Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  10/05/2021 They trenched in water line for hook up. They were supposed to add a shut off valve on the line installed and never did. They left a dangerous hole under my home in which they refused to do anything about. I had to pay someone to fix this immedietly for safety reasons and to prevent damage under my home. I complained to them immedietly with several emails back and forth and got no where. I paid $1250 or something like that which was 1/2 the est. upfront before work was done. 2 years later they took a few phone calls to help with the plumber they arranged orginally whom which i paid directly and castalia still bills me for the orginally job in which they never finished and again i had to pay someone else to correct. They now want another $755. This is crazy. Someone could have been badly hurt in that hole as well as it could not stay that way for 2 years and the only answer i got was the ground will settle. Well its not dirt its clay and no it will not just settle it will harden and become more dangerous. i have several emails to prove my complaint as well as photos.

  

  Business response

  02/14/2024

  ****** ***** contacted our company in 2021 about installing a water line to her home. The water main to service the home had not yet been installed by the public entity. ****** wanted the waterline installed anyhow and accepted the original estimate amount of $2511.48. This estimate included a line item for a subcontracted plumber to do the work hooking the new water line to the existing home. 

  On or about September 2021 we installed the water line from under the home out to the road right-of-way close to where the new water main was going to be installed. Since the water line could not be connected to an actual main water line at this time the valve on the home end was not installed. The only real purpose for the valve is to test for leaks before backfilling when hooked to a live main. The trench was backfilled with the existing dirt upon completion and left to naturally settle. 

  Soon after this work was completed ****** emailed me to complain about the trench and the way it looked. I tried to explain to her that the dirt was disturbed and air was introduced and it would take time and rains for natural compaction to occur. At one point we even sent a crew and a machine back there to touch up the area and we did not charge her. 

  In 2023 the water main was finally installed by the public entity and ready for service. ****** reached out the the plumber to have the service line hooked to her home and was having troubles making contact. ****** was very distraught and called me to see if we could help her get the line connected. I talked with the plumber and they went there and made the final connection to the home at that point. 

  Since we do not invoice customers until the job is completed, and knowing this one was waiting on the water main, we invoiced the remainder of the job. The invoice reflects that the subcontracted plumber charge was removed since ****** was bill direct for that. Once the plumber was removed from the invoice and the upfront deposit was applied the remaining balance was $755.74. 

  Please see the attached documents of the estimate, signed contract, and the final invoice.

  Customer response

  02/16/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have already provided the photos and said that waiting 2 years to fix ground that would not settle and was unsafe is unacceptable. Then to bill me for a job that did not get completed by castalia trench is also unacceptable. They trenched the job and answered phone calls and never stepped foot back on the property again. The plumber did whom got paid. The water company did whom is getting paid. They never completed the job. They just said it would settle as provided in original complaint a hole in the ground has to be back filled and will not settle and was unsafe. How is this ok to bill out when the job was incomplete? 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

  

  Business response

  02/22/2024

  At this point I do not know what to say. The fact that the customer agreed in writing to the terms and conditions of the job and then refuses to pay is absurd. 

  The contract states 1/2 down prior to start and the remainder upon completion. It also references the estimate number directly to which it states ROUGH GRADE. The charges for the plumber were removed on the final invoice. I even sent a crew there after the first few calls to touch things up and did not charge for that. The fact that Mrs. ***** refuses to now pay the invoice because she does not understand the industry or asked questions before signing the contract is not our liability.  Mrs. ***** now needs to be responsible for her liability! 

  Please see previously attached documents as evidence. 

   

  Customer response

  02/22/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: There is a lie in his last statement. No one ever returned back to my property to touch up anything. Rough grade is one thing and I do have a back ground in construction. That was clearly by the original attached photos an unsafe WHOLE not rough grade. That he clearly intended to keep there until lord knows how long. The water did not ho in for 2 years later. My yard and the whole could not stay that way. So again I have to have that fixed immediately. As was complained and explained to him after it happened. You can NOT question something that didn’t happen yet. These excuses and lies are bad business and horrible ethics. I pay my bills when they are reputable. This however is not acceptable. I tried to settle this matter with them but he doesn’t care that he did bad business and bad and Incomplete work. The shut off Valves that were also supposed to be on the hose were also  ever installed at the time when the line was put in. So the job was was half done therefore half paid  or paid in full  since I paid that half along with the plumber being paid in full.  All the way around this is just bad business and very poor customer service  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

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