Perez Family New Start
Donation protected
My family and I decided to do a GoFundMe page because we have reached a point where we have no choice but to start over. In May of this year, I received a phone call from my husband saying that the house next store caught fire and our house was damaged in the process. I immediately left work to check on my home, hoping and praying that our house would be okay. Although our house didn’t catch fire, it was engulfed in smoke which caused so much damage. What makes matters worse is that this is the second time this year that our house was damaged. The first fire happened in January and was not as bad as this one. Both fires were because of the house next door to us. We suffered in silence and managed to pull through. The house was remodeled and we moved back in quickly. You can imagine all the thoughts and feelings that ran through my mind knowing that this has happened again. I felt anger, stress and remorse but had to keep in mind that although the house was damaged badly, thankfully my family was safe.
As with any incident, we filed a claim through the insurance company, hired an adjuster to help us and a restoration company to help restore the house. During the processing and restoration period, we were able to stay in a furnished temporary home with the hopes that we would be back home by the end of the summer. The house had to be completely gutted and restored from the bottom up. By August, the insurance company paid the adjuster who forwarded the money to the contracting company so the work can begin on our house. The company, ‘After Disaster Restoration’, assured us work would begin September 1st. You can imagine my surprise and dismay, when I stopped by the house a week later and realized that nothing had been done to the house. I called the owner who provided me with what I thought was a legitimate excuse and again assured me that work would begin later that week. As time went on, my husband and I realized that this man was full of excuses and there was a possibility we were being conned. We filed a report with the attorney general in hopes that they would investigate what was going on. The attorney general is currently investigating the company, but as many of you know that process can take a long time.
It is currently December, six months later, and the house is in the same condition it has been in. My husband finally got into contact with the owner and demanded a refund. Although the money was provided by the insurance claim, we wanted to get a refund to pay someone else to do the work. We were tired of the excuses and no results. We met with a lawyer who told us our options. At this point our only options are to either get a refund- if the owner will give it or take him to court. At first the owner agreed to give us a refund but the day I went to meet with him, he never showed up. Since then he has completely ignored our phone calls which leaves us with no choice. One of our problems is now our temporary housing is almost up. Thankfully I have a friend who has offered a home where I can rent in the meantime. This home is a new start for my family and I. We feel that we have been through hell and back this year. The issue is we must buy furniture because we are starting from scratch.
My family includes my husband, my sons Daniel and Chris, and my daughter Zay. We are currently expecting our fourth child, a baby girl.
I am asking for this money in the hopes that you the reader can sympathize with what my family has gone through and find it in your heart to give.
As with any incident, we filed a claim through the insurance company, hired an adjuster to help us and a restoration company to help restore the house. During the processing and restoration period, we were able to stay in a furnished temporary home with the hopes that we would be back home by the end of the summer. The house had to be completely gutted and restored from the bottom up. By August, the insurance company paid the adjuster who forwarded the money to the contracting company so the work can begin on our house. The company, ‘After Disaster Restoration’, assured us work would begin September 1st. You can imagine my surprise and dismay, when I stopped by the house a week later and realized that nothing had been done to the house. I called the owner who provided me with what I thought was a legitimate excuse and again assured me that work would begin later that week. As time went on, my husband and I realized that this man was full of excuses and there was a possibility we were being conned. We filed a report with the attorney general in hopes that they would investigate what was going on. The attorney general is currently investigating the company, but as many of you know that process can take a long time.
It is currently December, six months later, and the house is in the same condition it has been in. My husband finally got into contact with the owner and demanded a refund. Although the money was provided by the insurance claim, we wanted to get a refund to pay someone else to do the work. We were tired of the excuses and no results. We met with a lawyer who told us our options. At this point our only options are to either get a refund- if the owner will give it or take him to court. At first the owner agreed to give us a refund but the day I went to meet with him, he never showed up. Since then he has completely ignored our phone calls which leaves us with no choice. One of our problems is now our temporary housing is almost up. Thankfully I have a friend who has offered a home where I can rent in the meantime. This home is a new start for my family and I. We feel that we have been through hell and back this year. The issue is we must buy furniture because we are starting from scratch.
My family includes my husband, my sons Daniel and Chris, and my daughter Zay. We are currently expecting our fourth child, a baby girl.
I am asking for this money in the hopes that you the reader can sympathize with what my family has gone through and find it in your heart to give.
Organizer
Felicia Perez
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
