ServiceMaster of Polk County

We have a winter mobile home in Florida. When we arrived for our stay, we noticed the half bath was flooded and the bedroom carpeting was damp, with very visible mold growing up the base of the walls. A serviceman working outside came in to see what the problem might be and he immediately contacted Servicemaster for us. They were very prompt in arriving. They were literally there within ten minutes. They assessed the damage and allowed us to think about our options, gave us a business card and left. We called him back a few days later and stated we wanted them to come and remove all the mold for us, but we needed it done that week as we were only there for 2 more weeks. They said it would not be a problem. The next day a few contractors arrived and immediately started to demolish the two rooms. While demolishing the bedroom, one of the contractors noticed some termite eaten boards. We immediately called an exterminator. The exterminator said he could not find any live termites, so he is assuming the damage was from previous years. However, the contractor told me they would remove and replace the badly damaged door frame with a new board. Another gentleman, by the name of Larry, came by and said he would bring us samples of flooring and carpeting so we could pick out what we wanted put back in. The next day, one worker showed up, worked until about noon, then never returned. No one worked over the weekend, but on Monday morning several workers returned to spray for the mold. Over the course of the next few days, another team of workers arrived to start the rebuild aspect. I called to see if we were getting any samples to pick from. While we were out, Larry dropped off one gray floor tile and one dark blue carpet sample. I called to ask where all the additional samples were to pick from and he said he would try to get me a few more. I explained we did not want gray and the carpeting that was removed was brown. I asked him if it would be better that we pick out what we want at Lowes and he said it might be, but he would see what he could do. He never returned with any additional samples. After the rebuild team started putting the drywall up, I noticed the termite eaten board was never replaced. They simply put the new drywall over the termite boards. I called to ask why it was not replaced. They stated since it wasn't a main support board and was still stable, they didn't see a need to have it replaced. There was also termite damage in one section of the ceiling and the ceiling tile was crumbling down. When asked if the ceiling would be fixed also, they said it wasn't in the estimate. So we had to add the cost of that repair to the estimate. They cut out the bad section of the ceiling and replaced it with a new section of tile. After the drywall was put up and the seams done, the painting was to start. However, the workers left shortly after lunch and did not return until the next day. We would be leaving in a few days and knew the work would not be finished in time. Servicemaster asked us if they could put a lockbox on the outside with a key and they would finish the job after we left. We determined we did not want to have people in and out of our home once we were gone so we told them whatever work they had done when we left, it would have to be finished at another time. The next day I heard one of the workers running a compressor. I assumed they were painting as the door was closed off. Later I found they had textured the walls, but did not ask us if we wanted it done. So, we had to wait another day for that to dry before the rooms could be painted. We were leaving the next day and the room still needed painted, flooring needed to be put down and Servicemaster needed to bring our toilet, sink, mattress and doors back from the shop. At this point, we determined we would do the painting and flooring ourselves when we returned the next time. The day we were leaving, Servicemaster came to collect their money, as well as return the toilet, sink and mattress. After they left I realized we were missing two doors. Apparently two of the doors were too badly damaged from the mold, but for whatever reason, new doors were not in our estimate, so they destroyed the damaged doors, and now we are short two doors, and the toilet and sink were never reinstalled Overall, the Servicemaster rep was very very nice. He was friendly, professional, and when called, every time he got back with us very promptly. The workers were also nice and answered any questions I had for them. However, I was very disappointed with the overall work that was done. We were not consulted about the details. They just went in and did whatever they wanted. We were not given any options with regard to flooring or paint. The termite boards weren't replaced, despite stating they would be. Not all items were included in the estimate, which resulted in additional expenses and the contractors worked partial days on several occasions. I did not want texturing on the walls and would have preferred they spent that time painting instead. I would also have liked to have the toilet and sink reinstalled, as well as the closet doors put back on. I would have preferred to be consulted with what was being done and what my preferences were. I also would have removed any termite damage before rebuilding any portion of the room. I do realize this was somewhat of a "rush" job as we were leaving soon, but I just got the feeling they wanted to get in, get it done and get out, with no real effort or concern given to the actual job. I expected my job to be treated as if they were working on their own home, but I did not get that impression. Maybe it was just my perception, but despite being satisfied with some of the work that was done and the friendly representative, we will most likely not use their service in the future if the need arises.