PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Inside Deborah Gates' home in Jupiter Farms, the kitchen is bare except for a hot plate and microwave. The living area has a concrete floor, and the main bathroom is stripped down to the wall studs.
"Since March of this year, it's been a nightmare I can't wake up from," Gates said.
She said a burst pipe last September started a claims process with Citizens Insurance that has left her home in a state of disrepair.
Gates said she started her claim with Citizens' Managed Repair Program in which the company arranges contractors.
Describing the experience, she said there was at least one no-show contractor, kitchen cabinets were installed improperly and a bathroom demo occurred without her approval.
By the time Gates said Citizens Insurance had terminated her claim, she was on her fourth contractor. She admitted to WPTV that she has called Citizens daily about the issues.
"'Stop calling' is what I got, 'You call us too much,'" she said representatives told her. "I'm going to call, yes I'm going to be a thorn in their side."
A Citizens spokesman said he cannot comment on specific cases but said the Managed Repair Program does have rules that must be followed by the homeowner.
One contractor who was involved said they had never had a case like this one.
Another insurance insider said it's rare for something like this to happen with Citizens.
"Citizens, from my work with them in claims and everybody else, has been one of the leaders in the industry as far paying," Robert Norberg of Arden Insurance in Lantana said.
For Gates, the payments weren't a problem. She said the issue was how the program handled her repair and left her home in its current state.
"I want my house put back together," she said. "They wonder why all of us homeowners are stuck with Citizens, not just Citizens, insurance in general."