Miken Construction review: Theft of Services 38

I was a vendor for Miken Construction for over 5 years, working closely with each of their project managers. I always found them to have a high level of professionalism and effective communication, making each transaction a smooth one. From upper management on down, they're a solid and efficient organization.

I have been an employee at Miken Construction for over 2 years and it has been a great learning experience. The employees all so nice and helpful. Miken always tries to be fair with their contractors.

I did multiple inspections on REO properties for Miken Construction over a 2 year period 2012 thru 2013. They were always clear on what was required of me during inspections, I provided them what they asked for, and I was paid promptly, and as agreed. I never once had an issue of short pay. I did have issues on REDO' inspections with subcontractors that DID NOT DO what they had been contracted to do. My job on post repair inspections was to make sure the work had been done. Everyone wants to cut corners, and then expect to get paid. Do the job as you have claimed, and the payment is forthcoming immediately. I feel sorry for the employees, that have to sort thru all of the deadwood to find contractors that will perform as requested. I would gladly work for Miken Construction again.

I have been working for Miken Construction for over 8 years. So, I feel my comments are relevant in assessing the overall business practices of this company. First and foremost, I always get paid in a timely manner, usually on a two week schedule. Any issues related to pay are addressed quickly and to my satisfaction. As far as communication, there are times that I don't reach someone live but I always receive a call back promptly. The staff members I work with most frequently are extremely professional and helpful. It is unfortunate that others have had a negative experience. But, I am truly surprised because my exposure has been positive and very lucrative. On a side note, I have been a home builder for over 30 years and my crew is responsible for framing a significant number of houses each year. I am insulted by the comments regarding cheap labor and so on. I am a well respected laborer just trying to make a living in this tough economy.
MLD Partners

I am a current employee for Miken. There are plenty of opportunities to move up and if you prove you are hard worker you can move up pretty fast. I started as a grass processor and within 1.5 years I was moved to a PM. The management staff is very helpful and in directing you in the correct direction. The employees are all very friendly and everyone gets along very well, great work environment. Field crews also are very nice and helpful with everything they can

As a former employee of Miken Construction, I have no regrets. I was hired as an Assistant PM and was quickly promoted to PM and then a Unit Manager. My boss at the time was great; she taught me a lot and gave me all the tools to be successful. When I first started with the company, I had one person under me, which was Nichole and even when the department grew I could always rely on her.

Working for any company is always going to have its ups and downs, but I have to say working at Miken there were more ups than downs and I think that is due to the people I worked with such as my boss, Danielle and co-workers like Nichole along with few others who are no longer with the company.

I have worked for Miken as a subcontractor for 3 years, they have always paid me the money I earned. Miken has always been fair and honest with me, but they expect quality work completed in a timely manner for their clients.
Robert Toler

My company has worked with Miken Construction for 10+ years. We have always turned our jobs in on time and done our best to complete them in professional manner. I have never had a problem getting paid for our work. Sometimes being on different coast of the country it is hard to get answer as soon as you need them, but we have always gotten our answers. I have seen Miken grow and not be the family like business it started out to be. Yes we have dealt with snarky people, but they do not seem to last there long. And may I ask what company at some point and time does not have a jerk or two work for them? Ninety nine percent of the people I have dealt with were and are great. If I ever had a problem with someone that worked there I spoke with management. I also have to state when problems did arise Miken did have our back. I hope to continue a long working relationship with Miken.

Miken Construction. I contacted Miken directly when a contractor who "worked for them " failed to pay the final invoices totaling over $6000.00. This was just in September. Richard Reusegger said the so called contractor( Ken Dura of Duran and Associates) was paid before our job even ended. Since Ken will not pay and refuses to return repeated calls or emails, I am forced to lien the property. I informed Richard of this. He said send me the invoices and I will look into it right away. He, finally, after I emailed him, again, emailed back saying "Miken is no longer involved with the property in question. Since your contract was with Ken Duran, please contact him directly for payment resolution''.
It looks like everyone involved here is trying to pass the blame. Doesn't matter. They hired Ken, Ken hired us and they, including B of A are now going to have to deal with this. In the legal process. I guarantee the owner of the property and the banks are going to be unhappy. They definitely are to be NOT TUSTED!

I worked for Miken Construction for a few years as a processor, and ill tell u guys right now. DO NOT EVEN think about working for them. They are a WASTE of time, spend that extra time to look for soemthing better; there are tons of better companies to work for that will take care of you 10X better.

