Homeowner stuck with $18K+ repair bill after damage done by company she did not hire
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- Опубліковано 7 тра 2023
- What would you do if you were suddenly stuck with a huge bill, all because of someone else’s mistake? It could happen to anyone who hires people to do work at their homes. A desperate homeowner contacted KPRC 2 Investigates after contractors caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and now, she can’t get anyone to help.
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Read more about the story here: www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2023/05/08/homeowner-stuck-with-18k-repair-bill-after-damage-done-by-company-she-did-not-hire/
why link your own website.. link the losers who ruined their fence. and the trail association.. one thing that can fix anything is public outrage..
She might also want to ask why, if the fence belongs to the trail folks, did she get the ugly side of the fence. The person who puts up the fence gets the ugly side 100%.
That type of fence is a personal fence not a state or company fence so no she is lying. She hired that company to complete her fence.
@@jordancambridge4106 You were the one who cut the electrical line, didn't you ?
@@jordancambridge4106what evidence do you have to back up this BS claim
She needs an attorney to sue both. Let them fight it out in court, but she needs to be compensated for her loss and stress over this.
I agree. Not sure why she waited so long to sue. Once the fence company said no, and the trail association said nothing, she should have filed her lawsuit.
The problem here is that people still think that corporations will do the "right" thing, the moral and ethical thing. They will not. Which is why you just sue them. Sad but true.
@@TEverettReynoldsSome people are nice to a fault
@@TEverettReynolds EXACTLY
Sue the line marking company, insurance co, Trail Assoc., and contractor who installed the fence. ONE or more is responsible.
Big issue these days is the attorney's first comment will be "What's in it for me."
Sue the Fence company and Trail Association for 4× the the amount plus attorney fees and court cost.
Exactly!!!
That takes money and many months(maybe years) to even get to court. Most people don't have the money to afford a lawyer and the court fees involved. Even if you win. you still cannot get pay back all costs associated with your case so there is still some loss to you regardless.
Girl I wish it was that easy..
Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. Money, money, money, and finding an attorney that wants to take the case. It's not as easy as you make it sound. SUE!
yep,
That company is RESPONSIBLE! PERIOD.
This is disgusting. Why on earth has this poor woman been left to foot the repair bill? Big companies get away with so much these days. They are bullies. I pray she gets her money back.
Well I am sure she would win a lawsuit, but it is never a quick or easy process.
No one cares
its the city and the power company trying to screw her. The city probably wants her land, the power company wants her to upgrade her service so they can charge more.
Ah Texas...how quick you forgot about when y'all had a snap freeze..and power grid outages that the state basically just told you to "deal with" these contractors are hired by your state and county. I know transplants regret moving there😂
the insurance company is copping out of their responsibility. She needs to take the insurance company to court. Whether the marker was in the right place or not is irrelevant.
Some crappy insurance companies will try to only be responsible for a portion of the damages. Someone hit my car once and the insurance company was only offering to pay for 60% of the damages even though they were 100% at fault. After 6 months of fighting with them I settled and took a loss.
In most states you can't actually sue insurance companies and it's a crock of sh*t
Insurance company? They have both the fence company and trail association...
That takes money and many months(maybe years) to even get to court. Most people don't have the money to afford a lawyer and the court fees involved. Even if you win. you still cannot get pay back all costs associated with your case so there is still some loss to you regardless.
@@emeraldgreen777 depending on perspective that's a good insurance company hahaha
Lawyer here. Fix it, if you’re able, and sue the company. You 100% do not need to pay that. It is their fault. OF COURSE they will tell you no. Fight them anyway. Hire a property lawyer dude. Ponte las pilas
Seems like it would be easy to find an attorney for this case because it sounds like a slam dunk to me. You would take this case on contingency right?
Daniel, why would an attorney want this case? Can you help her find an attorney that would take this case?
Lawyer you say? So any judges monitoring this channel would know the name of the gavel used in the court system. It's name is Ammit the god Ammit god Ammit say it fast. A reminder when abusing power the god Ammit the devourer of souls and lake of fire shows up. It's fun to research these fate gods and gatekeepers. During everyones life review they have to meet with the fates and gatekeepers if their soul is lighter than the feather of Ma'at they go to the gatekeeper to take them to their proper and final destination. If they do not behind Ptah Atum Ra the hand of God Anubis Osiris Sobek Horus and Set Papa Legba the keeper of the balance of the universe there's a backup plan if their soul is heavier than the feather of Ma'at the god Ammit must devour their soul the second and final death the lake of fire. The gavels name is Ammit divine retribution. Have an amazing Apocalypse Zeus'unknown brother Apocalypse the unveiling of truth.
Non sequitur nonsense
@@ammitthedevourerofsouls Are you high or something 😄. Like, wtf.
Get an attorney ASAP! Then hopefully with the threat of a lawsuit, this woman will get action and compensation for the NIGHTMARE she has already gone through. Best wishes to her!
are you stupid? do you know how much an attorney costs?
Easier said than done. You know Attorney requires retainer's fee? They're not going to do stuff for free or a case that is not a quick win. If she has a job and not below poverty, she will need to flip the legal bill fees.
@@MissTopDJ007 People need to stop suggesting lawsuits for everything. The bleak reality is the cost of an attorney and lawsuit will far exceed the cost of the repairs $18,200 bill.
Did this ever get sorted?
