Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 17, 2022, Amber Well Drilling came to my home to help address a well issue. We paid a upfront charge of $206, just to get them to come out to my home. My pressure switch attached to my Well pressure tank caught fire. This lead to no incoming water to my home. My husband had replaced the pressure switch with a new one, with this we had water again, but our tank wasn't holding pressure. We had Amber Well Drilling come in to help us figure out the problem. They wanted to replace the pressure switch after we already told them it was replaced. And we didn't need that dealt with. But they did it anyways, they spent 2 and a half hours troubleshooting to come to no conclusion on our problem. When I received the bill of $452.16, I called Amber Well Drilling and explained that I felt ripped off for the invoice because nothing was solved, and I was paying for something that we had already fixed, and their work didn't get us any further than we already were. They said they would talk with management. After waiting over a week for a response I had called again, and was informed that there was nothing that could be done, and that "it is what it is". I am at a loss of what to do and am beyond upset, I need help.

  Business response

  12/06/2022

  When we arrived at the customers’ residence a full inspection was performed. Upon inspection it was discovered that the pressure switch installed by the customer was installed incorrectly. We replaced the unit correctly. The customer requested that we continue to investigate the situation. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the customer needed a new check valve installed. He made it very clear that he only wanted us there to diagnose the issue and that he would fix it himself. Our technicians were kept there for 3 hours while the customer asked probing questions so he could fix the problem himself.  Our time is not free and the customer was billed appropriately. Furthermore, upon investigation of our phone records the customer did receive a call back letting her know that the billing was correct and that there was no adjustment to be made.

  Customer response

  12/06/2022

  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. They keep saying said switch was installed improperly, yet we had water, and the way they reinstalled one made no difference. We didn't even have a check valve in to begin with so I'm not sure what he's even refuring to? And if they had called me back why did I need to call back 12/5? Their own employees told us that they had solved nothing and that what they had tried to do should be charged to us. Ridiculous. Regards,  ***** *****  

  Business response

  12/30/2022

  Good afternoon,  I've been asked to respond to the latest request for a rebuttal in regards to the complaint listed above.  We were called out because the system was short cycling ever 30 seconds, meaning the well pump was turning on and off continually. Mr ***** informed my techs he replaced the switch but only the top half. They replaced the complete switch because they are a sealed item and should not be taken apart. The system continued to short cycle. The 2 technicians remained onsite trouble shooting the complete system and spent a total of 2 hours and 44 minutes devoted to this service call. It was determined that the issue was that the well pump check valve had failed and was draining water back down the well. Mr ***** was given the options of 1) change the pump or 2) install a check valve inline to prevent the backflow of water.  Mr ***** said he would install a check valve himself as that was an easy fix and did not need us to do that. We billed for the time spent devoted to this service call and materials used. A service call agreement was sent in advance of us going to the site, with pricing and agreed to. I do believe this invoice has been paid by Mr *****.   Jesse M****** -Division Manager AMBER WATER PROS

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Paid $14,000 to Amber. They did nothing but cause stress and issues. Ruined my faucets and lines by hooking bad water up too early and a collapsed well. They did nothing to resolve the issue. I am not starting over and paying someone else to drill a well. We havent had water since October. I live in Oneida county, outside of Sylvan Beach area. I hired a company, “Amber Water Pros” to drill me a new well after my water stopped working in my house. Long story short – I ran out of water in October, they couldn’t get to me til Jan. They drill Jan 5th and went too far. I paid them everything I had – long story short – I have no water. I gave them over $15,000K, and they abandoned the well and left. Water is not usable. They claim their contract is rock solid as it does not promise water or quality of water. However, I feel like I have a strong case that they have breached the contract. They didn’t communicate with me multiple times, they would work and not tell me what happened. They hooked up water to my house too early and well collapsed resulting in all the lines and faucets in my house being ruined. All the equipment I purchased from them now has a collapsed well and debri and rocks that have gone through the equipment and caused damage. There were rude and inconsiderate. I have all my emails and documentation. They left in April and never came back. I had to hire a new company at a cost of $14k. They reviewed all my invoices and emails from Amber, and cannot believe what they have done to me. They are at my house now drilling a new well and I will be starting all over again. I asked Amber what they are doing to replace the damaged things in house, they didn’t reply. I got an invoice sent to me Friday last week after not hearing from them in over 3 months – for over $7k, $500 of it is finance charges… I told them I am not paying it as I do not have water and they left. They threatened to put a lien on my house in a week. Unprofessional business.

