Executive Summary: find someone other than Servpro. Why? Read on.
My wife and I are 74-year-old senior citizens...we read reviews, but seldom write them. However, when treated unfairly and paying $8000 for an incomplete job... prospective customers need responsible feedback. Our reaction to the existing 5-star reviews...total fiction. Our stars: 1.
My reviews are few but accurate. What follows is fully supported by detailed, time-stamped emails and photos. During 2018, we, personally, labored to finish the job, making four roundtrips FL to CO and continued to seek a remedy with the Servpro ownership. Afforded multiple opportunities to visit the site, they declined. What follows is fully supported by detailed, time-stamped emails and photos.
We were introduced to Servpro in October 2017. Just one of a series of unfortunate events: 1) negligent, irresponsible renters in Castle Rock who finally "noticed" black spots on the basement wood floor; 2) Insurance company, American Family, denied the claim...no coverage for slow, hidden basement leaks which emanated from the first floor kitchen drain; and then, finally, 3) Servpro to the "rescue".
1. Logistics. I had asked Servpro/Boulder about the logistics of taking the job in Castle Rock and was told: "no problem...our teams are everywhere." Probably true...it appears Servpro/Boulder ownership shares a commonality with other Denver area Servpro franchisees. Moral of the story: Think twice about selecting another Denver area Servpro franchise.
2. Time to completion according to them: 3-4 days. Rather, after a month, they labelled it "complete". The reality: Not compete as of this December 2018 writing.
3. Communication with Kris, the Team Supervisor. In general, while normally timely, all-too-often, the information was inaccurate and/or incomplete. On one occasion, I was told they would be back on Tuesday...only after my prompting did they return on Thursday. On another occasion, Kris said it was ready for the plumber to fix the leaking drain pipe...the reality: they hadn't even removed the basement wallboard that fronted the pipe. After the plumber finished (second trip), they hadn't removed the moldy pipe...so, the air tester professional, who was on scene since the job "was ready", couldn't test due to possible pipe air contamination. The comedy of these types of errors was continuous.
4. Cost Mentality? Kris convinced me to remove the existing wallboard, up to around 20". My direction to him: Fine...makes sense...go ahead. What then happened and why? Well, I questioned the number of visits Kris made to the site...not many I suspect. But his team, left to their own devices, removed the existing wallboard with cuts of 25" and higher from the floor. So, what is wrong? Well, as many know (his team members apparently didn't know nor care), wallboard comes in 48"X96" pieces. If you need to cut the new piece high-than-24"X96 ", you get only one usable cut from the new piece...the rest is wasted. Thus, the cost for me to subsequently fix what they caused (labor and materials), nearly doubled.
Another example. Their "completed" job left nothing done with the basement bathroom floor. Wow...this, after having ripped out 1" thick flooring everywhere else...meanwhile, the 1/8" thick linoleum in the bathroom was left untouched. Guess what I found after tearing out the linoleum, the floor trim, and 20" high wallboard?...yes, mold. And I have pictures of both before and after.
5. State of Completion. After their designated completion, was the mold gone? Hardly...after the environmental consultant again came to inspect, he felt that an air sample would be a waste of time and money. In short, he said: keep cleaning, especially in all areas and cracks around the vertical drain pipe. I did so...another 40 plus hours cleaning, scrubbing, spraying, and sealing.
6. Conclusion. Find somebody else. read more