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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 14:49:42 GMT
Update: I spoke with the owner of the company today and he agreed to refund me $200. I think it's completely fair so I'm happy. Thanks to you all for replying and making me feel like I wasn't being unreasonable in my expectations.
I'm wondering what the peas think about this and what, if anything, you would expect the company to do.
I had all of my ductwork + dryer vent cleaned two days ago. The total cost was $609. Not cheap but we knew it had never been done and needed it.
I went to our basement storage room today to take a look at our furnace filter which needed replacing and found a good 1-2 inches of water in the area near our furnace and hot water tank. I realized that the company had draped the humidifier line over something as they were working and hadn't put it back in the drain when they were done, leaving it to squirt water out of it for 48 hours. Thankfully, I discovered it when I did or it would have flooded the whole storage room and done some serious damage.
Nothing that was ruined is of much value to us - a cabinet that has seen better days but that we still use, same with a ping pong table top (though we probably would have used it in a few years when our kids got older) and a few other assorted things like frames, etc.
What would you expect the company to do for you (if anything)? My feeling is that they should offer some reimbursement for my time and trouble. A supervisor came out, took a look, apologized but seemed to shrug his shoulders like it was no big deal that I spent the past 2 hours cleaning up their mess. He asked me to pass my pictures along to their owner and that he would talk to him.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Apr 28, 2016 15:01:24 GMT
I'd expect them to give a partial refund due to the damage.
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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 15:04:56 GMT
I'm glad to hear you say that because the guy kind of made me feel like I was being stupid for asking for some money back. By the time he came, I had already cleaned up so it didn't look as bad but he could plainly see it from the pictures that I had taken and showed him.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 15:08:02 GMT
I'd expect them to give a partial refund due to the damage.
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Post by myshelly on Apr 28, 2016 15:13:40 GMT
I would expect a partial refund as well.
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oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828
Location: Ontario,Canada
Jun 26, 2014 12:25:29 GMT
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Post by oldcrow on Apr 28, 2016 15:15:50 GMT
I'd expect them to give a partial refund due to the damage. Add me to this list.
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Post by mellowyellow on Apr 28, 2016 15:17:08 GMT
Definitely a partial refund.
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Post by littlemama on Apr 28, 2016 15:22:11 GMT
I would expect them to pay for the damage via a partial refund.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 15:28:49 GMT
I'd expect them to pay for the cleanup....you need to document how long you have spent doing what and bill them at some rate per hour.
If there was damage to any floors or walls, I would expect them to fix it on their dime. They should have professional liability insurance that they can make a claim on if they don't want to pay it directly.
As for the ruined pieces, it's up to you what you ask for those. I'd ask something but not full value for that stuff.
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calgal08
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,519
Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on Apr 28, 2016 15:36:29 GMT
This is why the company carries insurance. I would expect them to fix and replace any damage.
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,091
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Apr 28, 2016 15:39:16 GMT
They should have insurance to cover all damage. Did you take a pic of the line in the wrong place and the water prior to clean up?
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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 16:18:37 GMT
They should have insurance to cover all damage. Did you take a pic of the line in the wrong place and the water prior to clean up? Yes, I did plus a small video showing me sweeping the water into our drain, just to give an idea of how much water was actually there. There is no real clean up for them to do (the supervisor who came out dos offer). I got everything mopped up and it's already pretty dried up with a big fan I have running down there. I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking they should offer a partial refund. I can already tell it's going to be a battle with them, just by the way the CEO responded to my email with the photos.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 16:20:50 GMT
Yes, I'd be getting a partial refund. I can't believe the supervisor didn't offer it on the spot.
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Post by cade387 on Apr 28, 2016 16:30:55 GMT
how did you pay for the service? If by CC I would consider disputing the charge until they offered a refund.
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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 16:32:20 GMT
Yes, I'd be getting a partial refund. I can't believe the supervisor didn't offer it on the spot. That's what I was thinking too. What's $200 vs. me leaving bad reviews all over Angie's List, Facebook, etc.? They are treating me like I am some sort of money grabber who is looking to ride this for all it's worth.
