Emergency Response Restoration

Top Ten Risks of NOT using an Independent Water Damage Restoration Company

2012-01-26T11:15:00.002-05:00

1. The adjuster preferred company may finish and leave the job by extracting the top water while leaving your asset saturated with absorbed and ingrained moisture.

2. The adjuster preferred company may be a national franchise whose interests are on selling franchises.

3. A franchisee may be, and usually is, only trained per the guidelines of franchisor's "accelerated" training program which, in most cases, fails to meet the extensive and encompassing hands-on experience and continuing education requirements an independent restoration company must endure and maintain in order to achieve and retain professional industry certifications and recognition.

4. The adjuster preferred company gets work and maintains its "preferred status" solely by doing the minimal amount of work required for the lowest possible cost in order to appease the adjuster whose interests are solely to minimize the insurance company payout by any and all means necessary.

5. Such means are well documented and include many bad faith and psychological manipulation tactics.

6. One such mean is the insurance company making it seem that the hiring of an adjuster preferred company is a legal requirement - it is only a requirement if it is a stipulated tenant of the written policy - so that the adjuster preferred company can continue to provide its lowball and low quality work.

7. It is interesting to speculate that some of the bad faith interrogation and psychological manipulating tactics are borderline violations of humanitarian guidelines as written in documents including the Geneva Conventions so the insurance company and adjuster are trained to deploy such tactics subtly and quietly.

8. The benefit of such lowball and low quality work is that, to the naked eye and to the uninformed yet trusting consumer, the visible and obvious water is gone so the threat and damage is gone as well - as it is assumed and conveyed by the adjuster; however, the remaining moisture can deteriorate into structural damage, mold and health issues, and, at worst, asset condemnation. Should any of these maladies manifest, the insurance company can deny the new claim citing previous water damage thereby dodging the asset replacement costs while minimizing the initial remediation costs.

9. Insurance companies, including their agents, employees, and management, are for profit companies who continue to make their obscene and elevated profit margins and bonuses by doing everything they can to ensure money comes in but it does not go out - except to their pockets.

10. Make no mistake about it... the insurance companies ARE hitting and maintaining their profit margins and bonuses by feverously and dogmatically employing such tactics - even it an economy in which it seems that so many people are on hard times that such achievements are unprecedented and impossible. There is no secret or magic formula... such "achievements" are obtained by charging more while paying out less.

This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of
Emergency Response Restoration
(http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/),
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.

The Adjuster at Disney World

2012-01-19T12:09:00.001-05:00

Walt Disney World is, in my opinion yet arguably, the best place on Earth. As a premium annual pass holder, we LOVE Disney and visit at least two times per month. The Disney experience is truly a world class experience that is second to none. Make no mistake, however, the Disney experience comes at a premium. While the premium is a superb value in consideration of the quality of workmanship and overall experience, it did make me wonder how an adjuster would attempt to adjust the adjuster's day at Disney.

Disney restaurants are renowned for world class presentation and quality and, as is reasonably expected, the final bill reflects the restaurant level, amenities, and theme / show. The adjuster, however, is sure NOT to understand the preparation that goes into the show, character experience, food preparation, and the commitment of the cast members and will present an "estimate" from a fast food restaurant upon receipt of the bill arguing a hamburger is a hamburger. Not only will this fast food hamburger estimate be irrationally priced in consideration of the immense difference in restaurant and food quality and service but, in all honesty, the fast food estimate was artificially lowered by the adjuster's buddy who owns the fast food restaurant. Due to the lack of standardization and quality of this establishment, the adjuster is the main customer of this fast food restaurant and the proprietor is concerned, rightfully so, that the business would collapse should the adjuster stop patronizing the establishment.

While this Disney comparison is completely satirical fiction, the extrapolation and relevance of this comparison cannot be discounted. Akin to the Evil Queen who disguises herself as a friendly and in-need elderly lady to give Snow White the poisoned apple in order to maintain her own sense of power and extreme narcissistic vanity, the adjuster presents itself as being on the policyholder's side while employing deceitful and manipulative psychology against the policyholder solely to save its true master, the insurance company, money. Having presented the poisoned apple to the policyholder, the adjuster then seeks its sleepy and dopey drones to do the minimum amount of work necessary to clean the area so that the adjuster's master is appeased and protected. Such minimal work may make appearances look clean but the underlying damage is NOT addressed so when such damage manifests itself into a health threatening dragon, the insurance company will deny the new claim and all liability stating there was preexisting damage and will hold the mindless drones responsible should legal remedy be initiated.

Unfortunately, water damage is NOT a fairy tale. While this article has been a LOT of fun to compose, the underlying dangers of using an adjuster preferred company to remediate your water damage should be underscored ad infinitum. It is imperative that the reader understands that the adjuster preferred company works for the adjuster who's interests serve the insurance company NOT the policyholder. ONLY an independent water damage restoration company works to ensure that the policyholder's property is returned to its preloss condition and to the complete satisfaction of the policyholder.

Bad faith insurance lawsuits are commonplace in today's legal system for good reason. While there are frivolous cases against the insurance companies, most are legitimate but mediated outside of the court so that the details are not public record and to prevent precedent from being established. The reader would be wise to circumvent becoming a member of the "Adjusted Club" by using, ONLY, an independent water damage restoration company to handle their water damage professionally, fully, and with the policyholder's interest in mind. Anything less and you are better off eating the poisoned apple.

The Likelihood of Water Damage

2012-01-05T12:49:00.002-05:00

A major insurance company analyzed its claims data andconcluded that its policy holders were 10 (TEN) times more likely to sufferwater damage than fire damage. In NorthCarolina alone this insurance company determined that water damaged claims -excluding water damage caused by catastrophes - accounted for 28% of itsproperty claims in the state. Theinsurance company - in a predictable attempt to control this info and for itsown interests - went on to state that much of the damage was preventable therebyparlaying its own realized risk onto the policyholder who may not have had any reasonableexpectation of control over the situation.

In response to such ongoing and unrealistic circumvention ofresponsibility, an independent water damage restoration company in Illinoisrecently decided to educate the insurance industry and created a "FloodHouse Laboratory" ("FHL"). The FHL was conceptualized to, and is being used to, educate insurancecompany adjustors, agents, and relevant personnel as to what full, proper, andcustomer focused water damage restoration entails and requires. The FHL is a small scale "house"that is complete with hardwood floors. The continuing education insurance company representative is required toflood the house and then physically work with a variety of tools ranging from lowlevel and ineffective "adjustor approved" tools and techniquesthrough professional equipment to see and experience the differencefirsthand. From this experiment even themost blind adjustor was able to see, and have an appreciation for, the truelevel of workmanship and expertise an independent water damage restorationcompany has opposed to the standard, adjustor approved lapdog that under-pricesand under -performs simply to appease the adjuster and get work.

The scary part of this "appreciation" is that suchappreciation is something a reasonable policyholder would assume is commonknowledge to their insurance company and adjuster. The policyholder is reasonable to questionhow their insurance company and insurance adjuster could properly and fairly assesstheir water damage and assign a fair and reasonable indemnification valuationto their loss if they are not properly educated in water damagerestoration. Unfortunately, thepolicyholder soon realizes that their loss is nothing more than anotherburdensome claim to be unfairly and prejudicially adjusted in favor of theirinsurance company and in blatant disregard of their contractually bound andwritten policy.

This is why thepolicyholder must insist that their water damage claim is handled by aprofessional, independent water damage restoration company to ensure that theirloss and subsequent indemnification claim is handled to their expectation,interest, and favor. Despite thefriendly and outgoing attitude of the insurance company's dispatched adjuster,the adjuster is a double agent who, admittedly, works for or contacts with theinsurance company and is there, primarily, to find any possible reason orunintentional policyholder mistake to reduce or deny the claim so that they donot have to pay. Despite this, theinsurance company still, in an apparent otherworldly and sociopathic manner,fully expects the policyholder to continue making full and timely payments ontheir policy... the audacity of this fully excepted and enforced self serving, "nothingfor something", narcissistic concept is jaw dropping.

Dangers of Unknown Water Damage

2011-12-20T14:06:00.003-05:00

Wikipedia reports that Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack, betterknown as Brittany Murphy, big screen star of films including Clueless, GirlInterrupted, 8 Mile, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys, diedon December 20, 2009 from pneumonia despite public speculation of an eatingdisorder or drug abuse. Sharon Murphy,mother of Brittney Murphy, has filed a lawsuit against her former attorneys alleginglegal malpractice, breach of express and/or implied contract, and breach offiduciary duty concerning the legal firm's negotiation of a settlement in thiscase which is underscored and aggravated by Sharon's reported discovery of"extensive water damage and mold infestation". Sharon suggests the real cause of death ofher daughter and her daughter's husband, Simon Monjack - who died five monthsand three days later with the same diagnosis, was Black Mold.

Black mold or toxic black mold is known to the scientificcommunity as S. chlorohalonata and is one of the fifty species of Stachybotrys. S. chlorohalonata is frequently found inwater damaged buildings with poor indoor air quality and can result in a widerange of ailments depending on the length of exposure and the volume of sporesinhaled. It is well reported anddocumented that long term exposure can result in a bevy of maladies including immunosuppression,dementia, ongoing and recurring respiratory infections, irregular heartbeat,and death.

If Sharon can prove that the underlying cause of death forBrittany and Simon was in fact black mold infestation that was caused by thebuilder purposely covering up known water damage then she may in fact have a legitimatecase against her previous attorney who settled the case opposed to perusingdamages against the builder - who may be criminally negligent and, therefore, strictlyliable for the deaths. Alas, I am not anattorney and I am not qualified to practice law so I can only speculate, forentertainment purposes only, as to the potential responsibility and liabilityof this case.

However, what I can state without disclaimer is that moldabatement (defined as suppression or termination) is well within the operatingscope and professional expertise of a professional, independent water damagerestoration company.

A professional, independent water damage restoration companyis professionally trained and industry certified to remediate (repair) waterdamage and eliminate other damages and risks caused by water damage includingmold. The reader would be wise toconsider that such qualification and expertise may not be what you get when youcall a national franchise or your insurance adjuster's suggested or"preferred" company to remediate your water damage as these"dependent" companies tend to cut corners in order to continue beingpreferred. Perhaps the builder inquestion was an insurance company preferred company? We can onlyspeculate.

