Bob Larson Plumbing LLC

On 11/19/our technician, Robert, responded to a call for a clogged drainHe bid the job for $1,plus taxDue to scheduling conflicts, Wayne returned on 11/to perform the workHe was there from 9:AM – 1:PM, and provided the following completion notes: ” Installed 4” cleanout; after cleanout install ran rigid auguring machine and jetter- was able to clear line and performed a camera inspectionAfter camera inspection found 83’, the bottom of sewer line eroded recommend a line replacement or patch repair.” On 11/we received a call that the drain was backed up again, and the next day Wayne was there from 9:AM – 2:PM, working to clear the pipeHe got the pipe to drain and made the following notes: “Warranty Return from previous job to locate line connections and any issues with line; found a few questionable sections in lineA recording was performed and will discuss options with customer after video review [redacted] was able to clear line of rock or pipe debris as sewer line was lined-previous to BLP service [redacted] no warranty on drain cleaning; will not be able to provide warranty until questionable sections of line are repaired.” On 12/we received another call complaining that the drain was blocked again, and that there was a drip on the cleanout that we had installedWe scheduled Wayne for the next availability on his schedule and he was there from 2:PM – 4:PM on 12/He was unable to clear the stoppage, told the customer that the pipe needed to be dug up and repaired, and referred them to another companyHe also spent the time to mark the location and depth of the pipes, as unrecompensed service to the customerFollowing is Wayne’s recollection of the series of events: ”The initial call out was quoted for a drain cleaning; auguring and jetting with a camera inspection, after a successful clearing- a preliminary process to diagnosing a sewer/drainage issueThis is what the service charge was forDuring the initial visit ( after the camera inspection was performed) we found what looked like rock debris, we then ran the jetter again to clear debris- another camera inspection was performed and the debris was cleared the copy of video was provided to customer via emailThe return visit was same services performed without charge; and the job ticket was noted as no warranty on drain cleaning as line needs patch repair; more rock like debris was found again on this visit and line was cleared again The third visit was an unsuccessful clearing and customer was recommended to have a patch repair using locates from previous visit and the recording from previous visit The following day an employee of Bob Larson plumbing roommates with another plumber-different company who happened to follow up on the issue and found with their camera inspection the bottom of the sewer line was chipping up in the sewer line; evidence that was not visible to me in our video.” On 12/we received a call from the customer to notify us that he was unhappy and initiating complaints to Revdex.com, AG, L&I, and the cityHe didn’t specify any complaint about the actual work performed, instead citing the fact that Wayne doesn’t have his Level certificationWayne does have his Level certification, which is adequate for drain cleaning, but the complaint was that he installed a cleanout inside the house, which requires at least Level The fact is that there is a severe shortage of licensed plumbers, and nearly every plumbing company is forced to send Level plumbers out on jobs for which they are technically not certifiedWayne has far more than the required 6,hours of on-the-job training, all he lacks is completion of the written test, which has little to do with real world plumbingHe is scheduled to take the test on January 3rd, and we’re confident he will pass this timeThe customer has chosen to use this technicality to try to extort a refundThere is no evidence that we failed to perform the work for which we were contractedOn the contrary, we spent over hours on return visits for no charge to try and get the system working correctlyThe problem is caused by a failure in the existing pipe that wasn’t obvious to us upon our initial camera inspectionWe offered to compromise with a partial refund for the cleanout portion of the job, which the customer rejectedWe have done everything we could doTell us why here

