Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This complaint is for the ** *********** location, in **** in the *****, **. I first contacted One Tom Plumber on Thursday 1/30/24. A few pipes in my basement were leaking, and I had a couple of inches of standing water in my shower and bathtub, two different bathrooms. Two employees ****** and ***** arrived at our home Friday 1/31, approx 8:30 am. We had a blockage somewhere, they gave us some different options, we chose the $717 option that was supposed to clear the line and remove the blockage. They said they could and would rod 120 ft. They did find a lot of flushable (we now know they are not flushable) wipes and similar product blocking the drain. After a couple hours, they said they could not get the line unblocked and that they were going to need to send us an estimate and come back to finish once we approved the estimate. They also stated that there were two manholes in our back yard, far apart, which was completely inaccurate. WE learned that the manhole is across the street, front side of our house. We waited for an estimate, one did arrive, with no price and COMPLETELY wrong info (its uploaded, the one without a price). The manager, ******** and ****** returned that same evening once my husband called and complained. I told them the estimate received didnt have a price. They painted lines on the grass that night and learned that the lines actually go to the front of the house, and told us we would have a new estimate that night. The resent the one with the WRONG info and an outrageous price for things we did not need. They told us that we did not have another clean out and they couldnt complete the job and fix the blockage until they tore up our yard, large equipment, and installed a new one. We knew there was NO way that was true. So after a conversation with ******, were he repeatedly lied and was extremely rude, my husband and I walked out to the yard to look for a clean out, and guess what, we found it. Conveniently RIGHT were they stopped paint

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  We are very disappointed that this situation has escalated to this point. We always strive for 5-star service and customer satisfaction is our priority. I would like to start by stating the facts from this entire situation.

  
  *During our initial after-hours call on 1/30/25 Mrs. ******** explained the reason why they were calling. We asked qualifying questions to make sure we would be able to provide them with a service. The client initially stated that she was unsure if there was a Clean-out (for drain cleaning) present at her home. She also stated that their home was on a septic system. The property sits on 1-acre lot so this is usually the case in these situations especially since the home is in an unincorporated township. She would call her husband to confirm these details.

  
  *On the call back to verify the details of the home, Mrs. ******* confirmed that they are on city sewer. Mrs. ******** confirmed that there was indeed a clean-out on the side of the home. She would call her husband back to confirm this.

  
  *On our third call Mrs. ******** confirmed that there was a clean-out and accepted us to dispatch our team for an arrival time of 530 to 630pm (after hours).

  
  *Mrs. ******** called a 4th time this evening to cancel the service stating that the water that was backed up had receded. I instructed her to open the clean-out cap to verify the drain was in fact cleared.

  
  *After 2 hours, Mrs. ******** called a 5th time to confirm that there was water in the line. Mr. ******** then came on the line to confirm that the clean out was backed up. He stated that he couldnt find a second clean-out (which he believed would be 80 feet away). Mr. ******** stated that all new city sewer lines were installed approximately 12 years ago and doesnt know where it goes. We agreed to not dispatch our team after-hours and to have our team arrive the following morning.

  
  *1/31/25 We dispatched 2 plumbers to attempt to get this job done quickly. The plumbers arrived and spoke to Mr. ********* The plumbers saw the Clean-out that was in the back of the home. They looked and couldnt find another clean-out. They asked Mr. ******** and he didnt know either. He stated that he mows his lawn often and has never seen another clean-out cap. During the plumbers inspection they looked for manholes to potentially use as another entry point for rodding but could only find 2 that were approximately ******* feet away from the clean-out in the backyard. This makes the manholes unusable for our rodding purposes. Mr. ******** had to leave to work so left the premise. Mrs. ******** was not present either. Mr. ******** left his daughter in charge. Our team presented an estimate for service to rod the line in the amount of $717. Mr. ********* daughter called him to talk about the proposal. He approved and instructed her to sign the estimate approval and Drain Release of Liability form. The plumbers rodded the line 3 times for a couple hours. In that time, they pulled an excessive amount of wipes. This was deemed the main cause of the back-up. The plumbers spoke to Mr. ********* daughter to explain the situation at which point she called Mr. ******* so our plumbers could tell him what the condition of the pipe was. The plumbers explained to Mr. ******** that the Illinois Plumbing code requires clean-out intervals of no more than 50 linear feet. The plumbers used up to 120 linear feet of the rodding line and couldnt clear the blockage. They explained that because they didnt know if there was another clean-out and because our team couldnt locate it, we had to install another clean-out and would send them an estimate for this work. The estimate was sent at 11:24am in the amount of $7668.00 to install a new clean-out. At that point the plumbers finished what they could do and left.

