Southern Elite Contracting
reviews and complaints

The Southern Elite team was super easy to work with. They're real pros and really care about the work they do. I'd highly recommend them to anyone looking for a roof replacement, new construction, remodels, or water damage repairs. They handled almost everything with the insurance company for me.

This company handled my situation very professional and very quickly. I would recommend this company to anybody. There communication and work ethic were top notch on my project they will definitely be the first person on my list I will call to fix or update anything in my home. Way to go Southern Elite Contracting and your team for the outstanding performance. Thank you!

DO NOT USE SOUTHERN ELITE! You will regret it. We were recommended SEC by the mitigation company that handle the water damage. At first it was a pleasant experience, they sent out their adjustor to review the insurance quote and talk about the process. He was very knowledge on how the insurance made their estimates and the process of getting additional supplements if needed. They also promised to send a contactor to our home with samples for both tiling & carpet that was in our budget. This was a huge bonus to us as we have four young children and having to take them to a store to pick out tiling/carpet would be a nightmare. We are also not decorates, so seeing samples in our bathroom/lighting would be a huge plus. So we decided to proceed with using SEC instead of a normal contractor that we have used in the past for finishing our basement. This is were it took a turn for the worse. SEC put in a few supplements that the insurance adjustor missed, nothing major. A soap and towel holder, so maybe an extra $50. Once insurance approved the supplements, we did not hear back from SEC until we reach out to SEC a week later. Fine, whatever, everyone is busy these days. But then we were told that they were not able to bring samples onsite. Needless to say, we were not happy with this update. I reached out to their GM of Customer Relations asking to get this resolved. The GM said there was nothing they could do and that *** was misinformed. I said fine, lets get some estimates for upgrades we wanted to do for the bathroom. Which they never sent a contractor onsite to discuss what we wanted and get measurements. The estimates were based on an email I sent with ideas and questions I had on the upgrades. The estimates were ridiculously high, we have since had another contractor come out and his estimate for the rebuild + upgrades was far less than that of the SEC. We have used the new contractor to finish our basement, so I trust that his estimate is accurate. I have reach

Run from this company - they are unprofessional. They only care about the money and never did any work yet *** Bundy wants his commission!

We had a sewage backup/flood in our basement this summer in June . We were referred to Southern Elite Contracting and *** Bundy was our contact. He came and accessed the project and measured to give us an estimate. We also had another company measure and quote. He then stated that it was easiest to send him the other company's quote and he would base his quote off of theirs. I initially thought that was odd but went along with what was asked. *** sent us his quote and it was no different in price. Red Flag. Why couldn't he just send us his number without looking at anyone else's?
My husband went ahead, unbeknownst to me (I would've never done this) and paid him not only a $500 deposit, but also $3000. Why? Next, it took weeks before we could hear of a start date.

We ended up deciding to not replace the basement carpet but instead lay down LVF. We have a family friend source that can not only get the LVF for way less than normal cost, his labor price was going to beat Southern Elite's, so we naturally decided to go with our friend on just the flooring part for the basement floor. This seemed to really piss off *** Bundy with S. Elite. He claimed that we "have" to use S. Elite for everything per the Insurance company - *** Ummmm, so my husband called State Farm. They reiterated that we do not have to use S. Elite for everything. *** issued us the check, not S. Elite.

*** said we could put whatever we wanted on the floor and use whoever we wanted and S. Elite should do whatever we wanted, whatever portion of the job we wanted them to quote and complete. It is our home, our money, they gave us the check.
In the middle of haggling with *** and disputing the flooring and who was going to do it, *** stated that the tile I wanted to order for the bathroom floor was going to be $300 more than what State Farm approved for cost. We said we would pay the difference, no issue.

