"The 12 inches of water that flooded our house after Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 was only the beginning of the nightmare. When the flood restoration expert we hired to gut and clean our house finished weeks of work, he gave us a bill for $22,000. But then another flood restoration company called and demanded that we pay them that total because the other company had been working for them.

The dispute between the two companies apparently involved a handshake agreement that had fallen apart. But when it fell apart and what the original deal had been – I didn’t know. All I knew was that I had 2 different companies demanding I pay them $22,000.

Luckily I had enrolled in the ARAG legal insurance program through work. I called the for a free phone consultation and laid out the facts as I knew them. The attorney told me that this could get tricky and that I needed to have a local attorney working for me. She sent me a list of lawyers in my area and their specialties, and I soon met with my new attorney. He advised me that if I paid either company, the other could go after me for the same amount – and because of a loophole in Florida law, I could end up having to pay both bills!

The fight between the two companies was downright nasty, and my wife and I were stuck in the middle. My attorney repeatedly met with attorneys for both companies, but neither would budge. It took several months of meetings and letters, but just before we were set to move back into our rebuilt home, Gonzalez called with the good news: He had worked out an agreement to let us pay into an escrow account that the two companies could keep fighting over. That meant we could enjoy moving back into our home without having a $22,000 cloud hanging over our head.

And all it cost us was the small weekly deduction – less than the cost of a pizza. I’d like to say that was the end of the story and that we lived happily ever after. But the story took an unfortunate turn last month: Our house flooded again during Tropical Storm Fay’s assault on Florida. I don’t know what’s ahead for us this time, but at least we have ARAG on our side again."

David Collins
Debary, FL