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Andrews Well Drilling Inc.

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Reviews Andrews Well Drilling Inc.

Andrews Well Drilling Inc. Reviews (9)

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me The check is in the mailWhile we will obviously never agree on the facts surrounding this issue, we are in full agreement that we will never do business again. Thank you Revdex.com
Regards,
*** ***

June 16, 2015Dear ***In response to ID ***I am rejecting this response because most all of the information you stated is falseI do not appreciate your slandering my company, My employees did the best they could with the circumstances they had to work withThey were in contact with you and your husband and told how to proceed, and resolved the issue at hand and when they left your tenants had waterAs far as the check being cashed, I am sending a copy that shows that it was not stamped to be cashed and has remained in my safeAs your husband let us know that the check was on its way but advised us not to cash it as you had stopped paymentAt the time that this was going on, my service men did all that they could to rectify the issues and were in contact with both the customer and their tenantI will have to accept the payment of $as this nonsense needs to stop! But I will never put my company in the place of ever doing anything for this customer again.Best regards,Joyce APresident,

June 1, 2015Dear *** ***In response to *** ***’s complaint, I am very saddened to think of the lengths that people go toMy company did its part to remedy the customer’s issues with their waterMy service men did the initial diagnosis and determined that they needed a new pump
and also let them know that quite possibly their well was going dry, to which they were told that they have a second well but they choose not to use it and it has a curb stop to keep it off as it has a great deal of pressure and the one tenant has issues with that much water pressureThey were given the go ahead to change the pump and would talk at a further date about a new well being drilled or possibly re drill the existing well*** *** called the office to ask about the bill, she thought her pump would have still been under warranty but was told the warranty was only good for years and her pump was over yearsShe went from calm to irate in a matter of seconds and let me know she was not happy about it and hung up on meShe called back a few times and verbally abused my service men as well, which quite frankly is uncalled forA few days later she called back demanding that the service guys take the new pump out and re install the old pump to which they didAlso a few days later *** came to my office and although I do not have a problem with customer expressing a concern I do however care about the manner in which they do so this man stood at my office door with his arms stretched to both sides of the door and very much made my secretary and myself feel threatenedFor all the years that I have been in the well drilling business it would seem to me that they must have turned the curb stop on, for the second well so that the tenants would have water and that if the pump had have been under warranty that there would have been no issues and the bill would have been paidAs I reference in response to her letter to me, I mentioned that any seasoned professional does not always get it right, in no way did I say that they made an error- I have enclosed a copy of both letters, and hope that I have given you the information that you need.Sincerely, Joyce APresident,

June 1, 2015Dear [redacted]In response to [redacted]’s complaint, I am very saddened to think of the lengths that people go to. My company did its part to remedy the customer’s issues with their water. My service men did the initial diagnosis and determined that they needed a new pump and also let...

them know that quite possibly their well was going dry, to which they were told that they have a second well but they choose not to use it and it has a curb stop to keep it off as it has a great deal of pressure and the one tenant has issues with that much water pressure. They were given the go ahead to change the pump and would talk at a further date about a new well being drilled or possibly re drill the existing well. [redacted] called the office to ask about the bill, she thought her pump would have still been under warranty but was told the warranty was only good for 5 years and her pump was over 8 years. She went from calm to irate in a matter of seconds and let me know she was not happy about it and hung up on me. She called back a few times and verbally abused my service men as well, which quite frankly is uncalled for. A few days later she called back demanding that the service guys take the new pump out and re install the old pump to which they did. Also a few days later **. [redacted] came to my office and although I do not have a problem with customer expressing a concern I do however care about the manner in which they do so this man stood at my office door with his arms stretched to both sides of the door and very much made my secretary and myself feel threatened. For all the years that I have been in the well drilling business it would seem to me that they must have turned the curb stop on, for the second well so that the tenants would have water and that if the pump had have been under warranty that there would have been no issues and the bill would have been paid. As I reference in response to her letter to me, I mentioned that any seasoned professional does not always get it right, in no way did I say that they made an error. - I have enclosed a copy of both letters, and hope that I have given you the information that you need.Sincerely, Joyce A. President,

