Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Scene Cleaners did a pack out of my condo for water damage which was completed 9/13. State ******************* approved $7,306.35 for mitigation & issued a check for $11,885.34 which also included $4,578.75 for the rebuild component as well as the $7,306.35 for mitigation. $500 was deducted from the check issued to Scene Cleaners for the deductible already paid as well as another $153.53 I personally paid for supplies which *** *****, owner of Scene Cleaners, agreed to reimburse. I issued a check to *** for $11,231.81 but it was only suppose to be $7306.35 minus the $500 deductible & supplies mentioned above. I have requested *** to issue a check for $4578.75 that was suppose to be toward the rebuild per SF but he has failed to address the request & stopped communication since 9/28. The adjuster **** for SF requested Scene Cleaners to submit an estimate for the pack out on 11/1 so he can issue a check & told *** that I would subtract the overpayment of $4578.75 from the previous check to resolve the issue from the build funds. I've informed Scene *************************** that I can't start the rebuild until I have the funds to pay the builder 1/2 the amount to get started & this has delayed the process over a month. I requested *** to finish the estimate & provide me a legal copy of his license, insurance & bonding which I still haven't received to date. ** is working with *** to review the pack out & contents estimates so the project can continue to move forward. I've been out of my home since August. *** has neglected to communicate despite multiple emails, texts and emails b/w ********* The lack of communication, negligence, excuses, run arounds and professionalism is unacceptable. *** has refused to communicate with me & left his staff to deal with ********* have been nothing but short of disrespectful & rude telling me that they're busy with other projects. I want the $4578.75 owed back to *********** of the paperwork I requested **** so the rebuild can start.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  We apologize for any confusion surrounding the invoice issued to **** To clarify, the final amount of $11,065.52 pertains specifically to the water damage mitigation services provided for her condo. It is important to note that the reconstruction work is not performed by Scene Cleaners, but by a different company and billed accordingly, which is why our invoice does not include any charges related to reconstruction. All of this is outlined in the contract that she signed before the mitigation started.
  
  
  While we were more than happy to accommodate ***** requests for additional services, we did inform her that the likelihood of insurance coverage for these extra costs was slim. Any charges not covered by insurance are, as a reminder, the homeowner's responsibility and are due upon completion of the work.
  
  
  In this instance, the necessity for contents and packout services arose from the significant volume of items in ***** condo, which was reflected in the invoice. Unfortunately, her insurance company agreed to cover only about a third of the total costs associated with this part of the claim and sent that payment directly to her. To date, we have not received any payment regarding the contents.
  
  
  We are committed to resolving this issue and are willing to work with her to find a solution. However, we cannot issue a refund for services that have already been completed. 
  
  
  In the meantime, my staff and I have been as accommodating and communicative as we can be to someone who refuses to pay what is owed. Unfortunately, this matter has been turned over to our attorneys and we will seek redress in the legal system.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/16/2025

   
  Complaint: 22585326
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  
  My attorney has already informed you in a demand letter that at the outset you agreed to do the mitigation job for the amount approved by ******************** ($7306.35) and we attached the August 27th, 2024 letter from your company stating that. You failed to respond to this demand letter.
  
  On 11/1/24 the adjuster from State Farm sent a follow up email to *** (Scene Cleaners) detailing the reconciliation of the mitigation payment and that final cleaning was being removed and that they were only paying out $7306.35. They later stated in an email on 11/26/24 that charges for any remaining balance Scene Cleaners is trying to bill are not reasonable and will not be approved. State Farm also mentioned that *** (Scene Cleaners) should submit the pack out invoice (estimate) and that I, **** should deduct the overpayment $4578.99 that was paid for mitigation from the pack out estimate.   
  
  On Dec 5th, 2024 State Farm issued a letter that was attached to the demand letter approving the following as it relates to your job:
  
  $7306.35 for water mitigation
  $10,095.08 for the pack out & storage of my personal property
  $17,041.43 is the total authorized by State Farm 
  
  To further support this, the email from State Farm on 11/26/24 to Scene Cleaners explicitly states Absent this, it is State Farms opinion that these amounts are reasonable for the services you have provided and the insured should not be pursued for any remaining balance.
  
  The pack out was never included in the original contract - only mitigation. No change order was ever provided to me for authorization and approval before the pack out. When any mention of packing my belongings was made, Scene Cleaners said that it was asking State Farm for approval to do the pack out but never got my approval. I never authorized a pack out to be done. On top of that I never received a new estimate or contract for the pack out or an inventory list. Scene Cleaners STILL did the pack out without my approval and never provided a change order to expand and or modify the scope of work in the original contract. Scene Cleaners provided me with an invoice for the pack out in December well after the fact that it moved my personal property without authorization and didnt provide an inventory list.
  
