Superior Services Restoration Specialists, Inc.

Review: My home flooded twice in July 2013. My insurance company, [redacted], called Superior Services to handle the claim of cleaning up and restoring the basement. There was very little communication between the company and my family. Most contact was made by us inquiring about when the workers would be at our house. We never knew when they were going to be there and what the plan of action was in completing the restoration. My husband and I were requested to give a list of what color paint, flooring, door knobs, etc to the Home Improvement person at [redacted] in Roanoke, VA. Based on our communication with [redacted] personnel, these supplies are listed per job in their system so that Superior Services workers can pick up the order and know to which home / job the supplies belong. After the work was completed, we requested a list of items used to restore our home and the price of these items. [redacted] said they did not require that type of list and suggested we consult with Superior Services. I called Superior Services and left a message requesting the list. I received no response. I then emailed them and included an example of what I wanted to receive from them. I received an email containing the same "estimate" I received from [redacted]. I emailed back and again specified what I wanted. This is the response I received: "I apologize but we are not required to keep track of receipt purchases per indivdual insurance claims per [redacted] Insurance. We do a lot of our purchasing in bulk and stock our warehouse with items that we take on an "as needed" basis so it would be impossible for me to give you a list and receipts. If there are one or two items in particular that you are wanting a receipt for, let me know and I can try to track it down for you. " My concern, as I stated in an email back to them, is that my insurance paid for items that were not used for my home, but for another home. How can Superior Services not know which items were used at my home? Do they not keep a list of inventory items and when items are used from that inventory and where?Desired Settlement: I want to know what was actually spent to reconstruct my basement. I understand they need to make a profit to stay in business; however, there was over $25000 paid out for this job. I would like to know what that money paid for. I have no problem with the quality of the work. It looks great!! If they were completing this job for an individual and not an insurance company, I would think they would keep detailed records of their supplies used in order to not be over or under paid. This should be done across the board no matter for whom they are working.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to a complaint issue on our company. Mrs. Homeowner said that there was very little communication during the process of the work at her home. At the start of the work, we requested a key to get put in a lock box so that we did not have to co-ordinate getting access to the home to work on the repairs. Most all of our communication were with Mr. Homeowner whom was at the home most days. We kept him informed of the status of our repairs and they complied by making selections of items they were entitled to from [redacted] Insurance scope of repairs. It is not [redacted] 's policy for us to keep track of receipts for each insurance claim. The way the insurance claim worked is that the adjuster co-scoped the scope of repairs with our company. [redacted] than agreed to pay a specific dollar amount for the repairs to get completed. We use an estimating platform pricing program that is supplied to us by the insurance industry so that it uses the current prices for materials and labor is our region. We than completed the repairs and Mr. Homeowner signed the certificate of satisfaction which allowed [redacted] Insurance to pay us direct. A few days later, Mrs. Homeowner emailed us. We never received a telephone call from her but would have welcomed her call to discuss anything of concern. She wanted all receipts from us but I explained to her that [redacted] does not require us to give receipts so we did not track all receipts for this individual insurance claim. I explained that we also used supplies on her work that we stock in our warehouse that are common items used on most repair jobs so it would be impossible for me to provide receipts for everything. We started the job by saying we can do it for a certain price and we kept to that agreement. During the repair process, Mr. Homeowner said that since their paneling was a low grade he wanted to know if we can put the walls back with drywall, plaster and painting instead. He said to help with the cost to him, he did not want to install a few items on the scope and if we would agree to accept the trade off. All in all we agreed to this and finished the work to Mr. Homeowners satisfaction. Due to Mrs. Homeowners concern, we contacted homeowner to discuss the billing. We showed them what the insurance allowed. We than showed them the items that Mr. Homeowner did not want us to do so that the money can get applied to upgraded walls and other materials. The cost difference was $1772.48 that Superior Services could have charged for. Mrs. Homeowner wondered if we could get reimbursed by [redacted] but we explained that [redacted] is NOT responsible for upgrades. They will only pay for "like kind quality" in which they did. It was Superior Services that agreed to the upgrades for Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner at no additional cost. It is our company's policy to ensure the satisfaction of the homeowner. We respect and value every one of our clients and enjoy working on their homes. We are happy that Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner are pleased with the quality of our workmanship. We were happy to met them and would love the opportunity to assist them if the need ever arises in the future. Superior Services has been in business 19 years and we know the importance of honest work. Sincerely, [redacted] Superior Services Restoration Specialists, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Several items in their response is untrue. I did call several times and left messages. They did not return my calls. As for the paneling, it was Superior Services who said they would not install the same low grade paneling that was in the home prior to the event. We ask for their recommendation and they said they could dry wall everything. They were unable to install the low grade paneling because it did not meet their specifications for guaranteeing their work. The paneling was in the home when we purchased it 18 years ago. We had no problem not replacing it. My husband was not home most days. He is a [redacted] and works swing shift at the [redacted] Office. We never knew when they were coming over. As for the $1772.48, if they don't keep receipts, how do they know they were underpaid? The "trade offs" were their idea, not ours. My husband called [redacted], the supervisor of our job, yesterday due to the fact that the base board heater in the den does not work. [redacted] said he would contact the electrician. I would have thought the heaters would have been tested before they said the job was complete. Of course, before my husband signed off on the job, we should have checked everything as well. As long as they stick to their end of the guarantees of their work, I am satisfied. Unfortunately, I will not be shocked if they say they aren't going to fix the heater. Thanks for following up on my concern. [redacted]

Business

Response:

As for the baseboard heater, we called the insured back and already notified them that the electrician is going there tomorrow. We would never ignore a warranty. I am sorry that the insured does not feel we are not being honest. We had a lock box at the insureds home so that we had access to the home so insured can maintain their work schedule, as we do with most of our customers. We also guarantee any grade product and labor that is installed and/or performed by our company. As explained in the last letter, we use an estimating platform to know what is allowed to get charged so we know if we are getting under paid. We dont have to have the receipts to know what cost is allowed in our region using this estimating system. The estimating system is NOT governed by Superior Services. It is a highly used system used by contractors, vendors and the insurance industry. The insured is satisfied with the quality of our work and we did everything in our power to get their home back together as quickly as possible. We were not over paid by any means. We feel it is a shame that we are going through this and dont understand why the insureds wife is so upset with our company. We have been in business a long time and never have been accused of overcharging. We have the "before" pictures of the insureds home and are willing to post them on the Revdex.com website and perhaps the insured can post the "after" pictures to show the quality. Sincerely, [redacted] Superior Services

Refused to come out because I was a individual rather than insurance company. I live 2 miles away from their shop.

[redacted] was the project manager on the repair of my garage ceiling and walls damaged by water. The crew was efficient, courteous and completed the job in a timely manner. I would Superior again if needed.