We first received a call from Mrs [redacted] on Christmas EveAfter speaking with her she said it was not a dire emergency and they still had a toilet that workedShe said it would be ok to come out the day after Christmas so I would not have to leave my family's Christmas partyI told her I would be there around amI was running a little behind that morning so I gave Mrs [redacted] a call and she asked if she would have time to go out to breakfast as her family was in townI arrived shortly after they got back from breakfastMrs [redacted] 's father is the one who showed me the leak, which was the drain for the washing machine over flowingI came to the conclusion that the 3" drain for half of the house was backed upI told Mrs [redacted] father that it would be for a minor drain roddingHe said do what I have to doI cleared the 3" branch line which was clogged with multiple paper towels that were flushed down the toiletThen Mrs [redacted] 's father showed me the second issue which was a leaking frost free hose bibI told him that most likely the faucet could be rebuilt for around $to try and avoid tearing into the wall on the inside which would cost moreUpon removing the stem I found the o-rings were worn outI replaced both o-rings and lubricated them as well as the packing nut on the faucetWhen I went in to take care of the bill I wrote everything upMrs [redacted] was unaware of what the charges were that her father and I had discussed, as well as the emergency dispatch feeThe day after Christmas was the day our company was off for the holiday because Christmas fell on a SundayI decided because it was the holidays that I would not charge them for the hosebib repair and just charge the emergency after hours fee and the minor drain cleaningShe seemed quite pleased with this and was very thankfulI wished the family who was sitting around the table with us a happy holidays and a farewell to Mrs [redacted] A few days later we received a call from Mr [redacted] that his wife had a poor experience with usI called Mr [redacted] on the number that was provided and left a voicemailI do apologize for any poor service that you feel you receivedIt is our goal to positively affect our customers livesThis seems to be one of those cases of a 3rd party who wasn’t present during the service, and not aware of everything that went on, to feel that the price isn’t fairWe don’t see it that way

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: This is a case of a company not showing integrity, blaming the customer, and insinuating the family members were not communicating with one anotherThat is not accurate and my kindness was not only misinterpreted as being a satisfied/pleased customer, but to speak to my experience of your missteps is not appropriateYou did contact me Friday evening and asked if it was an emergency or something that could wait until MondayMy dad told me since the leaking water had stopped, and we were able to bail enough water to prevent overflow it could waitYet, this was an inconvenience over the holiday weekend as we had family over and we were constantly checking to see if the water was rising in the drain that was working due to a broken sub pumpI agreed to wait till Monday as I thought there would be no holiday fee and truly thought it could waitHad I known it would have been the same cost, I would have asked that it be attended to FridayI was told you would come Monday at 9am and I texted you at 9:24am as you had not yet shown nor told me you were running lateThirty minutes later you informed me you'd be a "bit behind"" (please see attached screenshot) and that it would be 11amWe were structuring our day around your arrival, and it was my brother's last day with us so it felt inconsiderateYou told us the cost after the job had been completed and when we were all sitting at the table noting "Did you I tell you about the after hours charge? I should have told you." My dad asked if there was anything you could do as you had not communicated this to us beforehandYou didn't adjust the after hours fee as we were hoping, but make a minimal adjustment such as providing a part for free or something of that sortI may have wished you a Merry Christmas but it does not mean I was alright with you running late, charging a fee that was not communicated in advance, nor being dishonest about the details here and nowThe work was done so I did not feel I could debate the fee and I was not in the mood to do soI would have been pleased if you offered to reduce the after hours/holiday fee even by 50%, but that was not offeredThis is the reason for my husband and I's dissatisfaction with your service Sincerely, [redacted]

We did a second repair at no charge and instead charged the after hours fee

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:At no time in three phone conversations was I informed of this feeNo mention of it was made by the workers who showed up to give the estimateNo notification appeared on line in their contact information eitherI believe that this is a pattern and that other customers have suffered this same pattern and were tricked into paying this needless feeI believe an investigation should be made by the proper authoritiesTheir bid was over three times higher than other bid and this pattern of high bidding with no real intention of doing work and just generating additional revenues is fraud.Sincerely,*** ***

We first received a call from Mrs [redacted] on Christmas Eve. After speaking with her she said it was not a dire emergency and they still had a toilet that worked. She said it would be ok to come out the day after Christmas so I would not have to leave my family's Christmas party. I told her I would...

