PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — More than three months after the Aspen Acres fire, a Colorado homeowner says his recovery has been complicated by two companies hired to help him — including a packing company that billed his insurance $41,000 and failed to return his mattresses.
Dustin Ross' home survived the fire, but the land surrounding it was burned, he has been working to get his home clean enough to safely move back in.
News5 Investigates previously reported on Ross’ issues when he hired a cleaning company that said it underestimated how long the job would take, taking weeks instead of three days. The company stopped working with him and said it would bill him for the work completed, but Ross said he still doesn't know exactly what was done.
“Just kind of a nightmare," Ross said, in talking about his experience to move back home.
The problems didn't stop there. Ross later had issues with a packing company called “Prime Packouts” he said was referred to him by the cleaning company that was meant to store and clean his belongings while his house was being cleaned. When he tried to get his items back after cutting ties with the cleaning company, he said he couldn't reachTHE company for days.
"I literally just couldn't get ahold of them,” Ross said, “so I basically finally got a hold of him, talked to him about just bringing my property back," Ross said.
Ross said Prime Packouts also sent a bill of $41,000 to his insurance company. After going back and forth, Ross agreed to pay the packing company $25,000 in exchange for the return of all his belongings.
Once his items were returned, Ross noticed things were missing.
"I cut him a check and then I started looking around a little bit and I figured, you know, big things that I could find would would be like, you know, my mattresses," Ross said.
Ross said Prime Packouts told him the mattresses had been labeled "not salvageable."
"He basically just said that they were tossed in the landfill," Ross said.
That didn't add up for Ross, because multiple other items Prime Packouts deemed "not salvageable" were returned to him. He put a stop payment on the check.
I looked into Prime Packouts and found it registered in Arizona, but not in Colorado, the same situation as the cleaning company. Prime Packouts did not respond to News5 Investigates request for comment.
In the previous story, I tried to get answers from the cleaning company. Since that story aired, the cleaning company has registered as a business in Colorado.
Ross has since hired a new cleaning company and said things are better.
"I'm doing good, I'm seeing progress on the house. You know, I got majority of my property back," Ross said, "ultimately, we're moving in the right direction."
_____
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