Yes she started an OnlyFans and a ton of soy boys paid it off plus some
And folks wonder why good people 'suddenly snap' and do crazy things. This is an example of what causes good people to snap. This poor woman is completely blameless, and now burdened with a huge debt. I hope a consumer rights attorney saw this news story and can help her, not only get the $18k cost covered, but maybe even some damages for all the BS and stress she's had to endure.
Couldn’t have said it any better Exaclty !!!!
She can win if she sues.
Yup. 100%
@@WinterWolf94 Perhaps.
@@WinterWolf94 She can only sue if she has money to pay a lawyer or a lawyer volunteers to assist for free or on contingency. She is already in the hole 18,000 and likely cannot afford to pay a lawyer. She could represent herself but would probably lose on some technicality that scummy lawyers love to use like filing deadlines or proper form submittals or any of the other 1000 bureaucratic rules that need to be followed before the case even makes it to court.
But assuming she does get representation. Does she have 6/12/24 months to wait for an extremely slow legal system while that 18,000 dollar debt is hanging over her gaining interest and leading to debt collectors coming after her. Corporations and rich people may be able to wait that long, but people living paycheck to paycheck cannot.
The amount of stress in her voice is heartbreaking, especially because she is in no way responsible for the damage. And after spending $18,000 to amend a problem she did not cause, how could she even afford to take them to court?
And she’s the sweetest person. Always caring for others. I hate seeing my sweet friend this stressed over a situation that she shouldn’t have to worry about. They need to do the right thing and take care of this.
She could just go off grid solar.
Easy. Find a lawyer that will do it and accept payment only after the case is won. Im sure it'll take a bit of work but this is about as close to a guaranteed win in court as it gets. Hard to imagine too many lawyers would pass up on this.
@@franssantos9417 do you eat paint chips
thats precisely why they denied the claim: they knew that she couldnt incur further costs so lose nothing by denying it. other than guaranteeing them a place in hell, of course.
Lawsuit. Sue them both in the same lawsuit and let the judge decide.
I hope they have to pay her an obscene amount of money! Not just for the 18k but for making her go through this BS for months.
I remember a time when companies took pride and responsibility for their work and did the right thing without having to be sued.
Because it extends far beyond repairing the damage.
Bringing her house up to code isn't relevant to the power line coming in whatsoever. The pictured invoice is strictly plumbing related and absolutely nothing to do with that specific powerline.
Life in America has drastically changed. It's from the Top Down!!!!
@@sandyrose2398It's now a mental asylum. Throw the whole country away! 😂😂😂
That time never existed lol
When did this happen?
It’s insane how quickly the parties that are responsible for the damages are hands off.
No one wants to pay. They make you sue them for it.
Contractors are notorious for leaving trails of liability behind them, which is why any time you use a contractor, you make sure they're licensed and bonded, and you make sure the paperwork is in order before they step onto your property with any implements of destruction.
@Carbage Man did you even listen to the story? They did have insurance but the insurance company denied the claim
@@maximo6037 Show me where I brought up insurance, genius!
This pretty cool. I definitely wish I had a job like that
$18,000 to bring a house that size up to code is outrageous! Poor lady. That is a crazy price!
Right? Im sitting there like this company is ripping her off too. Taking advantage of someone who is already in a bad spot. Our subs wire entire new 2000sq houses for 12k.
2:51 If the company responsible for locating cables in your area did not accurately mark them, then the utility company that marks for the 811 system must be held accountable. If you require assistance, you can contact the Common Ground Alliance for help.
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) does not provide direct assistance for damage to your property, but it can provide resources and information to help you address the situation.
Considering how close that transferee box was to the fence I hope that it was mark. I use to do markings and that would have been marked for sure. Hopefully the marking company kept photos of the job
And also depends on who owns the electric service. Customer own doesn't get marked
But the fence company would have known that and they should have hand-dug
@@joemuscato811 If a fence company is working near a utility box (transformer) and notices no markings indicating its presence, they should have contacted 811 and requested the electric company to return and mark their infrastructure. Whenever working in the vicinity of a utility box (transformer), contractors should be aware that it must be hand-dug with a distance of 2 feet on each side. Therefore, in my perspective, if the utility box was not marked, the responsibility for any liabilities should lie with the contractor.
@@811chicago5 I have about 36 years in a utility company. Probably 3 years cumulative in ditches splicing cable that was dug up. Since the 811 program was instituted, once a mark is called for, the locators have X amount of working days to mark it. If they dont, then you can dig. A line hit is the locators responsibility. If the locator mismarks the line, then it is the locators responsibility. That said, the responsibility falls first on the trail asso. They are ultimately liable. They can then go after whomever they want to, but its not up to the harmed party who did not contract any work.
I think the real issue here is, the fact that she has to bring her house up to the new code standards to get the power back. The house was fine until someone ruined the underground cable.
Exactly. I’m curious to know if she knew that her house’s codes weren’t compliant with the current code. They’ll probably come to a settlement but they bet she will have to pay a portion herself.
@@mandawood9756 I believe that she said it was grandfathered in.
Yeah, to me it seems likely the most she could possibly get would be the cost of replacing the wire, which would be inconsequential compared to the amount to fix her house's wiring. If anyone is to blame here, it's the local regulators that are allowing houses to be sold with wiring that is not up to code
@@mandawood9756 of course not. Electrical code updates every 3 years, I seriously doubt your house would pass current code unless it is brand new. 99% of homeowners are not super familiar with Electrical codes unless they are involved in the field.
