On the evening of March 29, 2021, our father’s home sustained damage due to an electrical fire. He escaped uninjured but was forced to relocate. This Cedar Rapids home is a pillar on First Avenue’s Northwest side and has been in our family since our grandmother purchased it on May 15, 1951.
March 31, 2021, was the day that our father signed the contract with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids, IA to complete the restoration of our family home. The owner, project manager, our father, as well as three family members, and our insurance claims representative, were present at this meeting. They assured our father that ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids could take care of all cleaning, restoration, and storage of his personal property and that the timeline for completion would be 6-9 months.
At the time, it was reassuring to our father that a local company would be overseeing the entire process of restoration, reconstruction, storage, as well as “cleaning”. Little did we know that this journey would consume almost three years of our lives. Nov. 29, 2023, marked 32 months to the day that our father signed the contract with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids.
Yes, the exorbitant bill has been paid but there is much left to be said. This is a forewarning to anyone who may ever need assistance after a disaster when decision-making is driven by emotions, distress, and uncertainty. Please read through our experience so that you will be better prepared than we were when our father signed his agreement with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids in 2021.
Our father passed away on Oct. 1, 2021, and was never able to return to his beloved home. Throughout the reconstruction, we were continually given multiple completion dates by both the project manager and the owner of the company beginning in July 2022. The delays required our family to obtain two claim extensions from our insurance company, as this work was not completed within their 2-year underwriting limit for the claim to be finalized and closed.
Also, because of multiple delays, family members who eventually purchased the home were forced to reapply for mortgages due to the expiration of rate locks they had secured with their financial institution. By the time they could close on the transaction, their interest rates had increased by over 2%.
Because the project manager was rarely on-site, many unnecessary setbacks occurred. On May 8, 2023, the ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids project manager admitted to his failures in a meeting that was prompted by our family and several Cedar Rapids Building Inspectors. He assured us that he would “Make it right”. When the General Manager was asked about this, his response was, “The comment made by _____ to "make it right" was never meant as a financial commitment to the ______ family on behalf of Servpro.” If not a financial commitment, how else could Servpro make things right for their admitted negligence?
Here are just a few of the adversities that occurred over the course of 32 months:
- Multiple subcontractors were used during the reconstruction, including out-of-state subcontractors. Their availability was limited and sporadic. When one subcontractor failed to complete a job, another had to pick up where the first one left off.
- The errant disposal of original wood trim that had not been damaged in the fire. We happened to be at the house one day when a ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids employee was removing a pile of debris that included some of the original dining room trim. We rescued those few pieces, but some had already been discarded. New wood base and case moldings had to be milled - and our family was charged for this work.
- Family heirlooms were lost at the ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids storage facility including all the curved wood shelving for a cherished antique china cabinet and the hardware for our grandmother's century-old, custom-made dining room table. The project manager was made aware of these missing items, and we had no resolution or reimbursement. Also lost or misplaced was our mother’s antique cheval bedroom mirror. We were reimbursed for this item, but this family heirloom is now gone.
- Over $4,300 in damages to personal property were incurred during the move-out with White Glove Movers, as well as during the cleaning process at Servpro’s facility in Hiawatha, Iowa Although the damages were paid, this further supports our opinion that their sub-contractors and employees lacked the expertise required in dealing with vintage and antique personal property - see photos attached.
SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids Reviews
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On the evening of March 29, 2021, our father’s home sustained damage due to an electrical fire. He escaped uninjured but was forced to relocate. This Cedar Rapids home is a pillar on First Avenue’s Northwest side and has been in our family since our grandmother purchased it on May 15, 1951.
March 31, 2021, was the day that our father signed the contract with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids, IA to complete the restoration of our family home. The owner, project manager, our father, as well as three family members, and our insurance claims representative, were present at this meeting. They assured our father that ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids could take care of all cleaning, restoration, and storage of his personal property and that the timeline for completion would be 6-9 months.
At the time, it was reassuring to our father that a local company would be overseeing the entire process of restoration, reconstruction, storage, as well as “cleaning”. Little did we know that this journey would consume almost three years of our lives. Nov. 29, 2023, marked 32 months to the day that our father signed the contract with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids.
Yes, the exorbitant bill has been paid but there is much left to be said. This is a forewarning to anyone who may ever need assistance after a disaster when decision-making is driven by emotions, distress, and uncertainty. Please read through our experience so that you will be better prepared than we were when our father signed his agreement with ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids in 2021.
Our father passed away on Oct. 1, 2021, and was never able to return to his beloved home. Throughout the reconstruction, we were continually given multiple completion dates by both the project manager and the owner of the company beginning in July 2022. The delays required our family to obtain two claim extensions from our insurance company, as this work was not completed within their 2-year underwriting limit for the claim to be finalized and closed.
Also, because of multiple delays, family members who eventually purchased the home were forced to reapply for mortgages due to the expiration of rate locks they had secured with their financial institution. By the time they could close on the transaction, their interest rates had increased by over 2%.
Because the project manager was rarely on-site, many unnecessary setbacks occurred. On May 8, 2023, the ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids project manager admitted to his failures in a meeting that was prompted by our family and several Cedar Rapids Building Inspectors. He assured us that he would “Make it right”. When the General Manager was asked about this, his response was, “The comment made by _____ to "make it right" was never meant as a financial commitment to the ______ family on behalf of Servpro.” If not a financial commitment, how else could Servpro make things right for their admitted negligence?
Here are just a few of the adversities that occurred over the course of 32 months:
- Multiple subcontractors were used during the reconstruction, including out-of-state subcontractors. Their availability was limited and sporadic. When one subcontractor failed to complete a job, another had to pick up where the first one left off.
- The errant disposal of original wood trim that had not been damaged in the fire. We happened to be at the house one day when a ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids employee was removing a pile of debris that included some of the original dining room trim. We rescued those few pieces, but some had already been discarded. New wood base and case moldings had to be milled - and our family was charged for this work.
- Family heirlooms were lost at the ROBARB, LLC dba SERVPRO of Cedar Rapids storage facility including all the curved wood shelving for a cherished antique china cabinet and the hardware for our grandmother's century-old, custom-made dining room table. The project manager was made aware of these missing items, and we had no resolution or reimbursement. Also lost or misplaced was our mother’s antique cheval bedroom mirror. We were reimbursed for this item, but this family heirloom is now gone.
- Over $4,300 in damages to personal property were incurred during the move-out with White Glove Movers, as well as during the cleaning process at Servpro’s facility in Hiawatha, Iowa Although the damages were paid, this further supports our opinion that their sub-contractors and employees lacked the expertise required in dealing with vintage and antique personal property - see photos attached.