ServPro

Servpro of Renton are crooks. Don't hire this company for any of your cleaning needs especially due to an insurance claim of any! They work hand in hand with the insurance company. They promised to take pics of everything of our household items that they threw away due to a fire & they didn't list everything on the non-salvage list either (there where many items that they threw away, even took pics of, but they didn't list it at all so we couldn't have it replaced)! The workers were very unprofessional, leaving a dirty mag in my bathroom for later my 5-yr-old to find (which they just said that it must have been ours). Only women were in our home cleaning, which in fact, the pics (the very few) that they did take had men in the pictures disposing of our items & cleaning our home.

They had to come out 2 different times to finish, because they did half of the work they said they had to do for safety of our health. But then when we were supposed to go home, we realized that they only did half the work & kept us in our hotel for more weeks to come. Not to mention when it came time for the insurance co. to replace our items, Mariana (head employee of Servpro of Renton that seems real nice at first & has your best interest - truly has the insurance adjuster's back 150% since the insurance company ends up paying them over $20,000 to throw away your belongings - and they both make lies to each other about your belongings, so the insurance co. will save money on not replacing 90% of your items) ended up saying that she didn't think our belongings were even that valuable, when in fact they were.

We are still noticing that more stuff is missing from them being in our home! Do not hire this company - your insurance co. will have them come out. When they do, ask to hire a different company since the insurance co. doesn't pay them directly. So get someone who won't steal from you & take what you worked for & saved for years! Don't allow this company to violate your home like they have us! Put these people where they should be - out of business!

I had a water leak from a heating system while working out of town that wet carpeted hardwood floors in two rooms. I found ServPro of Abingdon/Bristol/Marion, VA in the yellow pages and called them in desperation as I was leaving town again. They came, called and told me the carpet was ruined and had to go. I called back and told me the hardwood floor was ruined and had to be replaced. They offered to handle the replacement.

Homeowners insurance paid over $5,741 to dry out the house and replace the hardwood floors. The floors ServPro replaced warped very badly in a few months. No other floors in the house has any problem except those ServPro installed. I kept calling them and they finally came out to look. From day one, their only reason for coming was to look for every possible excuse to not accept any responsibility. They showed no remorse and all they seem to care about is finding excuses to not stand behind their work. I have never dealt with a company who seemed to care less.

The insurance company sent an examiner and a contractor Paul's Restoration in Bristol who said ServPro installed the floor incorrectly. I had a contractor examine the house and his opinion is that ServPro did not properly do the work. ServPro was only interested in building a case of excuses and were neither sympathetic nor helpful in any way.

After several months, I suppose they finally decided they had better make a response to the contractor sent by Allstate Insurances claim that ServPro had not properly done the work. ServPro's written response signed by the owner/manager amounted to a carefully crafted legal maneuvering based on excuses, exaggerations and at least one complete lie. I made a big mistake trusting ServPro. They ruined my house, will do nothing to help and don't even appear to care.

We had a small grease fire. Damage was mainly from the smoke and fire extinguisher. I called ServPro and they came out on a Sunday ($181.60 for a 2 hour call). They told me it would take about 4 days to clean the structure and another 4 days to clean the contents. Five people spent only 2 1/2 days for a total of 86 man hours. Of those hours I was charged 6.75 hrs for "manipulation" charges (handling items to be cleaned) at $24.63/hour.

The bill came to $7,366.73. Included in that was $1,046.05 for the cost of materials and the Sunday emergency charge. Also included in that was $836.62 for a "Hot Thermal Fog". I figure they were each getting about $70/hour. The only problem is that they did a lousy job cleaning. My mother's housekeeper does a better job cleaning and she only gets $12/hour. They missed cleaning the "tops" of pictures and light fixtures, inside of closet doors, or missed cleaning the closets all together. They were going to charge me $569.80 just to wash the dishes in the kitchen. I ran 5 loads through the dishwasher instead.

