General Steel Corporation
reviews and complaints

I entered into this process completely green to the metal building scene. General Steel Corporation came to my rescue and walked me thru the process step by step. He handed me off to their representative to complete the details and he too has been wonderful to work with. I could not have asked for a better team to guide me through the buying experience for my new home/barn/riding arena combo. Thanks guys!

My husband and I each purchased a building. A 60' x 80' warehouse for my husband, and a 24' x 30' garage for me. We worked with John when we called for the first time. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. He was never impatient or pushy. He answered all of our questions and responded to us very quickly. He was great to work with and we would definitely recommend working with him.

Easy ordering process. We have order twice now for mini storage facilities. On the second order 2 days before the installation company was scheduled to come in and erect the buildings we had a car run through our metal on pallets on the ground on our lot. We had to reorder part of two buildings and went through the claims department and received a quick turnaround to get the parts we needed.

Great company! I was able to get the building I wanted without stress. I was able to make my purchase over the phone and through email. The team at General Steel Corporation worked with me trying to help make sure I had all my needs met with the purchase. Would go back and use again if the need were to arise. Thank you for all the help! Highly recommend for all your building needs even if you are not sure what kind of space you really want, they can help.

The process is easy. the things I think they need to improve on is. if you want to finish the inside of the building the cost for engineering is significant. they did not mention that at the start of the process. the other thing was the insulation they sold me is not very good rating to upgrade it. there is a substantial cost. when I ask if I went with the better insulation was I going to get credit for what I had agreed to I did not feel like I got a strait answer.

Working with General Steel has been a fantastic experience to date. After submitting a request through their online form, we were contacted by their sales representative who handled everything professionally and promptly. After submitting our drawings and working with Zach to get our best price options, we finalized our purchase in just a few days. Post-sales support has also been great, and we look forward to our continued relationship with General Steel as we complete our project. Thank you!

Working with General Steel and their employee has been a great experience thus far in our process. The project manager and the other team members that have been involved thus far have all been helpful and have went above and beyond to get us the products we need for a large space warehouse. Timelines and open lines of communication have been great. Overall this has been a great experience thus far. I would definitely recommend this company and team of people for small to commercial sized projects in the future.

I own a small lawn care and handyman business and have been looking for a new shop. I was very pleased with General Steel Corporation and the staff. They provided me with multiple options on my new shop and helped me stay within my budget. My order was delivered in a very timely manner and whenever I had a question or a concern it was very easy to contact their customer service team, sales representatives, and support staff. I would highly recommend General Steel Corporation to everyone, they are an awesome one stop shop.

I highly recommend General Steel for your warehouse needs. I have ordered from them before and have been so happy with the warehouse I got. I recently reached out about another project I have going on and [Name of Representative] was the rep I worked with. He helped me with several quotes to find the best fit for my project and I ended up settling on the 50' x 100' warehouse to the exact specs I needed. [Name of Representative] was consistently available to help me the entire process of picking my warehouse. I would definitely recommend General Steel and working with [Name of Representative]!

It has been an privilege working with the sales representatives and customer service team at General Steel Corporation; they have guided me through the process of purchasing an 30 (Width) by 80 (Length) by 10 (Height) Engineered Building. They were extremely friendly and responsive in pointing out several possible issues with my initial plans, and provided me the assistance I needed in recommending adjustments, which they assisted me in incorporating into my purchase. Once I complete this project I plan to come back to the General Steel Team for future projects that I am considering now, and I will recommend the sales representatives and customer service team by name to anyone who is looking for a similar building solution. I am greatly appreciative of their help.

I worked with General Steel Corporation initially when I called. I was just getting quotes in order for me to build storage units. The representative I spoke with was excellent to work with. I called multiple times with several questions as I was going through the process figuring out everything with my business venture. I ordered a certain number of square feet worth of building. The representative gave me a great price per square foot for me to figure my numbers on to determine how much of a building I could buy with the funds I had available. His estimates were accurate for when it came time to purchase. After the down payment I've been worked with closely along the way by the rest of the team who has been quick to follow-up and be there as I've had questions. The construction manager was the next person I was passed to for the construction phase of the project and he's been excellent! Everyone I've worked with has been so great. I've already recommended them to several family and friends of mine. I would highly recommend them to anyone else. They fabricate high quality steel buildings throughout the whole country.