  
  *Mr. ******** called back at 3:36pm, stating that he had his daughter look at the clean-out and she stated that it was still backed up. Mr. ******** was questioning why he paid the $700 and the drain was still backed up. He then stated that our team sent an estimate without a price. Our **************** Representative investigated it and found that half of the estimate sheet was missing stating that it might have been an error in our technology software. Mr. ******** expressed that he was not pleased with the current situation and does not want to pay more than the $700 he paid already.

  
  *At 4:10pm our CSR spoke to Mr. ******** to explain that were sending our plumber back to see what else we could do to help their situation. We explained that there would be no additional cost for this after-hours trip.

  
  *At 5:55pm Mrs. ******** called stating that someone from our team arrived, went to the backyard, then got into his van and left. She was confused as to what happened. Our customer service representative told her that she would call her back once we figured out what happened. The *** spoke to our plumber (******) and he stated that he didnt leave. That he was in the backyard trying to locate the path of the sewer line. Our plumber marked the line with white spray paint as he found it. Our manager arrived shortly after. At that time, Mrs. ******** was talking to ****** after he located the path of the sewer line from the home but got stuck at approximately ****** feet from the entry point clean-out in the backyard. We discovered that the line was approximately 3-4 feet deep. Our manager and plumber spoke liberally about how the excavation process would go in the presence of Mrs. ******** but explained that we would send an updated estimate for the excavation and clean-out installation that would be less than what was initially expected ($7668). Our manager took water extraction equipment to extract some water from the sewer line to attempt to give the ******** household some water flow for a while longer. They took the equipment through the backyard and patio which was covered in dog f**** at which point our manager didnt see and stepped in it. Mrs. ******** said Yes, its what you think it is. Our manager and plumber continued their work and managed to extract 12 gallons of sewer water to give the ******** household more water flow. There was no charge for any of this additional work.

  
  *At 6:51pm our plumber spoke to our CSR to update and resend the excavation quote at an updated price of $4800.00

  
  *On Saturday 2/1/25 Mr. ******** called our office at 7:06am stating that they didnt receive the updated estimate for the new clean-out installation. Mr. ******** stated that the $4800 estimate must be the incorrect estimate because he spoke to his wife, and they believed that no excavator would be needed. Our CSR told Mr. ******** that she would contact our plumber to confirm details of the estimate.

  
  *At 8:00am Our manager called Mr. ******** back to explain the situation of the excavation estimate. Mr. ******** expressed a lot of frustration and anger in the estimate for excavation. The conversation became tense and argumentative. The ********* stated that our plumber and manager stated to Mrs. ********* the night before, that no excavator would be needed. Our manager explained that that was miscommunication, and we would in fact need an excavator to dig a 4-foot by 4-foot hole in the ground which could weigh thousands of pounds. This is also the middle of winter so mechanical equipment is a necessity when dealing with frozen ground. We have already addressed the clerical and technological errors from the estimates that we sent via phone and email exchanges. The ********s stated that they felt like we have lied to them repeatedly. They stated that they believed were a bait and switch company. Mr. ******** stated Ill tell you what, my wife has a huge following on social media. Were going to put on ****** that youre the worst company ever. Our manager explained that blackmail is not necessary. Our manager continued to explain that we have been only trying to help their situation the entire time. We stated that we wish Mr. ******** had been on-site during the work (to avoid miscommunication) but he wasnt. We didnt build their home. We didnt install the plumbing lines without proper clean-outs. We didnt place an excessive amount of wipes down those lines. Were just trying to solve their plumbing problems. Our manager stated that their sewer lines are not up to code because they have approximately 200 linear feet of drainpipe from the first clean out to the street and they should have a clean-out approximately every 50 linear feet. Mr. ******** said, Well maybe theres a clean-out that you still havent found. We said, yes, there is a chance, but our camera and locator are stuck at the 80100-foot mark potentially by tree roots from the large tree in the front of the yard.  Mr. ******** did not believe that the line would run ******* feet from the backyard cleanout, around the house, to the main sewer line. Our manager did a ****** maps calculation proving the estimate was fairly accurate. Mr. ******** stated that he would look elsewhere for another local plumbing company to fix their issues for the rate they wanted. Our manager asked what that rate was. They stated no more than $2k. Our manager explained that that price is simply not feasible. Our team has already gone above and beyond, getting them a great deal for this excavation proposal even omitting after-hours charges. The conversation ended with our manager explaining that we would update the last estimate to properly explain what we proposed to do, even adding an additional 10% discount bringing the price down to $4320.

