TrustDALE Makes It Right for This Consumer's Soggy Basement

We all like to feel like we got our money's worth when we make a purchase—especially a large one. So when this homeowner spent over $16,000 to solve a problem that wasn't fixed, she was rightly upset. To make matters worse, a third-party inspection showed that much of what she paid for was unnecessary. We hate to leave consumers in the lurch, so this situation called for a TrustDALE intervention to make it right.

An Expensive Solution to a Simple Problem

Homeowner Sharon Webb had a dream. She wanted to turn her basement into an arts and crafts room. She had lived in her home for a long time and invested in it over the years. She was excited about this newest project, but it was quickly derailed.

When Sharon went down to her basement, she noticed a musty smell and even spotted some leaking water. She and her husband have respiratory issues, and there was no way they could craft in a musty, wet basement. So Sharon did what any responsible homeowner would do. She hired a waterproofing service to dry out her basement and waterproof it against any new moisture.

When the work was done, the company had installed two sump pumps and extra drainage. But Sharon noticed that the basement was still musty, and there was still water leaking. So the company came back and went so far as to build a cement retaining wall to redirect water away from her home's foundation. But that just caused other problems. The water was diverted toward other parts of her property, including a gate area, where it did more damage. And in the process of construction, the waterproofing had killed more than a dozen of Sharon's bushes, trashing her backyard landscaping.

Sharon was patient, and she hoped the issue would get better. After all, the waterproofing company had done a lot of work and charged her $16,900 for their services. But after waiting for the issue to resolve, it just got worse. But when she tried to reach out to the company yet again, they stopped responding to her. That's when she called TrustDALE.

TrustDALE Makes It Right

We heard about Sharon's problem and agreed that something had to be done, both to fix her basement and to hold the waterproofing company accountable. So we did three things.

First, we sent in one of our trusted partners, AquaGaurd Foundation Solutions, to do an independent evaluation. Upon inspection, they found that the problem had not been solved, and some of the work Sharon paid for had been unnecessary. But they had an idea for a solution.

Second, we contacted Sharon's original waterproofing company to ask them to make it right. The company was receptive, and they came back to Sharon's home with a bevy of beautiful new bushes to plant in place of the bushes killed during their construction work.

Third, we reached out to our friends at Lowe's, and they provided us with the tool we needed to finally solve Sharon's soggy basement dilemma. They gave Sharon a brand new dehumidifier to dry out her basement and keep it dry, so she can get to work creating her new arts and crafts room. Thanks to the TrustDALE team and our partners, we're glad we were able to help Sharon and make it right!