Around The Clock Restoration

When a hose broke on our toilet and flooded our one-story home while we were at work, we had to engage someone quickly to remove the water from the carpets and wood floors. Since it was after business hours, we had no direction from our insurance company. After a quick search of the Internet and Angie's list, we settled on Around the Clock Restoration. They arrived within a two hours and worked from 9PM to 1AM pumping the water out. They also set up several large hot-air blowers and de-humidifiers to dry out the carpets. Although the removed the flooded portion of the laminate flooring, they did not remove the carpeting. They returned the next morning (Thursday) at 8AM to check for humidity levels and to adjust the blowers. They also brought an electrician who connected the remaining blowers (37 total) to the electrical panel. The set up involved a lot of long cables and was difficult to maneuver around. Because the living room averaged 99 degrees and the bedroom was about 127 degrees, I felt uncomfortable leaving the blowers unsupervised. They returned on Saturday morning to again check the levels of humidity, the progress in drying, and to reposition the blowers. As they were leaving, they mentioned that I needed to "burp" the house by opening the windows and doors so that the overall temperature was around 100 degrees and so that the humidifiers worked more efficiently. (Why didn't they tell us that the first night?) They came back on Monday to make one more check and to remove the blowers. Positives: They arrived quickly and helped remove the furniture. The workers were helpful at a stressful time. Negatives: They did not remove the carpet and did not apply a fungicide - an industry-preferred method confirmed by calls to two other companies. They charged us for carting away flooring that our municipality actually picked up for free as bulky waste. The metal feet on the blowers left rust spots on the carpet in the hall and two rooms and so we had to replace the carpet. The total bill of $13,500 was shocking as was the $800 electricity bill due to the blowers. The insurance company felt the price was inflated compared to other companies they work with. The service provider expected payment in full (check or credit card) within 30 days and sent a letter charging us a late fee of $200 on day 28. A 2nd letter 5 days later said that the account would be sent for collection on day 45 and we would bear the subsequent court costs. They miscalculated February as having 30 days, making our bill due 3 days earlier than we were entitled to. When we called to point out the error and explain that the insurance company took 35 days to send us a check that had to be sent for endorsement and would be further delayed, they were not willing to work with us on payment. We were able to pay them before it was sent for collection and they rescinded the late fee.