ComplaintsforYellow Van Cleaning Services

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Long list of problems with Yellow Van. On Day 1 James said everything they dispose of they are required to put on inventory sheets & take photos. James was standing next to the insurance adjuster who told him they need complete details of items on the inventory sheets. There are many things they disposed of that were not inventoried. More importantly they sorted through things on their own & disposed of them without my knowledge or permission. A lot of it was my mothers, who is no longer living. James said Yellow Van would reimburse us for those items & he would recreate the missing inventory items. The inventory sheets they did complete are not detailed and many things you can't decipher. I was also told I would get all of the photos they took. After waiting a month, I got a flash drive with only 43 photos. Yellow Van used a moving company to move the piano and they damaged the floor. I spoke with James about this and he told me we would be reimbursed. We've received no reimbursement. 6/10/22, I spoke with Mike ****** and let him know about the missing photos and inventory sheets. He said there should be hundreds of photos and said he would check on them. 6/17/22, I sent a text to James ****** asking when I would receive the missing photos and inventory sheets. 6/30/22 I sent an email to James ****** addressing the unresolved issues with Yellow Van and asked him to forward my email to the owner letting him know I would like to set up a call with him to discuss those issues. I've received No response to my phone call, text, or emails. All of this has been holding up our insurance claim for the last 3 months and affects the money we receive from the insurance co. Yellow Van needs to reimburse us for the items thrown away without permission and for all items they damaged, along with providing all of the inventory sheets & hundreds of photos. On top of all that, containment was not done correctly causing me to be sick multiple times, nor was their cleaning.

