ComplaintsforWindy City Rooter

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  2/24/24 SERVICE REQUEST BETWEEN 9 AM - 1 PM PAID $600 WITH NO GUARANTEE ON REPAIR WHEN ASKED TO LEAVE, STAFF REFUSED TO DO SO REPLACE TOILET WAX ************ FRAUD

  

  Business response

  02/29/2024

  ************,
  
  On February 22nd, you called us to schedule an appointment for a leaking toilet in your home. This was not the first time you called us about this same problem. You previously called us to come out on November 11, 2023, for your leaking toilet and a leaking humidifier that was attached to your furnace. However, when we arrived for your scheduled appointment, you were a no show, not even bothering to call to cancel.
  
  Upon arrival on February 24th, you brought our service tech to the affected area where your toilet was leaking from the base. Our tech then went to the basement and immediately noticed some repair work had previously been made to the toilet line and the stack pipe using improper connectors and fittings. He then recommended pulling the toilet, replacing the wax ring and inspecting the toilet collar and toilet elbow. You were given an upfront price of $579.00 to perform these services, you accepted this price and work commenced.
  
  Upon pulling the toilet, our tech found a hole had deteriorated through the toilet collar, which is a cast iron pipe and most likely original to your building that is probably over 50-years old. After bringing this to your attention,you were told he would provide you with an estimate to make the necessary repairs. Our tech then replaced the wax ring, installed new toilet bolts and re-seated the toilet.
  
  Upon completion, you were provided with an invoice with DETAILED notes of our findings, including that there would be NO GUARANTEE DUE TO DEFECTIVE TOILET COLLAR (HOLE IN CAST IRON TOILET COLLAR). Further, NONE was marked next to the Guarantee box. A copy of this invoice, SIGNED AND DATED BY YOU,is attached. YOU THEN SIGNED/DATED AND PROVIDED YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION ON THE CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION FORM (redacted copy attached). Lastly you were provided with the promised written estimate for the recommended repairs (also attached).
  
  Before rattling off your complaint, YOU ALREADY KNEW THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE AS INDICATED BY YOUR SIGNATURE ON THE CONTRACT THAT STATED THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE DUE TO YOUR DEFECTIVE PIPE. If you want a guarantee, you will have to first fix the problem. This is CLEARLY an ongoing problem since you called us about the SAME issue more than 3 months ago, and there is evidence of other repairs having been (poorly) made to that same toilet line and stack pipe using improper connectors and fittings.
  
  As for you stating that our tech refused to leave, why didn't you call our office to report this? Why didn't you call the police?? You were given an upfront price, no work EVER commences until you say it does. Are you saying he just took it upon himself to remove your 100 pound toilet from the floor while you just stood there asking him to leave?? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, because that's not what happened, right?As for you tossing in the word fraud at the end of your complaint, I think I've already made my point.
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 11, 2023, Windy City Rooter *** serviced my homes plumbing issue. The bathtub drained slowly and the toilet was filling up. I was told by ******, Windy City plumber that the cause was roots. ****** got the approval from the landlord to do the repair and assured me that mainline was clear. He also stated he would not use the camera to video my sewer because that would be an extra fee. The next day, the problem returned and I called on the 16th to let Windy City know. I was told they would send someone out the next day. Later that evening I was received a voicemail from Windy City stating that they were told that the landlord would have someone elses do the repairs. I called and informed them that the landlord never said that and they sent ***. This person was belligerent, rude and disrespectful. He argued with me about what was discussed between me, the landlord and ****** about the repairs. *** even stated that he had video of my sewer, something that wasnt done. Each time I spoke, *** continued to cut me off. When I nicely asked him to not do this. *** rudely told me he was leaving and walked out. Maxs behavior was that of a racist. This is how Windy City treats a disabled veteran, senior citizen and women of color. Windy City refuses to fixed the problem as cover by the warrantee on the back of their invoice item 7. If the mainline was cleared, there is no way roots grew back in less than five days. I am requesting a refund.

  

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  We arrived at your property on December 11, 2023 and found the main sewer backed up. You were given a price of $479.00 to power rod and video inspect the main sewer. You then told the service tech that your landlord needed to approve, but when you scheduled your appointment, you told our customer service rep that you were the owner of the building. Your landlord was contacted and given the price. Services were performed, including televising, which is how we know you have a tree root issue. Televising is free with every drain cleaning service.

  Your landlord was called post services and told what the problem was. He was given a verbal estimate of $7,500 to install a clean out station in the front yard. He declined and said his regular plumber would fix it.

