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Complaint Details
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Initial Complaint
06/24/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
5/14/24 Catons Plumbing sent Ramon to clear clog from bathroom toilet, the work took several hours. While there before the toilet was removed to clear clog about hour into work there was a loud crash when I came to see what happened there was a mess in bathroom area and our heavy duty classy waste can was damaged badly. At the time I did not notice any other damage. After another hour the tech finished and left quickly without cleaning the bathroom area and our hardwood floor outside in the hall. It was not till later that we noticed hairline crack in shower area. We have been in contact with Catons manager Eric Q**********. He seems not willing to accept responsibility. I sent him pictures of crack on shower wall, he says crack too high to be caused by work done by Ramon. But if machine fell into wall the pressure easily could do damage higher up. I asked Eric to send us an e mail letting up know if they will or will not accept responsibility. It has been several days since with no response. So therefore I am asking for BBB help. No one has even came to see in person. Thanking You in advance for your help.Business response
07/02/2024
We have met with the customer at his home and offered him a 50% refund on our service. Larry has accepted. Additionally we are going to camera his main sewer line and email him a copy of the video.Customer response
07/02/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
******** *******Initial Complaint
10/09/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Catons plumbing was hired to clear a clogged sewer line at my home. We discovered the old cast iron pipe was clogged and need to be replaced. I hired Catons to do a pipe bursting. They conducted to pipe bursting, using a subcontractor. I discovered after the job was complete that there was an additional bathroom connected to that sewer line that was not identified in Catons assessment and the pipe bursting disconnected it from the main sewer line. This was discovered in early July of this year, it is now October and Catons has not repaired it, I call the manager Greg at least once a week and he only responds after 3-4 attempts, then he says they are waiting on something and doesn't contact me for two more weeks. We have been unable to use this bathroom and shower for 2.5 months.Business response
10/09/2023
We have sent a proposal to the customer for the additional work. The customer has accepted the proposal and the work is scheduled for Monday 10/16.Initial Complaint
09/11/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Answered
On 6/21/23 Caton came out and replaced my broken water heater. Took 7 hours to for him to complete and left a water mess all over my basement. Two weeks later (7/12 or 7/13) the same plumber comes out as the water heater is not working. Was told nothing was under warranty and it was due to a surge. All they could do was reinstall and give me $500 off. I was told to get an electrician for the surge.There would be a charge for him to come out as nothing was under warranty. I told them no and I was going to get a second opinion I hired an electrician who informed me the wire i have is aluminum and the plumber did not use the right connector hence why the new water heater burned up. There was no surge and the power lines to the water heater were fine I spoke with a manager Dan who verified this information and was told I was going to get a full refund. I checked my last statement and only the charge to come out to look was refunded not the full amount. Called their billing who stated they would honor the original refund and that a manager would call me. The new manager called and said after research they would not refund me the full amount only the parts.Business response
10/06/2023
This letter is in response to a credit card dispute for ***** ******* for $2591.06 for a Water Heater installation on 6/23/23. We were sent back to ****** house on 7/11/23 for her Water Heater not working. We informed ***** that the water heater had been burnt up most likely due to a power surge or her incoming power to the heater. Kate informed me that she hired an electrician who stated there was no power surge and that it could have happened due to improper wiring connections. I informed ***** that if the wiring connections were done incorrectly, then as soon as we turned the power back on it would have burnt up the water heater at that time and not almost 3 weeks later. Also, if there was no issue, why did the electrician change her aluminum wiring to copper if the fault wasn't ****** incoming power line. As a good faith we informed ***** we would refund the parts cost of $1685. I also showed ***** photos of her power line with scorch marks and stated the scotch marks were only on her incoming power line and none on the water heater connection resulting in the issue coming from her power supply line. I have attached a copy of her invoice. If you would like to see pictures of the wiring, please email me.
Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information or verification.Initial Complaint
04/10/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
In June 2022, I paid Catons Plumbing $3980.84 (Invoice No. *************) to have a tankless water heater properly installed on my property by a qualified, licensed plumber, to replace a traditional tank water heater. With this, I also received a 1-year residential guarantee for labor. While attempting to get estimates for the annual maintenance/descaling service for the water heater, two plumbers outside of Catons and one senior technician from Catons independently informed me the tankless water heater was installed incorrectly and maintenance can not be conducted. The water heater does not have a maintenance kit, it is missing a shut off valve and the carbon monoxide vent is sloping the wrong direction. My estimate/invoice from Catons Plumbing includes a maintenance kit, so I have already paid for this. Zach, the plumber who did the incorrect installation to begin with, came out to my house on 4/4/2023 when I was not home, and he installed a quarter pipe on the exterior vent and claimed the issue was resolved. However, nobody from Catons explained to me what issue this resolved, or why this was done without any authorization from me for him to conduct any work on my house. In speaking with Catons Plumbing managers, Jason and Dan, I am told they will install the maintenance kit for free but I will have to pay for the part itself. They have not offered any resolution to install the missing shut off valve or to fix the slope of the carbon monoxide vent. I took work off for the appointment on 4/10/2023, when Catons was scheduled to fix the water heater installation issues. I confirmed this appointment on Friday, 4/7/2023, as well as on the morning of 4/10/2023. However, at 9:44am, on 4/10, I was informed that no plumbers will be out for the appointment today. Since 4/1/2023, when this issue was first identified, I have repeatedly been told by Catons staff that a manager will reach out to me. I have yet to be called by a manager. I am the one who initiates any contact with Catons to find a resolution to these issues. Nothing gets resolved in any of the conversations, and I always am told that I have to talk to someone else who is "not in the office today". Now when I try to speak with Managers Jason or Dan, or their supervisor, Greg, everyone is busy and this issue is still not resolved or moving anywhere toward getting resolved.Business response
04/14/2023
We have contacted the customer and will be installing the valve kits free of charge on 04/17/23.Initial Complaint
03/09/2022
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
On February 2, 2022, Catons Plumbing came to my house to clear my main sewer drain. The line was only partially cleared that day as they could not snake it all or get their camera line down to see the problem. I paid them $664.00 by check that day (Invoices 181-******** & 181-********), with a promise that the next day they would provide me a plan and estimate to fix it. The next day my line was fully stopped up again and Catons would not even return my many daily calls, much less provide an estimate. After 2 days, we moved into a hotel. Six days later at 8pm, a manager called me and said they were "still assessing the project". After that I found other people to fix my sewer line and it turns out Catons had further damaged my line trying to clear it. Since then no one will return my repeated phones calls. They say their work is guaranteed, but they will not answer calls. I am willing to overlook their damage and my hotel bills if they refund my $664.00.Business response
03/21/2022
Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/12) */ We have contacted Mr *****. We serviced his home on February 2, 2022. We cabled and cameraed the sewer line on that date as well. We found a break in the line and as it turns out the there was a house trap on the line. These are no longer used or accepted by plumbing code. Mr ***** had others expose the line and make a repair. We agreed to refund Mr. ***** for customer satisfaction.Initial Complaint
11/18/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
On 9/30/21, Catons was dispatched to my home to address a leak in my master bath and basement ceiling. The plumber determined I needed the overflow repaired in master bath and the waterline replaced which caused the leak in the basement ceiling. He replaced these issues which cost me nearly $1,000. During the time of service, I received a call from Candice D***, Field Supervisor at Catons. Ms. D*** asked to come to my home to assess damages and see if restoration was needed. Within the hour or two, she and two gentlemen were there with leak detection devices. Ms. D*** asked me to contact your insurance company to file a claim. I informed her that I already did but I wasn't sure they would cover this. She said she works with insurance companies all the time and they will pay. I retrieved my claim number and gave it to Ms. D***. Prior to leaving she handed me blank documents to sign and I told her I was not comfortable signing them, that I needed to see what you're being my insurance company. She said that this was their process to expedite service and I should receive everything electronically. To date I have yet to receive a explanation any charges. On 11/15/21, I received an invoice telling me that I agreed to pay $7,414 and payment is 30 days past due. This invoice is fraudulent/inflated because I NEVER AGREED TO THIS. They took advantage of my vulnerability & lack of knowledge for this process by withholding info about their service & charges. The services rendered was excessive & unnecessary now I understand why. The purpose was to inflate these charges. This was recognized by my claim's professional and most of their charges were denied. Caton's placed 18 machines in my 1380 SQ FT home for two damp spots and a slow drip in the ceiling. The amount of service provided doesn't match the minimum damages from these leaks. Lastly, because I've been gouged their service consumes nearly 80% of my claim. Leaving nothing to replace the floors and ceilings they removed.Business response
