American Sprinkler and Landscape

On 10/24/2015, we went to winterize and blowout the sprinkler system at *** *** ***Mr*** met me at the door and showed me where the shut off was in the basementI turned off the valve with him presentHe then showed me where the backflow was located on the propertyI then proceeded
to blow out the system with him presentWhen I got to the zone for the lawn, it appeared that one of the heads was improperly installed and blew off due to inadequate installationMr*** promptly asked if I was going to replace or repair the head that had blown off to which I said, "yes," and did so at the time of this service callIndustry standards are to leave all valves on the backflow at a degree angle to leave a valve in the valve box left open for any residual water that may be left in the pipes which was done at the time of serviceWe do have a signed copy of the invoice (Invoice #***) by Mr*** ***, stating that we completed the work to the homeowner's satisfaction and the homeowner has acknowledged that they are responsible for checking their main shut off valve for any leaksInvoice #*** was paid on site with check # for $signed by *** ***.We were contacted by Mr*** *** stating that the copper pipe had been cracked and he needed someone to come out to look at itI came out on 5/13/and noticed that the system had been turned on, and that there was a crack on the valve side of the backflow piping which indicated that the pipe did have water in it and had frozenI told Mr*** that the pipe did freeze and that it appeared that someone had turned on the water too soonHe then proceeded to tell me that we blew it out wrong according to another companyI then told Mr*** that there was no way the pipe could have filled with that much water due to the fact that when we blow out the system we abide by the industry standards of winterizing sprinkler systems as stated aboveI also told him that he was there when I blew out the system and he mentioned that I needed to replace the head that had blown offHe then told me that he was not there at the time of the sprinkler blow out so he, "didn't know if I blew it out or not." I called my office manager and had her find the original invoice (Invoice #***) which was signed by Mr*** ***The check that was written to us for the work completed 10/24/was also signed by Mr*** ***In summary, we are not in control of anyone's sprinkler valves when we are not present, especially during the month gap between service callsThe water could have very well been turned on by the homeowner, a plumber, children, etcThe manner in which we leave our customer’s systems (valves) would allow water to drain in the event the water was to be turned onThe location of the crack on the piping would indicate that the valves had been closed thus allowing water to sit in the pipes and freezeI did proceed to explain this to Mr*** to which he responded in a loud and angry manner telling that, "no one had touched the water shut off except for us," and proceeded to tell me how unethical that wasIn this case, it is strictly his word against mineWe do not feel as if we are responsible for his water valve on his property due to the fact that we are not in control of what happens after we leavehere

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/04) */
American Sprinkler & Landscape is a small family owned and operated company based in Littleton, Colorado. We were called by the seller of the property on an "emergency" basis to do some repairs to the sprinkler system that had been damaged by...

