Complaint Review: First Response Restoration "Biff" Liebbe

I first used First Response Restoration when my house in the Southwest Dallas County area had a fire just after I'd finished renovating it for sale, the day after the open house bringing us three potential buyors. I found out about them because the husband of a girl I worked with worked for them. I had arranged a meeting to get an idea of what I'd be up against, since I had a potential contractor in mind already that I'd used on another home remodel.

I was convinced after having met with these gentleman however that based upon their experience in the industry and their knowledge of the ins and outs of dealing with the insurance companies and the mortgage companies, that it would be a better idea to use them. I was pleased for the most part with how things went (though one can never avoid all of the stress associated with such an event) and other than having noted that Biff had a really bad temper (when dealing with the bank trying to cash one of the installment checks from the mortgage company made payable to both of us) I did hear rumblings of some not so "kosher' goings on from another worker on the inside who happened to be the other person I had been planning to use (it seemed like a good solution at the time, use a company who knew the industry but mandate a contractor for them to work with who's work ethic I already knew)

All in all however, this project finally was completed, though it took a lot longer than I expected, and it was nearly a year from fire, through restoration, to finally getting the house sold.

So, when I moved to Plano from Austin in 2006, and had a fire in the master bathroom just about a year later, they were of course the first people I phoned. Things started out well enough, though there were many issues that cropped up this time we hadn't had problems with the first time around (as I was living in this house, it was naturally more complex) The fire was Sept 8. 2007, and it took until Christmas for me to even get back into my bedroom, and that was with my pushing them hard the last few weeks.

During this time, they had many of my belongings stacked for storage on the patio, which at the time seemed fine with me and saved spending money on another storage pod to be placed on the side yard killing all my grass. I didn't know at that time that the insurance company was going to send out an inspector to take photos in the middle of construction,for purposes of finding a reason to be able to cancel my policy without saying it was due to the claim (see alternate ripoff report to be filed later today on Fidelity Insurance Company in regards to this same case)

While this was not necessarily Biff's fault, I would have expected had our storing things on the patio been going to pose a potential hazard (as the insurance company later alleged in thier reasoning for cancelling my policy without notice or right to correct) he would have known this with all his years of experience with the insurance companies. In any case, this was a side issue that I'm still dealing with.

Additionally, he failed to pay the company he had hired/subcontracted with, who removed all my families personal items such as clothing linens etc from the home, and I had only the "911" clothes they cleaned immediatley and returned so I could use them for work the next week, even though the insurance company paid him directly (not with a check issued to both of us) for all content cleaning, in an amount over $10,000 just for the clothing cleaners alone, never mind the people he had come in and wipe down walls, etc.

It was late January when I realized I was in trouble, as he failed to return any of my phone calls and had refused to answer the phone when I would call from a number he recognized. I finally got him to answer the phone either by using someone else's number or by blocking mine. His story was this; he was ashamed, and embarrassed because somehow, someone had gotten 10k out of his bank account over the holidays or during Jan, I can't recall exactly which now. He knew he had a lot more work to do for me but....he wasn't able to do it all at once.

Knowing he had been dealing with his father's long illness/dying, and knowing things can happen when you least expect them, I was willing to work with him on this matter, as it wasn't an urgent problem for me in any case. I simply told him the thing that angered me most was his refusal to speak to me about it. As long as he would continue to communicate with me I would be willing to try to work things out.

I requested that he send me an updated accounting of what had already been done, and what still needed to be finished, and where we stood financially with each other. I got a copy of an updated format mid February, showing all the projects we'd agreed that the money he'd been paid should cover, and some of which he said had already been completed (such as the glass around my shower, not done still to date, the window in the shower which is still just a nailed up piece of glass, the painting of the outside of the house where the shower window had been blown out by the fire and had burned a portion of the eaves, flooring for my closet, etc) as well as the rest of the things to be done in the house.

He noted in that email that he would come out and meet with me in a few days, and that he would have the fence repaired the next week (the firemen had torn it down as they needed 360degree free access to the house though the fire was quite isolated) I have a pool in my backyard, and this is a huge liability to not have a good solid fence up from Sept to Feb (I finally had nailed it up rather haphazardly myself, and my exhusband had to come fix it to avoid any children in the nieghborhood or stray animals falling in) The fence has never been replaced by him, nor did the meeting take place.

He also noted that he had arranged with the cleaners to pay them $1000 and they would be in touch with me to arrange for a time when I could come out and pick up some of my things (I had already had to purchase winter clothes, it didn't seem quite right that with all those things in storage I should have to do the same with spring coming, and kids, they grow so fast they have probably outgrown anything of theirs that was there, and as of this date of Sept 15, 2008, over one year later, still IS there!) This did happen, I was able to pick up what I could fit in my vehicle that next week, a small dent by comparison.

From February until late May, I was unable to get a return phone call, nor was he back in touch with the cleaners. After leaving him a rather perturbed voice mail detailing my exasperation with him and threatening further legal action if I didn't hear from him by a certain date, he had one of his employees call me (again, didn't call me himself!!) and he showed up to finally tile the ancillary bathroom. According to this person, Biff couldn't come himself and didn't phone me because he was out of town for Memorial Day weekend.

Now, color me naive, but if you can afford a family vacation, seems like you should have been able to take care of your professional obligations.

Since then, I've been unable to speak with him at all. I've contacted the Plano police dept who stated they would consider criminal charges once I'd sent a registered letter, which I did on August 1, 2008. I sent it additionally to his home address, via email, and to the business address on record. No response. I phoned the cleaners again, and they stated the same, he would not respond to them at all.

As of last week I'm in receipt of a voice mail from this cleaners who now state they are going to have to go after me in a lawsuit, not him *(why this is I have yet to discover) despite their not wanting to handle it this way. I will then in turn have to try to get what I can out of him.

Just over a year later I still do not have a completed bathroom, nor have they finished any of the other projects that were paid for in the last installment of the series of checks from the mortgage company. I am still unable to finalize the contents payout with the insurance company since I still have no way of knowing what items the cleaners may have taken that were irreparable or unable to be cleaned, and the insurance company is fighting me on the entire matter. Even though they paid him directly for the contents, apparently this too is my problem, they have no willingness to take action against him for fraud.

Warning: you'll have enough to worry about with having a major life crisis such as a homeowners catastophe requiring major restoration or remodeling. Using Biff Liebbe (otherwise known as Roger, Robert, or Calvert Liebbe, married to Kim Liebbe, father of Heather) He also does mobile DJ stuff on the side, like for weddings, and parties, etc....again, buyer beware!

Kerri
Plano, Texas
U.S.A.