  Business response

  08/30/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/30) */ In response to Ms. ***** and her fathers property loss in ************: It is with respect that I respond to MS ***** complaint of the loss of personal property to her parents home. We at Yellow Van make every effort to respect the contents and home of our client. We had many unique conditions with the ***** property. Ms. ***** would not allow us to work at her fathers home when she was not there. Her flight from ********** made it very hard to schedule workers and supervisors to the property. Ms. ***** was provided with numerous copies of the inventory sheets. We provided them because she insisted in sorting through items in the basement to determine what she wanted to save and or dispose of. These items for disposal were hauled by Yellow Van staff and identified by Ms. ***** to be disposed of. She advised she was documenting items as she went thru the discovery. On several occasions items which she had wanted to be saved were moved outside for disposal at her request but set aside prior to disposal. It was very difficult to know what was her intention as the emotional fog of the damage was so great to Ms. ***** Many of these items that Ms. ***** wanted to salvage had been submerged in sewage/category 3 black water and showed signs of bacterial growth and were not cleanable items. Ms. ***** had set aside for disposal numerous items she had inventory sheets, she photographed even though none of our staff were present. We had direction form the insurance adjustor who had taken photos of contents in the basement that were not cleanable. Ms. ***** was advised by her insurance adjuster the "Numerous items in the basement due to age, damage, or outside the scope of the loss would not be compensated". Ms. ***** had acknowledged that she understood the discussion. Containment was properly placed however her father Roy did move thru this area and our staff found the containment removed or damage so that it would not function properly. We had to set up negative air through basement windows which were aged and broke when attempting to install proper controls. An Industrial Hygienist was contracted by Ms. ***** because of exposure to air borne irritants to Ms. *****. Although she did not share the report with our staff the Industrial Hygienist did comment to my supervisor that "The Yellow van Crew did a great job at the ***** house." The only suggestion he made to Ms. ***** was the dirt crawlspace would need further corrections when the foundation corrects were made by her contractor to the structure. Yes damage did occur by the movers to the flooring. Ms. ***** told the supervisor that she was not concerned as "it is the floor where the farm boots are removed and left when entering the residence and the flooring was old." She, at that time had not asked for replacement. We can file a claim for her against the moving company if requested. There was a concern for irritants that were in the breathable air. We had observed dead mice on the main level and numerous dead flies and insects on the carpeting in the two second floor rooms. This home has numerous housekeeping issues that were exasperated by the water damage in the basement that was not addressed in a timely manner. Damage to the basement contents came from neglect and not Yellow Vans unwillingness to properly abate and minimize the loss. Every loss requires cooperation between the home owner, Insurance company and the service company, Ms. ***** is not being fair in this situation. If photos are allow to post I would be happy to share the before, during and after of this property. Ms ***** would have to authorize approval to post. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/09/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) It's unfortunate that rather than handle this in a professional manner, admit there were mistakes, own them, deal with the problems, and resolve this, Yellow Van (YV) has chosen to respond with inaccurate information and in fact lies. I have text messages, emails, documented communication with YV, along with the photos I took, to support my statements. Containment was not done correctly and they were advised of this each time, especially when I almost passed out multiply times. I have texts messages with James ****** that state this. The containment was constantly falling down and my father tripped over it many times. YV was advised on Day 1 and every day thereafter of our health concerns and the importance of the containment being done correctly, which it was not. The fact is that I changed my schedule, at a huge expense, to work around YV's schedule. There were multiple reasons I needed to handle this for my father. There were many times YV just showed up, with no prior appointment or any notification. To expect a home owner to let them work at their home with no one present is absurd. After YV "cleaned" the mold, the basement reeked of mold even more. That's because they used water to clean the mold. My father & I both confirmed this with YV and were told they only used water, which is obviously what caused the mold initially. By using water, they reactivated the mold and caused more problems. YV broke the basement window the first day they were there. We were told multiple times by James that YV would replace and pay for the window. YV selected and contracted with a moving company. When James & I discussed the damage to the floor I asked him who was going to replace it. He said since they hired the moving company it was YV's responsibility and YV would pay to have the floor replaced. The first and only time I was provided with the inventory sheets was on 5/11/2022 by email. At that time I let them know there were missing sheets. I had already verbally discussed this with James and again through email. James & I had multiple discussions regarding items they disposed of, that were not to be thrown away. These were NOT damaged items. James told me he searched their dumpster for them, but they had already been picked up, so YV would reimburse us. Multiple times I caught the workers carrying out items that were not to be disposed of, which James was also aware of. I have texts with photos that were sent to James confirming this. As you are aware, it's a conflict of interest for the same company to handle both inspection and remediation. I was told by YV and also the Industrial Hygienist (IH) that the parties can not discuss anything regarding the job. Your statement about what the IH said is not accurate. In fact, additional demo and cleaning had to be done. Additionally, when the issues with YV kept increasing I sent a text to YV stating that YV did not have permission to contact the IH, so on multiple levels you are in violation. As previously stated, YV is holding up our insurance claim and the money we receive from the insurance company. It's been 4 months. YV has been paid (twice the amount I was told it would be). We need the hundreds of photos that I was told were taken (had to be taken), the missing inventory sheets that James said he was recreating and at a minimum, the following reimbursements: Chair $****** Jack $****** Broken window $***** Damaged floor $****** Total - $****** If you provide an email address, I can send you the estimates and photos. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/09/14) */ Please send the photos and estimates to ********************* We will consider the requested amount of $****** for damages to property. Dave ****** Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/09/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Information and photos were emailed to Dave on 9/20/22. The total amount of reimbursement we are requesting after receiving the completed estimates is $********. And as previously stated, YV is holding up our insurance claim and the money we receive from the insurance company. This is my 10th request over 4 1/2 months for the missing inventory sheets and the hundreds of photos that I was repeatedly told were taken & had to be taken. Insurance will not reimburse us for items we can't provide documentation and that has a huge impact on the money we receive from them, which YV was well aware of. Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2022/10/03) */ I have requested a draft to be paid for $******** for damage to property. I have instructed operations to send all photos and inventory sheets as requested. Dave ****** Consumer Response /* (4200, 17, 2022/10/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) It's been another 9 days and we still have NOT received a check for $********. I received an email with some inventory sheets and photos. They were the same as what I already had, with the exception of the addition of the piano. Obviously I already knew about the piano, since that's what damaged the floor. There are well over 400 items on the inventory sheets, yet Yellow Van has only given us 44 photos. Where are the other 356 + photos and corresponding inventory sheets? Two additional emails were just sent to Yellow Van, Attn: Dave, providing documentation from 5 months ago, that let them know there were missing inventory sheets and photos back then. Business Response /* (4000, 23, 2022/11/04) */ We have sent to Ms. ***** all documents, sheets and photos that were taken by our staff of the ******* property. A check that was issued for the requested amount of $******** has been cashed by the *******. I have nothing further to offer Consumer Response /* (4200, 25, 2022/11/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As I've repeatedly stated, the facts remain, Yellow Van did Not do their job in many respects. It took a 6 month "battle" to get any reimbursement from them for Damages. They did not voluntarily offer anything and in fact, fought it. A check was finally received after 6 months of "battle". We received 44 photos yet they disposed of well over 400 items. That says it all. I was told repeatedly from Day 1, that YV would take photos of everything they disposed of. Clearly they did not, since we're missing 360+ photos. Photos, or in this case lack of, never lie. No photo, means no inventory sheet, which means no reimbursement from the insurance company, which YV was well aware of. They've caused us to lose a lot of money. Again, Yellow Van did Not do their job. End of story!

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