Commonwealth Restoration Services, Inc.

Review: On 8/8/12 our supply line broke on our commode while we were away on vacation. This caused some flooding upstairs and the entire downstairs of our home was under water when we returned home. Having Commonwealth Restoration come into our home was a bigger problem than this. A year later and we were still haggling with them over their customer service issues, their lack of craftsmanship, there billing practices, and billing schedules as well as we had yet had a final walk-thru. I have never in my life dealt with a business or those that refer to themselves as professionals that talk to their customers the way this company does. I was hung up on, words put in my mouth, waited for calls that weren't returned, disrespected to the point of tears in my own home, and lied to about changes in billing. I was told all the items wrong in my home were simply "punch list" items. I don't think when someone fails to use a stud finder and puts ten holes in your wall , this should be considered a punch list item. There are places upstairs that have no underpayment under the carpet. My toilet has since been replaced because it never functioned correctly to "pre-flood" standards. This all speaks to the cutting corners, inexperienced, and careless work ethic I am referring to. There was also suppose to be some credit applied to the account for crown molding that was never put up as well as bead board. We have yet to see an itemized statement explaining why I bill was so and where the credits were applied. Billing as a whole was a nightmare! We sincerely though with all the problems that had occurred and not receiving a bill from CR in over 6 months that the bill must have been void. We were shocked when they expected us to pay any let alone the full amount for the "so-called" services. Especially when we were told by someone we thought had authority told us "we are not going to do that to you". When telling the billing dept. of this news she said "he" had no authority and then basically followed with my account could go to collections and hung up on me! We just don't want any of these things to happen to anyone else!Desired Settlement: Till this day we have yet to receive any type of compensation of any sort on their part. They have never accepted responsibility for their actions and lack of customer service. We have since even replaced our commode all together because it just never worked right since they "fixed" it. Never any communication when sending payments as far as balances and credits...nothing.

Business

Response:

We have inspected the property several times since it was brought to our attention on 5/23/13. The customer made no attempt to contact us about the issue either before lodging a complaint with their insurance carrier (5/23/13) OR before filing a complaint with the Revdex.com (8/8/13). We first became aware of any concern from the insured’s insurance carrier (shortly after sending an invoice which we discovered was never billed for additional carpeting.) Upon learning about the complaint, we immediately contacted the customer and inspected the issues. Our inspection revealed a receptacle cover that did not entirely cover the drywall, a nail pop on the backside of the upstairs shower wall and minor water damage near the shower curb – a plumber was sent to inspect and address the toilet, drain odor and “tub leaks”. We dispatched workers to address the paint and drywall issues the following week. Our plumber suggested that the p-trap in the sink drain may have been dry (there was no leaking), he discovered that the actual shower faucet was faulty and he detached and reset the toilet several times since as well as replacing some of the parts within the tank.

Any pre loss items (bead board, crown moulding, etc.) not included by their adjuster are not owed by us to the insured. We did replace their downstairs shower at no cost and installed tile in the downstairs bathroom at no cost. There was no mention of credits or upcharges for those items and neither one were to be replaced as part of the insurance scope. We billed for additional carpet and the pricing was discussed prior to ordering / installing (sent via email). During a meeting on 5/28/13 Mr. [redacted] confirmed that they knew the charges and would not have ordered it if they weren’t going to pay for it. He stated that they simply wanted to have a walkthrough. Since that time, we have scheduled at least 2 additional appointments with managers to address these concerns.

The contract was based on an Xactimate estimate prepared by an [redacted] insurance adjuster. This is the industry’s leading software and each detail is outlined in the form of “line item pricing.” They simply owed their deductible and the carpet upgrades. Some customers are confused how insurance companies pay emergency services, ACV, contents and depreciation separately. How the insurance releases checks and who they include on those checks is largely beyond our control.

It seems as though Mrs. [redacted] is more interested in making a point rather than resolving anything. We have shown no hesitation in responding to any concerns about the work. Moreover, we stand behind our work and give our assurance that all work performed meets or exceeds industry standards. If needed, we have photographs documenting the condition of the property before and after the work was complete. An inspection of their concerns for an unbiased perspective is welcome. We appreciate the role that the Revdex.com plays toward substantiating false and harmful allegations to this end.