The thermal fog was a big rip off also. The only thing they did a good job on was cleaning the duct work. I would not recommend ServPro, absolutely the biggest waste of money for a poor job done. I ended up cleaning the kitchen myself and saved over $1,200. Had I had the time, I would have cleaned the entire house!

Do not waste your time or money with these people. I had a water leak due to an improperly installed AC unit (see Sears complaint). I was concerned with mold in the walls and under the carpet. It took ServPro weeks to finally come out to "test for mold" and they charged me $250. I was told I would receive the estimate via email the next day. Although they cashed the check the next day, it took 3 weeks to finally get the estimate, during which I had to call several times (no one ever returned my call). They quoted me $2300 to clean the mold. But they said they would not replace the walls or the carpet (I'd have to find another company to do that, which means my total estimate would've been even more).

Their delay and lies to my homeowners insurance (they told my insurance company I had water damage due to Hurricane Irene!) actually caused issues with my insurance company. However, once I got the estimate and approval from the insurance, I decided to try a different company (based on your complaints - thanks guys). This new company came out and said remediation was not necessary because the area was properly dried. The mold ServPro saw was harmless and basically dead because the water leak was corrected. In any event, this company only agreed with ServPro's suggestion of having the ducts cleaned and treated with anti mold stuff, but the carpet and walls were fine. His estimate was free and the charge for duct treatment was $539. FYI - had AirTech Inc. needed to remediate the mold, they would've done so, plus clean up, rebuild the walls, and replace the carpet.

I called ServPro to come out and clean up the water from a toilet that overflowed. It was black water, so I didn't want to do it myself. They sucked up the water, left a couple of industrial dryers and a dehumidifier over the weekend. They ripped up the baseboards in 3 rooms and left an unsanitary mess that my tenants had to clean up. They wanted to rip up the wood flooring. I thought that was extravagant since the water barely touched the wood floor. Bill was $1500!

I spoke with the manager regarding my dissatisfaction with the services and the excessive charges. He was unprofessional and condescending. He said he would reduce the bill to $1250 and if I didn't pay within 3 weeks, he would sue me in small claims court and have a mechanic's lien placed on my house. I have not paid yet. I have 5 days until ServPro's deadline, but I am still waiting on a verdict from my insurance adjuster to see if I can file this on my homeowner's insurance since the whole ordeal has surpassed my deductible.

I had a flood due to a power outage and they sent out a crew to rip out walls and remove trash. They estimated between 2 and 3 thousand dollars. Of course, the charge came in much closer to 3,000 and they told me I was getting a deal. They left their equipment and said they were coming back in several days to pick up the equipment. Hurricane Irene then came and they were not able to pick up the equipment because they were so busy there was not any time.

We had another flood, and we cleaned it up ourselves. When they came to pick up the equipment they sent us a bill, weeks later for $1700! They did not clean up anything. They sent one guy to pick up the equipment. They told us it was the price for their equipment rental. They are a bunch of crooks. I would never use them again. I offered $500 but they did not respond to my offer. Be very careful to get a full disclosure if using them.

They came out on a Saturday to dry out our wall that was damaged by water. This water damage had been there prior to a rainstorm. We were never told that there was additional cost for weekends or what the cost may be for drying our wall. We had to call several times to get them to remove their equipment. Had we known the cost, we would have scheduled during the week and not occurred additional cost. 3 weeks later, we received a bill for over 900.00 dollars. They should have told us there was a weekend charge and an estimate for the charges. I will never use them again.

I called ServPro for an estimate for some water damage. I was told I would receive an estimate by email by the next day the latest. A week later, I still have not heard from ServPro or received an estimate but my credit card has been charged $125.00. So, I called the company and was told that the estimate was sent. There was no explanation or offer to reconcile the problem. You would think a reputable company would follow up with a confirmation.

Another company has called three times and I did not even get an estimate with them. I was told that the estimate has been sent and they did not know what happen. I had to ask that the estimate be resent and the girl said well, you went with another company. Well yes, but I would like something for my $125.00. They have very poor service and follow up. I feel like I threw away $125.00!