11/29/2021
Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/11/29) */ ***Document Attached*** Catons received the complaint from the BBB on 11/19/21. On 11/22/21 we spoke with Ms ****** by phone and sent her a copy of the information packet attached. Ms. ****** his complaining about the costs and claims that her insurance company complained about our work and that we were improperly billing and setting equipment to "inflate the charges". We contacted her adjuster, Ms. *************** 410-******** of *******************, to discuss the claim. Ms. ******** advised that the work we did was properly done and properly charged. Catons charged $7414.75 for the work we completed. ********* paid Ms. ****** $6651.94 for the water restoration portion of her claim. They also accounted for $6464.53 for rebuild less $1000 deductible and $1600 for depreciation. Ms. ******** also advised that if Ms. ****** gets estimates for the rebuild that are more than what the insurance company accounted for, they will work with her to increase the claim payment to her. Ms. ****** also indicated in her complaint that she did not sign the documents. All documents were signed via electronic signature through docusign. Ms. ****** received a copy of all documents through email within minutes of signing them. If she had any issues with the documents, she could have called off the work as out crews had not arrived yet. On page 7 of the attachment you will also note a copy of a signed certificate of satisfaction. Ms . ****** signed the document on 10/4/21 when we picked up our drying equipment and got our final moisture readings. As Ms. ****** was reimbursed by her Insurance company $6651.94 for the water restoration, Catons will accept that amount as payment in full. Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2021/11/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I do not accept their response. For starters, Catons admits to having me sign BLANK DOCUMENTS then claims to have sent the invoice immediately following. I did not receive a invoice with a breakdown of charges until 11/22/21 after my BBB complaint. Again, Catons had me sign blank documents without an explanation of their services, charges or equipment. I couldn't have agreed to charges if they were never presented to me from the beginning. This reduce charge is still inflated and does not align with the minimum damage found in my home. 17,18 machines for a damp floor and slow drip in the ceiling was excessive and cannot be explained. Also, after speaking with Greg A******* of Catons on 11/22/21, he claims Ms. ******** NEVER responded to them which is why I received the letter. In their reply they said *************** said the charges were proper. So which is the truth? When I asked him for an explanation of charges he opted to send me an invoice instead. $7414 or $6414 is still inflated when the national average costs about $1000 - $3800, for high end service $4,200. I have reached out to Ms. ******** for clarity regarding this and may be seeking legal help at this point. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2021/12/01) */ Ms. ****** signed all contract documents electronically via docusign. She was provided a copy of all contract documents via email that was sent to her email address within minutes of her electronic signature of the documents. These documents are the contract documents not the invoice as that is determined by the actual work performed. The final invoice is based on the needs of the individual job that will not be determined until the job is completed. This is an industry standard in the water restoration business. We are a certified firm and performed all work per IICRC standards as specified under the S500. We were unable to reach Ms. ******** prior to 11/29/21. That is why when we spoke with Ms. ****** on 11/22/21 we advised that we were unable to reach her. Catons charged $7414.75 for the work we completed. ********* paid Ms. ****** $6651.94 for the water restoration portion of her claim. They also accounted for $6464.53 for rebuild less $1000 deductible and $1600 for depreciation. Ms. ******** also advised that if Ms. ****** gets estimates for the rebuild that are more than what the insurance company accounted for, they will work with her to increase the claim payment to her. As Ms. ****** was paid $6651.94 by her insurance company for the water restoration, that is what is due to the contractor. Receiving insurance funds and not paying your contractors for the work may be considered insurance fraud. Consumer Response /* (3000, 18, 2021/12/09) */ Unfortunately, I wasn't able to respond due to being on bed rest for the past week. I know this complaint has been closed but I do not agree to any invoice provided by Catons nor will I ever agree. Catons gouged my claim and Shelly K******* knew that which is why she did not pay them. Ms. K******* also agreed and encouraged to file this bbb complaint and to stand my ground wire them. For the last 2 weeks I guess to prevent her from further incriminating herself has stopped responding. I have already contacted Travelers to file a complaint for misinformation. To close this I plan to send Catons a cashier's check for their service. Thanks for taking the time to handle this complaint.
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Customer Complaints Summary
8 total complaints in the last 3 years.
4 complaints closed in the last 12 months.