FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
We do not set our pricing or charge by the hour as most industries do. Our invoice at the end of the project is determined by the exact amount of work that had to be performed to do the job and dry the property to the IICRC standard. Our invoice is very specifically itemized using the Insurance Carrier preferred pricing software Xactimate. There is a price list for every zip code that is updated monthly on Xactimate. The price of each line item slightly fluctuates depending on other factors of the overall market. The line items will be as specific as the exact square footage of each material removed in each room, square footage of cleaning, the amount of drying equipment needed (per the IICRC standard based on volume and square footage of the drying area), etc. That is why we photograph and document each step of the process, as well as the moisture readings daily, to show your property insurance carrier everything that they will need to pay our invoice if your claim is being covered by them.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We arrive on-site as soon as possible and greet our customer politely understanding that they are oftentimes distressed after a leak or flood in their home or business. We then inspect the project using moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras and photograph/document the water damage in the areas affected. Then, we determine whether an insurance claim or self pay will be most cost effective depending on the customer’s deductible as well as what will have to be done on the project to perform the work correctly and safely. Again, 90% of the time, it is most cost effective for the customer to go through their property insurance carrier in order to get reimbursement for our project and reimbursement for any reconstruction that may be needed if we have to remove materials such as drywall, cabinets, or floor coverings. Damaged personal items belonging to the customer are also taken into account when determining whether a claim should be filed or not. We help the customer call their insurance carrier and explain exactly what rooms and materials are affected and other details of the water damage. We give the customer a ballpark estimated range based on what we think the particular project cost will total once the project is complete and entered into Xactimate. Our estimated price is given as a range because it is impossible for a restorer to know exactly how many days each area of a project will take to dry before starting the project. It is entirely based off of the moisture content readings of materials that are taken daily while the drying process is in progress. If the claim is determined covered, the customer is only responsible for their deductible amount, and most of the time it is simply subtracted from the reimbursement the carrier gives for the reconstruction of any materials we remove or out of the reimbursement the customer is paid for their damaged items. After we complete the project, we submit all of the documentation, final invoice, and photo reports to the property insurance carrier as a courtesy to our customers. We allow 30 days to collect full payment for our services. This means that most of our customers do not pay us any money out of pocket until they are paid by their insurance company. As long as the customer stays in communication with their insurance company to make sure they are sending the payment in a timely manner, we do not have any problems with the 30 day payment collection time. We give the option for the insurance carrier to pay us directly, but most of the time they will send a two-party check to the customer with our name on the check as well. The customer endorses the check and then it can be mailed to our location. We apologize that all of our answers to the questions asked by Thumbtack have long answers, but we want our customer to have as much information as possible about the water restoration process before we arrive .
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
IICRC: Water Restoration Technician Certification IICRC: Applied Structural Drying Certification IICRC: Applied Microbial Remediation Technician Certification RRP: Leadsafe Renovation Certification OSHA 10