How many times has a contractor or business owner in a trade been accused of damage that they’re positive they weren’t responsible for?
Once, five times, 100 times over the span of a career?
And when that occurs, how many times have they chalked it up as a cost of doing business and covered the repair because they didn’t have concrete proof otherwise?
Recently, that happened to one HVAC company but because of CompanyCam, they did have that proof. That evidence on the ground saved from a potential lawsuit that could have been at or well above $75,000.
Don’t believe it? We’ll let Bob Lange, owner of Guardian Heating and Cooling, tell the story.
The $75,000 Problem
As Bob recalls, his Guardian Heating and Cooling team went up on a roof to install a condenser on a condo. This condo was part of a more extensive development that totals nearly 30 units.
Four months after completing the installation, Bob and Guardian were notified that a massive leak had sprung from the roof of that condo and flooded the residence.
In the past, Lange says he would not have had any real way to prove that his team didn’t cause the damage.
“I guarantee you, four years ago, I would have been, ‘Okay, it’s a sheet metal screw. That had to have been us. Let’s put it through insurance.”
Sure, his team could say they did this or that, but without concrete proof in a photo or a video, how could he truly prove it?
“We immediately thought that we were at fault,” Lange said. “They sent pictures and there were probably a dozen long four-inch screws that were through the roof. Not that I have four-inch sheet metal screws around, but it certainly made sense.
“It was probably $75,000 in damage.”
Where Did CompanyCam Come In?
One of the big priorities for Lange and his team is to leave any area they’re working in even better than when they arrived.
“They go as far as sometimes even mopping around the condensers on the roof,” Lange said. “We will leave the job in better condition than when we arrived.”
His team is also instructed to take a video of the area after the fact to show that it had been properly taken care of after the work was completed.
What he didn’t expect was what he found on CompanyCam.
“We went into CompanyCam just for giggles,” Lange said. “Our installers actually did a video of them walking off the roof, and you could see that there was nothing on the roof when we left. You could see them closing the hatch and everything. I don’t know why they did that, but it certainly made it very easy to prove.
“We were able to show that video. You could see that everything was impeccably clean when we left.”
The owner of the condo was out of town when the flood occurred. They were also out of town for the installation of what actually caused the damage. Because of the CompanyCam video and evidence that Bob and his team captured, everyone could start to trace what actually happened.
“It turned out some company came out later and put a satellite dish that the homeowner didn’t even know about,” Lange said. “That person was out of town when the water came through.”
Savings Was Just The Beginning With CompanyCam
Lange and his company estimated that the damage to the property was $75,000 or more.
The cost savings was one win for Guardian due to the CompanyCam video, but it wasn’t the only win.
“It even turned into a better thing because we sent the videos to the condo association,” Lange explained. “They were so impressed they signed a contract and forced everybody in the building to only use us.
“And the only [HVAC] company allowed in the building.”
From a very large business cost to new business revenue, this was quite a turn of events.
“It turned from a $75,000 possible lawsuit to 24 or 28 maintenance agreements,” Lange said.
