ComplaintsforWater Mold Fire Restoration of Chicago

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Due to roof leaks, we suspected we had a mold issue in our ceilings that was causing our daughter health issues. We reached out to Water, Mold, Fire Restoration for an inspection of our property and quote on repair. They gave me an estimate on repair if it turns out we had mold and directed us to get the property tested by a mold science company. So I set up an appointment with another company to get the property tested. On the morning of the appointment (9:30am), I was on the way to drop my daughter off at daycare when I received an email from Water, Mold, Fire Restoration. Thinking it was the company that was on the way to complete the inspection, I signed the documents and paid the deposit thinking I needed to complete before the appoint I had with Mold Inspection Sciences *****. When I realized my mistake mixing the two companies up within a couples minutes, I emailed Water, Mold, Fire to explain my mistake and get a refund of the deposit. After an email exchange explaining a $500 cancellation fee, I then I exchanged multiple phone calls over the course of a few days with someone. They insisted on the fact that I signed the contract and would not issue a refund. 5 months later, we do not have any mold issues. I received a call from Water, Mold, Fire about scheduling the job and I explained to another person that I tried cancelling the contract and explained what happened again and still no movement without the cancellation fee. I never intended to sign the contract with Water, Mold, Fire until I had confirmation from Mold Inspection Sciences that we actually had mold. And within minutes of realizing my mistake, I contacted Water, Mold, Fire to explain the situation and even reiterate that if we did have positive results for mold, Id resign the contract and continue with the work. The estimate for the work to be completed by Water, Mold, Fire did not include anything on the exterior, just interior that was only necessary if mold was present, which wasnt present

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  (I am rounding numbers to simplify the narrative)WMF was hire to provide flood remediation. The quote was $7000. While the work was proceeding I was very unhappy with how it was being done and I was also made to feel unsafe by a member of the crew. Once the work was completed it was discovered that they had damaged my desk. They offered a discount of $500 to compensate for the desk damage and our overall unhappiness. I paid $6500.Among the services provided, we were charged $140 for batt insulation removal and disposal. A few days later I learned that there had been no insulation in the area they serviced. I contacted the company with this information and they agreed that there had been no insulation. I asked for a $140 refund. The remedy they offered was to send me an updated invoice (reminder: I've already paid) that removed insulation from the original quote and then simply change the $500 discount to $360. This is an attempt at numerical sleight of hand and in no way addresses the issue. I have responded and asked to be refunded the $140. But more importantly, I would like to have my voice added to whatever database of complaints is maintained that I felt that this business dealt with me in bad faith.

  Business response

  10/03/2022

  Disagree

  Customer response

  10/06/2022

   
  Complaint: 18119374
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I'm not sure what there is to disagree with. It is objectively true that the $500 reduction in the cost of the remediation was made in response to my complaint about the damage to my desk and what I considered to be unprofessional behavior on the part of the company. It was made BEFORE I discovered that they had charged me for services that they did not perform and that they agreed - in writing - were not performed (the insulation). Re-expressing the numbers of the final bill as a way to satisfy my new complaint was cynical and insulting and, I believe, intended to be so.

  It is also the case that since I made my BBB complaint I have made a new discovery that there is additional woodwork (not baseboard...that's a whole separate complaint) missing that apparently was torn out because of carelessness and haste to finish the job. It had no connection to flood remediation.

  They have a payment system in place where, even if a person is unhappy with the work and just wants to be done with them, one is unable to pay the final bill without signing a form expressing complete satisfaction. This is a terrible way for them to boost their customer satisfaction numbers.

  So obviously I have other problems with this whole experience but would settle for a reimbursement of the charge for insulation removal and disposal.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  10/12/2022

  Once again, disagree.

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

   
  Complaint: 18119374
  
  I am rejecting this response because: This is ridiculous. The company is making no effort to address my assertions, which are factual and documented. There is no point in continuing this. If I ever have occasion to recommend a company for this service I will vigorously discourage using WMF Restoration since they have only functioned primarily to compound the misery of our flooding.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