Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We are disputing the full payment for the contract due to unresolved leakage issues in our apartment. Your company inspected and quoted us on April 19th for an emergency call regarding a leaking tub. They informed us that the work could only be done on April 21st. However, the workers arrived with an incorrect diagnosis, leading to a third visit a week later, leaving us with three new holes in the first floor apartment and an unrepaired tub. The first visit charged us a survey fee for an incorrect assessment. Between visits, we had no running water except for the toilet. Although the technicians were polite, the delays were frustrating. On Friday the 28th, the tub was said to be corroded, requiring 24 hours for silicone curing. Leakage was observed after they left, which we reported to the company. After the 24-hour wait, the newly installed *** still leaked. We called on April 29th but were told weekend service was unavailable. When we called back on May 1st, the earliest appointment was a week later. Feeling the lack of urgency, we hired another plumber who resolved the issue within hours. The second plumber mentioned unnecessary and faulted work done by your crew, and we had to hire a carpenter for additional ceiling repairs. We are extremely disappointed with your company's services. The emergency project took over two weeks, excluding the upcoming appointment. We experienced additional damage and nearly three weeks without running water. We dispute the full payment due to unsatisfactory completion and additional expenses caused by your negligence. We sent an email to the company. The owner showed up a week later to "get our side of the story" following that attempted to point out other flaws he noticed in our bathroom which had nothing to do with neither issuing us a refund or simply validating what we went through and negotiating a fair settlement.

  

  Business response

  05/22/2023

  Good afternoon, Per the phone conversation this morning,  Mr. ********** will be contacting you next week when he returns from a business trip.  We will take every measure to resolve the issues you have presented.  We thank you for you patients. **** ********** Plumbing  and Heating. 

  

  Business response

  05/24/2023

  Upon further investigation into the complaint, the following has been determined. We completed the job as discussed. We replaced 3ft of PVC pipe, P-trap and connected to the tub drain. (Photos marked as ****** visit). During the completion of the job, it was strongly suggested that no water be run in the tub for at least 1 day to allow the sealant to dry. If at that time, there is still an issue, the customer was advised that the tub drain would need to be addressed, and possibly replaced. If the customer ran water in another part of the house, and there was a leak, that would have been due to additional leaks in additional locations that we were not there to address. We were there only to address the 3 ft. of piping connected to the tub. Regarding the ceiling. Both of our technicians told the customer during the initial visit as well as the following visits that the ceiling shows signs of saturation and molding due to years of leaking prior to our arrival. As seen in the photo this damage was not something that happened during a short period of time, again this is years. The customer’s husband did call us approximately 15-20 minutes after the technician left the job. He stated that his wife still saw leaking. He also stated that they would wait the suggested time for the sealant to dry and contact us if there were more issues. Again, as stated above the suggested time for the sealant to dry is 24 hours- one full day. We believe that there was a call made to our answering service the following Saturday (04.29.2023), unfortunately our service told them that we do not service that zip code on the weekend. The issue with our answering service has been addressed and we do apologize for that miscommunication. The following Monday (05.01.2023) morning the office did contact both parties and left messages to contact to schedule an appointment. During the time the initial messages were left and the time the customer called back our schedule filled up. We booked an appointment for that Friday (05.05.2023) with the understanding that if there were any cancellations, we would call to get them in. During that time, we received an email stating that they had another company address the issue and they were requesting a full refund. We then contacted the customer to set up a time for our owner Mr. ********** to go out and look at the work and discuss. Phone messages and emails were placed May 2 nd ,3 rd , and 4 th . An appointment was scheduled for May 9 th , 2023, at 11am. Mr. ********** looked at the concerns and discovered that there were some other underlaying issues that might also be causing an issue. One being the tub/shower handles do not have covers for the holes that they go through to prevent water going down behind the shower enclosure, (shown is photos marked ****** visit), the tub drain is rusted and was rusted at initial  visit (seen in photos marked original visit dated 04.19.2023). During the visit the customers stated that they had another company complete the work and that they stated we did wrong and caused more damage. Mr. ********** asked to review the work as this would help us to address any issues that may or may not have happened. We would also be able to compare it to the work that we had in our contractto see if it was the same work or something different. The customer refused to provide the information. To date we cannot confirm that any additional work has been completed. We have received confirmation from our bank that a stop payment has been placed on one of the payments made in the amount of $800. We have always been willing to address and discuss the issues with the customer, but it does take time and patience for us to review and speak with all the people involved. Mr. ********** did leave a message that he would be able to speak with the customer again once he returned from a business trip next week (05.30.2023) We stand by our work and our technicians. We are a company that will take care of any issues that may or may not have been addressed. We were and are willing to work with the customer, it just takes time and patience for a resolution. Respectfully John ********** Plumbing and Heating 

• Initial Complaint

  12/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased a $10,000 heating system with 10 year Warranty on parts and labor. Everytime we have an issue it’s somehow not under warranty. Numerous heating companies have stated the system was installed improperly and will cost thousands of dollars to fix. Factory wax inside that should’ve been removed for gas mixtures after testing still present. Improper gas piping installed and gas taken from hot water heaters supply. Complete write up from other companies can be supplied.

