We had an extremely disappointing experience with Lakes Restoration from start to finish. What should have been a stressful situation made easier by professionals instead became even more frustrating because of their poor communication, lack of follow-through, and unprofessional conduct.
The biggest issue was communication. The crews routinely arrived outside of the timeframes they provided, and information we had previously been given was frequently changed or contradicted. We repeatedly reached out to our project manager, Andrew, with questions and concerns, but most of the time we either received no response or were given inaccurate information.
When we escalated our concerns to the operations manager, Jonathan, we were met with a dismissive attitude rather than solutions. On multiple occasions, he attached a document stating that we would forfeit 15% of our insurance proceeds if we chose not to use Lakes Restoration for reconstruction. Whether intended or not, this felt like an intimidation tactic rather than an effort to address our concerns or earn our business.
The work itself was equally disappointing. The crew damaged some of our personal belongings and repeatedly left their lunch trash and other debris throughout our home. Delays became the norm, with work frequently stopping for a week or more at a time and, on some occasions, multiple weeks passed without any progress or communication.
Another frustrating issue involved Caleb, another project manager. Before we agreed to use Lakes Restoration for mitigation services, he promised us a $1,000 discount if we signed with them. After the work was completed, that promise was denied, and the company refused to honor it.
Perhaps most concerning was the billing. Lakes Restoration submitted mitigation charges of approximately $8,900 to our insurance company. After reviewing the invoice, our insurance carrier audited the charges and reduced the approved amount to approximately $4,000 because many of the submitted charges were determined to be unnecessary or unsupported. That alone raised serious concerns for us about the company's billing practices.
Overall, this experience added unnecessary stress to an already difficult situation. Between the poor communication, repeated delays, damaged personal property, failure to honor commitments, dismissive management, and questionable billing practices, we cannot recommend Lakes Restoration. We strongly encourage anyone considering their mitigation or reconstruction services to do their research and look elsewhere. read more