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:05/30/2024

  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.

  On 5/28/24 I contacted Wilde Plumbing to inquire about installing a water heater. The owner, ****, installed it on 5/29 but did not complete the job. I paid $1460 by credit card. I'm still waiting for the permit information from him. He was not willing to adjust the bill due to damage he caused that I had to hire someone else to fix in order to have a working water heater. He left me a non-working water heater due to the fact that he broke the *** vent pipe off at the wall and said I needed to contact an **** company to fix it. My **** repairman fixed it and stated that the plumber absolutely should have been able to repair it himself. I had asked the plumber if he would lower the bill due to the needed repair he caused. He refused to change the bill stating that the part he broke was old and he was not responsible for it. When he removed the old water heater he left a trail of ***** water from the basement, up the stairs and to the front door. He said it was unavoidable. He should have placed a plastic bag under the unit to catch the water. He also left the unit unleveled and did not tighten a fitting and I had to call the gas company to investigate the gas leak the next morning on 5/30 (today). My floor did not have any standing water on it when he started but while he was working on it, and I went to check how things were going there was very much water all over the basement floor and under some personal items. so much so that I got a squeegee tool to push all the water myself to the drain to keep from ruining my items. **** also refused to show me about the water heater when i asked him to and to show me how to start it. He stated there was nothing to show me and to just push the igniter button and told me that the person that came to fix the vent could start the unit for me. I paid the **** company $324 to fix the vent he broke, and I will be paying to get the carpet cleaned from the ***** water on the carpet.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/17/2024

  I put the water heater in as *********************** requested at a price that was agreed upon. I took out the plumbing permit before I started the job with the Menomonee falls plumbing inspector.  As I told her I would let her no the permit number once I received it. I forgot to get her the permit number .  I have been doing plumbing for over 43 years and had never repaired a adjustable b vent fitting and that is why I told her to call a heating contractor. The b vent she stated was over 27 years old . As for the water on the basement floor I cleaned it up as good as I could but when you move a water heater that was leaking you drain it out , but sometimes the insulation around the water heater is soaked and when you move it or tilt it on a dolly it can leak.also the water on the floor was there because I had to change the valve after the water meter and before the water heater at no charge to her because the valve after the water meter was a old gate valve and after turning it back on the gate would no longer move to let the water threw. As I said before I wiped the floor up as good as I could .

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Mr. ********************** left me with an inoperable water heater due to damage he caused.  The agreement was for a working water heater.  Mr. ********************** did not let me know until he was on his way out that I would have to hire another contractor to fix what he broke.  I should not have to pay for that repair.  Additionally, I never stated to him that the b vent was 27 years old.  The b vent itself was not in bad condition at all, he was simply too aggressive with it and snapped it from the wall.  I'd be happy to check with the company that came to fix it to see if they'd be willing to submit a statement to validate this claim, as it is what they told me when they came to fix it.   I'd also be happy to inquire about a statement from them that states that as a plumber he should have been able to fix it.  I'd also be happy to ask for a statement from another plumber that also validates the claim that he should have been able to put in a b vent as part of the water heater install.   In any case, he should be responsible for the cost of this repair at a minimum. I asked him if he would adjust the bill and he said no.   Additionally, Mr. ********************** did not clean up the water... I did.   I used a squeegee to move the standing water to the floor drain after I moved my personal objects that were in the water, off of the floor.  He also directly told me directly to clean up the water that leaked from the old water heater.  It was more than just "a little" water that he said would leak from it.   In addition to the excessive water all over the basement floor, I also cleaned up the ***** water that trailed up the carpeting from the basement to the 1st floor and the water that was left pooled on the dining room floor.  A simple solution he did not do was to put a large plastic garbage bag under the unit to catch the water.   He also did not level the unit- it is noticeably not level, even without putting a level on it.   If needed I can submit pictures of the ***** water on the stairs and the unleveled water heater along with statements and a receipt of the repair needed in order to have a working water heater.   I reached out to the village to get an inspection done despite not being contacted by Mr. ********************** with the permit information.  They will be here to inspect tomorrow, if any issues come of that I will need to send the BBB additional information.  ******* Mr. ********************** refused to show about the water heater he had just installed.  He was getting ready to leave my home when I asked him if he could go over the water heater with me and he refused stating that there was nothing to show me and to "just push the ignitor button" and that the repair person I needed to hire could show me how to operate it or just start it for me.   He also left me with a waterlogged instruction manual that I could not even open it or turn the pages due to it being completely saturated with water and left in a crumpled heap.    This is very, very poor customer service and unfair billing to be left with a non-functioning water heater. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************