Please keep in mind, through all these excuses S. Elite/*** Bundy kept giving us:
1) Manager needs to give a start date
2) Your bathroom tile is too expensive
3) S. Elite has to do the flooring of the entire basement and labor

We still had zero start date and end in sight for this terrible Cat3 disaster we had in our home!
(*** never once seemed like he wanted to do this job)

Now *** has us jumping through hoops in speaking to his manager, etc to get this $3500 back because we have decided to use the original company that quoted us and has been nothing but professional - *** & ***
On top of all of this, wait for it - *** is now stating that we have to forego $2k of the $3500 for him to retain his commission! LMAO. For what? He has done nothing but be a whiny little entitled unprofessional *** and now trying to still get his commission!
I want to find the owner of S. Elite and share this story!

If you are given this company to use - run! They are nothing but underhanded, sleazy crooks that try to take advantage of people in unfortunate circumstances!

Complete *** and just want your money without doing any work. Do not use S. Elite Contracting and especially *** Bundy!

Southern Elite Contracting, Inc., based in ***, got insurance money to fix water damage at my house about a year ago. But, man, it's been a real struggle to get them to finish the job. First, they didn't have the flooring in stock, then they said it was back-ordered. And don't even get me started on them not showing up on the days they were supposed to work. It's been a long wait, and my house is still not done.

I signed a SEC construction agreement on 4/13/22. It's now Sept 15th and ain't no construction been done. I had 2 dudes in 5 months come measure. It's been excuses after excuses. One dude got fired, death in the fam, Birthday? They said every damn thing. But no progress. I'm so dang frustrated with this company's unprofessionalism. I told 'em how urgent it is 'cause I'm a single mom with kids and no sink, cabinets or flooring. I've been payin' for door dash every day. I gave 'em over $3600 and for what exactly. I called the office many times. I talked to the owner who didn't seem to care or be friendly. He ain't checked on my job even once. 5 months and still no kitchen. I'm so let down. Why can't they finish this seemingly small job?

On April 22, I noticed a water leak. The plumber came on Monday, August 26th and found a broken waterline to the toilet. The plumber called Serclean. Richard from Serclean came on the same day to fix the problem and tear down my master bathroom. On April 29, I contacted Southern Elite and spoke with Josh. Josh scheduled a visit to my home on May 3. I hired Southern Elite Contracting Inc on May 3rd and paid my $1000.00 deductible. Josh came back once more to collect the unsigned insurance draft of $6,521.90. Now, according to Robert and the owner of the company, Josh quit. How is that my problem? It is now June 10. I still need 116 inches of countertop, 2 sinks, 2 cabinets, subfloor corrected, subfloor replaced, bathroom floor installed, toilet installed, carpet, and paint. Robert is upset because I've hired a carpet installer who's ready to work. Robert says the owner will call me on Monday, June 14th?

SEC asked for more than 90% of the total payment upfront before starting any work. I wanted to know the breakdown of the charges before giving them such a large amount. Raymond told me to check what my insurance adjuster had noted. They wanted all the money without doing any work or providing any documentation. I suggested paying a deposit and settling the rest as the project progressed, but they said it wasn't their policy. So I found another contractor who gave me an estimate with a 35% deposit, a second payment halfway through, and the remaining balance at the end. Now SEC is trying to charge me $1500 for their evaluation after I switched contractors.

Southern Elite Contracting (SEC) was referred to me by Serclean, a water removal and *** company, to fix the damages in my kitchen caused by a busted pipe under the floor. On 09/27, we agreed that SEC would calculate and send estimates to my insurance company, just like the other services before them. Once my insurance claim was settled, the SEC Representative asked me to pay the deductible and the first payment upfront. So, on 10/28, I gave them $3,095 in cash, which included a $1,000 deductible and an advance payment of $2,095 (3/5th of the claim amount). However, despite classifying the job as an "Emergency Repair" and noting it on the agreement, SEC hasn't even shown up or started working on the repairs. Instead, they keep insisting that I pay the full claim amount first. This is the same frustrating experience that other customers have complained about. SEC has caused significant hardship for me and my family by holding onto my money and not doing the work. As a result, we are forced to cook in an unsafe kitchen with cracked floors, dismantled cabinets and countertop, and broken/punched walls. The other three companies I mentioned earlier completed their work and received settlements without any issues.

