Lowes Water Damage, which way to proceed?

[quincy]

It turns out the entire restoration will be lower than the deductible. Is it still worth going through the insurance route? I mean would they even pay anything out?

You would be reimbursed for the deductible if Lowes is at fault for the damage - which, according to what you have said, seems to be the case.

You should not have to pay anything for damage caused by Lowes installation in your home of a defective washer. Lowes will have its own action to pursue against Whirlpool.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

It turns out the entire restoration will be lower than the deductible. Is it still worth going through the insurance route? I mean would they even pay anything out?

If the insurance company isn't going to pay a dime, why tell them about it.

I'd bet that you at the very worse could get a credit equal to the out of pocket cost from Lowes. You just bought a new house. You know you would use it.

 

[quincy]

It is worth filing a claim unless you like the idea of paying out of pocket for damages caused by someone other than yourself. I personally think it is worthwhile to get the entity/person responsible for the damage to pay for the costs of repair.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

It is worth filing a claim unless you like the idea of paying out of pocket for damages caused by someone other than yourself. I personally think it is worthwhile to get the entity/person responsible for the damage to pay for the costs of repair.

If he files a claim for damage that is less than his deductible the insurance company isn't going to pay anything and there are better ways to get the deductible back that don't make a mark on his insurance history.

 

[quincy]

If he files a claim for damage that is less than his deductible the insurance company isn't going to pay anything and there are better ways to get the deductible back that don't make a mark on his insurance history.

He can file a claim with Lowes.

 

[LdiJ]

You would be reimbursed for the deductible if Lowes is at fault for the damage - which, according to what you have said, seems to be the case.

You should not have to pay anything for damage caused by Lowes installation in your home of a defective washer. Lowes will have its own action to pursue against Whirlpool.

I agree, but there has to be real damage

Thank you for the prompt response.

If any members have had any experience with Lowes before that would be much appreciated.

Would this be one of those where we have to wait for Lowes insurer to make moves before making repairs? or can we have the contractor who did the inspection get started now and sort the bill out with Lowes? This is a time sensitive issue as the moisture only causes more damage.

This whole process is completely new to use and incredibly frustrating as new homeowners.

I had a similar problem with a washer purchased from lowes. The installer did a poor job hooking it up and it leaked all over the laundry room and kitchen. Luckily we were home at the time and Lowes immediately sent the installer back. Well, the installer managed to break the pipe and ran out of our home saying we needed a plumber. We called Lowes and it took some serious effort on our part to get them to send out a plumber but they did and the plumber fixed the problem that same day.

 

[lord_helmet]

I forwarded my quotes to Lowes, they apparently are going to start a claim on their end. The restoration people are coming today to begin work.

There certainly is damage, its about a $2000 repair due to water under the floor (engineered wood I believe) which now has to be replaced.

Let's see what Lowes comes back with.

 

[quincy]

Thanks for the update, lord_helmet. I hope Lowes accepts all responsibility and pays all costs of repairs without argument.

Good luck.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

He can file a claim with Lowes.

Of course but I was responding to his question about a claim with his homeowner's insurance.

 

[quincy]

Of course but I was responding to his question about a claim with his homeowner's insurance.

Oh. Well, homeowners insurance was mentioned originally because lord_helmet said he was a new homeowner and wasn’t quite sure what to do. His own insurance agent could have handled a claim for him so he didn’t have to do anything.

With luck, Lowes will act honorably and cover all costs of the damage their installation of a defective washer caused.

 

[lord_helmet]

Hi all,

Lowes store filed a claim for me and I have a claim number. Will have a claim examiner assigned by Tuesday/Wednesday it seems. So that raises another question, which I would like some advice with. The restoration company started working yesterday (friday) and should be done drying the floors by Monday. Then the next step is having their contractor re-do our damaged floor. The question is the following:

Should we wait until the claims examiner sends an adjuster (or whoever) to assess the repair before starting the re-build of our floor? My family wants things started as quickly as possible, but I don't want to shoot ourselves on the foot either. Any advice is welcome. At this point we have written quotes for both the drying and the repair. Granted, the final price may vary if they had to do anything additional.

Also, would this incident and repair show up in future CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report? We are paying out of pocket and expecting Lowes to pay us back.

Lastly, can you claim any depreciation $ on the house? or would this claim be limited to just the repair?

 

[LdiJ]

Hi all,

Lowes store filed a claim for me and I have a claim number. Will have a claim examiner assigned by Tuesday/Wednesday it seems. So that raises another question, which I would like some advice with. The restoration company started working yesterday (friday) and should be done drying the floors by Monday. Then the next step is having their contractor re-do our damaged floor. The question is the following:

Should we wait until the claims examiner sends an adjuster (or whoever) to assess the repair before starting the re-build of our floor? My family wants things started as quickly as possible, but I don't want to shoot ourselves on the foot either. Any advice is welcome. At this point we have written quotes for both the drying and the repair. Granted, the final price may vary if they had to do anything additional.

Also, would this incident and repair show up in future CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report? We are paying out of pocket and expecting Lowes to pay us back.

Lastly, can you claim any depreciation $ on the house? or would this claim be limited to just the repair?

I would definitely wait on repairs until their claims adjuster has a chance to send someone to examine the damage.

 

[lord_helmet]

Hi all,

I have a Lowes claims examiner assigned already, I hope to speak to him tomorrow or the day after. Any tips ahead of this conversation? Anything important I should focus on here? First time I'm filing a claim like this one so this is all new to me.

The drying part of the work is done, it ended up being about 10% more than the original quoted amount.

The reconstruction part will have to be done with a different contractor, since the original company can't get their guy to come take a look until like 3 weeks from now. But i am getting an assessment/quote done tomorrow.

 

[quincy]

Hi all,

I have a Lowes claims examiner assigned already, I hope to speak to him tomorrow or the day after. Any tips ahead of this conversation? Anything important I should focus on here? First time I'm filing a claim like this one so this is all new to me.

The drying part of the work is done, it ended up being about 10% more than the original quoted amount.

The reconstruction part will have to be done with a different contractor, since the original company can't get their guy to come take a look until like 3 weeks from now. But i am getting an assessment/quote done tomorrow.

It is best not to say too much to the adjuster. You should remember that the insurance adjuster is looking to pay out as little as possible. What you say could help the adjuster support a lower payout amount.

It is probably best if you just let the adjuster evaluate the damage and let the insurance company present you with an offer to settle.

The amount offered will undoubtedly be less than you need to cover the costs of repairs and restoration. You do not have to accept their first offer.

You have estimates showing how much the damage will cost to repair. You can negotiate with the insurance company until you receive what you need.

Good luck.

 

[lord_helmet]

Thank you, fingers crossed here.