- Report: #777704
Complaint Review: Paul Davis Restoration of Asheville - Greater Asheville Area North Carolina
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Author Not Confirmed
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Paul Davis Restoration of Asheville
34-A Redmond Drive, Fletcher NC 28732 Greater Asheville Area, 28732 North Carolina, United States of America
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Paul Davis Restoration of Asheville They did excessive and unnecessary damage; alledgedly disposed of undamaged items Greater Asheville Area, North Carolina
During a terrible winter storm and cold snap in 2010 a pipe burst in our garage causing flooding in part of our home. No one was there at the time and the damage was not discovered until much later. By then black mold had begun to form and Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Asheville was brought in to clean out the mold, remove debris and prepare for restoration of the property.
We were horrified and traumatized by the extent of the damage; it seemed enormous. During the clean up process we took hundreds of photographs we thought might be necessary for insurance purposes.
Once the Paul Davis people had finished and we had already paid them thousands of dollars we began to more calmly examine the property. It was clear where the original damage was and we could not understand how the Paul Davis people managed to extend it throughout the entire house; bathrooms completely torn apart; commodes removed from bases, sinks removed, previously undamaged cupboards torn out; even closet doors taken off their hinges. The list is long and heart breaking. It looked like the worst sort of "before" picture on Home & Garden channel.
More curious still were the photos we have of valuable articles such as dozens of expensive leather briefcases which appear to be completely undamaged and, even if affected by the water, could readily have been restored, were summarily thrown away.......or were they? We don't know. One of our daughters was there some of the time the PDR crew was working but they were often left on their own which was, we believe, a HUGE mistake.
We became increasingly suspicious but felt ill equipped to make a fair determination. We had already decided to sell the house and brought in a contractor to advise us as to the potential costs of doing some very basic restoration the house and as he surveyed the damage the first words he said were, "You don't need a contrator, you need a lawyer". He then showed us step by step how far the actual water damage and mold extended and explained how Paul Davis Restoration has caused thousands of dollars in extensive and completely unnecessary damage to the house from end to end. He suggested the possibility PDR may have believed they would be hired to do the repair work as well and the excessive damage would have meant more work and therefore higher profits for them.
We were devastated as the thousands of dollars in losses on top of a poor real estate market was something we could ill afford. A few weeks later we brought in a second building contractor who told us the very same thing, "You were robbed", he said. He behaved as if we should have almost expected it.
I believe if you do not remain present at all times, not just with PDR but possibly with any so called restoration crews, and have an objective third party who is skilled in building or a contractor also overseeing the work, you cannot successfully monitor these people. It's like any repair person who tells you something needs to be fixed and you have no idea whether or not you are being told the truth.
In any event, I have no doubt whatsoever we were "ripped off" by Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Asheville and now we must determine how we are going to resolve the issue. I hope this serves as a helpful warning to anyone contracting with any restoration company. A word of advice, after some consideration we also realized it would have cost us less and the outcome would have been much more satisfactory if we had simply hired specific individual professionals to do specific jobs we could have kept track of one at a time instead of a crew of strangers that showed up at dawn who's activities were not clear to us; being elderly and ill was also a disadvantage. I believe you will always be vulnerable when you hire contractors who then farm out the work to those who are familiar only to the contractor and who do not have the homeowners' best interest at heart.
We were horrified and traumatized by the extent of the damage; it seemed enormous. During the clean up process we took hundreds of photographs we thought might be necessary for insurance purposes.
Once the Paul Davis people had finished and we had already paid them thousands of dollars we began to more calmly examine the property. It was clear where the original damage was and we could not understand how the Paul Davis people managed to extend it throughout the entire house; bathrooms completely torn apart; commodes removed from bases, sinks removed, previously undamaged cupboards torn out; even closet doors taken off their hinges. The list is long and heart breaking. It looked like the worst sort of "before" picture on Home & Garden channel.
More curious still were the photos we have of valuable articles such as dozens of expensive leather briefcases which appear to be completely undamaged and, even if affected by the water, could readily have been restored, were summarily thrown away.......or were they? We don't know. One of our daughters was there some of the time the PDR crew was working but they were often left on their own which was, we believe, a HUGE mistake.
