Customer says mobile home was dropped, wants a new one
ST. AMANT - A new mobile home was delivered to a lot and then damaged by the installation crew. The woman who bought it says she was expecting a brand new trailer and that's what she should have - not a damaged one.
Wanda James used FEMA funds and her savings to purchase a new mobile home that's meant to last. It was delivered to her lot in St. Amant and installed right before Thanksgiving, but James hasn't been able to live in it because of what's happened since.
"They dropped it on the first day," said James.
She says the trailer was dropped on its corner and hit a tree. She heard the loud crack while she stayed in her FEMA Manufactured Housing Unit next door.
"I looked out there, the back end was down," she said.
James says the thud was so loud and powerful it shook the ground. Soon after, the trailer was righted and installation continued. It's been sitting on the property without electricity or water hooked up to it because James wants it replaced.
Tuesday afternoon, James took 2 On Your Side on a tour of the mobile home pointing out cracks in the paneling, molding hanging off the wall, windows and doors that are hard to open and shut, a bent roof, and cracked siding.
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WBRZ has decided not to name the companies involved, giving them a chance to make things right. The moving company did tell 2 On Your Side's Brittany Weiss that it damaged the trailer in delivery. The company says it's working with its insurance company and James to come to a conclusion. It originally offered to fix the damage, which James refused. The company says it considered replacing the trailer with a new one but it could not afford the cost.
A conclusion is not happening fast enough for James, who has to be out of her MHU in April. She says the entire situation has been stressful.
"This isn't what I paid for," she said. "I paid for a brand new trailer, one that was nice and pretty that I could move in right away. That's what I paid for."
The trailer moving company and the mobile home retailer says it's working to help James. Right now, it's waiting on an insurance adjuster to review the case.