I had water damage and the company that did my water restoration recommended Southern Elite to do the work. I contacted them on 7-6 to have this process started. My case kept slipping through the cracks as different sales people left. They never made me aware of these departures and I was never assigned someone new without following up. On or around *** Allstate approved work based off of their virtual appraisal. It was not until *** that someone was able to come out to even look at the work. At that point, they required that I pay the entire amount upfront ($4,203.61) before any work has started. After not hearing from them for a month, I followed up on *** with my second sales rep. I followed up again on *** only for him to have let me know he has left their organization. I am now over 5 months out from my first contact with them and two of my points of contact have left their organization and they did not make me aware of this either time, one time after having already collected a payment for work. I am very frustrated by the lack of professionalism of this company at this point, however, I still want to give them a chance. A 3rd rep gets involved in Dec. the scope of work that the insurance company approved grows. Because this scope grew, I now want to upgrade part of the work out of my own pocket. Southern Elite's costs are not competitive. I let them know that I am fine with them doing all of the work except the flooring. Based on the payment made and what the insurance approved, this appears to be close to the payment I had made. I let them know that I have decided to use a different contractor for the flooring but I would still have them do the other work if they wanted. They said this was not acceptable to them. I let them know that if they do not want to do that work to please refund me my money and they have refused.

My first contact with Southern Elite Contracting started on 2/3/2022. They assigned a sales rep to me, ***, to renovate my master bathroom shower and kitchen ceiling. *** came over, measured everything, and asked for a co-payment of $1000 and an insurance check for $1398.41. He texted me saying that the insurance approved the work and they would start with the ceiling while they ordered the rest of the things needed. I gave him another check for $4616 to order a shower kit and flooring. He told me it was ordered but got delayed because of the pandemic, and they would be delivered in mid-April. We had this conversation on 3/15/22.

Later in April, I got a call from ***, who also works for Southern Elite Contracting, saying that *** no longer works there and they would come to take measurements again. When I asked about the shower kit and flooring, he said that *** never ordered them.

Fast forward to July, and we still don't have a shower, flooring, or a finished ceiling in the kitchen. In June, I gave them another check for $3,478.20 to order tiles for the shower. It's been one lie after another from the sales reps to the owner, ***. I've complained multiple times, even to the owner personally, but they always give me excuses without any solutions. And when I do manage to get someone on the phone, it's a stroke of luck.

At this point, I've been patient and understanding enough. They even messed up my kitchen light, and it hasn't worked since March. I'm stuck using a stand-alone lamp. On one of their visits, they even shut off the entire water system in the house, and it took them over an hour to respond.

I've come to a point where I don't want to work with this company anymore. I've asked for my checks back and will hire another company that can get the job done in a week.

6/7 Initial visit to review insurance estimates and supplements that were missed. We talked about possible upgrades for the project. He told us that contractors would come to discuss the upgrades. He asked us to send an email with our thoughts on upgrades, and we sent it on 6/15. We were told that a contractor would come to our home with tile, paint, and carpet samples. This was a big selling point for us because we have four kids and didn't want to take them to the store. We paid a deposit of $10,146 as he said it was needed to get the supplements requested and that the deductible could wait until we were ready to proceed.

6/16 Supplements requests are sent to Insurance and approved on 6/28. We didn't hear from SEC until we reached out on 7/1. On 7/1, SEC asked for the deductible via text. I asked how they wanted to receive it, but there was no response. He called me later to say that contractors would come onsite to provide samples or discuss the upgrades. I contacted CR and expressed my dissatisfaction with this news and wanted to discuss solutions before moving forward.

7/5 - CR called to discuss the issues. He told me that the contractor doesn't have tile samples because there are too many options. We understand, but it still goes against what we were promised on Day 1. I asked again for the upgrade estimates as we hadn't received them yet.