I am a senior citizen and own a home in Florida. I recently had a very small water leak from the washer that was caught immediately. My tenant had all the water dried up before ServPro arrived, but they felt that it was important to get a professional company involved. ServPro had to use a wet/dry vacuum! I received a bill in the mail for $1,450.00. They performed a bunch of unnecessary work as to pad the bill. This is a very serious offense against a senior in the state of Florida!

I attempted to straighten it out with the Franchise owner in Holder, FL but had no luck. I then contacted corporate H.Q. in Gallatin, TN where the district manager for Florida told me that I was undercharged without knowing the facts. It is apparent that ServPro is practicing unethical, if not criminal, business practices. They know how hard it is to get the proper agencies involved to start an investigation.

Anyone that has been gouged by ServPro should contact the Memphis, TN branch of the F.B.I and file a formal complaint. Also, contact your states and Tennessee's Attorney General's office and file a formal complaint as well and also with the Governor's office. ServPro's corporate address is ServPro Industries Inc. 801 Industrial Blvd. Gallatin, TN 37066. Remember, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem!

My sister and brother-in-law (Nellie and Max **) lives in Joplin, Missouri at **. Their home was severely damaged in the May tornado. Their insurance is Allstate. Allstate assigned SERVPRO to clean their home.

They have had nothing but problems with SERVPRO. The supervisor (a woman) at SERVPRO was very nice and has tried to help them. I realize that everyone in Joplin is busy, but a shoddy job is bad business.

The ** family have had to re-clean their house; plus SERVPRO has scratched their floor in one bedroom (fairly large). And, now, their refrigerator was not cleaned; as a result the refrigerator does not work. They have moved in their home, but have had to re-clean their home.

When the ** family spoke to the woman (who is evidently a supervisor) they were told that the person in charge of the cleaning was told (by someone) to do the minimum amount of cleaning.

But, what about mold, is there any left after the rain? The ** family are elderly and are not comfortable to speak up. But I am.

When I called the Norman, Oklahoma SERVPRO, I briefly told him about the problem and asked him for a corporate contact number to call. If was not forthcoming and I explained that I would make certain that the problem was taken care of. The man in charge, all he would do was yell and say I was threatening him. He just kept saying it over and over. That was not the case. I am frustrated; as anyone would be. He might have been having a bad day; but that's not the customer's problem.

I have always had faith in SERVPRO with their wonderful commercials. However!

This problem is evidently being passed from SERVPRO to Allstate and back and forth. I really don't want to be mean about this, but I will do whatever necessary to help make certain that my family lives in a safe and clean environment.

It seems that our entire country is "doing the minimum amount." I hope that your company will step up and take care of people in need.

My home number is **; my cell phone is **.

Also, I have talked to other people in Missouri who seem to be having the same problem insurance and SERVPRO.

I hope to hear from you by Monday, August 8, 2011.

Juanita **

When the company first arrived in my home back in December 2010, I wanted to feel very safe and secure that they were, in fact, doing their job. At first, they were kind and seemed concerned about my issues. But, then after about a week or so, the problems slowly began. I will list them in order for your ease in reading:

1. My husband had some concerns that there was work done that didn't need to be done. My husband, being a former general contractor, had some valid concerns. When he questioned Aaron **, the older son of the franchise owners, Aaron repeated that we had nothing to worry about, because the insurance company was covering all the costs. This made us a bit weary, because we didn't want to take advantage of our insurance company, nor did we want them to do unnecessary work, just to hike up their fees.

2. Another son, Cameron, saw that I was very upset about the entire process, particularly that it was during the holidays. He said that they could abandon the job if we wanted them to. This response was flippant and unprofessional.

3. After our kitchen was contained with plastic, we were told that we couldn't enter the containment due to a possible hazardous environment. However, we witnessed the workers at Servpro entering the containment without wearing their masks. They also contained our atrium, but never explained why this was needed, but to just trust them that they were doing this to protect us. My husband informed me that opening the window between the kitchen and the atrium compromised the previous containment of the kitchen as the remediation of the mold had not yet been completed. Essentially the atrium was being used as a conduit for venting contaminants to the outside through the open skylight in the ceiling of the atrium and therefore possibly contaminating the atrium. My husband's concerns regarding this practice were never satisfied nor were there any attempt on their part to explain their reason for doing this.

