ComplaintsforThe Plumber Heating and Cooling

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Originally mid January 2024, we signed (and paid, a contract with this company to replace a collapsed pipe and install a new sumpump, totaling over $20,000. During construction, they ended up collapsing another area, causing them to charge us more and go into the street as well as the concrete on our property. To this day they still have not replaced the concrete. We have called over 10+ times, (recently last week) want an explanation for why it was not done, only to receive a runaround or no response at all: 1. We outsource for our concrete. 2. We do our concrete in house, we will get back to you 3. (I kid you not) “don’t worry about it, we are backed up and will randomly show up, we do not have a date” We want this to be over with, or refunded a reasonable adjusted amount for both the digging of concrete on our property and the collapsed pipe damage they caused themselves doing the digging that we had to pay for as well. Attached is one of the 3 quotes we paid for (which includes the concrete job) and a picture of them digging it during the job.

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  The customer had us repair his main sewer that was broken in the city right of way / street, while digging we found there to be a leak on the city of Niagara falls water main as well an abandon water service underground , we contacted the water board and advised , they stated they would return after our work was completed to redig up the what we dug to make the repairs to their main , and they would complete any restations of the site. we have tried to contact the water board several times on their portion of the work and yet to have a response, since we haven't heard back, we went ahead and completed the restoration," see attached " if the city returns to dig the property for their part they will now be responsible to restore the property.all work we completed with the sewer is fully done with no issue or concerns, past all inspections with the city

• Initial Complaint

  08/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The date of transaction was 08/15/2024, I ***** ******* paid The plumber Heating & Cooling $330 which included a service call fee and a fee for fishing a camera down my sewer to find out EXACTLY what the problem was. They told me my sewer line was collapsed/broken and that they would have to replace entire stack/main sewer line starting from the basement, leading out to where it connects to the street. Total cost would have been $12,000. Sought a 2nd opinion, turns out that wasn’t the problem at all. The sewer needed to be water jetted clean because of grease build up. In total I paid that company $900 to do the work and problem is solved. The Plumber Heating & Cooling charged me $330 for an inaccurate/false diagnosis and I’d like a refund. I’ve reached out to this company explained everything in full and they keep giving me the runaround. I’ve waited seven days in total from the date. I informed them that I am requesting a refund and haven’t heard anything from them at all besides the three times that I’ve called them to check on the status of the refund I requested and every time they keep telling me they’re going to review it and get in contact with me but never do this company has no integrity and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone at all for any service, they are up-selling people and lying i’m appalled by the lack of professionalism.

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  all issue and concerns have been addressed with the owner, in fact we returned to the home and video inspected the sewer showing he customer the issue he was having, after discussing and going over everything in full details with the owner is had no issue with our originally findings and will be working with us to correct and fix the issue, he is having with his main sewer line 

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The Plumber came out to my house 6 weeks ago there to dig up my front lawn due to plumbing issues and sewage, If you look at the before picture yes there is a hairline crack on the siddewalk Well when you put a 2000lb or more or any equipment on it with a small crack the crack will expand and now it is a tripping hazzard and and saftey issue they are are saying they are not responsibile for it and i have to pay $1,200

  Business response

  06/26/2024

  Response taken by phone:  We replaced the section of sidewalk.

  Customer response

  06/26/2024

  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. Yes they did replaced the cracked sidewalk that they damaged Regards, **** ****** 

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  2/13/2023 Called the Plumber after my father's hot water tank broke. Had made request to them to call me (his daughter) before any work was done. Tech never called. Put in the new tank, which happened to be the wrong size according to what 2 other plumbers have said since coming out to pump out the basement after the rainstorms earlier this year. Was told that what should have been put in was a short 40 gallon tank instead of the tall 40 gallon tank. Currently the bottom is rusted and ignitor is not working. Was called AFTER work was completed.

