Blits Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved becauseI will forward this email to my oil supplier and ask him to respond I am well aware of the issues with oil burners which is why I hire someone to maintain it There should not be that amount of build up in days Sincerely,*** ***
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

We were called to fix water leaks in the piping going into the oil boiler at *** ***s residence at * *** *** *** *** ** *** On January *, 2015, we repaired a leak from the water piping above the boiler and replaced a leaking bleeder with a new feed valve and
we also had to replace the relay control on the burner because it has gotten wet from the leak and was no longer working When *** *** called for service she told us that her oil company told her to get a plumbing company to take care of the problems While our plumber was there, the client asked him to tune up the boiler, which he did by replacing the filter and nozzle and making sure the flame was good The total of the bill was $plus tax for a total of $695.53, the majority of which was charged for the time and materials to do the repair work If the client has a reputable oil company she trusts & has used consistently for years, then our question is why did she not have them perform a tune up as it usually included at the start of the winter season as an annual service on maintenance contracts provided by reputable oil companies and all heating systems, especially oil, should be tuned up on regular basis.We do not guarantee tune ups of oil boilers or repairs to oil boilers and oil lines more than a couple of days as oil is a dirty fuel that produces many byproducts and with so many distributors and suppliers, there is no known consistent standard to the quality of oil being supplied to any person's residence We do not analyze the make - up of the oil being used in the boilers we've been called to work on nor do we assess the chimney condition and build - up within unless specifically asked to give an opinion about whether or not sweeping is required or it is necessary to examine in the course of determining the cause of a problem As the problem *** *** describes with smoking occurring from soot build up occurred one month after our plumber was on site and this is the first time we have ever worked for *** ***, we also have no way of knowing whether anyone performed any other work or adjustments on the boiler in question between the time we were on site and the time of the service call to her oil company, during which the client claims their serviceman told her an "improper adjustment" by the plumber I sent caused soot build up which caused the problem While we believe that *** *** did not call in any other service personnel in between the two appointments, we have seen many instances where clients do have family or friends try to make unqualified adjustments to save on additional repair and maintenance costs Of course we cannot assert this happened in this case but as an experienced master plumber and long time business owner, it is something I must consider as a possibility It is very easy for a client to hear what they want to or ask leading questions to other service personnel to try and blame prior serviceman for having to spend money for repairs and complications due to antiquated and / or poorly maintained systems or use of subpar quality fuel It is also easy for one serviceman to place blame on a prior serviceman in order to quiet a questioning and or complaining client, especially if they work for a company whose maintenance in prior years or the quality of fuel supplied may have caused are been part of the cause for the problem for which they were called to diagnose and repair I know nothing but that *** *** believes the technician sent by the oil company to her residence was a skilled professional and that at the time of his visit, she says he told her that the problem he was there to take care of was caused by something my plumber did when he was there approximately month prior Based on what she describes, I am sure *** *** does feel justified in requesting reimbursement for and truly believes we are at fault for the need for the 2nd repair It is very hard for me to believe that the plumber I sent on January *, to perform the repair work on the boiler at ***'s residence did anything improper as he has worked for me for over years in this capacity and his record leaves me no reason to doubt his competence As you will see by inquiring into my Revdex.com record, there has never been a complaint such as this filed against my company We were extremely busy over this past winter so it was hard for my plumber to remember many details about the job but he did think he remembers that the equipment he worked on was in relatively good shape so after much consideration of the matter and the belief that no person or plumber is infallible, even one of my very best, I have decided to consider giving *** *** a partial refund if she provides me with the following requested information from a reputable oil company (she states she has been using the same one for years) I am requesting a signed letter from an authorized representative(s) of the oil company (whom I may follwith by phone if desired) that the heating system at * *** *** *** *** has been consistently serviced and maintained, including yearly boiler tune - ups consecutively for at least the last years, with the dates such services were performed and any recommendations that were made to the homeowner at the time of such services I also would like to see a statement from the oil company or a reputable chimney company that the chimney is in good working order & is not currently in need of sweeping or an invoice from a chimney sweeping dated after 1/*/ The letter from the oil company should also state the brand and estimated age & an informed opinion of the current condition of the oil boiler at * *** *** The letter needs to state the exact nature of the problem they were called in for, how they corrected it and a detailed explanation behind what made their technician assert to *** *** that our plumber caused the problem and what "improper adjustment" they claim he made when he tuned up the boiler a month before their visit, as well as a definitive statement based on an experienced technician's findings that the problem could not have been caused by anything other than our plumber's described "improper adjustment," and how they made the determination that our plumber performed such adjustmentThe letter should also include a positive assertion that there was no way the client had additional oil delivered or ran out of oil between the date we came to repair the leaks and the date they were called in for this service as the addition of a poor quality oil or running out of oil could also cause problems with soot build up and or smoking If the above requested information appears plausible and comes from what we believe is a reputable company and the current oil boiler is also one of which we consider quality and of a reasonable age not to usually warrant replacement if well maintained, then we will refund the oil company's charge of $to *** *** for their visit on 2/*/ I hope *** *** can understand that I am requesting all this information because I have to take allegations against the workmanship of my very experienced plumbers seriously and it needs to be proven to me that we caused the need for a repair I apologize but I cannot just take the word of *** *** on the word of her oil company's technician I need that technician to tell me how he came to the conclusions he did as working on oil heating systems as a master plumber for over years, I know that there are many things that can very readily cause the type of situation *** *** describes within a month of a tune up.Sincerely,*** ***
***
*** *** * *** ***