Miken Construction has the worst management by far, the worst would be a team lead called Justine Gazelle, she almost got tossed out the window by multiple employees that she would harrass daily.

STAY AWAY FROM MIKEN CONSTRUCTION. SCAM SCAM SCAM dont let the fake posts from company managers fool you!

Miken Construction takes the issues you raise very seriously. It has always been our endeavor to ensure proper and timely payment to our vendors. Towards this end we provide ongoing training and resources to all of our vendors to ensure this relationship is a success.

We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities, as well as our open lines of communication. We would be happy to discuss this issue and resolve. Please reach us on our direct line at [protected], or vendorsolutions@mikenconstruction.com.

Miken Construction takes the issue you raise very seriously. It has always been our endeavor to ensure proper and timely payment to our vendors. Towards this end we provide ongoing training and resources to all o four vendors to endure this relationship is a success.
We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities, as well as our open lines of communication. We would be happy to discus this issue and resolve. Please reach us on our direct line at [protected], or vendorsolutions@mikenconstruction.com

Complaint Response for Non Payment

Miken Construction takes the issues you raise very seriously. It has always been our endeavor to ensure proper and timely payment to our vendors. Towards this end we provide ongoing training and resources to all of our vendors to ensure this relationship is a success.

We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities, as well as our open lines of communication. We would be happy to discuss this issue and resolve. Please reach us on our direct line at [protected], or vendorsolutions@mikenconstruction.com.

Miken is not a horrible company - however they are extraordinarily cheap.
They do not hire Estimators, qualified Project Managers (IE NO PMP) or other construction industry professionals.
So, you are left with - you get what you get. They have several departments- REO is by far the best of the company. These PM's with a couple of exceptions are spot on - and know what they are doing. Dave Matt and Steve, and Scott are the rockstars of the group. Hopefully, they are still there. The rest of them are mediocre- but passable.

Insurance - DO NOT WORK FOR THEIR INSURANCE DEPT- this is the source of 99% of the complaints. Unless they revamp that department - and actually bid the jobs correctly, start managing correctly, and stop screwing the contractors - the nightmare will continue. When you get contacted for a job - ask for the project Managers name - and ask if this job is for the insurance department. Write the name they give you down. Call another Miken PM -(ONE YOU TRUST- see the above for names) and ask what department the person who called you works for - and have them check if the job is insurance.
If you are a client - stay away from the male Sales Manager - he isn't in the office - and cannot figure out how to actually respond to an email. Flat out - he's and uneducated dolt.
Payment. SEND YOUR INVOICE DIRECTLY TO YOUR PM. Invoices are processed on Thursdays. Send your pics - send your invoice. EMAIL IT ENTITLED INVOICE - and get a delivery and read receipt. (If you don't have outlook and cant do that - go buy the damned thing. It's a business expense- invest in yourself and joint the century.) To be fair - ensure you sent the invoice - and ensure they got it - if you don't have it about 10 days later call the PM.

Communication- Call the damned PM and let them know what is going on. Call them the minute you find a problem . If paint, carpet, custom appliances, imported italian marble and a roof cannot be done in an 11, 000 sf house in 2 days in the snow and only pays $1800---CALL THE DAMNED PM. (Don't whine on here) You can turn down a job. You can negotiate. Confirm what they want.- then deliver it. Dont wait till you are late and then have a discovery of mold or three broken windows. (Yeah, it happens- and those jokers went on my call after hell freezes over list) On that note - there is no way in hell your damned painter is worth $18.50 an hour (or more)in podunk Mississippi. Use craigslist and find people who want to work. This is high volume fast rehab - not the damned Taj Mahal. Bright white and clean and make is look decent.
Go look at the property you are about to repair - and buy a decent camera (it will save you from from having to go back on your dime.) Take good photos. show the room and the work when it is done. I mean DONE. When the flooring guy hasn't been there yet - you cannot have touched up your paint- Therefore - YOU AINT DONE! (No- there will be no arguing with that point- shut your lip.) for additionals force the PM to put it in writing. save every email for that job - sent and received in a folder) make sure you bill correctly.

Due Dates. Due Dates are Due Dates. Like you need to be DONE on that day. M'kay? If you cannot do it - or there are problems...see Communication. Miken gets scored - and oh yes they score you. If Miken is consistently late with out a valid reason- they lose points on the Scorecard - and the Client gives work to someone else. If you are late - the PMs will forget your number after the job is done - the PM gets deducted for lates. Again- Communication kids.

