A Cochrane woman is upset after a billboard-sized sign that blew across a road and struck her car after months of warning the company about the dangers of the unsecure sign.
Maddie Beynon woke up at 7 a.m. on April 4 to the Excel Homes sign over the front of the car.
“There are two big dents on top of the hood near the windshield, the windshield is cracked, there are small dents all over the hood and sides, there are scratches over the front and side of the bumper,” Beynon explained.
The Cochrane homeowner said she has been calling the company since last November to warn employees about their unstable signage in the neighbourhood, with “nothing being done.”
The sign that damaged the car had blown from across the street. Beynon said she called around 9 a.m. that morning to make the company aware of the issue and did not appreciate the customer service she received.
“When I called the one lady on the phone said it wasn’t her problem and she would get head office to call me, and that was over five hours ago and they haven’t called,” Beynon said.
The damage to her car aside, Beynon is also concerned about the continuing safety hazard the sign poses.
“They haven’t done anything with (the sign), they just put it back, there are no chains or nothing to secure it, so they didn’t fix the situation,” she said. “The whole thing was to get the sign secured down so it doesn’t hit a child or person.”
An Excel Representative said since the sign has been put back up, employees have secured the sign with extra stakes and sandbags.
Excel Homes promotes the business as the leading homebuilder in Calgary and the surrounding area, including Cochrane. The homes can be found in Heartland and Sunset Ridge with signage displayed around the communities.
“We apologize for the inconvenience Maddie has experienced and want to rectify the situation as soon as possible. We are willing to pay for any damages caused by the sign incident. As soon as we got her correct contact information yesterday, our customer care representative reached out to discuss the situation with Maddie. We let her know that she could expect a call from our Customer Care Warranty Specialist in the morning, to set up a meeting to assess the damage and determine next steps. Our Customer Care Warranty Specialist has been in touch with her as of now and they are corresponding to set up a meeting to move forward,” – Excel Homes statement to the Cochrane Eagle.
At press time, Beynon said she had still not heard anything from company. The vehicle damages have been reported to the police and insurance company and she was hopeful the company would “take responsibility” and cover the costs, which are still being assessed.