  You state the problem returned the next day, but did not call our office until December 16th. Your invoice was marked with no warranty on service due to the tree root intrusion and told the problem would happen again. We called your landlord on December 16th and he stated that someone else was going to fix it for him.

  On December 17th, *****************************************, arrived at the property to meet with both you and your landlord. The landlord was there, but you were not present. When I arrived, there was nothing backing up in the bathtub or toilet; toilet was flushed 3 times to confirm. Now mind you, this is a Sunday, which we normally leave for emergency services only, but I accommodated you/your landlord, only you were not there. After speaking to your landlord about installing the clean out needed in your yard, he again declined and called you on the phone. From the moment I was given the phone to speak with you, you berated me about how ****** (our serviceman) told you he cleared all of the roots via your toilet ******, which is NOT physically possible because your toilet pipe in the building is a 3 opening, and the problem where the tree roots are is in a 6 terracotta pipe in the yard. That's why you were left with no warranty on the power rodding services and given a verbal estimate. It is physically impossible to clean a 6 pipe from a 3 opening. You continued to elevate your voice and your demeanor followed, as you did not want to hear anything other than what was coming out of your own mouth. Every time I tried to speak, you talked right over the top of me and repeatedly stated that ****** said the pipe was all clear. After the third time you cut me off, I decided to end the conversation, handed the phone back to your landlord and left the property. I never told you I was leaving, I simply ended the call on my end because you refused to hear anything I had to say and you were very angry and rude. You spoke of line item #7 on the back of my contract, but #7 does not apply to you because you WERE NOT GIVEN A WARRANTY ON THE SERVICES BECAUSE OF AN UNDERLYING PROBLEM WITH YOUR SEWER that you elect not to fix and that your landlord declined to let us fix. You called my company because you needed services, we did not solicit your business. Your sewer was backed up! Why, you ask? Because you have tree roots which caused the back up, and there is no physical way to clean tree roots out of a 6 pipe through a 3 opening. Hence, the verbal estimate that was given for a clean out, and in the warranty section of your invoice, the box reading NONE was checked by my serviceman. Your landlord refuses to fix it, stating he has someone else to fix it, not us.

  Moving forward to your unwarranted remarks about Veterans and race, I have thousands of customers, from every race, religion and ethnicity you can think of. I serve them all! Personally, I come from a family with a background in military service, starting with my grandfather who served for 18 years in the Navy. I have tremendous respect for all who serve in the military. Not only that, I have bi-racial family members, so your unjustified comments are not only laughable, they are defamatory. You are just saying words that have no basis in reality because you feel that it fits your narrative. You weren't even there, I only spoke to you on the phone. So how do you figure I know everything about you, including your Veteran status? Just because you don't like the outcome, does not mean you can just point to race and Veteran as the reason behind it!

  Windy City Rooter finds no reason to refund customer because we provided a service and gave an estimate for work which was declined and it was clearly marked on the invoice that there is NO WARRANTY. While we regret that things went in this direction, we will not be bullied into refunds.

  Thank you for considering my comments.

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

   
  Complaint: 21062006
  
  I am rejecting this response because: This long winded response is full of lies and half truths. As you can read, its this back and forth of he said, she said and nothing about resolving the issue. If you do business with this company, just know you have been warned!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9/22/23, I contracted with Windy City Rooter for a basement bathroom remodel. Total job cost, per contract, was to be $16,500, to be paid in 3 separate installments: $10,000 initiation fee, $4,000 rough plumbing fee, and $2,500 job completion fee.Summary: I paid $10,000 to start, and $4,000 for rough plumbing, at which point they abandoned the job. They kept all but $2,500 ($14,000), and left me without a shower and sink, left me to clean up and discard a trail of debris throughout the house, and I have to haul all the materials out of the basement and back to the store. Id like to first see about seeking arbitration before taking it further.

  