The accountants are NOT accountants. They are basic bookkeepers. Accounting at miken is a misleading term. Let's just say they are not the brightest of most efficient bulbs in the sign. Follow up on your invoices - and make damned sure they get paid. YOU ARE YOUR ACCOUNT, Run your business.

If you have problems - Call the VP directly. He's mealy mouthed and slightly slimy-(I felt dirty every time I talked to him) however everyone is terrified of losing their job - use that to your advantage. Be nice polite and courteous. Get rude and no one feels sorry for you - or is willing to help you either. Most of the PMs genuinely care - some of the new additions are borderline idiots - but the will help out of fear itself, Miken is notorious for chopping off their own legs with its staffing. Some PM's will tell you not tocall the VP. DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. Here's the secret - Miken needsyou more than you need them. Miken does not do actual construction...and they have to get the job done on time- or their scorecard suffers - and so does their volume.

Reading your comments on here absolutely cracks me up! Ive been with Miken for almost 2 years and i can safely say it has been the best 2 years of my life, some of the finest people i have every met, and one of the best clients i have ever had. If you guys are having problems with payments your either A. Not doing the work correctly which i see about half the time, or B. Not taking correct photos. The fault is within your own company not Miken. If i have ever had a payment issue i can gIve a call or an email to the accounting department and they will handle it immediately, payment will usually appear on my next check run. I commented on this site about 2 years ago to the same type of unfounded allegations and i can still say if you do good work you will get paid good money. If you don't know how to do good work, Burger king is always looking for good help.

Steve Kramer
First Midwest Property Preservation, INC.

Glad I did do my homework.mikens is looking for subs in my area. I just don't need all these issues. To many contractors that will do good business with good subs. Maybe not all of this is true but geez, to many different subs have an issue. Besides, I remodel and renovate residential properties. I am not a photographer. Sure can't have my money riding on my abilities to take pics. Thanks to all, good and bad.
Southeastremodeling@mail.com

We have worked for Miken for the past 4 months. We do our work within the guidelines and time limits. We did have a little trouble with the specifics of the pictures. But, we were coached and instructed through our problems. We have NEVER had a problem getting in touch with any one at Miken. Our calls are always returned. I think like some other posters; do your job the way they want it done. Learn to do your reports properly and be sure your pictures are accurate . If you don't agree with your check run, contact accounting and they will send you a form that you can fill out to explain how your records do not agree with theirs. They will promptly review your sheet and send you an adjustment, or a reason why the pay is different.. They pay us every Monday like clock work, and we have a check run in our e-mail every Friday, so we know what our check will be. We really like this company. They give us lots of work and we are very happy with them. Ed Booth Handyman LLC, Dowagiac, MI

As a former employee I can attest that this company is full of ###. I stopped working for these [censored]bags because they often had you lie or make something up in order to recieve payment. Their staff is trained to go about work orders as fast as possible so many details are overlooked. As a result many non payments are due to errors on the part of data processors and their management. Why do companies like this even exist ? They're middle men who do nothing but sit in a office all day and make up numbers out of thin air. You hear this a lot in the office that being truthful and honest while processing a order is bad for business. That it makes them look bad, though not in those words of course. You hear certain employees say things like "don't have a conscience" The calculations they make are usually wrong. Many workers do not last very long there because they work you to the bone. It was funny looking into managements eyes. The lifelessness was astounding. Sane people should stay away all together. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH MIKEN CONSTRUCTION

We have done tons of REO reports for Miken and have not had a problem. Unless you are late with your pics or report, they do pay. I have the checks to prove it. I'm not sure what you people are talking about. Im sure that if they were scamming people on this scale, for 15 years, they would already be out of business. Think about it. Just do what they ask, if you cant do it, tell them you can't. They wont hold it against you, they will just find someone else. Its pretty cut and dry here. Do crappy work, and you get compensated for it accordingly, or not at all! Sure they try and get you to do the job for the least amount as possible, but wouldn't you want the best price you can get? They have probably never met 90% of their contractors. If you ask me, they are the ones taking the chance on you! How do they know you are trustworthy or even do good work by looking at nothing more from you than some licenses and certifications? You people complaining about them is not solving anything. Meet their standards of work, and you will get paid.
Robert B. MD Electrical Services
Feel free to look us up...