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  
The check is in the mail. While we will obviously never agree on the facts surrounding this issue, we are in full agreement that we will never do business again. 
Thank you Revdex.com.
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The response from Andrew's Well Drilling was inaccurate.
This property does not have a second well, if it did the men from Andrew's could have resolved the issue within minutes. The house beside this property has a well but they are not connected. There is an emergency pipe (not connected) from the misdiagnosed "dry" well to the neighboring house, but not from the neighboring house to the property in question. Therefore, I had no way to get my tenants water, they hauled it in from a third party source until I could get the issue resolved. 
The man from Andrew's told my husband over the phone, while in the presence of my tenant that the well was dry and needed a new pump. He could not tell him when the new well might be drilled.
While I did express disappointment because the warranty had expired I did not at any time lose my temper or raise my voice to Mrs. Andrews or any of her employees (in fact I only spoke with the ladies in the office, never did I speak to any of the men who made the mistake). My reason for calling the office four times was to establish a timeline for my tenants. Any one who has been without water would want to know how long it would take to get water. Seems reasonable to me.
My husband only went there to explain the situation, he does not feel that he was threatening in any way nor was it his intention. I do apologize if they felt threatened, they were in no danger, ever. 
B[redacted] Well Drilling suspected frozen pipes over the phone and performed a pressure test, verified not only that the well was not dry but the water was clearly visible at about three feet. Correctly diagnosed frozen pipes under the house, had nothing whatsoever to do with the well.
I understand that even seasoned professionals make mistakes. They did. My issue is that this company feels they should collect from me for their seasoned professional's errors.
I am willing to pay $160 for the initial visit even though they didn't do anything useful. I have never dealt with a company so unwilling to apologize for its mistakes. I find it highly unethical. 
I not only paid for B[redacted] services, I discounted my tenants rent by $100 for their inconvenience. This is not about me being too cheap to pay as Mrs. Andrews inferred. Over the years I have used Andrews services for two wells and a septic tank, at no time did they have to wait for payment. In fact I sent payment for the pump (approx. $1200) within days, Andrews tried to cash it, but I had stopped payment on the check when I learned I only had frozen pipes.
Regards,
[redacted]

June 16, 2015Dear [redacted]In response to ID [redacted]I am rejecting this response because most all of the information you stated is false. I do not appreciate your slandering my company, My employees did the best they could with the circumstances they had to work with. They were in contact with you and your husband and told how to proceed, and resolved the issue at hand and when they left your tenants had water. As far as the check being cashed, I am sending a copy that shows that it was not stamped to be cashed and has remained in my safe. As your husband let us know that the check was on its way but advised us not to cash it as you had stopped payment. At the time that this was going on, my service men did all that they could to rectify the issues and were in contact with both the customer and their tenant. I will have to accept the payment of $160.00 as this nonsense needs to stop! But I will never put my company in the place of ever doing anything for this customer again.Best regards,Joyce A
President,

