A.G. Plumbing

Re: Response to Customer Service ComplaintThis letter is being written to address the complaint filed with you against our company. I will begin with a timeline of events, according to our records. And then I will explain the situation.12/17/09 Removed 2 tank-type water heaters and installed 2...

Navien tankless water heaters in the attic. The installation was done on 12/3 and 12/4/09 with an agreed upon contract price of $3,947.001/29/10 Received customer's check #[redacted], dated 1/24/10, for $2,000.4/13/10 Received another check #[redacted], dated 4/11/10 for $1,747. The customer enclosed a note that he deducted S200 because he had to hire an electrician.3/10/15 Re-applied sealant where vent pipe comes through the roof. Painted the vent pipe black for cosmetic purposes. Also caulked the chimney cricket. This was done at no charge.3/31/15 Flushed and de-scaled both tankless water heaters. Charged the customer $252.5/4/15 Customer paid the S252.6/12/15 Checked the water heater for not enough hot water. This was not a water heater issue but a shower valve issue. Customer said he would order and install the part himself. No charge to the customer for this call.6/18/15 Checked the water heater again. Ordered the PC Control Board. 6/25/15 Installed the PC Control Board. Charged the customer $285.8/1/15 Customer paid the S285.9/14/15 Checked the water heater. Customer said too long to get hot water. Ordered the now switch.9/18/15 Installed the flow switch. Charged the customer S95.10/19/15 Received customer check #[redacted] for S15 only. Customer enclosed note that our $80 labor fee was not justifiable and would only pay for the part.11/3/17 Checked the water heater again. Customer said it was tripping the internal breaker and turning everything off. Parts were ordered.11/27/17 Parts were ordered again.11/28/17 The parts came in11/20/17 We installed the ordered parts. Charged the customer S85 for labor only.1/17/18 Customer called stating they had no hot water. We did not go out.We gave a contract price to the customer in the amount of S3,947.00 to remove their two existing water heaters and install two Navien tankless water heaters in their attic. This work was performed December 3 & 4, 2009. The customer took four months to pay us for that installation, which was $200 short. We are plumbers, not electricians. We do not run electrical wiring. Electrical work was not part of the contract price. We hooked the water heaters up using extension cords so that the customer could use them until they were able to have the electrical work done. When the customer paid the rest of that installation, they deducted S200 for the electrical work.Fast forward to 2015. To our knowledge, there were no issues with the water heaters for over 5 years. On March 10, 2015, we went to the customer's house because they said the water heater vent pipe was leaking at the roof. We discovered the sealant that was used to seal around the vent pipe had worn away and we resealed the vent pipe. We also saw that the chimney cricket needed to be re-caulked and we did that. We also painted the vent pipe black for cosmetic reasons. We did this work at no charge to the customer. On March 31, 2015, we went back to flush and de-scale both tankless water heaters, according to manufacturer recommendation. We charged S252.00 for this service, which they paid on May 4, 2015. On June 12, 2015, we were called out to check one of the water heaters. The complaint was the water was not getting hot enough. We did not find anything wrong with the water heater. The customer has a pressure balancing shower valve and this was a shower valve issue. The customer said they would order and install the part themselves. We did not charge the customer for this call. On June 18, 2015, we were called out again to check the same water heater. It is the manufacturer's policy to have the technician contact them while on-site and they walk us through their troubleshooting procedures. We do not perform any diagnostics on our own. Nor do we decide which part is to be ordered or replaced. The manufacturer does all the diagnosing and informs us which part is required to solve the issue. We were informed at that time to replace the PC Control Board, which we ordered and installed June 25, 2015. This part was not covered under the manufacturer's warranty and we charged the customer $285.00 for labor and material. The customer paid this on August 1, 2015. On September 14, 2015, we went out again because the customer said it was taking too long to get hot water. After going through troubleshooting and diagnostics with the manufacturer, we were informed to replace the Flow Switch. We ordered that part and installed itSeptember 18, 2015. This part was also not covered under the manufacturer's warranty and we charged the customer S95.00 for labor and material. On October 19, 2015, we received a check from the customer in the amount of S15.00. The customer included a note that stated our S80 labor fee was not justifiable and they were only going to pay for the Sl 5.00 part.I do not know where the SI,OOO in service calls come from that the customer claims they have paid. Our records indicate that they only paid us $552.00 for these three service calls.We now jump ahead two more years — to 2017. On November 3, 2017, the customer called us out to check the water heater again. They said it kept tripping the internal breaker and shutting it off. We went out and once again went through the troubleshooting process with the manufacturer. And we were once again, informed on what part to order and install. It is noted that the customer mentioned to our technician that they would call Navien to talk about their water heater issues. I contest the statement the customer made that we would get the parts within a few days and come back and install them. We would not have told the customer that because until we have actually ordered the part, we do not know the availability or the time frame in which it will arrive. We were informed at the time of order that the parts were back-ordered from the manufacturer and no expected delivery date was known or given to us. We informed the customer of this situation. We did receive calls from time to time from the customer checking the status of the parts. We were given the same reply from our supplier. The parts were still on back order and they did not know when they would be available. At one point, the customer informed us to forget about the parts because they had decided to go with an alternate plan and would not be needing the parts after all. Not too long after this conversation, the parts did arrive. We received no advance notice that they were being shipped. These parts turned out to be the wrong ones. We were not concerned because the customer already told us to forget about it. Somewhere around November 27, 2017, the customer called and asked if the parts had come in. They said the alternate plan had not worked out. We explained that the parts had come in but that they were the wrong ones. We did not re-order because they had told us to forget it. At that time, the customer said they would call the manufacturer. On November 27, 2017, the customer called us and gave us the contact information for a person at Navien. The customer wanted us to call this person and tell them what parts were needed and Navien would overnight them. We did in fact do that and on November 28, 2017, the parts arrived and we installed them on November 30, 2017. There was much discussion with the customer regarding payment for this service call before we installed it. The parts were Sl 1.00, which we agreed to waive. But we requested $85.00 for our labor and we wanted payment upon installation. Wewere informed that they wanted to be billed and to not worry, they would pay. We had no way of knowing they never received the invoice. They never called us to tell us they never received it. We assumed they had once again decided not to pay. I know for a fact that our staff was professional at all times. We were sympathetic and understanding of the customer's situation. The customer, at times, was rude, condescending, threatening and accusatory. We explained many times that we were only installers in this situation. They spoke to us as if we built and manufactured the water heater. We explained the diagnostic process to them more than once. We suggested numerous times that calling Navien would be a good idea. We only offer a one-year warranty on the installation and that expired in December 2010. We have nothing to do with any manufacturer warranty. We are not a representative for Navien. I believe that over the years, we went over and beyond what our responsibilities are in order to satisfy this customer. And that is why when the customer called again on January 17, 2018 stating they had no hot water, I explained that we would no longer be doing business with them. I believe it is in everyone's best interest that we part ways.I dispute the claim from the customer that we installed the clamp improperly. It cannot be installed improperly or it would have leaked immediately. Not weeks later. The customer's desire is to have this water heater considered a lemon and have it replaced.  That is not our call. Only the manufacturer can determine whether their product, which is approximately 8 years old now, is inferior and deserves replacement. We again suggest that the customer contact the manufacturer.Sincerely,[redacted]A G Plumbing