Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/23/2023

  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.

  I had to hire a plumber to fix my sewer drain due to neighbors contractor disconnecting me from the shared sewer lateral. On 4.30.2023 My home at *** **** ****** * **** ** ***** experienced a sewer backup. It was suppose to be a simple fix but during an investigation my plumber discovered that the connection with the main sewer was broken by the plumbing work performed at the neighboring house at *** **** ****** . I contacted the Contractor - Steven E********** ( *** *** ****) to resolve this issue but he denies liability and is unwilling to provide his Insurance Information or any settlement . His company is Unlicensed and 'm afraid they might of done this work without permits and without plumbing license which caused extensive damages to my property. Because of his actions my tenants were without water and sewer for over a week and had to stay in hotels or at the relatives during that time. Work was finally completed 05.15.2023 when I received the extremely high bill from my plumber, I had to pay for multiple permits and compensate tenants for not providing livable conditions as per Lease.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  As previously communicated with Mrs. ******:

  Mrs. ****** is not our customer, ICUNJ has never performed any work for Mrs. ****** or any associated property. Furthermore, we dispute any claim that ICUNJ is liable for work performed by Mrs. ****** and required by City Ordinance in order to comply with Code -which the case here.

   

  ICUNJ was contacted by Mrs. ******'s neighbor (our customer) to address a private sewer concern. CCTV of our customer’s line indicated severe buildup of septic residue causing obstruction. After several attempts to clear and careful consideration it was determined that our customer's private sanitary sewer line was in disrepair and required emergency replacement. Due to the the severity of condition it was not possible to identify Mrs. ******'s presumed connection. 
  
  No one involved had knowledge of Mrs. ******'s presumed additional connections. And Mrs. ****** also confirmed having no knowledge that Mrs. ******'s sanitary sewer line may run under the neighbor's property (our customer) and connect to our customer's private sanitary sewer line, and that there is no easement agreement permitting Mrs. ******'s sanitary sewer line to run onto our customer's property and connect to our customer's private sanitary sewer line. In addition, during due diligence Mr.s ****** could have performed a sewer inspection prior to purchasing their property and prevented any damage but chose not do so, choosing instead to claiming that ICUNJ should be responsible for installing a new independent sewer line from their property to the City Main.
  
  Our customer (Mrs. ******'s neighbor) had the right to perform emergency repair work to protect their private property. Once again, our customer had no knowledge of any presumed additional connection and could not have prevented any presumed interruption of Mrs. ******'s service. 
  
  What would have occurred if we had prior knowledge of Mrs. ******'s presumed connection is that it would have been terminated regardless, simply because the our customer's sanitary sewer lateral failed (requiring emergency replacement) and because any such re-connection would be prohibited (non-compliant). But Mrs. ****** already knows this because Mrs. ******'s contractor excavated our customer’s property, exposed our customer's newly installed sanitary sewer lateral, exposed Mrs. ******'s lateral where it was presumably interrupted, but was prohibited from connecting that lateral to the neighbor’s lateral by local authorities because it’s against the law. 
  
  Simply, if Mrs. ******'s presumed connection was known, it would have been terminated during the replacement of our customer’s line and Mrs. ******'s would be required by code to install their own separate sanitary sewer lateral, at no cost to our customer or ICUNJ. Mrs. ****** would not be allowed to restore their presumed connection under any circumstance, and Mrs. ****** alone would be responsible for that cost. 
  
  Furthermore, if in fact Mrs. ******'s sanitary sewer lateral did connect to their neighbor’s private lateral, then Mrs. ******'s shared use would have contributed to the neighbor's lateral failing. In this case Mrs. ****** is also responsible for sharing in the neighbor's cost to perform the necessary repairs that restored their line, regardless of whether or not Mrs. ****** reconnects.

  This is a situation where a property owner could have identified a problematic condition during their due diligence prior to purchasing that property but neglected to do so, and now after realizing they are incurring unanticipated expenses due to an issue with that property they are attempting to scapegoat ICUNJ with that problem. 

  Warmest regards,
  Steven E

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/12/2023

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

  This company performed all work at my neighbours property and in process disconnected my property from Main sewer . I never indicated that I was a customer of this company . 

  This company never pulled any permits from the town and doesn't have Plumbing License to perform the work at my neighbours property . If they did their due diligence as a licensed contractor they would of discovered the connection and took proper steps to do necessary Inspections and approvals from local authorities. 

  If I was informed of this at the time of repairs I would gladly come to an agreement with the neighbour .

  There is no record of any permits pulled for emergency work as per OPRA that were filed with the town on WNY . No record of this company being registered as a Licensed Contractor with NJ Division of Consumer Affairs . 
  
  
  
  This company performed work without permits breaking local laws and refused to accept responsibility. They refused to provide their Insurance Information to me in order to file 3rd party claim against it as my property was damaged by their unlicensed and illegal work.

  This company is fully responsible for disconnecting my home from the main sewer line leaving the occupants without utilities for over a week because if their negligence and lack of respect for the local laws and ordinances . 

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ****** ****** 

  Business Response

  Date: 06/14/2023

  It’s obvious no explanation is enough for this individual, so none will follow. We’ve requested their lawyer’s contact information to discuss but they refused.
  

  It appears that we are at an impasse. File your complaint in court, we’ll be happy to address all concerns in that venue, including your defamatory and slanderous statements.
  

  proceed with caution!