An example of Commercial Union's Standards for inventory, salvage, care and storage of contents
Inventory and storage of the salvaged contents of our home by TGA and Son General Contracting
(A Commercial Union Service Company)
Below is the text of a letter detailing problems with the fire restoration and handling of contents following a fire at 25 Salem Ave. on the13/11/95.
Commercial Unions response
Commercial Unions response to this letter was to pay these companies for their services.
Response from R.P.Insurance Adjusters Inc
The response from R.P.Insurance Adjusters Inc.was to authorize payment for these services as well as services which were not performed.
Response from T G A and Son General Contracting Ltd.
When we refused to authorize payment for these services as well as work which was not performed the response from T G A and Son General Contracting Ltd.was to seize our contents which they had in storage and put our property up for public auction.
Text
Without Prejudice
B.Shuttleworth
10 Edgewood Cres.
Toronto, OntarioToronto, April 9th, 1996
Mr. Pilkington
R.P.Insurance Adjusters Inc.
200 Consumers Rd.
Suite 608
Toronto, Ontario
M6J 4R4
Dear Mr. Pilkington,
I am enclosing lists of items which my wife and I have examined that have been damaged in our recent fire. The list covers 40 bags, 27 boxes, a number of individual items and software. You have already been provided with the list and replacement costs for the first 16 to 19 bags but I have included them here again for clarity. Future lists will continue where these leave off. I understand that you have examined some of the bags of clothing with my wife at the TGA warehouse on Densely Ave and understand the difficult process we face in examining clothing that is at times burnt and or rotting.
As you know the contents of our home were removed in over 200 boxes, 150 bags, and 40 crates in addition to an undetermined number of individual items. On the basis of volume the list we are providing represents possibly 15% of our contents. the replacement cost of the items listed totals $150,769.90
We have received from TGA an appraisal of the portion of our art work sent to Dorset Conservation which totals $118,100. The appraisal from Dorset Conservation includes an estimate for the restoration of some items of art work but does not indicate whether this represents a full or partial restoration. As has been discussed it appears highly likely that our loss will be well in excess of the limit of our policy in regards to contents.
As you know the list of our contents which was compiled by TGA has been filed in random order which has made cross referencing the contents of a given crate or box with the TGA list difficult and at times impossible. None of the bags of contents were numbered and it appears that the contents of most bags were not listed so that it has not been possible to cross reference any of these contents with the TGA list. There is no list of items for boxes # 36,37,38,39,95,96,97,98,99,146,154 and crate # 440. There are two different lists for boxes # 156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163 and 164.
It takes my wife and I on average one hour to list the damaged contents of a bag, box or crate and research the replacement costs. Given the limited time we have available to devote to this task and the hundreds of hours required, a complete inventory of our contents in the manner you have requested is going to take a very long time.
The list we are providing notes items missing from a given box or crate that are listed as having been packed in that particular container. In addition there are numerous items that have been packed in boxes and crates that have not been included in the TGA list.
The list of clothing removed from our home does not correspond to the list of clothing that did not respond to cleaning.
examples :
2 girl's dresses listed as removed from our home
12 girl's dresses listed as not responding to cleaning35 towels listed as removed
72 towels listed as not responding to cleaning4 comforters listed as removed
10 comforters listed as not responding to cleaningIn addition I understand from Mr. Hart that not all the clothing removed from our home was inventoried in spite of assurances that it would be listed.