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The response from Andrew's Well Drilling was inaccurate.This property does not have a second well, if it did the men from Andrew's could have resolved the issue within minutes. The house beside this property has a well but they are not connected. There is an emergency pipe (not connected) from the misdiagnosed "dry" well to the neighboring house, but not from the neighboring house to the property in question. Therefore, I had no way to get my tenants water, they hauled it in from a third party source until I could get the issue resolved. The man from Andrew's told my husband over the phone, while in the presence of my tenant that the well was dry and needed a new pump. He could not tell him when the new well might be drilled.While I did express disappointment because the warranty had expired I did not at any time lose my temper or raise my voice to Mrs. Andrews or any of her employees (in fact I only spoke with the ladies in the office, never did I speak to any of the men who made the mistake). My reason for calling the office four times was to establish a timeline for my tenants. Any one who has been without water would want to know how long it would take to get water. Seems reasonable to me.My husband only went there to explain the situation, he does not feel that he was threatening in any way nor was it his intention. I do apologize if they felt threatened, they were in no danger, ever. B[redacted] Well Drilling suspected frozen pipes over the phone and performed a pressure test, verified not only that the well was not dry but the water was clearly visible at about three feet. Correctly diagnosed frozen pipes under the house, had nothing whatsoever to do with the well.I understand that even seasoned professionals make mistakes. They did. My issue is that this company feels they should collect from me for their seasoned professional's errors.I am willing to pay $160 for the initial visit even though they didn't do anything useful. I have never dealt with a company so unwilling to apologize for its mistakes. I find it highly unethical. I not only paid for B[redacted] services, I discounted my tenants rent by $100 for their inconvenience. This is not about me being too cheap to pay as Mrs. Andrews inferred. Over the years I have used Andrews services for two wells and a septic tank, at no time did they have to wait for payment. In fact I sent payment for the pump (approx. $1200) within days, Andrews tried to cash it, but I had stopped payment on the check when I learned I only had frozen pipes.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: Andrews Well Drilling drilled a water well for me in 2001 that was inadequate in-depth to ensure adequate water flow during periods of low to precipitation. Drilled only to 290 feet at $10/foot and though permission was given by me at that time, to drill to 400 feet if necessary to ensure adequate water flow. Was assured by **. Andrews personally and His representative **. [redacted], that the well though low flow, should produce a minimum of 2 gallons per minute. Andrews further did not dig the trench for the 40 foot water line from the well to the house deep enough ( i.e. at least 38 inches coded freeze depth in [redacted] Pa area), and thus resulted in the water line freezing shut every winter and thus effectively denying us use of the well for our cabin in the winter months. On two occasions I paid Andrews to come out to try to thaw out the water line, but they did not succeed. This lead me to incur an expense of $750 to install a heated line inside the water pipe plus $250 plumber installation fee. Before taking these steps I first contacted [redacted] Andrews, the Andrews office manager at that time and the daughter of **. Andrews, and discussed the problem and asked that Andrews simply share the expense 50/50 with me to correct the freezing problem, though in my opinion they were 100% responsible. She said that they had no responsibility to fix the problem and refused any further discussion of the matter. I asked to speak to **. Andrews about the insufficient water flow and the freezing pipe problem and he said he could not help me, "sometimes things just don't turn out with wells and you have to do them over". On this same well starting in Dec 2010 I began experiencing Coliform bacteria contamination and after trying several remedies I contacted [redacted] of [redacted] Well Inspection (###-###-####) to investigate the contamination problem. He came out to the well site and said the most likely cause was surface water contamination caused by the well driller not properly sealing i.e. grouting the point of the well casing to the well bore hole with Hydralic cement. He said he had seen this problem several times on wells drilled by Andrews and he had discussed the problem with them, but to no avail. I again discussed this contamination problem with [redacted] Andrews and she said they never grout the wells they drill, never have had any resulting contamination proble** and would not dig up and grout my well . Also spoke with the PA Department of Environmental Protection Sanitarian at [redacted], Pa ###-###-####w ho also confirmed that the lack of well grouting was most likely the contamination cause. At this time and after all these years of inadequate water, contaminated water and freezing pipes, I have come to the conclusion that I will have to pay to drill the well deeper , another 120 feet, install a much lager and more expensive1 Horse Power pump and pay to rewire the well with 10 gauge vs 12 guage electric power wire and install a new water line 420' and pay to properly cement the well casing to prevent new or further bacteria contamination. The only 2 local cost estimate I have received are $5.600 from [redacted] Well Drilling from [redacted],Pa and $6,841 from [redacted] Well Drilling of [redacted], PaDesired Settlement: That Andrews share with me 50% of the cost of correcting these proble** drilling my well to an additional depth of 120 feet, this cost is estimated to be 1/2 of the average bids received to date i.e. ($5,600 + $6842)/2 = $3,110

Business

Response:

October 23, 2013

Dear **. [redacted],

Thank you for taking the time to look at both sides of this matter. It is our hope as well to reach a solution that is agreeable to both parties.

According to our records, a well was drilled for the complainant in September 2000. It was drilled to a depth of 295 feet and yielded a flow rate of 2 gallons per minute (gpm). The casing, which prevents the sides of the well from caving in and is put in to the depth of bedrock or gravel, was installed to a depth of 10 feet. The depth at which bedrock was reached at this location is less than 20 inches and the water line was located on top of the bedrock in this instance. A representative from our company returned to the location in July of 2001 and lowered the pump,

I do not have any knowledge of conversations between [redacted], the office manager, and the complainant. She is no longer with the company and therefore, is unavailable to ask.

In regards to the Coliform Bacteria Contamination, there are multiple ways that such bacteria could have gotten into the water. A coliform bacterium is present in the fecal matter of warm-blooded animals and humans. Therefore, coliforms could be present in water samples if there is a septic issue and/or nearby farms (spreading manure in fields), penned animals, gardens and barns. Seepage of water contaminated with Coliform bacteria from any of the previously named sources can have an effect on water systems within a large radius of the actual contamination site.

