These past few weeks dealing with 911 and the Claims Closure team at Elkmont have left me wondering: what would have been more toxic? Letting the mold grow in our home without mitigation services or enduring the stress and confusion of this company's billing process and numerous emails back and forth.
Jeremy and his crew came to us the day after a major rainfall and helped with a sump pump overflow. From the start, we liked Jeremy and appreciated the quick response to our urgent call. Because it was an emergency, we didn't receive an upfront estimate. Our priority was getting the water out quickly, and we were told we had to sign a contract, agreeing to be responsible for the billing, in order to start the process. In hindsight, this was a hard lesson learned and our mistake to trust and not get a written estimate in advance.
Jeremy and his crew got right to work, and during those early days, we felt secure knowing we had found a good team to help with the heartbreaking demolition of our home. They guided us through the mitigation process and assured us they would also support us through reconstruction.
After the mitigation work was completed, we waited several weeks to receive a bill. We followed up multiple times requesting the final bill for our insurance claim but were repeatedly told to be patient due to a backlog of estimates.
Eventually, we received the bill and forwarded it to our insurance adjuster. After reviewing the charges and attempting to work with the company, the adjuster informed us that the invoice appeared significantly inflated. He noted that the billing department made only a minimal effort to negotiate in good faith. Ultimately, he advised that we reach out directly, as he was getting nowhere and we would be responsible for thousands of dollars even after insurance paid what they deemed a fair amount. That's when we decided to take a much closer look at the charges ourselves.
Upon reviewing the invoice, we noticed charges for plumbing service, though no plumbing work had been performed which was a minimal amount. This prompted a deeper dive into the invoice, and we went through photos taken during the process and found another discrepancy: the invoice listed 12 air blowers used for 12 days, but the pictures clearly showed only 8 blowers on our property on the eighth day, and not for the full duration. The owner later confirmed that all equipment had been removed four days earlier than what was billed. After raising these concerns, we were told the invoice would be resubmitted to the Claims Closure Team at Elkmont and that we'd hear back shortly. Over a week later, we received the original bill with a late fee added and a professional threat of more late fees if this was not paid within two days.
We followed up with 911 Restoration and received a brief three-line revision invoice that reflected only a minimal change in pricing. We repeatedly requested a detailed, line-by-line invoice showing the corrections. This should have been simple, especially since they had previously provided a breakdown outlining the overcharges. Surprisingly, despite using advanced billing software, they were unable (or unwilling) to generate a corrected version with the same level of detail. The lack of transparency and responsiveness was disappointing, especially given the nature of the concerns we raised.
What we did receive to explain the revised billing was an email stating that the revised total reflected all adjustments discussed, including the removal of plumbing line items and the correction to equipment usage days. They stated, while we understand you anticipated a larger reduction based on those changes, the adjustment to plumbing charges was relatively minimal, and at the same time, demolition costs increased after further review. The net effect is that the difference between the two estimates was not as large as expected. The adjustments for the overbilling in our favor were minimal, surprisingly so, especially when compared to the original invoice pricing for the air blowers. Ironically, the added costs of the demolition seemed to put us close to where we initially started.
The owner, called us the night we paid the bill to discuss the issues we had encountered. We shared our frustrations, and while I appreciated the gesture, it didn't change the outcome. We ultimately paid the bill just to move on and avoid further communication. Based on our experience, we chose not to pursue reconstruction services with this company. I'm confident their response to this review will echo the same message they've given to others on google reviews: that their billing is accurate and fair. But as a consumer and alongside others who've taken the time to share similar experiences, I feel it's important to warn you. While the actual work met expectations at the time it was performed, the billing process was far from transparent. The sticker shock was real, and you may end up paying a steep price. read more