  Business response

  08/04/2022

  Notes from Division Manager August of 2021, I went out to her house on a Saturday for a no water call at which time it was discovered she had a dry driven point well .The following day I supplied her with a quote for a new well December of 2021 Amber was again contacted by ******* about an up-to-date quote . At this visit I was informed that ******* had chosen to give her neighbor $4500.00 to put in a new point well system that had went dry in less then a month and she had been without water since October We moved our schedule around to get out to her with in 2 weeks and drilled the well on January 4th The pump system was installed January 20th. January 21st, we got a call from ******* that her faucets were clogged . Because it was winter ******* did not want the garden hose run out the window of her bathroom which is the location of her pressure tank. January 22nd returned to ******* to install a yard hydrant on the well so we could run the water without running it out the window.We went out to the customer in August 2021, because she was out of water and provided her with a proposal as her well was dry. She chose not to use our services and had her neighbor dig her a point well. She called back in December  to ask us to come out to give her another proposal  The customers well was drilled 1/5/22. She was told many times before we came to drill that the area of the property is a bad area to drill. She was warned that the quality of the water there may not be good.  As stated in our contract, “we make no guarantee to any quantity or quality of water available on the property.” She chose to move forward and sign the contract anyway. Amber well Drilling DBA Amber Water Pros went above and beyond trying to help this customer. She repeatedly berated our employees while they were there on service calls. She even posted defamatory statements about how the company would not help her even though we were on the property working as she was posting. January 20 2022 01:55 PM – Pump Install1/2 hp 230v 10gpm ******** pumpPitless adapter Check valve Torque arrestor200' of 1" poly down well210' of 10/2 pump wire down well50' of 1" poly to house60' of 12/2 uf wire to house ******* 35 tank and tee with base60' of metal romex wire from switch to breaker panel20 amp breaker Static water level at 18'Pump set at 204'Used 10/2 wire down to use up spools from the shop Pump well on top of the casing for 1.5 hrs. Water got a lot better from when we first started pump. Water was very cloudy with a swirl to it. Told her to let the kitchen sink trickle for the rest of the day.February 1 2022 – *** ******** **** ****** and water testing February 7 2022 03:11 PM – Return to pull pump Pulled pump 6' Pump stuck Wiggled till free, pulled Pump all the way out Lowered Pump down to 150' Water was gray and clogged water flow restriction 3gpm Ran till empty, didn't clear a little Listen to well fill Sounds of material hitting water inside well February 8 2022 05:47 PM – Well Bailing/CleaningBailed well to bottom of the casing got some cuttings and or broken rock fragments. Not sure where it was coming from though. Customer had a friend of hers come over when we were there.  And said he’s not going to be happy with us. February 10 2022 06:59 PM – Installed Screen 100' of scheduled 120 drop pipe Well screen and sock over screen Well seal and hydrant with a 3 gpm flow restrictorWater was very cloudy with a little swirl to it. Seen a lot worse . February 14 2022 05:23 PM – Service CallHydrant And hose was froze static was at 31.5'. Installed a temporary disconnect box so customer doesn't have to be there and so we don’t have to worry about live wiresFebruary 15 2022 06:04 PM  Replace 3gpm flow restrictor with a 1 gpm flow restrictor. We were pumping 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 gpm. Static water level was at 30.5 ' making some water but wouldn't sustain a constant 3gpm for more than 3 hrs.February 17 2022 06:07 AM by Guy S******** Bottom of well at 191' tried bailing some out. We were pulling drill cuttings and gray fine sand out. Brought pump back with usFebruary 18 – 19 2022 19th pulled pump drilled out caved in well ,added 20 ft of casing and frac'd February 24 2022 06:30 PM Install liner Tried to use original pump from install date. But pump wouldn’t built pressure. Put a new 1/2 hp 230v 10gpm fracking pump on. Fired up like it should.Installed sock on the pump220' of 1" schedule 120 drop pipe3gpm flow restrictorTee handle on top of wellFebruary 25 2022Water check on siteFebruary 28 2022 06:18 PM Took water sample, brought back to officeMarch 4 2022 04:44 PM Check on water. Water looks a little lighter but still dirtyNo labor costs were charged to the customer for any of the visits from 2/7/22 – 2/28/22. The only cost incurred by the customer was the cost of a sleeve well liner. Wed Mar 16 2022 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM  Work get sample of waterCompleted Mar 17 11:11 AMFri April 1 2022 12:15 PM – 1:15 PMget sample of water AT WELL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Completed Apr 1 12:56 PMApril 4 2022 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Workcheck waterApr 6 2022 7:45 AM – 8:45 AM Workcheck waterApr 8 2022 8:15 AM – 9:15 AM Workadd saver, flow valve , discharge pipeadd a pump saver - set 180 minutes offreplace flow valve with a 5 gpmadd discharge pipe +- 100 foot headed towards weedsApril 15 2022 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM  Workcheck on water,April 21 2022 – Amy W******* Site Survey and water testing Provided quote for water treatment system May 13 2022 12:38 PM Moved pump saver into the water closet and Guy ,Brandon helped drop the line into the well casing Installed a water hydrant in the well tested the pressure tank and pressure switch Cycled them both a dozen or more times and worked fine as they should explained to customer she can turn off in the breaker box as should be if needed we still have not connected the house to the pressure tank as of yet she had someone else run temporary water into the house and they Disconnected the house from our tank T and pressure switch my part for today job completeStill no additional costs incurred by the customer for these visits

