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:04/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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 or about 4/15/24 I contacted several plumbing companies in order to receive some type of service that would improve the flow rate of water in my condo. It was measured repeatedly at 1.2 gpm. The national average for kitchen faucet flow rate is 2.5 to 5 gpm. The static line pressure was the maximum allowable at 60 psi. The problem was believed to be scale and debris buildup in my pipes.Hi Tech plumbing's agent said it could be resolve with a "high pressure system flush," that would clear the scale and debris and restore adequate flow rate.On arrival I asked the plumber where the pump is that will provide the high pressure supply. He said that they use the existing water pressure to do the flush. I questioned him as to how that would do anything. He reassured me it would "work." After a period of no more than one to two hours he said he was done. He showed me an upstairs faucet screen that had a minute amount of debris. It seemed ridiculous to me that such a minute amount of debris was causing the problem. So, I repeated the flow measurement using the same equipment as the original measurement three times and got an average of 1.18 gpm, exactly the same as before the sham procedure.I refused to pay for this waste of my time (a total of a day and a half).About a week later I got a voicemail from a ********************* of the firm of ***************** during which a threat was made to attach a claim on my credit report. I called back and had a brief and unproductive conversation with **************.I am filing this complaint because I believe the promised service was misleading and untruthful in its nature, and the lack of any measurable result proved it to be a sham. This organization wasted a day and a half of my time, time I had to take off from work, and provided no resolution or any degree of improvement of the originally stated problem. Then, threatened to mar my credit report for failure to pay for their sham service.What can I do? Can you Help me?

  Business Response

  Date: 05/09/2024

  On 4/15/2024 our tech went onsite for the initial visit as our customer was having an issue with the water flow in his lines, over the course of an hour our technician performed a visual inspection and also spoke with the customer regarding the problem. He provided several quotes including a water filtration system to help the pipes as the current condition was evident that debris was entering the pipes and causing a problem from the city water source. The client was adamant that all he wanted was a quote for flushing out the pipes & debris of the entire home. The client signed our proposal & paid the initial deposit required to proceed. On 4/17/2024 our technician went onsite to perform a whole home flushing of the plumbing lines, our technician spent approximately 3 hours flushing out the home which involves running water through various outlets in the kitchen bathrooms etc..  either by disconnecting pipes , angle stops and/ or shower piping and then reconnecting it back. This in turn helped to maximize the flow of water without restriction and in turn flush out the debris that *** have gotten stuck in the water lines.
  
  Regarding the customers allegations, he is stating that The national average for kitchen faucet flow rate is 2.5 to 5 gpm. I do not know where he acquired this information but per the *** standards, which is the correct source, the maximum allowed *** for a kitchen faucet is 2.2 *** or less at 60PSI. (REFRENCE: ***********************************************************************************************) Many water saving faucets made by most manufacturers this day and age are setup to run at lower standards such as 1.5 *** or lower due to eco friendly & green initiatives to help reduce waste & save our planet. Regarding the equipment that the customer used to check the *** he was using a stop watch and a beaker to measure and although this does give an idea of the flow rate it cannot be called an exact measurement.
  
  As previously stated we performed a flush which removed all the scale/buildup in the waterlines however there was likely debris/scale buildup stuck in the fixtures themselves which would in turn reduce the flow rate coming out, due to the nature of the aerator its operates as a small screen that splits the water up and introduces air into the water, since there are many micro holes to make this effect happen its very likely that over time debris/scale built up on the aerators themselves slowly clogging them and reducing flow but the pipes were cleaned & debris was removed as evident in the pictures and video our technician took while performing the work. We also instructed the client that 2 faucets should be replaced as it can be difficult to clean debris that is so small in the fixture itself.
  
  As the customer stated in the complaint he believes that the work we performed was a sham however we performed everything we promised according to the signed contract. We have videos and pictures of the cleaning being performed and services being rendered. After the customer complained and refused to pay the final balance, we went above & beyond and scheduled for our Plumbing Supervisor to return onsite and take a second look even though we had not been paid yet.
   We wanted to resolve the situation in a way that works for everyone and we have a recorded phone call where the client agreed to set appointment for the very next day. When our Plumbing super arrived at the gate, the customer refused to let him in & meet with our supervisor and instead began accusing him over the phone in a upset & aggressive nature stating we were misleading him and scamming him without even giving us a chance to speak or rectify the situation in person. So in conclusion, the client left us no choice but to pursue said matter legally & through collections. At the end of the day, we performed all work exactly as we promised per the contract approved by the customer. This customer has refused payment to us for our services and as the law states has been unjustly enriched which is why we have the right to seek legal action for his denial & refusal of payment.
  
