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:08/20/2024

  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.

  Long time customer of this company at this property. Called to have a repair done, explained what needed to be done and scheduled an appointment for repairs. Technician arrived and went over the same information with the tech who then said it was more than he could complete that day and they would send an estimate. Days later no estimate even though I have called multiple times to inquire about the estimate. Days later I receive an invoice for $110 for the tech who stopped by for ************************** that he couldn't complete the work that day. Called the office to ask why I received an invoice when no work was completed and I was still waiting on an estimate even though the invoice details all the work that needs to be done. Was told the estimator was out of the office and that because it was a "service call" they would bill $110 for the visit and I might be lucky to get an estimate by the end of the week. I explained that I had an issue with an invoice when they were out to do the work and decided that it was too much for the day and did nothing. They said they do not give free estimates. The woman on the phone was extremely rude, doesn't care about customer retention and asked if I would like them to mark our account as inactive. I told them to do what ever they want because it doesn't matter anyway being that they do not call or send out reminders for startup or shut off service anyway.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/21/2024

  We take pride in maintaining high standards of service and are committed to resolving any issues our customers may face. Based on our records and the details you provided, it appears there are discrepancies. We keep detailed transcripts of phone calls and notes from appts.  Our team called on 8/14, the day before the appt, and spoke to the *** to confirm their appt.  We always call the day prior to confirm all appts.  We also always send out reminder emails for customers to make their start up and winterization appts.  In addition to that, we send out Prepay Agreements each January to offer a discount to customers who prepay for their standard services.  When this appt was made, our team member advised the customer that if the repair was more significant, we would have to provide them with an estimate and return to do the work.  Our technician was there on Thursday 8/15, according to the vehicle GPS he was there for 48 minutes.  He advised the homeowner that the scope of work was more significant and that our office would provide an estimate for the work.  He took detailed notes to report back to our office.  Our techs turn in their paperwork the following morning, Friday 8/16.  This customer called in on Tuesday 8/20 upset they didn't get an estimate yet.  Our estimator needs more than one business day to work up a thorough proposal. Our team member also tried to explain that this is a service call appt, but the charge would be waived if they accepted the proposal for the work.  Unfortunately, the customer was yelling at our team member and hung up on her before she could explain.  If there is any issues, we always encourage our customers to call and speak with a manager to further explain and resolve anything in question.  However, there was no attempt made by the customer to resolve this matter.  It is unfortunate as we do value our customer relationships and all of this could have been resolved with one conversation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 22168508
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  No one was yelling at the woman who answered the phone at the office. It was actually the opposite as her attitude toward the us, the customer was that she just didn't care and didn't want to find a resolution. It was asked if the $110 service fee would be applied to the repair and we were told it would not and that they do not offer free estimates for repairs, even large repairs and that this was the policy set by the owner, it's not my job to ask for a manager. The estimator who came out did not state there would be a charge for the trip. As for how much time he spent there is no way he spent 48 minutes on the property.  Maybe he sat in his car before or after the appointment.

  Bottom line is that an appointment was not set to have an "estimate", the appointment was set to do the repair and a detailed explanation of the work needed was provided to the woman who we booked the appointment with. At no time was there mention of a $110 fee for not being able to complete the work on the date set. Again, it is not on the customer if you did not send two techs out to do a job the estimator said he could not do alone. In fact the company who ended up coming out to do the job came out and fixed it on the spot in under 2 hours, not the 6 hours that the estimator thought it would take.

  We actually called on Friday, the day after the estimator was out, and was told we would have a quote by end of day which was not a problem.
  Monday came and went without an estimate but the invoice for $110 that included a description of the work that needed to be completed.Called the next day on 8/20 and when we asked when an estimate might come over we were told we might get an estimate by the end of the week on Friday. One point to make is that when the issue was raised that it was not made clear that they were sending out an estimator instead of a tech or techs to complete the work on the day as requested and as we were told that would happen, nor that was it disclosed that there was a $110 fee for an estimate the woman stated that it was the owners policy.

  This seems like a tactic just to add another $110 to the cost of a job which they are now trying to hide by saying it would be applied to the job if we hired them. Attached is their invoice for the $110 that says nothing about it being able to be applied to the cost of the repair. It's just a bill with a detail of the work that needs to be done. 

  After explaining that this fee was not disclosed and that they were going to lose the job and a customer over this the team member got snippy and said "I will mark your account inactive then"which was a shock and the response was "does it even matter?"considering that they do not send out reminders or call to schedule shut off and turn on service. We did not hang up on Rainmakers, they said they would mark the account inactive which was shocking and in the end we stated that was fine that they could mark whatever they wanted in the account.

  Being that it was stated that it was the owners policy the woman on the phone established herself as the final authority on the issue and did not want to resolve it.  In fact they responded to the review also left on ****** with the same call and talk to a manager which we attempted to do and the same woman answered the phone and when asking to speak to the manager asked for a name, addresses and I said that the response to the review that we left stated that we should speak to a manager. After being put on hold for a short time she came back and stated that the manager was unavailable. They have our number and could have called but have not. 
  