Grouting of a well is not proven to completely stop Coliform bacteria from entering the groundwater in a well and is not mandated in the state of Pennsylvania. Therefore, the assumption that the presence of Coliform bacteria is due to a lack of grout does not hold any bearing until other, more likely, causes have been factually dismissed. For example, what is the location of the nearest farm with livestock and/or fields fertilized with manure? Is the septic system at the residence in question well maintained and pumped on a regular basis to ensure that there is no possibility of contamination from a human source? Is there a location nearby that contains a spot for dumping garbage (which may attract Coliform bacteria bearing wildlife)?

As far as the estimates that the complainant has received, I would like to submit our estimate. Drilling an additional 120 ft equals $2,040.00 and an additional 40 ft of casing is $600.00 with a drive shoe incurring a cost of $100.00 with a $650.00 rig set-up charge. Our total cost for this would be $3,390.00.

It is quite interesting that this complaint is the first written communication that we have received in regards to this matter. As stated previously, we here at Andrews Well Drilling are no longer in contact with [redacted] and there is no knowledge of those conversations mentioned by the complainant by anyone remaining at Andrews Well Drilling.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns regarding Complaint #[redacted].

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because the Andrews Well Drilling, Inc. letter of 23 Oct. 2013 did not provide a reasonable offer to close this matter. Please see the attached file "Response to Revdex.com on Andrews.docx" that provides a detailed explanation for the rejection. The other 3 attached jpg files provide images of documents supporting my position for rejection.

Regards,

November 7, 2013

Dear **. [redacted]

I have reviewed the Andrews Well Drilling, Inc response dated 23 October 2013 to subject complaint and reject same as being both non-responsive and not addressing a reasonable and fair resolution that would be in keeping with good business practices.

In summary, it was never my intent to invest anymore of my money with Andrews to correct the problems associated with the quality of the well drilling and installation problems described in the original complaint. I was surprised that a further purchase of

their services was the solution offered. It was my intent rather, to inform the Revdex.com and those others who use it services for business references of the problems I have had with this company that others may consider same when reviewing performance ratings of well drilling services in the [redacted] County area.

Below, I will address in detail the remarks and statements provided in the Andrews response to my complaint.

First, the well in question was not drilled in September 2000. It was drilled in the late fall of 2000 and completed sometime in December 2000 with the bill by Andrews requesting payment being dated 8 January 2001. However, something did occur in September of that year. At 11:30 A.M. on September 22. 2000, my wife [redacted] and I met with the Andrews Welling Drilling representative **. [redacted] (the husband at the time of [redacted] cited in the original complaint) at the site of the well at [redacted], Pa.. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the costs, place an order for drilling and to select an appropriate well drilling site. Please refer to the attached file titled "Andrews Water Well Proposal" documenting this meeting .The total cost of that well including drilling ($3,038) plus water pump, water and electrical lines, holding tank and hook-up ($1,786) was $4,824. The original Andrews Invoice dated 8 January 2001and a copy of my check showing full payment for the drilling services rendered, the 10 feet of well casing and shoe is provided as the attached file "Andrews Water Well Invoice".

Secondly, the well casing was not installed to a depth of 10 feet as stated in their response though I was charged on the bill for 10 feet of casing at $9 per foot. Rather, due to running into bedrock the casing was embedded only about three feet below ground level with 30 inches remaining above ground. Adrews employees cut off a 4 feet, 6 inch section that they were not able to force into the ground and this left over casing remains to this day next to the well under discussion. This fact is vitally important to the issue

of not properly sealing the well casing point of entry to the well hole and thus leading to potential Coliform contamination of the well by surface water entering the around the base of the well casing. The above installation specifics being documented by the attached official "Water Well Completion Report" signed by [redacted] Andrews (the owner) and filed with the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources stating that the depth to bedrock was five feet with clay extending from the surface to five feet and shale extending from 5 feet to 295 feet at the end of the well boring.

Regarding my conversations with [redacted] cited in the complaint, it is noteworthy that she is the daughter of [redacted] Andrews, the owner of the company at that time and was the wife of **. [redacted] the project manager for my well drilling contract and who is a registered and certified well driller and pump installer (CWD-PI). The point being, is that she was not only a legal representative and thus agent of the company, but as a customer, it would seem reasonable for me to conclude that she discussed these matters with her father the owner, Mr. Andrews and thus "lack of knowledge" regarding these complaints about insufficient water, freezing water lines and Coliform contamination should have been and were likely known to management.