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  ****************** called my company on 9-21-23 to schedule an estimat4e to re-do his basement bathroom. I arrived on 9-22-23 and gave ****************** 2 options for the service he was looking for, first was for $16,500.00, the second was for $19,500.00 ****************** selected the option for $16,500 and a contract was executed. He was given a payment amortization schedule on the contract and told there would be a 3% transaction fee for all credit cards, but that the fee would be waived if he paid the contract in full. He decided to pay in full on his credit card, payment was processed and paperwork was emailed for his signature.
  Upon receiving the paperwork, ****************** declined to sign and decided he wanted to pay by check instead. ********************** credit card was then refunded and we instead picked up a check for $10,000 in accordance with the pay schedule of 9-26-23. ****************** signed the paperwork, including the Consumer Right's form. We could now begin scheduling.
  Three days later, ********************** check was returned to my bank as NSF. After ****************** was notified of the problem, he told us to pick up a new check for $10,000. Three days later, the check was again returned to my bank as NSF. We again notified ****************** who asked us to return to pick up another check.
  Work commenced at ********************** house. WCR prepped his home with floor coverings and plastic to protect the property and demo began, 3 men, 2 trucks, 8 hours, removing a stand alone shower and vanity sink along with illegally installed drain work. ****************** was then told he needed to upgrade his existing water pipe because it was undersized and not properly installed. ****************** declined.
  Day 2, WCR arrived to excavate the basement floor to install new drain, waste and vents for the shower and vanity sink with 5 men on-site,3 trucks and 13 hours. WCR installed new drains, hauled away all debris and re-concreted the floor. Rough plumbing was complete and $4,000 was due per the amortization schedule. The following day, ****************** gave us a check for $4,000, and because of prior issues with NSF check, WCR was not going to return until the check cleared our bank. Once the check cleared, WCR called ****************** to schedule cosmetic installation. At that time, I told ****************** that we needed to re-address the illegal water pipes and ****************** asked if we could just bend the pipe out of the way to accommodate the framing of the bathroom. He was told no.
  Now mind you, ****************** was told in the beginning to re-do water lines, and given a price of $19.500, but he declined. When he realized it was going to make his bathroom smaller by not fixing the water lines, he became angry and very condescending and told me/my team he wanted to get a second opinion from another company for the water pipe. WCR left the property and told ****************** to call after he received his new estimate from another company for water pipes.
  WCR never abandoned the job, we honored the client's request to get another opinion. ****************** then became very aggressive in tone and said he would find someone else to finish the job. E-mails were sent back and forth with ******************, he was asking for a refund. We declined his request but told him he would receive a $500.00 refund for the shower valve that was not put in. WCR had 2-days of work left on the job, one day to frame, drywall and re-install the sink, second day to tile shower surround using customer supplied materials.
  WCR feels $500 is a sufficient refund as at least 80% of the job was complete and the balance due was $2,500.00. ****************** is unreasonable and cannot be trusted to communicate reasonably.

  Customer response

  12/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20871868
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The response by *** and company is ridiculous, laden with lies and fabricated with more and more twists and turns that never existed in the first place. This guy is incredible, an unflinching, unsavory *****. Its hard to believe that there are contractors out there like ***, with his Windy City Rooter company, who so baldly and blatantly take advantage of people and basically steal money, like hes doing with me.

