AM/PM Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

My wife and I are being billed unfair extra charges that were not stated in the original signed proposal or at any time during the project. I signed a proposal from AM/PM [redacted] on 02/14/2013 for plumbing a small bathroom for a total of $3,451.00. The total was divided into three bills with three even installments as expected, each of which we paid on time. The last of these three bills was paid on 7/23/13 and stated "JOB COMPLETE - REMAINING BALANCE DUE $1150-" This final installment of one third was paid on time, and completed our payments for the entire stated amount of $3451- . Later though, we received an additional bill which we did not expect. The bill stated we owed $631.00 more for things that had been in the original estimate that we thought we had already paid for. We had no idea he would be going over his estimate - no communication!We first sent a certified letter dated 09/17/2013 stating our reasons for not paying this additional bill. It was then that [redacted] called back to say it was for two reasons - that we had not told him we were using walls on our shower unit?! This was absolutely not true - he had even advised us to get a shower unit with a door that worked well. Also, the additional bill listed copper pipe as the second reason for the additional amount. Yet, the original signed proposal included type L copper "or" Pextron tubing and installation of shower unit without door. It did not say shower base, without walls. And our stated choice was for copper instead of Pex before the job started. Again - NO communication before this additional $631- bill was sent. Moreover, the original signed proposal states "Any alteration or deviation from above specifications involving extra costs will be executed only upon written orders and will become an extra charge over and above the estimate."When we told him by phone we would compromise and pay $100- just to end it, he stated that it was an insult and would continue billing us. He has done so and we have now received 6 months of bills with interest added on each time. With accrued interest, the bill is currently up to $691-. We prepared documents for Small Claims Court, but were told at the Hampshire District Court that AM/PM would be the ones to bring the small claim (as we have not paid the contested amount).Apart from all this, the installed toilet was so close to the wall that the tank was touching it. When questioned about that and our concern over condensation on the wall, [redacted] was very rude about it, and it was after this conversation that we received the extra bill. We had already let go of the tank issue and the fact that his worker had broken our sink and didn't tell us. It is possible that the worker hadn't noticed it, so we didn't even bother complaining about that. (We had checked their work after they left the first day, and the sink was cracked, so we had to spend $431.00 for another sink.) All these things would not have been so bad if [redacted] had been open with us when we approached him, but instead he was rude and defensive. This was by far the worst contracting experience we have ever had! We refuse to pay the additional amount charged. It is the first time, ever, that we have not paid a bill. Desired SettlementWe would like them to stop billing us for this extra amount that we feel we do not owe them. Business Response Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)In response to [redacted]'s response, I do not accept his explanation of reasons for extra charges. - The specific shower unit was discussed and we even showed [redacted] our other bathroom's shower unit with walls, to explain what we meant by tiling extending up from the shower walls to avoid water damage on sheet rock beyond the shower walls. And yes, we were informed that we would be responsible for installing the shower doors (which we did. This is not relevant to our case).- I reiterate that the up charge for copper vs. pex plastic was never mentioned, nor written as a change to our agreement. We did ask for copper, and Chris said that would be no problem. - The toilet installation is not relevant to our dispute. I only mentioned it because the added bill with extra charges arrived soon after our inquiry about the toilet - perhaps this is unrelated, but the righteous, rude tone of [redacted]'s response to our questions about the toilet wall contact made us wonder.- Finally, the broken sink is not relevant to our case. Even though it was frustrating that we had to buy another, we decided not to hold AM/PM responsible. (And photos were never requested). Final Business Response We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and our customer service and are disappointed that this customer is not satisfied. We will continue to send statements with the amount due and will proceed to small claims court if the Invoice is not paid.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)All that we are asking is that AM/PM Plumbing and Heating, Inc. follow their own written policy for billing. We have paid fully the $3,451 that was written and signed on the Proposal. There were no written changes to this and all of our payments were complete and on time. We are willing to resolve this in small claims court if necessary.