(212) 925-1365
19 Mercer Street, New York, NY February 2, 2013
Mr.Alan Fierstein
President
Acoustilog Inc.
19 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10013
Dear Alan,
It has been almost three months since you visited my apartment and surveyed the noise transmission in my bedroom from the neighbor on the other side of the shared wall after the installafion of a “soundproof wall” by a contractor.
Your inspection revealed the wrong material and methods of soundproofing were chosen by the contractor, the “soundproof wall" was of no benefit, The only way to get a truly soundproof barrier was to demolish what had been done wrong, and build the new wall according to the recommendations detailed at length in your report. Your 11- page report with photos of what had been done wrong was a break through for me. Your professionalism is highly commendable. Your report is honest, clear, precise, and easy to understand.
I had lost confidence in the contractor who performed the defective work and asked you for guidance in choosing a contractor specializing in soundproofing. You recommended Audio Strucmres. It was the right choice. Chris Harmaty is a true professional; he demonstrates pride in his work, a hands-on approach, and an acute sense of responsibility. Thanks to his creativity in using a system that removed dust out of the room, the amount of dust was controlled The various phases of the installation of the insulation material as per recommendations you detailed in your report, were achieved in a timely fashion. I underline his careful attention to details such as noticing and fixing the lack of caulking around the original wall shared with the neighbor apartment, and sealing adequately the baseboard and electrical and telephone/cable outlets. It all made it a truly soundproof wall. I have not heard the neighbors so far.
It was tough waiting for Mr, Harmaty over two months, but it was worth it. Super Storm Sandy had created havoc in the studios of his clients and he had to take care of them first.
My experience with you has been excellent. You have been very dependable, responding to my telephone calls very promptly when I could not reach you directly on the first try. You have been very patient and supportive all along for the past three months. I thank you for your honest guidance and advice targeted to my personal case.
With sincere gratitude,
[name withheld by request]
May 18, 2013
Mr.Alan Fierstein
President
Acoustilog Inc.
19 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10013
I reflected on Thursday evening’s hearing in Small Claims Court. I want to share with you my observations and thoughts as you were a key element and component of the evening. I am glad I followed my gut instinct and asked you to come as an expert witness. I felt more secure having you at my side. Your advice and coachmg while we were waiting to appear before the Arbitrator made it for a more coordinated and efficacious testimony.
I certainly prepared for the hearing and gathered as much evidence as I could think of Your report was the instrumental part of the documentation. It’s called "piece de resistance" in French, I was relieved that the Arbitrator accepted it as evidence. I thought she was very good, and grasped the issue in front of her quickly.
I felt your presence impressed, and was appreciated by, the Arbitrator. It seemed that she was relieved to know who you were. My point in going through the motion of appearing in Small Claims Court was to try to demonstrate and show to [the contractor] that they made mistakes and due to the mistakes they made, their soundproofing method did not work You report clearly delineated that, but they had doubt in their minds. You demonstrated very clearly and convincingly what was wrong and how it could have worked. There was a healthy dialogue between you and the Arbitrator, and you and the general manager of [the contractor]. I was the claimant, but you were there to spell out the faults in the construction of the intended soundproof wall. You made everything more real and realistic. Thanks to your proven scientific knowledge, you were the voice of authority in the room. I think, to a certain exten, [the contractor] appreciated it too, willy nilly.
I am happy quite innocently I made the comment about the air space and you said to me: "I have to correct you on this." It showed my ignorance. I have no problem with that because it was the reason why I thought you should accompany me to the hearing. By correcting me it gave you the opportunity to prove to the Arbitrator and to [the contractor] that you are objective and tell the truth. You have no hidden agenda.
We strived to put across [to the contractor] and convince the Arbitrator of, the legitimacy of my claim. It's now out of our control. I will let you know the decision of the Court.
You missed the joy to attend your son’s [baseball] game. No amount of money can replace that joy. I consider you more than a reliable business acquaintance; I consider you as a valued business friend.
Very sincerely,
[name withheld by request]
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Before discovering Acoustilog, one of our clients hired a contractor to soundproof an apartment against some disturbing neighbor noise. Despite a professional-looking job, it quickly became apparent that the noise problem was not improved.
Alan Fierstein of Acoustilog was hired to inspect the existing construction and to do the acoustic testing necessary to make recommendations to mitigate the noise.
In the end the original contractor's work had to be entirely demolished. Acoustilog's recommendations were then implemented by another contractor that we recommended. The first letter from the client (see below) thanks Al Fierstein for finally solving the noise problem.
The client, still out the money paid to the first contractor, decided to sue him in Small Claims Court. Armed with the Acoustilog report and with Alan Fierstein present as an expert witness, the client won a judgment against the contractor. The Small Claims case is the subject of the second letter reproduced below. At the time it was written, the client had not yet received the Court's decision.
The names of our client and the original contactor have been withheld by request