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

  Customer response

  12/16/2023

  To clarify, the basement bathroom project wasnt a re-do, it was a first-time remodel. 
  Regarding the payment schedule: I was told that the transaction fee would be waived and that there would be three separate payments, as stated in the contract. On 9/22/23, the day the contract was initiated, the credit card authorization form was emailed to me, I signed it and sent it back, figuring they would deduct only the first payment to start the job, as I remember them telling me. When I saw that they charged the full amount, I contacted the company and told them that I did not want to pay the whole amount up front before commencement of the job, and that I wanted the credit card refunded so that I could pay by check in three separate installments, the way we had discussed previously. We had an argument over that. This was the first bump (misunderstanding).  
    In his BBB response he makes it sound like he immediately refunded the credit card, but that was not the case. After a week went by and I didnt see the refund, I started a dispute with my bank. It was at that point the refund was given on 9/29/23. 
    ***s way of wording creates confusion and disagreement, in his favor. For instance, he says, in his response to this issue that I decided to pay in full on (my) credit card. I didnt decide any such thing. Who would pay a contractor the full amount up front before commencement of the job?  
  The two returned checks were an accident on my part. The problem was that I didnt realize that I have checkbooks from two different banks (I dont write checks often anymore). I didnt notice that I was writing checks from the wrong checkbook. When I wrote checks from the correct checkbook there were no more problems. I apologized, and they seemed to accept my accidental oversight. This was the second bump totally my fault, but it might have created mistrust, now on both sides. 
  Work didnt commence right away, like *** makes it seem in his BBB response. I paid the $10,000 initial deposit, with a good check, on 10/4/23. They didnt start work until 10/27/23, for the rough plumbing. I paid another $4,000 the next day (10/28/23). At this point I paid $14,000, with only $2,500 remaining to be paid for completion of the job, per contract! I didnt realize how large of a percentage I was going to pay before they started work to install the bathroom remodel, but it was in the contract like that, and I stayed faithful to it. If Id realized that they were asking 85% before most of the job, I wouldnt have agreed. They were requiring 60% to start! I wish I had negotiated the payment schedule first, but, as it stood, I was now at their mercy to trust them to follow through, after already having paid most of the whole job cost. This was not feeling right. 
  Regarding the drain and pipe work he describes - this is the first time he calls anything illegal. ** said, they began removing a stand-alone shower and vanity sink along with Illegally installed drain work. This is one of his new twists. And then he goes on, in his BBB reply, saying that I was told that I ...needed to upgrade (my) existing water pipe because it was undersized and not properly installed. I was never told this. In fact, I wasnt there the day they finished the rough plumbing. And, when I paid the $4,000 the next day, it was not mentioned to me then either. 
  *** continues, in his BBB response, with, Day 2, WCR arrived to excavate the basement floor to install new drain, waste and vents for the shower and vanity sink with 5 men on-site, 3 trucks and 13 hours. This statement is incorrect and its out of order. 
     Day 2, as he puts it, didnt occur until 11/13/23, almost three (3) weeks later! But, between the day they finished the rough plumbing and the day they returned to supposedly continue the job, some things he said need to be corrected and put into the right order that they occurred. Day 1 was when they did the drain and concrete work and placed PVC vents. The second time they came back, no work occurred; thats the day *** took his crew and abandoned the job. And, it was 3 men, not 5, and I only saw one truck while I was there, not three, as he stated.  
  ** says that Once the check cleared, WCR called ****************** to schedule cosmetic installation. At that time, I told ****************** that we needed to re-address the illegal water pipes and ****************** asked if we could just bend the pipe out of the way to accommodate the framing of the bathroom.  
    Thats not how it went at all. They never called me to schedule a continuation of the job. The way it went is, I texted *****, (supposedly the project manager, who was not communicating with me at all), on 11/3/23, seven (7) days after theyd done the rough plumbing. I hadnt heard from them since the rough plumbing. Upon receiving my text, ***** asked me to call him. I called him to find out when they planned on coming back, and I asked that a pipe be bent about an inch into the wall so that a recess could be framed for a medicine cabinet. ** said hed call me back on the matter.  
  But it was *** who texted me back asking me what Id decided about the water pipes. I didnt understand his question. ** continued to say, in his text, that hed mentioned them on our original estimate, and that he understood ***** having brought it to my attention when he was doing the drain work. None of this took place, so I texted *** back explaining that I dont understand what he was asking and told him that ***** didnt discuss anything about pipes with me. I sent him pictures of the work that was done and of the pipe I was asking ***** about. ** replied, I will call you here shortly. No problem thank you. 
  I hadnt heard back from him. Four days later, 11/7/23, I texted him. I simply asked, Any word, sir? ** responded to that with, Absolutely I left you a voicemail my friend to call me anytime. Please feel free to call me when you are free to chat. ** did not leave me a voicemail. This sort of goof up could be caused by technological glitches, but the way things had been going, Im inclined to think that he is just plain lying to me. Anyway, I called him, and he told me that there would be an upcharge for the pipe work. After our brief conversation, I texted *****, told him that *** wants to upcharge me for making one pipe flush with the wall like the other one is, and that the upcharge seems unreasonable to me. I explained that the situation presented itself after ***** took out the existing vanity fixture, and that all these pipes were visible before the job began, except for one little bend, so why the new cost? No reply came back from ***** (or ***). They wanted to upcharge $2,800. Ive since had other contractors appraise the job, and specifically the pipes in question, and they rolled their eyes in disbelief when I told them how much WCR wanted to charge me for that. 
  8.On the morning of November 11 (four days later), I texted ***** to tell him that Floor & Dcor told me that its been a month since I placed my order, and that the 48x48 tile sheet needs to be picked up or they will cancel my order. I had picked up everything else, but I couldnt fit the tile sheet in my car. ** told ***** this a while back, and he said theyd pick it up. Incidentally, *** had told me in the beginning that ***** would go shopping for materials with me and pick it up and deliver everything. I took it upon myself to shop without him and went so far as to bring everything down into the basement. It was my way of helping out. After they quit the job, I had to lug everything back upstairs and return it to the store. That was just another insult of many that these guys put on me. 
  9.Continuing with ***s BBB reply, he says that when I realized it was going to make (my) bathroom smaller by not fixing the water lines... I dont know how it would have made the bathroom any smaller. But he goes on to say that I became angry and condescending and told him that I wanted to get a second opinion. I did say I want to get a second opinion, but he flipped the getting angry part around. It was he who was getting louder, intimidating, foul-mouthed, and even insulting as I stood my ground disagreeing with him about what he did or didnt say regarding the water pipes. 
  ** also said, in the BBB reply, WCR left the property and told ****************** to call after he received his new estimate from another company for water pipes. Thats not true either. ** was nearly in a rage when he exclaimed, Thats it! Were Done! And he said to his crew (5 or 6 other people were there), Were outta here! On his way out he said to me, And furthermore you need to brush your teeth! 
  10.Lastly, he correctly states that, afterwards, I was requesting a refund, and that he declined my request. ** said he would refund $500 for a shower valve that was not put in. I find this to be a completely absurd statement, because NOTHING was put in. They did the rough plumbing, nothing more, and I paid for that, per the contract. They have no right to keep the $10,000 so-called initiation fee, because they did absolutely nothing more. ** gets more ridiculous when he goes on to say that WCR feels $500 is sufficient refund as 80% of the job was done, and that I am unreasonable and cannot be trusted. Before all of this, I had a bathroom with a working toilet, sink, and shower (not to mention a vanity structure that I had built there, which they had to tear down), and now I have a bathroom with only a toilet. They didnt even reconnect the sink! Where *** comes up with 80% job completion is ludicrous. 
  11. ***/WCR decided to keep the full $14,000 I paid for the $4,000 worth of work they did, per the contract. I am left with much less than I had before they came along, and now my tenant cant shower or groom herself anymore. Ive had to decrease her rent by $100/mo. for the inconvenience of now having to use the upstairs bathroom. They didnt replace the sink that they disconnected. They left me to take up all the floor covering they had put down (which had been there since the rough plumbing, over a month), and left me to clean up their mess and dispose of it. I had to bring all the materials back to the store and get a refund for that. They left the rest of the job totally undone: shower installation, tiling, flooring, drywall, lights, exhaust fan, etc. ** mentioned a $500 refund for uninstalled shower valve, but what about everything, which is so much more? Its all in the contract. Its bizarre how he arbitrarily picks one little thing and leaves the rest out!  
  In short, in a blustering barrage of belligerent bullying, *** and his crew conned me, took advantage of me, and ripped me off big time. Once the contract was signed, it took them a long time to begin, and an even longer time to come back to continue, but when they did come back, instead of continuing, they abandoned the job and left me in a very bad way. Their communications were atrocious or non-existent, fraught with veritable lies. ***s business practices have proven frighteningly uncouth and unethical through his scathing, unflinching, one-sided interactions, filled with homespun twists and insults, and his adamant unwillingness to negotiate a fair resolution. 
  I would have been satisfied if hed refunded me the $10,000 for the work WCR didnt do (or if they would have done the job). Not only is he unwilling to give me a fair refund, but he audaciously wronged me on many fronts. And now, because of them, I am in a terrible financial hardship.  
  I am attaching most of our email communications. I rearranged them chronologically for ease of reading. 

