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:11/06/2024

  Type:Billing 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’ve been having some issues with my plumbing. They came out three times in October to fix the problem but never did and send me a bill for $955 wanted adjusted won’t try to work with me. I’ve had problems with them last year with the same problem charge me $2200 to finally fix a slab leak

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2024

  This customer has had several different leaks in their home due to bad copper piping.  They have had a slab leak (under the slab), leaks in the attic (in different parts), and a leak in the wall.  We did reduce the charges in the effort of customer satisfaction and the customer has accepted.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2024

  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.

  Universal plumbing came out on 8/9/24 as part of our American Homeshield Service. We are having issues with our bathroom shower smelling like sewage and water bubbling up from shower drain when the washing machine is running. I was at work that day and my husband was at home as he works from home. When I arrived home I found the bathroom very dirty with debris and black marks all over shower floor. My husband said he had called them to let him know of his displeasure with how they left the bathroom. I spent over an hour cleaning it. After this, I washed a load of clothes. When changing the clothes from washer to dryer I noticed the carpet was soaked. The machine itself was dry so it did not over flow. When I looked behind the washer I noticed the washing machine drain tube was on the floor. This was late Friday night so we did not report until early Saturday morning and even then all we could do was speak to an operator. Now that it is Monday morning we have called Universal Plumbing who denied wrong doing, American Homeshield who is trying to get someone to call us and State Farm who say they are going to call back.
  We also noticed the front of our dryer was cracked and it was not cracked before this service call. Since nobody has been helpful we have taken it upon ourselves to remove the washer and dryer from the area so we can try and limit the water damage. We are currently using a floor and box game to dry it out but carpet is soaked and molding and wood is already warped

  Business Response

  Date: 08/19/2024

  We serviced this home through American Home Shield
  warranty company.  We snaked a drain line
  through the shower drain.  The customer
  did contact us regarding a washing machine drain hose; however, nothing was
  mentioned about a mess in the shower.  We
  are always happy to return to clean any mess that was made during the repair
  process.  In regards to the washing
  machine drain hose, there was no repair work done in the laundry room nor was
  the washer drain line snaked.  It is
  possible that the drain hose popped out when the drain cycle kicked in as we do
  see this from time to time.  We do not
  see where it is possible for us to be responsible for  a washing machine drain hose popping out from
  snaking the shower drain line; however, we advised the customer to contact
  their homeowner’s insurance company to allow them to independently
  investigate.  If the customer’s hoemowner’s
  insurance determines any fault on us, then they will subrogate with our
  insurance provider.  We did not collect
  any fee from the customer.  Any fees the
  customer paid were directly to AHS.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/23/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1) The washing machine hose has been securely in place for 4 years. The day Universal Plumbing came to service my house it ends up on the floor and a full washing machine tub of water also ends up on the floor. 
  2) You claim to have not done any repair work to the washing machine room, yet the hose was found on the floor and the front plastic of my dryer was found cracked  So even tho you say “no repair work was done in the laundry room” nor was “the washer drain line snaked” the repairmen were in the laundry room and caused this damage.
  3)We did contact our homeowner’s insurance company. Twice. The first time we were told insurance does not cover “worker’s negligence” and to contact the plumber who serviced it. The second time we contacted them(after your last correspondence advised us to do so) we were told to “contact a lawyer”. Which is going to put us the customer out even more money. 
  4)So here we, the customer, are having paid a plumber, a homeowner’s insurance policy and a supplemental insurance policy left holding the bag for everything. 
  5) Oh and one more thing. Universal Plumbing said they fixed the problem. It was not fixed. When the washing machine is running we still have gurgling coming up from the shower. So there’s that…
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 09/04/2024

  There was no work performed in the laundry room.  All work was performed in the bathroom
  through the shower drain.  Normally, a
  customer opens a claim for water damage, etc and an adjuster is assigned to
  investigate the claim and determine fault/coverage.  If the customer is still experiencing a
  drainage issue, then the work is under warranty through AHS.  The customer needs to contact AHS and let
  them know that they are still having an issue with the drain and AHS will send
  a recall order to return.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/04/2024