i am currently investigating miken construction for running a raket of scams on contractors. it may very well end up a class action lawsuit will be brought against them in the coming weeks, if u have evidence of work completed an havent been paid by miken contact me directly by email i will respond back to everyones complaint. if you would like to take action against them for their pattern an practice dont just file a complaint with the attorney general contact me asap an we will review your complaint an evidence to determine if you qualify to be attached to a class action lawsuit in which we intend to bring with actual and punitive damages. contact me at; jeramieoakley@yahoo.com thanks

ive seen alot of the work miken const does which i wouldnt call it good at any part of your imagination probly why they have turnover is they dont hire people who can actually do the job pay far less then they should pay and ive met some of their crews lol border bros is what i would call their crews they tend to hire cheapest labor they can find and have actually changed hands recently because of all the bad work they do they are the best unethical and worst con artists i think we should all send many complaints to clsb and have their lic puled they give all contractors a bad name when one pulls such stunts all the time their record stands for itself between poor and bad who needs this among men trying to make a good living do good work when a company changes the heads of the company and changes it name from time to time it can only mean one thing bad complaints against a bad company

I've worked with Miken for a few years, started off ok but got worse as time went on and as they grew.
When there is a problem it is hard to get in touch with the relevant person. They are either out of the office and wont return your call, or in a meeting and wont return your call or they were sick or their computers are down and they can't retrieve the info requested. Heard that one alot! The only time they call you with a quickness is when they need something from you. Like "Hurry and get the job done, we only have a couple days."
If it's a money issue they will take their time. They never sent me a W-2 (which is illegal and now they are claiming I made WAY more then I did. Sounds to me like they messed up on their taxes and are trying to spread the wealth to all their sub-contractors. Very un-professional and un-ethical company!

Is it hard to get work with this company? Guys thanks in advance for any answers.

Miken pay's, I have had a contract with Miken for a year and have had no problems. If you are not getting payed for your work - then you must not be completing it correctly or on time.

I have worked for Miken for well over a year and if you do quality, professional work, and take clear and quality pictures, complete in the job on time. They will and have always paid on time within a week of Wednesday. I've been a General contractor for many, many years and dealing with subs can be tough because there's a lot of subs out there that do crappy work. If you learn Miken's way of doing business you can earn money with them and for them. I'm in the state of colorado and can work for any company, because i do quality and professional work.

Simply put Miken is a brokerage firm. They make their money (30-50%?) off of the subcontractors, to my knowledge they do not have any people working as employees that do any of the actual repairs.. And when you deal with them it shows (at least it shows when dealing with the PPO side). I will agree with Reggie in part, at times when you have the right photos they do pay on time. But when working with the PPO side of this company (if your not sure which side ask) Be aware that you will be asked to do extreme documentation (photos) of your job and risk that work being rejected for things as simple as..
1. Angel slightly off (a guy 6' took the before picture, a person 5'7 took the after),
2. The client rejected the photos so were not paying (even though the photos are perfectly clear),
3. No before shots of where the wiring/plumbing was missing (they want specific 6-10 inch run areas.. not just a picture showing a 20 foot x 20 foot area that has no wiring /plumbing then after shots of the same with plumbing/wiring, along with close ups..,
4. NOT using the full amount of material.. ie.. they allot 40 feet of wiring for a stove you have to use 40 feet. they have no concept of the price difference between 8 gauge wire and 14.. it all pays the same..
5. Employee mistakes (not putting the proper pictures with the proper line item) - this happens due to lack of field experience
and im sure many more reasons.
Also to anyone thinking of working with Miken read your contract closely.. I would recommend having your attorney review it and modify it. It is very very one sided.

