Blind & Sons, LLC.

Blind & Sons replaced the line starting feet from the houseThere was approximately 70-feet of sewer replaced from that point to the streetThe current back up is in the existing pipe closer to the homeOur plumber did a camera and confirmed where the blockage was.We did give
the customer an estimate to replace some of that existing pipe that is closest to the homeAt this time the customer had declined

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/28) */
On October 3, 2011, *** *** at *** purchased a Nordyne furnaceNordyne provides a year manufacturer parts warranty*** *** called our office to report that the furnace pilot was out on October 5, The customer
was informed during that phone call that the diagnostic charge for diagnosing the situation with the furnace was $
The customer scheduled an appointment for Friday, October 16, which was her earliest availabilityAt that appointment, the technician found that the inducer was bad and quoted a price of $to replace the partThe part would need ordered and be available on Monday for replacementThe customer paid the $for the diagnostic fee but declined having the part replacedThe customer decided to have the work done by a different company at a lower price
*** also mentioned a previous situation that occurred regarding the air conditionerOn September 3, 2013, *** *** purchased an air conditioner which we repaired for not cooling properly on August 26, under warrantyWe returned to service the unit two times the next year for the same situation at no cost to the customer until she was satisfied that the air conditioner was cooling properly
We are sorry that *** was disappointed that the warranty had expired but we feel that the complaint was spurred by pricing issue and should therefore be dismissedWe talked with *** after she filed the complaint and she indicated that she will consider working with us in the future so we believe that the complaint is satisfactorily resolved
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Blind ad son did not admire that the technical problem was due to there technician s not doing there job properly also it was not a cost issues which I told the manager it was the fact they fail ed to come in a timely manner she even said that she would check into itThey are saying I had issues with the cooling in fact it was due to not being installed properly

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/05/26) */
The customer called our office on 4/due to a drain back up and scheduled a main draining clearing using a coupon for $regularly priced at $A plumber cleared over feet of the main drain so that the line was flowing on 4/and
charged the customer $The plumber noticed roots at feet and he was concerned that more extensive sewer work may be needed so he scheduled a camera inspection by a sewer consultant at no charge to the customer on 4/with the customer's permissionOn 4/17, the sewer consultant found that the sewer needed replacedHowever, he noticed a sink hole at the curb and asked the customer if the City had been out to look at itThe customer indicated that she had been trying to get the City to address the situation for over three years with no luckOur sewer consultant contacted the city and worked with the *** City Sewer Department to handle the situation at no cost to the customerThe City took responsibility for the situation and the situation was corrected for the customer by the CityHad *** City Sewer not taken responsibility because of our sewer consultant's efforts, the extensive work to replace the sewer would have cost the customer over $8,The customer called for a refund for the $drain clearing that was performed on 4/The decision was made not to refund the $because the plumber successfully cleared the back up so that the main drain was flowing on 4/
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 12, 2015/06/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Blind & Sons(B&S) reply -unacceptableAs per my initial review of events, I called the City of *** (**) Highway Dept on 4/8/and reported my sunken curbThe head of the deptstated that is was probably r/t sewer pipes issuesI was told that day that the "curb would be fixed sometime this summer."So, it was already scheduled to be fixedPer my request, on 4/9/15, the ** Sewer Dept sent out a technician to camera my lateral sewer line and found (copy on file) "TV lat from oc 60' @ small offset - can't pass - heavy root mass @ 54' - advised need drain cc." I called B & S who sent out a tech to clean sewer line who came on 4/10/The authorized work order stated: "Snake main drain up to 80' with special instructions - city cited offsets and tree roots." I never received a detailed work order that listed what was done that dayI had to call for my receipt ticket #***The B&S tech came back out on 4/17/to recamera my sewer line as per (?) their protocol after a cleanoutI also watched the camera which showed a roof caat approx 55' when advancing camera through the lineI was told the B&S would come back out to reclear drain - never doneI was also told by B&S tech that he could not pass the snake from sidewalk out to main sewer lineEstimated repair was given = $B&S then told me to call ** to send back out a tech for another camera look(already done on 4/9/15.) BS tech told me that he would come when the ** came out to talk with him about sewer lineB&S never cameThe same ** tech who did the first camera view came out again (4/23/15) - findings (copy on file)root infiltration -no broken pipe possible leaky joints - City portion mark for repair** came out on 4/for curb/sewer repair - found that feet into home owner's property was root mass through sewer tile lineSo, B&S did NOT clear my drain 80' as per authorized work orderDrain had direct visualization done and documented by ** x and seen from ** repair siteB&S did not reschedule drain clearing of roof cafound on 4/No detailed work receipts given from B&SRemain requesting full refund of $for sewer drain not being cleared of root mass documented (before AND after B&S cleanout) as found by ** xand the roof caby B&S

