With the recent hurricanes and tropical storms impacting our country, many people are wondering how they would react if an emergency hit their home. This week, I’m interviewing Donna Koser of ServiceMaster Albino, a company which offers restoration services. Knowing who to call when things go wrong is the first step to getting things fixed.
Donna, you work with ServiceMaster. This is a name that’s been around a long time, right?
The ServiceMaster brand has been a leader in needs-based services for nearly a century.
ServiceMaster Albino, the company I work for, is an independently owned franchise started in 1986 by George Albino, which was then transferred to Matt Stevenson nearly 8 years ago. Matt has with a wealth of knowledge on property management, project management, and building.
We have extensive training around water, fire, mold and cleaning, equipping us to help when disaster hits your home, your organization, or your business.
How did you personally become involved with ServiceMaster?
Matt and I connected nearly 20 years ago while I was working part-time as a preschool teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator for a small not-for-profit organization. Before beginning a family, I had previously worked in administration and marketing for an architect and engineering firm where I developed a specific skill set that Matt needed at ServiceMaster. Matt invited me to work for ServiceMaster Albino almost 5 years ago to help re-organize his office space and day to day office operations, which included hiring an office manager, developing a social media presence, and designing an outreach plan for staff to “give back” to the community.
When I hear the name ServiceMaster, I think of the people you call when you have a big mess, such as after a flood or fire. Is this right?
You are absolutely correct! ServiceMaster Albino is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for emergency services. Emergency Services include fire and water restoration, tarping, and more.
If someone suffers a situation like this, should they call you or the insurance company first?
ServiceMaster Albino works with all insurance companies. Our professionals are knowledgeable about what insurance will cover and follow the standard cost. When your home or business suffers a disaster, you may put an emergency call into ServiceMaster Albino via our 24/7 hotline and then call your insurance company to get things moving quickly. You may also first call your insurance company and let them know you will be contacting ServiceMaster Albino to begin the process.
Do insurance companies typically approve Service Master as a restoration provider? Does payment typically go through the homeowner or directly to you?
ServiceMaster Albino is a “preferred vendor” to many insurance companies. When an insurance claim is made, payment is directly sent to ServiceMaster Albino.
I learned at our recent NAPO-CT meeting that you offer services outside of “disaster” situations as well. What else do you do?
ServiceMaster Albino is best known for its 24/7 Emergency services for cleaning and restoration for both commercial and residential clients experiencing disasters (fire/water/mold/sewage).
In addition, ServiceMaster Albino provides in-depth residential cleaning services (deep cleaning), carpet and upholstery cleaning, duct cleaning, hoarding/junk removal, and more. Unique to ServiceMaster Albino are our construction services available to rebuild after a loss. Construction rebuild might include replacing floors or walls or other areas damaged beyond repair during a disaster.
One need that many of my clients have is for a thorough cleaning either immediately after moving out or just before moving into a home. Is this something you do?
Yes, ServiceMaster Albino can conduct a thorough cleaning of your home prior to putting your home on the market or after you have purchased a new home. We deep clean all surfaces, including carpets and grout. Additionally, we are often asked to deep clean home ducts, especially if the previous owner was a smoker or had pets.
What do you think might surprise readers about ServiceMaster?
Most people don’t know about ServiceMaster Albino’s construction services, where we can rebuild floors and walls that have been damaged. ServiceMaster Albino is also very community focused. Readers might see us handing out food boxes, collecting diapers or backpacks, or serving in other ways. ServiceMaster Albino believes in giving back when we can. We also offer continuing education classes to the community.
What’s the most unique situation you have ever encountered in this business?
Well, I am not usually the one who enters people’s homes. However, what I most love about my position is the gratitude of clients. One client in particular was contacting us for services for his elderly parents. He had recently visited his family home from a neighboring state and noticed that his parents were unable to conduct the usual household care as they previously had done. The client (the adult child) was unable to come home and provide the needed help. We were able to coordinate services for him from a distance.
I loved hearing about his genuine concern for his parents. After becoming aware of the condition his parents were living in, I knew we could help. It was evident that this particular client was extremely grateful and he even referred a few friends who were in similar situations.