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy

R.I.P. Simon Monjack

Best Wishes Sharon Murphy

May no one have to suffer the caustic and fatal effects ofblack mold again.

Why You Should Repair Water Damage Quickly

2011-11-16T12:41:00.001-05:00

It is an unfortunate reality that many people underestimatethe potential damage water can cause with even limited exposure time. Chemistry teaches that water can be a base oran acid depending on environmental factors meaning that in high acidenvironments, water acts as a base and in low pH environments, water isslightly acidic. The mutable nature ofwater affords water the ability to carve through solid rock to create beautifulnatural wonders but this same ability can also destroy drywall, plumbingmaterials, and other common building materials. This point, however, is often forgotten when people deal with waterdamage.

When dealing with water damage, many people simply focus onthe top layer of water and neglect to do anything for the layers of water thathave penetrated the subsurface or been absorbed in to the gypsum board (aka drywalland sheetrock) and sill plates usually due to the double whammy of they do notunderstand the risks and they do not have the proper extraction equipment. Wikipedia reports that gypsum board is"easily damaged by exposure to water" and "supports the growthof mold." While gypsum board istreated to make it more water resistant, should the gypsum board be puncturedor should water, as in the case of water damage, collect around the unprotectedarea of the gypsum board, the porous gypsum board will then readily absorb andhold the water. The longer this absorbedwater stays inside the gypsum board the more damage it causes.

Unlike fire damage that leaves a visible and generallystatic path of damage, water damage can be subtle and can manifest itsdestruction over a period of time. Opposed to the immediate destruction caused by fire, water, similar inmany ways to stress, can slowly chip away at the host until it requiresextensive repair at a cost that is MUCH higher and over an area MUCH largerthan initial exposure would have been required to treat. The subtle nature of water is what causeswater damage to be regularly underestimated and, therefore, undertreated inreal world case scenarios.

Unfortunately, despite the best intention and valiant effortof many honorable do-it-yourselfers, their efforts are for naught as theysimply lack the equipment needed for remediation and such equipment is notcommonly available at your local rental shop. At best these people may have access to a commercial carpet cleanerwhich can effectively remove the top layer of water but does little topenetrate the subflooring or remove the absorbed water so they will stop whenthe area feels dry and will leave a fan on. This method is very similar to the method employed by remediationprofessionals in the infancy of the water restoration profession but this wassoon sent to pasture as it was quickly shown to be ineffective, at best, and acatalyst for decomposition and mold growth, at worst.

The best way to combat water damage, and to prevent theshort and long term devastation caused by water damage, is to call aprofessional water damage restoration company as soon as the damage isfound. While the honorable do-it-yourselferwill have the unrelenting urge to break out their equipment and assist theprofessional water damage restoration company, the best way a do-it-yourselfercould assist the company is by disabling the source of the water damage (ifpossible), ensuring the area is free from electrical risks, and ensuring theaffected area is free of debris and physical hazards (if possible) so that theprofessionals can extract the water as quickly as possible to minimize therestoration time.

Proper timing is essentialfor the fastest restoration. Now youknow.

What is that Smell?

2011-11-16T12:39:00.001-05:00

You smell it... a foul stench that permeates the air andchokes the oxygen from you as you struggle to breath without holding your nosebut you cannot find the source of the stench. You have searched everywhere you can think to look but the smellpersists and you wonder aloud if it is actually worsening. You know it can't have anything to do with yourrecent water damage as you called the best carpet cleaner in the phonebook -the "family" owned operation with the big ad - and you were there whenthey removed the water. They gave youfull disclosure concerning a "little" dampness and even added apleasant smelling chemical as you are a wonderful customer. So, then, what is that smell?

That smell can be any number of maladies ranging fromdecomposition of hidden organic materials through the silent yet continualdestruction of your walls through mold. Such maladies omit a foul and offensive odor and each could have beenavoided or abated by using a professional water damage restoration company.

The carpet cleaner was introduced herein as a generic butrealistic scenario as this scenario plays out on a daily basis. Most victims of water damage severelyunderestimate the scope of work that is required to indemnify the situationwhile simultaneously fearing the perceived cost to fix the situation. While the carpet cleaner is working to thebest of the cleaner's ability, a carpet cleaning company is NOT a professionalwater damage restoration company and is ill equipped, at best, to address the bevyof tasks required to properly remediate the water damage despite its besteffort and honorable intention. Additionally, most carpet cleaners are paid from the pocket of the waterdamage victim whereas a professional water damage restoration company canhandle the entire restoration project thereby restoring the scenario to itpreloss condition with, in many cases, little to no out of pocket money fromthe water damage victim as the water damage restoration company bills the waterdamage victim's insurance company for its service.

So rather than argue todefend the integrity of that nice man from the carpet cleaning company andwondering what that smell is, hire that nice man from that professional waterdamage restoration company and enjoy your restored asset without smell andwithout the risk of future problems stemming from an underestimation of thedamage the water caused initially. Better yet, tell your family and friends how that nice man from thewater damage restoration company was able to complete ALL of the work withouttaking money from your pocket and how happy you are with the work! They need to know.

Water Damage of the Rich and Famous

2011-11-16T12:36:00.001-05:00

Despite the house, the cost of the house, or even thearchitectural design of the house, no home is immune to the effects of waterdamage. It has been widely publicizedthat Pop sensation Rihanna is looking to short sale her 8,250 square foot, 8bedroom, 10 bathroom, Beverly Hills home due to "extensive damage frommoisture and water intrusion." Despite paying $6.9 million for the home about two years ago, the singeris looking to sell the home at a $2.5 million loss. Citing damage to, "but not limitedto", the roof, windows, doors, and balconies, one would have to wonder whoin their right mind would buy this home knowing what is already disclosed forany where near the amount offered?

While her asking price for this rapidly depreciating assetmay be otherworldly, her desire to take the money and run is prudent. Not counting the money she is losing everymoment professional corrective measures are not taken, or are delayed, thusallowing the water to continue to damage her home, the unseen damage is likelyto be much more of a financial abyss then the immediate $2.5 million loss. It seems unlikely that this slow seepingwater damage is acute so this damage has, most likely, been steadily increasingin volume for some time (a period most likely longer then her two yearownership) so the hidden damage can be extensive. Then there are the health considerations thatrun tangent to chronic water damage including toxic black mold. The inherent heath risks of black mold are wellknown and well documented and the chances for Rihanna's home being a black moldhotspot are good.

For the record, we take nothing at face value and have foundthe actual listing online. While Rihanna'shome is quite a bargain, considering and compared to similar listings in theBeverly Hills area, and her full disclosure is admirable, we feel the chances ofthe house being sold "As-Is" with " EXTENSIVE damage frommoisture AND water intrusion" and with "encroachment issues and otherproblems" is limited.

At this point, we feel, the only way for Rihanna to stem thefinancial loss she continues to incur is by using an independent water damagerestoration company to mitigate the damages and stop the water damage at itssource. Hiring a professional, certifiedindependent water damage restoration company is a prudent financial step assuch company can restore the home to its preloss condition thereby negating theimmediate $2.5 million loss which could allow Rihanna's undervalued home, forthe market it is in and based on comparables, to achieve its true value andsell for much more than $4.5 million.

Best wishes Rihanna.

Water Damage Restoration 101: The Dangers of Water Damage

2011-09-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

In this, our 20th public service article, we looked back and asked ourselves the best and most basic question of all, who cares? How does the intra-industry information we have shared with the public benefit the public and why would someone take time from their busy schedule to read what we have freely presented? The answer, of course, is self interest. In this "ah-ha" moment we realized that we are missing a key component in our article database... the health risks and financial dangers posed by and created by exposure to water damage.

So then, why is water damage a concern to me and why should I care about it?

1. Water damage can destroy the structural integrity of your structure rendering it unusable and inhospitable. Even a small amount of water damage can wreak havoc with your drywall, flooring, and infrastructure as it penetrates and is absorbed into the structure.

2. Such penetration and absorption can easily become an ideal environment for health risks and financial challenges associated with the unconstrained growth of mold, bacteria, and structural degradation.

3. Water conditions can quickly degrade into Category 2 or Category 3 water conditions. Category 2 water, also referred to as "Grey Water", is known to carry microorganisms and can be caused by reasons as common as a sump pump failure or a compromised dishwasher. Category 3 water, or "Black Water", poses serious human health risks and can carry a wide range of life threatening fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other microbes.

4. Any category of water that is not removed properly and by a trained professional can penetrate and poison or infect local sources of clean water.

5. Water damage that is not cleaned professionally can have devastating long term health and financial consequences. Unless the structure owner is a trained water damage restoration professional, the admirable and laudable American original Do-it-Yourself attitude should not be used in this situation and at no time should any one cut corners to cut costs.

Only a professional water damage restoration company is equipped and trained well enough to remove the water, restore your structure to its preloss condition, and dry the structure to a level that adheres to the structure's normal dry level, thereby, circumventing all of the issues we have outlined.

While any one can easily suck the top layer of water off a floor using a simple grocery store rented wet/dry vacuum cleaner, for example, this can, and will, miss the water that has penetrated the inner layers of the structure including the subflooring and inside the wall cavities. This is the real threat of water damage and is the reason you should only use an independent water damage restoration company to handle all of your water damage restoration needs.

Water Damage Restoration 101 What about my memories?

2011-08-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

Water damage is uncompromising and can be devastating. The stress incurred by loss of the use of your property is bad enough but the loss of irreplaceable pictures and family heirlooms can be a tremendous strain. This article will outline some steps you can use to prevent loss to such items.

- Prevention is the key -
Per the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of Cure," the best way to prevent loss of irreplaceable pictures and family heirlooms is by eliminating or severely reducing the ability to lose said items. Preventing the ability to lose or damage such items is the key to enjoying the maximum pleasure and benefit such items convey for the longest amount of time.

- Image all irreplaceable documents and pictures to your PC -
Most people have some form of scanning device in their home or place of business but for those who do not, and for those who do not have the time, interest, or technological ability to do it themselves, there are low cost services that will image these items for a nominal cost.