Oh I know my house wouldn’t. It was built in the 50s and belonged to my parents who renovated part of the house when I was 6. However, we know where the electrical and electrical lines are and the light lines aren’t underground. I’m in a very rural area. It’s actually the water lines that most people have a problem with because roads have now been paved over and the geniuses who ran the lines laid them under the roads that until 15 years ago were still gravel. We have multiple water mains for that reason.
I have said that it would probably be cheaper to rip everything out and start new than to try and fix everything and it’s a small house. I’d probably need a new foundation too.
This is a case where a lawyer is absolutely needed. Name and shame every company involved too; contractor, subs, and the insurance company that denied the claim.
that is true - the names of the contractor, insurance company and Neighborhood Association should have been fully exposed ! ~ that is the only way to get justice nowdays by creating a PR nightmare for them. Immediately report that contractor to the contractors board and file complaints with the state and feds against the insurance company itself - their are several oversight agencies they answer too.
totally agree..I wrote sue make it public then they all have to take on either losing their customers not getting new ones or going out of business!
It will cost more for the lawyer then the settlement
And how is she going to pay for it? She had to take a loan out for the repairs. Lawyers require a retainer and are expensive
@@jordanwardle11a lawyer would take this up in a heartbeat and just take a % of the damages.
It's incredible how people never think to hire a lawyer. Things move a lot faster once you start pressing charges and seeking damages.
The woman was too poor to afford the 18k repair and had to take a loan. She probably thought lawyers will cost money, and she isn't confident in her case so I can understand why she would not seek legal help and ask the news instead because anything that costs money is scaring her away. I think for this reason it's important to educate yourself on the laws if you cannot afford a lawyer and know your basic rights or you will end up in a situation like this woman because you don't know how to find the right people to fix the issue and let it get to this point.
@@benw4361 lol everyone on the internet always saying "get a lawyer and sue etc" but lawyers cost a lot of money and time and nothing is ever guaranteed to go in your favour.
@@thegoon459 yea a lot of people on the internet seem to not know what they're talking about. Go figure!
People like you make it sound like it is so easy to go through a lawsuit rofl.... it takes a lot of time and you are still risking your money. There is no guarantee of a victory, and if she loses she will have lost A LOT more than 18k. Not to mention the time they take is absolutely insane. If she has to work full time, has family duties and would need to worry about a lawsuit? Good luck with that... there is a reason it is the last resort.
She could meet with some, depending on the state if referred to a lawyer by the state bar association they override the consultation cost and use a flat fee instead. Some lawyers don't charge if you lose, or a lawyer might take the case pro bono or can also sue for attorney fees.
She needs to file a lawsuit for being lied to.
I have worked for contractor company's. This should always be covered by the contractor. If you mess something up, you fix it. It's that simple. Not directly your fault? Doesn't matter. You fix it unless it's something neither of you could have in any way forseen, and then you can DISCUSS solutions with the client. I really hope she gets justice, this is a huge amount of stress no one deserves
Im sure the contractor will say it wasn't marked or it was marked wrong. That's the problem when you "nick" a cable. The damage comes months later and all the locate marks are gone. Then its finger pointing time.
That is my thought. In most cities you can get utilities marked for free and the contractor could have easily done that to ensure line markers were right.
That is probably the same reason the insurance denied the claim.
Now, I have no idea who would be at fault if the city came out and incorrectly marked the lines....
But the contractor said their obligation was to the client not her.. thats the rub.
@@normcmiller I would definitely name the fence company and the Trail Association and the insurance company do a public review and give them a -1 star on the facts of their performance.
Its great that the tv news got involved, but I would shame them all by name to no end.
@@normcmiller no proof it was marked but no proof that is wasn't
That attorney gave great advice. She needs to know she had nothing to do with why she is losing power. She is owed big time especially after putting her through the amount of stressed they’ve put her through already
This is the USA. She wont be able to afford the lawyer. The business and the association will be able to write most, if not all, their lawyer fees off...and then religious folk will turn their hate on anyone that made that business spend more money. GREED is KING in the USA.
Thats not an $18k repair , thats like a $700 hammer , or a $1200 toilet seat . Thats one hole for a hydro-excavator ($1000)& 2hours max + backfill dirt
@@guysumpthin2974 you didn't hear the "grandfathered" part did you? As in, she couldn't get the needed repair unless she upgraded something...most likely her electrical system in her house.
Listening, its a waste of time, right? Or maybe it the NEW WORLD ORDER, or maybe the liberals, or maybe aliens....THEY are keeping secrets from us.
This almost exact same thing happened to us years ago. The county water district was digging in our back yard and barely swiped our power line. 3 months later it popped. I ended up getting written and signed letters from 3 different master electricians saying that in their opinion the water district caused the issue. I sent them a copy of all three of the letters. Their insurance had to cover the repair as they had no leg to stand on. Sometimes you get adjusters to think you will just go away and then you have to go get an attorney. I've had to do this before in a different case. Get an attorney to write a letter saying they are representing you and plan to file legal action against them if this is not resolved in the next 7 days. Usually you have to pay the attorney like $250 for the letter. They send it to them certified so they have to sign for it. I guarantee you that will get their attention. Also I would call and speak to the adjusters supervisor and tell them, "I'm not going away, your client damaged this, and you are going to reimburse me or I am going to sue you in court and then attorney fees, and additional money for my time and headache will be added in addition to the repair cost".
@guy sumpthin Did you not hear the part where for them to do work on her lines they are legally required to replace her entire electrical system to bring it up to code.
They cant just patch the line they now need to retrofit her entire house.
