My experience with Edward Hartz of Hartzstone, LLC
A few weeks ago , Advance Stone Restoration got a reference call to do work on a cruiseliner at Pearl Harbor with a stone restoration contractor from connecticut, Hartzstone, LLC. A back ground check was done and verification for licenses and references check out. The owner, Edward Hartz of Hartzstone,Llc called me personality and gave some information on his project. Both parties worked out the details of pay and deposit for A.S.R. Since this job involved both man made stone and natural stone, Mr Hartzstone was informed that our specialist will only work on the
marble and granite, Hartzstone,Llc. was responsible for the Silestone repairs and
polishing.
Mr. Hartz arrived in Hawaii as planned, but everything did not go well for him. He was unsure if his shipment arrived. He also had not checked my e-mails asking him for further information. He always said he was too busy.
I met with him the night before starting the project to pick-up the deposit. These were travelers checks, and he did not countersign them.
The following day we went to Pearl Harbor to start on the cruiseliner. We took a while locating his shipment, and all the while Mr. Hartz was just complaining about the workers on the ship. He was already starting tp blame others before work were to commence.
We took a look at the area for restoration. It was a medallion that had a lot of cracks and chips and had previously been crystalized. Most of the problems were originating from under the medallion - the ships structure. But no problem for A.S.R. The cracklines in the
marble portion were dirty and needed to be cleaned out. All this time, Mr. Hartz kept asking me what to do. And pretending to follow along. I asked him how he does business in connecticut. His reply " I have my technicians do all the work, I just over sees them."
The next day I came prepared with my diamond pads and adhesives (since his adhesives supposedly did not make it due to hazmat). I worked on my portion which was the
marble. Grinded and polished it up. Mr. Hartz's was nowhere to be found, giving me the excuse he was looking for his hazmat items and complaining to crew on board about the lack of air conditioning, his missing shipment, as well giving the chief engineer alot grief.
By the time he came back I was done with my portion and had him start filling the cracks and chips. I notice Mr. Hartz was having difficulties working with the
epoxy and colors! I asked him why. His reply was: "I never worked with this type of
epoxy before." This was very unusual since most stone craftsmen work with the brand Akemi.
I asked him to work on certain areas for color-matching. He did not have any clue on how to do so and his colors were way off. Nonetheless, he filled the cracks which were not the right color.
He asked me to work on the silestone but I replied " That the detailed in the oral agreement calls for A.S.R. to restore only
marble & granite. But he mentioned he never got that e-mail. But I reminded him what we discussed on the phone and he agreed. That night I finally had him countersign the travelers checks.
The third and thankfully the last day, I came in with him to fix most of his mistakes. But he got upset that I told him that it would take another 2 days to fix his mistakes. At that point he called it quits. And started making excuses about the jobs unfavorable conditions to complete work.
The remaining money owed for my services was to be paid cash as we had discussed before work began. Instead, he paid by his company check which I later noticed was post dated.
I would have thought that this was all, but this Mr. Hartz kept calling me after. He showed me an e-mail he received from the cruiseliner stating that he needed to complete work on the silestone and his area of mistakes. If not, he would need to return the money. He was panicking. I was surprised to see the amount that he had charged for an area no bigger than 100 square feet. It was $30,000, and he had already received $18,500 of it. He was very worried. But my portion of the work on the natural stone was done. I reminded him that he was responsible for the Silestone and for his mistakes. He agreed, but still did not know what to do.
I deposited the check soon after. About a week later, while I was visiting New York, I found out that the check had been stopped. Clearly, Ed Hartz had no indication of paying forour services. I called him asking to meet, but he either did not answer my calls, or replied that he was too busy to meet. He said he would square off on payment.
When I got back to Hawaii, I called him a number of times, but he avoided all calls. I e-mailed him about the situation. In his reply e-mail, he turned the tables around, and started blaming me, just as he had blamed everyone on the boat. In his email he wrote "Good luck" in trying to get paid for your services.
I have never dealt with such a business or person during the 17 years in this industry. Most of all, I am appalled by his behavior and business edicate. I hope that this message will caution any person, whether client or business, to do work with him.
Currently, Our company attorney is filing a judgement against him. I have also learned that post-dating checks is a federal crime.
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 | | Marble | MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS
This standard includes general information on the characteristics
and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems
associated with the material.
INTRODUCTION
Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite
(CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of
limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic
processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone
with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite
porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high
polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and
sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially
polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects
of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed,
is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is
readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the
actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the
acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds
react differently with marble and produce various by-products,
which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability
of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine
the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration.
Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the
other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid
attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the
brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red,
yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition.
TYPICAL USES
Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for
outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture
it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative
features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is
used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of
exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the
feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not
the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage
to which marble is susceptible. | |  |
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Hartzstone LLC, Edward Hartz = Bad business 
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