  Customer response

  01/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 20871868
  
  I am rejecting this response because: In this latest response by *************************, he has once again twisted the facts and completely turned around the scenario. His whole explanation of belligerence, hostility, etc. was an accurate description of his own demeanor and conduct, which he turns around onto me. Incredible! This shows that he's going to do all that he can do to keep the money paid him for an incomplete job and maintain his own design with embellishments to serve his purposes. This man is completely void of reasonable and ethical business practices and interpersonal conduct. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  02/01/2024

  After reviewing ********************** response, it appears that he is embellishing some things and trying to get free work he is not entitled to. Following is a timeline of events from the beginning:

  9-21-23: ****************** called to schedule an appointment

  9-22-23: WCR arrived, evaluated situation and provided 2 estimates for his review, one for $16,500, the other for $19,500. ****************** chose the option for $16,500, signed the contract and Consumer Right's form. ****************** was told it would be 3 4 weeks before commencement of work, certainly not uncommon. He agreed.

  ****************** said he was going to use a credit card for payment and gave his card for $16,500. Because he paid in full, WCR waived the 3% transaction fee. He said he signed the credit card authorization form, but in reality, he never signed and returned it to WCR. Instead, ****************** complained about the charge to his credit card and elected to instead pay by check in accordance with the amortization schedule.

  9-26-23: 1st check (#****) issued to WCR in the amount of $10,000

  9-29-23: Check bounced for $10,000.00

  9-29-23: Credit card refunded

  9-29-23: 2nd check, (#****)from same account, issued to WCR in the amount of $10,000

  10-3-23: 2nd check bounced

  10-4-23: 3rd check (#***) from a different account issued to WCR in the amount of $10,000

  10-27-23: Work began at ********************** house, 8 AM 3:00 PM, 3 men, 2 trucks. Demo was completed.

