Water Main & Sewer Replacement

Thank you! That was great feedback. Punctuality and Responsiveness (good answers in a quick timeframe) can both strengthen and weaken a proposal for sure.

lkrshacmzcy

in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago

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Guest User | 5 years ago

string(1) "3"
string(6) "202049"

Like many others I had a terrible experience with American Water Insurance after they continued to deny my sewer claims and for no good reason, they continued to give me different reasons for my denial each time I called (Yes- I do have my attorney working on this and all is documented). Finally I was forced to start seeking assistance from a private contractor after my sewer failed for the third time over a 30 day period. I interviewed 3 of what appears to be the main water main and sewer contractors in NYC and it was interesting how each of them were completely different from an operational standpoint. I wont take the time to shun the others but two of them were extremely expensive, terribly unprofessional and were literally trying to force me to sign a contract as I must have appeared desperate.
Finally I was referred to Harris Water & Sewer who exceeded my expectations, everything from a VERY fair price, office/work crew were great and the process was seamless. I come to find that they have been in business for over 100 years and its no wonder why.
I will keep every one posted on my update with the insurance company and if you have any feedback or a similar experience please do share. I have been told that illegally denying the claim is common with American Water and they have many active lawsuits

Guest User | 5 years ago

string(1) "3"
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I had same issue with American Water and have heard many similar scenarios from my neighbors. I am certain at some point things will change and they will no longer be able to literally steal money from homeowners!

stevecym | 5 years ago

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we carry the insurance with them as well and i have heard too many stories. perhaps a complaint to the NYS insurance dept or AG’s office would help a lot of people. if you complain though, what i suspect will happen is the company will double down on what is probably already a lengthy list of exclsions.

stevecym | 5 years ago

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and are they really “insurance”?

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago

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IMO the most objectionable thing is that the City promotes this dubious “insurance “.

yudashasom | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Like every good scheme, they have to make good sometimes.. my guess is with a lawyer you will be successful.

Harris is good, but no one can beat Balkan. Were they one of the ones you called?

And Bob is right, how can the city promote these crooks?!

shahnandersen

in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago

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«how can the city promote these crooks?!» Perhaps it is partially due to the fact that DEP has not received many of the complaints that people make to other agencies (or through lawsuits). I would suggest sending DEP a copy of any correspondence you have with the company or of complaints files with other agencies.

stevecym | 4 years and 11 months ago

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they arn’t crooks if they honor the terms of the contract. it just seems the contract is written in such a way as to give them a lot of outs. i would just rather have the city charge us for the cost of the insurance – charge every customer – and the city take full responsibility for these lines.

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@no-permitz Yes Balkan was one that I had called as well and without going into too much detail about my experience with them lets just say I made the right choice with Harris for a number of reasons.
@bobjbkln it seems that the company has taken so much stress off the DEP that they are ok with the questionable business practice. I continue to do research and it amazes me how many people have had a similar experience with the insurance company. I also read a post on here from a couple of years ago about the company Liberty who is their main contractor and was at my house- that post makes me question things even more!! I cannot believe what I read

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@no-permitz Yes Balkan was one that I had called as well and without going into too much detail about my experience with them lets just say I made the right choice with Harris for a number of reasons.
@bobjbkln it seems that the company has taken so much stress off the DEP that they are ok with the questionable business practice. I continue to do research and it amazes me how many people have had a similar experience with the insurance company. I also read a post on here from a couple of years ago about the company Liberty who is their main contractor and was at my house- that post makes me question things even more!! I cannot believe what I read

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I had a very similar experience with the insurance company. My water main was actually leaking and I was told that it was a pre existing condition and this is after paying for the insurance for over 3 years. I fought for over 6 months and finally gave up. I ended up using Harris as well and was very happy with all from the most fair price, acting professional and having everyone I asked tell me they were the best company to use. I would be extremely happy if anyone could share details on how they fought the insurance company successfully!

guikazoid | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I had similar issues with American Water. After months of back and forth I gave us. They eventually refunded me every penny I contributed to this “insurance” program.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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The last time I dealt with AWR with one of our clients, things went so south that I have it hanging over my desk as a a direct reminder of the lessons I learned from it.
That being said, I am curious to hear about Balkan. Our President and their President had a conversation last week and it went from positive from what I have heard.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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The last time I dealt with AWR with one of our clients, things went so south that I have it hanging over my desk as a a direct reminder of the lessons I learned from it.
That being said, I am curious to hear about Balkan. Our President and their President had a conversation last week and it went from positive from what I have heard.

MDR | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I haven’t hired Harris myself, but I’ve been very impressed observing their work. There are a lot of steps involved and its’s tricky to deal with traffic if they cannot close the street and they to work on it in sections and finally fill it in and patch the pavement. They show up early with all the right equipment and will finish in one day even if they have to stay until 10 pm.

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri I dont know much about Balkan other than my experience and feedback from a few others and I cant understand how there may have been a positive representation after my dealings with them. I dont want to go into too much bashing but I am very happy I am dealing with Harris
@guikazoid this is good news and at a minimum this is what I expect- thank you for the feedback

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri I dont know much about Balkan other than my experience and feedback from a few others and I cant understand how there may have been a positive representation after my dealings with them. I dont want to go into too much bashing but I am very happy I am dealing with Harris
@guikazoid this is good news and at a minimum this is what I expect- thank you for the feedback

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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From what I have understood, Balkan is a larger company and has dropped the ball with some more residential clients. I believe that is why they reached out to our company in an effort to build that sector as we refer out probably two collapsed sewers a week residentially.
Can I ask what, without going into detail, was so negative? Scheduling, coordination, workmanship, etc. It can help my company in more ways than one; building lessons from negative experiences is literally what half our training wall is dedicated to!

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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From what I have understood, Balkan is a larger company and has dropped the ball with some more residential clients. I believe that is why they reached out to our company in an effort to build that sector as we refer out probably two collapsed sewers a week residentially.
Can I ask what, without going into detail, was so negative? Scheduling, coordination, workmanship, etc. It can help my company in more ways than one; building lessons from negative experiences is literally what half our training wall is dedicated to!