Don’t Fall For It!

Frsteam was brought in by RoadRunner Restoration, (now GulfPoint Services) with assurances that they would clean and save our water-damaged materials or at least mitigate the loss. Since the insurance company approved the process, we proceeded under the assumption that this would be an effective and professional restoration. Sadly, it was not, and considering how much it cost the Insurance Co. I can only say Don’t Fall For It!

I’m a book collector specializing in pristine volumes where the condition of the book is paramount. Had I been told that the freeze drying process was not able to restore the books to anywhere near their original condition I never would have agree to the process. In fact I’d already accepted the fact that the books, historical letters & pamphlets were a complete loss, but they assured me it was worth trying especially since the Insurance Co. agreed to it.

What a waste of money. Almost $18,000+…  When they were returned, every item was ruined and of no value. The process failed to restore a single piece from our valuable historical collection, which included materials related to Churchill, World War II, the Boer War, and other significant topics. Book collectors avoid water-damaged books; it significantly impacts a book’s condition, appearance, and value. Furthermore, valuable hand-written letters by Winston Churchill and pamphlets (well known to Churchill Collectors) were returned covered in mold.

Despite multiple requests, we were never given an explanation of the freeze-drying method that was used. Based on the outcome, it seems the same result could have been achieved by simply laying the books outside to dry.

I can think of situations where this process may well be worthwhile such as water damaged legal files, passports, photos & family memorabilia, but certainly not for an historical collection where the condition of the item is of prime importance.

Take a look at what was returned…