We became increasingly suspicious but felt ill equipped to make a fair determination. We had already decided to sell the house and brought in a contractor to advise us as to the potential costs of doing some very basic restoration the house and as he surveyed the damage the first words he said were, "You don't need a contrator, you need a lawyer". He then showed us step by step how far the actual water damage and mold extended and explained how Paul Davis Restoration has caused thousands of dollars in extensive and completely unnecessary damage to the house from end to end. He suggested the possibility PDR may have believed they would be hired to do the repair work as well and the excessive damage would have meant more work and therefore higher profits for them.
We were devastated as the thousands of dollars in losses on top of a poor real estate market was something we could ill afford. A few weeks later we brought in a second building contractor who told us the very same thing, "You were robbed", he said. He behaved as if we should have almost expected it.
I believe if you do not remain present at all times, not just with PDR but possibly with any so called restoration crews, and have an objective third party who is skilled in building or a contractor also overseeing the work, you cannot successfully monitor these people. It's like any repair person who tells you something needs to be fixed and you have no idea whether or not you are being told the truth.
In any event, I have no doubt whatsoever we were "ripped off" by Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Asheville and now we must determine how we are going to resolve the issue. I hope this serves as a helpful warning to anyone contracting with any restoration company. A word of advice, after some consideration we also realized it would have cost us less and the outcome would have been much more satisfactory if we had simply hired specific individual professionals to do specific jobs we could have kept track of one at a time instead of a crew of strangers that showed up at dawn who's activities were not clear to us; being elderly and ill was also a disadvantage. I believe you will always be vulnerable when you hire contractors who then farm out the work to those who are familiar only to the contractor and who do not have the homeowners' best interest at heart.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Winnie
Skyland,North Carolina,
USA
Response to "Claim Advocate"
#2Author of original report
Sun, October 16, 2011
Thank you so much for taking the time to help educate us. We are learning these things you have explained to us. Most of all, as I may have mentioned in the RipOff report and you confirm, hire the people to do the work yourself and do not work with these companies. We were unaware these companies were so deeply involved with the insurance companies but what you said is also very true...... the insurance company chose Paul Davis Restoration for us. In any event, thank you again for all of the valuable information you provided for us and for everyone else who reads this material. This was a kindness indeed to take your time and skills anonymously to be of assistance to so many.......
ClaimAdvocate
Ft Wayne,Indiana,
United States of America
Where is your insurance policy?
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, October 04, 2011
As a 40 yr claim executive adjuster for the nations largest insurers and now a claim advocate for policyholders, I must ask why you did not think about filing a water damage claim? Rightly so, you are required by contract to preserve your property from further loss which you did with PDR, includes removing covered property, both bldg and contents. PDR are owned by the insurance carriers so to speak and work for them exclusively so you wont get a fair shake there. I use to use them on hundreds of claims until I caught them with a double system, if you use them they get the insurer to pay 250% of the loss and if you dont use them but for a courtesy bid, they low ball the bid by 60% in favor of the insurer. Dont hire insurance contractors, they do not work for your benefit. Dont accept one from your agent either, he works for his loss ratio in keeping the claim low or denied. Get your own, one who works for you. PDR cannot discard anything unless you first approved them to do so. They must pile it all outside until you approve to discard. Its not their property to do so, regardless of the condition. Thats the law.
Your HO3 form will cover resulting water losses ie, broken pipe from freezing. It covers the plumber bill too. The only exclusion comes to mind is for occupancy beyond 60 days. That can be avoided if someone stopped by and checked the heat once every 30 days, its no longer unoccupied. It certainly was not vacant either with contents still inside.
An attorney is usually not profitable on these type of losses and takes 1-2 years for an outcome. I would suggest you hire a Claim Advocate or public adjuster. Finding one that has worked inside the insurer is essential. Dont hire one that only knows how to write an estimate. There are many contractors who became want- a- be adjusters out there to take your money. A bad PA is the same price (10% of any recovery) as a good PA. Make sure its one who knows coverage inside out. Water claims has a multitude of coverage issues and mold issues making it more complex. Its not a cost estimate issue but a coverage maze.
What you say to your agent or staff adjuster will be used against you when it comes to water claims. Mold is a problem but can be overcome if handled right by a pro adjuster. You may have a valid claim if you have not talked much and done your own collateral damage. I would file a claim for a valid water-freeze loss. Paying a public adjuster on your side 10% if any recovery is made is well worth it. An atty will cost you 33-40% and most have never adjusted a claim. If the PA gets you nothing, you owe nothing.
The Claim Advocate
