| Survey From September, 2009 |
| I just wanted to thank those of you who took the time to fill out the survey that was sent out last month. The good news is that a majority of you are happy and plan to call me back for future work. I also had some constructive criticism that has helped me change some of how I work with customers. |
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I had an 82 year old woman who is a customer call me in a panic on a Friday morning to tell me that her basement was flooding. I was able to get her to shut the water off to the house over the phone. The thing that concerned me was that her husband normally made these calls. When I got to the house, I found out that the husband had died last November.
The mineral tank for the water softener had failed and was the cause of the flooding. The bigger issue was that this widow was dealing with her first major incident in the home without her husband and was at a loss as to what needed to be done. |
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Steps To Take When There Is Water Damage To Your Home |
- When the water damage is from a plumbing leak, call me first so we can get the problem fixed whether it is a leaking water heater, failed sump pump or a leaking pipe.
- Call your insurance agent to report the problem. The response that I get many times from customers is: "I don't want to bother my insurance agent with this." It's your house and I can't make anyone do anything, only give advice. If the water damage turns into mold or warped wooden floors/cabinetry and is reported at a later date, an insurance company can deny the claim.
- Know who your agent is and have the office number readily available.
- Call a professional water damage company and not the handyman down the street who is working out of the back of a pick-up.
With the story of the widow, she had no idea as to what to do. I had her contact the insurance agent who told her what deductible she had and what needed to be done. I recommended a water damage company for the clean-up and then an electrician a few days later when she discovered that she had an electrical problem. I also discovered that her sump pump was not working and had to take care of that.
Lesson learned: If you don't have this information, take the time now to get it and have it readily available. Don't wait until disaster strikes. If you have parents that are older, talk to them and make sure that they know what to do and who to call. Widows can be especially vunerable in a situation like this. |
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Heffner Blog And Facebook |
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Trying to keep in step with technology can be a daunting task, but I'm trying. I just recently started a blog on the web site and in addition to a personal page on Facebook, also have a page for the business.
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David Heffner
Heffner and Associates, LLC | | |