Clothing has been included with the cleaning returned to us that belongs to someone else - 2 shirts, 5 pairs of men's pants (George Richards oversized). Items of clothing have been returned to us as having responded to cleaning that reflect lack of reasonable judgment and care.
examples:
an extensively torn pair of jeans
a shredded fragment of hat lining
a scarf in tatters
clothing obviously stained and damaged
a Burbury raincoat, bleached, cleaned without removing leather buckles and missing a belt
clothing heavily scented in the cleaning process to mask the smell of smoke
a Kashmir rug, bleached, threads broken, fringe frayedOther items of our contents have been handled in a manner that reflects a lack of reasonable judgment and care.
examples:
silver and copper ware scratched and with the finish removed as a result of harsh cleaning.
a lacquer bed base smashed
a floor lamp smashed
metal frame dinning chairs with the paint finish chipped
mahogany desk with the top gouged
furniture moved and stored without protective blankets
the shattered remains of a decanter, the top cleaned, wrapped and repacked
3 down couches moved from TGA's Densely warehouse to their damp dirty warehouse on Milford stored on end and piled with other damaged items and no protective covering
a large Chinese chess set was poorly wrapped in a cardboard box and cleaned by TGA rather than being forwarded with other art work to Dorset Conservation as I requestedWith regard to your letter of February 14th,1996, many of the matters raised were discussed prior to our receipt of this letter. In addition I understand from my wife that you undertook to withdraw your letter. To date this has not happened.
The inadequate scope of restoration of our home proposed by TGA has and continues to be of grave concern for both my wife and myself. The timing of our decision of which contractor of the three we were limited to choosing, was determined by the availability of these contractors to review the damage to our home with our representative, Mr. Owen, their requests for additional opportunity to inspect the damage as well as the time necessary to review their references and not by delay on our part.
As you are aware access to TGA's warehouses must be arranged in advance and is not always available. It requires at times three quarters to an hour to commute in each direction to their warehouses from our temporary accommodation. With a view to accomplishing the inventory in the manner you have requested - an item by item assessment - it is necessary to remove van loads of our contents from the TGA warehouse to have them readily available for the hour or two at a time we can devote to this task. Reviewing the many items damaged by the fire is also emotionally draining and it is important to pace ourselves emotionally as well as physically.
With regard to the bags of clothing removed from TGA's warehouse, I was assured that these items had been listed and assessed - that TGA and their cleaners had determined that these items of clothing had not or would not respond to cleaning. I saw no practical purpose served in storing clothing that in many instances was burned and or badly decayed. As you are aware we have photographed all the clothing we have had the opportunity to assess. At your request this clothing is now being returned and stored at TGA's warehouse. Items that have been removed from TGA's warehouse
that are packed in boxes and crates, are available for inspection if required at a storage space we have rented to which we have access as our schedule and limited time allows.
With regard to additional living expenses, our costs for maintaining 25 Salem Ave. remain essentially unchanged. Our mortgage, property tax and insurance costs have not changed. The record of our expenses for light , heat and water are somewhere among the boxes, crates and bags remaining to be inventoried. I am enclosing a copy of the hydro bill for the two months following the fire. When our records are found I believe these costs will be little changed. I am enclosing a copy of our cable bill as the $34.06 monthly charge is a cost we are no longer incurring. we continue to pay our phone bill which is in addition to the $5,000 per month we are paying in rent. As you know we have had in the past a cleaning person to our house once every two weeks at a cost of $55.00 although in the months immediately proceeding the fire we did not have a cleaning person.
A condition of the rental agreement for 10 Edgewood Cres. was that we pay for a cleaning person once a week at the rate of $180.00 every two weeks in addition to the rent. As well until the house is restored we have a loss of rental income of $1070.00 a month. I believe you have a copy of the last tenants' lease.
We have already replaced a number of items of our contents as you are aware. We will provide receipts for these items as we find the time to organise them in the midst of preparing the item by item inventory of damaged contents. In addition you will need the bills for hotel, meals, emergency clothing and personal items, etc., which we will also provide when we can.
It is my understanding that a completion date for the work on our house can not be estimated on the basis of the incomplete scope prepared by TGA and that ATC can not commence the work necessary to restore our home to the condition it was in prior to the fire until authorised to do so by the insurer. In order to insure that we have suitable accommodation until this work is finished, we have had to find another furnished house to lease.
Yours truly,
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