7/6 - Upgrade estimates were provided, but they seemed overpriced. A second contractor gave a second opinion on the project and confirmed that SEC was charging too much. He provided his estimate on 7/15.

7/18 - SEC followed up on the upgrade estimates. I told them that I no longer wanted to work with them. They mentioned there was a fee, which wasn't mentioned during the 7/1 visit. I asked for the amount, but they couldn't give a straight answer. Now I'm waiting for their response.

was referred to me by CertiPro. I talked to *** over the phone. He called me right away after finding out that I needed a contractor to do the repairs after a flood to my home at the end of May. He helped me by talking to my adjuster and getting a lot of the support that I needed, which I wasn't going to get from them. After we got the insurance adjuster on board and things started moving, he started saying that he wasn't going to do a lot of the things he said he would do. It was on July 6 when they did the drywall and started painting that I noticed some imperfections. The walls weren't prepped properly for painting and the rooms weren't painted with the right colors. When I asked him about the paint and when he would come back to do the other work, he told me he wasn't coming back. The *** and *** bathroom were completely stripped down to a wooden floor. He did the drywall and painted the walls, but he didn't rebuild the floor, install tile, toilet, vanity, or rebuild the shower floor. In the guest bedroom, the wallpaper wasn't removed and replaced as stated in the contract. In the two bedrooms where the flood happened, the floor and carpet weren't removed and rebuilt. All the carpet was supposed to be replaced except in the master bedroom, but none of it was. They didn't remove any of the debris or purchase a dumpster. They didn't replace all the ceiling tiles as required, and they didn't paint the window *** as required. The work in the master bathroom wasn't completed according to the contract. I've calculated that *** owes me *** out of the *** the insurance company paid him. Even though I'm not happy with any of the work that was done, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that the work he did complete was worth ***. I've tried reaching out to *** multiple times, but I haven't received a response from him or the office.

I got referred to this company by Serclean in December. I hired them after the mitigation team finished. I chose them because I was told they had a full team and once insurance paid, they would schedule me. The money was sent on Jan 11th. The person at the time said it would be done in a couple weeks. Well, that was the first lie. The second lie was that they use the same system as insurance for estimates. They were supposed to finish my upstairs bathroom, which caused the insurance claim. My kitchen was also affected. The kitchen was done 2 months ago. The last appointment was on August 9th to finish the bathroom renovation. On the 9th, I didn't hear from the person I've been in contact with since the project started. I tried calling the office but couldn't get through. They never answer the phone, only voicemail. Finally, on August 18th, a new worker called and said he needed to come for a sales pitch. I told him that was already done and I just needed my bathroom finished. He gave the same spiel as the previous person. At this point, I got really annoyed because this company got paid a long time ago and always has an excuse for not finishing the job. On the same day, when I said I wanted to file a complaint, the person told me I had to talk to the owner. I hung up and finally found a different number. Another person came to my home on August 22nd. This person added more supplements for jobs that were already done. But now, the owner *** is okay with taking the money but keeps stalling the project, saying he's in the red. He doesn't take responsibility for the person representing his company. Needless to say, the job still isn't done! I'm tired.

On May 10, 2022, Southern Elite Contracting (SEC) received $2500 as a deductible payment. They said they would fix our home after an insurance claim. They promised to use the insurance money for the repairs. It's now August 2 and the SEC representative hasn't visited our property since three months ago. Only one subcontractor met with us on July 7 to discuss flooring. When we contacted him again, he said the SEC rep wasn't responding and he had to wait for SEC to do any work. They made many promises to send subcontractors to our home, but none of them showed up. My wife and I sent at least six emails and made several phone calls to the SEC rep and the main office, but we rarely got a reply. When we signed the contract, we weren't given a copy, and we weren't told about a cancellation fee. The rep said he would email us a copy, but we only received it last night (Aug 1) when we told SEC we were going to hire a new contractor since there had been no progress in three months. Today, SEC replied saying they would charge a cancellation fee and commissions before returning the remaining deductible (if any). Even after we complained about the rep and the lack of progress and communication over a week ago, SEC didn't try to resolve the problem. As soon as we mentioned discontinuing their services, they told us in an email that our unsatisfactory review would be used against us to withhold our full deductible. Our Claim# is ***. We want our full $2500 deductible back since no work was done and no real effort was made to get it done. Our rep, *** SEC, is a liar, and the manager, ***, is unprofessional and doesn't care about his clients.

