THORNTON, Colo. — A woman said a contractor for DirecTV satellite company damaged her home. She can’t live in the home because mold has spread throughout a wall in her family room.
There is clearly mold growing from the corner where a satellite TV access point was drilled. She was a customer of DirecTV, but they used a third party contractor to do the work.
That third party contractor is willing to pay only a fraction of what it would cost to repair.
“Pretty much I have a missing wall, an exposed wall and also the mold particle is flying throughout,” Sandy Chantha said.
She told the FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers mold started growing in the wall after a satellite TV installer drilled a hold through a toilet drain pipe. But it took a while to discover the problem.
“He would cough and he would sneeze and we would use Benadryl to try to prevent that but it would always still always reoccur,” she said about her son.
Her own contractor found mold has spread throughout the wall. It will have to be torn out.
“DirecTV is saying that their third party installer is responsible. Pretty much ‘I’m DirecTV, [I’m] not taking accountability,” Chantha said.
She showed us a long thread of emails she exchanged with the parties involved.
She has moved in with relatives while waiting to have the problem solved. “We’re paying mortgage here and then in addition I’m also paying rent at my brother’s house.”
She has been dealing with this for two years.
We called a number of contacts that she has made, but received no response.
They accept liability and they’re willing to only offer a small portion of what the cost to repair the wall is,” she said. The cost of repairs is $5,000 and Chantha said she’s been offered $2,000.
They suggested that she use her own insurance company, but her deductible is $1,000. “My patience is up and I would just like to be home again.”
DirecTV does tell customers in writing it uses third party installers.
Sandy Chantha said she was never told that.
The local contractor that did the work at her house works for a company out of Florida.
We were unable to reach anyone from there or their insurance company.