- Synchronize your iDevices, cameras, and other electronic devices to your PC -
iPhones, iPads, touch devices, and other similar items that allow the user to take pictures, download personal items, or otherwise express themselves creatively, are lost, stolen, and damaged every day so all of the personal data contained on such device is forever lost. For most people, synchronizing such device is as simple as plugging their device into their PC. More advanced users may have turned off the autostart process but can reactivate the service by simply running the original application.

- Regularly backup your PC -
People seem to forget one basic tenant of computer law... computers are machines... it is not if they will break down but when. Many times computers break down at the most inconvenient times and unless the user has backed up their PC to some external source - i.e. flash drive, file server, Internet backup, etc., all of the files, documents, pictures, etc. on such PC are lost until such time their PC is fixed or their data is retrieved. The entire nightmare scenario can be avoided by simply backing up the PC.

- Keep all original and PC backups in a safe storage area off the premises -
This should go without saying but many people keep the backup directly next to the source. While this may not matter in the scenario of a computer crash, should the user experience fire or water damage, then it is reasonable to assume that something that killed the source can kill the backup. It is a best practice to keep the backup in a safe place separate from the source.

- Use only copies or electronic images -
Now that all irreplaceable pictures and family heirlooms are safely backed up and stored away, the enjoyment of such items should not be lost in the attempt to protect such items. The electronic reproduction of such items will afford the utility such items provide with the peace of mind knowing that the originals are secure from loss or damage. Truly a win-win scenario.

Unfortunately, these words of wisdom may come too late for your needs. Should this be the case, then a professional water damage restoration company may be able to refer your electronic devices to a qualified recovery center for possible repair or data recovery. Any paper or non-electronic items, however, may be lost depending on the conditions of the loss. It is clear that the best key to recovery is prevention.

Water Damage Restoration 101 Why use a Water Damage Restoration Company?

2011-08-31T09:41:00.000-04:00

While in the midst of a recent job, the insurance adjuster came out and asked why we are continuing to dry when the floor looked dry upon the adjuster's visual inspection. An insurance adjuster, presumedly, is better qualified and has more experience in water damage restoration than a homeowner who is dealing with an emergency remediation service for the first, and hopefully final, time. The sincere question of said adjuster prompted this article as if someone who is supposed to be professionally educated and experienced in this arena does not understand what dry means, then it stands to reason that the in duress homeowner does not know and can reasonably question the time and effort we expend in doing a professional water damage remediation.

Let's face it, money is always a consideration. Any person, in a purely fiduciary and cost accounting point of view, could make the reasonable determination that removing water from a structure can be accomplished by simply using a store rented machine, a shop wet vacuum, or by any carpet cleaning service found in the phone book. This reasonable and cost controlling assumption that any of the water removal methodologies just outlined is correct as any of the aforementioned water removal methods should be able to remove the top layer of water but NONE of those water removal methods can remove the water that has penetrated the flooring, base boards, or drywall. Unfortunately, the moisture not removed by these methods is, often times, the underlying catalyst for costly structural damage and can create the optimal conditions for mold growth. While this approach to save money is understood and appreciated, this approach is unnecessary as, in many cases, a professional water damage remediation company can handle such work for little to no out-of-pocket cost to the homeowner.

In addition to the cost savings the professional water damage remediation company may afford the homeowner, a professionally trained and intra-industry certified company will know the industry established dry standard for the region they serve and will ensure that the moisture content of the affected area will be dried to the established drying standard and not to a level that looks, feels, and otherwise appears dry upon a casual inspection. The benefit of this is simple... the potential for structural damage is abated and the potential for mold growth is minimized thus saving the homeowner untold expenses in home repair and medical costs.

So what does dry mean? When is something dry? Dry does not mean a moisture content of zero as even in the desert there is moisture - if you know where to look and how to extract it. Dry, in the context of water damage remediation, refers to a point in the intra-industry drying standard at which the moisture content is stated to be dry. Each region, by virtue of its unique ecology, has its own established drying standard. The outline of each region is beyond the scope of this article but any interested party can easily find the established drying standard for their region online. It is to this point that a professional water damage remediation company will dry to, or beyond, to ensure your home indemnified to its preloss condition. Then, and only then, is your affected home / structure able to be deemed as dry.

As outlined in this article, there really is a lot that goes into a water damage remediation service... far more then is apparent at first glance. Now that you have a reasonable understanding of the time, money, and risk you can offset via the contracting a professional water damage restoration company, you now know that your fiduciary responsibility and cost saving intent is BEST served by using a professional water damage remediation company whenever water damage occurs.

Psychologically Surviving the Storm Recovery

2011-08-31T09:39:00.000-04:00

While Tropical Storm Emily seems to be lessening in strength and may not effect Florida in any way, the existence of Tropical Storm Emily shows that hurricane season is here and by all estimates, this hurricane season is expected to be active. There are a bevy of available guides that outline hurricane preparedness and what to do before the storm hits but few of these guides outline how to psychologically survive the environmental and financial effects of being hit. The loss of property, personal heirlooms, and independence that stems from surviving a hurricane is devastating enough but they, unfortunately, can be the tip of the iceberg. Many of these stressors outlined in this article are not considered until the situation arises. It is our hope that someone may read this article and find some solace in the guidelines presented.

1. Bored, frightened, and hungry children
In this era of seemingly endless multimedia distractions, many the kids of today are ill equipped for the harsh conditions of the mundane outside world. For the parent who just witnessed the irreversible destruction of their home, personal possessions, and other fruits of their lifelong investment, the inane banter of children whining about being bored can add immense unnecessary stress to an already unbelievably stressful situation. The best solution to this problem is a deck of cards. While Uno, Crazy Eights, and other specialized card games exist, in this reality, space is everything so a simple pack of playing cards can be employed for long term entertainment. The versatility of a standard deck of playing cards is unmatched by any specialized cards and can bring a much needed escape from the harsh post storm conditions.

2. Pets
The financial burden of caring for a pet in a devastated economy can wreak psychological havoc amongst pet owners when they find themselves competing for the same food and water resources as their pet. The pet owners surely has the best intention for the well being of the pet but when the worst has happened and the owner is forced to choose between self preservation and pet preservation, often times it is the pet who suffers. The best solution is to prevent this scenario from happening. Find a pet shelter, find a pet boarding facility, or make arrangements to move the pet to a friend or family member's home - in an unaffected area - before the storm hits. The immeasurable psychological damage of this scenario is easy to stave off with simple prevention.

3. Looting
If you are in an affected area, you need to move to a shelter, friend or relative's house, or to a hotel room where available. While the macho concept of protecting the homestead is honorable and appreciated, the lack of food, clean water, and the constant image of loss is too much on even the toughest psyche. Nothing adds insult to injury better than hunger pains and communicable diseases obtained in a disaster. The need or desire to protect your nonfunctioning and completely unusable 60" HD LCD TV is foolish, it can be replaced... pick up and move on. The best defense against loss is photographic or video evidence. BEFORE the approaching storms hits, photo catalog all of your possessions, heirlooms, expensive electronics, and vehicles; scan all sensitive documents and pictures to your PC; and make a text file of all your Internet usernames and password and then burn all this evidence to a robust medium like DVD. The contents of said DVD can be used for insurance claims, restoration or recreation of lost heirlooms, and is small enough to be easily protected and transported. While other backup methods, including remote backup exist and are reasonable, recovery from these methods can fail when there is no Internet activity, no electricity, no working computers, and your overly stressed mind cannot recall your name let alone Internet passwords. This DVD can put your mind at ease.

4. Money
In a time of disaster the adage of "Cash is king" is never more apparent. All of the modern luxuries of credit cards, debit cards, and electronic bill payment fail when there is no electricity and no ability to withdraw money from an ATM. The solution is cash. You should maintain a cash reserve in your home for emergencies. This reserve does not need to be large, in fact, too much cash would make you a target so a small coin collection or paper currency reserve should be enough to help you get to an unaffected area in order to regroup and survive.

Surviving a disaster is trying enough. The strategies outlined in this article are presented in the hope that this information helps someone who suffers such challenge survive and recover with as little displacement, loss, and psychological scarring as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions: Water Damage Remediation

2011-07-26T09:29:00.000-04:00

You come home and you find your floor is full of water. You identify the source and stop the leak. Then you grab your wet/dry vacuum cleaner and suck up all the excess water. There are still a few damp area and it smells kind of musty so you open the window and will nature take its course. In your mind your Do-it-Yourself attitude just saved you a ton of money. Case closed.

The Do-it-Yourself attitude is admirable and the laudable hallmark of American culture but such attitude can prove to be, as in this case, misguided and have potential long term health and financial consequences.

Issue1: Using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to extract the water
Problem1: This extraction usually does not extract all the moisture from the affected area
Why this matters to you1: The remaining water can promote structural decay and be a catalyst for mold.

Issue2: Opening widow to dry naturally
Problem2: In hot, humid regions, such as FL, the sweltering heat can actually prevent evaporation
Why this matters to you2: This prevents drying and is an IDEAL condition for accelerated mold growth.

Issue3: Employing Do-it-Yourself to save money
Problem3: In many cases, the honorable and honest Do-it-Yourself attempt ends up costing more money
Why this matters to you3: Losing money is bad no matter how you look at it. The potential savings can be offset by having to redo the work and the need for special equipment that is used one time.

Why should I care about Mold?
It is well established that exposure to certain types of mold are well known to have serious health effects in humans. It is certainly not in the interest of anyone to be exposed to mold.

OK, so I'll hire a carpet cleaning company to get rid of my water.
This is a logical step as the typical carpet cleaner will have access to better commercial vacuum equipment than the homeowner but this logic fails in two main areas, cost and ability. Trying to save money by hiring a carpet cleaner can have negative budgetary impact depending on the company used and time involved. While many carpet cleaners are exceptional at their trade and are, usually, worth every penny, carpet cleaners do not know how to remove water from walls, monitor and control ambient moisture, and other such concerns of a professional water damage remediation company.

So how can I get rid of this water and save money?
The best way of getting rid of water damage, preventing or eliminating exposure to mold, and saving money is by hiring a professional water damage restoration company. An independent, professional water damage restoration company is professionally trained and intra-industry certified to thoroughly and professionally handle all aspects of structural drying, odor control, mold handling and removal, and other relevant water damage restoration considerations. More importantly, in many cases, such services can be done at NO or little cost to the property owner using methods including direct insurance billing.