  

  Business response

  12/05/2022

  In response to the complaint from Mr.****** ********.  The issues regarding the Boiler that was installed January 2018.  

  For the following reasons the warranty is no longer in tacked on this unit.  #1 due to the lack of service required by the manufacturer to keep the warranty valid.  Since the installation there has been no annual maintenance service completed by our company on the unit.    #2 The most recent issue was not due to any malfunction is the unit itself.  It was due to the breaker tripping due to high winds in the area.  

  In addition, we have been out in good faith to replace a thermostat and a zone valve.  

   

  Customer response

  01/03/2023

  Issue has been resolved

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The date this occurred was June 3, 2022. Below is the complaint I sent the company. I think you should be more straightforward in communicating the cost of a "technician" coming to evaluate. The person who answered the phone when I scheduled an appointment stated it would be $99 just to show up. That's fine. What is not made clear is that there is also a $250 dollar fee for the technician to guess what is wrong. The technician that came was there for 10 minutes. I told him what I believed to be to be wrong and he seemed to accept that without attempting to start the unit or free the propeller which has some corrosion. I have been able to free it on my own in the past. Your technician seemed not to have the tools or ability to unbolt the propeller. He stated concern over damaging the unit. I would hope someone with experience could loosen a bolt. In any case, if you wanted to be honest with customers the right thing to do would be to state up front that there is a $350 dollar fee just to show up even if the technician spends as little as 10 minutes during the visit. Because what's the logic? The $99 is for them to pull in the drive and wave? So there is additional cost but it is/was not spelled out when I scheduled. There might have been reference to a technical fee, but another $250 was definitely not mentioned. When I called to inquire about the additional cost, the person on the phone stated the fee might be deducted from the overall cost of the repair. I get it. You have someone on the hook already for $350, so they are incentivized to hire you. A subtle bait and switch. The Attorney Generals office will be getting a letter. My experience was extremely disappointing. It is so discouraging and disheartening that someone does business this way.

  Customer response

  06/09/2022

  I believe the company should be more transparent in the fee(s) involved in a visit lasting as short as 15 minutes with no repair effort made at all. They state (not in writing, verbally over the phone), that coming to the house is $99. I agreed to that. They also mentioned an unspecified fee for the "technician" to assess the issue. In my case, that fee was $250.00 or a 15- 20 minute visit with zero effort to repair. So they should tell customers that it costs approximately $350.00 just to show up. That would be the honest thing to do and it should be in writing.

  

  Business response

  06/10/2022

  Please see that attached information also sent to the Broome County Attorney General on 06.09.2022 also regarding this complaint.In short Ms. ****** contacted our office for service regarding her A/C system.  We arrived on at the time agreed upon.  Our technician assessed the issue and gave two (2) options as to how to fix the issue.  Ms. ****** declined the service to fix the issue and was charged the dispatch fee to get the technician to the home and for the diagnosis of the issue.  The client signed the invoice and paid the amount due.  Additional information is attached addressing the entirety of the complaint including the signed invoice, GPS records as to the time spent as well as our response to the Attorney General Complaint.Respectfully,John Piccirilli, OwnerJohn Piccirilli Plumbing and Heating1019 Conklin Rd, Conklin NY 13748###-###-####

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I Just purchased the house at * ***** **** *********** ** *****. The seller called plumber due to slow running drain, the plumber said due to the extensive work, breaking through walls, tearing things apart he couldn’t finish the job that day. The plumber provided a guestimate of $1500.00 due to all the work and hours and materials. The seller and myself agreed to split the cost of the repair. I was sent an estimate that was addressed to the seller with the stated estimate. No description of the work was documented. I did I NOT sign the estimate. I was present when the plumber started and ended. He asked for payment then, I thought that I should’ve asked about a re-estimate, because before he started he said he had a better idea, simpler, not going through the wall. He planned on going through the floor off the sink and dropping the pvc pipe down to the basement where the drain pipe was. I thought that was a good idea, thinking it might cost less. I did not state that out loud. I should have questioned the price at that time, but instead tried to call the office to question it that day after the plumber left. No one answered, when I finally did talk to the office, the help there passed on the message that I needed to talk to John Piccirilli. He did not call back right away, but when he did, he defended the estimate by telling me all the money he saved me(?). That does not make sense to me. He said he would look at it and call me back, which he never did. I called him back on 3/11/22, and asked him about it, he again defended his estimate, I asked him how he felt comfortable about that, and after exchanging words, he hung up on me. The work was done on 1/28/2022 and today’s date is 3/11/3022. I think $1500.00 was based on a description I got for a lot more work, and feel I was taken advantage of. Am I responsible for questioning on a re-estimate or should they have offered a re-estimate?

  

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  Dear Sir/Madame:

  In response to the complaint made by the customer at * ***** ******.  The price given to make the repairs to the PVC piping in the kitchen is the price that was quoted regardless of how the work was completed.  You stated that the work was completed to your satisfaction and and you were very happy.  You also stated in your complaint that you received half of the total amount from the previous owner, so in essence you only paid $750 for the completed repairs.  We do have signed and dated copy of the invoice from when the work was completed.  

*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. ↩