Powers Plumbing

Hey guys, Powers Plumbing is a good company. I own www.colepepperplumbing.com here in San Diego and I see these guys all over town. I have seen their work and they are a good quality company. Like myself, they may be a little more expensive, but understand that plumbing is not a commodity. It costs money to attract good quality plumbers, and to get the good guys you have to get them good vans and good tools. But wouldn't you rather pay a little bit more to have peace of mind as opposed to getting somebody that is unlicensed and doesnt give you any type of written warranty's.

Review: I am [redacted] a 92 year old man who feels completely taken advantage of by this company after having been a faithful customer which is beyond disappointing to say the least. I called my former plumbing company, powers plumbing for emergency service billed at emergency rate on a Thursday evening. We had a leak where water was spraying everywhere their emergency service tech came we showed him where the leak was coming from he said he was unable to really fix it so they would put a temp fix today and someone would come back to fix it. We were presented with a bill of almost $300 for maybe 20 minutes of work and we paid promptly and in full. Friday went by we stayed home all day and nobody came or called. My granddaughter called and asked why nobody had come or called and she spoke with [redacted] who told her they were running behind and would be there in and hr or so well 2 went by nobody called or came she called again and was told that they would not be able to come at all Friday and would come tomorrow at no charge. Seeing as how we had already paid $300 the issue was not resolved and they did not come or call for their Friday appointment it seemed appropriate there would be no charge for Saturday to finally fix the issue from Thursday evening. They came Saturday fixed the problem did not present us with an invoice and left. Keep in mind for Thursday service we wet presented with a bill. Seeing as how we were told there would be no charge and we were not presented with a bill we now consider the matter closed for the $300 paid. Weeks later my granddaughter gets an email bill for Saturday service when she explains we were not to be charged per agreements she begins to get threatening emails saying I am going to be collected against. I am a very disappointed 92 year old man and former customer. Please help clear my name against their unethical billing practices! Shame on them!Desired Settlement: Balance 0 stop contacting my home and my granddaughter

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com Representative and Mr. [redacted],

Review: I called Powers Plumbing (PP) to clear a stuck drain with known root intrusions.- PP arrived nearly 3 hours late.- PP's drain cleaning cable system had a broken clutch, preventing it from applying torque, especially in the reverse direction.- PP's drain cleaning cable got stuck on root intrusions in my sewer line, and was unable to free itself due to the broken clutch.- PP left the stuck equipment in my *open sewer line* for over 5 days without any communication or update.- PP finally removed their stuck equipment by shattering my sewer line.- The cost to replace and repair the broken sewer line (by another, more capable plumber) was nearly $1,000.- PP hired an external collection agency to aggressively call me at work to collect the disputed fees.Desired Settlement: Ideally, PP should offer to pay for the replacement of the shattered sewer line which they caused (due to using cable system with no torque, and leaving the stuck equipment for never 5 days.)

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

Review: Powers Plumbing came Dec. 5, 2013 to clear 3 drains, 1 tub, 2 bathroom sink drains. The plumber [redacted] charged us for 1 1/2 hour at a cost of $139. One of the bathroom sinks began to back up within a week back to where it was before [redacted] came out and the other two also started to back up as well. I called and scheduled someone to come out to fix all three as there is a 30 day guarantee on all snaking. When [redacted] came back Jan 3, 2014, he said something about telling my husband our pipes were too small (my husband was not there, does not remember any such discussion). At which time I explained about the one sink being backed up to where it was before he first came out, the other two draining very slow. He just shrugged and then spent less then two hours snaking the three drains, gave me product to put down the drain and talked to me about a leaky shower head for about 15 minutes. He then presented me with a bill for $298- for 2 3/4 hours and $40 for product. At no time did he say he was going to charge me until he presented me with the bill. He intimidated me into signing for it saying I did not take his advise and I could talk to the office people about paying nothing as it was a redo.

I then got a bill and I asked for an adjustment in an e-mail. I was asked in all caps to call. I said certainly as soon as I get my questions answered and an adjusted bill. I did get a bill in the mail which I sent back. I still have not had my questions answered.

