AP Plumbing

I am sorry you feel you paid more than you should have. When the technician Don arrived to your home and spoke with you regarding repair vs replacement, he noted that you preferred to have the existing hot water tank repaired.  In order to determine what needs to be fixed, the tech quoted you a...

$249.00 diagnostic fee. Some customers opt to go ahead and replace the water heater if it is old or leaking from the bottom and skip the diagnostic altogether. Your paperwork indicates you approved the diagnostic as your signature is present. The technician determined that the thermostat required replacement and quoted $267.12, this work was also approved. I understand that after speaking with co-workers, you feel you paid too much. I am not disputing the $30.00 material cost for the part or apologizing for our pricing. We know the cost for us to do business, cover our overhead and make a small profit. If there is a problem, you can call us and we'll be back. Part of our price includes standing behind our work. Other contractors may have less overhead, don't background check or drug test their employees or drive fully stocked trucks. They may not answer the phone after hours when you need service,  even if it is during normal business hours. I ask that you don’t judge our service charges based solely by the time the technician spends in your home. Operating a reliable service business requires a long list of “behind the scenes” activities that are usually taken for granted. Here are just a few……. Technician Training: technical knowledge and customer service skills. A well-staffed service department to schedule, route and supply the fleet. Customer service personnel to handle your call promptly, day or night. Inventory purchasing, tools and equipment, taxes, insurance, office space, uniforms, utilities etc. We may not be the cheapest, but we feel the value we provide is worth every dollar we charge.

This letter is in response to complaint #[redacted]. When the meter valve initially failed, AP Plumbing immediately hired and paid for a water restoration company to clean up the water. We went to the store and purchased ten 20 gallon totes to protect the homeowner’s belongings. We had three employees...