(Revdex.com received business' response by phone.)Our technician went out to ***'s home on Friday, July 15th in response to the consumer calling in that the blower was not working At that appointment our technician did find a bad ecm variable speed motor and module Our technician called
the Service Manager and reported that *** told him that there had been a lightning strike Then on 7/21, our tech went out to the home and made the repairs The customer did pay a total $1,096, with the customer's approval The parts were not covered under the warranty due to being struck by lightning, as written in the warranty guidelines The warranty does not cover acts of mother nature The customer then called credit card company and disputed charge of $ We then had a technician go out on 7/21/ Found that the humidistat did not allow the blower to come on Due to the lightening strike, the humidistat had failed At the time that their technician was leaving, the air conditioner was working He recommended replacing the humidistat and informed the consumer that this also would not be covered due to the lightning strike

I am rejecting this response because:
The second plumbing company brought special tools to repair the flange, because I had told them that Blind & Sons said I needed a new flange. However, the tools were not needed, because as they showed me, nothing was wrong with the flange. Also Blind was going to charge me over $to replace the flange, and te second company was less than $

The drain that was clogged is under the concrete, and it filled the entire pipe upThe drain starts in the first floor, runs down, across the garage ceiling, above the drywall, turns down, and the runs under the buildingIt is all drain pipeWe cut out as much of the old pipe that we could, when we opened the drywall, this way we knew all the pipe was clearWe couldn't get the rest of the pipe, that goes under the buildingThis is a condo unit, it is not possible that we can see a year old drain pipe to plug up. We did all we could

I am rejecting this response because:
The leak did not take place from a drain in the concrete! It happened in the ceiling of the garage, under the 2nd floor  condo,  prior to any concrete drains. It has nothing to do with pipes or drains down in the concrete as the response stated. They removed a portion of the ceiling & worked in the garage ceiling to make their "complimentary" repairs, so how does this pertain to a drain in the floor & if they didn't repair/replace the drain in the floor that they state she needs to have done, then how is it now working & not leaking since their "complimentary fixes"? Seems to me it was an issue they created & fixed but just wanted to get the 2 parties that had damage to sign off so they can wipe their hands of the problem. The drain has had nothing further done to it, so it is obviously not the problem. How do you not take responsibility for a leak that was not present with the prior unit, and did not start until the installation of the new unit. Someone did not do their due diligence and verify proper function of the drains, which is why she hired a licensed plumbing company to perform the work to begin with,, as to make sure everything was working when the job was completed. To have your company blame my mother for this is rediculous. What exactly does a plumber do? Are we presumptuous to assume that they would make sure the drainage from the unit they installed is functioning? It appears they want to blame the lack of Knowledge in this area on the elderly homeowner, when she hired them for their knowledge and what she had thought was expertise regarding all things related to plumbing & drainage. How could you possibly say you weren't hired to fix a drain when that is the business you are in?  If it needs fixed you fix it & charge a fee, you don't blame the homeowner and say "we were not hired to do that!"  Seriously???? This is a Pathetic attempt to place blame elsewhere and not fix the problem you created.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2016/02/02) */
On August 24, 2015 our plumbing technician went to Ms. [redacted] home for a kitchen faucet leaking. Upon his arrival he evaluated the kitchen faucet and did find that it was leaking. Ms. [redacted] at that time also asked our plumber to take a look...

at the bathroom shower faucet as well. After evaluating the situation the plumber gave Ms. [redacted] an upfront price, based on our consistent flat rate pricing, to make the repairs of $835.00, which she did approve and signed the upfront quote that was given to Ms. [redacted] before the work was performed.
Our plumber did make several repairs at Ms. [redacted]'s home. He replaced shut off valves, installed a kitchen faucet, installed two stops to the kitchen faucet, removed the cartridge on the shower and replaced with a new one, and replaced boots and springs. The plumber was at Ms. [redacted]'s home for approximately 3 1/2 hours.
We do not believe that the family had a full understanding of all of the work that was performed. For that reason, the family incited the customer to file a complaint even though the customer was satisfied with the service and approved of the price before any work was performed. As stated, we are happy to provide the attached copy of the receipt as per our normal practices whenever requested. The invoice outlines all of the work that was completed and we are confident that it indicates that this complaint is not valid as the family did not have firsthand knowledge of the entire situation.
We do send receipts via email if a customer provides us with one. If they do not have an email the receipts are then printed out and mailed to the customer from our office.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 13, 2015/12/10) */
Blind & Sons installed a Bradford White hot water heater at the S[redacted] residence on 10/25/2011. The install included a 6 year parts warranty through the manufacturer and a 1 year labor warranty.
Call 1: Mrs. S[redacted] called our office on...

