ComplaintsforPlumbing Specialists, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company performed a plumbing work on my condo unit on 04/13/2022. A simple job of unclogging the drain in my sink. The plumber had to run 75ft of snake from my sink pipe and through the HOA main pipe. The plumber was not able to take the snake down to the HOA main pipe and ended up entering straight forward to my neighbor's sink pipe (the unit in front of mine) and breaking his P trap, which caused his kitchen and part of his living room to fill with sewage. Besides that, the water that came out of the drain in my neighbor's unit ended leaking into the unit below him and damaging his ceiling with sewage. The company denied responsibility and did not repair any damage.

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  We were called out to unit #102 Because of a leak under the sink that was leaking into the downstairs unit.  Someone had removed the dishwasher and installed a mini washing machining its place and the connections under the sink were not installed correctly and were leaking and the drain line seemed very slow or partially plugged.  We gave the owner a proposal to correct the washer connections and snake out the drain.  We completed the reconnect and had to clear the drain through the "P" trap arm since there was no in the wall cleanout available to us.  We ran the line then pulled out our snake and it was greasy and grimy as expected, we tested the drain after putting it back together and it seemed to drain fine.  We left and about an hour later we received a call that when #102 ran their sink it was coming out in the neighbors apartment.  We went right back over and that is when we found out that our snake had crossed over into the neighbors sink and broken their "P" trap and made a mess in the kitchen, and the drain wasn't cleared. We had no idea that the sinks wee side by side as the drain line went into the wall below the window as if it was run separately, but instead it went the opposite direction and was run to a center wall that picked up both sinks and combined them into one main drain line down the wall.  Per code when 2 fixtures are tied together you are supposed to use a fixture fitting so that the snakes are forced to go down the main drain line and not crossover into the other fixture, just for this reason.  Someone at the complex told the people that the line going down the wall was the responsibility of the HOA and when they called the HOA they were told that they would send out their plumbers and take care of everything, so our plumber was asked to leave.  A short time later my son went over just to see what was going on and found that the HOA plumbers, who were working in the neighbors unit, were also having a hard time getting the snake to drop down the line, they had 3 people there with one next door, the unit we worked in, listening to where the snake was going. They worked on this for about 1 1/2 hours or better before they finally got it to go down the wall and clear.  We received a call from the owner of #102 for an update and we told him we were asked to leave by the HOA and he told our girl that his insurance co. was taking care of the down stairs, so we advised him to call the HOA and that is the last we heard from anyone until a bad review was written and we received the BBB complaint.  The ironic part is the renter guy of the flooded unit even said it's not our fault how would we know how the piping was run.  Also, by code there was supposed to be a wall cleanout on either on one side or the other to facilitate the snaking down the main pipe and not into the other direction or side. 

  Business response

  06/13/2022

  Amazing.  As I stated in my first response I explained what had happened, I also said that we were asked to leave the job because the HOA was bring in their plumber and we were under the understanding that they were going to take care of everything since it was there system and construction install. We got one phone call and we suggested they call the HOA because of our understanding.  We received no other calls saying that they weren't going to take care of it and we would be next inline but instead of calling they just filed a complaint. At no time have I ever said I wouldn't stand by what happened but nobody said the HOA wouldn't.  As for negligent action maybe the letter writer should look up the definition of the word, we were not negligent since we did not know how the system was plumbed, the neighbors evidently weren't home at the time to let us know that the cable had entered their apartment, we repaired the lousy job on the clothes washer connection that was damaging the downstairs and when we tested the sink upon completion it drained as if it had been cleared.  All it would have taken was a call that the HOA wasn't going to do anything, but instead this gentleman felt he will get more action out of threatening me with court action and he is so mistaken and will find out that that this could have been handled with a phone call to our office, not a threat.  I have been in business for over 40 years and I have NEVER not done the right thing for a customers. Now tell him either make the phone call to get started or start his court action, it is his choice, but don't threaten me or my company.

  Customer response

  06/14/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  Plumbing Specialists, Inc. wants to take us down the informal road again. The informalities ended when we decided to make this formal Complaint, from that moment and ahead only accept formal communications through the BBB message system, we will not continue wasting time talking to them on the phone, I spoke to Sherri twice on the phone and never received a solution.

  The Complaint is clear, they must provide Liability Insurance Information for all the unit's owner affected to make a liability claim to  Plumbing Specialist, Inc.'s insurance, this info must be provided using the BBB message system, a formal communication way, not a phone call, not an email, we want a formal response, if you do the right thing and we can make the liability claim for the damages caused by your plumber, I will cancel this claim with the BBB and your record will be clean, you can decide to do nothing too, it is your right, in that case this claim will remain in the record of your company for 3 years, seen publicly by anyone who reviews your profile on the BBB.

  You can decide what you think is fair and right for you and your business.

  This is not a threat, it is a very formal Complaint, if you do not know the difference, I recommend speaking with your legal department so that they can explain it to you better.

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