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:07/23/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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.

  I have been trying to get resolution on an issue with a Water softener TopTech installed for over the past year and half. The Nuvo softener turned my HH water blue and made it taste horrible as the citric acid-based softener leached copper from the pipes, and basically rendered my HH water unusable for cooking or drinking- I was using bottled water for everything except showers. The acidic nature of the water likely corroded the dishwasher heating unit so that needed to be replaced with a new unit. Went through a number of service calls for troubleshooting efforts which didn't work to fix the issue and delayed discussion of any real resolution. I was left to try to troubleshoot with the manufacturer, who in the end couldn't help either and advised this system may just not be the right system for my home. If I hadn't repeatedly called this company for those 1.5 yrs, they were more than happy to let this slip into a black hole. Each time I called, I was reassured someone would call me back, but with no followup. Finally on Jan 26th of this year, **** texted me to let me know they would remove the unit and refund my money. The value was $2199. They removed the unit on Feb 3, 2023. After a few months and no refund, I called again. Each time the person answering claimed they had to revisit the files, look into things and someone would return my call. I was referred to ***** in accounting who then told me I would receive a refund only if **** reimbursed them. She would get back to me. That wasn't the message I had had originally received from **** when I agreed to have them remove the unit. When I texted **** months later to check on the refund , his message back was clearly shock as he thought I had been issued there refund as he was told this had been handled . My last call with TopTec was June 20, 2023. They informed me **** wasn't with the company anymore, but after discussing the project details yet again, someone would call me back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2023

  We have tried to reach out to the customer with phone calls to come to some resolution. She is not responding to the voice mail messages left for her. We want to get this situation resolved, please give a call and talk to ****, he is in the office on Tuesday & Friday - Ph. ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20364257
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  This does not provide resolution (  I see from BBB instructions to indicate if it did).  **** left me one message (not multiple attempts ) which asked me to call back but  also indicated he was looking into the matter,  which is exactly what I've heard each time I've called this year.  This is not hard to resolve ...  I was told originally when we agreed to uninstall the softener that I would get a refund. Yes I will call him back, but expect at that time there is confirmation of refund.   That is what I consider resolution. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* Beer

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/25/2023

  Toptec understands the concerns of a loyal customer, who eventually started encountering blue water via the installation of a Nuvo water softening system.  Per MANUFACTURER Blue Water typically occurs when copper oxidizes within plumbing systems. This also can be triggered by PH levels and Oxygen in the water. The manufacturer makes clear that Blue Water isnt dangerous or harmful to your health and should resolve as its temporary.  Toptec has installed many of these systems without fail. We always follow manufacturers installation recommendations, and this system was installed per manufacturer guidelines and has successfully conditioned this customers water for over 1 year or so we thought, as we didnt hear about any blue water issues till at least a year after the installation.  Further, the customer chose to purchase her own replacement cartridges, saying she got them directly from the manufacturer, bypassing TOPTEC and now voiding any possible recourse we might have had from the manufacturer. Also, the customer had conversations directly with the manufacturer bypassing TOPTEC and even engaged in a 3rd party electrician to apply grounding straps without contacting TOPTEC.  At this point any recourse with the manufacturer and any control we may have had has left of Toptecs hands. To be clear, TOPTEC has made numerous no-charge revisit service calls to help resolve this issue which culminated with the eventual request by the customer to have the system fully removed, which again TOPTEC did at no charge. The customer now, however, wants a full refund, and if we had any recourse with the manufacturer, we were willing but unfortunately do not because of the time elapsed. Regardless, Toptec is still willing to refund (50%) half of the purchase price as a fair solution, but the customer insists it needs to be a full refund to a system that we didnt know was creating Blue Water for over 1 year and so lost any manufacturer recourse. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 20364257
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  
  Discussions on the  blue water DID occur before 1 yr. period.
        * I have dated photos documenting the water issue before the one-year anniversary and the issue was shared at that time with Toptec. 
  At no time was I informed that I needed to buy my filters from TopTec to honor a warranty  and at the time Toptec did not have them in stock and were backordered for months.   
       *  During 2H 2020  when I needed the first replacement, TopTec did not have them on hand as backordered with COVID supply impact. I was informed         Id be contacted when they came in.  No call for a few months, so I contacted Nuvo who did have them  and they shipped.  
       * Only Nuvo filters were used in the system and have invoice from Nuvo for documentation of the one purchase.
       * Toptec supplied one filter themselves to test whether the two I purchased from Nuvo were the issue.  Made absolutely no difference.   

