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Homeowners: Hurricane Program's Help Line Isn't Very Helpful
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Published: May 17, 2008
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TAMPA - It's a common complaint from people who contact the My Safe Florida Home program.
Homeowners say they've had bad experiences when calling the program to report problems.
"They just shut the door right in your face when you call them and tell them what happened to you," said Marilyn Reiman of Boca Raton.
My Safe Florida Home was created to offer free hurricane inspections to all residents, but it also provides grant assistance to eligible homeowners who must use contractors approved by the program to receive a reimbursement up to $5,000.
Complaints on file with the state Department of Financial Services, which oversees the program, detail a litany of issues, both with the contractors and with how state officials handle concerns.
Rhonda Cartrett of Lake Worth called the program's toll-free help line Feb. 18 about her contractor, Stormshield Protection Corp., which was no longer returning her calls.
"The [homeowner] has even performed a drive-by to see if they were still in business," Julius Smith, a help line specialist, wrote in an e-mail to a program supervisor. "According to her, the premises were vacated lol! Allegedly."
"LOL" is an Internet abbreviation commonly used for "laugh out loud."
Stormshield was removed Feb. 20 from the approved contractors list, but Cartrett was surprised to hear how her complaint was received.
"I'm actually shocked they would say things like that," she said. "What did they think was funny?"
Program supervisor Tami Torres said someone spoke to Smith after being alerted about the e-mail by the Tribune.
"This instance is unacceptable and inconsistent with our high standards of customer service," Torres said. "Based on this example, the individual was counseled on proper customer service, and the entire staff was given additional training."
The Tampa Tribune examined hundreds of pages of complaint documents and spoke to more than 40 homeowners about their experiences.
Among the common complaints reported:
People trusted that contractors on the approved list were reputable.
"We figured, obviously in error, if they're state-approved, they had some legitimacy behind them and it would be something of a safe choice to make," said Denise Rakestraw of Fort Lauderdale. "Obviously we were wrong on all counts."
Rakestraw was one of 17 homeowners who complained about Harbor Home Improvements, a Boynton Beach contractor that took thousands of dollars in deposits but performed little work. The company filed for bankruptcy in December and was removed from the program's list.
Rakestraw said she had to forfeit any reimbursement because her improvements weren't completed before the grant deadline passed.
Contractors didn't return calls or appeared uninterested in doing work.
"My husband called 10 of the companies on their list," said Nancy Haynam of Tampa. "One called back."
Kit Russell of Tampa said she was told the amount of work being requested didn't warrant the contractor sending someone out to provide an estimate.
"Some of the people who did come out were jerks," Russell said. "Sometimes when they would call, they would say it wasn't worth us coming out."
Contractors didn't finish work for months.
"We started in May, and it didn't get done until almost December. It was ridiculous," said Ofe Whitaker of Miami, who said her contractor kept making excuses about the reason the work couldn't begin. "It was just lie after lie."
In some cases, homeowners complained about contractors trying to take advantage of their grant reimbursement by inflating the price of work.
"That's exactly what I felt was happening," said Bernadette Giordano-Depaola of Davie, whose contractor installed the wrong windows in her home. The contractor kept asking for more money to remove the wrong windows and install the correct ones, she said.
"I was getting the money from the state, so, therefore, I could just give it all to him," she said. "His attitude was the $5,000 was coming from the state. It was no big deal."
Peter Cronin, an insurance agent in Boca Raton, expressed concern in an e-mail to My Safe Florida Home officials that approved contractors were inflating their prices.
"It cost less to use other contractors than to use MSFH contractors and receive the reimbursement," he wrote in September. "I suspect they raise their prices by the amount of the potential reimbursement."
Cronin concluded by saying that he still considered it a great program, if only for the free inspection.
His e-mail was forwarded by staff twice. Neither time did a program employee or official acknowledge his concern.
"Even though he isn't getting reimbursed for anything, he is happy with his home and our program," Ana Jacobson, a former help line specialist, wrote. "Neat!"
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