  Scene Cleaners initially submitted a pack out invoice of $30.656.00 to State Farm and later revised the invoice to $23,486.76 which was sent to me. This amount is far in excess of the amount authorized by State Farm Farm.
  
  When Scene Cleaners stored my personal property in public storage in its name, I was initially provided keys. However the locks were later changed and I was denied access. I never authorized you to change the locks and you cannot deny my access. You are not allowed to withhold my personal property as hostage for the purpose of obtaining additional payment above what State Farm authorized on this job. 
  
  Scene Cleaners attempted to bill State Farm $2604.00 for storage fees to store my personal items in a climate controlled environment. My items were not stored in a climate controlled environment and there were lots of bugs and insects. Scene Cleaners was consistently late in making the monthly payments causing delinquency fees to be added to your bill. I even paid the December bill for public storage ($617.00) so that my belongings would not go into auction due to your consistent delinquencies and late payments.  Scene Cleaners moved my personal property without providing me with an inventory list and then later moved my property once again to another storage facility (location unknown) without my authorization and have consistently denied me access to my personal belongings. 
  
  On 11/26/24, State Farm sent you an email stating 2 months should have been adequate time for the insured to have repairs completed and her belongings moved back in. Your delay in submitting a pack out estimate and refusal to reimburse her overpayment on the water mitigation prevented her from starting repairs. Storage beyond two months should be waived. 
  
  This supports the fact that Scene Cleaners intentionally delayed the project by submitting the pack out estimate late and refusal to pay for overpayment on water mitigation has prevented me from starting repairs, moving back into my home and forcing me to incur additional housing expenses.
  
  Scene Cleaners also sent me an email stating that you have filed a lien on my property. This notice is for a payment that was never agreed or authorized. As stated above and reinforced by State Farm you have agreed to accept the amount authorized by ********** and has been already reconciled and no further payments will be made.
  
  Scene Cleaners needs to return my personal property and provide me with an inventory list as youve stated you would do multiple times. You are to return my property in the condition it was found. If any items are missing, damaged or destroyed you will be held liable for monetary damages and all attorneys fees. 
  
  I've given you countless opportunities to work with me to provide you the payment that State Farm is authorizing. Yet you have failed time and time again to communicate with me, State Farm and my attorney. You have violated civil laws by withholding my personal property and you will be responsible for any legal costs incurred by the legal action taken against you. 
  
  My attorney will be reaching out to you and he will be handling all communications going forward. 
  
  --
  *** *********, RN, MSN, MBA
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/21/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  they where supposed to clean my things after a fire they took all my belongings with a promise to return them after cleaning upon return numerous items where missing also a few items did not belong to me which i had them return after multiple conversations they haven't been able to resolve the issue they've inquired multiple times of what was missing and i gave them a list of some of the things that where missing and they keep inquiring about what is missing they also damaged a few items which seem to have happened in the process of moving them though they say some type of cleaning process caused the damage that they sent back a few things that weren't mine I wonder whom else are missing items as this is a BBB accredited company It needs to be investigated as they are highly incompetent also to try and resolve this issue I asked the workers, multiple times, to have the owner of the company call me to no avail always saying he was busy so I called him direct and got the answering machine finally after like 5 calls he answered and said he would get back to me only to have someone else call back these people are very unprofessional and should not be BBB accredited please call me at ************ to discuss further please. 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2024

  Firstly, we recognize that experiencing a fire is profoundly distressing, and our priority has always been to support our clients during these challenging times. Throughout the process, we have demonstrated our commitment to professionalism and customer service and the customer expressed satisfaction with our packout and cleaning services, specifically praising our team for their efforts.
   
  Regarding the concerns missing items and damage. we perform a thorough and meticulous documentation process to track all items removed from the property. Unfortunately, following a fire, some items may be deemed unsalvageable due to smoke and soot damage. In the aftermath of a fire, certain belongings may be irreparably damaged due to soot and smoke exposure; these items are recorded in our total loss inventory that has been provided to the customer.
  
  We have made numerous attempts to address the customer's concerns, including locating some items mistakenly believed to be missing, which were found in already delivered boxes. We are aware of two specific items the customer pointed out, we are committed to resolving the matter as quickly as possible. 
  
  Concerning communication with our company owner, we want to clarify that he prioritizes customer satisfaction and he has spoken personally with the customer. Unfortunately, circumstances may have delayed this, but our entire team has actively sought to resolve the situation.
  
  We are dedicated to finding a satisfactory resolution and regaining the trust of this customer. We encourage ongoing dialogue to ensure all issues are appropriately addressed, and we appreciate the opportunity to improve our services.