I ordered a 100'x80' open air (no sides just roof and gable ends) Pavilion from General Steel Corporation, for a Worship Center at a Church in Western North Carolina. While working with Steve Johnson before the contracts were signed everything went fine. Some pressure sales about the price of steel going up soon so we need to hurry, but that is to be expected. The major complaints came after the contract was signed and deposit sent. In the contract it stated the typical time frame for building delivered to site and set up was 10 - 14 weeks. We were waiting on Engineered Drawing to be sent to us to pull permits and get the concrete slab completed. We finally received word that our drawings were not going to be to us until 10 weeks later. This was the same time the building was supposed to be here. After a few calls we were told the building would not be here for 10 months. They said the Vice President would be in contact with me, I had to call him (he sent me an email). After a little conversation about the entire process we were getting nowhere. He refused to refund money, even though they have done nothing (no drawings, no steel). We can understand somewhat of a delay in the building due to COVID but not 10 months and definitely don't understand not being able to get Engineered Drawings to pull permits and get slab poured. This is what they do and everything is pretty much standard and structures.

This is the worst company my husband and I have ever dealt with for communication, loyalty, and honesty. The situation we are facing was faced by others we spoke with recently and they were able to resolve it with minimal effort and a low financial added cost. The CBC or "California's Building Code" was changed from 2019 to 2020. We had sent in the papers to our county late but also issues pertaining to the pandemic caused us to miss the "grandfathering in" period for the paperwork and the old to new codes on the engineering plans. The code changed to a lower wind speed which means the building we purchased would actually be "overbuilt" or stronger than needed for the new codes wind speed requirements. We contacted the company many times over the 2020 period to address the situation, only to be told we need to pay the cost of $16,000 to have the plans changed or updated to the new code. When we explained the issue and pleaded over the code being a downgrade with no additional building materials needed they came back with a $4,000 discount, still leaving us with a bill of roughly $13,000 to fix the plans. The other peoople and local businesses we talked to (and we talked to several) made it clear that it was a minimal change to the plans with no other structural building needed. Most paid near $300-$400 to get this update to their plans. I feel ripped off and taken advantage of by this company. We should have learned our lesson and purchased locally. I never write reviews like this but needed to say something when this was taken to the top vice president of the company and this is how he handled the situation. WE COULD HAVE PURCHASED A WHOLE NEW BUILDING AT THIS EXTRA COST! LITERALLY A SQUARE BOX OF METAL...

After much research, we purchased a General Steel 30' x 44' barn as the optimal solution for our tractor and many implements. Our research led us to General Steel and we could not be more pleased; pride in their product and professionalism is palpable. Our initial contact and on-going partner in this purchase was and remains [Name of Contact Person]. He, along with others became the face of General Steel to us. [Name of Contact Person] was extraordinarily knowledgeable; provided 'one-stop' shopping; answered questions, explored options off-line with extremely quick turn-around of info all of which led us to a purchase with which we could not be more pleased. Following the decision to purchase, [Name of Contact Person] placed us into the hands of [Name of Contractor] for contracting where [Name of Contractor] and the process again exceeded our expectations - he and the process are highly professional, effective and efficient. Our expectations for the barn began with the exceptional customer relations of the team up-front. From [Name of Contact Person], who greatly exceeded our expectations navigating pre-purchase to purchase; to [Name of Contractor] who guided the contracting process in literally minutes; to [Name of Reviewer] who has taken the time to review our experience in light of performance improvement opportunities - we could not be more pleased. [Name of Contact Person]'s first words sum up our General Steel experience start to finish - he simply said 'Welcome to the Family of General Steel.' It was a stunning feeling. We have come to know that - General Steel buildings are strong with customer service and relationships that are even stronger. Many 'Thanks!' to [Name of Contact Person] and [Name of Contractor]. We can hardly wait to meet and work with our Project Manager, [Name of Project Manager]. So refreshing to find a Company that has invested in their product and their people. Respectfully submitted, ~M & J

When the building was bid , we sent detailed drawings of what we wanted . They did not bid the interior liner panel and when I went back to them they added to contract when it was clearly stated to follow drawings sent to them , then the building was delivered to wrong place , we got driver rerouted he went 6 hours out of his way. When building was delivered they did not deliver the trim package . When that finally got to us we had been delayed a day . Then the screws seal tape rivets and foam seals did not come with trim package as needed . I have emailed General several times to no response . This has been a horrible purchase and the customer service has been none .

made an agreement with General Steel Corporation to provide material and personnel to fabricate a 60"X65 barndominium on my newly acquired lot in Stewart, Tennessee. I was told by the Vice President that they had the necessary materials on hand to do this job, but would have to check their stock to see if it was available. After checking, he informed me that the necessary material was indeed available. I made an $8000 deposit and eagerly awaited the start of the work.

In December, I met with Sam C to discuss the plans for the construction of three bedrooms on the upper level, a single bedroom on the lower level, and a wall to separate the living quarters from the motorhome garage. In February, while I waited for the drawings to be provided, Sam C requested an additional $3200 deposit to get the drawing started.

In March, I was informed that General Steel Corporation would only provide the material for the shell of the barndominium.

