Hello Chapter LLC reviews

Do not be fooled by Chapter’s aesthetic branding or promises of a “hassle-free” renovation. We hired Chapter in June 2024 for a semi-gut renovation of our 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom pre-war co-op. They sold us on a high-quality, full-service model—design, permitting, procurement, project management, and build all handled seamlessly. But our experience has been one of the most stressful, frustrating, and disempowering we’ve ever had. Our project was originally meant to be completed in February with the “worst case” being April. It’s now mid-June, and it’s still not finished. The delays began immediately. Despite saying they’d be ready to file permits as soon as we closed, Chapter were not. Our designer went MIA but when we asked to switch, we were told it would cause delays. We ended up doing all of our own material selection, and she left Chapter shortly afterwards. The PM was fired by Chapter just days later—right as we were due to start demolition. Our (second) PM, was rarely on top of anything. We had to follow up three or four times just to get basic updates. He would often ignore us. Sometimes he lied to us. He left everything to the last minute, so it felt like we were always scrambling. He never seemed to know what was happening onsite, and wasn’t present during critical stages. Eventually, we acted as our own PM—coming onsite, overseeing subcontractors, tracking corrections—just to keep things moving. Procurement was just as chaotic. After selecting a pair of one-of-a-kind marble slabs and designing our bathroom around them, Chapter failed to place the order. The slabs were sold to someone else, and we had to redesign. Chapter’s incorrect measurements meant we either over-ordered thousands of dollars in tile, or ended up short and had to pay hundreds of dollars in extra shipping. Eventually, we had to source and order the majority of materials ourselves. The few things Chapter was responsible for—like faucets—weren’t even ordered, which we found out only when it was time to install them. Once work finally started, things got worse. Chapter talked about having specialized trades but, in reality, they used the same low-quality general laborers for most tasks. The standard of work was so poor, much of it had to be redone—sometimes multiple times over. Standards of care were virtually nonexistent when it came to materials and fixtures. Meanwhile, the pressure to pay kept building. Chapter pushed for milestone payments even when work was clearly incomplete or defective. When we resisted, they pulled workers off site. No matter how we approached it—diplomatically, directly, or through escalation to their VP, Sebastian Aguas, and then to their CEO, Eran Polack—nothing seemed to work. There were so many times that we wanted to walk away, but Chapter’s front-loaded payment structure left us financially trapped and without leverage. That seems to be their business model. We deeply regret hiring Chapter. The project has dragged on far past its promised end date, we’ve been continually gaslit throughout the process, and we’ve had to manage them at every turn to avoid costly mistakes. If you’re considering working with Chapter, ask yourself whether you have the time, energy, and money to act as your own project manager—and whether you’re willing to gamble six figures on a company whose polish ends at the pitch deck.