On Gutters

I didn't realize how important proper gutters are. I watched the water pour down in sheets above the front window of my house. A year after I had my driveway paved, the water started filling up in my basement. Their were several occassions in which I had to wet vac a few inches of water out if it. These were the times the sump pump decided not to work. It took me a while to realize what the real problem was. There was a drainage pipe from the gutters, on the front corner of the house. This drain just dumped all that water down my, now paved, driveway and seeped into the basement. Most of the gutters were barely hanging on to the house. I did my infamous- online -research and decided to go with a covered gutter, although there were very mixed reviews. Joe Salesman came out with his little bag of samples and his lovely laminated book. I didn't feel like playing the old "Bathfitters" game but I needed gutters ASAP. Joe Salesman pulled the old "I don't know if I can go that cheap, let me call my manager" bullshit that they so like to play. I called him on it, but I still overpaid. Apparently, the game is like this, you say "no that is too much money". They leave and if it is the right timing, you can get that price dropped to 1/3 of the original estimate. I didn't know that at the time, but now I am telling you. Trying to research gutter prices on line is a bit unrealistic. I tried this and got prices of anywhere from $1.60 to $2.20 per foot. I don't know if installation was included. I paid 3x times that amount. I got the LeafGuard brand gutters. The installers were on time and quick. They were here and gone before I knew it. I did not get the drain along the driveway and I don't have that sheet of water running down the front of my house. Part of the reason I went with this company, was that they were supposed to replace the rotted wood on the soffet that was ruined from being wet. I am pretty sure I had bad wood and they didn't replace any of it. I had them come out and told them the places I could see that were bad but they insisted there was nothing wrong with the wood. They said it wasn't rotted it was just marks from where the nails were on the previous gutters. I am happy to not have water in the basement, although right now, maybe I regret that because maybe the fleas would drown. But, with my luck, it is more likely they would float to the top of the water and make way for the rest of my house, instead of being confined to the basement. I have heard good reviews on "The Gutter Guys" but I have not had a personal experience with that company.