Videos showing water dripping from the ceiling throughout Renel Francois' townhome helped tell the story of what the family had to deal with while they waited several months for their new roof to be installed.
"I had to make sure, like this is something that they cannot be ignored," Francois said.
The Pembroke Pines man recorded the videos over several weeks and said he sent them to his contact at The Home Depot, hoping to speed up a process that started in September 2017, when he signed an $8,400 contract for a new roof. The project, according to the document, was supposed to start in November of the same year.
But months later, Francois said he was still waiting for the project to begin, while the condition inside his home was getting more urgent, with water coming in every time it rained. He said he pressed The Home Depot for answers and got different reasons for the delay.
"They're working on the installers, a couple of installers had bigger projects, they're running late – from excuses to the next, you know, the weather," he said.
Then in September, nearly a year after signing the contract, Francois saw stories of how NBC 6 Responds helps consumers.
"I was like, wow, I can relate," he said.
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He says he told his wife, "Let's see if we can reach out."
After he did, NBC 6 Responds contacted the company about the delay in October.
"Within three weeks the job was done," Francois said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said the storms from 2017 "…created intense demand on roofing and labor that isn't unique to The Home Depot. We apologize for the delays Mr. Francois faced, however, given the industry challenges, we completed the job as quickly as possible. We always aim to communicate project timelines clearly and appreciate the opportunity to make it right."
Francois had filed a claim with the company, hoping to get help paying for more than $25,000 in damages he said happened because of the delay. That claim was initially denied, but later re-opened and resolved. He cannot tell us how much he was given but says it helped him pay for some of the repairs he needed.
Francois said he was thankful to finally have his new roof and to be able to focus on getting the inside of his house back in order.