So why pay out of pocket and do the work yourself when the professionals can do the work for you at little to no cost? It's a no brainer.

Top 6 Ways Casey Anthony is like an Insurance Adjuster

2011-07-08T21:52:00.001-04:00

Now that Casey Anthony has been acquitted and her only convictions are misdemeanors, she will need to find gainful employment when she is released from custody on July 13. The question was posed around the water cooler as to what job someone like Casey Anthony would be able to obtain and thrive at and someone suggested Insurance Adjuster.

Our appreciation for the Insurance Adjustment "professional" is underscored in our bevy of articles on the topic so it did not take long for us to compose a satirical comparison of Casey Anthony and an Insurance Adjuster. Surprisingly, yet frighteningly, our satirical list makes sense and is plausible. It is our most heartfelt wish that our well intended satire is not a prophetic vision.

Both lie to authorities
Both misrepresent and manipulate real world facts
Both view themselves as flawless and beyond reproach
Both have unrealistic expectations
Both could be synonymous for narcissism
Both have the same edu-mi-cational achievements

In previous articles we would elaborate on each line item to further establish the link. In this case, however, we feel that the similarities are so striking and self-evident that any additional commentary would detract from the obvious.

You have been warned.

The Mythology of 10 and 10

2011-07-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

The insurance industry has worked hard to implement self-serving concepts such as 10 and 10 into the mainstream and, for the most part, it has worked. Honest, hard working general and specialty contractors who know their trade and put in a hard day's work are tired at the end of their day and do not want to battle with the insurance industry for their pay. The insurance industry is well aware that most contractors do not understand true job costs and that many of these contractors do not have the time, interest, or legal savvy to battle with the insurance industry so they settle for what the insurance industry offers... 10% overhead and 10% profit; aka 10 and 10.

Simply stated, the concept of 10 and 10 is the self-serving, fascist, brainchild of the insurance industry that serves only to limit the earned profits of blue collar contactors so that the insurance company can continue to reap record profits... nothing more, nothing less.

10% overhead and 10% profit is NEITHER American policy NOR American case law. The United States, by its own constitutionally protected and fundamental design, cannot implement profit limiting laws. It can, however, implement laws preventing price gouging, price fixing, predatory pricing, and other unfair trade practices, but our Capitalist, free market society cannot cap profits. Technically, even the obscene and excessive profits that many in the insurance industry agreed to return to its customers were profits they were entitled to under the rules of the US marketplace. The only reason the insurance industry agreed to return their excessive profits to their customers was to save face in the eyes of the average US citizen. The average US citizen is currently struggling financially and the insurance industry PR firms understand that it is VERY difficult for the fat cats at the insurance industry to continue to cry poverty and claim they need governmental assistance - especially during a depression - when the US citizen learns of their excessive profits; therefore, such excessive profits are returned (albeit slowly and over time) for marketing benefits and NOTHING else.

Some of the tenants of 10 and 10 are absurd. For example, insurance adjusters like to deny 10 and 10 on the basis that a specialty contractor only has one trade whereas a general contractor, typically, has at least three. This asinine line of thinking infers that the work of a general contractor is more important or valuable then the work of a specialty contractor. Extrapolating this line of "thinking" to its logical conclusion we can conclude that the insurance industry must value the work of a general practitioner medical doctor ("MD") over the work of a specialist MD. Obviously the general practitioner MD does a lot more for the patient and is, therefore, entitled to more overhead and profit on their bill than the lowly specialist MD who only did one specific and specialized treatment for the patient. Such supposition revels the insurance industries clear and blatant disregard for the specialist's education, equipment, and experience that qualifies the specialist as a specialist. ANY rational and unbiased person would certainly agree that this line of "reasoning" is fundamentally flawed but this is the EXACT "reasoning" the insurance industry inflicts upon hard working, blue collar, specialty contractors.

Both sets of contractors - general and specialty - deserve fair compensation for their honest hard work but not in the eyes of the greedy and excessive profit mongering insurance industry. In order to reap such record and excessive profits, the insurance industry has to confuse the issue with smoke and mirrors, such as 10 and 10, and then find enough "go with the flow" contractors to implement this ridiculous concept amongst their peers. Given enough time, and enough industry marketing showing the benefits of 10 and 10, such self serving policies embed themselves in "common knowledge" and create the illusion, in the eyes of those contractors who accepted the concept and all new contractors, that such nonsense is law or the ways things are done so such contractors will blindly go with the concept and forego the fair and reasonable profit they rightly deserve and have earned.

Other ways to implement and enforce such un-American and fascist policies is to create a fear base from which those who are subject to such fear base are wholly controlled and will never rebel - enter the Preferred Vendor List ("PVL"). The PVL is an industry controlled carrot that new and hungry contractors seek to achieve in order to land recurring business with the insurance industry. Achievement of such a dubious distinction trains the contractor how to bill in such a way that the insurance industry will approve the bill without delay and will continue to work with this "Preferred Vendor." Such Preferred Vendor soon find themselves in dire economic straights with just enough profit to eat and maintain their Preferred Indentured Servitude for as long as they can physically work.

The author of this article likes to write intelligent and fact based articles that have sources cited and available should any one or any entity request proof. For those who are wondering the validity of the points presented herein, consider this... not one of the author's Internet searches for "10 and 10" - and a gaggle of related searches - brought up anything showing ANY relation of 10 and 10 in US law - despite the smoke and mirrors marketing and mind control the insurance industry strives hard to embed into the consciousness of the contractor and enforce through its bad faith and excessive profit mongering efforts. Plenty of sites came up debating the usage and reliance upon the mythological policy of 10 and 10 but nothing else. Those pro 10 and 10 admitted their position on the PVL - with many expressing reasonable concerns about their profitability and their headaches in dealing with cut rate pricing and the continued hoops the controlling insurance industry levies upon them - and those opposed discussed the profit system they use to keep their business interests afloat and profitable.

In the United States Capitalistic free market system, profit is the reason to be in business. Profit is not a bad word or concept and the insurance industry certainly enjoys their record and excessive profits at the expense of honest, hard working, blue collar contractors who deserve a fair and reasonable return on their investment. Profit limitations are anti-Capitalist. The insurance industry is NOT a governmental body and they cannot lawfully implement its binding and self serving law upon a free society. The contractor is free to charge whatever overhead and profit they deem fair and necessary on their bill to cover their unique and independent business model and expenses.

Now you know the truth. It's your money... it's your choice. Choose wisely.

Top 4 Ways the Insurance Adjuster is like a Used Car Salesperson

2011-07-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows the stereotypical tactics a used car salesperson employs to "seal the deal" and knows it is wise to count their fingers after shaking hands with a used car salesperson but these same used car salesperson savvy people commonly fall victim to the tactics of the Insurance Company Adjuster. Maybe it is because the Insurance Adjuster visits these people when these people are in duress or maybe the Insurance Company's PR Campaign to promote a "Good Guy" image is working, but, whatever the reason, consumers seem unable to evaluate the Insurance Adjustor with the same level of scrutiny they would when dealing with a used car salesperson and routinely fall victim to the same questionable tactics of a used car salesperson.

Enough is enough. As a public service we will expose these tactics and fully illuminate how the Insurance Adjuster is like a Used Car Salesperson.

1. Corporate Sleaze
The feigned smile, the clearance rack suits, and the trapped-in-flypaper like feeling you get when these people come out of the wood work and act like your best friend in order to close the deal but disappear forever, or at least until the next sale, when the deal is sealed. They deploy the best psychology their marketing department could afford in order to uncover whatever little piece of information they can use to bully the customer into their predetermined outcome.

Likewise, the polished "All American" and "Good Guy" image is a commodity the Insurance Companies spend millions of dollars on to create and promote. This corporate crafted image exists and is relentlessly promoted so that the consumer will set aside their fears, concerns, and doubts when the "good knight" Insurance Adjuster arrives to right the wrong. Every aspect of this image is carefully crafted in order to circumvent the consumer's intelligent objections and concerns. The mighty Adjuster will take care of everything but needs to know what they are dealing with and will subtly psychologically manipulate the consumer for any information they can use to deny or reduce the claim.

2. Devaluation
When taking an auto in on trade, the used car salesperson is required to do a walk around evaluation in front of the owner(s). The purpose of this "evaluation" is to point out every ding and scratch to the owner(s) in order to cast doubt in the owner's mind concerning the real value of the trade. The industry knows that most people are fair in general and use this tactic to psychologically entice the owner to devalue their trade so that when offered less then stated or expected, the owner(s) will not argue.

Equally, the Adjuster is looking around for, and will point out, any delayed maintenance, any possible exclusionary cause or catalyst, or for any item or information they can use to bully the homeowner into accepting more liability for their loss.

3. Sociopathic Personality
In the eyes of a used car salesperson, the consumer is nothing more than a temporary barrier to their commission. They will tell any lie, misrepresent any fact, and take whatever time necessary to dissolve that barrier but all of the verbal promises, stories, and representations are lost at signing to the point the used car salesperson will deny making such claim or will do their best to spin such claim towards whatever way required to dissolve any responsibility or conflict. There is no remorse, no humanity, and no responsibility as whatever action, statement, or enticement is merely a means to my commission.

Similarly, in the eyes of the Insurance Adjuster, the in duress consumer is simply another commissionable opportunity. The Adjuster is a master appraiser and knows the true value of the damage the consumer has suffered and this is the starting point from which the Adjuster begins to shave off costs and liability from. A good portion of the Adjuster's annual pay is derived from the amount of money they cheat the consumer out of so the Adjuster has no remorse and feels no responsibility for whatever the Adjuster says or does in order to prevent the consumer from getting that money.

4. By the Numbers Predictable Defense
In the event that the used car salesperson is going to be held accountable for some action, they predictably try every measure possible to offset any responsibility or liability for whatever they are being held accountable for. Such elementary defensive tactics are well known and are easy to overcome due to their widespread and predictable use.

In the same way, the Insurance Adjuster's delay and denial tactics are so well known that books have been written on them. Such books are easy to find when searching the Internet for "Bad Faith Insurance Books" and the Adjuster's follow the enumerated steps, seemingly and laughably, religiously.

