Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called mumma my ***** drilling because I needed to have my well checked out. The pump was running continuously. They came out and stood there and talked to The guy who leases the property for a long time. Then apparently they said they replaced a valve. Then they called me and said that I needed a pressure tank. I am a widow so I dont know anything about these things, so I consulted the people who lease our property. They said a new pressure tank was installed two years ago. They started poking around and found out that it was a leak under my house which was causing the pump to run. I called and told them I wasnt going to get the pressure tank but to send me the bill for the valve. I got the bill and it was $947. 85. The valve they said was $75, The switch gauge UF hose fitting with $85. The wine and 1/4 SS bushing was 15. A well cap of $80. Which it already had a good one on there and their service call in labor was $675. And 1785 for the taxes. I never gave them permission to do any repairs. I just asked them if they would look at the pump. I am a widow, and I think they were just trying to take advantage of the fact that I didnt know anything about the well. I talked to the plumber that replaced the pressure tank and he said that they were doing unnecessary work. The amount that theyre charging for the valve and the gauge UF hose fitting switch and well cap is ridiculous too. They are much much higher than what the items actually cost. Please help me. They are a total rip off company.

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  This woman called us and said she had no water. She said she already checked under the house for a leak and found no leak, said she didnt know what else to look for and asked if we would come check the problem out. We said we would. 
  
  
  The first day we arrived at her house we headed to the well that is located in the middle of a barn lot. Once we got back where the well is there were 2 guys already back there. I tell them who we are and they tell us they already checked under the house for a leak and found no leak-this is the second time we were informed that someone else already checked under the house and found no leak. The amount of time my dad and myself talked to them was 5-10 minutes listening to them tell us what is going on and where to turn the power on and off for the pump. 
  
  
  Me and my two employees started checking the pressure switch and gauge while one of the other guys ( that was already there) said he could show my dad (who is also a licensed well driller that works with me) where to turn the power on and off which is located in the barn in the barn lot. While checking the pressure switch and gauge the gauge was on 0 PSI. The power was on but not building pressure. We shut the power off to the pump. At this point the other two guys were not around us. We put the well cap back on the well which was loose and could not be tightened. 
  
  
  Before we left the property I called the woman and told her what we found out. I asked her if we could come back the next day in a smaller service truck because the barn lot is all mud and we would have to do a pump test on the pump to see if the leak is inside the well or the water line between the well and house(not under the house). She said ok and to go ahead and fix it because she needs water. 
  
  
  The second day we got there we raised the pump and we could see inside the pipe that goes down the well. There was no water in the pump line down the well- this means there is a leak going down the well. We pulled the pump out and seen the check valve was cocked open to one side allowing water to drain back down the well. The pressure switch was also burned up, the 1/4 fittings were corroded and the 1/4 hose was brittle. We changed the check valve, replaced the other damaged parts, and put the pump back in the well. Next we turned the pump on and the pressure was building up but when the pressure got to 40 PSI it shot up quickly to 60 PSI. This means the pressure tank is no good which explains why the pressure switch was burned up. We also changed the well cap that day because it was loose and could easily get knocked off and allow debris to fall in the well. 
  
  
  We called her to tell her we were finished and that her pressure tank was bad and would need replaced. She said to wait on the pressure tank so we did. 
  
  
  The items we sell are good quality and the labor price is not unreasonable. We had to make more than one trip because her pump wasnt easily accessible due to ground conditions so not only was there the time working on the pump but also the extra driving time. There was also tax on the parts. Bottom line is she gave us the ok to do the work because she needed water. She is just trying to get out of paying her bill.

  Customer response

  05/07/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  First of all, I would like to state that I am not the kind of person who tries to get out of paying a bill. And I highly resent that they said that!  My problem is they are charging a ridiculous amount of money for what they did. I did not give them permission to do anything but was willing to pay for the valve  I thought thought that they would call and tell me how much things would be first.
  

  When I called them, I just asked them to come and check out the well. I did not expect them to do any work until they had talked to me.

  To my knowledge, they only came out one time. I did not tell them that I had no water. I told them that on occasion, my water pressure wasnt great and that it was costing me a lot of money because the pump was running constantly. They called to tell me that I needed a pressure tank and I told them that I Would think about it and call them back. I called them back a couple of days later and they told me that they had put a valve on and I told them to go ahead and send me the bill for that but I was Going to pass on getting a new pressure tank at this time. Which I am very glad that I did!

  When the plumber came down here, he looked at the well.  He knew immediately that was not the problem. I did tell Mummas that people looked under my house for a leak and did not find one. However, the other plumber knew right off the bat that it had to be a leak. He also told me that the pressure tank was only two years old and that the valve that they had charged me so much for he only charged $25 for.  Thats a $50 markup.
  

  There were people that the property there whenever they showed up. One guy told them that the cap looked fine, but they went ahead and put a new one on. I know for a fact that it did not need one because I myself was down there the day before and it was in good shape.  I was also told that there were four guys standing around talking the majority of the time.

  When they had originally gave me a quote on replacing the pressure tank He said that it would be about $400 for the pressure tank and he would have to bring heavy equipment and which would cost us about $600. Oddly enough it cost more for them to just do what they claimed they did then bringing in heavy equipment..

  I wish I had looked at the online reviews before I had them come out at all. They have overcharged other people too. I feel that they are trying to take advantage of me because I am a widow. It is just not my word against theirs. There were several people here whenever they came.The bottom line is they did things that they did not have permission to do. I was willing to pay for a valve. I am not willing to pay $675 in labor plus the other things they have charged me for when I only asked them to come out and look at it.  

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

  
  

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