The issue of Licensed & Insured Contractors in Louisiana and the Chinese Drywall Scandal…
In our first blog, we wanted to address the fact Friendly Home Services is a Home
Improvement Venture in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but we are not licensed
or insured…We believe the less the government or insurance companies
& lawyers are involved with anything, the better…
In our
situation, we would have to purchase the cheapest business liability
insurance we could find, just to have a piece of paper that says we’re
insured, but won’t be worth the paper it is printed on…So why waste
money on something that does no good to the Homeowner or Friendly Home
Services in the highly unlikely event something were to go wrong on a
project or remodel?
Friendly Home Services is two friends, Jesse
and Dean, a two-man operation just trying to make ends meet by doing
what we know best – Repairing and Remodeling Homes and Small
Businesses…We have over 50 years experience with no accidents or
catastrophic damage to anything we have ever laid hands on…
With
that in mind, let’s take a look at the Chinese Drywall Scandal here in
Louisiana and how using licensed & insured contractors protected
homeowners in Louisiana…
During
the aftermath of Hurricanes
Katrina and Gustav, as many Licensed and Insured contractors rebuilt
homes with very inexpensive imported Chinese Drywall that turned out to
contain harmful compounds that have caused health problems and
destroyed
HVAC units…Many HVAC units were installed new after Katrina at the
same time as the Chinese Drywall was…From what little testing has
been done and from victim’s complaints, it appears that the Chinese
Drywall over time, emits sulphur vapors, which to humans and many
metals, is highly corrosive…
Many
claims were made against the Insurance policies of both contractors and
homeowners…The Insurance companies denied claims across the board and
the homeowners this happened are getting royally screwed – again…The Chinese
government has ignored and denied any claims or lawsuits against the
Chinese Manufacturers of this contaminated sheetrock…There is one
lawsuit pending in Federal Court in New Orleans, Louisiana that won’t
have a first hearing until January of 2010…
All these
homeowners, who used licensed & insured contractors, received no
benefit or protection against this catastrophic loss to their
homes…Another hurricane might as well came through – the end result
was the same – these people once again don’t have a home to live or a
pot to piss in…This time there are no FEMA trailers to live in while their homes are being rebuilt a second time…
Because
of the extra overhead involved in
being licensed, bonded, insured & paying worker’s comp, many
contractors used the cheapest labor, the cheapest materials, hid
defects, rushed the job, added extras on the bill, on and on, in order
to
compete for business and maximize profits while taking advantage of
homeowners who had to have their homes rebuilt, already overwhelmed by
the situation that surviving a devastating hurricane presents…
The building trades
industry is going to be in big trouble if things don’t change…We are
not sure what the answers might be, because like many issues that face
us now – the economy, health care, etc. we have legislated and regulated
ourselves to death, making solutions more complicated than the
problems…
We
do know that part of this is due to the erosion
of labor unions (who would have never allowed imported drywall or
screws on the job site to begin with), increased power and influence of
banks and insurance
companies and fear mongering to the citizenry, making them believe that
if you or the contractor are not both insured, the worst is going to
happen…The very same Insurance companies that always blame a 3rd
party or use a well designed loophole in a policy, to avoid the
responsibility of honoring and paying a claim…
Using a licensed and insured contractor doesn’t
guarantee better quality workmanship, safe and sanitary building
practices or that a catastrophic loss on the job will be prevented or
covered…This is a myth perpetrated by the insurance companies, local
and federal governments and contractors, which have no interest in what
is best for the homeowner, other than milking more cash to line their
pockets with…
Things do happen…Accidents do not
happen…Accidents are in most cases easily avoidable and are caused by
poor & unsafe work practices, lack of training and inattention on
the part of the contractor…Safety on a job is #1…Protecting the
Customer’s property from unnecessary damage is #2…How will being
insured guarantee or protect the homeowner against shoddy, unscrupulous contractors
that are better salesmen than craftsmen?
It doesn’t and never will…
Friendly
Home Services uses only the finest materials and fixtures you can
afford…We don’t mark up supplies, we don’t use illegal immigrants for
labor, and we go beyond building, plumbing and electrical codes as it
relates to the safety, sanitation & quality of our work…
Friendly
Home Services is constantly researching and discovering new,
ecologically friendly products and methods to employ in providing safe,
sanitary and sensible solutions to you, the Home or Small Business
owner…
Thank you so much for reading and Please have a
Wonderful Day!
For more information on this issue from the Insurance Companies’ perspective, please go and read this enlightening article – Economic Losses From Chinese Drywall Could Reach $25 Billion, Insurers Warned
Dean Battaglia
Friendly Home Services
disclaimer
Remember
that everything on this blog and Friendly Home Services’ Web Portal is
for informational purposes only…Any advice or opinions given are just
that; advice and opinions…Although we know what we are talking about,
we need to have this disclaimer to limit lawyers and those who try our
tips, tricks or methods and fail, hurt themselves or cause property
damage to their home because they probably have no business trying to
begin with…It’s OK…Some people are just not good at fixing things,
and we don’t blame anyone for giving it the old college try…
Home
Improvements and Repairs are not to be taken lightly…If you do
undertake your own repairs or projects, just Please be Careful…
Remember – Safety First!
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