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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 16:32:56 GMT
how did you pay for the service? If by CC I would consider disputing the charge until they offered a refund. I did pay by CC and if they don't offer me a refund of some kind, I will definitely dispute it.
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Post by stampinbetsy on Apr 28, 2016 16:53:30 GMT
I think they should offer to make things right, but do you have any paperwork with their terms and conditions on it. If you do, read that over and see what it says.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 16:58:12 GMT
In these types of situations I am very specific on what I am asking for for reimbursement for my time and trouble.
- If the ping pong table will cost you $250 then ask specifically for $125. - If it took you three hours to clean up the mess then charge them $25/hour for the clean-up. - Damage to the cabinet I would charge about 1/4 of the original cost.
Give the guy a specific number to work with. Leaving things open-ended leaves you in a position for them to easily say no. Remember, they are men. They need specific boundaries to work with.
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zztop11
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,537
Oct 10, 2014 0:54:51 GMT
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Post by zztop11 on Apr 28, 2016 17:01:50 GMT
Also, you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
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IAmUnoriginal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,894
Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Apr 28, 2016 17:04:52 GMT
how did you pay for the service? If by CC I would consider disputing the charge until they offered a refund. I did pay by CC and if they don't offer me a refund of some kind, I will definitely dispute it. I wouldn't wait. I'd call your CC today and start the dispute. I'd inspire them to make things right with a hold on the funds.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 17:36:58 GMT
Yes, I'd be getting a partial refund. I can't believe the supervisor didn't offer it on the spot. That's what I was thinking too. What's $200 vs. me leaving bad reviews all over Angie's List, Facebook, etc.? They are treating me like I am some sort of money grabber who is looking to ride this for all it's worth. Exactly! Why would they risk the bad PR over something that was obviously their mistake? When you could be saying,"Hey, there was an issue which they made right immediately," instead you'll be saying, "When they make mistakes, they look for ways to avoid making them right." Not to mention, they could have had a loyal customer for life. They must not want repeat customers.
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Post by BeckyTech on Apr 28, 2016 18:20:29 GMT
Also, you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Only if she doesn't get a satisfactory response from trying to work with the company first.
OP, I'm not sure how you came up with $200, it seems a bit high against a $600 bill, but I agree, you should be compensated for your cleanup time.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Apr 28, 2016 18:45:32 GMT
In these types of situations I am very specific on what I am asking for for reimbursement for my time and trouble. - If the ping pong table will cost you $250 then ask specifically for $125. - If it took you three hours to clean up the mess then charge them $25/hour for the clean-up. - Damage to the cabinet I would charge about 1/4 of the original cost. Give the guy a specific number to work with. I agree with this. And, I would not call it a "partial refund" because that really isn't what you're asking for. The work they did on your duct work was presumably ok, but the issue is that while they were doing it, they caused damage to your home. They need to compensate you for that damage, and that's why I think it makes sense to ask for a specific amount, based on time spent cleaning up and the value of any ruined items. They absolutely have insurance that covers them in situations like this, but I imagine the issue for them is that the amount of damage done isn't really worth making an insurance claim for, so they may just pay it out of pocket. Again, though, the wording I'd use when speaking with the CEO or whoever is, "you need to compensate me for the damage that your workers did to my home while they were cleaning the duct work."
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 19:44:13 GMT
Also, you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Only if she doesn't get a satisfactory response from trying to work with the company first.
OP, I'm not sure how you came up with $200, it seems a bit high against a $600 bill, but I agree, you should be compensated for your cleanup time.
I don't think that the cost of the job has any bearing on the remediation for the mistake they made. A house in our neighborhood was having their patio stained and the company doing it left oil based stained rags in a closed container which resulted in a fire and total loss of their home. Obviously their damages weren't just limited because the job itself was small. Your damages are at the very least an hourly rate to clean up and any repairs or replacement (at least depreciated) for the items that were ruined.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,815
Location: Houston, TX
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Apr 28, 2016 20:29:58 GMT
Only if she doesn't get a satisfactory response from trying to work with the company first.
