Pipe burst in the middle of the night, City Vibe "specialists" show up, consisting of two middle aged women and a teenage girl in plainclothes, under the supervision of their "manager" who was in full construction gear. Equipped with two mops and two buckets, they immediately upon arrival they began to cut up the carpet without first removing water. I told them to stop, and was giving a long (and very well rehearsed) speech from the "manager" about how the insurance will buy all new things for the house, and that I should let them tear out the drywall. Realising their unprofessional intentions, I got them out of my property and gave the job to a veritable company.
Two weeks later, we get a bill in the mail for $1400. The breakdown of the bill was for: late night service call, complete water removal, disposal of damaged property, drying fan rental and "overhead". After refusing to pay, the company owner (named Russell) threatened various members of my family over the phone, and would continually insist that he would "ruin our credit" and would remind us that he "has all of our information". After threatening legal action, he yielded and we paid $250.
BEWARE!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,400.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?