Marking out lines is the responsibility of the utility company but only if they were actually called and marked things out- unlikely since the "fence company" ALSO installed the fence backwards, the "good" side is required to face her property. She should probably also get a surveyor to see if that whole mess is even on her property. But, yes she needs a lawyer- or The Equalizer.
I had an AT&T contractor dig up my front lawn. Of course this is something I did not want and although they were kind enough to let me know they were digging and were going to “replace” my grass these contractors did not notify me that they damaged a pipe. Surprise they did not replace my grass but put a huge dirt pile where the whole was. I was smart enough to document the whole ordeal and hound them for their name of the company and boss’s information. It grinds my gears that although it is your property the city can hire a third party to destroy your land and leave you with the bill to repair. I feel for this woman. Never trust anyone on your property. Document document.
i can hear the pain in her voice. i pray she gets a resolution that restores her financial situation completely
That pain needs to turn into female furry
Yep i feel her pain too. You have to let the Lord handle it. God all ways fixes everything. I know she is up set over this. Companies like this should not be in business messing over good people.
@@lefty5463 god fixes it? Which god and this supposed god caused the problem in the first place. How stupid do you sound? Praying for her will do nothing.
Force it to a jury trial.
Happened to me years ago. My neighbor refused to take responsibility so I called my insurance company and my insurance company paid for it and asked me for my neighbor's address. I had to pay $500 deductible and I got a new line and a year later I got my $500 deductible back from the insurance company because they investigated and found out my neighbors insurance company and sued THEM and they got their money from his insurance company. If you have insurance your company will pay for it.
You have the best-case scenario. Not everyone can be as lucky as you. Keep in mind that people's situations may be different.
@teax25 unless you just don't have insurance this is exactly what will happen. You pay for insurance for a reason they will cover you and deal with getting their money back themselves with their crazy team of lawyers. Once you've payed your deductible it's completely out of your hands
Maybe but I feel like your case is the exception.
@@Reno420alex OK, Can you say that EVERYONE would have insurance?
@@teax25 like I said unless you don't have insurance... 🤣 please fully read comments. That was literally the first words written
I've renovated and flipped over 700 homes in the last 30 years and am qualified to state that what's being presented is something I've never encountered.
In my experience, counties / cities don't require that a house must be brought up to current code unless the home is being extensively renovated. If the permitting office determines that the improvement will constitute more than 50%+ of the house is being updated, they then require full compliance with current code, but NOT for anything less than that.
Typically, if a wall is opened, whatever is exposed in THAT wall and that wall alone must be brought up to code, not the entire house, so exposed plumbing, electrical, etc. must meet the current IRC.
You can see in her "estimate" that it includes her plumbing including faucets. If I had to guess, she's hoping to get the contractor who knicked the service entrance cable on the edge of her property line to pay to bring her entire house up to 2021 IRC, when that repair would run a couple thousand at most and she wouldn't need to pay for that.
This could also be due to the contractor leading her to that belief or perhaps they believe that to be the case.
In any event, the contractor who damaged the cable is NEVER going to pay for her to update the electrical and plumbing for her entire house unless they decide it's cheaper than a court case.
Depends on the municipality. My dad had hail damage on his roof 10 years ago. The storm was pretty significant. At the time the circa 1959 house had an open plank roof deck. If you were in the attic you could see the underside of the bottom layer of wood shingles. His insurance had to pay to fully deck the roof with plywood and install a radiant barrier because local building codes would no longer permit the open plank deck (the last time the roof was redone it was grandfathered in back in the 90's). Roofer could have also just wanted a big fat payday and make an insurance company pay for it.
@@JaredJanhsen Yes, because the roof plank was exposed by the storm, the county required that it be brought up to code, they consider roof sheathing to be a structural component and they want plywood now. Just like if I have a crew remove drywall in a room or basement, they require everything behind the drywall be brought up to code, plumbing, electric, framing, insulation, all of it.
With the roof, it's a little weird, because you can replace the shingles and keep the planking or keep the plywood if it's intact, without a permit, but if there's damage to either, it technically requires a permit and with planking I guess they wanted that updated to code. We normally pull all permits, but a roof permit to replace warped plywood is a permit we don't pull.
However, in the case of the woman in this story, the issue is with a service entrance cable line beneath a fence on her property line. The county would require that the new service entrance cable be up to code, but the service entrance cable enters the meter and that's where that would end, not inside the house.
In 30 years, doing renovations in 10 counties in 2 states, I've had MANY service entrance cables replaced and not once was there any requirement to bring the existing structure, electrical or plumbing up to code. Her estimate even included bathroom vanities, that's not an inspection item, but the plumbing to the vanity is.
I am an electrical inspector you don’t need to bring the entire house up to code. The service line is owed by the utility company they will fix it themselves once notified this story is a misleading
Yeah I wonder if someone defrauded this lady. I don’t see why anyone else should pay to upgrade her house
How can she be liable?
She was lied-to by the electrical contractor. The only things needing to be "brought up to code" would be the things actively being worked on. The service entrance and service entrance conductors.
I figured as much. They saw an opportunity to make money by scamming her.
Would need GFCI and smoke detectors at a minimum. Some areas might require ARC...
@@joey-mp3qc not on the service entrance. This would be the conductors coming in to her meter outside of her house. There's no reason the contractor should have even had to go into her house.
@@dpeters9897 This. Fix the line outside, everything will work again inside. Following their logic, every time they turn off power for maintenance, everyone in the neighborhood affected would need to update their homes?