You wouldn't fall victim to these tactics when deployed by a used car salesperson so why fall victim to them when used by an Insurance Adjuster?

Don't be a victim.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

Excessive Insurance Company Profits at HOME OWNER'S Expense

2011-07-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

The headlines are staggering, "Insurance Company Profits up 41 percent," "Record Profits Don't Stop Health Insurer's Record Rate Hike," and "Insurance Company Promises to Refund Excessive Profits to Customers." All of these headlines are real and all of them are available via a simple Google search AND all of them well illuminate a very key concept of the insurance company, the customer is a cash cow that the insurance company is milking dry.

The health insurance industry, for example, sees fully insured and contractually obligated payments as a "medical-loss" and has determined the best way to reduce such losses is by not insuring unhealthy people. As ludicrous as this statement is, this statement, as well as their bad faith reduction strategies, can also be found and corroborated via a simple Google search.

One strategy these unscrupulous health insurance companies employ is called policy rescission. In policy rescission the insurance company reviews all the paperwork the sick policy holder filed with the insurance company for any error or omission they can use to cancel the policy. Policy rescission, obviously, works quite well. So well, in fact, that three insurance company executives each declined to rescind this unfair practice when requested to by the US House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. The Subcommittee was fair, however, and understood that policy recession has merit in cases of intentional fraud yet all of the insurance executives refused to end this extremely profitable, but unfair, practice.

Another well used tactic is purging. Purging is simply hitting "unprofitable" accounts with excessive fees and rate increases so that they purge themselves from the balance sheet - inversely similar, in design and effect, to the unlawful process known as predatory pricing. Predatory pricing occurs when a well capitalized business reduces it's prices to a point that it's competitors cannot compete and go out of business. It is reasonable for one to wonder why predatory pricing is an unlawful (antitrust) practice but insurance company purging is not.

Unfortunately, home owner are not excluded from this madness. The homeowner's insurance providers use the aforementioned and similar tactics to reduce their payouts to their customers. The best commonly known tactic is the industry's reliance upon Insurance Adjuster's. What is the best weapon of an Adjuster? Strategic Omissions.

Despite the Adjuster's well groomed image and polished, corporate, "buddy-buddy" personality, the Adjuster is at the home owner's home as an agent of the insurance company and is working for the interest of the insurance company - not the insured - and is well trained in estimation. The in-duress and trusting home owner may notice the Adjuster records everything the home owner states - with a reduction or denial via policy rescission in quietly in mind - but may not notice what the Adjuster omits.

As the Adjuster is doing everything possible to come across as "one of the guys," the Adjuster is silently scanning the affected area for reduction potential. The Adjuster knows, for example, that in the eyes of the law (should a case ever make it to trail), if something is not recorded, it did not happen. In this light the Adjuster could omit "Rolex" from the gold watch listing which immediately, and unfairly, reduces the potential payout for this item. Unless the home owner has proof that the "gold watch" in question is a Rolex and not a $10 Wal-Mart special, this strategic omission just reduced the insurance company's liability by a significant margin... and this is just a watch.

Most home owners do not truly understand the replacement value of the items in their home but the Adjuster does - that is what they are trained to do and from which their bonus check is calculated. The Adjuster's bonus is, in many cases, directly proportional to the amount of money they can snake out of the home owner. The home owner's only defense is to make sure the Adjuster fairly and accurately records the damages in their home during the Adjuster's walk through - a practice the Adjuster is certain to dislike and attempt to discourage.

Home owners BEWARE! Watch what the Adjuster records and purposely omits. Your restoration depends upon it!

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

Top Four Reasons to use an Independent Restoration Company for Mold Removal

2011-06-08T13:06:00.003-04:00

We recently reviewed a mold remediation (professional removal and control) article that was written by a company that ranked well in a major search engine search. To be fair it needs to be stated that this company is a carpet cleaning company NOT a water damage remediation company so they may have presented their misguided and potentially tortious information in good faith with the purest intent; unfortunately, however, the information they provided could make a bad situation MUCH worse.

The advice the carpet cleaning company suggested was to open your windows in order to combat the mold.

This advice is dead wrong.

Mold is a decomposer meaning that it's scientific function is to break down waste material into its basic elements. As such, mold is always in the air but its normal airborne concentration is negligible in effect to most people. It is only when mold starts to congeal and grow upon a host that the concentration becomes an issue. There are legally binding and enforced control methods and procedures that MUST be adhered to in order to stave off any liability any time a professional remediation company handles mold and opening the window is NOT one.

In consideration of this grievous error, we present, the " Top Four Reasons to use an Independent Restoration Company for Mold Removal".

1. A less qualified company can make serious errors

As presented in the opening of this document, the company in question, most likely, was presenting the erroneous information in good faith. They may actually believe that their advice is sound and they may employ their advice in the field which, assumedly unwittingly, exacerbates and compounds the problem by, in this case, spreading mold spores. Rather than professionally containing the situation, as is professionally expected and legally required, opening the window spreads mold spores throughout the area which can, easily, get into the air conditioning system and infect the entire structure opposed to a smaller contained area which is much easier to control and remediate. This mistake can have grave effects on health and the eventual remediation costs.

2. A less qualified company may not have the correct equipment or use their equipment effectively

Without professional certification and continuing education a less qualified company may not have made the necessary financial investment in professional equipment for reasons as simple as they do not know they need the equipment. The less qualified company may, for example, have a basic understanding of the required process and make valiant efforts to employ their existing infrastructure but such infrastructure may neglect a strategic filter that effectively traps mold resulting in the less qualified company unintentionally spreading mold.

3. A less qualified company may underestimate the situation

Without the proper equipment and education a less qualified company can easily misstate the problem simply because they cannot adequately assess the true scope of the issue. It is common for a less qualified company to assess and "control" surface mold - mold that is easy to see with the naked eye - because they lack wall penetrating equipment, for example, and the expertise to use such equipment. The lack of such equipment and expertise can result in a less qualified company cleaning the tip of the iceberg but never seeing or knowing the true depth of the iceberg. Such underestimation can easily lead to future service calls for a much more severe problem.

4. A less qualified company may not adhere to current standards

Unless the less qualified company takes it upon themselves to learn and maintain currency with professional standards and legal requirements, the working knowledge they have, is likely to be dated and could have a detrimental aggregate effect. The professional water damage industry is constantly introducing new and improved techniques and technology to assist the in-field professional and is constantly being subjected to new and emerging government regulations to maintain quality. Such advancements are likely to be unknown to a less qualified company which could entail significant issues down the road for the less qualified company and the property owner.

Using an Independent Restoration Company for Mold Removal protects the interests of the structure owner. There is no guarantee that using an less qualified company can save the structure owner any money but using an Independent Restoration Company does guarantee that the job is done to all industry and governmental standards as efficiently as possible with the assurance that the Independent Restoration Company is using the latest and greatest technology and techniques.

Now you know.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

Adjusting the Adjuster

2011-06-08T13:04:00.004-04:00

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is no formal training required for a person to become a Insurance Adjuster, save a High School Diploma, and the median wage for an Adjuster is $55,760 as of May 2008. With this knowledge one has to wonder why the Insurance Adjuster has such an inflated image of his or her skills and demands unquestioned compliance from any company unfortunate enough to have to submit their bill to these low skilled and under educated megalomaniacs.

The low education requirement well demonstrates the typical Adjuster's inability to grasp and accurately account for such concepts as education, expertise, longevity, and good will. The “rationalization” displayed by many Adjusters is akin to the “rationalization” of a football player with too many head injuries. Instead of fairly considering company A's experience, expertise, and list of successful projects for payment, the Adjuster will simply offer to pay company A what it's new franchisee lap dog is willing to settle for... obviously for a fee that is less then reasonable when compared with similarly educated and experienced industry experts. Arguing these points with an Adjuster is as effective as playing with a deflated ball... they are simply incapable of understanding such abstract concepts.

We learned a long time ago that if you deploy a person's mannerisms and words against them, there is little recourse. In this light we herein propose the following solutions for our fellow professional water damage restoration brethren when dealing with an Adjuster... use their tactics against them.

When told that a competitor would have billed the same job for a fee less than yours, simply tell the Adjuster that a similarly educated kid in high school could have done the same job for FAR less than $56k annual salary the Adjuster expects from the company they represent and WITHOUT the expectation of benefits, time off, or bonuses. When the Adjuster rebuts and outlines the education, certifications, and experience they have gained over their years with their company, ask them how and why your certifications, continuing education, and industry experience is different. When told that reducing your, legitimate, bill, for the legitimate work that was done on the claim, would save the insurance company money, tell the Adjuster that dropping his or her RECURRING salary and not to take any bonus from the insurance company would save the insurance company even more money. Fair is fair and right is right.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

The Insurance Adjuster – The Frontline of Deceit

2011-05-02T11:37:00.002-04:00

You come home and you find water where your carpet used to be. You panic. You don't know what to do so you do the first thing that comes to mind... stop the water. In the midst of your panic you inadvertently twist the shut off nozzle too hard and it breaks. In vain you rack your brain to find the main shut off valve and you race outside to find the main shut off valve only to find it has a surprise... a snake has taken up residence inside your shut off valve container and it does not seem too happy about being discovered. You freeze for a moment but your desire to stop the water from further damaging your home gives you the courage to reach in and successfully turn off the water while the snake makes a hasty dash to the nearest bush. Now you call your insurance company and you follow their instructions to the letter. The adjuster has sent its water damage restoration company of its choice and will meet you at your house. You are relieved...

The adjuster arrives and acts like your best friend telling you that everything is OK and the insurance company will take care of everything. You notice, however, that the adjuster is busily writing notes in the adjuster's notebook but the adjuster does not have anything negative to say so you don't worry. The adjuster asks what happened and you explain what you know... you came home, you found the water, and you shut off the water... what else is there to tell? The adjuster begins drilling you with seemingly irrelevant questions like, what time did you get home and how long did it take before you turned off the water. You pause when the adjuster asks you why you were unable to simply shut off the water at the source and you tell the adjuster about the breakage. You are unable to answer what caused the water to be turned on in the first place so you speculate out loud that you must have left the water running before you left for the day. All of this is written in the adjuster's notebook. You thank the adjuster from coming to your home and helping you through this nightmare. You are shocked when you receive your claim denial letter in the mail.

