs but he did not address the largest problems, most importantly the mold. Despite his supposed “victory,” Greg was told to split the arbitration fees with his builder. The house was uninhabitable, so he was forced to tear it down and rebuild. Greg is too sick to work. He has no home and he has mounting arbitration bills and medical bills from his family’s deteriorating health. The arbitration process denied him access to justice that would have held the builder accountable and provided a remedy for the wrongs Greg and his family suffered. Tell Congress to Ban Mandatory Binding Arbitration!	SEVERAL EMPLOYEES CLAIMED THE SAME BREACH AND YET...... http://adrforum.com/adr_CaseDetails.aspx?caseid=496 D.R. Horton, Inc. v. Hatton, No. 14-06-00262-CV, 14-06-00284-CV, 2006 WL 3193722 (Tex. App. Nov. 07, 2006), Brenda Hatton brought suit against her employer, D.R. Horton, Inc. (D.R. Horton), alleging discrimination and breach of contract. D.R. Horton moved to compel arbitration pursuant to the arbitration agreement contained in an employee handbook. The Court disagreed with Brooks’s argument that the arbitration agreement was illusory, unconscionable, and too indefinite to form a binding contract. Here, D.R. Horton did not have the right to amend or rescind the arbitration clause, and the Court also disagreed that the costs of arbitration were prohibitive because D.R. Horton had offered to pay the costs of arbitration. This Court found that the facts of this case were very similar to those in D.R. Horton v. Brooks, Nos. 14-06-00099-CV, 14-06-00152-CV, 2006 WL 3091457 (Tex. App. Nov. 2, 2006). In Brooks, the Court agreed with D.R. Horton’s argument that the denial of its motion to compel was an abuse of discretion. The Court considered Brooks to be controlling and concluded that arbitration clause was valid. The Court issued a conditional writ of mandamus ordering the trial court to compel arbitration. Guy Combs, Alpine, TX:  Vietnam veteran Guy Combs bought a house in his hometown of Alpine, Texas. After living in the house for only four years, Guy discovered that his home had severe structural problems. He asked his builder to repair the damage, but the builder offered to pay only $3,000 for $300,000 worth of damages. When Guy bought the home he unknowingly signed an arbitration agreement, which was not explained to him at the time. Therefore, he was forced to settle his dispute in arbitration. Guy describes arbitration as “third world justice.” The arbitrator refused to recognize that there were damages to Guy’s home despite the testimony of twenty expert witnesses that Guy hired. The arbitration process cost him $77,000. The arbitrator billed him a flat fee of $150,000 but after negotiations he brought the fee down to $50,000 plus interest. Guy did not want to lose his ranch and, since there was no means for appeal, he paid the fees. Guy has a PhD from Brown and he thought he understood our legal system, until his rights were eviscerated by arbitration. Jim Stacy, Horn Lake, Mississippi Jim moved from Biloxi right after Hurricane Katrina and bought a $350,000 home. The mortar was messy all around his house so he complained and the builder poured acid all over the house and driveway to repair it. When that did not resolve the problem the builder chiseled around the bricks to remove the mortar and ended up cracking the bricks. Jim got an engineer to come out and look at the house who told him he would need to re-brick the entire house at a cost of approximately $39,000. Since he owned the home for less than a year, he asked the builder to make the repairs under the advertised one-year warranty. Jim’s home also suffered water damage, so the total bill for damages was $45,000. After the builder refused to repair the damage Jim got a lawyer. This is when he discovered he would be forced into arbitration. The arbitrator would not allow expert testimony. He visited the home but appeared aloof and did not take any notes. The arbitrator ruled in favor of the builder except for a few minor repairs. Jim says the experience has been the worst of his life. Linda Etherson, Knoxville, TNWhen Linda Etherson bought her home, she was informed that she would receive a one year builder’s warranty. After being told by the builder that he would take care of everything, Linda signed a form which she was told was an acknowledgment of her warranty. It in fact contained a clause that said any disputes would be handled through arbitration. Within a month, there was extensive damage cause by water leaking through the foundation. Only when she filed suit did Linda find out that she was headed to arbitration. When an inspection was conducted, the report said that even though there was water damage, the warranty did not cover mold. The arbitrator sided against Linda. When she appealed, the new arbitrator ruled that since they could not show actual water leaking through the wall during the two day period of the appeal, her claim was denied. Unfortunately for Linda, it had not rained during either of those days. Rose Harrison, Washington, GA When Rose Harrison bought her home, she signed what she thought was a homeowner’s warranty agreement. Unbeknownst to her, it contained a provision that any disputes would be handled through arbitration. She was informed that the home was a model home and had never been lived in. The advertisement said the home had a working sewage and septic system; however, after inspection, this was determined to be false. The builder assured her that this was because it was a model home and she should not worry because one would be installed shortly. When installed, the faulty system caused Rose and her son to become sick. When the health inspector conducted tests of the water, it contained e-coli and coliform. They were advised to use bottled water and not consume any from the house. When she sued, Rose was sent to arbitration. While the arbitrator in the case did order the builder to conduct some repairs, he ruled that the water contamination was not the builder’s responsibility, so Rose had no recourse. She has spent around $10,000 in arbitration and her home is uninhabitable. She has no potable water and the conditions have been so deplorable that her son decided to live with his father. Mary Finn, Cincinnati, OhioEight-two-year-old Mary Finn had a home built for her by Ray Murphy Homes but due to numerous structural problems (the home did not meet building standards) she did not purchase the home. She tried to get her down payment back, but was told she was bound by an arbitration clause. Using the “fast track” system, she went through arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. The builder and attorneys kept cancelling, so it was not a fast process, as advertised. During arbitration Mary encountered misrepresentation and fraud. The builders hid the damage on the house by limiting inspections and Mary paid high costs and was misled about the costs of arbitration. The builder's lawyer took money out of their retainer to pay for the builder's filing fee without their knowledge or approval. She still can not get the builder into arbitration because he refuses to make himself available. She refers to arbitration as “rape” because she has felt so violated through the process. Steven Vinson, Lexington, KYAfter bravely serving his country in Vietnam, Steven Vinson never thought he would have to face a new enemy at home. Using a Veteran Affairs loan, he purchased a house. While he noted numerous code violations before he signed the contract, he was assured that all repairs would be completed within ten days. That was then pushed back to thirty days after the contract was signed. After no repairs were ever completed, he contacted the Home Builders Association, which sent out a team of inspectors. They found numerous violations and when they ordered the builder to repair them, he refused. Mr. Vinson contacted numerous people in Washington, including the VA, the Vice-President, and the President. Eventually after five years, he sold the house. When he tried to hold the builder accountable, he was referred to arbitration. Since it was going to cost thousands of dollars and there was no guarantee the arbitrator would even follow the law in this quasi-legal process, Steven declined. Ned Bond, Frederick, Maryland:  Ned and Lori Bond got an addition to their house in Frederick, Maryland. They signed an arbitration clause, which they were told would put them in arbitration to settle disputes more cheaply, quickly and informally than going to court. The addition project fell through and the builder would not return their deposit. When they tried to hold their builder accountable, they were forced into arbitration. The fees were astronomical. The rules and regulations of their procedure continuously changed. After a year of letters and many attempts at mediation and arbitration with nothing to show for it they finally got into a courtroom.