September 3, 2015 to schedule an appointment to replace the hot water heater because it was leaking. Our customer service representative informed the customer that the plumber would need to call the manufacturer to confirm the warranty during the appointment.
Call 2: Mr. S[redacted] called our office on September 4, 2015 to confirm the appointment made by his wife the previous day. Our customer service representative told the customer that the plumber would provide a quote. Then, the customer told our customer service representative that the current water heater was under warranty. Later in the call, the customer asked the customer service rep, "there is no charge, right?" Since we offer complimentary quotes, our customer service representative responded "right."
On September 4, 2015 the plumber arrived at the home and called Bradford White to confirm the warranty. The product was indeed still under the manufacturer's warranty; however, due to government regulations on the energy efficiency of water heaters, the existing hot water heater was no longer available. The manufacturer charges an upgrade fee of $270 for the same size energy compliant water heater. Since the water heater was no longer under a labor warranty, the labor would be an additional $295.
The customer told the plumber that they wanted the water heater replaced at no charge and asked to talk to a manager. The plumbing manager called the customer to discuss the situation and agreed on the following: 1) They agreed that the customer would pay the upgrade fee from the manufacturer. 2) They agreed that the manager would listen to the calls to see if the customer was told that the water heater would be replaced at no charge. If so, the customer would not have to pay the additional charges.
Due to the unfortunate circumstances that have created confusion in this situation, we have not billed the customer for the additional labor even though the unit was not under a labor warranty. We have gone above and beyond by incurring the labor costs for replacing the unit and charging only the upgrade fee from the manufacturer.

I am rejecting this response because:
The bottom line is when the work was originally quoted I questioned why they were leaving 5ft. near the house. They assured me I would not have any issues in that area and the section they replaced would solve my problem 100%.  I trusted their opinion and now a year and a half later and $6300 in debt I am having the exact same problems.  My suspicion is they just did not want to mess with the connection at the house. Now they want to charge me an unreasonable amount of $2200 to replace 5ft. of pipe?  I will gladly pay to have the repair work done but it must be at the same per foot rate as the original work minus rental equipment. Also the agreement stated that the old equipment would be removed NOT BROKEN UP. I have shards of clay & plastic pipes protruding from ground. I have a child & am concerned about her safety. She is deprived of playing in the front because of the unsafe conditions left by your work.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/04) */
On February 17, 2016 we went out to perform a tune-up on the furnace. When the technician arrived he found a failed heat exchanger. The rusty ring was popped that hold the shells together. It was laying in the internal cabinet of the furnace....

The rusty ring is something that routinely happens when a furnace gets older. Our technician called our Service Manager and explained, documented, and showed the person at the home (Ms. [redacted] was at work) one of the rusted, failed rings that fell out and gave it to the customer. Our technician explained to Ms. [redacted] over the phone that this is a common occurrence with a cracked heat exchanger. The furnace is a 19 year old unit.
The next day, February 18, 2016 we went out as a call back because the furnace wouldn't heat. Upon arrival or technician called our Service Manager who was in the area and met the technician at Ms. [redacted]'s home. Our technician at first thought a board failed, and we were prepared to help with the circuit board, if we caused the issue by working on the unit. Our Service Manager then found the rollout safety switch was tripped, and the circuit board was fine. This switch is a safety device that WILL trip when a heat exchanger, or exhaust pipe has a failure, or blockage. We reset the switch, it is a manual reset. The furnace was then operational. Our Service Manager then advised the person at the home
( Ms. [redacted] was not there ) that this switch will trip again, since the heat exchanger is clearly failed, and unsafe. The rollout switch is designed to trip until the failure is fixed. Our Service Manager and technician advised the person at the home that since there was a cracked heat exchanger the furnace should not be used because it can be unpredictable and may become a potential health risk.

We were contracted to install a new furnace, and air conditioner. The furnace is a down flow unit, in a closet. This is a condominium. The new air conditioner coil, in the closet, below the furnace, creates water when the ac runs. The coil drain is a ¾ abs pipe that goes down through floor, into...

the finished garage ceiling, and then over, inside a wall, and disappears under the condo, into the concrete, and underground. After the new AC ran for a few days, the existing drain, under the building, filled with water and backed up. We were called out after hours. We tried to clear the drain, and thought we got it clear, by using compressed air. The drain seemed to be clear. We did this at no charge as a courtesy. A day or two later, the drain backed up again. This occurrence management went out. We opened up part of the drywall ceiling in the closet, cut the drain out at the concrete, where it disappeared. We again put air into it to clear it, and it seemed clear. The next day was very hot, and the drain backed up again underground. We ran a temporary drain for free, so the customer could have AC. She is a senior, and we wanted to help her the best we could. Again, at no charge to her. The customer, and neighbor signed a receipt of no charge, that shows that we tried to help as a courtesy, but agreed that the old drain under the building isn’t Blind & Sons responsibility. We were not contracted to dig up drains under the building. Our contract was to replace equipment. We had no way of knowing that the very old drains built into the concrete were fouled up. That repair falls onto the condo association, and the customer. We are devastated, that after helping her as much as we did, that a family member is trying to provide negative reviews. Once again, drainage under the building is out of our scope of work. We have also attached the signed documentation from the homeowner and her neighbor that was there when we explained everything. Thank you

You are a valued customer of ours. We do appreciate your business and we are sorry that this occurred. We have looked into the situation and after speaking with our plumber the reason he refused to fix it is because he said the flange was damaged. We do not bandage repairs as a company. We fix it...

completely and with your situation our plumber felt the flange needed to be replaced. Our plumber was at your home for just over 2 hours trying to fix the situation for you. Once the upfront quote was declined by you he did not even charge for the work that he had done or the service call. Again, we appreciate your business and hope to service you in the future.

Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 6, 2016/02/11) */