  10-28-23: Work continued on day 2, 7:00 AM 8:00 PM, excavated the basement floor and installed rough underground plumbing for shower and sink; 5 men, 3 trucks and a dump truck. ********************* the floor in a 4x8 area and excavate 2 feet deep to expose existing main sewer installed by others and haul away all spoils to the dump truck from the basement using hand carried 5-gallon buckets. Install rough plumbing for shower and vanity, with new underground PVC and new PVC for above-ground vent pipe, approximately 15-feet total, connecting to existing main sewer. Trench backfilled with 3/4 gravel from the dump truck outside to the basement, using hand carried 5-gallon buckets, until the trench was full. Twenty-four, 60lb bags of concrete, first mixed manually in a wheelbarrow, then brought to the basement, hand carried, via 5-gallon buckets. Concrete was troweled and finished. Left property at 7:30 PM, arrived back at WCR shop at 8:00 PM. Rough plumbing complete, $4,000 due according to contract. ****************** was then shown by the ******* on the job (again) about the undersized, illegally installed 1/2 water pipe. ****************** said to just bend the pipe so it would fit in the wall, the ******* replied that can't happen. If you don't fix the water pipe, the bathroom will shrink about 6 inches because of the way it would need to be framed.

  10-29-23: ******* returned to pick-up the check for $4,000. ****************** gave the check for $4,000 (check #***). ****************** was told to let us know when he had his cosmetics so WCR could schedule installation of the tile and drywall.

  11-3-23: Spoke to ****************** about water pipes again and he acted as if he didn't know what I was referring to.

  11-4-23: Called ******************/left message

  11-7-23: ****************** sent text. I responded and told him I left him a voicemail and he could call me anytime.

  11-10-23: Spoke to ****************** and told him I would come out on Monday, November 13th.

  11-13-23: I arrived with a team of 4-men, 3-trucks and all material to frame and drywall. Told ****************** again that we recommend fixing water pipes. He became belligerent, raising his voice followed by aggressive body language. He (aggressively) said he was going to get a second opinion on the water pipes. He was standing about 1 foot from my face and at that time, I smelled what I thought was alcohol which was easy to discern as he was very close to my face talking angrily. Bottom line, he turned me and my crew away stating he wanted to get a 2nd opinion.

  In closing, ****************** was not only given a clear and concise contract, with Consumer Right's form included, he understood all that was being done at his home and had ample time to do his research, including getting other estimates. He had plenty of cooling time to evaluate. He bounced 2 checks, $10,000 each, and was not charged a bounced check fee for either. He claims he didn't know how the credit card transaction was going to work, and said he signed the authorization form, when he did not. He claims bouncing 2 checks in a row was an oversight on his part. He claims he doesn't understand rough plumbing, but gladly gave a check for $4,000 when the rough plumbing was completed. When WCR refused to cut corners on his water pipe, he became irate, angry, confrontational and acted very aggressively. My team and I do not have to tolerate that kind of abuse. As I stated in my first response, 80% of the work had been completed and that is a fact. The next steps were the cosmetics of drywall and tile, 2-days worth of work because ****************** was doing his own painting. WCR feels that ****************** is not *********** any more than the $500.00 offered to him as 24-hours have been spent working on his job (including travel and material pick-up), not to mention that we arrived on our last visit ready with trucks, crew and material, to continue the remainder of the job and ****************** stopped that from happening. ****************** is unreasonable and very aggressive in tone and body language. We regret things turned out the way they did but we will not be bullied into refunding money for work that has already been completed.

  Customer response

  02/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 20871868
  
  I am rejecting this response because: This is not a new response from the business. This response was already sent to me and I responded to it.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed a contract with Windy City Rooter on 9/6/23 for a plumbing problem. They asked for a 60% deposit on the job. The total cost of job was priced at $7800.00. They asked for $4800.00 deposit (which is by the way is more than the said 60% because 60% of $7800.00 is $4680.00). A check for $4800.00 was made to Windy City Rooter. The next day Windy City Rooter called to say that the permit had been filed. However, they stalled on scheduling the work. They said that they were waiting on the permit. Meanwhile, the plumbing problem made it impossible to use the kitchen sink, the laundry sink, and the bathtub. So, the only plumbing working in the house was the toilet. The sump pump also had to be turned off.I had a second plumber assess the situation because City Rooters permit took a long time. The second plumber said that there was a clog that was causing the problem. Windy City Rooter said that it was the cleanout that was causing the problem which necessitated an excavation and digging. This is a significant mark up from a clog in the pipes. I called them on 9/22/23 directly after the second assessment and asked if it was possible to not excavate the outside. After much back and forth, the owner said that someone will send me a revised contract and be in touch. However, since then I have not received a revised contract nor has anyone called me. I have sent an email to the company and have called them but there has been no response. It's been a week.NOTE: If they thought the original contract was binding and they werent going to change it. Then they could have said. I think at this point, this warrants a refund. I have uploaded a file called notes.docx which details all communications and dates of the situation. These are notes written down after each call or email. Also included are the deposit check, all emails, and the original contract which lists the unnecessary excavation to the outside to the house which is not the cause of the plumbing problem.

