Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 13th of 2022 there was a seepage and sewer backup incident in the basement of my home. I had *** come and cleanup. At the time I stated that I was capped by insurance and would like to keep the job as cost efficient as I could. To which the project manager agreed. When I received the bill I was shocked to see that it was 32,000. I spoke with my neighbor who had the same thing happen to him about a month before. He had the same company come out and do the cleanup. He showed me a copy of his bill which showed that everything *** did in his house cost more except for one thing. At my home *** had to inventory all the damaged or loss listed items and photograph them. To my surprise that alone was 8000.00 which I believe to be ludicrous. When I spoke to the company manager and project manager I was treated like a child and my concerns were dismissed with every job is different. I could understand 1000.00 difference but 8000.00! Something is wrong with that. I was also disappointed in the fact that door jambs were completely removed and not just cut. I am told by a contractor that it will be more expensive to replace that than to do the jamb and doors. I don't need doors though as they were ok. They also tore out the vinyl tile flooring in my bathroom which was also grouted with a caulking style grout. This would have made the flooring waterproof and it could have been sanitized according to the company who installed and sold us this flooring less than 5yrs earlier. I am seeking some sort of refund from the company *** as well a payment for the flooring and door jambs. I feel if you are in this type of business you should know enough about what you are removing that you can in turn salvage what you can. I am sure that insurance jobs are just a free for all. I think that when the Cleanup costs more than the rebuild something is seriously wrong. If you require more info or copies of invoices etc.please let me know.
  Regards ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 30/11/2022

  We welcome any discussion with our clients regarding the process of a claim from start to finish. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, the basement of Mrs. *****'s home sustained substantial water and sewer back up damage because of a rainfall event. Mrs. ***** did bring the coverage limitations to our attention, and we did our due diligence in keeping this in mind, while accurately and professionally restoring her property to an acceptable condition that was suitable for repairs to take place. The procedure of this process is detailed and is required to properly record all interior finishes and content items damaged as a result of the water loss. This begins with the initial mitigation efforts to extract water and install drying equipment while we are waiting for the insurance company to confirm coverage. Then, the team will pack out all the belongings in the basement to allow access to the structure for the demolition process. We compile a detailed list of any damaged contents (called a loss list or schedule of loss) so Mrs. ***** could submit this to her insurance company for replacement. We package and store the items in our warehouse facility for the duration of the project until the repairs are complete.
  
  Once the demolition and sanitization process are complete, we prepare the initial Mitigation / Demolition estimate and submit to the insurance company for review. This is then reviewed by the adjuster and a specialized reviewer on behalf of the insurance company. Every line item that we invoice for is substantiated with photographic proof of both necessity and quantity. Any items that are of issue are addressed by the reviewer and anything that is not approved would be removed from charge. The insurance company dictates the prices set forth by the specific estimating software that is mandatory for us to use. Any deviations from these set prices are flagged and requested to be either substantiated or removed. Once the mitigation estimate has been approved by the adjuster, we prepare and submit a repair estimate which undergoes the same review process.
  
  In this circumstance, Mrs. ***** has a limit of coverage that was not enough to cover the entire cost of the restoration and repair process. While this is unfortunate, it is the insureds responsibility to communicate with their Insurance Broker what would be required for limitations given the level of interior finishes and contents within the home. We recognized this in discussions with Mrs. ***** and as a result, we incurred the cost of the storage of her contents in our warehouse for a total of $768.00 and returned the contents that we had processed at our facility to her home at no charge to her which equated to a value of $1300.00 with labour and milage to her home which is 120 kms from Saskatoon.
  
  It is very difficult to compare one claim against another given that Mrs. ***** suggested that her neighbour's loss was similar, yet her costs were higher. It is the case that every claim is different. Some have contents impacted, some have asbestos containing materials, some have ceramic tile flooring or cabinetry, or shelving or water softeners and mechanical systems affected, the list goes on. Again, the insurance company sets the prices that we are able to charge, similar to an Autobody claim. If one estimate was completed in one month and another in the next month, the insurance company may have adjusted rates or material prices and therefore, the pricing may change.
  
  We have reviewed this file internally and cannot find any communication wherein Mrs. ***** has brought the concerns with the door jambs and flooring to our attention so unfortunately, we cannot comment on this portion of the statement. What we can comment on is that door jambs made of MDF or particle board material that have been impacted by sewer contaminated water cannot be disinfected or repaired and that is why they were removed. Standard industry practice is such that in the circumstance where a door jamb is affected but the door is not, we are to replace the jamb and reinstall the door. The insurance company will not pay to replace the door if it is not impacted by the loss. As for the vinyl flooring that Mrs. ***** is referring to, the top surface may have been able to be disinfected however if any sewer contaminated water entered in around the sides or underneath the tile, we cannot accurately dry or disinfect that area, leaving a potential further issue.
  
  Throughout this restoration process, we have made ourselves available for all communications with Mrs. ***** and we welcome any further discussion with regards any additional concerns.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 15/12/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  
  I feel as that when I expressed my concerns to the company they simply dismissed me. I tried to tell them the costs for my neighbor were actually more in all aspects of the cleanup. I do have both invoices and you can see that I was charged almost 6days worth of hours for simply recording my damaged items and taking a photo of them. My loss list was not big at all so I am confused. I will submit the invoices from both my cleanup and my neighbors cleanup and you can see for yourself.

  Business Response

  Date: 18/01/2023

  Good afternoon,
  
  We would be pleased to review this matter further with both Mrs. ***** and the insurance adjuster assigned to the file. We will make the adjuster aware of Mrs. *****'s complaint to the BBB and request that the insurance adjuster review accordingly.
  
  Thank you,