@@joey-mp3qc no, those things shouldn't have even been looked as as a part of the scope of the work.
HOW THE HELL IS THIS HER FAULT!!!!!!!?????
Omg, this is absolutely infuriating. All that stress and anxiety she must be going through. Terrible and everyone wants to pass the blame instead of helping her.
Not her fault. But it's her responsibility.
Maybe voting democrat isn't such a good idea afterall.
@@benjurqunov 🙄🙄🙄🙄
They must of built that fence on a home property so they dont get charged with costs. MOVE YOUR DAMN FENCE YOU STUPID COMPANY!!!
@@reddalchemy5970 --- I consider myself a Republican and I have to admit "in this type of situation," DemoCrap policies will definitely protect the homeowner.
No one ever said it was her fault, no one has blamed her; the problem is no one wants to take responsibility.
It's a disgrace & needs to be fixed & that lady compensated for it all & her dept because of it!!
People who say "sue insurance". Can't do that in Texas, it is not a direct action state. Have to sue the offender
She should sue everybody involved; insurance company, company or contractor that built the fence, and the organization that had the fence put in. People do not do the right thing unless you force them to do the right thing. That electrical line is very shallow in the ground. In my state the line has to be at or below 30 inches in this situation.
I'd add in whoever marked the line, since the claim by the contractor is that it was mismarked. Do you know what determines the required depth in your state? Typically, it's the frost line. That isn't an issue here.
@@Educated2Extinction I looked it up and that is the depth. It was below zero for a while and the electricity to my home went off because lines in the ground were damaged. The high the day the electricity went out was 5 below zero.
Sue them for what? Because her house is super old and was built to obsolete codes and now she has to update it?
I love all the armchair experts here! 😆❤️
@@Butterfly-mt5ml What do you think she should do?
$18,000 for a $1500 job , to run 100 amp wire 75 foot, that’s almost as bad as going to the emergency room scratch on arm
The "whole house has to come up to code" bit seems quite a bit sketchy to me. Not sure what the laws are there, but when I got solar put on top of my house the only things that needed to be brought up to code was grounding rods for the breaker panel and hot and cold water pipes electrically bonded. Even so $18k to do a house rewire? Did she shop around at all?
I mean with 18k I would buy solar panels and a windmill to power my house. And I’d use only led lights, gas stove and only a fridge
$1500? You go dig the trench for $1500 😂
@@alfonso704 1500 dlls can feed an average Mexican family of 10 for a year man.
lol, not one person on this whole comments section listened when she quietly told us her house is knob and tube, that's why it's $18K, the line in is probably $3K, changing the fuse box, fishing line through the walls for a few days and $75 a pop for new outlets times 20 lets say and viola, you're at $18 grand quick. Been there done that and did my own work, my neighbor paid $10K just to have her 18x12 living room rewired from knob and tube and 15 recessed lighting pots in our circa 1915 homes. Hell that old green box in her back yard is from the 70s. She's pulling everyone's legs to get sympathy, her fault she's not up to code inside and insurance isn't covering it. It you ever owned an old home you would know all of this.
Sue them! End of story. Sue the company, insurance company, person who hired them. Sue them all. She did not hire them and her property was damaged. Sue them all and let them sort out who owes her because somebody does
They need pay her back
It’s really sad. Nobody can take responsibility for their own wrongdoing. Absolutely B S
GREED, you thought the USA was about something else? Christianity even turns out to be a cover story for wide spread greed to hide and launder money.
Capitalistic US for ya. Nothing is ever my problem, you shouldn't have bought a house with a power line there.
@@J0k3rl lmao, since when did capitalism cause people to not take responsibility. It's the same under other economic systems. If you want to solve a problem you should at least make an effort to understand why it happens and not leap to the catch all "muh capitalism"
Just like all the freight companies don't take responsibility for the damage they do anymore
You've got it wrong along with most people and KPRC. The true guilty party was the scammy electrical contractors who did a huge amount of unnecessary work and inflated the bill. Fixing the original problem would have been a few hundred dollars. I feel sorry for the lady, but she got taken by the people she hired. My guess is that she agreed with all the unnecessary work because she was bullied into it. That sucks for her, but it's not the fence people's fault she got scammed. They are only responsible for a small fraction.
The lack of speed to resolve the homeowner in need is absolutely appalling. I hope she gets a decent settlement for the added stress they have caused her on top of damages.
she caused her own stress by not suing the right person in the first place....the proper course of action would have been to initiate an action against the property owner, her neighbor.....she screwed up.
@@OsbornTramain yes, blame the victim. Moreover, blame her for not destroying the fence after it being set up.
@@OsbornTramain no. You're just factually wrong. As an actual LAWYER interviewed said, she is very much the ONLY one with ZERO fault in this issue. So let's just assume you've been lobotomized and should not be taken seriously.
What's the point of having insurance ?
@BlackLivesMatter Dude are you serious with that name and profile pic?? The entire thing is run by criminals..... And all those ridiculous destructive riots we had to sit back and watch for months... It's mind-blowing that there are some people that actually still support that nonsense
Dont reach out, sue the association!
Months?! They only respond when they've been exposed. Can you imagine if a municipality or in this case, the trail association, decides to ignore the problem they created. This homeowner needs to be compensated for her time and stress.
Frustrating! Thank you for bringing this lady's literal nitemare to light. Love when news reporters fight for the little guys.
this is called journalism. we really only see it on the local level...sometimes.
@@Doomzdayxx Well the only time something makes national news is when people want to make things dramatic. Or maybe it's dramatic enough on its own.