  As of now there is no longer any room for negotiation as the customer has already been sent to collections and collections will proceed and further lien proceedings to the property will be executed if he does not pay the balance due for the services rendered.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2024

  I wish I had printed the article that quoted 2.5 to 5gpm. It must have been an older article. I didnt know that the *** was changing the allowable flow rate so severely. But even if the current standard for a kitchen faucet in ******* is maximum 2.2 gpm, that is almost double the 1.2 (1.18) gpm I have been experiencing in my kitchen. Besides, the *** limit currently is not the central issue in this matter. The issue is that my flow rate was 1.2 gpm before the repair, and remained 1.2 gpm following the repair. The Hi-Tech response says they offered, and I agreed to a flush. Not so, I was told there would be a high pressure flush. That was what I agreed to, not what Hi-Tech says I adamantly requested. What I was requesting was a pipe cleaning using a small caliber spinning brush system, similar to the way one cleans ducts.
  When the service rep arrived, I met him at his truck and immediately asked where the pump(s) is/are? And if he says otherwise, he better be prepared to say as much under oath in court, because it seems that is the direction in which we are headed.
  Why on earth would I agree to pay $760 to have someone remove a faucet head or shower head and run line pressure water through my pipes for 3 hours. What exactly do they think that would achieve. Have they ever resolved a flow problem in such a manner? If so, do they have documentation of same?
  I believe that the way Hi-Tech treated me was at the very least deceptive and perhaps predatory. I would also like to know how they believe I was enriched! I lost two days of pay waiting around to be treated like some moron waiting to be separated from his money for absolutely no real service.
  I am prepared to reimburse Hi-Tech for the $89.95 for the initial visit. If that is not acceptable then I will be filing a case in Small Claims Court, and adding my lost wages to the enrichment they claim I received.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2024

  ate Sent: 5/11/2024 7:21:25 PM
  I wish I had printed the article that quoted 2.5 to 5gpm. It must have been an older article. I didnt know that the *** was changing the allowable flow rate so severely. But even if the current standard for a kitchen faucet in ******* is maximum 2.2 gpm, that is almost double the 1.2 (1.18) gpm I have been experiencing in my kitchen. Besides, the *** limit currently is not the central issue in this matter. The issue is that my flow rate was 1.2 gpm before the repair, and remained 1.2 gpm following the repair. The Hi-Tech response says they offered, and I agreed to a flush. Not so, I was told there would be a high pressure flush. That was what I agreed to, not what Hi-Tech says I adamantly requested. What I was requesting was a pipe cleaning using a small caliber spinning brush system, similar to the way one cleans ducts.
  When the service rep arrived, I met him at his truck and immediately asked where the pump(s) is/are? And if he says otherwise, he better be prepared to say as much under oath in court, because it seems that is the direction in which we are headed.
  Why on earth would I agree to pay $760 to have someone remove a faucet head or shower head and run line pressure water through my pipes for 3 hours. What exactly do they think that would achieve. Have they ever resolved a flow problem in such a manner? If so, do they have documentation of same?
  I believe that the way Hi-Tech treated me was at the very least deceptive and perhaps predatory. I would also like to know how they believe I was enriched! I lost two days of pay waiting around to be treated like some moron waiting to be separated from his money for absolutely no real service.
  I am prepared to reimburse Hi-Tech for the $89.95 for the initial visit. If that is not acceptable then I will be filing a case in Small Claims Court, and adding my lost wages to the enrichment they claim I received.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2024

  Our collections & legal team will pursue this to the extent of the law and there is nothing further to rebuttal as the information he just provided will just add to the veracity of our claim. Our documentation was clear & did not state what he assumed. Everything has been documented and is in writing to avoid assumptions on what the services are. The flushing out of debris in the lines is conducted in the same manner to hundreds of our clients to help with the flow rate in the home, especially when something has entered into the water source and there are no filtration systems on the outside main water line to stop the debris from entering. We have plenty of testimonials of our work ethic & of the positive results of our services for the past 25 years. 

  Please close this case as the client clearly states he will not pursue mediation with BBB but rather proceed to court. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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.

  I called them when a toilet had backed up and I panicked because it was a friend's house I was watching. Their plumber, *****, got to the house the same time the guys replacing the driveway got there. ***** told me there were 3 prices for different augers. I said hold off until we talk to the driveway guys. We all discussed the situation and the driveway guys said the neighbor just had the exact same problem because they had crushed the sewer line at the end of their SHARED driveway when tamping in prep for laying pavers and they were sure thats what happened here. So we, including *****, knew exactly where and why the problem happened. The sewage line was crushed so when we ran showers in the morning, the water overflowed the downstairs toilet. I told ***** specifically to not do anything except clean the water and p*** from the floor with his wet vac because there was no point in augering. When he was done, he came to me with a bill for augering of another $351. WTF?! I had just told him to not do it!!! He said he wasnt leaving until I paid for it and if I had a problem to take it up with the office. I REGRET that I actually paid him. I thought the office would be reasonable because of all the good reviews. I have since disputed the credit card charge for the augering and spoke to an office manager and someone in accounting as well as sent a full explanation in email. The last person I spoke to says he did the work and HE is the reason the blockage was cleared. What?! The blockage was NOT cleared until the next day when a different ******* worked with the driveway guys to replace the section of crushed pipe. All the Hi-Tech guy did was wet vac and SCAM me. This is a really crappy way to do business!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  We have already discussed this with client verbally & have recorded phone calls. He asked for ************** to clean up the overflow of f**** and water on his floor with his shop vac after ************** did the auger to the toilet he also cleaned the area and left it spotless and the client has the audacity to now ask for refund. Yes there was a further issue down the line which another company had to be called out but inside the home they also had a stoppage and it was first cleared & cleaned up by ************** *****. This complaint has already been sent to merchant services as the customer disputed with there credit card  company & we have already provided a rebuttal and won the case due to the proof provided. We will not accept this false allegation and there is no refund due to the client.