  
  *At 8:53 AM Mrs. ******** called back stating that they found another clean-out. Our manager explained that we will send one of our plumbers (*****) back to attempt to clear the blockage from that newly discovered clean-out. ***** arrived at 10:19am and was directed to the clean-out which was approximately 3 feet away from our plumbers last white spray paint marking (performed the night before). Mrs. ******** expressed disbelief that ****** didnt see the cleanout the night before when he was marking the line. ***** explained that its difficult when its so dark outside and especially if the cap is covered with dirt and grass. ***** rodded a couple more times pulling out another excessive amount of wipes each time from the line. He was able to clear the blockage even though he almost ran out of cable on his 120-foot cable machine. He finished at 1:06pm. There was no additional charge for this after-hours service.

  
  *On 2/11/25 Our manager called Mrs. ******** as a follow-up to the service that was performed. There was no answer.

  
  *On 2/12/25 Mrs. ******** called our office asking why we called. Our manager explained that we wanted to make sure that the line was still clear, and she had no further issues. She confirmed that the line was clear no blockages were present. She asked why this call was prompted? Was it because of the email she sent? Our manager stated that we received no email, and this call is routine whenever we clear a line to ensure no further issues.
  
  This was just a summary of the events that led to this complaint. We have phone recordings, emails, and photographs documenting everything regarding the services and communications with the ******** family. In general, we are confused as to why the ******** family is filing a complaint against our company and requesting a refund for the services provided.  Had they accepted the clean-out installation quote, we would have found the second cleanout during the daylight. As we would have begun preparing for the job, we would have cancelled the excavation,refunded that deposit, and continued rodding from the second clean-out entry point. We provided them with over 10-man hours of labor (not including drive-time) between 2 licensed plumbers and a service manager. We didnt charge any after-hours fees for work that was performed after-hours. We didnt charge anything extra for the camera inspection and locator service. We even went back to clear the line after they found their second cleanout and we cleared the line solving their problem. The line was filled with wipes and we pulled an excessive amount of wipes out. We always get a Release of Liability form signed when doing this type of work. This form states that we cannot guarantee clearing the line when rodding due to a wide range of variables associated with the nature of this kind of work. We still honored our initial price as we strive for the 5-star service. I have attached this signed form to this reply. All in all, we only provided the *******s solutions to their plumbing problems. They are upset over a quote for service that we didnt provide because they eventually found a second cleanout that they didnt know and we didnt know existed. Even after all of this, we still recommend another cleanout closer to the street since their current clean-outs are technically not up to code.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2025

   
  Complaint: 22937159
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  *I DID NOT state that I was on a septic system, the manager asked if I was, and told me a likely was after looking at my house on ******. I said that I would ask my husband and call him back, which I did. We are not on a septic system.

  *He mows the lawn and wasnt sure if there was another cleanout. You would think that a licensed plumber, or two of them, would be able to locate another clean out. 

  *There are not two manholes 300 to 400 feet away. The manhole is approximately 150 ft from the second clean out (that they couldnt find) straight out to the road, across the street. 

  *THEY DID NOT ROD out 120 ft, I have a video to show how far they rodded out, approxiamtely 50 feet. You will see in the video and photos that they rodded to 50 ft and stopped where the second clean out (that they couldnt find) was. 

  *You will see on the initial estimate sent that no price is listed anywhere. You will also see a reply email from **** that states and apology for sending the estimate without a price. 

  *When the team arrived back at my home Friday evening, they didnt come to the door, they didnt announce themselves they just went straight to the backyard. SO, I didnt know there were two people here. The van most certainly left my driveway minutes after their arrival, without any explanation. I have Ring video footage to prove this. 