To support these contentions I offer the following two examples for your careful consideration. I personally spoke to Mr. Andrews on several occasions about the insufficient water flow and pipe freezing problems between 2001 and 2006. On two occasions I paid Adrews Well Drilling, Inc. to attempt to thaw out the frozen lines and then later, paid them twice, first install a flow back check

valve to prevent freezing in the future and then to remove the same valve when it did not correct the problem. **. [redacted] was personally on-site supervising the removal of the check valve that the owner **. Andrews had ordered installed the previous fall. Though each attempted repair only cost me $120, the non-resolution of this problem made my cabin unusable most years from 2004 to 2010 between Jan and April due to frozen water lines. This was not a small inconvenience. The continual freezing of the

water main was most likely the result of not digging the water supply line to house deep enough, in this case, at least 38 inches below the surface as per code in this area. This was confirmed later by the back hoe operator **. [redacted] of *. [redacted]

Enterprises, d.b.a., who attempted to dig the ditch to the proper depth, but ran into shale bed rock. The Adrews representatives told him to cover the water line up anyway. No insulation or heat line was installed the full length of the line, to keep the supply line from freezing. The bill for **. [redacted]'s services ($100) was included in the second bill from Andrews Well Drilling, Inc. for the well drilling and installation.

To correct the continual freezing problem, I purchased and had installed an "in-line" heater line from [redacted] Inc. model RL-100-075 on 09/16/2010 at a cost of $1,185 and $250 installation labor by **. [redacted] a local [redacted] area plumber. The prior facts are offered in support of my complaint on the quality of the workmanship performed by Andrews employees

during the original well drilling and equipment hook-up process.

Their letter response stated that "the presence of Coliform bacteria is due to a lack of grout does not hold any bearing until other, more likely, causes have been factually dismissed." I will next attempt within reason to factually dismiss the possibilities other than quality of workmanship in the services I paid for.

First, the location of the nearest farm with livestock or fields fertilized with manure is over 3.5 miles away and 1,300 feet below the mountain top location of subject well. The septic system is more than the required minimum distance specified by code and the site chosen for the well was made by the Andrews Welling Drilling, Inc. representative **. [redacted] on Sept. 22, 2002. The septic system was re-inspected for proper functioning by its designer **. [redacted] in 2010 and was pumped out most recently on July 12, 2012 by a [redacted]'s Septic Service Company from [redacted], Pa., my check [redacted] #[redacted] applies. Furthermore, there is no spot in the area of my property or adjacent neighbor's property where garbage is dumped that would attract Coliform bacteria bearing wildlife.

As I stated in my original complaint, my discussions with the PA Department of Environmental Protection Labs in [redacted], Pa and their regional Sanitarian representatives at both the [redacted] Regional Headquarters and the local [redacted] office have advised me that they have found that the most likely source of well water Colliform bacteria contamination in the [redacted], [redacted]

and [redacted] County area, is the entrance of surface water into the well where the casing meets the well bore due to lack of proper grouting. The recommended method of correction is to dig up around the well and properly seal the junction with hydraulic cement.

Though the Andrews Well Drilling, Inc. response is correct in saying that such grouting is not required by regulation yet in Pennsylvania, the advice by those charged with the public safety of well water standards in this state strongly recommend it

to prevent and correct surface water contamination for drinking water wells. So having four recent DEP water test results for this well demonstrating that a Coliform contamination problem exists and knowing that by practice and policy, Andrews does not ordinarily and in my case did not grout the well casing, it seems reasonable to expect a remedy to correct the problem.

Lastly, in reviewing the Andrews Well Drilling, Inc. offer to dig the well an additional 120 feet deeper, one might question the care given to the proposal preparation in that it did not include 120 feet additional waterline at $.55/foot, nor 415 feet of new heavier 10 gauge electric submersible service wire at $.87 per foot and last but not least a new one horsepower submersible water pump valued near $1,300. Inclusion of such missing but necessary items would bring the total bill closer to $5,160 v.s. the $3,390 cited in her

letter. As noted in my original complaint, this value compares favorably with the average price quotes I have received to perform the corrective services.

Respectfully submitted;

Business

Response:

Please see attached response

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response for reasons discussed in my attatched response"Revdex.com 12-9-13.docx"

Respectfully submitted;

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Description: Drilling & Boring Contractors, Excavating Contractors, Water Well Drilling & Service, Water Well Drilling Equipment & Supplies, Water Wells - Pumps Sales & Service

Address: 12580 Route 6, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States, 16901-6801

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