MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Debbie Watson fell in love with her McDonough home from the moment she first saw it. The layout inside was everything she had imagined.
So was the outside — until she noticed $10,000 worth of water damage on the side of her home.
"Some of these (panels) are loose, rottening," Watson told 11Alive. "The water just ran down my house and you can see the type of damage it's done to my home."
She said DirecTV installed a satellite at her home about seven years ago. She said water runs down the cord from the satellite to her house every time it rains.
"It's obvious (that's what caused the damage), because that's where all of that is," she said. "The contractor won't know how severe this is until he takes the boards off."
Watson contacted DirecTV for help in March 2022. They asked her to send an explanation, pictures of the damage and cost estimate for the repairs.
"I did all of that," Watson said. "Come to find out, they denied the claim."
In a letter to Watson, a representative for DirecTV wrote that they "do not feel legally responsible for the damage she alleged" because there was "no evidence of negligence... or supportive documentation indicating their technician was responsible for said damage."
Watson then filed a claim with her home insurance — which was denied for the opposite reason.
"Based upon the results of our discussion, site inspection and investigation, it was determined that the water damage to the siding is a result of improper installation of the satellite dish," the denial letter read.
She reached out to 11Alive a year later because she still hasn't been able to get help.
"I'm a senior and I don't have that kind of extra money to put into my home," she said. "It's their responsibility to make good what they did to my house."
DirecTV told 11Alive it's aware of Watson's situation and working towards a resolution. She hopes that fix will come soon.
"It has been a nightmare," she said. "I just want it fixed. The longer this goes on, the more money this is going to cost to fix because it's doing more damage to my house."