BELFOR USA Group Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because: MrJ*** is continuing to ignore my rmail response. Sincerely,*** ***

BELFOR was contracted to repair damages to the townhome on behalf of the owner Ms*** and the Home Owners Association (HOA) on July 16th At this time the main floor was found to have building materials heavily affected by water damage to the walls and flooring which required extensive
drying and remediation processes On July 29th Ms*** was given a selection sheet of materials to be selected and the budgets for each of these items On August 11th, Belfor received confirmation on the type of cabinets to be ordered and it was requested to in the basic cabinets “because it was a rental unit” and time was of the essence Cabinets were ordered on the following days with a week lead time On September 1st BELFOR was asked by Ms*** to request a supplement from the HOA insurance carrier for damages in the garage that were in no way related to the original loss which was subsequently denied by the insurance carrier On September 4th multiple change orders were submitted to the owner for extensive water damage form a long term leak in the water heater and in no way was related to the original loss On September 8th the first order of cabinets arrived at which time Ms*** stated that it was the incorrect orderEven after BELFOR shared the signed selection by the owner it did not satisfy the owner who now wanted a white cabinet Out of a sincere desire to provide good customer service, BELFOR agreed to order a new set of cabinets at no additional cost to the owner The owner was informed that the new cabinet order would take 6-weeks to obtain On September 17th BELFOR received a signed change order from the owner and the additional work was scheduled for production After expediting the new cabinets BELFOR received the new cabinets on October 6th and began the installation of the cabinets shortly after this Originally the countertops had tile squares, and Ms*** upgraded the counters to solid granite slab counters which required additional time to template and fabricate At the end of the restoration process BLEFOR was informed that our first insulation sub-contractor failed to complete the repairs to the insulation in the crawlspace On the follow day another insulation sub-contractor was hired to complete the work in the crawl space A couple of days after this the HVAC ducting in the crawl was replaced as well Even if everything went 100% as planned there is no way a project of this nature could have been completed in a period of weeks, especially if the cabinets that were selected were 6-weeks out At BELFOR we strive to meet our customers’ expectations and we are truly sorry that we were not able to meet the owners expectations on this project

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
Belfor construction left my condo unfinishedThe head guy, Dan coursed me into signing that the project was complete but promised to ensure he come back if anything was
not completedWhile moving in several things were noticed Microwave CrackedCarpet Up Stairs Worn to the woodMaster vanity severely water damaged but not replacedHad to rekey the whole house because they didn't give us access to our key Complaint ID#: *** is the original complaint number I made but it went to the wrong BelforI refuse to allow them back in my homeI would like the money to replace the items myselfSincerely,*** ***

This is complete nonsense.  The house looks amazing.  However, Mr. [redacted] is very abusive, swears, threatens our staff and the women in our office.  As a result, we have elected to refund Mr. [redacted] for the work we performed so we can move on with our lives and get this mentally...

unstable person behind us.

BELFOR did not send any additional invoices. The documents in question were auto generated statements from our corporate office. The $273.60 balance reflected on those statements appears to have been a tax rate discrepancy due to billings that were billed after an April 1st WSST tax rate change. We...

have corrected that, and have written off the discrepancy. This project is now billed and paid in full in our accounting system. Progress billings were sent throughout the project with explanations for the work being billed, and were also segregated between effort for the HOA and separate unit owner direct elements. BELFOR is sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused, and delay in correcting the oversight in the system. Sent on: 3/8/2018 7:23:14 PM

BELFOR has received the customers complaint and is aware of the customers allegations. BELFOR has submitted multiple draw requests, and to date, has received payment for only one draw totaling less than 25% of the total contract, despite performing in excess of 80% of the work. At no time was it...