  Business response

  02/14/2024

  we received the original call from the daughter on 2/13/2023 stating *****, lives out of town. her father, ****, hasn't had hot water for 3 weeks now. not sure what the issue is. not sure if the what is leaking, but the pilot isn't on at all, nothing was ever stated or requested to contact her prior just that she was calling on behalf of her father. 
  
  we arrived at the property on 2/14/23 and found that the basement flooded prior to us being there causing the damage to the hot water tank and due to the age of the existing tank and the cost of the repairs  we provided the homeowner with the cost to replace the tank , he agreed , we also found that the basement flooded due to the current sump pump not working , we also provided a cost for the replacement of the sump pump and the customer declined the sump pump and only wanted the hot water tank replaced.  we replaced the hot water tank with the exact same tank a 40-gallon Brandford white power vented hot water tank " see included pictures of before and after."  a 40-gallon hot water tank is a standard size hot water tank for most homes let alone this current home, there is no reason a larger tank was needed nor requested. invoice for the work completed is also included. 
  
  since we installed the tank last year on 2/14/2023 we have had no communication or request from the homeowner or daughter about the new tank or any issue they are having , as our invoice states the new tank comes with a 6 year tank , 2 year parts and labor warranty with us , if the owner chose to use another contractor due to flooding that is there chose but not covered under any warranty with us, this warranty is also a manufactory warranty and any licensed plumbing contractor can also get the same warranty through the distributor all they need to do is supply the model and serial number with the  issue the tank is having .. unfortunately, as the claimant stated the tank is rusted and bad ignitor due to flooding that may not be covered as it is consider an no warranty event and or act of god.   again, as i mentioned above there has not been 1 phone call from the customer since we installed the tank originally stating they are having issue otherwise we would have responded and serviced the tank    

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

       Concrete driveway was dug up tp replace waterline. Insurance with *********, work done by The Plumber, was told driveway could not be fixed until the spring. Started calling about it in April. Always told we weren't on the schedule yet. Asked to speak to the scheduling person. Left two messages. Nobody got back to me. Now it's the middle of July, still no driveway.

  Business response

  07/07/2023

  The work performed at the consumers home was through a private home warranty company.  my company is only the local licensed contractor to perform the work and all agreements and policies included job related issues are with the home warranty company and the consumer, we provided the home warranty company cost and breakdown to restore the concrete and they declined due to coverage limits, they stated they provided the homeowner with the out of pocket cost. to date we have not received any approvals    we replaced the main water line from the city water main into the home and the work was inspected by the city , under the policy for the private home warranty we backfilled the area(s) of excavation to grade with stone. we have attempted several time with the home warranty company to get a " restoration " work order to replace / repair the section of the driveway, unfortunately the consumers policy does not cover the restoration.  

• Initial Complaint

  11/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  About a year ago, I had the pipe and trap leading out of my house to the main sewer replaced. I was told (and the invoice says) that the repair work was done to just before the main sewer, basically a full replacement. My basement toilet has backed up twice since (replicating the original problem) and when I called the original plumber to examine the issue, (as well as a second company to evaluate the problem), I found out that they had actually stopped the replacement pipe almost 8 feet before the main, which is a significant difference. They also never came back to do the reconstruction work (remove old dirt/pipes and reseed the grass) even though I've been calling for six months. The original plumber came out a week ago, and has given no information or response since then, even though they were supposed to send a summary of the visit and videos from the camera they sent down the pipe. I want them to come and finish both jobs.

  Business response

  11/21/2022

  On 10/4/21 was are original call for a sewer issue , we cabled the sewer from the outside vent / trap and cleared the blockage

  10/25/21 we excavated the front yard at the vent / trap in the grass area  were the original issue was, we then found an additional issue with the line towards the town main , we gave the customer the option to repair as noted on the invoice and they approved,

  As per the  invoice we noted on the invoice that we replaced the sewer about 20’ in total distance , we also noted on the invoice that we stopped before the main and never mentioned we replaced top the main , the original issue with he sewer was before the town main and we corrected that issue, yes the customer did call us because of a back up and we returned to cable the line to free up the blockage.

  We returned on and restored the town sidewalk as per our requirement

  On 2/20/22 customer called for back up , we returned to the property and found the issue to be backing up on the house side , we cabled the line and pulled out roots and gave the customer a option to jet and root treatment and they declined

  On 10/25/22 customer called for backup , we attempted to cable the line from the outside to the city main and hit a blockage past our repair , we agreed at that time that we would return to excavate the line and replace it to the connection at the town main at no cost to the customer, we also at that time advised the customer that if they have any back up between now and when we return to call us and we will send a tech out , we also advised the customer due to our current work load that we will get them scheduled more than likely after the upcoming holidays .