I received documents that were stating a price of a garage that was what I believed was the total price of the garage. Where there was an extra price of 9000 left out. The adjustment were only placed on the price and was told a deposit was to be made. I asked about the other deposit and stated that it would be moved to the new balance. I was looking at a c channel garage, and when I spoke with the sales man over the phone he stated that I would be able to make this a two car garage just fine. When I was redirected to a new person and was told that the building would not fit a door that would allow a two door garage. There was an option for modifications so moved forward. What I was getting was only the price of the modification and not the price of the actual building. When I received the shipping documents the price was doubled. Called them and stated they could make adjustments and pretty much said I was stuck after they were given 6000. I could back out and lose all my money.

General Steel history involving General Steel Corporation:
Inquired about the cost of a steel building at the end of August
Had numerous conversations with salesman for General Steel Chase K, explaining the purpose of the building, being a place for storage and a workshop at my residence
The “sales pitch" was that he was selling me a building for “August" pricing, even though August had passed. Signing the contract and sending in my deposit “locked" in the pricing of steel at this lower cost price. “Steel prices are down right now so you're getting a great deal" was a comment Chase had made (this is at a time lumber prices were rising rapidly). There was a tremendous push, numerous calls, to sign the contract and send in the down payment.
Conversations with Chase also involved me inquiring about the size of the concrete pads needed so that I could support their building. He said he has many customers who pour their own concrete and use the drawings that are provided by General Steel, referred to as the “anchor bolt plan"
Conversations with Chase also involve the number of openings I desired, he said at design they can add more openings to accommodate, he said “They can typically add one or two under this pricing."
Based on these conversations with Chase, I signed the contract and submitted my deposit ($5,000) 9/5. I read the contract but didn't realize that the items listed above in the conversations with Chase are not applicable based on what I signed. I did not fully understand some of the language in the contract or I misinterpreted what it meant.
I was fully aware that the building did not include any “extras" as in the cost of the overhead doors, gutters, insulation, etc. I was initially shocked that these “extras" in the first quote came in at a higher cost than the original building I was sold for $21,705. Part of this cost was added bracing required for the particular placement of doors that I chose for the building. In addition, there was a cost for adding the opening besides just the cost of the door and there was a charge for changing the size of the opening from the original contract listed as “Modify framed opening on contract." There was also a charge for foam closures required to seal up the building, even though the quote covered this in my opinion as it stated “Weather stripping including mastic sealant on roof for superior weather tightness"
The extras were handled by Sam C. I negotiated the “extras" to something more reasonable and that would still work for me and came up with a price of $11,066.71 and required a $3,320.01 down payment, which I sent in 10/14. At this point I was stuck with already being “contracted" to them and getting out of the contract was walking away from my $5000 initial deposit.
I also talked to Sam's boss, Jonah G, VP of General Steel. He did authorize a discount in the prices from the extras I agreed with, but he was adamant that the contract alone, and not what I was told by his employee's, was what I was held too.
I also discussed with Sam the shipment timeframe, explained what Chase had told me and the need to hold off on shipping until I was ready. At this point I was fully under the impression of what Chase told me that the cost of the steel was locked in based on getting my deposit into them. I sent Sam this email 10/14, “Sam, I just want to confirm what Chase told me, that the materials won't ship until I'm ready. General Steel would contact me before shipping. Also, do you have an estimate of sales tax? -***" and his reply, “Good Morning ***, Building will not start fabrication until your approval. You can request a delivery date at that point. We still need to complete permit drawings for you to approve when you are ready. I'm not sure of the sales tax for your location. It should be available on your city's website. Thanks Sam." He made no mention of any cost increases at this time based on the cost of steel and market pricing.
At this point I was waiting for the next step from General Steel, assuming I would see some drawings that I would need to approve. I received “shipping documents" email attachment on 10/29 at the end of the work day. The first paragraph said that it's timely that this is signed and returned in order to avoid any increases assesses. Additionally, the document said that I have received and reviewed the plans General Steel has furnished and that I approve those plans and authorize fabrication. This simply isn't true and I emailed a reply stating concerns the next morning. This email went unanswered, it was addressed in reply all to Brianna H, Megan N, Jonah G (VP) and Sam C.
Finally I received an email, not a reply, on 11/2 saying that I was subject to a price increase if I didn't approve the shipping documents by 11/6, even though at this point I have no idea what is actually shipping, what price increases I'll be “notified" about prior to shipping of the building material and any indication of what is being delivered and when.
I had another conversation with Jonah, first attempt was to call back afternoon of 11/2 but he did not return my call from my voicemail. I called mid-day 11/3 and was told there are no guarantees of price increases, it doesn't matter what Chase told me but that there is a line item in the contract that covers this, that he would send preliminary drawings this afternoon but they wouldn't be engineer stamped.