You stare blankly at the denial letter in a state of shock and disbelief. You expected to see something to the effect that everything is taken care of but here you sit reading this impersonal letter letting you that the insurance company that you contracted to protect you and your assets from loss is telling you that they are not going to honor your contract with them. Your shock and disbelief slowly turns to anger when you consider all of the money you spent with this insurance company so you reach out to your buddy, the adjuster, for help. You quickly learn you are on your own. You find that the adjuster is blaming you for the accidental water damage citing the fact that you admitted to leaving the water running before you left for the day, the breakage of the shut off valve indicates you failed to maintain your home in the expected manner, and your brief pause at turning off the water means that you failed to stop further damage from occurring.

This hard learned, real world crash course has taught you:

The adjuster either works for or contracts through the insurance company so their loyalty and livelihood is directly tied to and dependent upon the insurance company
A portion of the money the adjuster earns can be derived from the amount of money the adjuster retains for the insurance company
The adjuster is well trained in psychology and interviewing techniques which allow the adjuster to subtly probe the claimant (you) for any information they can later deploy to delay, deny, or significantly reduce your claim
The adjuster uses such psychological and deceptive interviewing techniques in every case
The adjuster is NOT your friend

Still... all is not lost, there is HOPE. A professional independent water damage restoration company will have the resources and experience necessary to aid its customer in restoring its water damaged asset to its preloss condition while holding the insurance adjuster accountable for its soulless and sadistic bad faith and deceitful practices.

It's your money.
It's your choice.
Choose Wisely
Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of
Emergency Response Restoration
(http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/),
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company
to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.

Unreasonable Water Damage Insurance Claim Denials

2011-05-02T11:34:00.001-04:00

This article is written to illustrate what bad faith insurance practices look like in the real world and to offer victims of such unfair practices some avenues for correction or remedy. We are certified water damage restoration experts not attorneys or public adjustors. As such, no part of this article will offer any type of advice or instruction so the reader should consider and hold all information herein as being presented for informational purposes only.

A customer had a hot water heater break while on vacation which caused a lot of damage to the floor. The claim was denied because the insurance adjustor stated it water damage was not controlled in a reasonable amount of time despite the customer calling immediately upon discovery and taking all reasonably possible and layman known measures to stem further damage. The customer pursued the claim which promoted the adjustor to send the customer a form demanding an insane amount of information covering a period of several years which had little to do with the water damage incident and was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to trap the customer into making any possible error or omission to further deny the claim.
A customer went through their adjustor preferred and recommended water damage restoration company to remediate damage caused by an appliance malfunction. The customer was not pleased with the performance or quality of the service and sought out an independent water damage restoration company to review the work of the adjustor preferred and recommended company only to find that the adjustor preferred water damage restoration company failed to dry many areas to professional water damage restoration industry specification. The customer presented the independent review to the insurance adjustor and found the claim was denied as the adjustor stated the second company's interference exacerbated the situation which caused further damage despite the second company coming in after the adjustor preferred and recommended company pulled out.
A customer noticed the flooring looked unusual and was surprised to find it saturated when the customer stepped on it to see what was happening. A plumber found a hidden leak that the customer had no knowledge of until the flooring reacted as it did. The water damage required the customer rip up the affected flooring and drywall for repair. The insurance company denied the claim citing the policy required a sudden and accidental break for coverage which they verified was not the case by the amount of mold growing in the affected area.

It is unfortunate but cases such as these are more common than not as it is the insurance company's standard operating procedure to make every effort to deny the claim thereby frustrating the customer which ultimately negates or severally reduces the ultimate payout when the claim denial is appealed. This unscrupulous and predatory methodology is unfair and sadistic and should not be leveraged against an in-duress customer who has paid all bills honorably and on time and is simply looking to have their elected insurance company adhere to its contractually obligated commitment by restoring their asset to its preloss condition.

The insurance claim battle is purposely designed to be a long, daunting, and harrowing task but a task that a professional independent water damage restoration company ("PIWDRC") can assist with. Such a PIWDRC will have the industry longevity and experience necessary to help its customer successfully navigate the insurance minefield. Each of the cases presented herein, for example, were successfully remediated to professional water damage restoration industry standards and closed with such PIWDRC assistance.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of
Emergency Response Restoration
(http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/),
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company
to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.

Insurance to Cover Insurance

2011-04-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

Yes it has come to this. Customers who honorably pay their inflated insurance premiums dutifully and on time have to wonder what games their insurance company will play to deny or reduce their claim should the time arise that they ever need to file a claim. This insurance lunacy runs the gambit of all insurance arenas including auto, health, life, and property and has customers so scared of being denied or canceled when they file a legitimate and contractually obligated claim that people who have acute chest pains, for example, refuse to get checked out as they do not want to pay the bill and they are deathly afraid of a negative result getting back to their insurance carrier as either their premiums would increase dramatically or they will be canceled. Enough is enough.

It is not fair that a consumer who pays on time and in good faith is subjected to such demeaning and bad faith practices by the company the consumer specifically contracted to offset perceived and potential risk. It is not fair that the insurance company immediately takes an adversarial and intimidating stance any time any of its customers files a claim as the insurance company tortuously and unconstitutionally convicts the customer of filing a fraudulent claim without probable cause or evidence and mandates that the burden of proof of innocence is on the consumer. It is not fair that the insurance company adjustor is working against the interest of the customer while acting like the customer's best friend. It is not fair that the adjustor will savagely and sadistically employ psychological warfare against the in-duress customer in order to trap the customer in to making statements that will be leveraged to reduce or deny the claim. It is not fair that all regulatory bodies consider such unethical consumer abusing and bad faith practices as legitimate and fair practices. It is truly not fair that a consumer who employs the same bad faith tactics against the insurance company is guilty of insurance fraud but there are no penalties or consideration for the reverse injustice herein coined as "consumer fraud". No, consumer fraud is BIG business and the insurance companies are well leveraged to protect themselves from any potential liability for their bad faith policies and procedures.

While the concept of insurance to cover insurance is enticing, alas, it is unreasonable. Any risk assessment professional would cower at the prospect of insuring that the insurance company lives up to its contractually obligated policy. The risk assessment professional would know that despite the insurance company parking its Lamborghini outside the governmental assistance office and changing into its designer "poor" clothes before crying poverty, the insurance company is flush with cash and has spent a considerable amount to protect its "good neighbor" image. The costs and time associated with having to mitigate of all the insurance company's lies, deception, manipulation, and bad faith legalese make the concept of insurance to cover insurance a losing proposition.

As destitute as it sounds... there is HOPE. A professional independent water damage restoration company will have the resources and experience required to help its customer to force the customer's insurance company into restoring the customer's water damaged asset to its preloss condition by using a restoration company that is customer focused and will do everything it takes to satisfy the customer - not the lap dog of the insurance adjustor whose only ambition is to get a bone from the adjuster.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of
Emergency Response Restoration
(http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/),
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company
to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.

Looking for the Unfair Insurance Trade Practices Act

2011-04-11T09:42:00.003-04:00

Emergency Response Restoration recently reviewed an attorney written article, on an attorney owned blog, which outlines the Unfair Insurance Trade Practices Act ("UITPA") and the reason for its inception in the 70's. The article revels that Florida became the first state to implement portions of the UITPA into its Florida's “Civil Remedy Statute” FL § 624.155, commonly known as the Florida Bad Faith Statute, in 1982 but a Google search for UITPA finds nothing and Google insists UITPA is spelled incorrectly and recommends UTPA or the University of Texas - Pan American. Wikipedia and Bing had similar results which really makes one wonder why such pertinent and relevant consumer focused information is, apparently, not to be found although history revels the need for such information and governmental protection as early as the 1970's. Similarly, a web search for "bad faith insurance florida" brings hundreds of hits and even revels attorneys and law firms that specialize in holding insurance companies accountable for their bad faith insurance practices. It is clear that Bad Faith Insurance is BIG business and the insurance industry will stop at nothing to control all aspects of this vital and consumer necessitated information to unscrupulously protect its fraudulent and widely promoted "good neighbor" image.

Having served the our fellow Floridians for numerous years in good faith, Emergency Response Restoration can vividly recall a personal brush with such bad faith practices when a major insurance company dropped all of it FL Homeowner's Insurance customers, to protect its profits, but in the same breath told the same customers - it just purposely blighted - that they want to keep the automobile policies. Any person or company with honorable intentions would be floored by the audacity of this asinine and other worldly concept but this insurance company was serious which reveals how out-of-touch these companies are with their customers and how inelastic and beyond reproach the insurance companies really envision themselves to be.

It is for these reasons that a customer who is suffering from accidental or emergency water damage needs to choose a company that is not the lap dog of the insurance company. These adjustor preferred and adjustor recommended companies are preferred and recommended because they have demonstrated to the insurance company adjustor that they will cut whatever corners necessary to appease the adjustor meaning protect the profits and reduce costs by using substandard equipment, labor, or practices. In turn, the insurance company then employs these same protected profits and cut costs to maintain the insurance company's image of being consumer focused while doing all it can to implement further bad faith practices and control all points to the contrary.

It's your money.

It's your choice.

Choose Wisely

Choose a customer focused, independent emergency restoration company.

This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of
Emergency Response Restoration
(http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/),
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company
to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.

Bad Faith Claim Practices

2011-03-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

First and foremost the reader needs to be aware that Emergency Response Restoration is not the author of this article. This article is the creation of the FBIC - Fight Bad-faith Insurance Companies. We are featuring this article as a public service as it very eloquently and professionally educates the reader as to what Bad Faith Insurance Practices are and what insurance companies employ these shady and unfair practices. You can find the original article at http://www.badfaithinsurance.org/definitions.html. Except for this disclaimer, the article is presented untouched and unedited.

Bad Faith Claim Practices (aka Unfair Insurance Claim Practices)

The Insurance Industry has lobbied over the years to see that there is no federal agency which oversees the insurance industry, essentially leaving no federal law or enforcement to protect Insureds against Unfair Insurance Claims Practices. Currently this authority lays at the state level only.