on site to help relocate items during the clean-up.
As for the compensation, the customer has added numerous items to her "wish list" completely unrelated to the loss. After not agreeing to her terms, she has stopped communicating with any AP representatives and advised us she has sought legal counsel. We have included pertinent e-mails and documentation regarding her claim and forwarded them to [redacted] in a separate email. By no means have we abandoned her, we too want a fair and equitable resolution though without communication from the homeowner, our hands are tied.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I strongly disagree with APs response. First of all they bought 10 totes (not 20) and 12 rolls of paper toweling for me to use to dry our things in an effort to salvage a storage area full of soaked boxes filled with water soaked items that they soaked. They left 1 person behind not 3 and he was supposed to put my soaked boxes into these totes and bring to the garage so I could try and salvage what I could. One other person was sent from the office to bring me a letter from AP promising they would repair, replace and pay for all damage and everything ruined by the flood or broken by their crew. After waiting hours for the water restoration company to arrive I finally asked Joe to please help me get my furniture out of the water and into the other room. When Stephanie arrived with the letter for me from AP she just started helping us move my things to a dryer place. The water restoration crew did not arrive for 6 hours. The water went through every wall and into every room. The carpet and base molding and several walls were ruined in 3 rooms. The raised carpeted floor that was cut out of the computer room needs to be rebuilt. Asbestos tiles under one carpet were cracked and lifting from the water. A 9 drawer dresser with hutched mirror was ruined from sitting in the water for so long. A 36" computer desk with storage and a hutch was broken by water restoration crew when they tried to move it. They told me to tell Andy it broke b/c of the moisture. They also broke a box fan and my push broom. They damaged the entertainment center when they attempted to pull a saturated rug out from under it without lifting it and shredded the bottom of it. 2 years of my daughter's nursing books, notes, and binders are unsalvageable and she has 1 year of school left. Her Anatomy book alone cost $650. The restoration crew also ripped the non-slip pads on 6 of 12 stairs and scraped the walls and ceiling while taking out wet carpet and wood. Both the breezeway and storm doors were scraped and filthy as well as breezeway carpet. The floor of the cedar closet was also ripped up by the restoration crew. They also squeegeed all the water and debris (wood, carpet, dirt etc) into my Sum pump hole. They later vacuumed it out when I complained. And this doesn't even include the photos, books, records, movies, stuffed animals, dolls, keepsake Christmas decorations, etc. that was ruined by the flood. AP promised to rebuild my home and repurchase or pay for ALL items destroyed. The day before this was to happen I refused to sign a document releasing them from liability for the "still" in my opinion, wrongly connected pipe. It had been almost a month and nothing had been fixed or paid for and now Andy is upset that I won't sign this paper and he asks me to give him an amount to "part as friends". The following day they were to begin work on my house and now after a month of waiting they want a figure. I was beside myself, now I have to get quotes and prolong this ordeal further. I also asked for a 10 year guarantee on the pipe since it is the main shutoff to the house and had to be reconnected diagonally instead of at a 90 degree angle b/c someone bent the pipe coming into the house over to slow the water and then that bent piece had to be cut off to make the connection but now the two pipes didn't meet and had to be forced to meet one another looking extremely unsteady. I got my letter from AP guaranteeing the pipe for 10 years but with a contingency that I never use another plumber other than AP for the next 10 years - really like I would ever have them work in my home again. I also asked for an inspector to put something in writing that the pipe was connected to code and I wouldn't have trouble down the road with an inspector if I try to sell my house. Twice I got the same thing from the inspector stating that the meter was up to code. I didn't ask about the meter I asked for the shutoff valve to be inspected. It was just one deception after another with them and I started to realize they never meant to do right by me and I called a contractor to get a quote the next day. I pick out modest furniture replacement pieces and a laptop for my daughter to help her finish school b/c no amount of money could replace her books, notebooks and notes for 2 years of nursing school. They also agreed to have my air ducts cleaned and I forgot to add that in. The quote came to $7200 for repairs and $2460 to replace the dresser, desk, entertainment center and a laptop. Pretty cheap - $9660 total and I didn't add in one additional cent for all the other irreplaceable items we lost b/c they had agreed to trade labor for other work I wanted done if I paid for the materials, but even after they bailed on doing the work I did not add any additional money for those loses and used the lowest of the 3 bids I received. When I sent them the quote which was so low and fair they had the nerve to offer me $3600. I refused of course and then they offered me $5000 - that's half of what they owe me and now another week has passed with all this back and forth b/c I have to talk to Jason and then he has to talk to Andy and they will get back to me. Andy told my landscaper he never intended to rebuild the previously raised floor in the computer room. They were going to just throw some carpet down on the now concrete floor and call it a day. At this point I had reached my limits and told them they need to pay me in full or I was taking them to court. Even now I am trying to resolve this amicably and through the correct channels before consulting an attorney. They say I have refused all contact with them well that's just another lie. They could have called any day this past month and paid me what they promised - they have made no attempt to do this. It is not up to me to make this right I have done nothing wrong except hire AP Plumbing to ever set foot into my home in the first place. And if this is not resolved by them and I am forced to take them to court - amicable is out the window and I will charge them for every single item this flood destroyed like I should have from the beginning. I believed Andy when he promised my family and I that he would make this right. And this is the whole truth. They accuse me of having a "wish list" it is disgusting to me at their blatant dishonesty and their complete lack of caring at not only the way they left my home but the stress this has put on my family and the time I've been forced to miss from work. I'd like to know how they sleep at night.

From what we understand, the landlords father was there for the service call, not the landlord, so some of the information may have been miscommunicated between the parties.  While we were on site, the landlords father did not call the landlord for approval of the pricing we provided, and he...

signed the invoice authorizing the work. See attached invoice. The service call was made 8/18/16 due to the dishwasher drain line and kitchen sink not draining. To clarify the prices on the invoices, I want to start at the beginning. Initially the technician quoted $581.26 to cable the line from the basement cleanout. Upon further inspection in the basement, the tech found that the system would need to be drained down using buckets and the customer did not want to risk the mess as the cleanout was located in a finished area . The technician crossed off that price and then quoted $448.04 to cable 1 1/2" PVC kitchen sink line. He then applied a $40.00 credit for using the online W40 coupon from our website. The technician cabled the line numerous times unsuccessfully for as the line was plugged solid with grease.  Most often lines can be cabled not cut out and replaced and we won't know until cabling is performed to determine if the line will open and flow.  I disagree with customers claim that we should have been able to tell fairly quickly as that is not the case. In situations such as these, we regularly must make several attempts before the line opens. This line was extremely plugged and required replacement.  Due to the fact that we were unable to clear the line after significant work and the customer accepted our work as complete by signing off on the invoice,  I propose refunding the customer half of their money totaling $220.34 to satisfy their complaint.