  Customer response

  08/29/2022

  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. This business operates by taking advantage of as many people as they can who are in need of water. They dwell and brag about the ability to get more and the quantity whether it is usable or not. I have all emails saved as well as the samples taken from my home and pipes. Current company that I had to hire to do a whole new well and pay for that as well - did it the right way. I may not have the quantity that Amber claimed to provide, but what good is it, if it cannot be used? Recent samples taken of the abandoned well show major issues and currently is being tested for 3 kinds of bacteria. It intrigued the new well company so much, that they are taking samples of it as well. The fact that they wanted to put that water into my home is absurd. It smells like sewage. I have now heard from a total of 4 other victims of this company some of whom are paying for the process all over again with new companies. As in Jesse's previous email, he states that they offered to clear the water and I did not mention that. I can mention it now. Yes they did.... for an additional $13,550. What reasonable adult can pay over $30K for a basic need in their home? When the pump was pulled from the abandoned well they left, no one had ever seen anything like that - 4th generation well drillers, had never seen a system so messed up, a smell so bad, and water of that quality. Without me even asking, they offered to show support, come to court, write depositions, they could not believe it. They took advantage of someone and left the job and only care about money. In 2 months, I have now gotten water with a new company. It is actually clear water and done the right way and not 245 feet down. They actually ran their own test pump outside to  clear the water slowly and did everything in a professional manner. What took Amber 7 months to do and leave, and never even get potable water - a new company did in two months. This company needs to be evaluated by the BBB as well as the Attorney Generals office and the DEC. They may claim to do wells and have good record, but over and over again, its been demonstrated that they want as much money as possible and just want to get the most output of water, even if it isn't usable. Just knowing that a Business Manager replied to this compliant and felt comfortable enough to lie repeatedly, with such confidence - even though I have every email backed up that they sent me is remarkable to me. Their own employees wanted to speak up and talk to me privately but were afraid to do so because they said its just their paycheck and they are compensated well. One even went so far to tell me the employee working with him messed up and it was too late to fix it, and that it why so much stuff went through my house so badly. Their new well attachment is a joke. That is not what is in question. When a contractor comes to work on your home to back up something they did, they wouldn't leave the house without hooking up the hose and doing exactly what they preach and want the homeowner to do. I have that email as well where Jesse himself states that he will have to handle it with the guys that left because even he knew - they wouldn't have left my home with just a kitchen faucet on. If Jesse is attaching a document to say what is supposed to happen after, then his own employees would have made that was being done before they left.I believe in this case, they thought they were going to come in my home and I would be the typical single mom and not be educated about the process. Little did they know that I would in fact be educated and that I would not take lightly to being taken advantage of. I hope this process has an outcome where at least more innocent people can be educated and be warned of this company when they step into a home. I am now in debt from them as well as having to pay a new company all over again. I still have  debri in my lines from a collapsed well. I am handling all of this on my own and Amber thinks they did everything correctly. It is a shame that you cannot even trust a company who claims to have so much experience.    Regards, ******* ***** 

  Business response

  08/31/2022

  ****, 
   In regards to ******* *****'s latest response. Our last response is our final response . This matter has been turned over to the legal system. We are not going to continue volleying responses back and forth. We have millions of dollars invested in our operation, went above and beyond the requirements of the contract and should be able to collect payment for the work performed. 

*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. ↩