The Check is in the Mail!

Finally, we have some good news about our collapsed deck.  The check is in the mail!  As of Monday, I knew the adjuster was still dragging his feet, so I waited a day and reached out to our insurance company.  The person I spoke with said they had just received the information and given how long this has taken; they would put a rush in reviewing and getting the claim settled.  No surprise they went with the lower of the two estimates, minus the $300 the adjuster talked them down.  With that, and after our deductible is factored, we (and our mortgage company) will see a check of $13,700.

Today I placed several phone calls.  I called our mortgage company regarding the funds.  The website indicated that anything over $5,000 would require getting draws and inspections.  Thankfully, that is not entirely accurate.  They endorse checks under $20,000 and send them back.  We will need to submit the adjuster’s report and later a letter of completion. Easy enough.  I called our insurance company, and that report comes with the check.

I have also contacted the company we want to do the work.  Although their bid is the higher of the two, they came across far more professional than the other company.  Plus, at a later point, we have some extensive remodeling we want to have them do.  The owner of the company was the one who came out to give us the deck bid.  At that time, we spoke with him regarding multiple issues/ideas we had.  His answers and suggestions were top notch.  His company has done work for several of our neighbors, and all have had good experiences.

Here’s where things get a bit more interesting.  About a month ago, I overheard an advertisement on the radio for the builder we are using.  I didn’t remember all the details, other than remembering that it sounded like a good deal.  Yesterday, on a fluke, I did some searching to see whether or not it was still available.  In all honesty, I doubted I would find it, and even if I did, I figured it would be long gone.  Guess what?  I found it!

Like many communities, radio stations often offer local bargains.  It all has to do with advertising.  This group of stations has about 2,000 different deals and gift certificates available at reduced prices.  Needless to say, I still did my due diligence to verify the legitimacy.  The item I wanted was for $5,500 worth of work for $3,000.  Being leary as I often am, I contacted the radio station and spoke directly (and also had some email exchanges!) with the CEO.  I wanted to know why it was so cheap if there were stipulations, and if there was an expiration date, etc.  As for the value, they had recently reduced the price since it had been on their site for some time.  Everything else checked out as well.

So, I try to pay for this via PayPal, which wasn’t working.  Fortunately, the CEO had given me three other people (one was his son-yep, I checked that out too!) that I could speak to about how these certificates worked.  Hey, $3,000 is a lot of money, and I did not want to be scammed!  As for paying for it, the issue was with PayPal.  The person I spoke with said I could send or bring a check to the radio station.  But, my reason for wanting to use Paypal is that Discover is currently giving 5% back by paying this way.  That is $150 which I can then turn around and get $150 worth of discounted Lowes gift cards for $135 and have $15 leftover.

The workaround ended up that the radio station invoiced me and I then paid them via PayPal.  They said they could mail me the certificate, but given the large amount, I said I would prefer to pick it up in person.  A $5,500 certificate isn’t something I want to chance getting lost (or potentially stolen) in the mail.  Even if I had gone that route, the CEO of the radio station said he would be letting the builder know we were the ones who purchased it.  As it is, he said they were meeting next week regarding renewing their advertising contract.

Before anyone gives me the riot act about putting $3,000 on my credit card, I assure you I will pay it off in full with the insurance check.  Additionally, I’m overnighting the check to our mortgage company and having it overnighted back.  The bank rep said this way there will be very little delay getting it back to us. I am also not doing anything shady as the money is being used to replace our deck.  I’m just getting more bang for my buck.  Given that there are no stipulations with this certificate (plus we don’t even have a signed contract with the company), at the very least, it will help offset our deductible plus the extra we are spending going with the higher bid.

Of course, even with all of this, I’ll continue to hold onto most of our snowball money until all is said and done.  I did get the statement for the furnace debt.  The minimum payment was $50, but I sent $100 to the balance.  We are now down to $2,400.  While I absolutely hate the delay in paying it off, at least there is no interest, and it will be paid off before that even becomes a possibility.