4. When finally removing the plastic from the containment, they recklessly tore down the plastic, leaving a staple in our floor, which was not only unsafe, but for someone entering our kitchen with only socks on, this may scrape the bottom of their foot. When I mentioned this to the Servpro employees, they acted as if it was nothing to be upset about and made the comment, you should not be in a construction zone without shoes on. The construction zone was in an area of the kitchen--free from any hazards.

5. The containment was put up in a very sloppy, unprofessional manner, leaving staple marks on our ceiling and walls.

6. When the job was approximately 3/4 completed, Aaron ** pressured me into filling out a survey. He caught me in a moment when I was in a hurry and when I asked if I had to fill it out then and there, he replied that I did. Realizing this afterward, I thought I should have refused to answer the survey, but complete it at my leisure. I would appreciate either filling out a new survey, or destroying the one I did fill out.

7. Finally, when the job was completed, I had a check from my insurance company to give to Robert **, once he delivered my sink, faucet and a couple of other items which belonged to us. When he came by, accompanied by his son Seth **, to collect his check, he carried on and on about how they were so kind to me and helping me out during this stressful time. Then, to top it off, and I thought I heard enough of his diatribe, Robert said to me, "I know you are having problems in your marriage!" I was so completely astounded and taken aback, not to mention completely offended by his unprofessionalism and his remark, that I became defensive about my marriage, even though it was/is none of his business. He was extremely out of line, not to mention completely inappropriate and unprofessional.

8. I have e-mailed Karen **, notifying her of 2 checks I had for them from the insurance company. I also wanted them to return a couple of items which belonged to me. I have been completely ignored, never receiving responses to my e-mails. Last week, when I phoned and spoke with their office receptionist, Jessica **, she snickered as she told me that they would get back to me this week. I assure you that will not happen.

I think that the prices that they charge are outrageous. They tore up the floor that was not wet and did not need to be replaced. The insurance company pays whatever ServPro sends them, but will not take what my contractor sends them. How does ServPro determine what the charge is? I think they take advantage of the fact that customers are overwhelmed that they have this disaster in their home. If I could change who I used, I would. I will never recommend ServPro to anyone. I do not have enough money to have all the floors on the ground floor of my house replaced. I have been on concrete floors for 2 weeks. My living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, hallway and 2 bedrooms have no flooring.

It has been 1 year since Servpro took all of our personal belongings. We have attempted to contact Servpro on numerous occasions starting 2 weeks after they took our stuff and for about 5 months after attempting to get our things back.We have had the opportunity to thoroughly review the billing totaling $8726.96.00 which Servepro provided to us last week (April 2010).

We have some concerns as outlined below:

Line item 100: You never removed or cleaned this item yet you charged for cleaning it.

It appears to us that Servpro never intended for us to see this itemized list, as you refused to provide it to us until we went to the corporate office, and even then, it wasn't until our meeting last week that you provided it to us. We still have not been provided with a list of items for our insurance company that you removed from our home that you considered irreparable and destroyed or disposed of.

With the exorbitant fees, repeat charges, and charges for items that are non-existent, it appears to us that Serpro's actions are criminal by attempting to defraud or insurance company. This matter will be forwarded to the states attorney generals' offices, the local prosecuting attorneys' offices, the BBB, and the Federal Fair Trade Commission for them to determine whether or not criminal actions have indeed transpired in this case, as well as others you have been or are currently involved with.

ServPro was called to my condo by the HOA after a flood. The ServPro employees advised me we were being covered by State Farm insurance when I voiced concerns about what cost I would need to pay. As it turned out, State Farm insurance denied our claim and ServPro billed me $3000.00 for 5 days of machine rentals and "monitoring". When I complained to ServPro that they were not fair and reasonable in not providing an estimated to me in the event the insurance company did not pay, ServPro said that "we can't as we don't know how much time and work it will be". ServPro should provide consumers an estimate of charges upfront, just in case insurance does not pay.

