Service Master of Haywood County

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I live in Macon, GA. I own a ground-level condominium in Waynesville, NC, 250 miles away. Because of family illnesses, I had not been there in over two years. On November 22, 2012, a neighbor called to tell me a clogged sewer line had caused sewage to back up into my apartment. I had used Mr. Turner’s services before, and found them adequate. I asked him to see to the clean-up and then restoration. I had wanted to make some improvements in the unit and thought this would be an appropriate time. When Mr. Turner sent me photos of the clean-up process, they were in fact photos from the earlier accident, a burst water heater. All carpets and pads, some baseboard, some sheetrock, all rolled flooring, and two bathroom vanities would need to be replaced. With construction on this scale I decided to go ahead with remodeling. I asked for bathtubs to be replaces with walk-in showers. Because of old colors, I replaced both toilets. I paid ServiceMaster $1,000, thinking that was my insurance deductible. Later I discovered my policy had been amended, limiting my loss to $5,000 with a $250 deductible. I learned this independently of Mr. Turner. He never offered to return the overpayment or apply it to other outstanding charges. Insurance company policy didn’t allow me to know their payment to Mr. Turner. I paid the balance, $10,362. I selected replacement materials, including Silastone showers and counters. All other supplies were selected from Lowe’s, since there are stores in both Macon and Waynesville. On March 22, I received an estimate and contract for restoration. I immediately signed and returned it. I also engaged an interior decorator to handle color coordination and material selection for floors and wallpaper. Over the next weeks and months we communicated by phone and e-mail. Progress reports were vague. Several times, I couldn’t reach Mr. Turner by phone: he had gone to Colorado to ski, he had gone to Alabama to visit his daughter, he had gone to Florida. On June 10, I was able to arrange a trip to Waynesville. The apartment was a disaster! Sheetrock work was apparently finished; unused sheets were propped around, and sanding dust was everywhere. Someone was in the process of laying floor tile. Furniture was piled in the kitchen with plastic sheeting taped to the door frame. Other furniture was piled in the living room and bedroom, covered in dust. I salvaged a few things I could carry in my car and came home. Mr. Turner called the next day. He had been, or was still, in Florida. He had an excuse but no real explanation for everything. Per our contract, I had paid 50% of the estimate up front. Now he said the project was half finished and wanted the next installment. I pointed out the contract specified the payment was due upon 75% completion, so his calculation of the completion level immediately jumped to 81%. I paid the second installment to keep the work moving. Then he began to tell me about cost overruns. The installer for the solid surface material had mismeasured, so the cost was more. The wholesale cost of the material had increased since the estimate was submitted. The calculation for the shower walls was a foot short, leaving a gap between the Silastone and the ceiling. In all, an increase of $1,057. On July 24, he informed me the job was complete. I arranged to travel the next day. The completed work did look good, but there were a few glitches. Sills on the walk-in showers are not high enough to prevent splash-out. Emergency grab bars are installed horizontally rather than vertically, so they look like extra towel racks. They cannot be changed without ruining wallpaper and Silastone. And for some reason an extra bar is outside the shower. Electrical outlets in both bathrooms were non-functional. Banks of lights in the living room and one bedroom didn’t work. The (nearly new) electric stove didn’t work. Duet pleated shades had been hung upside down, the cords removed, and couldn’t be opened. The shades were designed to lower from the top. After my complaint, they turned the frames over, but the drawcords were never restrung. The shades have hung with no support so long they have lost their shape. Several items are still missing: an extra-firm innerspring mattress; a quilt that belonged to my grandmother; and a Radio Flyer wagon that was a Christmas gift to my sister in 1955. I have heard many words from Mr. Turner, but there is no sign of the missing items. The quilt is irreplaceable. The wagon had minimal dollar value, but was useful to me in moving things from my car to the apartment. The extra-firm mattress is difficult to replace. Most of the market is taken up with memory foam and pillow tops. I had promised my mother the firmer mattress. She is 95 years old and in assisted living. In the interval between planning and completion, the homeowners’ association has banned dogs from the complex, so I cannot live there. I had planned to retire there when my responsibilities here are finished (a husband in home hospice and a mother in assisted living). I removed what I want to save from the apartment, and listed it with a local real estate company. The improvements I made, plus earlier modifications should make the property attractive to a buyer, even though I will not recoup my investment. I had dealt with Mr. Turner in 2010, and thought I could rely on him again. I was mistaken.

They did an average job. They were very nice in their exchanges with me.

The did a great job. They were extremely good. They were very professional and helpful. They came out in the middle of a snowstorm. This job was because of a pipe burst in our neighboring condo.