Chandler condo owner waits 12 months for flood approval claim

CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Frank Lamanna says he scored a pretty good deal on this stackable washer and dryer he purchased for the Chandler condo he rents out. “Alright, so this is the big appliance?” On Your Side’s Gary Harper asked. Frank replied, “Yea, this was the big purchase. It’s a stackable washer and dryer.”

But Frank’s good deal turned into a huge nightmare when a rubber hose connected to the back burst and completely flooded his condo. “It happened in the middle of the night, and the water ran all night. And it pretty much touched every corner of the condo,” he explained. From Frank’s pictures, the water damage was devastating. A restoration company had to cut out and remove almost everything before repairs began.

But here’s the troubling part, Frank says. That rubber hose that burst never should have been there. It turns out Frank purchased two metal mesh hoses, which prevent flooding from ever happening. They’re made for that, but the installers only installed one. They left the other black rubber hose attached, which is the one that burst.

The hoses are still attached to the washer and dryer. Harper asked, “When you look behind the washer and see one metal mesh and a rubber hose, you’re probably thinking, what is going on here?” Frank replied, “Yea, like right away. I can’t believe this. Why would you just switch one out and not the other?”

Frank’s insurance company approved his claim, and a contractor started repairs. But Frank’s policy maxed out at just $30,000, and the damage is way above that. Seeing the installers were responsible for the flood, Frank contacted Sedgwick Insurance, the company representing the retailer where the appliance was purchased. But that was a year ago, and Frank says he can’t get Sedgwick to come up with the remaining money needed to finish all the repairs. As a result, he’s lost out on 12 months of rent. “It’s an insurance company, so it’s not like I’m calling up and getting somebody. It’s like a two-hour wait. Then when I call up, they say oh, we’re going to escalate this. They say all the right words,” he explained.

So, On Your Side got involved and asked Sedgwick Insurance to review Frank’s claim. They did and mailed Frank a check for nearly $45,000 to cover the remaining repairs, including 12 months of rent he’s missed out on.

Frank says he owes it all to On Your Side. “That’s exactly what my wife and I thought. You know, this is a problem that Gary Harper and his team can handle and help us with. And you guys definitely delivered,” he said.

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