  Contacting Nuvo for assistance when TopTec nonresponsive and had no soluon:
       *If  TopTech did not have the answer or solution to this issue, they could have also contacted Nuvo technical for insights or suggested actions.   Im not aware they even made such an effort as I was sharing my emails with TopTec and the technician on site.  
       * In all the months of calling TopTech, I was continually told with each call they had to check into the file/background and I would receive a follow-up call, which never came.  
       * Not sure at that point what the company expected me to do.  I was the only person pursuing and although each person said they had some familiarity to my issue, I did recap the situation, steps taken with each conversation.  It became clear that TopTec was perfectly fine to let it go into a black hole.

  Resolution messaging shifted from original : 
       *Finally had one employee **** with whom I did have phone conversation early this year and then he texted me back to the agreement to remove the system.   His text attached and it was simple and straightforward.  No conditions mentioned.  Stated very clearly Toptec would remove the system and refund the purchase price of $2199.  
       * After that text was when the story changed and the company said they had to first pursue a reimbursement from Nuvo.   Was told someone would call me, again.  

  As to blue water not being harmful, that *** be true if just blue water but there were other factors associated with the system issues,  and these were discussed on calls with TopTech:  
       * Elevated copper levels in the drinking water.      One of Nuvos suggestions was to test the water since the citric acid was clearly interacting with the copper pipes.   The tests came back elevated vs village reports and was testing at the beginning level of concern for drinking safety. 

       * PH Impact: Nuvo ultimately advised I should remove the system as it was elevating the *** making it notably more acidic vs what the system should impact the homes water.  I ran tests pre and post system.   The watch out they gave me was that it could harm appliances.  (May be coincidental, but not long after  my dishwasher had to be replaced due to corrosion of the element.   And my water is not extremely hard to begin with.  No build up seen on shower doors or faucets)

       * Drinking the blue water was not feasible and caused other expenses.   With the blue color came horrible acidic /metallic tastes.  I was using bottled water for all cooking and drinking.  Even filtered water through the refrigerators charcoal system was not palatable. I also wasted a years worth of expensive salon visits trying to address the orangish hue my hair took on.   I was advised the waters copper content was likely the issue and another reason to get the unit uninstalled. Once the system removed, these issues solved.

        *And the blue water was NOT temporary- it never went away.  So IF the blue water was a few hours or even a few days then it would have made sense to let it flush through.  Even Nuvo admitted this was not the way their systems should operate.

  I did NOT contract or speak with a 3d party electrician
        *TopTec sent their own electrician to check the grounding of the system because Nuvo customer service kept insisting that was a common cause of blue water.   (I would assume  the electrician they sent was employed by TopTec since they handle plumbing, cooling, electrical).  
       * If that comment was more to address that I insisted it be checked, yes because again Nuvos technical experts kept saying it was a common cause and the installer should come back and check it.)

  
  