Some states laws allow (some don't) for judges to award attorney's fees as well as punitive damages on behalf of the plaintiff suing an Insurance Company in a bad-faith insurance matter (an Insurer's unreasonable withholding of insurance policy benefits). The importance in having the threat of punitive damages (in an amount sufficient enough to deter malicious, fraudulent or oppressive conduct) being awarded in bad faith cases is enormous as it is the only financial incentive for an Insurer to abide by fair dealing and acceptable good faith standards with Insureds. In the absence of the threat of punitive damages, financially, an Insurer is actually encouraged to engage in unfair claims practices.

The fact that each state has its own system for overseeing insurance companies poses a great problem for policyholders particularly in those states where recent legislative changes and court decisions favorable to the insurance industry may encourage bad faith conduct. Victims of insurance company unfair claims practices are badly in need of federal regulations that, if nothing more, would at least establish a minimum single uniform national standard of Insurer conduct.

In the absence of such a national standard, and according to varying standards independently set by each state, Unfair Insurance Claim Settlement Practices are generally defined as "if the Insurer knowingly commits or performs with such frequency as to indicate a general business practice" according to the following:

1. Misrepresenting pertinent facts or insurance policy provisions relating to coverages at issue;
2. Failing to acknowledge and act with reasonable promptness upon communications with respect to claims arising under insurance policies;
3. Failing to adopt and implement reasonable standards for the prompt investigation of claims arising under insurance policies;
4. Refusing to pay claims without conducting a reasonable investigation based upon all available information;
5. Failing to affirm or deny coverage of claims within a reasonable time after proof of loss statements have been completed;
6. Not attempting in good faith to effectuate prompt, fair and equitable settlements of claims in which liability has become reasonably clear;
7. Compelling insureds to institute litigation to recover amounts due under an insurance policy by offering substantially less than the amounts ultimately recovered in actions brought by such insureds;
8. Attempting to settle a claim for less than the amount to which a reasonable man would have believed he was entitled by reference to written or printed advertising material accompanying or made part of an application;
9. Attempting to settle claims on the basis of an application which was altered without notice to, or knowledge or consent of the insured;
10. Making claims payments to insureds or beneficiaries not accompanied by statements setting forth the coverage under which the payments are being made;
11. Making known to insureds or claimants a policy of appealing from arbitration awards in favor of insureds or claimants for the purpose of compelling them to accept settlements or compromises less than the amount awarded in arbitration;
12. Delaying the investigation or payment of claims by requiring an insured, claimant, or the physician of either to submit a preliminary claim report and then requiring the subsequent submission of formal proof of loss forms, both of which submissions contain substantially the same information;
13. Failing to promptly settle claims, where liability has become reasonably clear, under one portion of the insurance policy coverage in order to influence settlements under other portions of the insurance policy coverage;
14. Failing to promptly provide a reasonable explanation of the basis in the insurance policy in relation to the facts or applicable law for denial of a claim or for the offer of a compromise settlement;
15. Using as a basis for cash settlement with a first party automobile insurance claimant an amount which is less than the amount which the insurer would pay if repairs were made unless such amount is agreed to by the insured or provided for by the insurance policy.

Class Action
Class actions are a method for different persons to combine lawsuits because the facts and the defendant are similar whereby these individuals e.g. FBIC members of the proposed class, have similar claims and are by law able to be joined together to prosecute their claims in a more efficient manner. Class actions are designed to save Court time and allow one judge to hear all the cases at the same time and to make one decision that is binding to all parties.

In cases where money damages are sought, in determining whether a class action is a fair and efficient method of settling the controversy, the court will consider among other matters: whether the common questions of law or fact prevail over any question affecting individual claims, whether the size of the class will make handling of the claim arduous, whether the prosecution of separate claims would create varying adjudication and inconsistent standards of action or diminish the capacity of individual members to preserve their interests.

Courts will also consider whether the venue selected is appropriate for litigation of claims of the particular class. In addition, the court will examine the complexity of the issues, the expenses of separate litigation claims and whether there are conflicts among the interests of the class members.

Courts will also generally consider whether the attorneys for the class have experience in handling class actions and/or claims similar to those of the proposed class and if the class will receive fair and adequate representation.

Insurance Claims & Your Right to Choose

2011-03-15T12:20:00.000-04:00

It has been said that if the client defrauds the insurance company it is criminal but if the insurance company defrauds the customer then it is a denial of claim. This unfair and imbalanced hypocrisy seems to be the standard operating procedure for the insurance industry who on one hand virtually robs the working person in order to transfer funds to its overly engorged coffers while on the other hand it unrelentingly and incessantly cries poverty all the while maintaining record profits and AAA solvency. The true sentiment of how the insurance industry thinks of the customers who fund its insatiable greed is underscored by its development of a "Dead Peasants Policy." This masterful stroke of unbridled contempt for the common man pays the decedent's employer a cash award that is, often times, equal to or greater than what the hard working employee earned while employed. In consideration of these well known points, one has to consider if the insurance company is in business solely to please the legendary Sheriff of Nottingham.

Such Nottingham appeasement certainly extends to your water damage restoration claim. The first sure sign of contempt for the customer is by the adjustor dispatching a water damage restoration company that is the lap dog of the adjustor. This water damage restoration lap dog earned it's "prestigious" position by cutting every corner and completing all work to subpar insurance industry standards. This lap dog certainly does not have the customer's interest in mind and seeks only to maintain its position by maintaining the same subpar level of service that made it the adjustor's pet.

The next sign of the insurance company's consideration of the claimant as being a low priority peasant is by their intentional and standard practice of denying or delaying your claim. The insurance company has spent umpteen millions in lobbying and social analysis and they KNOW that by simply denying or delaying your claim, the customer will either absorb the financial loss themselves or take a reduced payment. This predatory and unfair manipulation has been carefully crafted and mastered over several decades and it works. Any and all submitted claims fall under the jurisdiction of this unfair and borderline breach-of-contract standard operating procedure.

But... you have a choice.

Despite the smoke and mirrors illusion the insurance company has carefully crafted, and vigorously protects, the customer is still has the right to choose. The consumer has the full legal right and authority to choose the water damage restoration company it wants to handle the water damage. In spite of the adjustor's biased and self-serving "concerns" about using a company outside of its lap dog, the consumer has the right and personal obligation to elect a water damage restoration company that will restore the damage to its preloss condition, guarantee its work will adhere to or exceed professional restoration industry standards, and can assist the consumer in defeating the Goliath adjustor.

Exercise your right to choose - choose your local, industry certified Emergency Response Water Damage Restoration Company to handle your water damage restoration need(s) and remind the insurance industry that the customer is in charge.

It's your choice. It's your money. Choose wisely. Choose your local Emergency Response Water Damage Restoration Company.

Jimmy K is the Independent owner and operator of Emergency Response Restoration, 2665 North Atlantic Avenue, #314, Daytona Beach, FL 32118, 386-597-1132 - a professional & local Independent Restoration Company that has 22 years of experience in dealing with the insurance industry and holds over well over 20 professional industry certifications. Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home, office, or asset.

Water Damaage Restoration Do's and Don'ts 101

2011-02-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

Water Damage Restoration
You come in and find the place looks like Niagara Falls and you are thrust into the water damage restoration process. You now find yourself in a position in which you need to assess the value as well as the importance of each and every item effected by the water damage. When the majority, if not all, of your belongings have been destroyed by such water damage, it may be emotionally difficult to determine which items you want to salvage. Intellectually you know that keeping water damaged things that are beyond repair or water damaged things that may not have any further use is impractical and will just cost you a lot of storage space and money but the personal value of family heirlooms is priceless. Still you should strive to be extremely practical throughout the water damage restoration process so as you will be able to quickly and effectively reorganize your life back to its pre-water damage normalcy.

Foods And Perishables
Water damaged foods and other water damaged perishables that have been soiled via direct water contact, in most cases, should not be consumed and must be disposed of properly. Broken tableware including cups, glasses, and other kitchen tools that have come into contact with black water damage should be discarded as the affected item is, most likely, not fit or sanitary enough to be used.

Avoid These Items
Do not operate any of your electrical appliances when dealing with water damage. It can be extremely dangerous to operate any of your electrical appliances while standing on a wet carpet or water damaged floors! Your Blu-ray and HD television(s), DVR, TiVo, Google or Apple TV, Microsoft Windows and Apple computer(s), iPad(s), AT&T or Verizon iPhone(s), iPod(s), Amazon Kindle, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft X-Box, Kinect, Sony Playstation, recent E-Bay purchases, and the rest of your electrical appliances need to be checked first by a professional technician before you are able to determine which still function and can be kept and which items need to be replaced. Likewise, you should check your annual passes to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, and Busch Gardens and your advance or one day tickets to the Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil to ensure these items did not succumb to the water damage else you may have to call their customer service lines for replacements.

Don't Clean Anything
Do not try to dry your house or building with a blower or any heat inducing item. Rather than eliminating or removing the standing water or excessive moisture that originated from the water damage, this do-it-yourself method will be the catalyst for the uncontrolled growth of mildew and mold and can spread the water further into the building which can result in even more moisture damage and a more entailed restoration process.

All product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective owners. Emergency Response Restoration is not, in any way, affiliated with any of these products or companies and Emergency Response Restoration does not receive any materiel benefit or compensation from any company or product mentioned herein. These marks and their use are, thereby, duly governed by the respective owners and any and all rights in connection with the same are entirely reserved.

The Benefits of using an Independent Restoration Company to Fix your Water Damaged Asset

2011-02-11T11:13:00.003-05:00

It happened. You arrive and you find your home or office is flooded and has suffered water damage. The list of potential causes reads like a Letterman comedy list but this is no joke. Regardless if the water damage was caused by a broken pipe, a flood, a hurricane, a faucet left running, or if the fire department shot a tonne of water through the building in order to extinguish a fire, it happened and it needs to be fixed.

The first emotion many people have is panic and a overwhelming sense of loss. This is an understandable and justifiable reaction as despite overall shock at witnessing the water damage, the most fearful aspect for many people comes when they call their insurance company to start their claim. You wonder who can help, how long it will take, and how much will the restoration effort cost. Your insurance adjustor assures you that everything will be alright and they are dispatching their restoration team to fix your home. The reassurance sounds good but what is the value of this service?

