BDP Diamond Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Mr [redacted],I apologize that Dominick did not return your phone call.  We have a technician down and he has been filling in for those jobs for that tech as well as other responsibilities.  Please advise when you are available during the day so we can possibly make an appointment for...

a telephone call.

[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.
Although I disagree with the content of both responses
provided by BDP, it is clear that both parties remain firm in their opinions.  Further correspondence would likely yield no progress,
so in the interest of saving everyone's time, I accept their $100 refund. BDP:  Please issue the credit on the card
originally used on the date of service at your earliest opportunity.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: On 9/19/14, a BDP plumber came to my home to perform the following work: a) clean my oil boiler b) install new sink angle valves and lines and c) install a boiler mixing valve that I provided. The charges for these jobs were $218, 181.90, and $375 respectively and were recorded on Work Order No. [redacted].

While I was satisfied with the quality of work performed by BDP, I was dissatisfied that I was not provided with a quote or estimate prior to the start of work. This was unacceptable since the charges totaled over $800! If I had been provided with some kind of warning, I would not have proceeded with the job. Instead, I was blindsided with what I believe are gross overcharges. For example, the boiler mixing valve install required no hardware from BDP (I provided it) and was completed in under 20 minutes; it consisted of three cuts and three soldered joints. To confirm my suspicion, I called another nearby plumber and their price for this part of the job was $250 less than BDP! I suspect that BDP is surprising customers with their pricing after work is complete in order to strong-arm them into paying highly inflated rates.

After this incident, I called BDP twice to work toward a resolution. Each time, I was promised a call-back by their management, but unfortunately never received one. I would like to raise this issue to the Revdex.com in order to warn other new homeowners of BDP's questionable practices.Desired Settlement: I kindly request that BDP credits a minimum of $250 to my credit card. I see this as a fair and equitable outcome since BDP will still be making a profit from the service they provided, while their pricing to the customer will be more reasonable.

Business

Response:

This is in response to the complaint made by [redacted]. We agree that our technician went out to do the boiler cleaning, checked the water pressure, installed new valves as well as lines and the installed the mixing valve. The technician was at the job site for over 4 1/2 hours. The customer was given a quote before he did the jobs and the customer signed off authorizing the technician to proceed with the work at the quoted pricing. Once the job was complete, the customer signed off he was satisfied with work at the agreed upon pricing. Please see the attached work order showing both signatures lines signed by the homeowner. If the customer was not happy with the quoted price, he should not have signed the work order nor authorized for the work to be performed. We also provide free estimates where the homeowner would have been the cost of the job. Please see the attached our ValPak coupon which states that and the customer used for his job. BDP Plumbing and Heating would also like to make it clear that we will NOT be bullied by a customer for a refund. Our company is licensed and bonded with several senior technicians. We have been in business for quite some time with long time customers as well as new customers due to our great reviews. We have won service awards for over 5 years in a row and have been voted as the Best Plumbing company in the area. With that said, as a professional courtesy we are willing to give a $100 refund.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:The response does not address the following:1) Any explanation for the excessive cost of installing the mixing valve, as described in the original complaint.2) Any explanation for the failure to respond to phone calls placed prior to Revdex.com assistance, as described in the original complaint..Other clarifications to note:1) As described in the original complaint, an estimate was never given. The technician started working immediately and filled out the entirety of the work order at the conclusion of the visit. I felt pressured to sign it in order to get him to leave my residence.2) The vast majority of the 4.5 hours spent at my residence were related to a boiler cleaning and installation of sink angle valves. As mentioned previously, I was satisfied with the outcome of these two items and my complaint only concerns the installation of a mixing valve. The installation of the mixing valve was completed in under 20 minutes.3) Customer complaints should not be viewed as attempts to "bully" a company, rather they should be seen as opportunities for future improvement. I kindly request that BDP credits a minimum of $250 to my credit card. I see this as a fair and equitable outcome since BDP will still be making a profit from the service they provided, while their pricing to the customer will be more reasonable.

Regards,

Business

Response:

BDP Plumbing and Heating is a "flat rate" company. This means the cost of a job is based on the job itself. We do not breakdown the cost of the job by time and material since its designed so if your the customer 5 minutes away or an hour away, your charged the same price. The cost for that part of the job was $375 plus tax. Again we are a flat rate company. When you scheduled your appointment you made an appointment for service NOT as an estimate. As for the signature on the "Authorization to Proceed", our customers should read that line BEFORE signing as well as the bottom line for accepting the work performed. We do not view customer complaints as "bullying'. However you called our office you told us your intentions if we did not refund you $250. The professional courtesy/refund of $100.00 is being offered once again.

Consumer

Response:

[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.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Although I disagree with the content of both responses

provided by BDP, it is clear that both parties remain firm in their opinions. Further correspondence would likely yield no progress,

so in the interest of saving everyone's time, I accept their $100 refund. BDP: Please issue the credit on the card

originally used on the date of service at your earliest opportunity.

Regards,

Review: I was told by your receptionist that Mr. Dominick B would call me to discuss work done earlier in the year. He did not respond. I sent a letter asking him to call me. He still did not respond. I have copied the text of the letter below:

I am the primary caregiver and power of attorney for my mother, [redacted]. Following the retirement of her long-time plumber, we used BDP for a $240.75 furnace repair in March of 2014 and then a major replacement of steam pipes and furnace maintenance, costing $1486, in February of this year.

A section of the steam pipe immediately adjacent to the new pipe began leaking a couple of months after the work was done. I know that all of the pipes are old. My question is whether the technicians should have replaced this two-foot piece of pipe up to where it was screwed into the nearest joint. Instead, the old pipe was cut and threaded. It seems that, in the process of threading the old pipe, the existing section’s weakness should have been noticed.

We will pay for replacing the two-foot segment, but it seems that over $400 is excessive. I asked to speak with you but have not received a call back.Desired Settlement: Contact by business and resolution of issue regarding prior service.

Business

Response:

Mr [redacted],I apologize that Dominick did not return your phone call. We have a technician down and he has been filling in for those jobs for that tech as well as other responsibilities. Please advise when you are available during the day so we can possibly make an appointment for a telephone call.