I strongly recommend that homeowners think twice before hiring Water Extraction Team (WET). My experience with this company was extremely frustrating, and I would not hire them again. After a sewage backup at my home, I hired WET expecting professional emergency restoration services and clear communication. Instead, I experienced a series of problems from the beginning. During my initial conversation, I was told the entire project, including demolition and rebuilding, would be approximately $8,000. After the initial work was completed, I decided I did not want WET handling the rebuilding because I had lost confidence in the company. When I told Andrew that I would not be using WET for the rebuild, I was told the cost would still be $8,000. When I questioned how that amount could be justified when they were no longer doing the reconstruction, I was told, "Just wait until you get the bill, you can see what we did." I was here, I watched what they were doing, which included a lot of time outside smoking cigarettes. The actual work performed was primarily removing approximately two feet of drywall, carpet and padding, placing drying equipment in the basement, and applying sanitation spray. There was no water extraction performed by WET, my partner and I did the water removal. I also had concerns about how contaminated materials were handled while being removed from my home and was left to clean areas of my walls myself because I was concerned about contamination. WET removed my toilet, and I had to make three separate calls before they finally brought me a replacement toilet. Approximately 15 fans were placed in my basement, but two were never connected and operating, and the HEPA unit was left off for more than 24 hours. The equipment also caused electrical problems in my home, resulting in workers having to return to address the issue; five workers came back on that occasion and a junction box was ultimately added to the dryer 220-volt line. I kept my own records and calculated approximately 26.69 total hours that WET crews were at my property. Despite all of this, I was later told I owed $7,114, yet I had never even received an invoice by mail or email before they contacted me claiming the invoice was overdue. I have repeatedly requested an itemized breakdown so I can see exactly what I am being charged for, including labor, equipment, materials, disposal, sanitation and other fees. My biggest issue is the lack of transparency and the disconnect between what I was originally told the complete project would cost and what I am now being asked to pay for the work actually performed. This was an already stressful situation involving sewage damage to my home, and dealing with WET added considerably more frustration instead of providing the peace of mind and professionalism I expected from a restoration company. Based on my personal experience, I would not recommend Water Extraction Team to anyone dealing with a sewage backup, water damage, or other emergency restoration situation. I strongly encourage homeowners to get everything in writing, obtain a detailed estimate before allowing work to begin, understand exactly what services are included, document the work themselves, and insist on a complete itemized invoice. I am posting this because I would not want another homeowner who is already dealing with the stress and expense of property damage to go through the same experience I did. read more