I submitted the shipping documents with marked up notes (like a real estate transaction) and was contacted about the color I selected not being available, however I picked it out of the brochure that was sent to me by email at the time I was signing the original contract. I inquired as to what colors I have to choose from and was told the one I was referencing was wrong and that they sent me a brochure in the mail. I inquired again and found out that if they did actually send this, they had the wrong address and substituted “***" with “Caledonia". Regardless they pinned this on me and said I had to pick a color ASAP or I would see price increases. I did mention that their contract has my correct address along with two of my checks, which they cashed, that clearly have my correct address. I picked from the brochure they emailed me that I had never seen before.
3/10 building delivered per the scheduled day however I was never contacted by the driver and had no idea if he would show. I called several times the day prior and the morning of to ask if the truck was indeed going to show up because of all the lies I have been told by GS. I wanted confirmation before I rented a fork lift because I had my doubts that GS would reimburse me for the forklift rental if the truck was delayed. Brianna from GS ensured me on the phone the truck was on the way but said she never had any call backs from the trucking company with two days worth of calling them and leaving voice messages.
The truck did show up as scheduled. I asked the driver if he had my contact info and he showed me the only paper work he had and he did not have my contact other than delivery address. Phone number listed was Brianna from General Steel.
Upon inspecting the load on the truck, there was no wall sheeting present. Truck driver said he delivers this material to the plant as well and it's been awhile since they had this delivered. I refused to pay for what we unloaded because of all the lies I've been told. This was of great concern to GS however I needed some assurance. The shipping documents they required I sign said everything would be delivered on one truck and this was not true. By delaying the sheeting I now have to rent a forklift a second day and take off of work a second day.
Bruce G contacted me and said I had to pay them, I still refused. I told him there was no way they “didn't know" the sheeting was back ordered and they simply wanted their money. Bruce disagreed and said they didn't know but he would work on finding out more but also insisted I had to pay for what was delivered. We eventually agreed to pay for the balance less $11,000 plus subtracting the cost of the forklift rental.
3/25 went for zoning and building permit. Obtained zoning, ran into issue with snow load for building permit, Lee G, *** building inspector, stated the minimum roof load is 30 PSF. Talked to GS Jonah G and he stated that GS talked to and designed the building according to *** County guidelines and that the same guidelines, IBC 2015 is still listed on their website. The code is a 30 lb ground snow, not a roof load. I sent an email to Jonah and Lee to sort out these details and Lee called me later in the day stating that he was correct and that in *** and all of *** the 30 PSF roof load is required and actually higher in Norther ***. Lee said that Jonah told him they approved this through *** County but Lee told me that *** County would not have approved this and that they aren't the building department. Later I got ahold of Jonah and he said many things to distance GS from any responsibility:
He stated they followed the codes from *** County when they called them in October. He stated that he didn't recall who was talked to at *** county or if GS recorded the call.
That they build commercial buildings even though it was clearly a residence
*** is using a special and outdated code that “nobody else in the state" uses
GS sells 1000's of buildings every year, many in *** and this is the only time this has been an issue
It was in the contract for me to determine that the building meets local codes, even though I said it explicitly states on their brochure “Engineered for your local codes and loads; Wind Speed, Snow Loads, Seismic Activity
He stated I should have brought the drawings in for a permit before they fabricated it, however I reminded him that they sent me and required I sign off on, their shipping and fabrication documents before I even had approved building permit drawings. I have this document marked up with “preliminary" because I didn't have the drawings for a permit when I was required to submit them. I was told at the time delays would incur costs to me, they were not responsible
Jonah is checking into what it will take to make the building withstand the higher load but is not taking any responsibility and said it will likely incur costs, both for engineering, modification and/or more materials
He also stated that there would have been extra costs up front before fabrication to make it withstand higher loads and I would have had to pay for them then as well.
Jonah G sent me a PO for the “Engineering investigation to bring roof snow load and roof live load to 30 PSF" totaling $2,940. How can General Steel NOT know these basic requirements for the State of *** and pin this all on the customer, especially when all their online literature and brochures state that they design building according to your local codes and loads? I am not paying this additional cost for a mistake on the part of General Steel. If they argue that I should have obtained my permit prior to fabrication then they should have provided me with approved drawings prior to forcing me to sign off on fabrication and shipping documents. They forced me by saying I will be facing unknown cost increases if I didn't sign these documents. I submitted a document for the intent of the building, the "Layout, Questionnaire and Address Verification" on September 14th right after I submitted my down payment. This document clearly states that this is a building for residential use at my exact address and it lists the Village of *** along with the building department's phone number for the use by GS to "Verify Local Structural Codes" This mistake is 100% on GS. I have a building sitting in my front yard (less the wall sheeting) that I am not allowed to construct because GS used the wrong building code.