Mattamy – not tops on the Tarion list – surprised?

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Tarion, Ontario’s home warranty outfit, recently put out their list of quality builders.  Seems they don’t follow the J.D. Power bandwagon and put Mattamy tops.  Well, Mattamy did get second place in hi-rise buildings.  Hmmm…..

But, if you’re not in the condo market, here is the listing by Tarion regarding their awards.  You’ll notice 3 years in a row J.D. Power customer satisfaction award winner Mattamy doesn’t even hit the wanna-be list under the recognized winners for homes (not condo).

Why?  Well, this statement might answer that. 

“There is no better ‘litmus test’ for good customer service than a happy, satisfied customer. Tarion’s awards recognize builders for going the extra mile and putting their purchasers first to help ensure they have a positive new home experience. That’s not just smart business–it’s good news for the new home construction industry,” said Howard Bogach, Tarion President and CEO. “We congratulate all of the finalists for being recognized by their customers.”

Hey, what can I say?  For those reading this blog,  you will understand why Mattamy can’t get a legitimate top award now.  It is a shame so many people had to suffer in the process over the years.

“The Tarion Awards of Excellence are the only awards that recognize home builders from across Ontario exclusively for their after-sales customer service performance.” 

    2010 Tarion Award of Excellence Recipients:
    -------------------------------------------

    High-Rise Builder Category
    Award presented to:  Tridel - Toronto, ON
    Finalists
    Mattamy Homes - Oakville, ON
    One Sherway Tower Two - Toronto, ON (A joint venture between Menkes and
    Great Gulf Homes)
    Solmar Development Corporation - Toronto, ON
    The Daniels Corporation - Toronto, ON

    Large Volume Builder Category
    Award presented to: Brookfield Homes - Markham, ON
    Finalists
    Devonleigh Homes Inc. - Orangeville, ON
    Paradise Homes - Markham, ON
    Tartan Homes - Ottawa, ON
    Tribute Communities - Toronto, ON

    Medium Volume Builder Category:
    Award presented to: Fusion Homes - Southwestern Ontario
    Finalists
    Geertsma Homes Ltd. - Belleville, ON
    Greene Homes - Kingston, ON
    Hilden Homes Ltd. - Belleville, ON
    Sifton Properties Ltd. - London, ON

    Small Volume Builder Category
    Award presented to: Clancy Builders Ltd. - Leith, ON
    Finalists
    Don McAdoo Construction Limited - Perth, ON
    Les Investissements Lanthier-Mainville Inc. - Casselman, ON
    Midhaven Homes Ltd. - Oshawa, ON
    Robert Miller Contracting Ltd. - Callander, ON

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Mattamy loses centrefold to Brookfield

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In today’s Toronto Star, Home Section, I noticed something of interest.  Usually Mattamy Homes dominates the centrefold of the Homes section with a two page ad.  Today, J.D. Power’s “Highest Customer Satisfaction” award winner for 2009, Brookfield Homes, has the centrefold with the award symbol front and centre.

In the business world, I would think this is very telling, considering Mattamy Homes ended up with a one pager just before the centrefold.  I doubt that the centrefold only goes to the J.D. Power winner by default.  Maybe Mattamy can’t afford the centrefold anymore.  If that is the case, I wonder if they can fix the problems people have with their Mattamy homes.  The most recent being a basement with excessive cracking.

No, seems that the old granddad of the building industry, Brookfield (50 years and counting) is showing the newcomer Mattamy (30 plus and questionable) just what it is all about in terms of customer satisfaction.

It is more than just giving someone a bouquet of flowers.

With Mattamy’s past involvement in illegal berms, flooding Bracebridge basements and other incidents, I find this photo to be very symbolic.  Although puddles are common on construction projects, with Mattamy’s past, one wonders if this just predicts a problematic housing development.

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SPECIAL EDITION – Ottawa doesn’t like Mattamy

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For those reading this blog, you’ll already know that Mattamy and Ottawa aren’t exactly on good terms.  What with doing the illegal landfill and trying to sell homes without a permit, Mattamy (and their local lobbyists – some former Ottawa employees) have developed a reputation for just doing what they want.  Just like old Oakville habits of doing illegal (code) wiring.

Well, according to the recently released JD Power report, reported in the Ottawa Business Journal, Mattamy fell off their pedestal in terms of customer satisfaction.

“Given the challenging market conditions, some builders have had to make some very tough decisions regarding their staffing models, and service levels may have suffered as a result,” said Marc Thibault, a real estate practice leader at the Canadian office of J.D. Power and Associates, in a statement.