  You dont have to take my word for it, just look at all of their other reviews and a 3 star review rating over 30+ reviews at the time of this review speaks volumes to the quality of service that this company provides and the level of customer service that any prospective customer can expect. I should have looked at their reviews before hiring them instead of just going with the same company that the previous homeowner used.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2024

  
  Good morning.  One of my team members said that someone called looking for the manager.  When asked for details on who was calling, as per office SOP, the person would not give them any information.  I was in meetings all day and was not available at that moment.  It's not uncommon for a manager to be in meetings and to have calls sent to voicemail so I could return the call later that day.  But no message was left either on my voicemail or with our team member so I was unable to return the call.  It is unfortunate as to how much of this correspondence has discrepancies.  We have been in business for almost *************************************************************************************************** returning customers each year.  Unfortunately, through the years we do come across some people that are just not a good fit for our company policies and standards.  In regards to other reviews, it's unfortunate that most of the time people only turn to leave a review when they want to complain.  Our team is hard working and doing their best in a society and environment that can be hard to please at times.  Our team has contact with hundreds of people each day, whether via phone, email or in person.  The vast majority of our customers are a pleasure to work with and they are what keeps us driven to do our best.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22168508
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This response does nothing to attempt to resolve the issue and again just points to an overall lack of care with regard to customers and the lack of transparent business practices with regard to this complaint. Yes a call was made to the company, a name was given and the woman knew exactly who the caller was as it was mentioned that in the reaponse to the complaint that we could talk to a manager. Regardless, the company has our number and could have called at anytime to try and resolve the issue but has chosen not to. The decrepancies are solely on them with regards to the fee for an estimate they claim, only now, and only in their response could be applied to the repair. Now that the repairs have been completed by another company and considering the fact that they just want to blame their customers for all their bad reviews speaks volumes to how they value and treat customers. Other companies in this space have great reviews on ******* unlike this company so their excuse of "you can't make everyone happy" is frivolous. Lastly, while the company may have been in business for 45 years, it was sold to a new owner in the recent years. It's clear thr new owner believes a customers experience with their company is not a priority. 

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2024

  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.

  In March 2024, my husband contacted this company to obtain information about having our RPZ irrigation system looked at. During the phone call, my husband provided his name, phone number and home address to them. He was told a plumber could come out to inspect our system, but there was no date specified and after hanging up, he expected a call back to discuss scheduling a visit when they have availability. Months went by, and on May 28, 2024, the company sent a plumber to our home without notice or authorization from us. We never received a call, email, text, or any other form of communication letting us know that a plumber would be on the way or even to schedule said service. The plumber never rang our doorbell (which I have Ring doorbell footage of) and put a bill on our porch for "services rendered" though we have no clue what services those were because we were not there to witness, nor did we authorize any services to be performed. They have now given us two bills, for a grand total of $125 for services that we never wanted because after months of waiting, it was assumed they were never going to call my husband back to schedule an appointment. I called the company today June 5, 2024 and spoke with **** the manager, and explained that you cannot just send someone to a home without so much as a call to confirm an appointment and then expect a bill to be paid when the customer did not consent. She would not listen to my story, so I have come here for help. We do not feel that we are responsible for paying this bill.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/11/2024

  We received a call from *********************** on 3/13 to request the service of the annual backflow certification to be performed.  He provided us with all of their information and was informed that we would take care of this.  Because their backflow valve is outside, our plumber does this once the valve has been reattached and the sprinkler system and water is turned back on.  This is imperative as the backflow cannot be tested unless this has already been done.  Our company, as most ever other irrigation contractor in this area, does all of these tests in May or later as the previous actions must take place first and in our weather conditions we must adhere to this, otherwise you run the risk of freeze damage.  We get thousands of calls from our customer in Jan, Feb, March and April to request this service to be done later in the year.  This is industry standard.  With outside valves, as most of them are outside, our plumber does not need to access the inside of the home.  When he is in a certain area, he will go and perform several tests in that area.  Since he does not need access to the inside of the home, it is completely unnecessary to ring the doorbell and disturb the homeowner, if they are even home.  *********** was authorized by *********************** when he called and gave us all of their information and requested this service.  We do not call and remind customers of this service because we assume that they will remember that they requested this.  We also do not know what specific day our plumber will be there as he does not need a specific appointment for this service as this is an outside valve and he can do when he is in the area.  Again, this is industry standard that all contractors follow and our customers are aware and really appreciate that we just take care of it for them and they do not need to be home.  