  ******* Beer

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  I had an emergency plumbing situation on 9/11/22 due to water filling the basement. I called Toptec Plumbing in ************ for emergency service. The plumber came within an hour. He tried to rod it out, but to no avail. He used the sump pump to pump the water out of the house because the sewer was backed up. I asked him how this could be fixed and he said a cleanout needed to be installed. I was quoted a verbal price of $6200.00 plus the ****** for the emergency fee. This is where my good experience with the company ended. The next day on 9/12/22, I was told to pay half, $3125.00, in order to make an appointment, which I did over the phone. I was told a receipt would be emailed to me, but never received a receipt. I was also billed for a different amount then what was quoted on the phone. They billed me $3425.00 (half + ****** emergency fee) instead without my consent or knowledge. The crew came to the house and began working that day 9/12. They used cameras to look underground; however, they could never tell me exactly what was causing the backup because they supposedly kept running into issues and it appeared they could not finish the work. It was issue upon issue. Then, they sent me a proposal on 9/13/22 for $52,000.00 to complete all the plumbing work, which I submitted to my insurance company. There was never any written or signed contract. While waiting for insurance to respond, I decided to get a second opinion. On 9/18, the second company told me the work was done completely wrong and that the cleanout was attached to the drain tile. He also noted that he doesn't know how Toptech could say I had all these problems because they never touched the sewer line. He noted that cleanouts are supposed to be attached to the sewer line. The second company also told me that day what was causing the issue, the roots of a tree in my yard. He was able to tell me within a couple hours what the issue was in comparison to Toptec that spent 2 days and never told me what was causing the backup issue. On 9/18, I emailed Toptec and told them I no longer need their services and I was hiring another company to complete the work. Their office manager called me the next morning on 9/19 and told me I needed to pay the $3125.00, along with the $****** emergency fee. Mind you, I had been charged the emergency fee, which I did owe, but it was charged without my knowledge. I also was never notified that they did any work because they kept finding issues and it appeared the issues were so major they could not continue working. I told her I would call back in the afternoon when I was home. When I called her back that afternoon, she assured me the work was done and the cleanout was installed to the sewer. I told her I had different information and so she said the emergency plumber would contact me the next day, 9/20, which he did. Since I no longer trusted them, I did not answer and sent him a text stating that I was having the city do an inspection on their work. He sent a text in response, which I did not read. The next day on 9/21, when I came home for lunch, he was at my home without my permission. Upon talking to him, he showed me the text message that said he was coming to the house with a crew to finish the work. I'm guessing the rush was due to me contacting the city because I was never told the work was done wrong before that day. He did admit that the work was done wrong and they put the cleanout on the drain tile and that was why he was there to fix it. Just a few days before on 9/19, the office manager was requesting payment because the work was supposedly finished. After some thought, I told him I wanted him to leave and have the city come inspect the work. He did leave my home. The second company began work on 10/13 and the city came to inspect the original work before the second company began work. Due to Toptec's error and city code, I had to have a 2nd sump pump installed due to them touching the drain ********** was an extra $2800.00 cost for me for the sump pump installation because of their error. The second company had to install a new 6"cleanout access in line and disconnect the drain tile from the sewer line. Toptec made a bad situation worse. I would not want anyone else to go through this. I have not heard from Toptec since I told him to leave the property.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2022

  Hello ******,
  
  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. After reviewing your challenge and discussing your complaint with the ownership, we are going to refund the entire amount. TopTec strives to provide the best quality service at a fair price. We occasionally don't meet or exceed our customers expectation, for this we are sorry. We feel this is a satisfactory resolution to your concern. Thank you and have a wonderful day. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/23/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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.

  Over paid for terrible plumbing work. Occurred on Aug 4, 2022 and returned Aug 22, 2022 and related they didn't want a bad review on Yelp and requested to come over to see issues and have not completed as promised.Was informed by VP ***************************** that I over paid for work received and would fix and replace issues. VP told me owner refuses for VP to fix and replace issues. Asked me to pay now.I have long detailed *********** email available and pictures.I believe the Plumbers are not Licensed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2022

  Hi,

  All plumbing issues that ******************** requested were pre-approved by her and were completed to industry standards and state and local plumbing codes.
  Any additional services ******************** requested for repair by TOP TEC were rejected.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2022

   
  Complaint: 17756805
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the other two issues the ** of Top Tech, whom the owner of the plumbing company sent to my residence, stated Top Tech would fix remaining issues that remained. They were not. Therefore, the plumbing company in question had not completed the job they were contracted and paid an exorbitant amount of money to complete.

  In essence, a refund is in order and expected.

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/29/2022

  Per our last conversation with, the customer had purchased the Rohl sink sprayer that was not part of the initial service call request. She conveyed she she did not want us in our house anymore. customer paid for all services performed by TOPTEC.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 17756805
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************