LAKEWOOD, Colo. — It’s been just over a month since Wendy Taylor moved into her Lakewood home.
She bought a brand new washing machine and dryer from Best Buy before moving in. After a mix-up during installation, she called Best Buy to get it fixed.
A service crew from the third-party company, installs|NAL Group came out, which shocked Taylor. She thought actual Best Buy employees would be doing the job.
“[installs|NAL Group] realized [the installation crew] hooked up the cold to the hot and the hot to the cold, so they pulled the washer out and changed that. And then I watched them shove my washer back against the wall,” said Taylor.
She said the installs|NAL Group crew never tested the washer to see if it worked. When she tried to do a load of laundry, that's when the problems began.
“I came back an hour later to change it, and my basement was all wet,” said Taylor.
She said water was everywhere. She called Best Buy, who told her to call the plumber, according to Taylor.
“He turned everything off and showed me the tube, which I have a picture of, and there’s a puncture in it,” she said.
The plumber told Taylor she would need to get mold mitigation because the drywall, carpet and flooring were all wet. She called Best Buy again and was told to file a complaint with pictures of the damage to their insurance.
On August 29, Taylor got a letter from the insurance company denying the claim. In the letter, the company determined that the hose either had a manufacturer defect, got caught on something on the wall or something else happened after it was installed.
So far, Taylor has paid thousands of dollars for repairs, including $1,500 for mitigation and over $3,100 for restoration.
“I don’t have the final bill from restoration, but around $7,000 dollars... A lot of money for something I didn’t do,” she said.
Contact Denver7 reached out to Best Buy. A spokesperson said the company is working directly with Taylor on the issue and is working to learn more about what happened.
Meanwhile, Taylor said it took about two weeks for everything in her basement to get cleaned up, and after having no luck from Best Buy for the past month, she got a call from them Thursday morning.
“She said, "Well corporate asked us to give you a call,"” said Taylor. “I would like to be fully reimbursed."
Taylor said if she’s not reimbursed for damages, she has two options — take Best Buy to small claims court or turn her claim over to her homeowner’s insurance, which she’ll still have to pay a premium for.
Contact Denver7 reached out to installs|NAL Group for comment but has not heard back as of publication.
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