My worst nightmare...

[bigshynepo]

The tale of woe, share my pain, UPDATED: and enjoy my victory!

PICS AT BOTTOM OF POST #!
(please keep in mind that items in photos are shown as found. I have not cleaned these up in anyway, the signs of cleaning on the Amplifier were done by the contractors when trying to cover up the accident. As you can see, they missed some spots....)

Prologue

In the process of some minor renovations to the house after a water pipe burst. Our fireplace is being re-tiled and the contractors are in the last hours of the work (it's been going on, on and off, for a few weeks). With only one trip to my house remaining, I remarked to them as they left on Monday that we were very impressed with their (a young couple) work. They took the care to be very neat and clean, especially since some of the home theater was setup for a family gathering. The TV and amplifier lie only 8-10 feet from the area the tiles were being grouted in at. They were not covered.

Oh No

I return from work today (tuesday) and realized I had to RETURN the Simpsons ps3 game. I was looking for the game and receipt by the home theatre setup I hadn't used since Sunday, since before the contrator's last visit on Monday afternoon. I rifled through the stack of games to find what I was looking for when I noticed a fine powder covering all my blu-ray stacks. My mind raced as, thinking if my Blu-rays were the farther of my home theater items from the work area, were my electronics covered in powdery dust too?!

Tricks

I instantly glance at the most expensive piece of the setup I was referring too, my pride and joy, my Sony ES series amplifier. It's so new, I have only had it set up in it's final configuration for a week of it's life (it was in a box for six months). My angered flared...then subsided. The Amp was dust free. But something wasn't right.... There were visible wipe down marks on my new receiver. Smudges of dust and debris across ever facet of the box. I took a picture and the tell tale signs show up clearly. Dust missed around ever button, dust filling the cracks of the device. Not only did they dirty my stuff, they touched my stuff.

C.S.I.

I began shooting pictures of every nook and cranny of my basic setup that was Mr. Clean clean the day before (after all, it had only been set up in this config, in this room, for the weekend.) My entire setup was filthy. My playstation was dull and rough with debis and dust. Dust is found in it's ports and on the entrance to the blu-ray drive. The connections on the rear of my TV, PS3 and receiver are all disgusting, worse than the fronts. My optical connections seem contaminated. I can stare into my receiver vents and see dust covering every board inside. My wireless controllers and remotes are covered in dust. Worst of all, they scratched the front of the TV frame above the speakers when they tried to wipe it down. I took a second to get my thoughts together before cursing a blue streak.


Waiting Game

I call the contracting company at 5:01pm. A gentleman picks up the phone and I asked for someone who could resolve a property damage dispute. He was familiar with my parents and asked me to explain everything. He advised that they would "Pay for cleaning" if necessary but as far as I'm concerned, the stuff is "As New". I don't want some crappy repair shop (or Sony for that matter) taking my stuff away from me for X number of weeks for cleaning only to be returned to me scarred by the fact that you can't clean anything completely and the cleaning process could inadvertently damage or weaken existing components. I want all new stuff or the equal amount of money to go buy equivalent merchandise.

It would be like buying a new car and then driving a car off the new car lot and getting hit by a drunk driver. You'd want a brand new car from the insurance company, not a car with 2 miles on it and $5000 dollars worth of repair work.

And thus ends the story and the countdown begins to resolution...

Dec 17, 2007 - Genesis

Finally, the powers that be at the contracting company have signed off on the check for replacing the 3 pieces of hardware that were damaged. Last weekend I took a Playstation 3 down to a local electronics seller and tested it out on the Samsung 71 series and the Sony W3000 series TVs. Suffice it to say, I walked out with not one but two Sony Bravia KDL-40W3000 TVs (one for me, one for a friend) and have put my Sony STR-DA5300ES amplifier on order. After getting some killer pricing, i've only had to put in a little of my own money for the upgraded gear. It's nice to know that heading into the holiday season with alot of family in town, I'll be able to entertain in pure 1080p high definition.

I've learned that next time I need to leave nothing to chance, plastic cover-ups or moving the product completely away from any area contractors may be working or moving through is essential. I'm lucky that this situation turned out this way, it could've just as easily went the other way. Thanks to everyone who's checked out this thread, commented, talked to friends about it and offered their support through the time i've been dealing with this and thanks to the Contracting company who really was a stand-up business in this world of lackluster ethics.


Epilogue

The best part about it is, the other stuff still works for the time being so someone is getting the best Christmas present ever this year. Also, I've adding another blu-ray family to the pool and contributing to hardware sales with the purchase of a second unit. It's a Blu Christmas, I'm going to go buy Simpsons tomorrow to celebrate, my first HDM purchase in over 2 months.

Just to recap, the old equipment is gone and the new equipment is in the purchasing phase (TV is already hooked up). If anyone is wondering how HDM looks on this setup, it's awesome. Probably the 4th best TV on the market in any price range and worth looking at if anyone is considering.

OLD Equipment:
37" Viewsonic 1080i LCD
Sony STR-DA5200ES A/V Receiver
Playstation 3 60gb

NEW Equipment:
40" Sony Bravia KDL-40W3000 LCD
Sony STR-DA5300ES A/V Receiver
Playstation 3 60gb

Take care, I hope this never happens to any of you but I hope if it does, it turns out like my situation did. Signing off.

[ckelly79]

The TV and amplifier lie only 8-10 feet from the area the tiles were being grouted in at. They were not covered.

