Dan with WDS really did a great job handling what could have been a huge headache (discovering mold on a wall in the basement from an undiscovered leak) and a source of stress and making the entire process of fixing the leak and remediating and replacing the moldy wall very simple and stress free. He was great at documenting and communicating exactly what should be done and even told us what to expect from the insurance company and worked directly with the adjuster to take care of payment and inspections, etc. I wouldn't go anywhere else the next time I need help. read more

TL;DR: What should have cost less than $1,000 ended up costing me over $10,000 out of pocket due to this company's negligence and immoral business practices. Stay far, far away from them. Oh how I wish I had done my research on this company before blindly using them after being referred to them from a plumber I had found on Thumbtack. If I had looked them up prior to using, the lack of information on them and the lack of any significant reviews for a company that has been in business for 13 years would have been a huge red flag to me. Here is my story: My fiance and I had found a watermark on the concrete floor of the basement bathroom directly bordering a wall between the shower and toilet. The floor was never wet on top so it was clearly coming from underneath somehow. Dan from Water Damage Specialists (WDS) diagnosed it as a leaking shower pan liner and said my shower needed to be demolished. I, of course, did not want my shower demolished so did some research into what was in that wall and found a picture of a pipe from photos I had taken of the basement being remodeled. So I asked Dan and Matt (Dan's employee) to check that pipe before they demolished my shower (I have texts to back this up). Matt had cut a hole in the wall and then proceeded to demolish my shower. I work graves so I was sleeping when all of this was going on, but my fiance was around. When I woke up, I asked Matt about the pipe in the wall and he said it wasn't the problem and that it was the shower pan liner. Later that evening while I was at work, I received a text message from my fiance showing a photo of that pipe in the wall and that it was clearly leaking! I contacted Dan the next day to tell him we found the cause of the leak and he completely backpedaled and said that yeah, but they still needed to demolish the shower due to the damage done from the leaky pipe. Now, this leak was coming from a drain pipe which only leaked when the upstairs plumbing was in use. These guys as "professionals" should have known that and should have tested the pipe when I asked them to check it. The leak was also so insignificant that the tiny trickle that did come from it absorbed into the unsealed concrete within the wall which is why the floor was never wet on top. There was no extensive damage done to the shower and they screwed up, but were not about to admit to it. This company claims to be IICRC certified, but when I looked up the IICRC guidelines for water damage mitigation, the first step is to find the cause of the leak and fix it so it doesn't cause any further damage. They didn't even do that. After I told them the pipe was leaking, they allowed it to leak for TWO DAYS, before I finally got a plumber there to fix it. Again, the leak was insignificant, so I didn't view it as an emergency since there was no flooding involved, but I thought they would at least take care of it. Also, per their own guidelines, Cat 3 water damage from a drain pipe would require them to remove the shower pan liner which they also did not do, so if it was as bad as they said, why didn't they do those things? I also talked to other professionals in the restoration field and they said how WDS handled this issue was completely wrong and negligent. As "professionals," they should have known that there is a way to test shower pan liners for leaks, they should have cut a hole in the wall before I even said anything to see if there was a leaking pipe there, and they should have tested the pipe to see if it was the cause of the watermark. They did none of this. I was also told that they used their drying equipment way longer than was necessary, most likely to charge for the extra days (easy money, they're not even there for all those drying days). I took them to small claims which turned out to be a joke. They had a lawyer, I did not (not for lack of trying; most lawyers won't touch small claims), so I was at a huge disadvantage. Judge wouldn't let me tell my side, he kept telling me to move it along and to get to the point. Judge also acted like he didn't even open any of our evidence until the actual hearing. The hearing was supposed to be slotted for 2 hours, but he "inadvertently" scheduled another hearing an hour later and that he "didn't foresee this lasting longer than an hour." I mention all of this because it seemed like the judge already had his mind made up before the hearing even started (I have a copy of the audio of this hearing). The cost of losing that judgement and the cost of having to have a new shower built was getting to be too much. I was able to find an amazing lawyer after the initial hearing who was fighting for me because I wanted to appeal the judgement, but if I lost again, I would be paying their lawyer fees as well as mine and I just couldn't afford it, so the next best thing I can do is warn everyone about this immoral, corrupt, unethical, and negligent company. read more

WARNING!!!! Water Danage Specialist Inc. out of Lehi Utah Daniel Davies is a heartless crook. If you want to spend thousands of dollars out of your pocket over what your insurance will pay, go with this company. That's what he charged me, and I understand he has way over charged not only me but others including my neighbor who is in her late 80s. We live in a retirement community. I'm almost 70, and I live on Social Security. He has put me into financial hardship. I don't know how I am going to recover and rebuild my home. He took most of the money the insurance paid me. Also, this happened just before Christmas, so I couldn't buy any Christmas present for me children and grandchildren. This broke my heart. I told him that, but to no avail. He was a heartless, greedy, money hungry crook. According to adjusters from three different insurance companies, one said Water Danage Specialist inc. is rated D-. Another said that only less than 10% of restoration companies do what he does. This is the findings from my insurance company. Quote "Mitigation sent to us by Water Damage Specialist. It has been confirmed that they have manually manipulated the pricing to be higher than the prevailing rate established by Xactimate, the program that we all use to make sure pricing lines up. They also have charged for larger dehumidifiers and negative air fans than they should have. We won't be able to pay the amount that they invoiced. I am going to advise them of the amount we are paying, and they should not be charging more than that." He was advised and Daniel Davies did NOT budge an inch. Water Damage Specialist Daniel Davies is definitely on all these insurance adjustors radar screen and what a crook he is. He will not negotiate with me or the insurance company. He will charge you thousands of dollars out of your pocket over what the insurance company will pay. At first, he is very nice (a salesman) then he will argue with you. He is a salesman/crook. I've spoken with other restoration companies they said, once we pay off our equipment which takes only a couple of jobs everything at that point is 100% profit. They also said, fire them if they ask for your credit card up front, in which Water Damage Specialist Daniel Davies did. He's a liar and he's a thief, don't use him, run. I wish I would have read his reviews first. Over 90% of other restoration companies would have been better than Water Damage Specialist Daniel Davies. WARNING DON'T USE WATER DAMAGE SPECIALIST INC. OUT OF LEHI UTAH DANIEL DAVIES. Read more reviews from Home Advisor. The one-star reviews are exactly what happened to me. read more

Great service. Knowledgeable and professional staff. Work done in a timely manner. Owner is a amazingly cool guy. Highly recommend this company. read more