I called Eric today and asked him why he did not answer my questions and send me a bill by e-mail as he had in the past and as I requested and he stated "Because I don't have to.",Desired Settlement: I am willing to pay for the $40 product and for 1/4 hour- $24 for the consultation for the drippy shower head- so an additional $64 as I have already paid $139 for the original service and the rest was making the original service right.

Business

Response:

The client initially had our plumber come to clear her drain after using drain cleaner and it was not working.

The complaint refers to our advertising and our guarantee for drain service. The complaint also states that we were not available to her to answer questions. We believe that we should be paid for both service calls. The guarantee that the client referred to is when it is a result of our workmanship. We remain available to her to answer questions but prefer to talk to her directly instead of through email.

The guarantee did not apply in this case because the service we performed was complicated by the way the drain was configured not due to a deficiency from the service call by the plumber.

We believe the client is upset by the situation and her displeasure with the situation is misdirected towards us.

We believe that we were clear in our communications with the client. Our guarantee is posted on our website and clearly describes conditions that are not covered by our guarantee such as the issues that this client faced. The plumber followed a process that included identifying the issues for the client. When the client called back I recalled her job and explained that we do guarantee our work but if there is something wrong with the drain or something introduced into the drain then it would be a chargeable call. She was clear about the implications of the service call because she told me that this ruined her otherwise perfect day.

The complaint also states that we were unwilling to work with her requests for information. We received a call from the client asking us to mail her an invoice because she could not open an email we sent her.

We were then requested to respond to questions by email but the email string does not show any specific questions. We asked her to call us by return email. The Operations Manager reviewed the situation and made some accommodation to her reducing our bill and returned it in the mail. The client rejected it putting in big black marker“ Not accepted return to sender” on the outside of the envelope.

When we received it back it was not clear if she opened it or not so we put it back in the mail in a plain envelope.

We are still available to answer questions. Out intent in our interactions were only meant to be helpful and straightforward. If there was any other interoperation of our efforts we apologize.

Yesterday the client called us again and asked us to reply to her in email.

The Operations Manager stated that he was available to answer any questions she wanted but did not feel he had to respond to email when there are no questions in the email and because they were already talking on the phone.

We provided the client with good service. She told us that she liked the plumber after the first service call. The client asked our plumber to review a drain in her shower besides the issues with the sink. We regret that the client has a problem with this drain but it is not our doing and we were just trying to help with it. Our guarantee for our performance still stands and we would honor it should our work product be the issue. At this time we believe that we are owed the entire amount of the bill even though we offered a discount and will discuss any questions she has by phone as gestures of good will and good faith.

In September, 2012, we hired [redacted] to convert our outdated oil-heating system to a new gas furnace with baseboards, for all rooms in our home, including the 2 rooms on the second floor. He promptly began the process, but also told us he had a number of other jobs as well, so he would be doing our job a little at a time. We were okay with that, provided we would have heat for the winter. He disconnected our radiators and took them outside, then partially installed the new heater. He came over for 1 hour here, 5 hours there, but nothing was progressing. The donwstairs baseboards were installed but not finished (endcaps, wood trim, etc). When it started getting colder, we did not see him for quite awhile. The temp inside the house got down to 58. Finally he spent the day before Thanksgiving getting us heat. Since then we have seen him only 3-4 times, for 2-3 hours at a shot. The hot water was connected, but there are pipes hanging and the basement part of the job is not complete, as well as we have no heat in our upstairs rooms. We have seen him only once since Christmas, after my husband sent him a certified letter asking him to drop off any materials we had paid for and that we would get someone else to finish. He called my husband and asked him if he wanted [redacted] to drop stuff off or finish, and of course my husband said finish, because we had already paid him. He came one day, said he would be back the end of the week, and we have not seen him since. We got a loan from Massave for the project, and will apply for the rebate when it is done, but the rebate may have already expired. Who would have known that the switch over would take 9 months?Product_Or_Service: Gas conversionDesired SettlementWe would like him to refund our money, or FINISH the job. Actually, we want the job finished, and his voicemail is always full so we cannot get in touch with him.