Our experience with Allay during our insurance restoration has been extremely disappointing and has continued to worsen even after our original review.
Our claim began June 16. After mitigation, restoration was approved, and we paid Allay $12,851.63 on August 4 toward the restoration work. From that point forward, we experienced repeated delays, scheduling issues, poor communication, and concerns regarding the quality of the work being performed.
Flooring was scheduled multiple times before it was finally completed around August 28- by completed I mean the wood flooring was laid but not sanded and finished. We experienced four scheduled appointments where the flooring work did not occur. We learned that these issues appeared to be related to Allay rather than the flooring company itself.
The cabinetry became one of our biggest concerns. Our estimate included cabinet restoration, including removal/resetting, doors, drawer fronts, hardware, finish work, and rebuilding damaged cabinet boxes where necessary. However, the cabinets were returned to our home with significant damage, including chips, gouges, broken components, and areas of concern for mold and water swelling. They were reinstalled in our home despite these issues.
After we raised concerns about the condition of the cabinets, Allay removed some of them from our home again. We terminated Allay's services the following day, so they were no longer authorized or expected to perform additional restoration work on them. Despite this, it took nearly a month for the cabinets to be returned to our possession. Once they were finally returned, we had them tested, and testing confirmed the presence of mold. This was especially concerning because these were the same cabinets that had previously been returned to our home and reinstalled following a water-loss claim.
This is particularly concerning because this was a water-loss insurance claim, and we relied on a restoration company to appropriately address water-damaged materials--not potentially reintroduce affected materials into our home.
There were also numerous other issues throughout the project, including repeated scheduling problems, work not being completed as represented, and our home being left with doors open/unlocked during a pickup after we had already experienced significant problems with the company.
Even after terminating Allay's services, obtaining our cabinetry and resolving the financial portion of the project became another issue. We have also requested an appropriate accounting of the work actually completed against the $12,851.63 payment so that any overpayment/refund can be properly determined, they determined that the flooring (again only laid, not finished), rebuilding of one cabinet box and a couple footers (not the water damaged or moldy ones), a little bit of drywall, and insulation work totaled all but $160 of that amount.
At this point, this has gone far beyond normal construction delays or minor workmanship concerns. We have spent a significant amount of time documenting damage, coordinating with our insurance company, obtaining testing, and trying to resolve issues involving work that should have been handled correctly the first time.
Based on our experience, I cannot recommend Allay for restoration work. I strongly encourage anyone using a restoration contractor to photograph their property thoroughly before removal, document all work performed, and independently verify concerns involving water damage or mold before restored materials are reinstalled in the home. read more