@@puppergump4117 The national mainstream media only go after drama and will lie directly, or lie by omission. They are threat #1 to our national security. China would be #2
literal nitemare lol
Sue for damages, and sue for stress.
It is 100% a lie that they cant just replace the line to her meter. They did not have to upgrade anything else. Any electrician can replace the damage line as-is to the working meter. The HOA owes the money to fix the problem, they can go after the contractor.
I feel terrible for this lady. I hope a lawyer comes through for her and helps her make it all right, and gets her compensation for the heartache, too.
Very sad.
There's a lesson there for those who vote democrat.
@@benjurqunov what does that has to do with this individual?
@@benjurqunov Always a dumb💩💩 in the thread😂😂😂😂
@@QiuyuanChenRyan916 another brain washed trump supporter
Knowing what happens after a news crew investigates something like this the company's involved decide its a good time to do what they should've done. how i know is a couple years ago my grandmother accidentally payed her electric bill which was $200 dollars but she sent $2000. The electric company didn't pay her back until she got our local news station to cover the story.
Can that news story be found here?
Bad people really suck.
The electric company around here sucks, they're bullies if you're poor and blind eyed if you're rich (meaning if you're poor and you miss your payment by even a few minutes, they're hounding you about shutoffs, but if you're rich, you could pay once or twice a year or have an outstanding bill of over $4k and they won't even bother you). They think they can do whatever they want and that they don't have to listen to the PUC. Water company's the same.
At a minimum, they should have credited the account for $2,000, then not expect a payment until the credit is exhausted. Taking $2,000 and crediting her $200 is outright theft.
Go after them HARD! They will regret ever messing around!
clearly the city's responsibility to fix this, then bill the contractor.
In the face of this unfortunate situation, I hope that the homeowner receives the support and resolution she deserves. It's crucial that we continue to raise awareness about such issues, advocate for consumer protection measures, and encourage transparency and accountability within the contracting industry. No homeowner should have to bear the burden of someone else's mistake without any recourse for assistance.
Who the heck would dig so close to an electric box?? Bad onsite MGMT.
Yea, those idiots who damaged it, lol.
Unskilled labor subcontractors
@@zeb5478 "Unskilled labor subcontractors" -- Enabled by unintelligent project managers.
She just needs to sue both these companies for several hundred thousand dollars, starting. That will cover any possible confusion or bills they refuse to pay.
This is the United States of America. Contractor makes a mistake? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. Somebody damages your property? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. Somebody cheated you? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. Somebody violates a contract? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. Somebody sells you something that doesn't work? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. Somebody breaks a contract? You can't afford a lawyer? F you. In America you get as much justice as you can afford, so if you can't afford a lawyer then F you.
You throw the bill out the window and file your own claim against the trail association.
I hope she has a positive outcome with all of this nonsense.
Might likely be the easiest civil suit in American history if she would just get a lawyer and sue for damages.
I think if she can't afford the loan for the 18k, she probably can't afford a lawyer. She needs one to take up her case as contingency.
@cadavher so true. People think civil lawsuits are easy to do because of propaganda made by companies themselves to make it seem like Americans just do frivolous lawsuits all the time. In reality, it's expensive, time consuming, and requires finding a lawyer that cares enough to take a case on contingency
She doesn't even need a shyster and can do it herself. File the claim herself or sue their insurance company.
No its not. Not when the company that is supposed to mark the line did not do so correctly. All 3 will point fingers at each other, between the Contractor, Who paid to install fence,
and the Co. that is SUPPOSED to mark utilities. I have done this repair and when the finger pointing starts, money is spent. NO way it could cost $!8,000. to do 2 splices on that line.
@@tedhardulak7698 That's right, two splices in a line would not cost $18,000. But bringing the house's old electrical up to code because of liabilities would.
That's ridiculous. She didn't even do anything and yet she got stuck with the bill. If these companies don't rescind that bill, I hope that she sues them and get a big payload from them.
all she'd get is what she paid out. Where's this "big payload" coming from?
@@user-io8bm6gz5z most likely for all the stress and time she had to spend trying to resolve the issue. She did have to finance the bill so having to find the bank and then taking the loan out would be more money being taken out of her pocket that she didn’t have due to interest.
@@fightnightfrmdao3277 courts rarely pay out for pain and suffering in small claims courts. Shed be lucky if she got anything more than it cost her. Also, I dont feel what she has gone through with these clowns is actual "pain and suffering"... it's stress and anger but not pain and suffering
@@user-io8bm6gz5zDid you hear her voice?
@@user-io8bm6gz5z It wouldn't be small claims court as the cost is more than $10k. On top of that, she had to finance the amount and if she had a high interest rate, she would be paying more than what was loaned. Additionally, does she have AC or heat? Can she take a hot shower? will her stove or oven work? then there is the cost of the food she lost as well due to the power outage which on top of stress would add to emotional distress.
file a lawsuit against the contractors or the person that highered them
Needing an attorney for a case like this shows how good the US justice system is.
America ☕☕
2 things caught my attention, they said they were not responsible for damage due to line not being marked, here in virginia your not supposed to excavate without having it marked by the utility company and are still supposed dig carfully 5 ' around the lines. also if the service on the house is not damaged you sould not have to upgrade to new NEC code
I think they argued that it was mismarked, but I agree that more caution should have been exercised.
The people who stuck her with the bill should do some serious prison time. Straight up evil and greed
That's a service line. 811 doesn't mark service lines. They would have only marked the utility line from the pole to the electric box. From the box to the house (service) doesn't get marked.