  For the record. I am not satisfied and very disappointed that BBB has closed this case. Also, how in the world does this company have an A+ rating. Do they receive that rating just by paying dues?  Prior the this occurrence I was not savvy enough to do my own research. But since this happened I have done research and found them to be a 1.7 star company according to yelp and a 2.5 according to google. Not exactly “A+”. They can claim all day long they did no work in the laundry room. It does not change the fact they were in the laundry room and something they did caused the damages. If I were rich I would get a lawyer. But I’m not. And unfortunately I will have to settle for being out of pocket for the repairs. So to reiterate, BBB did nothing to help in this situation and sided with the company who caused the damages. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/13/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  My name is **** *****, I reside at the address of **** ******** *** ********** *** *****. On Monday October 9th my Natural Gas co. had to pull my meter due to a gas leak under ground. I contacted my gas line insurance "home serve" and was later contacted by someone at "universal Plumbing, to which I was told a permit to work and do repairs was not going to be approved until next Wednesday Oct. 18th. I have called friends in the city of Shreveport who have employees of Caddo parish that inspect for residential gas repairs with a one day turnaround. I have also informed 'Universal Plumbing" as well as my gas line insurance company of this. Their response is that they have a process that they have to abide by within the state laws. I have called Universal Plumbing twice to ask for their process and "portal" as they say they use to file for a permit, to no avail. They tell me that they do not have personnel to contact or even a website to email to extradite a residence that has no hot water or cooking equipment available due to the gas outage. I simply wanted to assist in the expediting of this matter, since we are without essential household equipment. I also checked state permits filed for this resident and there is none filed for through Louisiana 811. That is the only reference I have for a permit that doesn't involve the parish. I only have this reference because Universal Plumbing personnel refuse to give me any information on my property gas line, "suposed permit"

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2023

  The customer contacted Centerpoint Energy prior to
  contacting us regarding a gas leak. Centerpoint 
  Energy came to the home and disconnected his gas service.  When the gas service is disconnected, a
  permit is required for the repairs to take place and Centerpoint to reinstate
  the gas to the home.  We explained to the
  customer numerous times that this is done through a permitting portal online
  and that we do not verbally speak to a person. 
  The customer explained that he contacted the City of Shreveport (a
  municipality in which he does not reside ) for information regarding the
  process.  The permitting process within
  the city limits of the Shreveport in under the jurisdiction of the City of
  Shreveport Permits and Inspections division. 
  Their process is different as each municipality/rural town is
  unique.  The permit does not involve “811”
  as this is a utility locate process for digging which is why they do not have
  his address registered.  The proper
  process was followed, the job was completed, and the gas should be restored to
  the customer’s home.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

  I have been out of town and was not able to respond to these messages. The response made by the company is only partially true and does not address the actual complaint. I reside in the parish of Caddo, which is certainly the municipality of the city of Shreveport, and rural areas for permits and inspections. We are unincorporated but still tied to that parish. The complaint was that this Plumbing company refused to disclose the website and complete process to me as the customer so that I could help expedite the so-called permitting process. I do not expect them to care that I was without gas for over a week but do expect an explanation of the process it takes to address the problem. If there was a portal for permitting they were unwilling to give me the contact info to that portal. No website runs on its own, there is someone that was involved in that "portal process". I simply asked for that information and they refused disclosure.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2023

  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.

  Universal Plumbing was dispatched to our home to replace a broken septic pump. After they arrived and replaced the pump it ran for approximately 20 minutes before shutting off and not working. We reported the issue and they came back a week later. After their second repair the pump ran for approximately 15 minutes before shutting off again. After the second 'repair' it was discovered that the pump was causing the 20 amp fuse for the entire septic system to blow immediately. The company was contacted upon discovering this and claimed that they had replaced the pump correctly and that it was not their fault (despite evidence that the pump was wired in improperly) and refused to come look at it again.
  
  In addition to this they left trash in our yard multiple times they came out. The first technician left a dirty towel and the third technician left a pair of rubber gloves in the grass next to the septic tank.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2023

  The customer’s issues have been resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/18/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  On 1/13/2022 Universal responded to a service call for my neighbor. The plumber decided to use my private drive to make a multi-point turn. When doing so the driver crashed into my fence. The driver got out of his vehicle to inspect the damage, when he noticed he was being recorded he got in his truck and took off without leaving an apology and or insurance information.
  I've called and specifically requested to speak with a supervisor, and was blown off. I also left an email and attached pictures to corroborate and substantiate my claim.
  I haven't had a reply from anyone in a week. I am highly disappointed with their unprofessionalism and unwillingness to repair my private property which was damaged.
  I am asking for the company to accept responsibility and to repair damages caused.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/09/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2023/01/27) */
  This individual has accused our company of private property damage. We did have a vehicle pull in and out of his drive way; however, there was no contact made with his fence. The individual has no provided any evidence to show that contact was made with his fence. He has a picture of our truck in his driveway. The Caddo Parish Sheriff's office was contacted and conducted an investigation regarding the matter. Their feedback to us is that they have found no evidence to substantiate the individual's claim. We are awaiting their final report in written form.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2023/01/30) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  Universal did use my driveway and while trying to make a multipoint turn they struck my fence. My girlfriend was at home and did hear the vehicle strike the fence. When she looked out the bayview window after the sound of the collision she started taking pictures. At one point the company individual got out of the truck to inspect the damage. Once they realized they were being recorded they got in the company vehicle and took off. They didnt apologize or leave insurance information for damages. Universal Plumbing is now banking on a legality of the property damage not being recorded as video footage. It's sad to see that the company cant do the right thing and replace a few boards they broke.