A. K. & R. Whipple Plumbing, Heating, & A/C Inc.

We feel we have provided our client with all of the information requested.1. Invoice indicating they are paid in full was sent out prior to 8/23/2017 and she verified she had received this. 2. Information needed to apply for rebates has been sent out twice. When I spoke with our client on August 23, 2017 to verify her mailing address she said she would give me a call back if she did not receive the 2nd mailing. We have not received a call back  form her.  If she has not received this information she is welcome to stop by our office at anytime and we will provide her with a copy. I called 9/5/2017 to verify receipt, was unable to reach her. 3. We have provided them with a breakdown of the Equipment that was installed in their home. FURNACE-$4900  A/C $5400  DUCT WORK/IAQ/WIFI TSTAT/ ETC-$2205 for a TOTAL of $12,505. Our company uses the Straight Forward method of pricing which combines the average amount of time it takes to complete a task and cost of equipment. We don't use the time and materials method of pricing. This has been explained to our clients by our General Manager.

In response to the complaint from Jared W[redacted]:On 06/06/2015 Charie W[redacted] called into Whipple Service Champions stating that she had a clogged drain in her kitchen sink. We scheduled her for a drain technician to come out unclog the drain on 06/08/2015.  The technician diagnosed the issue...

and provided the customer with not only the diagnosis, but also the solution to their problem. He also enrolled them in Whipple Service Champions Diamond Club Program which entitles the customer to a free drain clean with a snake. However, the issue was much bigger than what a standard auger snake can handle. The technician explained to Mrs. W[redacted] that he will need to perform a Mini Jet on the kitchen drain to unclog it completely but that there is a possibility that they problem possibly exists in their main line drain. He advised the customer that the price for the Mini Jet would cost the customer $265.05 with their $35 off coupon as well as their 5% discount he was giving them. The technician also scheduled the customer for a free camera inspection on the main line for the following day. The technician also found there was a clog in the main line that would need to be jetted out. He advised them that the permanent solution would be to re-pipe the main line. He advised the customer that if they decided to go with the re-pipe solution that all money paid would be applied to the permanent solution. Our senior technician went out to their home on 06/09/2015 to do the camera inspection and jet out the main line. He advised the customer that the charge for all of the work that was done on 06/08/2015 and the work to be done on 06/09/2015 would be a total of $1358. The customer informed the senior technician that they could not afford that, to which the technician offered them a possible financing option. The customer agreed to try and finance the amount of $1358. When the customer could not qualify for financing, the technician offered to accept post dated checks. The customer wrote out a total of three checks, one for $358 and two for $500 each. The customer signed the straight forward pricing invoice authorizing the technicians to perform the work. With the technician accepting the post dated checks, the customer had all of the work completed before payment was remitted. Client signed our Satisfied form stating Yes, I am 100% Satisfied with the comment I appreciated finding a way to work it out.  The customer then put a stop payment on the check for the amount of $358. The customer was provided a temporary fix and a permanent solution to their drain issues. They opted to go with the temporary fix. They were given the up front pricing prior to the work being performed and signed the invoice authorizing the technician to do the work. If they did not  agree with the pricing, they did have the option to turn the technician away and find another company to do the work for them.The Client Care Manager has attempted several times to reach out to the client in an attempt to resolve the matter in a timely fashion. However, the client has not answered nor have they returned any phone calls. We would still like to speak with the client as we would like to work this out to where both the client and Whipple Service Champions are satisfied.

Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. Our mission is to satisfy every customer every time, guaranteed to create lasting relationships, and to have fun doing it! In this instance we fell short. We are happy to have the opportunity to resolve this situation. We have been in contact...

with our client and have scheduled one of our senior technicians to go out to her home on 9/25/2017 to address and resolve any concerns our client has. While our technician is on site he will preform a complete tune up on both the Furnace & A/C to make sure they are running correctly. He will also replace the capacitor on the A/C that was suggested by a previous technician. This will be done at no additional charge to our client.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:My wife and I are rejecting the business response from Whipple on Complaint [redacted].  Per your instructions,  The response from Whipple is disappointing.  Yes, it’s true we could have spent the day trying to get another plumber, but it very likely would have taken days to do that.  In fact, it took Whipple a few days to come after our initial contact.  We had already been without kitchen sinks for many days, and because Whipple could not complete the work on the day they first came, we spent the night with no sinks (kitchen or bathroom), no shower or bath, and no possibility of flushing any toilets.  So when they came the next morning and said “agree to $1,358 or we’re out of here,” we signed that agreement to get the work done.  The company had us over a barrel, and they knew it and took advantage of our situation.  The fact is, they promised to fix everything for $1,000 on 6/8.  On the morning of 6/9, the figure had gone up by $358 with no explanation.  That’s not to mention the fact that their advertised price to clear a drain was $49, and when they arrived and looked at the pipes, that figure was multiplied by seven because we had “old pipes” which had “sludge” in them.  Granted, I am not a plumber, but isn’t that the definition of a clogged drain?I mentioned in the complaint that Whipple left an enormous mess in our basement – residue of raw sewage on the cement floor around the drain, and sewer water soaked into the carpet of a nearby bedroom.  Our homeowner’s insurance agent was called, and we got a clean-up company to come clean and sanitize our basement on 6/10, including ripping up carpet and tearing out affected wall paneling.  Whipple’s response mentions nothing about this, not even an apology.It’s true that we have stopped payment on the $358 check, as well as the second $500 check.  To date, we have paid Whipple Plumbing $661 – the first post-dated check for $500 and another for $161.  We are willing to pay the remaining $339, because we were promised that the entire bill would be $1,000.As far as Whipple trying to contact us, I don’t know what they’re talking about.  I have not received any calls, and after speaking with my wife, she tells me she hasn’t either.  Would you please send me a quick response to this email and let me know that our response to Whipple’s response has been uploaded onto your website and sent to the business? Thanks,Jared W[redacted]Senior Financial Reporting AccountantHospital Cashier and Accounts Payable Supervisor[redacted] PH[redacted]   FX 
Sincerely,
Jared W[redacted]

We are aware of this clients dissatisfaction with the service he received. Besides coming into our office and meeting personally with our manager, he has harassed  our technician with  messages containing foul, abusive and inappropriate language.