They absolutely knew they hit that line.
Wow. I’m an electrician and there is just no excuse for such reckless work. If the two companies are playing the blame game then she should absolutely take them to court. A licensed electrician does need to legally bring her electrical up to code once they pull a permit but she should 100% NOT be the one paying. I wish I could help that poor woman.
Bro, were you born yesterday? This is the USA. First we blame her for not having a better job to afford the 18k or the lawyer. Second, we talk about how hard it is for companies to make any money. Third, lets blame the poor and homeless for any and all problems we have. Fourth, lets watch some large men run around in rectangles juggling a ball in different forms, and marvel at their abilities that justify the 8 figure salary. Fifth, this has something to do with the gays, the trannies, and whatever else my pastor said. Sixth, lets join a white nationalist group...oh, have we asked her if she is armed, and let her know that only good guys protect us from bad guys?
I agree. The exterior transformer is very close to that fence. I guarantee you I would have tried to find a way to not put a post that close to that box. You know there has to be a cable coming out of there going to the house. I don't care what dig safe marked. You can see the transformer.
Isn’t $18k a bit steep to rewire a house that size? It seemed small from the footage
@@JimDean002 Literally would of taken them 5 minutes with a metal detector check before digging. Is so lazy of the company hired to put up the fence.
@@user-xx7pg3vw9k no, but the house shouldn't have to be updated anyways, the damage was between the transformer and the service meters, the inside of the house shouldn't have even have been looked at as part of the scope of the work.
18k should be a big amount to anyone... most people couldn't afford to pay for this, myself included. This lady is struggling like the rest of us, big companies need to stop screwing innocent people 😡
What?!? This country was built on the rich and powerful screwing over innocent people. Why should that change now? A few people pull all the strings and that gap is getting wider and wider, just how they like it.
How was she screwed?
@Mr Wiggins she took out a loan for 18k for a mistake that had nothing do with her.. Her neighbor hired a contractor to rebuild a fence. The contractor that the neighbor hired "accidentally" cut the electrical line to her house.. which whether or not it was an accident they still did the damage caused but doesn't want to pay to fix it. She is barely getting by as it is. Now she had to take a 18k loan out to fix this mistake made by a company she didn't hire which she made very clear she cant afford for to pay in the video you apparently watched since your commenting on a comment left on the this video. So how is she not being screwed?
@@Reno420alex id argue the building codes. Theres no reason the entire house needs remodeled.
@@harley2die4 feminism killed them.
Sue both and let a judge decide who's at fault
She did not start contacting lawyers? Time to litigate.
This is a guaranteed win, I bet every lawyer within 100 miles of her is trying to get into contact with her lol.
Im glad they’re covering this story but it’s disappointing that they didn’t name the insurance company or trail association.
Sherwood Elm GroveTrail Association is named several times thru the broadcast. 3:14
Not sure I would be so quick to name and blame the insurance company, but the company responsible for the damages are at fault regardless of whatever plan they agreed to with their insurance.
Keep in mind not every company goes with a premium insurance plan even though they should. Bare minimum plans will get you bare minimum results.
The fence company can't waive their responsibility based on their crappy insurance, and an agreement this woman never signed. Should be an easy win for her, but this is America.
My heart goes out to this woman... A few years ago, my sewer lateral broke right at the Y-junction, largely due to faulty work by the company that redid the main in '84. They connected my line incorrectly, which led to a sudden $22k repair cost that fell entirely on me as the homeowner. I completely understand the strain of infrastructure failures when you're not financially prepared for them
This seems very straightforward; whover caused the damage pays...whoever hired the people that caused the damage pays.
Lawyer time! You did nothing wrong! Someone other than the owner needs to be held responsible.
You need to stop wasting your time calling insurance companies and call an attorney instead
This is absurd. It's just another example of someone having to pay for someone else's mistake, laziness, incompetence or malicious intent. Hopefully, she is able to find justice.
This is a situation where the homeowner sues everyone and lets the court decide who's to pay !
Problem with that is a lot of people do not have the money for that. Lawyers cost money.
@@DVankeuren Many lawyers will take cases on a contengency basis. If they think the case is strong enough, they build their cost into the lawsuit and its 0 out of pocket until the case is decided. If won the plantiff pays nothing. (Some states even have laws where civil suit loser pays winner's fees.)
@@whirltech8031 And if she loses.... GG
@@someone-ji2zb The contingency is, she doesn't pay if she loses.
@@someone-ji2zb "And if she loses.... GG" -- Well, for starters, "Oh, would you look at that, the fence got hit by lightning and burned to the ground!!"
The real insanity is in code enforcement. In a reasonable world this could be repaired for a few hundred dollars. But instead lets rewire an entire house.
Gotta love Gov't! Big Brother to the rescue. That is how it is like in this country. It wouldn't be like that elsewhere.
it's the company she hired that is ripping her off from what the paper shown in the story. Lot's of plumbing fixtures being inspected and possible replaced
THIS is why I'm glad I live where I do! we dont have this kind of bullchit here, I added a room on the back of my house in 2007, the permit was $5, I did a simple sketch on notepaper and it was approved and i did ALL the work myself, there was no bullchit inspectors or anything else involved. Here the state law now is homeowners can do their own electrical work without a license, all they need is a permit and inspection.
