Costco Water Damage

The purpose of this website is to document my water damage claim stemming from a refrigerator installation performed by Costco on 12-2-2024 so that others in the future will understand what a claim process is like, what to expect, and to be better prepared to navigate claims.

This particular claim involves displacing my wife, kids, and myself during the holidays as our home has been declared unlivable by mitigation specialists. While I'm sure this magnitude of loss is atypical, the goal is to give you a generalized idea as I previously went though a water loss and had no blueprint for how to deal with it. This is my blueprint for you.

On 12-2-2024 we had a KitchenAid refrigerator delivered and installed by Costco. I purchased a refrigerator from Costco.com that included delivery. Costco sent out an uninsured contractor to my house to install that caused major damage. The rest is being written.

News4Jax Story

Players in this claim

Click the name for more info (more to come)

Documentation

More coming soon

Communications

Copies of all of my emails with RXO, Costco, Sedgwick coming soon.

Expenses

These are the expenses to pay for our alternative living, mitigate our house, and bring our house back to the same condition it was in before the damage. Any enhancements, upgrades in materials, etc.. are not reflected here. These are my cost to be made whole and not a penny more. Not all expenses are listed, but notable ones are.

Approximate damage to house $360k
Personal property damaged $76k
Alternative Housing and living expense $78k
Mitigation and moving and storage $117k
Professional services to recover monies from RXO so far $72k
Alternative Housing
17196.59
Damaged personal property (Incomplete)
72493.23
Environmental Protocol
875.00
Furniture moving and storage
9883.50
Furniture moving and storage
206.56
Mitigation Phase 1 (2 weeks)
10477.53
Alternative Housing
471.38
Moving Supplies
123.57
Alternative Housing
34393.19
Grand Piano Move to storage
852.50
Piano Storage so far ($75/mo)
450.00
Cost for Estimate
100.00
Cabinets and Countertops in 5 areas including kitchen
137419.38
Cost for Estimate
125.00
Mitigation Phase 2 (8 weeks)
69581.96
Post Remedial Environmental Verification
760.00
Concrete pad repair, tile, and backsplash
62293.00
Per Diem for food - no kitchen. FEMA rate $75 per day per person
27000.00
Insulation, Level 5 Drywall, and Painting
31498.48
Carpet
9997.00
Moving items back into house
8975.25
Mediation
660.00
Professional service fees for adjusting
86253.95
Post Construction Cleaning
3817.31
Carpentry (cabinets and mouldings), material, plumbing, electrical, plus misc finishing.
99658.32
Work missed to deal with rebuilding
12787.47

Pictures

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Costco Water Damage Blog

Last 3 entries

Click here for all blog entries
June 6, 2025

Glad that we didn't reach a settlement. Got another bill for the move out and move back that adjusted $5k more. I think this should be the last surprise bill, but I am not certain.

Crickets from Costco and RXO. They don't care about who they hurt.

May 28, 2025

The news story has sent hundred of thousands of people to my website over the past week. It's being rerun worldwide. A large national media outlet has reached out and wants to do a deep dive into this and other related cases. Hopefully we can shine some light onto how these large companies intentionally underinsure and screw their customers.

I've received messages from 31 people who have or have had issues with Costco and RXO - and there is a pattern here. It seems that waiting the customer out until they're desperate for any money at all is one tactic. Also I'm noticing a pattern of Costco using uninsured or underinsured contractors through their third parties. They are clearly aware of it but have not prevented it - risking their members homes in exchange for profit.

I made a last offer to Costco and RXO to settle it today before we reach a point of no return. Once a lawsuit is filed I'm going to see it through for every penny and post everything relevant to the case so you can see how they react.

Continue sending your experience messages. Publishing those is coming up very soon. Let's collectively cost these companies money through loss of trust and exposing how they handle their issues.

May 20, 2025

The News4Jax story was published today. You can find it here

I expect another story to be published in the next weeks. Filing a lawsuit still in motion.

Click here for all blog entries

Testimonials from other Costco/RXO Victims

Coming soon - currently gathering pictures and feedback from other victims. Testimonials from the following people will be published soon after I get legal clearance to publish.

Emily J.

Bellingham, WA

Costco installed my washing machine, but it started leaking immediately. The water damage affected my laundry room and basement. I tried to get help from Costco, but they were slow to respond and ultimately did very little to assist with the repairs.

See More...

Jane S.

Santa Cruz, CA

After having my refrigerator installed by RXO, I noticed it was not cooling properly. It caused food spoilage, and when I contacted RXO, they delayed the repair for weeks. Their customer service was lacking, and I felt like my concerns were ignored.

See More...

John D.

Inglewood, CA

I had a dishwasher installed by Costco, and it leaked water all over my kitchen floor. The damage was extensive, ruining my cabinets and flooring. When I reached out to Costco for help, they were unresponsive and did not take my complaint seriously. I felt abandoned during a stressful time.

See More...

Going through the same thing?  Want to post your story here?

I am going to start a collection of all of the claims arising from Costco or RXO installation and publishing them here to demonstrate to potential clients the frequency of issues, resolution of issues, and let them weight the risks.

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Comments sent at the form below

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Costco is just not who we've been led to believe they are.