ServPro of West Pasco "Fantastic Five" Persistant in Performing Unnecessary Work, They Overcharge, They Lack Integity and This Company Should be Advoided!! Port Richey, Florida

In October 2010, my parent's villa in Florida experienced some water damage, due to a small leak under the kitchen sink.  Directly due to irresponsible renters who forgot to turn the water main off when exiting the property.  I was contacted by the villa association's maintenance man.  He recommended ServPro of West Pasco to come and check out the damage.  A representative from ServPro of West Pasco came to assess the damage.  His name is Jeremy George.  Jeremy was very persistent that the damage to the villa was extreme.  I asked Jeremy to provide as much proof of the extent of the water damage as possible.  He sent me a very short unclear video, shot from his cell phone.  The damage did not appear as extensive as Jeremy persistently stated.  I informed Jeremy to hold off on all work until I spoke with my brother.  I called Jeremy the following morning and informed him that the damage did not appear too extensive and to just remove the wet carpet, padding, and dry the villa out.  He stated that the demolition was already underway.  At this point in the demotion, I asked Jeremy to be sure to provide me with tangible examples of every item removed from the villa, so I could inspect the condition of each item, for the extent of damage.  Jeremy did not provide me with any tangible evidence.

ServPro of West Pasco continued to completely gut the entire villa.  Which I, as a contractor, felt was totally overkill!  Jeremy removed each and every Base Cabinet in the kitchen and both bathrooms.  These cabinets were hard to replace due to their custom sizes.  He also hired a plumber who totally removed or stubbed all the plumbing in the kitchen and bathrooms down to almost nothing.  Also took the dishwasher supply line.  It was as though ServPro removed as much cooper as possible to sell it on the recycling market.  They left me very little plumbing to work with.  

ServPro of West Pasco removed all carpet and padding but left approximately 800 linear feet of rotted carpet tack strip on the floor.  

I am an out of town owner and could not get down to Florida to assess ServPro's work, until January of 2011.  I was totally surprised as to all the unnecessary demolition that was done! The extent of water damage was not the same in all rooms.  Very little in some places, more in other places.  I feel the cabinets could have been spared. I walked though the villa and noticed that ServPro of West Pasco broke two large mirrors (4' by 6') , in both bathrooms.  Tiles were cracked in the bathrooms and kitchen.  Jeremy reluctantly did not disclose this information.  

Weeks after ServPro completed their demolition work they finally sent a work authorization form.  One month after that they finally sent a detailed bill.  It's irronic that the bill was the upper end of the estimate!  ServPro also used $300.00 worth of electric. In the beginning, Jeremy gave me a verbal estimate of $5,000.00 to $7,000.00 to just do the demolition work and drying of the villa.  I thought this was an extremely over inflated estimate.  But, had little choice.  Since I was out of town, I totally relied on the Integrity of the ServPro franchise and the Dignity and Integrity of Jeremy George.  Man, was I duped!

The villa was left in a Trust from my Mom.  Before her passing she was extremely ill and the homeowners insurance lapsed.  So therefore, there was no policy on the villa and all costs to me were "out of pocket".  I informed Jeremy of this.  

After I traveled to Florida from Maryland: I wanted to see ServPro's work for myself, before I sent payment.  That's not much to ask. I will never pay someone blindly.  I finally decided to send ServPro of West Pasco a payment of $5,000.00, the lower end of the over inflated estimate.  This amount was still way too much for the job Jeremy George and his so called "Fantastic Five" performed.  Jeremy did not approve of this amount and placed a lien on my property.  

I was finally able to travel to Florida again and totally remolded the entire villa for less than ServPro of West Pasco charged for the demolition and drying of the villa.  I put all new cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms. Along with all new plumbing and faucets.  Put 500 square feet of tile in the villa.  All new baseboard molding.  Also painted the entire villa.  The cost of all this was less than ServPro of West Pasco charged.

The ServPro franchise and ServPro of West Pasco are unethical, dishonest, and do what they want.  Not what is best for the customer or what the customer wants.  In the customer service business, the customer is always right.  That is how a company keeps their clientele and reputation.  Their prices are extremely over inflated and their work is unprofessional!  If I were an insurance company I would investigate their practices.  Caveat Emptor - "Buyer Beware."  Please do not go thorough what I'm going through!  It's a nightmare!  Do Not Hire ServPro of West Pasco for any contracting needs!!