I had the very OLD incoming power line replaced along with the meter socket and weatherhead to my self installed 200 amp panel in the basement, local master electrician I know had to do that as they had to cut power at the pole etc the inspector didnt even look at anything more than the weatherhead and meter socket briefly from his vehicle and left
@@jameskitzmann6268 Yeah all that crap is ridiculous! washing machine hoses and her toilets???
I'm so happy we dont have this bullchit here!!! my toilet has a 3 gallon flush and none of my faucets have restrictors- I took them all out. I PAY for my water and I don't CARE how much I use when I'm paying for it!
@@WhistlesToAnimals It's like that in most advanced countries. It's how we gradually reduce house fires and other devastating effects of old wiring. The countries which don't have such laws are the ones where you see headlines like "Cambodia casino fire: At least 19 dead".
I bet they wont ignore a lawsuit. She should be able to sue both parties for stress and emotional damage
Call a lawyer
Its too bad that they just couldn't do the decent thing and resolve this
The amount of stress and no power would give me ptsd! I hope she sue them for this massive headache they caused!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take them all too court. Awful.
Companies Nowadays Don’t want to Accept Any Responsibility when they Clearly Screw Up. Too Bad Homeowner wasn’t a Lawyer and Sue the Companies.
The story names the trail association but not the insurance company or the fence company. You should name them all so customers can avoid doing business with them and then see how fast the fence company steps up and helps her.
Yes.... I agree. I'm a landscaper... riight there wiith that box within 3 feet, I would have been diggind VERY softly and carefully by hand, that particular hole... with a TROWEL, if necesssary.
It's the news. Any news outlet are known for selective information.
Nooo I don't think that would be a good idea at this point. Defamation has a way of coming back hard. I think she has a good law suit maybe a local attorney will see this and pick up the case for a chunk of the settlement.
@@jayf8308 how would it be defamation?
@@jayf8308 What defamation, it’s giving out all information and letting the viewer decide what they can do with it. Defamation is when you explicitly say that they are a bad company. News is suppose to be unbiased, and that’s how they reported it here.
It's an insurance adjuster's job to deny a claim and make you fight for it. Most people give up and the insurance company saves money!
just like the VA.....
@brewzkee Because insurance is a rip-off scam. You're betting you're gonna lose.
@brewzkee it’s not her insurance. It’s the property owner’s
It's the fence companies insurance that didn't cover the damage the fence company did. The fence company is still liable for the damage even if their insurance doesn't pay. She should have gone through her own insurance company and let them get the money back from the fence company. That's why you have insurance.
@@TheRealDrJoey …lol , it’s a ripoff until that day you need it .
File a tort claim against the company owner and the chairman of the association personally. You have been damaged and are owed compensation. File the claim in a court of record
A lawyer needs to take this case for free get her bills paid and compensated for her time and stress.
Shocking how people can be treated this way, No shame.
It's so sad that so many people are struggling these days just to make ends meet; including myself. You never really know what anyone is going through and that's one of the reasons you should treat others nicely. Times are HARD especially with inflation. You can hear the anxiety and sorrow in her voice 😔
And the sad thing is that our distress and hard times is our government's mishandling of our tax dollars.
We hope she can sue them for millions, they are slippory snakes.
Had the same situation with my neighbors. They hired a company to replace their driveway. The company not only half assed the job but they wrecked my fence. Then the local concrete company owner gave me the run around and started running his mouth about us needing to mind our own business. The absolute worst company ever. I tell everyone that I know that if they hate someone make sure to recommend this company to them to do their concrete work. They actively delete bad reviews on their page.
Ok then. Sue them for repair bills then an extra million for pain and suffering.
Sue for 10 mil and settle out of court for 1/2 mil
Maybe she should sue for $1 billion. You can’t just make up numbers and go to to court.
I love the pink linebacker look.
this happens all the time all over the country a landscaper or construction crew call up diggers hotline and you get one of two people type A shows up on time and physically tracks each utility one by one type B shows up late looks for the utility service shut off and acts like they are tracking its location when in reality they are using experience and county codes to guess where it "should be" instead of where it actually is.
She got scammed. The issue is between the power company and the folks that damaged the line. Any problem from the meter out, unless she caused it, is for the power company to address. Zero reason for any inspection or work on her side of the meter.
That cable isn't even homeowners responsibility... it's on the power company side of the meter. And 18,000 to bring a home up to code is highway robbery- there isn't that much code that has changed in the last 50 years. We just bid a "bring up to code" on a 100 year old house that included ripping out every bit of wiring and replacing every inch and it was only $20k
In between property law and insurance technicalities, this stuff is mind-boggling. I feel for the lady who took the financial fall for someone else's huge f-up.
Hey you can't blame a dictator...seems to be the freedom and justice we purchased. GREED always wins. She didn't have the 18k. She wont have the money to retain a lawyer. She will have to depend on 'pro bono' work, or she will have to pre-arrange to hand over a significant amount of any financial judgement in her favor.
Whom ever damaged the line are the ones responsible.
She needs to sue for BOTH the repair bill AND the interest, AND the Mental Anguish and suffering. 75k ought to cover it, plus 25k for the lawyers.
Trust me it's the contractor's fault, they never dig where they should.
Sue everybody.
Thr trails association, insurance company, and the fencing company
KPRC PLEASE KEEP UP YOUR GOOD JOB ON TRYING TO HELP THIS POOR LADY BEING RAILROADED BY THOSE OTHER COMPANIES ! Thank You .
She's the victim here! Any lawyer worth their salt can make this right, I don't know if the Institute for Justice do cases like this one but it doesn't hurt to call them to see if they can help.