  *They did paint white lines on the grass, which you will see in the photo. They painted 50 ft out from my home, which is exactly where they stopped rodding, and exactly where the second clean out was. 

  *Yes, it was a heated conversation. We did feel that they were not being honest, after receiving TWO estimates with incorrect information on them. BOTH estimates stated that our lines were behind our house when they are in fact in front. There were also ZERO tree branches in the line, as the manager falsely stated during our conversation. 

  *The clean out was right next the line they painted. How do you miss that?

  *You can see the cap, as shown in the picture

  *We also have emails, photos and videos as well. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2025

  Good morning **** ********************** stated previously, we have recorded phone calls to avoid discrepancies in these situations. We quoted our responses from these phone recordings.
  Your property is on an acre of land. Its not a plumbers job to walk an acre lot to find clean-outs. We have tools to assist with this and we explained that we attempted to find the line, which we did find, but we couldnt go further because of the blockages. This service was performed at 6:30pm in the dark. Its important to note that we didnt charge to camera and locate the line during the after-hours. We didnt charge the $250 after-hours fee and camera and locator service charge of $360 (when there is a clean-out accessible. More if we have to detach and reset a toilet).

  
  There are a lot of ************ point of view statements being made about the work our team initially performed. However, neither *** nor **** ******** were present when this initial work was performed on the morning of January 31, 2025. **** ******** was present in the evening for our camera inspection and locator attempts. *** ******** was only present during the Saturday Rodding job that ***** performed in which he saw ***** use 120 feet of rodding cable and pulled back a substantial amount of wipes which finally opened the line.

  
  The day our team was dispatched to perform the initial rodding (January 31, 2025), the weather conditions were overcast and it was raining/sleeting. Later that evening, the grass was marked with our white spray paint to the farthest point that we could get to. It was pitch black that evening and the side of the house, where the second clean-out is located, has no lighting. Its evident that someone dug up the second clean-out the following day (Saturday, February 1, 2025) while the sky was very clear and the day was bright. This was only possible since we marked the path of the sewer line the evening before.

  
  All in all, we feel that our team went above and beyond to take care of The Robanskes drain issue. We charged a total of $717.00. We dispatched a team 3 times, 2 of those were after-hours, we rodded multiple times, pulled an extraordinary amount of wipes, we extracted water and wipes, worked through unfavorable terrain and weather conditions, performed camera and locator inspections, and eventually cleared the blockage in the lines. All these services were performed at no additional cost to The Robanskes even though we have a signed Release of Liability that states that this work does not carry a warranty. Did we have issues with our technology and estimate verbiage? Yes. Did we apologize for this multiple times and correct it? Yes. Did The ******** family incur any additional financial expenses? No. From a business standpoint, we did everything we could under the circumstances. Is every business perfect? No, but we recognize our flaws and did our best to correct them.

  **** ********, what else is it that you would like us to do? 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2025

   
  Complaint: 22937159
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am adding the photo of the final white line ****** painted Friday evening, and right next to it is the ************, the top of the second clean out. And a photo of the plot of land survey which shows that the street is approximately 100 ft from our house, so the manhole is approximately 125 feet away, not 300 like you stated. 

  I will work with the BBB to figure out how I can get these larger sized videos to load here. Maybe you can work on how to share your recorded phone calls?

  You keep mentioning all of these extra hours, and trips, and time, etc but the job that was completed was exactly what we paid for. Unfortunately for you, it took several trips for your company to figure it out. 

  I really feel like at this point if ****** and ***** had completed the work in the daylight, on Friday, found the next cleanout, that we very easily found Saturday morning, none of this would have happened. The job would have been completed, in a timely manner, a job that was within the scope of what we paid for. I wonder why ****** didnt look around for the clean out? Thats kind of odd right? To just say cant complete the job, sorry, we will get back to you later. And then send a $7000 incorrect estimate with completely unnecessary repairs? It seems that maybe a quick inaccurate decision was made Friday night upon your return. A decision that resulted in not one but two incorrect estimates that would have been very financially beneficial to your company and detrimental to a home owner that didnt know better. Repairs that were not even necessary. 
  I think we should share all of this with the public, via the BBB, and let them decide if they want to do business with you. They can decide if you went above and beyond. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********