Sorry man, but what did you think would happen?

[bigshynepo]

I was thinking they would be mixing grout compound outside like they were told to, not in the basement.

[stallion]

Wow that really sucks, I doubt they will pay for new stuff, possibly just cleaning like the fellow on the phone said. I'd be pretty pissed off thought especially since you have some expensive equipment, but it all still works right?

[bigshynepo]

Well, it turns out they turned a Shop Vac on next to my home theatre equipment with the switch on "blow" instead of "suck". That explains all the debris everywhere. It also goes to reason that they tried to clean up as much as they could in the hopes I wouldn't notice.

I am claiming full reimbursement for the purchase price of the items when new.
(TV $1100, Amp $1700, Playstation $700)

[intoxicated662]

wow thats alot of costs right there. those guys could get fired but if they were given specific directions as you stated and didn't follow then someone isn't paying attention. also, how is it those people were on the job and had no supervisor there to coordinate things and tell them what to do? another thing is, you assumed they'd do the work outside but did it inside instead and you didn't take precautions as you assumed and ended up being wrong. however, that does not excuse them for doing what they did either way and for them to clean up and try to act like nothing happened make its worse. they should have came up clean and told you upfront and apologized then asked if there was anything they could to do help. good luck!

[stallion]

Do the items you are claiming for full reimbursement work or are they just dirty?

[ATLFalconsFAN]

That really sucks! I would be pissed off too.

I wouldn't hold my breath though on them replacing or paying for all of your equipment.

If I see my friend who is a lawyer I'll ask her what she thinks for ya.

[bigshynepo]

Well everyone, I met with the one of the supervisors of the contracting company today at lunch to "survey the damage". He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw how much dust and debris was found in my basement. Even countertops and shelving units in other parts of the basement were covered with the tell-tale white dust. He is an HDTV owner as well and could fully understand my anger regarding the situation. I advised he was looking at upwards of $4000 in replacement and drycleaning costs. He suggested that we try to clean them first. My response to this was as follows:

"Sir, I respect that your company is trying their best to compromise but this receiver is 1 week out of it's box. To send my STR-5200ES into the repair shops for however long only to be tampered with by strange hands is not acceptable. You can have these things for your office or put them out on the curb but, quite frankly, these items are as useful to me as if they had been in the basement flood in the first place."

He suggested that they would sign a contract saying if, in the future, my stuff crapped out and the cause could be attributed to the dust, they would replace it. I advised that I didn't think it was fair to put the onus of proof on me and that we should skip that whole ugly step and go with a total replacement right now.

Finally he said that "If they have to look at buying all new stuff, they would have to consider that option because they don't want anyone unhappy."

Do the items you are claiming for full reimbursement work or are they just dirty?

I haven't dared turn on any of the electronics, there is literally fragments of wood that have slipped through the top vents in my receiver and are laying on the circuit boards. Anyone who owns a Playstation 3 knows how the internal fans suck their hardest right when you boot it up. If I turn it on, It will further contaminate the inside. Also, correct me if i'm wrong but, isn't it next to impossible to clean a dirty optical port and that even a few specks of dust can be detrimental to sound quality?

If I see my friend who is a lawyer I'll ask her what she thinks for ya.

Thanks man, I'm looking for any take on this situation that I can. Anyone who has previous experience with a contractor wrecking something during their working process would be great to hear from too.

I am never the guy to try and stick it to the man, I'm not the person who would send back bad food at a restaurant. I hate being "That guy," the complainer you can never satisfy. But. I have to put my foot down with this. I am 24 and work day to day. This is alot of stuff that I have invested alot of time, money, and effort into and now this happens. Anyone who reads this board knows I am passionate about Hi-def in general and this was like being hit in my car or having my house broken into. It just leaves you hanging, hoping the situation is going to work out.

[project-blu]

tldr. however, since "lost" was the next thread beneath this one, and it is my personal worst nightmare, i thought i'd share

[Sy-]

Did you really pay $1700 for your STR-5200ES? You know that model has been discontinued and superceeded by the STR-5300ES? You can replace the 5200ES for < $800 on line!

[bigshynepo]

Did you really pay $1700 for your STR-5200ES? You know that model has been discontinued and superceeded by the STR-5300ES? You can replace the 5200ES for < $800 on line!

I live in Canada where the 5200 is still sold. It took almost 3 months to get it from Sony originally and then right before unboxing it, we had a flood in our basement (the reason we have contractors in the first place).

It was 1700.00 retail, I got a deal on it (still 1200) and then it's set up one weekend for a wedding and the contractors f*ck everything up on the second last (of more than a dozen) visits. It's brand new with a weekend of use to me so I am looking for reimbursement for the dollar amount on my receipt (1200.00).

WHEN I get reimbursed, I plan on buying the 5300ES, It was not available when I made my initial purchase.

[HAVOCMAN74]

My father and I work in the masonry buisness and when we work inside a finished house we always mix the cement and do all the cutting outside. If furniture/electronics are in or near the work area, we always tell the home owner to have those items moved or covered with a tarp or a old blanket.

If these guys did mix the cement inside then they are at fault.

[HAVOCMAN74]

I just read your other post about your PS3 getting blown by a shopvac and it now has wood .......chips iside. these guys really fucked up.

[glocks out]

What do you expect from Canadians? All they do is drink beer and throw octopi. J/K.

That is a terrible story. Sorry to hear.