STAY AWAY - SCAM COMPANY
Fellow consumers, STAY AWAY!!
WBN Home Design Inc is a fraudulent company designed to scam insurance companies, and when the insurance companies fail to pay, Home Design then extorts consumers demanding payment for their exorbitant bills. WBN Home Design, and Kara Kelly, exclusively work with victims of floods/fires/natural disasters, and show up to primarily do "pack outs" of affected homes. WBN Home Design will then hold the consumer's goods hostage until they receive payment, usually upwards of $10,000.
Hire a different "restoration" company or moving company. Literally anyone else.
To level-set on your expectations as a paying customer, here are a few do's/dont's with WBN Home Design Inc, aka. "Home Design Contents Restoration", aka "Nor Cal Home Design", aka Kara Kelly:
-They do not provide you with a cost estimate up front
-They do not have an active contractor's license
-They do not provide adequate inventory documentation and/or photos.
-They do not explain what services you are being billed for, outside of the pack-out. The services are vague and misleading, aka: "content damage mitigation."
-They do not try to save/repair your damaged items. (I watched the movers wrap my soaking wet leather couch in a blanket and saran wrap before putting it on their truck. Not a great idea if you want something to dry out.)
-They do not clearly articulate what is damaged or what is a total loss. See point above on poor inventory management and documentation.
-They do not clearly articulate what items have been repaired, what steps were taken to repair your items, or any details on the results of those repairs. (Is my 60" TV ruined or not? Did you try to fix it?)
-They do not provide accurate invoicing. Even if "Xactimate" is a legitimate pricing methodology, Home Design will increase hours worked or charge for additional vague services.
-They do grossly inflate estimates on hours worked, and cost of packing materials. $450 for bubble wrap.
-They do send their customers to collections agencies if insurance does not pay the bill.
-They do take advantage of customers in disaster situations. They offer you a glimmer of hope when you need it most, encouraging you to believe that your belongings will all be okay and restored to their prior condition. Several weeks or months after the disaster and pack-out, Kara, Heather, Lynie, and Jackie will begin obliterate that last small glimmer of hope you had. After dealing with whatever nightmare you suffered through when you lost your home, and thinking "there's no possible way it can get any worse than this..." Kara will be there to remind you, "oh yes, it can actually get way worse." WBN Home Design will send you a bill that is 5X-10X the market rate for a moving company, and will withhold all of your belongings hostage until you pay them. They will not give you any details on your possessions while holding them hostage.