“Some of the service levels that homeowners may have been promised or have come to expect from earlier experiences with the builder are not being realized.”

It seems though, that last years top runner couldn’t keep up with the other guys in the “challenging market conditions“.  Mattamy isn’t even listed in the Ottawa Business Journal report except to point out they fell from a height of 807 last year to not even mentioned.  Looking at the chart, they seem to be in last place or at least tied for last place.  For the full report, go to JD Power. (NOTE:  In the JD Power report, except for Monarch, rest of list is alphabetical, not in order of customer satisfaction)

In order of Customer Satisfaction, according to JD Power:

Monarch:           665

Urbandale          652

Minto                    650

I feel sorry for those that had to experience the lack of service but appreciate their opportunity to tell the REAL story about Mattamy.

From their experience, I hope people will now realize why we recommend a house  inspector – even the top boys can’t get it right.

EDIT:  Tanya H, over in the Hawthorne Villager forum informed me that perennial favourite Mattamy gleaned 2nd place in the GTA, behind Brookfield.  Tribute Communities came in third.  Go to this JD Power link for more on the GTA.  The title?  Hardly surprising: J.D. Power and Associates Reports: New-Homeowner Satisfaction in the Greater Toronto Area Declines Considerably.  Who’d have thought??

 

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Mattamy Homes – how do they shape up with other builders?

I did my own JD Powers style survey today but, before you look at the results, I must admit they are not as scientific as what JD Powers would have done (or expected that they did) but, I found the results interesting.

I did a google search on “company name PROBLEMS”.   I.E. Mattamy problems.  If I got no response from google (I did for Mattamy), I would then add the word “builder”, especially if I got things totally unconnected to the builder in my first search.  These results are only on a 1 page search and the numbers do not reflect multiple problems discussed in a forum, just the one hit on the forum.

Based on this, I got the following results:

1. Mattamy            4
2. Ballantry            1
3. Minto                 1
4. Brookfield          1
5. Arista                 1
6. Great Gulf          0
7. Daniels Group    0

It is interesting that the company that got the highest award from JD Powers for customer satisfaction had the largest number of problem entries on Google when I searched builders.  For the record, I did not include any complaint that I might have posted.

As you can see more than Mattamy Homes do have problems and therefore I would still consider hiring a house inspector to monitor construction.  Just that with some builders with more problems, you might get more value from hiring the house inspector.

Mattamy Homes may be at the top – but at what cost to the consumer?

I have been accused of being biased towards Mattamy Homes based on what I have written.  Well, in the real world, you have to be careful to only state the truth.  You can’t be sued for the truth and the fact Mattamy Homes has allowed this blog to continue, only shows that it is the truth.  I mean, in the early days, they threatened to sue me and my family, sent a couple of bully boys to scare me off and might have even called the police to make a phoney call about me causing congestion (police arrived, saw I wasn’t doing anything but only hinted at the complainant – a look towards the Mattamy building).  And, I guess they feel that my little voice in the media really doesn’t amount to anything considering the amount of money they spread around to ensure they get top good news stories.  The Town of Oakville seems to forget they were part of the illegal (code) wiring part of the sale and have asked me to move on and forget they did this.  So much for government accountability.

Well, just to show you that I am fair, I will print the list that JD Powers put out regarding builders.  Just remember to read it with a grain of salt as the winner is guilty of illegal and unethical practices and won top award.  That either means the others must be really bad or, just don’t spread their money around right.  A  good honest and ethical builder would stand by their product and let you hire a house inspector to monitor the construction and protect your rather large investment.  Those that won’t allow you to put this in the contract – well, your on your own because the local government won’t necessarily cover you and there is no way you can tell code was followed once the walls are up and drywalled.    If you have money to burn later in repairs, forego the house inspector and invest in expensive upgrades – maybe they will help you dump the shack once you realize your mistake in not hiring a house inspector.

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Mattamy Homes Ranks Highest in Satisfying New-Home Buyers in the Greater Toronto Area For a Third Consecutive Year

(scores are on a 1,000 point scale):
Mattamy: 893
Tribute: 837
Brookfield: 791
Arista: 781
Ballantry: 779
Great Gulf: 756
Baywood: 755
Monarch: 743
GTA Market Average: 710
Paradise: 690
Fieldgate: 680
Aspen Ridge: 678
Greenpark: 657
Townwood: 630
Century Grove: 555
Remington: 546
Fernbrook: 543
Sundail: 543
H&R: 510
Conservatory Group: 500
Lebovic: 418