another contractor (a sewer contractor). The repairs to the sewer line(s) was completed prior to our arrival at the property. Although we had appointments already scheduled with other customers, we were able to come out on July 8, 2015 to "trouble shoot" the damaged system. American Sprinkler was told by the seller that one of the zones of the sprinkler system was staying on all the time.
When our technicians arrived on site, it was noted that the front lawn had prior damage to it that was caused by the sewer contractor who used heavy machinery to dig up the sewer pipes for repair. At that time, our technicians discovered that the valve running the particular zone that would not turn off was damaged. Our technicians made the repairs by replacing the valve. We dug up a small section (no larger than 2'by 3' section) of the already damaged portion of the yard to troubleshoot what other repairs would be needed. At that time, it was discovered that several underground PVC pipes had been damaged by the machinery used by the sewer contractor. It was also discovered that the sewer contractor improperly attached to the line running the zone that would not turn off to the main water line. Do to other previously scheduled appointments, our technicians needed to leave in order to keep our scheduled customers appointment times as well. It was agreed between the buyer and the seller at that time that the sprinkler system would be turned off and American Sprinkler would be back out to repair the remaining damaged pipes and to troubleshoot the rest of the system. Our technicians turned off the water to the sprinkler system. Our office manager scheduled for our technicians to return on July 15, 2015 to complete the repairs. The hole that was dug by American Sprinkler was left open so our technicians could come back and finish the repair work.
On July 15, 2015, our technician returned to the property, repaired the damaged PVC pipe, disconnected the zone from the main water line, and reconnecting it properly. Our technician asked the buyers to please not turn on the system for 24 hours as the glue that was used to adhere the new pipes together needed time to dry. Prior to our technician leaving the site, the sprinkler system was tested and there were no signs of leaks or any other problems with the system. Our technician then buried the repaired lines, smoothed out the area where he had worked and replaced the sod. Please note that the yard around the area where our work was completed still showed signs of damage from the sewer contractor's work. The completed work was paid for in full by the seller, not the buyer of the home. Please note that when the repairs were initially quoted to the seller, it was agreed between the seller and American Sprinkler that if the actual cost of repairs was lower than the agreed upon quote, a refund would be issued back to the seller of the property. The seller paid American Sprinkler the quoted price as he was moving out of State and would not be there when the repairs were completed. The buyers did ask American Sprinkler if there was any money left over from the quoted repair cost as they wanted to apply any refund available to other work they wanted to have done at the property. They were told of the agreement between the seller and American Sprinkler and that any refund would be given back to the seller.
On the morning of July 18, 2015, the buyer called our office (spoke to the Owner of American Sprinkler) and demanded we call her realtor as there was another issue with the system. We explained to the buyer that the expressed warranty on the sprinkler system by the seller does not pertain to us as we did not install the system originally and we cannot warranty someone else's work. We can only warranty the work that was done by American Sprinkler & Landscape. The buyer insisted that they were not going to pay a service fee for us to come back out and correct even more issues with the sprinkler system. Again, it was explained to the buyer that the work we were asked to do by the seller was completed. We told the buyer that we would come out and take a look to see what was happening with the system, but if anything needed to be repaired or replaced that our technicians did not personally work on or touch, there would be a charge for it as it is not under any type of warranty by American Sprinkler.
The owner of American Sprinkler contacted the buyer's realtor as instructed by the buyer. The realtor in turn didn't have much to say, but agreed to be on site for the additional repair work needed. The owner of American Sprinkler then contacted the buyer and arranged that the technicians would be back out to the property, but that the earliest appointment would be on July 22, 2015.
Our technicians did go back out on July 22, 2015 to once again trouble shoot to see why another zone, this time in the back yard, was staying on. The realtors for both the seller and the buyers were there for the repair work. As our technicians were there working, they were video-taped and had pictures taken of them by the buyers of the home. Both of our technicians thought that this was odd, but continued to work. It was discovered that some residual dirt from the sewer company's repairs had worked its way into the valve, thus causing it to stick open. This was then told to the buyers by our technicians. Our technician fixed the issue and once again made sure the sprinkler system was working properly.
Once the repairs were complete, the buyers "huddled up" at the end of the yard to discuss the matter of the $50.00 service fee amongst themselves. They did not want to talk in front of our technicians or the real estate agents. It seemed that they did not want anyone to hear their conversation. The realtors for both the seller and the buyer were on site and both mentioned to our technicians that they hoped we did not have to return again as they were all tired of dealing with this situation. After their private discussions, the buyers then came up to our technicians and questioned the charging of the service fee. At that time, the seller's agent offered to pay for any repairs that needed to be completed. At that time, our technicians followed the seller's realtor back to our service truck. Our technicians told the realtor there would be no charge for the repair work as it didn't seem fair to make the seller's realtor pay for work done to the property after the new owners had taken possession of the property. Please note that the buyers have never paid for nor have been asked to pay for any work completed by American Sprinkler & Landscape.
By the dates on the Complaint Activity Report, it shows that this case was received by the Revdex.com on July 18, 2015. This report accuses American Sprinkler of not only rendering the sprinkler system inoperable, but causing additional damage to the system, failing to repair the alleged damage to the sprinkler system and not providing landscape repairs (caused by the sewer company) to areas that were not even touched by American Sprinkler. American Sprinkler made the repairs to the sprinkler system as agreed upon with the seller initially and then additional repairs that were needed. However, the remediation for the landscape repairs should clearly be handled by the sewer company that caused the damage to the lawn, not American Sprinkler.
We do feel that the buyers are implying that because American Sprinkler was the last company to work on their property, all damages done should be our responsibility and that American Sprinkler should be liable to repair all of the damage to the landscape as a whole because we were the last repair company on site. If it was not for the damage caused by the sewer company that the seller hired, none of this would be an issue.
Please note that prior to July 8, 2015, American Sprinkler and Landscape has never met nor worked with any parties involved including the seller of the property, their real estate agent, the buyer of the property and their real estate agent.