Response from SERVPRO of The Bridgewaters
This complaint stems from an insurance claim filed with Liberty Mutual. ServPro has an agreement with Liberty Mutual to perform water mitigation for their insureds. There are very strict guidelines that we must follow in order for the work to be completed to the satisfaction of Liberty Mutual. There was a power failure due to a freak storm that passed through the area which caused the member’s sump pump to fail causing several inches of water to accumulate in his basement. The water had been standing there for over 48 hours before we were even called on-site. We performed the work as described by The Clean Trust (formerly IICRC) standard and within the limits of the Liberty Mutual agreement. We believe the member is unhappy due to the fact that he only purchased $10,000 sump pump backup/overflow coverage limit from Liberty Mutual. Our mitigation services consumed a little over half of the limit based on the sheer size of the member’s basement which was already negotiated down at the request of the assigned Liberty Mutual adjuster as the original amount we originally billed for was approximately $7,400. This left the member with approximately $4,400 in coverage to rebuild his basement which is nearly not enough to put his basement back to its original condition before the loss happened. With regard to the member’s complaint about disposal of the kitchen cabinet, it was necessary to remove and dispose of it due to the fact that the cabinet was manufactured from particle board with a faux wood laminate veneer. Since the water had been sitting for over 48 hours, the cabinet swelled and the veneer had already started to separate from the particle board, which cannot be salvaged or dried to bring the cabinet back to its original condition. Also, all of the base moldings needed to be removed and disposed of as they were warped and unsalvageable due to sitting in water for over 48 hours. In order to remove the affected drywall 2 feet up from the floor as the water had already wicked up the drywall, the base moldings must be removed. All of the carpeting and pad were removed as it has been submerged in water and had already started delaminating causing the carpet and bad to become unsalvageable. In regard to not cleaning up well after the remediation, we had disposed of all affected materials in the dumpster that was provided by the member. With regard to communication, we are required to provide daily drying logs to Liberty Mutual per the account agreement to show the progression of the the drying process. The member was also advised from day one and throughout the entire process as to what needed to be done to mitigate the water properly. It is extremely difficult in claims such as this with a sump pump backup/overflow in that insurance companies only offer limited coverage. When a consumer, purchased this type of coverage, in most cases is either not explained fully or does not understand that when a loss happens and this coverage is used that they are limited to the amount purchased. In this case, the member had only purchased $10,000 worth of coverage which was certainly not enough due to the size of his finished basement which is what we believe is the basis for his complaint. We believe we have already resolved the member’s complaint in the negotiation with Liberty Mutual from our original billed amount of $7,400 to $5,600.