Clayton Homes

After many years of owning our property in the Catskills, NY, we decided to order a manufactured home to replace our small cabin. We wanted to deal with a local business, so we contacted Clayton Homes of Oneonta. From the beginning Renee was very attentive, helpful and knowledgeable about the business of manufactured homes. She immediately worked on a possible floor plan with all the changes we wanted and that would fit into our budget. We still wanted to see and feel what a manufactured home of similar size and built would look like, so we went to the office in Oneonta to meet with Renee. She offered to show us one of the model homes on the lot with the same dimensions and as soon as we walked in we loved it. She mentioned that the model home was for sale and that it was built by Master Craft from Ritz Craft, a company we had researched when considering modular homes. This model home would include appliances, furniture and decorations as part of the sale. We mentioned that we did not want rugs so she said she would facilitate with the contractor to install any flooring we purchased. At that point, there was no turning back. We immediately started the process of finding a lender and prepping our property for our new home. Renee had a network of professionals in the construction industry to refer to us as needed during the project such as companies for gutter installations, water softener installations, and engineers for the septic system. She was always keeping track of the project and trying to move it along. Even when some problems came up, Renee was always available via phone, text or email to contact the service provider and find a solution or resolution to the problem. On October 13, 2023, they delivered the two sections of the house and by January 23, 2024, Rene was handing us the keys to our new home. What a gift for my husband, who had just celebrated his 60th birthday five days earlier. Our experience with Clayton Homes of Oneonta and all those involved in this process was a very positive and rewarding one. Our family is grateful and extremely happy with our new home.

Noel and Ruth R.
Staten Island, NY

The Good
The house is great with experts noting the quality of the pipes, supporting pillars, etc. Clayton provides a warranty for factory flaws, and their handymen are generally fantastic.

The Bad
Clayton’s communication is not always timely nor professional, and their customer service has been curt almost to the point of rudeness. Our experience suggests that a call service or online system would better serve Clayton’s profits, PR, and customers.

Weeks after the warranty expired, parts in the kitchen began falling off, and a year later, an appliance failed, demonstrating the care Clayton puts into the replaceable parts of the house. Several neighbors acknowledged the poor quality, and one noted how Clayton “cheaps out”. Potential buyers might consider adding kitchen, bathroom, and lawn repairs to their budget sooner than later.

The Ugly
Despite the housing shortage, the neighboring Clayton house has been on the market for years, and one of their hirelings trespassed and damaged our property. Clayton noted the damage was done by “just a [worker] we use” and mentioned when he would be by. We cleared our schedule, but he did not show, wasting our time. In the months since, Clayton has yet to give us the worker’s contact information, making the situation pretty sketchy. Clayton noted their worker has misled them at least once before, so their hiring unethical workers they cannot trust surprises and confuses us.

Conclusion
Owning a Clayton home has been more problematic and expensive than expected. Living next door to a Clayton owned home has been surprisingly unpleasant. Clayton’s defensiveness, general misinformation, and obstruction, implies poor morals.

Ultimately, we want to be good neighbors, and we want any new neighbors to be fully aware of the folks they are dealing with when they purchase a Clayton home.