Consumer

Response:

Thank you for your rather prompt response; however it did not address the lack of customer service or the poor communication. Isn't interaction with clients and their satisfaction the utmost of importance? For the record, both homeowners share the same discord with Commonwealth Restoration's "standards". When reading Commonwealth's response my very complaint was exhibited. They showed that they were incapable of an apology and communicating with a customer who is unhappy with their "standards". We have also never heard from the owner of the company or had someone address the items I discussed previously: Commonwealth Restoration employee hangs up on client on 8/20/13, disrespected to tears on 5/28/13, disinformation about billing on 5/30/13,etc. We met or talked a total of 13 times with Commonwealth without the carpet bill being addressed from the time when we first disputed the bill on 5/30/13 and told "we aren't going to do that to you" until 8/20/13 when we first received a paper statement of charges due. How many times can a company sincerely tell you that "you've slipped thru the cracks"? They can fill a page about estimates, adjustments, and software but it still doesn't address the real issues.

As far as craftsmanship, Commonwealth lacks recalling some things, that's what is false and harmful. For example, we explained clearly to Commonwealth when talking on 5/23/13 after contacting our insurance carrier, which we have every right to do, that we simply did not want them back in our home again as we were unhappy with things. We are puzzled as to why all the confusion that we did indeed involve the Revdex.com. I also believe they failed to mention the shower and drywall issues were on BOTH showers of our home. In under a year that much damage had occurred from the work they stand behind. Also numerous resets of our commode by Commonwealth's "master plumber", as we were reminded so often. Commonwealth finally agreed on 7/15/13 to call an entirely different plumbing company to try and fix the problem, costing approx. $80. Eventually we had to replace the toilet, costing us again $237 to correct the problem Commonwealth had "fixed". We were even told on 5/28/13 by a manager that "he would not have lived this way". That's how bad the thoughts of having Commonwealth Restoration back in our home deterred us. As far as pictures, I'm glad Commonwealth took pictures, it was part of their job. However, I doubt there was a picture of the ten or so holes on the back bathroom wall where a stud finder wasn't used and hid by cabinetry. Not even mentioned was the access door made too small that required more work in our home. If this is the "assurance" they give their work, it's sad. The bead board goes back to communicating, why did we have to make a formal complaint to learn that was not owed to us as we mentioned it several times? The standard shower surround and left over tile that was mentioned -was just that, left overs from previous jobs that they acted as if it was a help to get out of their way. This unused material was appreciated and we did tell Commonwealth this. Walk-thru's have been discussed since 6/12/13- 10 months after the accident and yet to be completed.

We are more than aware people make mistakes and never sought perfection as we could tell there was discord among the company. Comments made on 5/30/13, 6/12/13 and 7/15/13 about restructuring the company and the stresses that certain individuals were under simply was not our fault. If by making a point, as it was stated, raises awareness to companies such as Commonwealth Restoration that you can't take advantage of consumers, then we are more than willing to take the label. We as well more than welcome anyone to investigate our concerns, however that may be a little hard after items have been repaired after the 3rd, 4th, and 5th try and by us. We just appreciate the Revdex.com allowing us the non-combative space finally to communicate our concerns. After all this is our home we are talking about and not just a house.

Business

Response:

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted], we are very sorry that they were not satisfied with our services provided. All items that the customer requested be repaired have been resolved to the best of my knowledge. The pre loss items(bboard, etc.) were not allowed by the insurance company, we followed what the adjuster allowed. We made several attempts to repair the toilet, but as explained to the customer the toilet was old and needed to be replaced. Our records indicate that the account is paid in full and we do appreciate their business and deeply regret that they are dissatisfied with our customer service. We have made some personnel changes that we believe will greatly improve our customer satisfaction in the future. Please let me know if there is anything else that we can do to resolve this issue.

Sincerely,

Office Manager

We were provided the name of this company through our insurance company after a large water damage lost in a 2 story home. Common Wealth has been associated with and working with our home for over a year and have reported numerous "sub-contractor problems" and several "misunderstandings" of related information from us and the insurance company. We are highly suspicious of lower quality replacement items and had to obtain insurance agent assistance to insure like kind quality items. The company has made little progress in the year and refuses to provide a date for completion or an internal method to make complaints after repeated (3) request from its general Manager ([redacted]) and failed to provide updates when asked or on their own. The work is moderate to poor as they just painted over drywall dust on the house walls and has allowed months to pass by with no work being done. It is not unusual to go to the house and see no one there. The neighbors also state that they see no one arrive at the house for weeks at a time. We are in month 13 and no end in sight. The insurance company stated they were given a completion date that has passed and that the company now denies. We are sill out of our home. I strongly suggest caution when working with this company.