We had all our shower fixtures replaced by AP Plumbing. I rate my plumbing skills 4 out of 10 so I made appointment by phone on Thursday. The following day, [redacted] came out & gave us a quote. They were not the cheapest but, they were the most professional . The service technician ([redacted]) was friendly and had the job done in two hours. Both my wife and I are very happy with his work. Before he left, I asked him to take a look at my kitchen and bathroom sinks. He pointed out a few deficiencies, gave advice on how to fix them and where to get the parts. I’m going to fix those projects this weekend. I would highly recommend AP Plumbing for those more difficult plumbing projects.

Dear Revdex.com, We do not consider this matter resolved. The company's response is not accurate, as we did compare all components of the job, including the same model water heater, both valves, venting, and installation. We chose similar companies in the Rochester area, not big box stores such as Home Depot and Lowes and were happy to pay a few hundred dollars more for weekend service. We feel that the issue here is the urgency of the need for hot water on a weekend with no time for multiple vendor visits (we had just been through this on a roof leak during a storm). We feel that the Revdex.com should review AP Plumbing's pricing practices, as they charge double the going rate for this area, which is not in keeping with Revdex.com's mission of consumer protection. We are concerned that many consumers, including the elderly, are being taken advantage of and we are still requesting a credit.Thank you, [redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I called as asked and was refunded some money to make the cost more reasonable.
Regards,
[redacted]

I want to start by saying thank you for letting me know you were unsatisfied with the service we provided on 2/20/14. Typically a repeat customer like yourself has a clear understanding of how we operate and is pleased that we explain our process in detail on every incoming call so there are no...

surprises. Our Customer Service Representatives that answer the phone explain that we have a dispatch fee, do not quote prices over the phone and that we need to get a professional out to the house to take a look at the issue. They can’t provide ballpark pricing as they are not technicians and don’t know how to make the necessary repairs. They go on to explain that the technicians will then present repair and replacement options from our Flat Rate Book (a menu of our services), based on your situation and then get written approval prior to starting the work. If at that time you feel we are not the company you want to do the work, we both move on. We are a flat rate company, which means we charge by the job, not by the hour. Just like a restaurant does not itemize the cost of a hamburger, we do not itemize the cost of the specific task. As [redacted] previously explained to you, there are quite a few “behind the scenes” expenses that go into our flat rate price, such as:  insurance, training, advertising, vehicles, gas, office personnel and equipment, employee wages and benefits, tools, utilities and the list goes on.
This business model is used by nearly every retail corporation in the world, including ours.
[redacted] quoted your husband in writing; he signed the Work Authorization Signature for the quoted price of $634.46. When the work was completed, he signed again stating that the work was completed to his satisfaction.  We are not the cheapest plumbing company and do not apologize for our pricing. We have found that customers don’t want some random guy going into their private space. They want a professional, trained, well-groomed plumber in a uniform, with an ID badge and the proper material, arriving at their house prepared to do the work, with a courtesy call a half hour in advance letting you know when we are on the way. Our price includes ‘peace of mind’ in that we drug test and background check all of our employees so you can trust that the person in your home is not a criminal. To be blunt, we wouldn’t let anyone into your home we wouldn’t let into ours. We know what it takes to run a profitable business and charge what we need to keep $.10 of every dollar. I think that is fair.
 
 The faucet you referenced at [redacted] is not the same faucet that we installed. [redacted] store faucets by [redacted] are made with plastic parts versus faucets we install that are made with brass parts. I have asked [redacted] for a letter stating these differences and once I receive it I will forward it to you.
 In your complaint you noted that we did not come on the scheduled day or time. I apologize that we were not able to come as quickly as you wanted, which is why the dispatch fee was waived. There are times during heavy call volume when we must prioritize emergency service like sewer back-ups or no hot water calls over faucet repairs and that can be an inconvenience to you and your family. We know your time is valuable and do our best to meet the needs of our customer’s every single day of the year.
Our staff takes great pride in delivering exceptional customer service.  Our loyal customers refer us to their friends and family each and every day. And we are accountable to them. If price were the most important qualifier, we wouldn’t be in business.  
I’m not sure what you think is a fair price. Please call me at your convenience and we can come to a resolution that you are happy with.
Thank you,
 
[redacted]