ComplaintsforLanders Well Drilling and Pump Service

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  7/22/2021 ******* drilled a 322ft well. 11/8/2021 ******* returned and placed a pump 7ft from the bottom. We hooked up water to gardens December 2021 and immediately started having issues. ****** ******* (company owner) was called directly. Excuses were made, but no one came out to check the problem. Countless phone calls were made by me between 12/2021 and 06/2022. ******* finally came out 6/24/2022 the technician said our sediment filter was full, emptied the filter ran a hose from the pressure tank and left after 25 minutes. We called back the same day because we were still having problems. ******* returned 6/27/2022 pulled the 322 feet of pipe and well pump out, said sediment caved in above the pump. Laid the pump and pipe in our yard and said they would come back with a scope camera. Never called, we have ******* with empty voice boxes. They did not return (we have a gate with cameras). I have paid in full every bill sent to me. The pump is burned out. I want ******* to fulfill their warranty on the pump only. If they had come in January when the problem started, the pump would not have burned out. The owner will not resolve the issue.

  Business response

  08/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/05) */ Contact Name and Title: Mr. ****** ******* Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ********@bellsouth.net BBB CASE#: XXXXXXXX Complaint Filed By: ***** ****** Complaint Filed Against: ******* Well Drilling, LLC (hereinafter referred to as "*******") Name and Title: ****** *******, Owner Phone #: XXX-XXX-XXXX Email address: ********@bellsouth.net Response to the Consumer's Complaint Dear Ms. Easterling: I am writing in response to the complaint filed by ***** ****** against ******* Well Drilling, LLC. My company has been in business for over 132 years. It was owned by my great grandfather and it has been passed **** through the generations. The ******* have taken great pride in their work for these many years which has led to our success and longevity. Our work is performed at the highest level of quality. I take this complaint very seriously. The well drilling business is one that is both an art and a science. There are, however, limitations on the exactness of outcomes. Many wells that are dug without striking water. Often when water is discovered, it is sulfur water. There are also times where sediment infiltrates the well system. For these reasons and others, the outcome is not always exactly what a consumer desires. The following are my specific responses to the allegations set forth by ***** ****** in his complaint. Allegation: ******* drilled a 322 foot well on July 22, 2021. Response: ******* Well Drilling, LLC, did drill a 322 foot well for Mr. ****** on July 22, 2021. The work was performed with the highest standard of care and done in conformity with the standard and customary procedures used in the well drilling industry in this geographic area. Allegation: ******* returned and placed a pump 7 feet from the bottom. Response: It is agreed that ******* Well Drilling, LLC, did install a pump system which was placed 7 feet from the bottom. This placement is both customary and proper within the well drilling and pump installation industry. In support of this position, please find attached a letter from ****** ***** of ****** ***** Water Systems. The reason for the pump not being placed at the bottom of the well is that sediment will collect causing the pump to sift the sediment. Attached are the pump manufacturer's recommendations with respect to the physical installation of the pump. Item 8. of the recommendations states that the pump should be at least 5 feet from the bottom of the well. ******* Well Drilling, LLC, clearly complies with the recommendations of the pump manufacturer. Allegation: We hooked up water to gardens December 2021 and immediately started having issues. ****** ******* (company owner) was called directly. Excuses were made, but no one came out to check the problem. Countless phone calls were made by me between 12/2021 and 06/2022. ******* finally came out 6/24/2022 the technician said our sediment filter was full, emptied the filter ran a hose from the pressure tank and left after 25 minutes. Response: On or about the time that ******* Well Drilling, LLC, performed the pump installation, Mr. ****** indicated that he was going to install a water treatment system himself. He later called me stating that he was experiencing water pressure problems and asked if I would come inspect the system. Mr. ******'s home is approximately an hour and a half from my place of business. I explained to him that if there was a problem with the performance of our work that there would be no charge for the inspection. If, however, there was a problem other than the work performed by my company, there would be a charge of $110 per hour including the travel time. He indicated that he would continue to try to discover the problem himself to avoid any charges that he might have to pay ******* Well Drilling, LLC. He made subsequent inquiries of me in the process of trying to discern the reduction in water pressure. In one conversation, I asked Mr. ****** whether his home water system (which was on city water) had a pressure reducing valve. At the time I inquired, he did not know and said he would make inquiry to determine whether there was a water reduction valve. After numerous calls to me, he called and said that he was "at his wits end". This phone conversation was on or about June 24, 2022. ******* Well Drilling, LLC, did send a technician to Mr. ******'s home. Upon inspection, the technician found that the water treatment system had been improperly installed by either Mr. ****** or some third party which he hired to perform the installation. The water treatment system has a filtration device which had been improperly placed. It was placed before the pressure tank. Nothing can be installed before the water reaches the pressure tank. The improper installation of this filtration device before the water fills the pressure tank impeded the water pressure. When inspecting the system, the technician unscrewed the filtration devise and removed the filter and replaced the filter cover with no filter in it. This procedure immediately increased the water pressure. The technician completed his inspection and determined that the pump and the well were properly operating. Allegation: We called back the same day because we were still having problems. ******* returned 6/27/2022 pulled the 322 feet of pipe and well pump out, said sediment caved in above the pump. Laid the pump and pipe in our yard and said they would come back with a scope camera. Response: Mr. ****** did call back on the evening of June 24, 2022, stating that he was again having problems. On Monday, June 27, 2022, I sent a technician to Mr. ******'s home to perform another inspection. My technician did pull the pump and discovered that the sediment had infiltrated the well system to a height of 8 feet from the bottom of the well. The technician stated to Mr. ****** that it needed to be determined where the sediment was infiltrating the system. That would be determined by a scope camera that would be inserted in the well. Mr. ****** and I spoke on that same evening. During that discussion, I explained to Mr. ****** that I had a couple of jobs that needed my immediate attention because people were without water. He indicated that there was no problem from his end because he had city water. Allegation: Never called, we have ******* with empty voice boxes. They did not return (we have a gate with cameras). Response: On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at 11:40 a.m., my technician called Mr. ****** at XXX-XXX-XXXX for the purpose of arranging a time to perform the scope of the well. Mr. ****** did not call back. We heard nothing further from Mr. ****** until he called on July 25, 2022, stating that we had not called him. Attached is a copy of my technician's phone records evidencing the call which he made to Mr. ****** on July 5. Allegation: I have paid in full every bill sent to me. Response: We have submitted two invoices to Mr. ******. The first bill was for the drilling of the well. The second was for the installation of the pump. He has paid both of those bills. I did not charge Mr. ****** for either of the subsequent inspections performed on June 24, 2022, or June 27, 2022. Allegation: The pump is burned out. I want ******* to fulfill their warranty on the pump only. If they had come in January when the problem started, the pump would not have burned out. The owner will not resolve the issue. Response: The pump that my company installed was manufactured by ******** ********. I have attached a copy of the limited warranty on pumps manufactured by ******** ********. This document does provide that ******** ******** warrants that the pump will (i) be free from defects in workmanship and material at the time of shipment, (ii) perform consistently with samples previously supplied and (iii) conform to the specifications published or agreed to in writing between the purchaser and ********. Because the system burned out due to the strain that the sediment created on the pump system, the warranty will not cover the replacement of a new pump. As stated previously, I had multiple communications with Mr. ****** between December and June. Until June, he wanted to try to resolve the water pressure concerns himself without ******* Well Drilling, LLC, sending a technician. He was concerned about the cost of a technician coming. It was not until June 2022 that he requested that I send a technician. I am very sorry that Mr. ****** is dissatisfied and has filed this complaint with the Better Business Bureau. My company has had an impeccable reputation within the industry and within the community for 136 years. I intend to make every effort to continue that reputation for many years to come. If you have further questions, please let me know. Sincerely, ****** ******* Owner of ******* Well Drilling, LLC

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