The first thing you need to know is that the insurance adjustor works for the insurance company and their job is to save the insurance company as much money as possible by manipulating every sneaky trap and technique they are trained to use and can imagine to find a way to reduce or deny your claim. Knowing this, you must also realize that the restoration company your insurance adjustor dispatches is the restoration company preferred by the adjustor for reasons of saving the insurance company money not for reasons of job quality or customer satisfaction. For you see, rather than having your best interests at heart, the restoration company your adjustor prefers and dispatches, has the interests of the insurance adjustor in mind. So then when this insurance adjustor preferred restoration company arrives, they are the eyes and ears of the adjustor and they have a laundry list of exclusions they are seeking to match your claim to in order to reduce or deny your claim. They know and now YOU know that any work this insurance adjustor preferred restoration company completes will be at the lowest possible profit margin so this “restoration” company will, like their insurance company masters, cut every corner and use the least expensive equipment and materials possible to pacify your emotions and claim. Many times, however, this pacification is truly only a thinly masked surface repair and the work fails across the board when an independent industry expert reviews and evaluates the completed work.

Here is a secret the insurance adjustor does NOT want you to know...

you have a CHOICE!

You have the right to choose your restoration company. You have the right to competent and professional service. You have the right to have your home, office, or asset professionally restored to its preloss condition by a company who holds YOUR BEST INTEREST at heart. You have the right to choose an Independent Restoration Company.

An Independent Restoration Company is in business to serve the customer. The Independent Restoration Company gets it business and stays in business through ongoing professional industry education and certification; rapid, quality work; and fully satisfied customers. In most cases, the trained professionals who operate an Independent Restoration Company will make every effort to do everything possible to make this challenging time as pleasant as possible by using the same top quality equipment and materials you would use, and you expect to be used, if you were doing the service yourself. The true industry professionals found at your local Independent Restoration Company are Consumer Advocates who are not satisfied until your home, office, or asset is dried and restored to Industry Standards. In many cases the Independent Restoration Company can bill your insurance company directly so there are no headaches for you. With all of the benefits outlined herein, it is clear that the best benefit of using an Independent Restoration Company to Fix your Water Damaged Asset is the piece of mind you get when you make the call to hire one.

Hopefully you never have to use the information provided herein but should the need ever arise, you now know you have a choice in who handles your restoration and why your choice should be to use an Independent Restoration Company.

T-Day Bird Frying Safety Tips

2010-11-19T11:15:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many people will be plunging their fresh, store bought turkeys in to the turkey fryers. Even experienced professionals need to be reminded of a few rules...

Firesafety.gov recommends:

· Place the turkey fryer on a level surface, in an open area away from homes, fences, sheds, and other structures.

Never place the fryer on a wooden deck or porch or in a garage or carport.
Leave at least 2 feet between the fryer and the propane tank.
Keep the fryer in full view at all times.
Keep children and pets away from the fryer.
Check the oil temperature often. If you see smoke coming from the oil, turn off the gas right away.
Completely thaw and dry the turkey before frying. Adding a partially frozen or wet turkey to the pot makes the oil splatter a lot, causing a fire or explosion hazard.
Cover bare skin before adding or removing food from the fryer.
Raise and lower food slowly to avoid splattering or spilling oil.
Use the right amount of oil. To find out how much oil to use, read the fryer's instructions, or:

Place the turkey in the pot.
Fill with water until the turkey is covered by an inch of water.
Remove the turkey and pat dry.
Mark the water level in the pot.
Dump the water, dry the pot, and fill oil to the level marked.

If the fryer catches fire, call 911 right away. Do not try to put it out with water.

Enjoy your fried turkey and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Dealing with Disaster Realted Stress

2010-11-05T11:58:00.000-04:00

The worst has happened.. now what. How do you maintain composure and rebuild? Here are some tips from FEMA:

Talk with someone about your feelings - anger, sorrow, and other emotions - even though it may be difficult.
Seek help from professional counselors who deal with post-disaster stress.
Do not hold yourself responsible for the disastrous event or be frustrated because you feel you cannot help directly in the rescue work.
Take steps to promote your own physical and emotional healing by healthy eating, rest, exercise, relaxation, and meditation.
Maintain a normal family and daily routine, limiting demanding responsibilities on yourself and your family.
Spend time with family and friends.
Participate in memorials.
Use existing support groups of family, friends, and religious institutions.
Ensure you are ready for future events by restocking your disaster supplies kits and updating your family disaster plan. Doing these positive actions can be comforting.

Flood Facts

2010-10-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

As posted on Floodsmart.Gov

* Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.
* Everyone lives in a flood zone. (For more information, visit our Flood Zones FAQs.)
* Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.
* If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or high-risk area and have a Federally backed mortgage, your mortgage lender requires you to have flood insurance.
* Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your property.
* Flash floods often bring walls of water 10 to 20 feet high.
* A car can easily be carried away by just two feet of floodwater.
* Hurricanes, winter storms and snowmelt are common (but often overlooked) causes of flooding.
* New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff paths.
* In a high-risk area, your home is more than twice as likely to be damaged by flood than by fire.
* The average annual U.S. flood losses in the past 10 years (1994-2004) were more than $2.4 billion.

What to do after a flood

2010-10-01T11:54:00.000-04:00

The news is awash with reports of massive flooding in NC. Images of people kayaking in the street are abundant so what should you do when a flood occurs? Per floodsmart,gov:

[ As soon as floodwater levels have dropped, it’s time to start the recovery process. Here’s what you can do to begin restoring your home.

Check for structural damage before re-entering your home to avoid being trapped in a building collapse.
Take photos of any floodwater in your home and save any damaged personal property.
Make a list of damaged or lost items and include their purchase date and value with receipts, and place with the inventory you took prior to the flood. Some damaged items may require disposal, so keep photographs of these items.
Keep power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety.
Boil water for drinking and food preparation until authorities tell you that your water supply is safe.
Prevent mold by removing wet contents immediately.
Wear gloves and boots to clean and disinfect. Wet items should be cleaned with a pine-oil cleanser and bleach, completely dried, and monitored for several days for any fungal growth and odors.]

If you are in Central FL and have similar problems... call us for your water extraction needs. We are industry professionals and will store your home to it's preflood (aka preloss) condition. Click [HERE] to see our list of professional certifications and for more contact options.

What is Water Damage?

2010-09-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

As this is the crux of our service, it is important to inform the reader of what it is and why they should care.

Per Wikipedia:

[Water damage describes a large number of possible losses caused by water intruding where it will enable attack of a material or system by destructive processes such as rotting of wood, growth, rusting of steel, de-laminating of materials such as plywood , and many, many others. The damage may be imperceptibly slow and minor such as water spots that could eventually mar a surface, or it may be instantaneous and catastrophic such as flooding. However fast it occurs, water damage is a very major contributor to loss of property.

One's homeowner's insurance policy may or may not cover the costs associated with water damage and the process of water damage restoration. While a common cause of residential water damage is often the failure of a sump pump, many homeowner's insurance policies do not cover the associated costs without an addendum which adds to the monthly premium of the policy.]

The article continues to outline the detrimental and debilitating effects of mold and to suggest the employment of a certified professional water damage restoration company to restore the property and to eliminate the potential, hidden dangers inherent and invisible in a nonprofessional cleanup... we couldn't have said it better ourselves!

With 19 industry professional certifications and 24/7/365 emergency service available, Emergency Response Restoration ("ERR") is the de facto professional restoration expert servicing Volusia, Flagler, and St. Johns counties. Click [HERE] to see what ERR can do for you!

Flood Damage 101

2010-09-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. Thousands of claims are filed each year for flood damage to homes. In fact, South Florida residents purchase over 900,000 flood insurance policies through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at a cost of over $252 million every year. Many Florida buildings are located in flood-prone areas near the ocean, streams, rivers or in other low/marsh lands, and even a light steady rain can put these areas at risk. If your home has been flooded because of a storm, roof leak, or defective pipe, it is important to hire a water extraction service to minimize the permanent damage.

Flooding and Property Damage

A flood can cause significant damage to a home or business. Wood and other permeable materials can absorb water and quickly begin to rot. The water may seep under the flooring if left to sit, saturating the materials underneath. If your home or business has flooded and you need to clear out standing water, consider contacting a water extraction service. As mold can quickly grow in damp areas, even if most of the water has been cleared out, it is important to choose a quality service that will remove not only standing water but also the water that has leached into the flooring.

How Water Extraction Can Help

While water extraction may not be able to undo flood damage to your furniture, cabinetry, and other fixtures, it can revert your home or business into the same condition it was prior to the water damage – also known as preloss condition. Using state of the art, high powered equipment, a professional water extraction service can remove the water and contaminants that are caused by the water damage. If all of the water is quickly cleared from your carpet, tile, or other flooring, the damage to your home or business will be minimized.

Home Safety Council

2010-09-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

We have partnered with Home Safety Council to provide you with a TON of information on how to keep your home and your family safe before, during, and after a disaster.

Per the website:
[The Expert Network is the official source for the Home Safety Literacy Project. The Project is a national initiative that helps reach high-fire-risk audiences through home safety education designed specifically for adults learning to read English.]

We applaud this partnership and look forward to bringing you timely information to keep you and your safe!

FREE Hurricane Preparation Tool

2010-09-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

This hurricane season appears to be very active as four storms are already named and threatening the US Atlantic coast. While none of the storms are expected to make land fall, at the present moment, any of the storms could wobble and make a huge mess for the residents of the Eastern United States.

IT IS TIME TO MAKE A HURRICANE PLAN

Most of us neither have the time nor the expertise to make a bullet proof plan especially when considering Hurricane Earl is already outside of the US. Residents of many states are holding their breath as this category 4 storm slowly heads north. The GOOD news is: OneStorm is providing a FREE online hurricane preparation plan!

The online plan is simple to use but it does take, approximately, 20 minutes so for those who cannot sit still or have 20 minutes to spare, OneStorm also provides a basic PDF plan you can simply download and fill in the blanks. Our hat goes off to OneStorm and its community partner, Publix, for providing this tool!

Should worse come to worse, however, you can depend on restoration experts at Emergency Response Restoration to return your property to a the same quality before the hurricane damage.

Emergency Response Restoration

"As if it never happened"

Links:

Emergency Response Restoration - http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/

OneStorm - http://www.onestorm.org
OneStorm Community Partner: Publix - http://www.publix.com/