Business owners: We need more from BP

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WALA) - FRUSTRATED AND STRESSED

Owners of a local business are devastated. Rhonda Drummond, of Duck’s Wine and Dine in Orange Beach, says they got a check for less than $5,000 after putting in a claim for more than $100,000 in lost business.

The entire Drummond family depends on the restaurant to make a living. But since the oil spill business has been way off.

“You cannot recover from this summer," Drummond said. "That’s why we counted on the six months emergency fund to at least get through the year.”

“AN INSULT”

After filing three years of paperwork with the claims office Rhonda says what she received floored her.

“We filed a $120,000 claim for six months emergency fund and they insulted out intelligence sending our family $4,500. Just in July alone, our sales were down 15,000,” explained Drummond.

FILING SUIT

Rhonda says she’s been given no chance to appeal. She was told she can file a final claim, but after what she received for this one, she’s done and now it’s time to sue. She said she would sign the paperwork with lawyers Wednesday afternoon.

“I tried to have faith in Mr. Feinberg. I tried to have faith in BP. I tried to have faith in the federal government and the state of Alabama," Drummond said.

At the claims office in Orange Beach, cameras aren’t allowed inside and nobody working there is permitted to talk to the media. Media reps, reached by phone, point to the documents that are available online for people to read and fill out. Rhonda says other businesses are getting the same run-around.

“It’s not just us," Drummond said. “I guess I’m supposed to feel comforted that no one else is receiving money. Business are folding left and right. We have at most another month, if we can hang on, like we did Labor Day weekend.”

Rhonda feels other businesses will be forced to sue as well.

“It’s all about the point know. You can’t treat people like this,” Drummond said.