We are being asked to respond to [redacted]s complaint against us being unresolved but it seems to be an automated process.  We acknowledge that we have seen that message that [redacted] has forwarded our response to her complaint (and their assertion that our technician made an improper adjustment that caused an excess amount of soot build - up resulting in smoking a month after his visit and the need for an additional repair) to her oil company for them to review and provide a response with the details we have requested.  We look forward to hearing from them, reviewing the information they provide and resolving the issue.  As we previously outlined in our initial response, if they provide us with the information requested and it points to a credible informed probability that some action our technician performed was cause of a problem that occurred a month after his visit and the charges incurred by [redacted] from the oil company for that visit, we will issue her a partial refund in the amount of the money she paid to the oil company for that repair.Sincerely,[redacted]
[redacted]Phone:  ###-###-####Fax: ###-###-####E-mail: [redacted]

Review: On 1/*/15 I contacted Blits because I had a leaking pipe near my oil burner. I asked that the burner be tuned up at the same time. I was charged 695.53

On 2/*/15 the burner was smoking. I contacted my oil company who normally does repairs. (they do not do water pipes) They told me the burner was improperly adjusted and showed me the build up of soot. Second repair 228.11.

I contacted a person identifying himself as Blits who stated that he could not control what oil I put in my tank and that sometimes burners need to be cleaned monthly.

I have used the same oil company for over 20 years and have never had a problem before.Desired Settlement: The job was improperly done and I would like a refund of the amount of the second repair

Business

Response:

We were called to fix water leaks in the piping going into the oil boiler at [redacted]s residence at [redacted]. On January *, 2015, we repaired a leak from the water piping above the boiler and replaced a leaking bleeder with a new feed valve and we also had to replace the relay control on the burner because it has gotten wet from the leak and was no longer working. When [redacted] called for service she told us that her oil company told her to get a plumbing company to take care of the problems. While our plumber was there, the client asked him to tune up the boiler, which he did by replacing the filter and nozzle and making sure the flame was good. The total of the bill was $640.00 plus tax for a total of $695.53, the majority of which was charged for the time and materials to do the repair work. If the client has a reputable oil company she trusts & has used consistently for years, then our question is why did she not have them perform a tune up as it usually included at the start of the winter season as an annual service on maintenance contracts provided by reputable oil companies and all heating systems, especially oil, should be tuned up on regular basis.We do not guarantee tune ups of oil boilers or repairs to oil boilers and oil lines more than a couple of days as oil is a dirty fuel that produces many byproducts and with so many distributors and suppliers, there is no known consistent standard to the quality of oil being supplied to any person's residence. We do not analyze the make - up of the oil being used in the boilers we've been called to work on nor do we assess the chimney condition and build - up within unless specifically asked to give an opinion about whether or not sweeping is required or it is necessary to examine in the course of determining the cause of a problem. As the problem [redacted] describes with smoking occurring from soot build up occurred one month after our plumber was on site and this is the first time we have ever worked for [redacted], we also have no way of knowing whether anyone performed any other work or adjustments on the boiler in question between the time we were on site and the time of the service call to her oil company, during which the client claims their serviceman told her an "improper adjustment" by the plumber I sent caused soot build up which caused the problem. While we believe that [redacted] did not call in any other service personnel in between the two appointments, we have seen many instances where clients do have family or friends try to make unqualified adjustments to save on additional repair and maintenance costs. Of course we cannot assert this happened in this case but as an experienced master plumber and long time business owner, it is something I must consider as a possibility. It is very easy for a client to hear what they want to or ask leading questions to other service personnel to try and blame prior serviceman for having to spend money for repairs and complications due to antiquated and / or poorly maintained systems or use of subpar quality fuel. It is also easy for one serviceman to place blame on a prior serviceman in order to quiet a questioning and or complaining client, especially if they work for a company whose maintenance in prior years or the quality of fuel supplied may have caused are been part of the cause for the problem for which they were called to diagnose and repair. I know nothing but that [redacted] believes the technician sent by the oil company to her residence was a skilled professional and that at the time of his visit, she says he told her that the problem he was there to take care of was caused by something my plumber did when he was there approximately 1 month prior. Based on what she describes, I am sure [redacted] does feel justified in requesting reimbursement for and truly believes we are at fault for the need for the 2nd repair. It is very hard for me to believe that the plumber I sent on January *, 2015 to perform the repair work on the boiler at [redacted]'s residence did anything improper as he has worked for me for over 10 years in this capacity and his record leaves me no reason to doubt his competence. As you will see by inquiring into my Revdex.com record, there has never been a complaint such as this filed against my company. We were extremely busy over this past winter so it was hard for my plumber to remember many details about the job but he did think he remembers that the equipment he worked on was in relatively good shape so after much consideration of the matter and the belief that no person or plumber is infallible, even one of my very best, I have decided to consider giving [redacted] a partial refund if she provides me with the following requested information from a reputable oil company (she states she has been using the same one for 20 years). I am requesting a signed letter from an authorized representative(s) of the oil company (whom I may follow-up with by phone if desired) that the heating system at [redacted] has been consistently serviced and maintained, including yearly boiler tune - ups consecutively for at least the last 5 years, with the dates such services were performed and any recommendations that were made to the homeowner at the time of such services. I also would like to see a statement from the oil company or a reputable chimney company that the chimney is in good working order & is not currently in need of sweeping or an invoice from a chimney sweeping dated after 1/*/2014. The letter from the oil company should also state the brand and estimated age & an informed opinion of the current condition of the oil boiler at [redacted]. The letter needs to state the exact nature of the problem they were called in for, how they corrected it and a detailed explanation behind what made their technician assert to [redacted] that our plumber caused the problem and what "improper adjustment" they claim he made when he tuned up the boiler a month before their visit, as well as a definitive statement based on an experienced technician's findings that the problem could not have been caused by anything other than our plumber's described "improper adjustment," and how they made the determination that our plumber performed such adjustment. The letter should also include a positive assertion that there was no way the client had additional oil delivered or ran out of oil between the date we came to repair the leaks and the date they were called in for this service as the addition of a poor quality oil or running out of oil could also cause problems with soot build up and or smoking. If the above requested information appears plausible and comes from what we believe is a reputable company and the current oil boiler is also one of which we consider quality and of a reasonable age not to usually warrant replacement if well maintained, then we will refund the oil company's charge of $228.11 to [redacted] for their visit on 2/*/15. I hope [redacted] can understand that I am requesting all this information because I have to take allegations against the workmanship of my very experienced plumbers seriously and it needs to be proven to me that we caused the need for a repair. I apologize but I cannot just take the word of [redacted] on the word of her oil company's technician. I need that technician to tell me how he came to the conclusions he did as working on oil heating systems as a master plumber for over 40 years, I know that there are many things that can very readily cause the type of situation [redacted] describes within a month of a tune up.Sincerely,[redacted]