I had what should be considered relatively minor water damage as a result of a leak from a washing machine in the laundry room, which is located on the second level of my place.

I called Pinnacle for an estimate. Joe (the owner) came by and first gave me a verbal estimate of $1, 500.

The next day he informed me that the cost of the damage was actually $2, 498.98. The company wanted advanced payment in full and wanted my credit card.

When I asked him the reason for the discrepancy, he muttered something about water damage is always difficult to estimate on the spot until one sits down with a calculator.

To make a long story short, I discovered that the insurance deductible was $2, 500.00 and therefore as the above estimate was 2 cents below the deductible, there was no insurance claim.

Pinnacle, obviously recognized that I was on the hook for the bill myself and was trying to gouge me...right up to the limit...2 cents!!

I realized this when the insurance adjuster came by and did their own assessment of the water damage.

Needless to say, I did not use the services of Pinnacle Cleaning and Restoration in Burnaby, British Columbia.

I note that even when a company is a member of the BBB, they can still prey on consumer ignorance. I think that sometimes companies will buy BBB membership in order to shield themselves.