Believe the reviews, folks, at least for the Nashville, TN division. We paid just over $10,000 as a…read moredeposit in early November 2022 to reside our 2 story detached garage with HardiBoard. We weren't concerned with the cost; just that it was done right. The sales rep - John Hinely - said all the right things typical of a sales pitch, but we were already going to move forward as our current home is all brick with Hardi accents. We wanted the old detached garage to flow well and vinyl was never an option. Our house was a tear-down/rebuild but we decided to keep the existing detached garage since lumber costs are still so high.
Our job was supposed to be done January 2023 but February came and ZERO communication from Durante. I called customer service around 2/20/23 and got a call from Sean on 2/21/23 stating that my job was delayed because of product availability from the supplier, but they should be able to get to me at the end of March or early April.
On April 8, 2023, I attended the Nashville Home Show where Durante had a booth. I asked the sales rep there if he could help me out with some info on our job, and he said he was good friends with the owner's son and would see what he could do, but not to expect anything until the following Monday. This young man made the effort to go ahead and reach out to the team then tracked me down at the show to let me know and I was impressed!
Sure enough, Sean called the following week to let me know my job would be starting the next week. FINALLY! Except the next week rolled around and NADA. No siding, no installers, no nothing. Most importantly, no communication.
I called Durante again this morning to ask about the job, and requested that someone other than Sean call since he has now lied to us more than once. Someone I later understood to be a 'William' called back a bit later and sung the same story we always hear - oh your siding *just* came in and we were *just* about to schedule your job... You know the routine.
BUT 'William' said the octagon gable vents we ordered in NOVEMBER 2022 weren't there and it was gonna be another 2 weeks before they would arrive. That he had gone to great lengths to call other suppliers in the area - ones they don't even deal with - to see if they could move forward but he had no luck. He said this like he was doing us a favor. Mkay.
So, since my siding was allegedly there, I asked William to send me a picture of my siding that was there waiting on the vents. He balked and said they they don't have the siding - it comes from the supplier directly to the job site. Ok then, call the supplier and ask them to take a pic of my materials and send it to me. William didn't like that, I guess. He kept blaming the supplier for the delay and when I said I didn't care whose fault it was, that we purchased the siding and install job from Durante - NOT the supplier, he got big mad and said he wasn't gonna be talked over (and I interpreted that to mean 'by a woman' based on my interaction with Sean at the pre-job visit - misogyny is a real thing, ladies) and hung up on me. Guess he forgot to put on his big boy pants this morning. Way to represent, 'William'!!!
So now I'm waiting on a call from a 'Scott' to see how this can get resolved since we're locked into a contract. Since I have absolutely **ZERO** faith this Hardie job will be installed correctly by this Nashville outfit, I will hire a home inspector or two to do nothing but stand outside and inspect every single board and piece of shingle that goes up on my garage to ensure all the flashing is installed to absolute spec as set forth by James Hardie. I also don't trust Durante at this point to honor any warranty since the head of the Nashville office is such a snowflake he can't take honest criticism from a woman, so it's gonna be installed absolutely, 100%.
BUYER BEWARE when getting a quote from Durante. They sought me out after I filled out a questionnaire about Hardi installers in Nashville and I think I now know why. They also participate in high pressure sales tactics to get you to buy that day WITH a 30% deposit likely because they need the up front cash flow, even though they tell you it's to secure your place on their install calendar. That worked out well, now didn't it.