Complaint as follows: 1. I am ***, I signed an agreement with Southern Elite Contracting(SEC) on May 3, 2022. 2. I paid the first check $2500 as a deductible on May 3, 2022. I paid the check $12986.71 on July 18, 2022. (The insurance payment is $14010.54. I paid $12,986.71 to the SEC because we bought vanity ourselves) The total amount we have paid to SEC is $15486.71. 3. SEC committed to repairing our home using the insurance funds provided for the claim(#***). The SEC manager (***) promised us that insurance payment would cover the whole cost of repair. From May to Aug 16, she never proposed a price change. During these 4 months, only 1 subcontractor met with us and sent some floor samples. My wife and I have sent many messages and phone calls to her about the progress and barely get a reply back. When we contacted her again about on Aug 25, she told us that she leaved SEC. 4. Disputes: First, the total price. At our urging, *** arranged a new manager and told us we needed to pay over $7,000 more to get it done. But the former manager never mention it before and she said what the insurance paid will 100% cover the cost of project. Second, according to the contract #9, they should order materials after receiving the first check. But 4 months passed, no workers and materials have been delivered to my house. Third, cancellation fee. We considered discontinue because they defaulted first, but they told us we need to pay cancellation fee. 5. We tried to contact SECs owner *** on Sep 6. He send me an email and told us one option is paying $7,000 more and they do the whole job. Another is just doing what they can with the money we've paid. 6. Overall, SEC has not tried to resolve the problem and lack of progress and communication. We want our full $15486.71 back since no work was ever done nor was there any real effort put towards getting it done. We claim compensation for their breach of contract #9 and our loss of whole process.

Southern Elite was recommended to me by SerClean, a mitigation company, after I had a kitchen leak on 4/29/22. This caused water damage to my kitchen, pantry/laundry room, and living room. I reached out to *** at SE on 5/2/22, and he came by on 5/27/22 to take pictures and asked me to send him the estimate from the insurance company. Once I received the initial check from the insurance company ($2886.13), I had to endorse it along with the broker. I contacted *** and he came by on 6/21/22 to collect it. We discussed my deductible, which is $5000, and he provided me with the banking information to send it to. He mentioned that he would work with us considering the high deductible. My husband and I informed him that we could pay half of it in a few weeks and the remaining half shortly after. He agreed and said that should be enough to get started. After gathering $3000 of the deductible, I attempted to deposit the funds into the provided account on 7/5/22, but my bank did not recognize it. So, I obtained a cashier's check, which *** said would be acceptable. He picked up the check on 7/19/22 and mentioned that someone from his team would come to take measurements in about a week. However, I have not heard from him since. Despite sending multiple unanswered texts, calls, and emails to both *** and SE, and leaving messages with different branches, I finally received a call from *** after 3 weeks. He mentioned that he assumed I wanted to hear from him and informed me that *** had left the company. He also seemed unaware of the situation regarding my deductible. I explained that it wasn't a convenient time to talk as I had just started a new job, but I would call him after 5 p.m. He responded by saying that he doesn't conduct business after 6 p.m. because he has a family to attend to. I called *** at 5:12 p.m. and left a message. On 9/2, I sent him a text, and on 9/6, I called SE and was assured by a representative that *** would return my call the following day. However, I have not heard from anyone at SE to date. I am requesting a full refund of $5,886.13.