As for the Miken people posting here. Although defending your company is admirable, I would like to point out that every dispute usually has blame on both sides. I know that some of the crews you get do dodgy work, and should not be paid (maybe a little more investigation on your part would prevent this, or maybe seeking crews with a little higher skill set and ethics ) But your company does make mistakes and doesnt seem to like to admit it (either when dealing with the client or the subcontractor) Your company should hire some in house crews (good ones) and then have those that are going to be in charge of the field crews work for 3 or 4 jobs with one of the in house crews so they can get a feel for how things work in the "working man's" world instead of the cozzy office. (and yes i know there are women contractors out there)

I work for Miken Construction in the Crew Development Department... Its is true that some guys don't get paid and the reason is THEY DID NOT DO THE WORK PROPERLY. So when you read these complaints - consider the source!

i work for miken if you do have the right photos you do not get paid. they are a good people to work for. keep up the good work

Recently Miken has contacted us to do the work on a 3unit house, and they want us to do all the work for $1, 000 dollars on an estimated bid of $10, 000 dollars and where I`m from you get half up front then the other half after completion. So I contacted the bank and they said Miken does not have rights to that property at all that Freddie Mac does. We called Miken to get answers from them and refused to prove it and hung the phone up on us. Since then we have left 3 messages for them and no call backs yet. So yes they do scam contractors, stay away from them, I live in Pa, this must be their new target cause it`s not working anymore in any other state...

Regarding comment from Steve at Galaxy Construction Group: Based on BBB files, Galaxy Construction has a BBB Rating of D- on a scale from A+ to F.

http://www.bbb.org/central-texas/business-reviews/home-improvements/galaxy-construction-in-san-antonio-tx-90023536

Ive did quite a few jobs for them, never had a payment problem either. They actually paid more for a couple jobs that was out of my area so it would be cost effective for me. If you would actually apply due diligence and learn about how they bid against other companies and sometimes do not get the winning bid then you would understand about not getting some jobs you take pics on. If you know anything about construction at all you know [censored] happens, paperwork goes missing, ppl have to get paid so you can get paid, ect ect. I would be careful to take the advice of a person who slanders and asks ppl to file false complaints (which is illegal where I live!)

Well if you have issues with them then don't work for them, Personally I have not had problems working for them or getting paid but we do quality timely work and keep them updated on our work. But please feel free not to work for them just leaves more room for me to get more work. @beck815 they can sometimes take 2 or 3 weeks to get jobs approved if at all.. keep doing the inspections and you will get some work. Remember they have to "sell" the client in order to award you the work.

WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH MIKEN FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS NOW AND WE HAVE NEVER HAVE AN ISSUE. THEY HAVE HARD STANDARDS WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR PHOTO REQUIREMENTS BUT OTHER THAN THAT THEY ARE A GREAT COMPANY. WE GET TONS OF WORK AND THEY ALWAYS PAY US. IF YOU ARE COMPETENT ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THE PHOTO GUIDELINES THAT YOU AGREE UPON WHEN YOU SIGN UP WITH THEM YOU WILL GET PAID. I THINK THAT YOU ARE ALL ### BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO PAY FOR GARBAGE PHOTOS AND GARBAGE WORK. SO ITS TIME TO GROW UP STEP UP YOUR GAME AND BECOME PROFESSIONAL

BEST REGARDS,
STEVE KRAMER
GALAXY CONSTRUCTION GROUP, INC.

WE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH MIKEN, THEY NOW HAVE CANCELED THE ORDERS WE HAVE COMPLETED AND HAVE USED DIFFERENT REASONS EACH TIME. WE HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME INDUSTRY FOR MANY YEARS AND NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES, AS THE PIC OR RETURN CALLS OR PEOPLE NOT BEING AVAILABLE WHEN YOU NEED THEM. AT THIS POINT WE MAY NEED TO FOLLOW SOME OTHER AVENUES TO COLLECT ON WORK COMPLETED AND MONEYS PUT OUT TO COMPLETE WORK. TIME WILL TELL!

Being in the same town as miken makes me a liar?
Miken is not a scam and they do not take money from contractors.
Miken PAYS contractors to do a job.

How are they scamming people?
If you do the job that they give, then you get paid.
If you do not do the job, you are not going to get paid.

If you don't want to work for Miken, then don't.
They are not perfect, but they are not a scam either.

'This is not the type of person that people should be taking any kind of advise from.'...
Right and you are ? From the same town as Miken is situated in Rancho Cucamonga. Get lost LIAR!

Miken are a scam ! They keep money from Contractors and are liars !

I just recently got involved with them and sent them all the pics from the house they assigned me and haven't heard back. I feel like they might be a scam. How long did it take them to get back to you//

I have worked for Miken Construction for several years and have never had a problem with payment. They are always professional and willing to go out of their way to answer any questions that I've had.

File a complaint with the California State Attorney General? For what? No company is perfect, but asking people to file false claims with the Attorney General? This is not the type of person that people should be taking any kind of advise from.