  We received a call from ****'s wife on 6/5 and she spoke to one of my employees, ****.  She was extremely rude and would not let **** explain the process to her.  **** told her that **** scheduled this and the wife told her that they never called us to make this appointment and said that we just are trying to get money from them. **** tried to explain that he did call us and request this service, that is how we got their information as we have never been to their house before and were not previously in our system. The customer was speaking loudly, enough for the other people in our office to overhear this conversation. It was clear that **** just forgot all about the fact that he called us.  I (****) then called **** to further explain the process.  When I told him how this has to be done annually and submitted to the village, etc, he was completely unaware of the state mandated requirement.  They just bought this house about 6 months ago and clearly have never had a sprinkler system before or a backflow preventer valve.  **** said he would look into it and call me back.  Then I received a call from his wife who just basically talked over me.  I attempted several times to explain the process to her and she did admit that **** called to request this service but they just assumed that we wouldn't show up.  I advised her that we would never do that, our company has been established for 43 years and you don't last that long if you just blow off customers.  The wife also said we are doing this just to get money from them. I understand that this is all new to them, the wife was not at all aware of the state law that this is performed each year.  When I tried to explain that to her as well, she said it's not up to us to make them do it.  I said of course it's not, it's the law.  Out of empathy for them being new to this process, I offered a discount of $10.  As per attached, they only have one invoice due of a total of $110.  I have no idea what she is referring to with $125 and 2 invoices.  At no time did they owe that amount nor have 2 open invoices.  We do feel that it is prudent that they pay the already discounted amount of $110, as our plumber performed the requested service and we did our part and reported the test to the village on their behalf.

  Bottom line, the customer requested this service to be performed.  We performed the requested service and submitted the paperwork to the village for the customer.  There is no reason that the customer should not pay for this service that they asked us to do.  The fact that the customer forgot and is also unaware of this state mandate is not a reason to not pay for the requested service.  Thank you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21809731
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The response from the business is an inaccurate representation of the phone calls that were made and an obvious attempt to coerce this situation to better fit their narrative. **** made a phone call to the business (as we have already acknowledged many times to them) in March to inquire about getting an RPZ inspection. He provided his information and expected a call back to set up an appointment. He did not forget that he called nor did we ever say that he did. An appointment by definition is "an arrangement to meet someone at a particular time and place". An appointment was never made, therefore authorization to work on our system was never given. Is there a signed authorization form? Is there a saved credit card on file? To leave a bill on someone's front door without the customer's authorization is unethical. And yes, we did receive two bills (now three since writing this), one that was left on our porch from May 28th and another in the mail dated May 30th. The dates that the business has listed from when we have called them are also incorrect. When I personally called on June 4th and spoke with the woman who answered the phone, I only stated that we received a bill on our front porch but never authorized a service so I was certain it was a mistake, to which the woman replied she would "mark our account inactive". I asked what that meant and she said, "It just marks it inactive.". This was a very short phone call to which I stated the facts and was told the above, so the business is mistaken in recounting these events. When **** called **** on June 5th, he told her he would call the Village of ********** himself to find out about the requirement she is speaking of. A company does not dictate when a home's RPZ system is due for inspection, the village does. **** was then told by the village that our system was not due for inspection and when it is, "they will send a letter letting us know". Again, our system was not due for inspection, so to pay for a service that we 1) never authorized and 2) was not due for inspection is very questionable. When I called back and spoke with ****, her tone and laughing manner would upset any customer. She repeatedly said she didn't understand what the issue was. The issue being, we did not authorize this service to be performed. Trying to belittle a customer by saying it's clear they have never owned a home with an RPZ system before is shocking to say the least. We have now received a third bill with them expecting us to pay for a service that was never authorized to be performed.

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2024

  Our company does not save credit card information on file unless the customer requests this and provides us the information.  We will never ask for that. The village advised you that your RPZ was not due because we already performed the service and reported it to the village.  Now your RPZ is all good for a year. I tried to explain this to the wife but she repeatedly spoke over me.  I was sincerely trying to explain the process as they were both unaware, we performed the necessary certification and reported it to the village, the service that was requested of us.  So yes, the village told you it wasn't due now because we already did it.  I am a homeowner and consumer as well.  If I called a company and requested a service and they performed such service, I would pay them.  I believe it is unethical to choose to not pay a company for a service that was requested, especially since it is something that is state mandated and now they don't need to have it done for another year.  In regards to the invoices, there is only one invoice due.  The sheet left by our plumber was a work order to advise the service was done.  The first invoice was mailed by our office.  The second invoice was the discounted invoice (the same invoice only amended).  There is only one invoice of $110 balance due.  Again, the service was performed and I'm honestly unclear to the issue of not wanting to pay for it.  As a consumer myself, I always pay my bills.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 21809731
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Again, the issue is that we did not authorize the service to be performed. You have been unable to provide any proof that we authorized this service. This is our property and sending someone to perform work on our property that was unauthorized is exactly what is wrong here. As consumers, we promptly pay all of our bills due when we have authorized such. 

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