Mustang Family Says Company Botched Storm Shelter Job

A Mustang family is upset after what they're calling a botched storm shelter job. The family had a huge hole left in their garage after they say the company just couldn't put the storm shelter in without it floating.

The Bratton family wanted to put an extra-large storm shelter inside their custom built Mustang home, so that their neighbors could get in during a bad storm, but what they thought would take four to six hours has taken three days.

Getting a storm shelter placed in home was no easy task.

"He basically left me with a hole in the ground," Briana Bratton said.

The Bratton's hired StraightLine Shelters for the job but say they left a big mess.

“They were actually supposed to be here last Tuesday, but never showed up, didn't call or nothing," said Bratton. "Should've trusted my gut, since they've been out here for the last two days, but they didn't know how to get the storm shelter to go down in the hole without it floating back up to the top."

Bratton said one of the company's solutions was to leave the hole in her garage for three months to wait for the water table to drop.

“I have a one year old and a three year old, and with a hole that's six feet deep in the ground and six feet across and eight feet the other way, that's just asking for an accident,” she said.

So, the Bratton's hired Ground Zero Storm Shelters to finish the job.

“I basically called in tears, begging them to come help me and fix the situation and save me from this headache," Bratton said.

Their Sara Homestead neighborhood has a common high groundwater issue. Other neighbors have reported water in the shelters as well.

StraightLine Shelters Sales Manager Matt Hibbard said the problem wasn't their fault.

“The StraighLine installers have successfully installed more than 1,500 shelters," said Hibbard. "The high water was unforeseen and exceeded any of their previous water issues, they pumped out water four times, but it kept coming in.”

Hibbard said StraightLine waived the additional fees for extra concrete they typically charge for unforeseen circumstances and said they were more than fair, but the Brattons didn’t let them finish the job.

“We did all that was asked of us and were told to leave," said Hibbard. "This situation was out of our control.”

Bratton said she expected more professionalism for the $3,900 shelter price tag they signed a contract to pay.

“The StraightLine Shelters in the showroom looked beautiful," said Bratton. "I mean, it's in Moore. It's right in front of the Warren. You would think that a company that is right over there would know what to do and how to handle any situation that came up."

Now with a new work crew and six yards of concrete later, the Bratton's safe room is properly in place.

“My shelter's in the ground, it's not floating, and hopefully, at the end of the day, I have a properly functioning storm shelter without issue,” she said.

Hibbard said StraightLine Shelters is going to refund the family their $400 deposit, and they won't have to pay any other installation fees.