We felt pressured to quickly sign paperwork and asked several times if we were covered and the ServPro salesman said yes. He had a claim number so I thought that meant we were covered and did not understand that a claim number is not the same as an approval. Please help so this does not happen to others in an emergency situation and give consumers a chance to shop price. Water leaked through ceiling. We had roofing company stop leak. ServPro did only the cleanup after 5 days of us doing it ourselves.

They preformed massive rip out of my late sister in laws house without getting required building permits. They reconnected the water which had been disconnected which caused much more damage. The work should never have been done because the house had too much damage. The house was knocked down a few months later. The house was full of mold and they left it in an unsafe condition. The sister in law continued to get sick and died less than 60 days after this matter.

We recently received two invoices from your company with regard to this homeowner claim. The Servpro structural cleaning invoice totaled $18,710.49 and the contents cleaning invoice totaled $22,685.12 (this in addition to a $6,000 amount previously paid to First Team for cleaning clothing items). For the record this loss involved fire damage to an exterior wall at the rear deck of the property and the total fire damage structural repairs came to approximately $50,000.00. One downstairs room was directly impacted with minor smoke damage into the two adjacent first floor rooms (the dining room and kitchen).

We trust that you can locate your invoices by the address. The project manager on this job was Javier Diaz. The reason we are writing this letter is to inform you that a complete audit has been conducted to the invoicing that your firm has submitted to Kemper Insurance. We have found that your company went far beyond the required scope of services necessary for this loss, your firm exceeded the allowable $10,000 threshold for approved charges from Kemper, your firm proceeded without authority to do so from the homeowner, from our office or from Kemper and you trespassed all areas without notification of scope or cost to the homeowner, this office or Kemper Insurance. Needless to say, the scope represented by your invoices and the charges represented by your invoices are not approved and will not be paid as represented.

In the interest of resolving this matter amicably we have met with the insured, Kemper and an outside restoration vendor. We reviewed the original nature of the loss and we completed a walk through on site with the interested parties. The restoration vendor has submitted a comparison estimate for completing necessary restoration services to the structure totaling $8,600.13. The structure cleaning is limited to the first floor rooms, as would have been approved by all parties.

The same vendor has also submitted a comparison estimate for contents pack out and cleaning in the amount of $7,692.36. The contents estimate includes on site cleaning of the first floor areas of the home, as would have been approved by all parties. We have forwarded the two comparison estimates to Kemper for further review. Upon approval Kemper will issue payment to your firm at $8,600.13 for structural cleaning and $7,692.36 for contents cleaning. These payments will be final payments for your services on this job. Should you wish to contend this outcome then we will recommend that Kemper move to appraisal and/or that the matter be handed over to the in house counsel for Kemper.

On May 31, 2006 our above ground swimming pool emptied (5,200 gallons) during routine vacuuming. The water rushed through my house and my neighbors. The insurance company was called and we were referred to ServPro. The neighbor requested the service, we denied it at first.

However, later that evening when ServPro arrived, Mr. Fogarty knocked on our door stating that our neighbor's mold levels were very high and that ours was probably worse.

Well guess what? Insurance does not pay and now we are stuck with an almost $10,000 bill from ServPro (mine and my neighbors).

I believe Mr. Fogarty offered his services under false pretenses by insuring us that he saw this all the time. We were already devastated by the flood, now our recovery is hindered by this company. They only managed to make matter worse with this economic burden.

Last April 26, when I got home, my house was flooded due to a leak from the bathroom of the unit upstairs. My insurance company advised me to contact a cleaning & restoration company to prevent further damage. ServPro/Randy Meacham seemed to be helpful at first but later I realized that they were after their best interest and not mine. I reported my dissatisfaction regarding ServPro's practices (charging for things that were not done, being late for appointments, carelessness that resulted to damage of floor tiles & washing machine, not providing promised items like cost estimates & inventory in a timely manner) to my insurance. I also made a formal complaint to the BBB. Mr. Meacham responded and gave his side of the story.