OP, I'm not sure how you came up with $200, it seems a bit high against a $600 bill, but I agree, you should be compensated for your cleanup time.
I don't think that the cost of the job has any bearing on the remediation for the mistake they made. A house in our neighborhood was having their patio stained and the company doing it left oil based stained rags in a closed container which resulted in a fire and total loss of their home. Obviously their damages weren't just limited because the job itself was small. Y our damages are at the very least an hourly rate to clean up and any repairs or replacement (at least depreciated) for the items that were ruined. But unless you have receipts to prove those amounts, it's difficult to get them to agree with you. I'm going through something similar. The difference being it's AT&T. During the installation of a new alarm system, their incompetent technician drilled through both electrical wires that lead to my dryer which knocked out my electricity for the entire weekend and caused some damage to my house. They paid for the damages to be repaired, but I have been fighting them for almost 3 months now to pay for the full refrigerator worth of food I had to throw out. They want receipts. Who the hell keeps receipts of all their food, along with a running inventory of what's in their fridge at any given time. I'm at the point of suing them if my situation doesn't get resolved very soon.
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Post by ahiller on Apr 28, 2016 21:18:16 GMT
Also, you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Only if she doesn't get a satisfactory response from trying to work with the company first.
OP, I'm not sure how you came up with $200, it seems a bit high against a $600 bill, but I agree, you should be compensated for your cleanup time.
I m just randomly picked that number for the sake of posting my response. Much of what was damaged is older and kind of hard to figure out a price for. I'd rather just pick a flat number that makes sense and go from there.
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craftykitten
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,304
Jun 26, 2014 7:39:32 GMT
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Post by craftykitten on Apr 28, 2016 21:26:57 GMT
Absolutely they should offer some compensation for the damage and inconvenience, and they should definitely have insurance that covers this.
If it took you 3 hours to clean up, at $XX per hour, plus some costs towards all the damage - you could look for equivalent items online if you want to get a sense of what is 'right'. I think $200 probably isn't far off.
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Post by 950nancy on Apr 28, 2016 21:30:11 GMT
I would think asking for 20% off your bill is reasonable. Since the things that were damaged weren't expensive. I think you need to call and ask them for what you want. The business might be hoping that you just drop the request.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 8:21:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 22:05:54 GMT
I don't think that the cost of the job has any bearing on the remediation for the mistake they made. A house in our neighborhood was having their patio stained and the company doing it left oil based stained rags in a closed container which resulted in a fire and total loss of their home. Obviously their damages weren't just limited because the job itself was small. Y our damages are at the very least an hourly rate to clean up and any repairs or replacement (at least depreciated) for the items that were ruined. But unless you have receipts to prove those amounts, it's difficult to get them to agree with you. I'm going through something similar. The difference being it's AT&T. During the installation of a new alarm system, their incompetent technician drilled through both electrical wires that lead to my dryer which knocked out my electricity for the entire weekend and caused some damage to my house. They paid for the damages to be repaired, but I have been fighting them for almost 3 months now to pay for the full refrigerator worth of food I had to throw out. They want receipts. Who the hell keeps receipts of all their food, along with a running inventory of what's in their fridge at any given time. I'm at the point of suing them if my situation doesn't get resolved very soon. LOL - me. I don't keep an inventory but I actually do scan all of my receipts with my Neat Receipts for tax purposes so that I know how much sales tax I've paid at the end of the year.
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Post by BeckyTech on Apr 28, 2016 22:17:08 GMT
I don't think that the cost of the job has any bearing on the remediation for the mistake they made. A house in our neighborhood was having their patio stained and the company doing it left oil based stained rags in a closed container which resulted in a fire and total loss of their home. Obviously their damages weren't just limited because the job itself was small. Your damages are at the very least an hourly rate to clean up and any repairs or replacement (at least depreciated) for the items that were ruined. You're right. It doesn't really have anything to do with the total bill. Some days I'm an idiot. <g>
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