Help! Insurance Claim to replace cleaned carpet!

[DryMaster]

Hey guys, An old lady did a through, all surface cleaning of a small bedroom. She cleaned her unsealed antique furniture with a water based agent (liquid no doubt soaked into the wood). She said there was no mold at all when she did the cleaning. Then she closed the door. She doesn't like air conditioning and the outside temp was such that it wouldn't have kicked on anyway. Three days later she opened the room and had mold on her furniture. Four days after that she says she found a little mold in other rooms.Then she got sinus problems. She called a restoration company who stuck a moisture probe in the carpet and said the needle "pegged" in some places and did not register in others. He declared that the carpet was wet and they would have to replace all of her carpet. He claimed that the carpet was wet from my cleaning SEVEN WEEKS after the fact (Sapphire Scientific 1200, 2 airpaths & one snout, hole green glide, two hour dry time). So, I went in with a UV light and there it was, her multiple little dogs had pissed all over all of the pathways in the house. I explained what the deal was but she dismissed it and said that she could tell that the carpet was wet where she was standing barefoot. So, I laid a paper towel down where she said it was wet and stood on it for a minute. Handed her the paper towel and showed her that it is not wet. I called the restoration tech and told him that his moisture meter was picking up urine spots. He said that he did not know that dry dog piss would register on a moisture meter. I told him to go back with his UV light. He said he didn't have one. Now the old ladies family is threatening to do a smear campaign and put bad reviews all over the net and sue me over it. It turns out that my million dollar liability insurance has a "standard" mold exclusion. They have agreed to investigate though. My insurance adjuster is requesting that I get an email from two or three people in the industry along with their "qualifications" stating that dog urine is detected with a moisture meter. Maybe also that carpet cleaning doesn't cause mold seven weeks after the fact. Maybe also that carpet doesn't stay "100 percent wet" for seven weeks after cleaning with a high performance truck mount. Can some of you guys help me out with an email? Deerbluff@aol.com Thanks in advance!

 

[FredC]

Two industry mag articles mentioning the use of moisture meters in urine detection:

http://www.icsmag.com/articles/print/instruments-for-detecting-urine
http://www.cleanfax.com/articles/print/locating-sources-of-urine-odor

 

[Desk Jockey]

Fred's links will carry more weight than another cleaners word.

 

[FredC]

may also want to shoot an email to delmhorst and GE...

Probably wouldn't mention the situation...just inquire about the use in detection...or false positives

http://www.delmhorst.com
http://www.ge-mcs.com/en/moisture-and-humidity/moisture-meters.html

 

[steamwizards]

Doesn't sound good let us know how you go.Aask if you can go back with a Black Light and show the urine spots to the tech and your adjustor?

 

[SamIam]

Hell she could of had a flood 3 weeks ago and let it dry decided the problem was to great and decided to stick it to you.

If you cleaned it 7 weeks ago it would have been squishy thru to the pad theres probably been a small leak or maybe its the dogs.


Because I don't know if piss will create mold????

Sounds like the remediation guy is out to get a claim any way he can no matter what.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Paul Demers]

I recommend you have your attorney send a letter ASAP to the restoration company informing them they you will sue them for all damages resulting from the false claim they made, and advising THEM to correct and FIX the situation very quickly...even if the carpet was wet, how on earth could they know that you caused the problem. Hire a carpet inspector to inspect the carpet and record his findings of pet urine contamination. Tell your customer that the carpet inspector will help determine the cause of the problem. If customer refuses to let the carpet be inspected, have the inspector show up to do the inspection anyway, so he can testify that they refused him access. Of course, the restoration company will pay for the carpet inspection services. Have inspector share his findings with the customer. If this goes to court, have the customer you served prior and after that job to testify their carpets dried within 6 hours.

 

[Buck1955]

Agree with Paul. Best defense is a good offense. Sell her new carpet.

 

[boazcan]

You need an attorney asap to squash this customer like the bug they are. At least to make them think twice on slandering you all over the internet. I like the part from Paul about the customer before and after. I would grt those notarized letters soon as well. Best wishes.

 

[Randy Royer]

First of all Don't panic. The first time something like this happens, you freak. Don't, that's what they want you to do. The customer was probably setting you up from the start. Demand that a certified carpet inspector survey the situation before the carpet is pulled. Insurance fraud is a criminal matter. Write a letter to your local prosecutor, lay out all the facts. Make a formal complaint against the customer and the restoration company. Provide your insurance carrier with a copy of your letter and mail it to the restoration company and the customer. Include affidavits (notarized statements) from several cleaners with their business cards stapled to it, attesting to the use of moisture meters for urine( to your insurance company only).

That being said, I WOULD DO NOTHING, other than tell the customer she is full of shit, unless they file an insurance claim, sue you or claim they are doing either.

 

[Royal Man]

Remember that carpet prorates out at 10% per year. See how old the carpet is. If it is over 10 years it has no replacement value.( It's like if you crash a 20 year old car. You don't get a new car in return.)