When I moved back to my home, I discovered several of my furniture was damaged by his men when they moved my furniture so I contacted ServPro again and tried to settle my complaint. Mr. Meacham came to inspect the damaged furniture and we talked about a possible solution.

But like always, he was full of promises but failed to show real effort. I called and wrote letters again.

On June 21 at around 8:50 pm, Mr. Meacham called me. He said that he was returning my calls out of courtesy but doesn't want to discuss anything with me anymore. For about 5 minutes, he just kept telling me that he has a small company and I was costing him thousands of dollars because of the complaint that I made. He said that I was not being fair and that I am treating him badly for no reason at all. He said that I expand/change things everytime I write.

I did not add or change anything. The list of items that were damaged or missing changed because I already found some items that were included in my previous letters. When I spoke to Mr. Meacham before, I told him that the list that I have was only a partial list since I was still in the process of moving back. When they moved my things in the storage, I was not there to inspect every item. I only found out about the damages when I moved my things back in. I even told him that if I discover more damaged items, I will let him know as soon as possible.

He attacked my person saying that I "should be a better person", he asked me "how could you sleep soundly at night", he said that my boyfriend knows "the kind of person" that I am and he is "embarassed by the things" that I do.

Mr. Meacham has no right to speak to me in that way since he has no knowledge of the kind of person that I am nor can he speak on behalf of the people that am related to.

He said he contacted a lawyer and paid the $500 attorney's fee. He said his lawyer told him that he can take a lien on my home and take me to court because I am trying to take advantage. I am only asking that he pay for repairs which would not even cost more that $400. How can he say that I am trying to take advantage?

I felt that he was trying to intimidate me so I will not ask him to pay for the repairs of the damages. I felt bullied and mistreated. He did not give me a a chance to say anything and when I asked him to give me 2 minutes to talk, he did allow me to speak, he just hung up. I called him back and left a message on his cell.

The Servpro Company in my area (fire and water damage cleaning company) did not take the time to inventory my possessions before taking them away for storage. They also did not take the time to inventory them when they were returned. Some of it was returned early and some came all at once.

A number of valuables were never returned.

I submitted 3 letters to this company asking them for remuneration, one in Nov. 2002, one in Oct. 2003 and one in Jan. 2004. I also submitted a complaint to the national headquarters. They said it was up to the local franchise to honor my claim.

Also, this company made a lot of promises about doing fire cleanup, but their actual work was minimal. They came once after the fire and cleaned about 1/2 of my kitchen cabinets, but never returned to do the rest. They came after the construction and again did minimal work.

Also, this company refused my several requests to take my antique furniture to an antique restorer. They claimed they would do the work themselves. When the furniture was returned, some of it had been stripped, none of it refinished. Therefore, I had to send the furniture out myself and instead of not having my furniture for 6 months, I didn't have it for a year.

I had soot damage at my home early April this year. I called ServPro for an estimate and service. The majority of the work was completed satisfactorily, however there were several tasks that were not. The Estimator reduced the charges for that work.

However, there were two leather sofas and a leather chair in another room that still had soot. These are cream in color so the soot is quite noticeable. I cleaned both sofas and continued to work to clean the leather chair. I have a witness to the cleanings. I called ServPro and asked them to delete the charge for the sofa/chair cleaning since I did it myself. David Arnold at Servpro said the technican insisted they did the work. I emailed 4/21/04 two pictures of the chair with soot I was still working to clean. David Arnold was out of the office the following day. I called the President on 4/28/04 Brent Arnold for status and to discuss the amount paid. After continually calling the president, he passed the buck back to David Arnold.

After several attempts, I finally got a hold of him to discuss. He again insisted the cleaning was completed on the furniture and that if I wasn't happy I should call the insurance adjuster for a replacement. It feel as though they were taking advantage of the fact insurance would pay for the services.