Florida family claims $700K in home damages over Costco-installed fridge — even had to relocate: report

New York Post

5 days ago

A Florida family claims they suffered over $700,000 in home damages after a Costco-hired installation team improperly installed their new fridge — and the wholesale retailer isn't footing the bill.
Bradley Byrd says he has spent over $300,000 to relocate his family and pay for renovations to their Jacksonville home since the failed installation on Dec. 2, 2024.
The family had purchased a KitchenAid refrigerator from Costco in late November and a team of third-party contractors from RXO delivered and installed the appliance days later.
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7 Towels are placed all over the flooded floor of the Byrd's Jacksonville home after their failed fridge installation on Dec. 2, 2024.
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Byrd, who was at home for the installation before going to work, rushed home after his daughter discovered their house was 'underwater.'
'She Facetimes me and says, 'Dad, the house is underwater,'' Byrd told News4Jax.
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The shocked father estimated about 1.5 to 2 inches of water from their newly installed fridge filled his home, according to a website he started to document the fiasco called Costcowaterdamage.com.
'Out of spite' Byrd also paid for three months of billboards calling out Costco and RXO in Jacksonville and Ballantyne, North Carolina.
The installers had failed to place the water line in a safe position, Byrd claims.
'So what happened is, during installation, most of the extra water line is wrapped into a coil and taped on the back of the refrigerator like it is now,' Byrd told the outlet. 'But the installers didn't do that. They allowed it to go underneath the refrigerator, and they allowed the refrigerator's wheels to sit on a line, which caused a crack that grew larger and larger.'
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7 Bradley Byrd sits in his kitchen in front of his new refrigerator after the costly flood.
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Water leaked out of the crack, covering the Byrd's home, while creating an unwanted indoor pool damaging furniture, carpets, instruments, electronics and causing structural damage.
Professionals were called to remove the water out of the home but the damage had already been done.
The water — mixed with the Florida atmosphere — had already created mold and high moisture levels inside, forcing the family to evacuate the home and move into an Airbnb right before the holidays.
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'We got the tree up, Christmas presents wrapped. Everything was great. And then all of a sudden, a couple of days later, we had to leave,' the homeowner said.
7 Byrd shows the tear in the water line that water flooded out of after the installation.
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Byrd says he filed a claim with Costco and even sent an email to CEO Ron Vachris as a shot in the dark. He says he got a response back from Vachris an hour later saying his team would be monitoring the family's situation.
After the initial day, Byrd's calls for help went largely unanswered.
A loss adjuster estimated that the damage and repairs would cost $703,355.88.
Costco and the third-party installers offered to pay the family a combined $175,000, News4Jax reported.
'So far, I have spent about $300,000 on repairs, mitigation, third-party charges for reports and testing, and to get our belongings moved out and into storage,' Byrd said
7 Byrd stands in 1.5 to 2 inches of water in his home on Dec. 2, 2024.
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The family accepted a $38,000 no-strings-attached payment from the store to pay for his family's temporary relocation.
The family did not agree to any settlement as they plan on suing both Costco and RXO, Byrd said on his website.
Byrd has documented every development since Dec. 4 and credits all the companies he has worked while including a tally of the exorbitant costs since the mishap:
Approximate damage to house – $360,000
Personal property damage – $76,000
Alternative Housing and living expense – $78,000
Mitigation and moving and storage – $117,000
Professional services to recover monies from RXO so far – $72,000
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Along with the expenses, Byrd says the home disaster has also taken up significant chunks of his time. He has missed nearly 20 days of work 'dealing with all facets,' while his family was displaced for 87 days, has gone 91 days without a kitchen to cook in and they expect their claim to be fully resolved in over 170 days.
7 The back of the refrigerator, where the water line was supposed to be placed during the initial installation.
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Byrd slammed Costco and RXO for failing to protect their customers.
'They drop the ball and are hoping that I foot the bill with my life savings for their bottom line,' Byrd said.
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He compared his home to an unfinished construction site even after the repairs already put in.
'It looks like an unfinished home, because it is an unfinished home,' Byrd told the outlet sitting in his kitchen on lawn chairs next to a foldable plastic table.
7 The Byrd family was forced to replace their kitchen cabinets and other furniture.
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7 He compared his home to an unfinished construction site.
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'This furniture is courtesy of that refrigerator,' he joked.
The Post has reached out to Costco for comment.