agreed, nor does our contract offer to complete 100% of the work for the small value received to date. As it relates to structural work, the customer is in receipt of the original estimate detailing extensively the scope of work and the value tied to the work. BELFOR's progress billings have been, and continue to be based on this scope of work. As for contents billing, the work is performed on a time and material basis, and a copy of this detail has been mailed to the customer. We will take the filing of this compaint as notice that another copy needs to be mailed to the customer. The Heleker's state in this complaint that: "[redacted] and the bank adjuster have stated the project is too far from completion for final payments" which BELFOR would agree, final payment is not due. BELFOR has not issued a final billing, as such, we are unaware of why the customer is assuming that paying the outstanding amounts owed would constitute "final payments". The outstanding invoices due are only progress payments for work already performed. Further, if the customers "bank adjuster" has declined to issue further payment, no such information in writing or otherwise has been communicated to BELFOR. The complaint as submitted seems to take issue primarily with the contents component of this claim, to which BELFOR is willing to work towards a mutually agreeable resolution. The first step of which will be to send another copy of the contents billing detail to the customer. We will also initiate discussion via a telephone call to determine what other steps we can take to resolve this issue.As for the concern with the structural restoration, BELFOR has already made contact and met on site with the Heleker's to discuss. BELFOR has begun to mobilize tradesman to initiate the final work that remains. It is BELFOR's hope that our customer will accept our initiation of work despite not receiving further progress payments as a show of good faith. It is also BELFOR's hope that the customer will begin to honor its contractual obligation of payment and in good faith initiate the proper steps to forward a progress payment.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: I was not awair of the toilet valve leaking for weeks. I did not go back there while they were working. They should have fixed it when they found out and cleaned up the water. Sincerely,[redacted]

We will contact Ms. [redacted] and review her concerns in person.

We will address each of Ms. [redacted] complaints individually.  First, we will provide a little background on the project.  Ms. [redacted] sustained minor water damage to her condo caused by a leak from the icemaker in the kitchen.  [redacted] performed the water remediation and demolition.  BELFOR was contacted to perform the reconstruction.  Ms. [redacted] insurance adjuster [redacted] walked the unit prior our engaging in repairs.  Before any repairs were started, BELFOR performed a photo documentation of Ms. [redacted] unit.  Photos are available upon request addressing each concern. 1.       Microwave cracked – handle was cracked before BELFOR engaged in repairs2.       Carpet upstairs worn to the wood – the carpet was in this condition prior to our beginning of the repairs3.       Master vanity severely water damaged but not replaced – photos are available showing no water damage to the vanity.  The BELFOR scope approved by Ms. [redacted] insurance adjuster [redacted] did not call for replacement of the vanity but to detach and reset.  The vanity was detached and placed in the garage by [redacted].4.       Had to rekey the whole house because they didn’t give us access to our key – A key was placed in a lockbox on the outside of Ms. [redacted] unit.  The lockbox contained a single key for access.  Ms. [redacted] accessed her unit from the garage during repairs.  BELFOR not providing access to her key during reconstruction is erroneous.  We are happy to address any concerns Ms. [redacted] has regarding our scope of repairs.  The items she is addressing in her complaint were not part of the scope of repairs and/or are completely fabricated and false.

BELFOR did not send any additional invoices. The documents in question were auto generated statements from our corporate office. The $273.60 balance reflected on those statements appears to have been a tax rate discrepancy due to billings that were billed after an April 1st WSST tax rate change. We have corrected that, and have written off the discrepancy. This project is now billed and paid in full in our accounting system. Progress billings were sent throughout the project with explanations for the work being billed, and were also segregated between effort for the HOA and separate unit owner direct elements. BELFOR is sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused, and delay in correcting the oversight in the system. Sent on: 3/8/2018 7:23:14 PM

