Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2024

  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 March 11th I called Walters Environmental Services for a plumbing Issue I was having at my home at *************************************. The receptionist said they needed to have a card on file in order to book an appointment. She recommended that we have the plumbing line looked at with a camera and she said it would cost $400. Days later I notice that I was charged a total of $1684. I was never given any invoices, estimates, or even receipts. Upon calling the company, they said they sent a truck to drain the septic tank and needed more than one worker to run the camera. I do not have a septic tank at my property so this confused me. Nevertheless the company has refused to issue a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2024

  We received an initial call the late afternoon of 3/7/24.  I personally spoke with ************** then, and he told me that another plumbing company had been at his rental property and said that the backup was caused by a septic tank being full.  I pulled the site up on the map and discussed my concerns that this site did not likely have a septic tank due to the suburban location of the property.  I offered service the next day or emergency service that evening.  He agreed to the emergency service and I was very clear about the charges.  He provided his credit card to me at that time and gave approval for us to charge it.  He spoke with one of our plumbing technicians after me, and they decided it would be best to send a pumper truck that evening.  The pumper truck arrived and was not able to find a tank and noted that, so we charged just the service fee and emergency fee as discussed since we had called our on-call driver and brought him back in specifically for this job as requested.
  
  The next day our plumbing team communicated the findings to **************, and he explained that the property would be condemned due to not having a useable toilet.  The initial plumber went out with the jetting and camera equipment and the price was discussed ahead of time as it is always our policy to do so.  The plumbing technician communicated regularly with ************** on the phone and via text (screenshot attached) and provided photos and videos of his findings that included two broken pipes that would need to be repaired.  Both technicians were working inside and outside the home, removed toilets, reinstalled with new wax rings, and worked to locate the lines outside that were having problems.  There were also several issues with the lines that were causing clogs and not allowing the water to move through the pipes.  The plumbing technician was in touch with ************** to tell him the additional time that would be required and the hourly rate (screenshot attached) including the additional technician that would be needed to assist with jetting the lines from inside the house out to the yard where they had discovered the broken pipe and issues.
  
  For clarification, Walters Environmental Services, **** is, in fact, licensed and registered for septic and jetting services in ***********  However, we were very clear with ************** that we do not do plumbing repairs to broken lines because we are not registered as master plumbers in the City of ***********  All of our actions were completely allowable within the parameters of our certifications and registries, and we were very clear when our services would no longer be allowed to continue.  The plumber was able to get a line clear and a toilet flushing and provided photos to ************** indicating that the full tub and toilets had drained and were empty.  They worked very hard to get the property back up so that at least one toilet would be working and the threat of condemnation removed.  The final bill for the emergency service and the follow up the next day was mailed since we did not have an email address for **************.
  
  On 3/12/24, ************** called in to complain about his bill.  The pluming secretary explained the charges to him, and the multiple trips, technicians and equipment that was used in order to get the property back up and running.  As a courtesy, she agreed to give a $100 discount for the services and that was reflected in the final payment.  Our plumbing manager also attempted to call ************** again on 3/15/24 to discuss the charges and offer explanation for our charges, but ************** did not answer and his voicemailbox was full, so he was unable to leave a message.  We did not hear back from ************** until this complaint was filed.  We did make an effort to reach a positive conclusion from trying to follow up with explanations, communication through the job, and offering a discount as a courtesy.
  
  We are able to provide our technicians work sheets, time on the job, and additional site photos if necessary.  The charges that were made were due to our services over the course of two days with multiple technicians.  We worked very hard to pinpoint exactly where the problem was and were honest when the repair was outside of our capabilities.  We did clear the line enough to get the toilet functioning again, and that was the main goal relayed to us with urgency.  We communicated pricing and challenges throughout the entire process, and we do not believe any of the accusations made in the complaint are accurate based on our experience with this customer.
  
  Please advise if there are any additional questions you may have or any clarification needed in order to close this complaint favorably.  We are eager to have this resolved, and will work with you in order to expedite as needed.