You work for a ServiceMaster franchise in Connecticut. Are services similar across all franchises?
For the most part, all ServiceMaster franchises can help restore your home or business after a disaster. Unique to ServiceMaster Albino are our hoarding services and construction/rebuild services. We are a full-service restoration company.
What parts of CT do you service? If someone lives outside of CT, how can they find a nearby provider?
ServiceMaster holds licenses throughout the state of CT and can go anywhere in CT when called. If a client is outside of our service area, ServiceMaster can refer to other franchises who will provide services with the same professional care.
If someone is interested in your services, how should they contact you?
If someone is interested in quotes for carpet and upholstery cleaning, duct cleaning, deep cleaning, etc., they can text or call me at (860) 212-9985 or call the office at (203) 753-0666. All Emergency/Disaster calls should first go directly to our office hotline (203) 753-0666, and then they can call me so I can follow up on the process. If someone is looking for more information, they can visit our website: ServiceMaster Albino | Restoration Services (servicemasterrestore.com)
What if a situation needing attention happens in the wee hours of the morning or on a weekend?
As mentioned, ServiceMaster Albino is available 24/7/365. People can call us any time.
Do you offer free estimates?
Yes, many of our estimates can be provided over the phone. For some services, such for as for hoarding remediation, deep cleaning, junk removal, etc., we send a professional to enter the home or business to prepare the estimate.
Is there anything else you want to share with my readers?
I love working for ServiceMaster Albino and trust Matt and his professional team. In fact, I have sent several teams into my mother’s home for both an attic clean out and dryer vent cleaning. Many other family members have utilized ServiceMaster’s services as well. I can confidently refer friends and family.
* * *
Have you or a loved on ever experienced an emergency or disaster situation?
Love your title for this post. It is so good to be organized for these type of events. We certainly hope we don’t need to use these services. Knowing who to call though and bring prepared that way certainly can be a godsend. Great interview Seana
Kim Tremblay recently posted…Do you have trouble with focus?
I think it is comforting to know that should an emergency happen, I would have a reliable resource to call and depend on for help.
I learned so much from this interview. Thank you. I’m going to add ServiceMaster to my resources.
Sabrina Quairoli recently posted…14 Easy Tips for Organizing Long Term Files in your home and business
This is a good resource to have on speed dial because you just never know!
Oh my goodness – this is amazing. I think you always need to know you have someone like this. I’ve been very minimally in fires, hurricanes, and tornados. I guess I’ve been lucky being in the Northeast where we don’t get quite the damage from hurricanes or tornados or the wildfires. Although my family in NJ got wrecked by Hurricane Sandy and our neighbors in Vermont got wrecked by Hurricane Irene.
Tamara recently posted…5 Reasons Getting Your House Professionally Cleaned Can Be Beneficial
I think we are mostly lucky in New England when it comes to natural disasters, but I know many who have had flooding. One friend was away in Florida and apparently her upstairs toilet burst and ran all over her first floor. Major damage! So always good to know who to call.
This was essential information. I think most people know something about ServiceMaster; they’ve at least heard of it. I tend to think of them as coming after a flood or tornado, just because that’s when my clients have needed them. But knowing they can do cleaning and restoration for commercial and residential clients for all sorts of disasters (including fire, but also mold remediation) is really helpful!
Julie Bestry recently posted…Calm Cooking Chaos (Part 2): Organize Your Recipes Digitally
I greatly appreciate knowing who to call when things go awry because that tends not to be the moment when we want to be doing research, right? We’ve had lots of flooding here in CT, and my brother’s sister’s home was impacted by one of the Colorado fires. They were out of their home for a year!
Great interview, Seana! I knew about ServiceMaster but had never looked into their services. I will contact our local franchise and learn more about them. Thank you for the nudge!
Diane N Quintana recently posted…How To Organize A Small House With No Storage
They are just handy to know about and have on speed dial. I was surprised to learn that they also offered the deep cleaning, which there is often a need for1
Thank you for posting this. It’s a great way to learn about them without having to call myself! Great information.
Janet Schiesl recently posted…Curing the Catalog Chaos
Great resource to have on speed dial. We never expect an emergency, right?