ComplaintsforTeam Pro, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  May 15 Team Pro came out to turn on our sprinklers. When the tech was here he was unable to even turn on our water. He left and had to get another tool to turn on water. When he came back he was able to turn it on so I left for work assuming he would continue turning on the sprinklers. Hours later my husband came home for lunch and noticed that the sprinkler back flow was gushing out water. I guess after the tech left something happened. When I called them back that same day they said that they can send someone out there but not until May 22. A different tech came out should me the broken piece (which he said he has never seen one brake like ours did). I asked if we are going to be billed for this. He wasn't sure and sure enough we get another bill for the service call and the broken piece. We have now paid both invoices. At this point we are assuming the sprinklers are on and running. When we noticed the grass dying we say that the sprinkler system was not even on. So we took 2 hours out of our evening and turned on the 8 different stations. While doing this we discovered 4 heads that were not even popping up from the ground. At least 10 sprinklers that were completely ineffective to our watering yard. Lastly, when 2 of the stations were active it sounded like a lawnmower was going on in the basement. This has NEVER been the case. My husband called and spoke to the owner of Team Pro and he was not helpful. He was not trying to fix our issues, he was trying to look for other reasons (not theirs) why this is happening. All we wanted was a company to turn on our water, submit the back flow test and make sure all our heads were in working order and watering the correct areas. We will no longer be using this company and we.

  

  Business response

  07/16/2024

  It is accurate that Team Pro arrived at these homeowners address on May 15th, 2024 to activate the irrigation system and perform an annual backflow test.  When the service began, our technician found that some debris had lodged in the backflow device causing it to leak.  He cleaned the device and was able to get the system up and running.  It is not uncommon for debris to be caught or trapped by a backflow preventer.  Debris can travel through the water system of any municipality and is most commonly caused by repairs to the distribution/piping system. Water districts will call for boil order when this occurs to warn homeowners that the water quality has been compromised.  At the time this first service call was completed, our technician had been able to restore the backflow device to operation and the system was functional. When the husband came home hours later and discovered the backflow device gushing out water, that is an indication that the backflow device was failing for reasons that would need to be evaluated.  Team Pro arrived at the location for a second service call on May 22nd in response to the gushing of water from the backflow device.  At this call, the backflow device was taken apart to discover that the #1 check valve was broken.  This item was replaced by the technician and the device was tested for operation once again.  No leaks were visible on the backflow device which was shown to the customer - zone one was operated to show that the system was functioning at that time.  

  
  Fast forward and about one month later, the customer called our office claiming that the system was not operating as they could see evidence of stress throughout the lawn.  In regard to the homeowner spending their own time checking through the irrigation system isnt that a basic fundamental responsibility of owning a home?  A homeowner has the inherent responsibility to see that devices around their home are operating as expected (irrigation system, water heater, air conditioner, smoke detectors, thermostat, etc.).  The homeowner stated they turned on zones of the irrigation system and found multiple heads not coming up as normal and that they could hear a loud rattling sound in the basement like a lawnmower.  An appointment was made to send a technician out on May 26th to investigate the situation.  The husband called into the office with his complaint and requested to speak with the owner.  The owner of Team Pro reviewed the service records for this customer prior to returning his phone call.  A couple things stand out when the husband detailed the issues he encountered: 1) ********** system do not and should not cause or create load noises, vibration or any disturbance while in operation and 2) If multiple sprinkler heads are not rising up when a zone is activated, then that would indicate that the heads are not receiving the proper amount of water pressure or is lacking water flow.  The customer stated he had to manually pull the heads up to get them to disperse any water, which would again indicate that something was wrong with the water supply feeding into the system.  Looking at the service history at this house, the backflow device required service in the Spring of 2023 on two separated occasion very similar to the events of 2024.  In 2023, internal components were replaced on 6/7/23 and then a second call on 6/14/23. Replacing internal parts two years in a row is not typical for backflow devices,but this device is roughly twenty years old. Going back further into the service history, it is recorded that the homeowner did not have the system winterized until December 2, 2022.  THIS would likely be the root cause of the problems.  Backflow devices are subject to freeze damage if they are not winterized at an appropriate time and December is way past the recommended time to avoid freeze damage.  It stands to reason that the backflow device most likely got damaged/warped from the late winterization in 2022 thereby resulting in the repairs of 2023 and then again in 2024. This information was conveyed to the husband, who did not want to listen to the reasoning and simply wanted to blame Team Pro for everything.  He chooses to ignore the fact that the cause of all these events would most likely be the disregard by the homeowner to properly maintain the irrigation system and prevent freeze damage.  A backflow device that has incurred freeze damage could 1) warp slightly out of round and then cause damage to internal components and 2) if those components break into pieces, could impede the flow of water AND cause noise and vibration. Yes, it is possible for these issues to worsen over time and come to surface several years after the initial damage was caused. For the husband, none of this was an acceptable possibility. He told the owner of Team Pro that he would talk with his wife and let him know if the scheduled service call set for 6-26 would be kept.  The husband sent a text to the owner of Team Pro on 6-25-24 and canceled the service call stating that he does not trust our services any longer.  The fact of the matter is that the homeowner does not want to accept responsibility for the negligence that occurred back in 2022 which has culminated with the events herein. 

  
  Team Pro will not be held responsible for costs or repairs that will be necessary to get this irrigation system back to full and reliable operation.  This homeowner has a system that is approximately 20 years old.  ********** systems and the components they are built with do not last forever.  And when issues arise that can be traced back to negligence on the part of the homeowner, that homeowner should willfully accept that costs associated with restoration or repairs.  This homeowner has stated that they wish to employ another contractor for those services. We wish them the best.

  Team Pro would request that the BBB remove this complaint from our records as we have done nothing wrong in servicing or communicating with this customer. 

   

  

  Business response

  07/16/2024

  In the second paragraph of my response, I entered the wrong date.  It should read June 26th (not May 26th) as the date an appointment was made.  This appointment was after the homeowner called in stating that the system was not working and was making sounds in the basement.

*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. ↩