  

  Business response

  10/16/2023

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for this reminder, but this is the first notification we received of the complaint.

  I don't understand why we were not already notified, we would not leave it unanswered.
  
  We are researching this client's file and will respond as soon as possible.
  
  Thank you,
  
  Marci  

  

  Business response

  10/24/2023

  ***************** called WCR on 9-6-23 for a drain service in her basement. We arrived the same day to find the main sewer backed up, a leaking grease trap and leaking pipes associated with the grease trap, as well as a leaking sump pump discharge line. We provided her with a price for drain cleaning and televising of the main sewer, cost $779.00. Client accepted the price and we commenced drain cleaning and televising.
  Post drain cleaning, client was informed the grease trap was deteriorated and leaking. Client replied that she, or another plumber, cleaned the grease trap recently. WCR proceeded to show her the leaking kitchen pipes, leaking pump discharge pipes and defective outside sewer. She was then provided a price to fix all of the aforementioned items, priced quoted was $7,800. She was provided a contract along with the Consumer Rights Form, which she signed, and was told the permit would be applied for the following day, 9-7-23. She was further advised that once the permit number was released, office staff would call to schedule her service date. She was given a projected arrival date to begin work of 3 4 weeks, which she understood.
  Permits are required to perform work, and work cannot commence until a permit number is issued. Otherwise,client and company can be issued citations from the City of Chicago and a red tag placed on the project. This would definitely cause significant delays on the project. WCR does not operate without proper permits and documentation.
  Client provided a check in the amount of $4,800, leaving a balance due of $3,000. $4,800 was required to cover cost of services rendered on 9-6-23, plus the down payment and cost to cover the permit and administrative fees Post drain cleaning and contract execution, client was told if she suffered a backup between that moment and the time we returned to do the job, she should call our office and we would come out, at no charge, and keep her drains flowing until work commenced. She agreed. Client had a 3-day right to cancel or to get other opinions, but she waited over 2 weeks to get other opinions. Per my conversation with her, she told me that one plumber agreed with our diagnosis and said he could do the work cheaper, and the other plumber told her the pipe was defective, but that she only needed to do the inside work, replace drain lines and remove the grease trap. Regardless, we stand behind our own assessment.
  Client was notified on 9-20-23 that the permit had been approved and that someone would call her back on Friday, 9-22-23, to schedule the job. When our office contacted her on 9-22-23 to schedule, she told our staff member that she had some other plumbers out to take a look and had some concerns. She was told the owner would call her back.
  I called the client and she expressed her concerns about excavating outside. She proceeded to tell me she just had the concrete replaced because it had sunk and was crumbling.I told her the reason her concrete was failing in the first place was because her exterior sewer was leaking and causing the concrete and ground below it to fail/sink. Client paused for a moment and proceeded to tell me about the company that did a sewer repair outside some years ago, that she was not happy with them and felt they did not do the right job. I sympathized with client and explained that we will do the right job or we won't do it at all. I offered to refund her money, less services rendered, and she replied that she did not want to tear up the concrete because she just had it replaced. She understood that if WCR only did the interior work, that she would be taking a ****** because WCR (along with another plumber) told her the outside sewer was defective and needed to be addressed. As a courtesy, I even offered to replace the outside concrete at no additional cost because she is a prior customer. Client replied that she was shocked and happy that we would do that. She then admitted that she actually could not have the outside work done because she could not afford it. She said her sister, who was going to borrow her the balance due of $3,000, had backed out of giving her the money. I informed her we have finance programs, if she was interested, but she declined. I told her I understood her position and we would do the interior work only with a revised contract stating she understood the ****** she was taking by not fixing the exterior, because that is where the problem originated and caused the backup on the interior, hence the reason we rodded the exterior line first, and smaller, interior lines second. Client agreed and a revised contract was sent along with the permit invoice from the City of Chicago. Before ending our conversation, she asked me if she didn't do the exterior sewer pipe, what could happen? I told her the problem could worsen, possibly affect more sewer pipe and could lead to more costly repairs.
  The client seemed perplexed/suspicious about us working over the weekend, specifically on Sunday. We operate 24-hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. It is the nature of this business, plumbing emergencies do not care what time of day it is. We always have staff available, advertise as such and never close.
  Client was called and told we would be there on 10-3-23, she agreed. We arrived on 10-3-23 and provided the change order, which client signed (attached). We performed the inside work, replacing pipes and removing the grease trap. Upon completion,we left.
  Interestingly, while she submitted this complaint to you on 9-30-23, she did not mention anything about this complaint when we were there to complete her project on 10-3-23.If there was no communication, how did she know we were coming on October 3rd? We have had many phone calls with her and have staff available by phone 24-hours per day, it is impossible that she could not speak to somebody. Further, a revised contract was initially sent to her on 9-22-23, the same day we sent her the permit invoice, but she did not respond. This project was completed timely, from our first meeting on 9-6-23, she was told to expect a start date of 3 4 weeks out. Once again, our work was completed on October 3rd.
  In closing, this contract has been completed in its entirety, as indicated by the revised contract she signed on October 3rd, thus, she is not *********** a refund. Thank you for considering our comments.
  
