[jimjimmyjames]

My wife and I spent the past 6 months remodleing a foreclosure we had purchase in the spring. Last week the cable compnay arrived to install cable to the home. I am an electrical contractor and already had the jacks installed where I needed them and the cable provider only had to connect in the basement. On the day of the installiation, the cable sompany arrived 3 hours earlier then scheduled when myself and my wife were not home. The only person on the propert was my mother, who was there watching my 11 month old daughter. She called me and I told her which jacks I needed connected and she informed the cable installer.

The cable installer wasn't used to working with properly installed cable(my new jacks) and insisted to my mother that he needed to wun a new cable to the house and drill jacks through our new laminte and newly refinished hardwood floors. She(my mother) told the young installet, "please call my son before you drill through his floors, he is not going to be happy about you doing this". The young installed did not call, he drilled through the floors. He drilled three holes through my new floors and every one hit something in the basement(foundation, furnace duct, and another furnace duct). After failing to drill the holes, he finally connected the jacks I had origianly installed and left our home.

When I arrived home that night I was furious. After spending 6 monthes and thousands of dollars remodeling our home, the cable installer ruined our hard hard and accomplishe nothing in the process. I called the cable company and they sent out a representitive to asess the damdage. The company rep. had appologized to me about the damage and told me to get prices to fix/replace the floor and get back to him and that, "they would be writing a check."

I called a local flooring contractor to look at the damage to the laminate floor in my office. He informed me that the floor I had installed was discountinued, and that the holes in the flooring voided my 30 year warranty and the entire installation would need to be replaced. He gave me a an estimate and I faxed it to the company rep. I had spoken to.

After seeing the estiamte, the cable rep. was not happy. He figured that only the laminate with the holes needs to be replaced and that the floors overall warranty is not his problem. He is now insisting on sending a different flooring contractor to my house estimate the damage. I do not like the cable installers or their reps. Being in my home after what happened the first time. The bill to replace my laminate is much cheaper than the bill for replacing my 120 year hardwood floors is going to be. Whatt should I do now?

[N0help4u]

I would say it is there problem because
1. holes/damage in the floor does cause a warranty does not cover damage like he did.
2. If he hadn't drilled the holes you wouldn't have the damage.
3. He was never given permission to drill the holes and was told not to drill them.
Let him send a different company but if they are cheaper find out and note exactly why they are cheaper (for one a detailed estimate). Tell them though that you will get some other estimates yourself as well. Then if they can not settle out of court with something satisfactory you are taking them to court.

[Fr_Chuck]

Sounds like time for a lawyer and a law suit to me.