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:Sincerely,[redacted]
                                        ...⇄  [redacted]  
Rebuttal to Complaint Submitted on 9/23/2016, against BELFOR USA Group, Inc,
                                        ...⇄ [redacted] and [redacted]
Below is our timeline of events, regarding our home.  All of these items are related to the water loss filed with our insurance company.
01/08/16: The damage was not long term.  If the damage was long term, why would there be a need for a humidifier?   I will attach pictures of when the water damage occurred.  We pulled the carpet back to dry out the floors and minimize the water damage, as per the insurance company.
01/13/16: The moisture readings were not administered, until 14 days after the loss.
The dehumidifier was not installed, until 14 days after the loss.  We initiated the drying process ourselves, by pulling back the carpets and turning the fans on, for the 14 days, preceding the loss.
01/15/16: The damage was not a long term issue.  The sub-flooring was wet, underneath glued on vinyl and laminate flooring.  If it was long term damage, these areas would be dry.  I have pictures of the rotted out sheet rock, behind the tub.
01/27/16: The towel, by the toilet supply line, was put there by the worker. We did not find out that the valve was leaking, until later.  The only plumbing that we agreed to do was to raise the shower head, while the tub was removed.
01/29/16: Our daughter ended up in the emergency room, with respiratory problems,
because of mold growth.  From the time of loss to the time the workers did additional demo, two months had been elapsed.  There was sufficient amount of time for mold to grow.  The worker never indicated that the mold was not part of an insurance claim.  If that was the case, why did the workers accept money from the insurance company?
02/19/16: The workers replaced drywall, over a wet floor.  We pulled back the carpets, after the sheetrock was complete, and found a wet floor and wall, adjacent to the work that was just performed.   The workers returned and proceeded to put additional sheetrock over the wet spot.  The workers failed to notify us of the leaking toilet valve and had only placed a towel around the pipe.  Ultimately, the toilet was leaking from the time they pulled the toilet.   We were perplexed why the worker had not informed us of the leaky toilet supply line or capped it off, at the time of the toilet removal.  We have pictures of the mold.   The response from the company, in a letter, was that there was no mold.  However, they contradicted themselves and stated, in the same letter, that they had encapsulated the mold.  This was after our daughter was in the emergency room for a second time.
We are mystified why the company would need approval to do their job right,  the first time.  The only time we asked for additional work to be performed, was when the worker sheet rocked adjacent to a wet wall and floor, less than a foot away, and did not fix that section properly. There was evidence of mold in the wall and floor, but he left that area untouched.  We requested that the worker return to correct the problem.  The worker returned and then sheet rocked over a wet wall, because of the leaky toilet valve.  
We were furious about the incompetency of this company.  My daughter had required two trips to the emergency room and the workers had water soaked our home.  I called the administrator of the company and complained about the poor quality of work.  The reply from the company was that they could not make us happy, so they were quitting.  
I do not know why they needed me to be present for an inspection, when my wife was home and they had my phone number.  If the company had done the job correctly and in a timely manner, there would not have been any mold growth.  The company should have notified us of the leaky toilet valve, if they were not going to perform the repair, and there would have been no contamination.  Both my wife and I work full time and my wife also attends school.  We have two children.  The house may not always be in perfect order, but it is not neglected.  The toilet valve never leaked prior to the workers pulling the toilet.  
We are requesting a refund of $2,200 for the mitigation.  After the company cleaned up the initial damage, they left a leaky toilet valve, which caused further water damage, resulting in mold.  Sheet rocking over wet walls and floors is only one example of the incompetency of this company.

We were not aware or notified of the toilet valve leaking for several days after removing the toilet. We have addressed the concerns and will not be refunding any monies to Mr. [redacted].

Our son committed suicide last Saturday. We had Belfor Property Restoration (billed from Colorado Springs) come out come out to clean up after the Coroner left. They removed about 2.5 sq ft of carpet and pad, and cleaned some blood stains on the wall and cabinets. I said I thought $2500 should have covered it. They refused, thus our complaint. They committed several infractions:
1. They never gave us an estimate before the work began.
2. They missed several things and had to repeat cleanup. This added another 45 minutes or so to the procedure because they did not get everything the first time.
3. Their service was incomplete. My wife found stains and holes in clothing the next day inflicting additional trauma to already grieving parents.
4. They tried to charge our insurance company $7100 which included repair work that had not even been done.
5. They moved slower than anyone I've seen in my whole life. I felt this was intentional to extend the time they can claim.
6. One of the workers "joked" on the way out that they needed to use a little paint on the sub-floor and were going to charge us $300, but decided not to. That's not appropriate for grieving parents in shock.

When I saw the bill, I complained and they said it was high because they had repairs included for the insurance company. I said I had already completed the repairs, and they dropped it to $4700. They said it's because of OSHA regulations, and hazmat, etc. They charge time from when their drivers and workers leave their homes!

It seems to me that this is a huge scam on grieving families. They blame regulations, but I think they are:
1. Trying to scam the insurance companies by overcharging (who usually pay it). In our case, it's all out of my pocket.
2. Take advantage of people who are perhaps in shock from events
3. They misrepresented facts in the bills. For example, they had Hazardous Material Disposal at $53.40 in the first bill. When I complained and got a second bill, it was $650.00! Really?
4. Their overhead and profit are compounded at over 16%. I haven't seen overhead charges since my days in the Military (I'm an AF veteran) with commercial contracts. I've never seen overhead and profit in a consumer application.


I can provide any additional information you need, but I think the public must be made aware of this kind of practice.