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Had a sewer excavation done in July the plumber heating and cooling destroyed my sidewalk with a excavator the inexperienced operator started yelling and swearing he’s not a plumber why’s he here then denied they did the damage even tho it was all recorded fast forward 4 months later my sidewalks still destroyed the plumber won’t call me back to fix the issue even tho they now took responsibility for it and today was yelled and screamed at by the company to the point I wish I’d of hired another company. The employees are beyond ignorant the customer service is horrible and I don’t understand how a company can honestly to business the way they are and get away with it

  Business response

  11/22/2022

  *****, we are not sure why you would be mentioning any of what you did and continue to make false statements about our company the fact that someone in your home works for another plumbing company and your trying to make us look bad. You have a warranty through ********* which is why we came out to service the issue. You are correct in saying that we did chipped the sidewalk but under your Homeserve agreement/contract it states the contractor “the plumber” is not held liable for any unforeseen or preventable damages. We ended up replacing the sidewalk at no cost to you or to the home warranty company. As for the Plumbers on the job we had two licensed journeyman plumbers and 2 helpers. We also keep a professional relationship with all city officials and would not be yelling or swearing at them

  Customer response

  11/22/2022

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. Where someone in my household works has nothing to do with making the plumber heating and cooling look bad the way I was spoke to over the phone about an issue your company stretched out for 3 months is beyond ridiculous and if having warranty work done through home serve is the issue maybe your company shouldn’t be a service provider for them. Again I got the run around for over 3 months was lied too numerous times and than yelled and screamed at by what is supposed to be the manager was beyond ridiculous and your reviews simply speak for themselves that I’m not the only dissatisfied customer that used **** *****  Regards,  ***** **** 

• Initial Complaint

  10/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  i-call-the-plumber-for-sewer-payed-with-check-7,276-50-he-told-me-my-water-line-was-running-aftertwo-days-later-i-wanted-cancel-sewer-dig-the-plumbing-company-will-not-give-me-my-money-back-i-call-35-days-no-check-

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  need-money-back-from-plumber-will-not-send-me-a-check-3-times-they-said-we-will-send-you-a-check-25-days-no-check-i-called-sept-9-to-stop-work-on-my-sewer--check-was-for-7.267-50

  Business response

  10/21/2022

  BBB spoke with the business who indicated that the check has been sent out twice. Please check your mail and open although it may look like junk mail. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have ******** **** ****** for coverage of home repairs and replacements. My furnace went out and they contracted with Buffalo Niagara Plumbing of Lockport to do the job. They were here yesterday, 2/16.2022. They showed up at 11 AM after telling me they would be here at 8 AM. They replaced my furnace and disconnected the sump pump to use the electric outlet. They never reconnected the sump pump. I woke up this morning to find nearly 3 inches of water in my basement and now my washing machine doesn't work. They didn't even have the decency to put in a furnace filter even though there were 4 there to use.

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  we replaced the furnace for the homeowner through her home warranty program , the day we replaced the furnace we had a major weather event of snow melting and heavy rains 2/16/2022.   the only item we replaced was her furnace that is not located nor near her furnace, the homeowner had several items in the basement we very little space to work or move around..  our tools are all cordless with no need for a power source .    the customer called our office to let us know she had water in her basement, we let her know that we CAN send a plumber / tech to her home , she either would have to pay us to come or contact her warranty company for them to authorize a new claim . she said she would call us back after speaking with he warranty company. the homeowner never contacted us back but the warranty company did , the customer refused to pay the deducible she had with he warranty company to open a new claim so they did not issue us a service request. we attempted to contact the home owner 2 separate times to schedule but was unable to get in touch with her ..  

  if the homeowner had water in her basement and has damage i would recommend to for her to contact her homeowners insurance  for the coverage / claim  to repair or replace any damaged items  

  Customer response

  03/15/2022

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below Regards, ***** ***** I MOVED everything they asked me too.  The furnace is 10 feet away from the sump pump.  THEY DISCONNECTED the sump pump to use the extension plug and never reattched it.  Their lies will get them one day

*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. ↩