Paul Davis Restoration of Seattle

Nothing but headaches, more than a year after My insurance company selected Paul Davis to do some restoration work when my water heater broke summer 2023. Their work was very subpar, horrible communication, they did not arrive when they said they would and they did not even complete everything they stated that they would. In any case, at the end of the job, they emailed me stating that the work was completed and that payment had been made in full (handled by my insurance company). In May of 2024 (almost a year after the work), a member of their finance team reached out saying there was still a balance. I responded questioning this but they did not bother to respond. In August of 2024, I received an invoice for the balance. When I questioned this, I was basically told that they made a mistake in telling me that everything was paid in full and after some back and forth and me stating that this seemed fraudulent and like it was their mistake, they threatened to take me to collections if I did not pay it.

This company was the worst!! Plagued with delay after delay after delay, excuse after excuse. Someone elses job was ALWAYS more urgent than mine. Three months of waiting - and winter fast approaching. I fired them after my project manager told me, once again, that he'd get back to me - and didn't. What's more - they were recommended by my insurance company. Thankfully I never paid them a dime - though I am sure they will bill me for their estimate.

The project was to take 6-8 weeks to finish and took more than 1 year. Now, 2 years out from the repair, the shower pan has cracked. I have been told by a local plumber and a local contractor that his occurs when the pan is not installed properly nor secured to the studs properly. After being without a shower for the year I battled to have the work done right, I am now outside their 1 year warranty for work and have a shower that again I cannot use without the entire corner unit tile being demolished (again) and the floor tile being taken out to re-do the shower pan install. This is a corner shower with a glass surround so a complete demo will be needed, again. The 1st round of replacing my tile in the bathroom (corner shower, vanity, floor) showed such poor installation that the insurance company balked, took photos and said the work must be redone. The owner of the Paul Davis franchise came to my house, agreed the tile was not acceptable (edges showing everywhere for an uneven, funhouse-mirror look) and blamed the tile I had chosen from the location his rep had advised I use to buy the tile. The entire bathroom had to be torn apart a 2nd time. The next tile was bought at a tile vendor also recommended by the contractor's staff, and the staff at that shop told me there was nothing wrong with the original tile - in fact showed it to me side by side with their tile - and said they in fact manufactured the original tile for sale to the vendor I'd purchased it from. Instead, they said the installation was done poorly, which is what the 2 other contractors I'd had look at the 1st bad install by Paul Davis agreed. The installer had never used the type of no-seal grout before, which is tricky to install as it sets up fast. Paul Davis wanted the same person to do the grout again with the 2nd tile job, and I said no. The 2nd guy they brought in to do the tile agreed that the 1st had no idea how to use the quick setting grout, and also found that in installing my glass shower doors, so much caulk had been messily spread all over the doors that they could not be cleaned in a way he felt comfortable installing. He (a new employee) convinced Paul Davis to replace the doors they had destroyed. In taking the doors out, the demo staff slammed them down on the new tile on the bathroom floor, making broken chunks in 2 of the tiles, which then had to be replaced. In installing the laminate floor in my bedroom Paul Davis staff installed it too tight to the walls, so it sounded like a popcorn popper all night long. This sound was the floor trying to buckle, according to the manufacturer of the laminate. An outside company chosen by me had to come in with a special saw and saw laminate off all around the perimeter of the room. I was told by the seller of the laminate that the improper install invalidated my 10 year warranty on the flooring. My two bathroom sinks had such dirty, messy caulking that the new tile installer had to work to get them clean enough for the reinstall - and these were 2 brand new sinks right out of the boxes when PDR got ahold of them. They were also installed with 1 drain not working properly, and the new employee doing my tile for the 2nd time had to fix that as well. In taking my bedroom furniture down the stairs to their storage trailer outside, the staff scraped the furniture against the walls of the stairway damaging the paint and plaster in numerous spots. The "fix" was to spackle the various spots a different color than the walls and leave it at that. More complaints from me, and the new staffer had to paint the hallway - then the Paul Davis staff complained by phone to me that no one (in their staff) had saved the cans or noted the color/brand of the paint used for the living room which connects to this stairway and hall. The paint had to be matched as best as possible at that point. The transition from the bedroom to the bathroom came off repeatedly and had to be re-done by the final staffer (hired at the end of this disaster to re-do much of the work done the 1st time around, including the tile). In painting my downstairs one wall in the kitchen was missed and the pantry never painted. I had to ask this to be completed, which it was in 1/2 only. In painting the upstairs bathroom I'd asked to choose a color and came home to find the bathroom painted (with flat paint, which is not what I would of chosen). The insurance adjuster budgeted for pods to hold my bedroom set during the re-do of my bedroom floor. PDR chose to use a trailer, their point of contact "Mike" repeately telling me that the costs would be the same in the end yet the trailer became an arguing point with the final (and many time revised) bill as its cost was significantly more than the pods. With the exception of the patching of a hole in the ceiling and the painting of the downstairs, every other task done to replace my bathroom tile, shower, floor underneath, showerpan and bedroom laminate, all had to be redone or repaired. None of the aspects of the main job were done correctly and all needed a re-do per the insurance adjuster (and all was quite visibly - and audibly with the flooring - unacceptable to the lay person). The project took more than 1 year including battling about changes to the billing. Now, 2 years out, the shower pan has failed and the whole tiled bath and floor will have to be ripped out again and redone at my expense.

After 5 months they did very little work. They seemed to have so many jobs that they do not have enough to send enough men. They had men doing jobs they were not qualified for. Painters installing windows. They did not put in sealant around the windows. Broke a couple panels. Landscaper putting in sheet rock. The men usually only stayed around for a few hours. I stopped by the home everyday. I fired them in August. Other contractors stated it should be done within 2 months and this took over 5 months with very little work completed.

I only dealt with PDR of West King County, but since this is a franchise, it is possible that the policy and strategy extend to all owners. I believe the business model for this company is to swindle customers, lie about services and defraud insurance companies during a customer crisis. There was a flood in my basement and called them on a Sunday. They indicated before I agreed to let them come over that the charge would be a "couple hundred dollars." After they came that night, the next verbal estimation was for $1200. Clearly the original estimate was just to get the opportunity to put a lien on my house and then concoct phony charges. Concerned, I asked for a written estimate. When that arrived, it had ballooned to $1800. When I asked for clarity, they said the service was worth $3500. That is more that $1000 per hour they were in my home based on false charges. All they did was cut up my carpet and throw it in my backyard and set up some portable drying equipment. Purchasing and installing the carpet was only $1700. They will not even provide a detailed invoice, simply a one line item of "work performed" with a charge. I called three other water damage companies and every one of them was horrified that it could cost so much and shocked that they had not tried to save the carpet. My requests to speak with the owner have been met with stonewalling and threats of lawsuits and property liens. I have never been able to speak with him. Update 1/14/2011: I spoke with the owner and we agreed on a settlement.