  

  Customer response

  10/27/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********.

  Decided to mark the issue as resolved as the clog was finally addressed on 10/3/23. ******* called on 10/2/23 at 4:14PM to schedule the work for the following day. I assumed that it was due to the BBB complaint which was sent and delivered on 10/1/23. This is why I never mentioned the BBB complaint to the company because I assumed they were already aware and were addressing the issue after a week of no response. I asked if the scheduled work is being done to the inside of house only as I had not received the contract. ******* confirmed that it was and said that the contract would be sent the following day. I had initially told **** on 9/23 that I had not received the contract which she said was sent on 9/22. I said that email was the permit invoice, not the contract. In the file uploaded by Windy City Rooter, the top half of the first page shows the attachment as a permit invoice. The bottom half shows an email I sent to **** on 9/26, several days later, after not receiving the contract. In it, I asked if they could resend the contract and if they had an approximate start date. I received no response. The second page of that file shows that the supposed contract was sent on 9/22/23. It does NOT show that the contract was ever resent after I said that I never received it. According to their documentation, it was sent via Adobe Sign. Adobe Sign normally will track and alert the sender if the email is opened, clicked, received.Normally, companies would resend contracts, files, etc. if a customer said they never received it.
  
  The plumbers completed the work on 10/3/23. I asked if they would give me a contract or invoice for the work done since I hadnt received anything via email. So, they wrote out a contract and marked it as a change order at the very top. I signed it on 10/3/23. This is the third page of the file Windy City Rooter uploaded. I will say that I think the Windy City Rooter plumbers were polite and completed the work quickly once they arrived. As usual, its the people who do the work that should get praise NOT the business practice side. And no, I was never told that work would take about 3-4 weeks.
  
  I credit the BBB for the Windy City Rooter finally completing the job when they did.
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I sought services on 6/01/22. Had ********************* come out and provide the service for Windy City Rooter **** Contract states To pull **** ************** rod and heavy waste build up . I paid $529.00. ***** stated we only had a 90dy guarantee I advised her none of our boxes are checked off and she is aware of that ,however as the consumer we would not be. The word Guarantee is in big bold red letters on the contract which clearly shows a document stating they guarantee their work listed on the contract. However, they did not fulfill the contract as stated. Our toilet continues to mimic some of the same issues.

  

  Business response

  01/02/2023

  *****************, thank you for your feedback and your business. I'm sorry you're having similar issues with your toilet. Unfortunately, we would never give a 1-year guarantee on the power rodding of a toilet line for the following reasons:
  1.) We have no control over what is flushed after we leave
  2.) There are products out there, such as flushable wipes, that claim to be flushable but they are not. They even sell toilet cleaning replaceable brush heads they say are flushable as well, but they are not either.
  I could continue with additional reasons but I think I've made my point in regards to the guarantee.In any other similar situation, we would only provide a 30 90 day guarantee and it has been almost 7 months since we provided you with service. In addition, you were also told that your toilet line had a pitch problem which was the reason for your issue. We offered to give you an estimate on repairing the pipe with the pitch problem,however, you told ***** you were not interested in the written estimate. As the owner, I would be happy to come to your home to discuss the situation and provide you a discount on the same service you were provided 7 months ago. Please let me know if you are interested and thanks again for your business.

*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. ↩