be there around 9 am. I was running a little behind that morning so I gave Mrs [redacted] a call and she asked if she would have time to go out to breakfast as her family was in town. I arrived shortly after they got back from breakfast. Mrs [redacted]'s father is the one who showed me the leak, which was the drain for the washing machine over flowing. I came to the conclusion that the 3" drain for half of the house was backed up. I told Mrs [redacted] father that it would be 230 for a minor drain rodding. He said do what I have to do. I cleared the 3" branch line which was clogged with multiple paper towels that were flushed down the toilet. Then Mrs [redacted]'s father showed me the second issue which was a leaking frost free hose bib. I told him that most likely the faucet could be rebuilt for around $150 to try and avoid tearing into the wall on the inside which would cost more. Upon removing the stem I found the o-rings were worn out. I replaced both o-rings and lubricated them as well as the packing nut on the faucet. When I went in to take care of the bill I wrote everything up. Mrs [redacted] was unaware of what the charges were that her father and I had discussed, as well as the emergency dispatch fee. The day after Christmas was the day our company was off for the holiday because Christmas fell on a Sunday. I decided because it was the holidays that I would not charge them for the hosebib repair and just charge the emergency after hours fee and the minor drain cleaning. She seemed quite pleased with this and was very thankful. I wished the family who was sitting around the table with us a happy holidays and a farewell to Mrs [redacted]. A few days later we received a call from Mr [redacted] that his wife had a poor experience with us. I called Mr [redacted] on the number that was provided and left a voicemail. I do apologize for any poor service that you feel you received. It is our goal to positively affect our customers lives. This seems to be one of those cases of a 3rd party who wasn’t present during the service, and not aware of everything that went on, to feel that the price isn’t fair. We don’t see it that way.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: This is a case of a company not showing integrity, blaming the customer, and insinuating the family members were not communicating with one another. That is not accurate and my kindness was not only misinterpreted as being a satisfied/pleased customer, but to speak to my experience of your missteps is not appropriate. You did contact me Friday evening and asked if it was an emergency or something that could wait until Monday. My dad told me since the leaking water had stopped, and we were able to bail enough water to prevent overflow it could wait. Yet, this was an inconvenience over the holiday weekend as we had family over and we were constantly checking to see if the water was rising in the drain that was working due to a broken sub pump. I agreed to wait till Monday as I thought there would be no holiday fee and truly thought it could wait. Had I known it would have been the same cost, I would have asked that it be attended to Friday. I was told you would come Monday at 9am and I texted you at 9:24am as you had not yet shown nor told me you were running late. Thirty minutes later you informed me you'd be a "bit behind"" (please see attached screenshot) and that it would be 11am. We were structuring our day around your arrival, and it was my brother's last day with us so it felt inconsiderate. You told us the cost after the job had been completed and when we were all sitting at the table noting "Did you I tell you about the after hours charge? I should have told you." My dad asked if there was anything you could do as you had not communicated this to us beforehand. You didn't adjust the after hours fee as we were hoping, but make a minimal adjustment such as providing a part for free or something of that sort. I may have wished you a Merry Christmas but it does not mean I was alright with you running late, charging a fee that was not communicated in advance, nor being dishonest about the details here and now. The work was done so I did not feel I could debate the fee and I was not in the mood to do so. I would have been pleased if you offered to reduce the after hours/holiday fee even by 50%, but that was not offered. This is the reason for my husband and I's dissatisfaction with your service.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

It is our policy to inform every customer that we charge a $59 dispatch fee to get a truck to the job site in order to provide options for service. If any work is done, the fee will apply toward that work. This is also part of the script that our Customer Service Reps are supposed to use. However,...

Deb is the rep who took this call, and she can't guarantee that she didn't forget to inform the customer in this case. So we have changed the invoice to reflect a balance due of $0, and emailed the invoice this morning.

On 11/19/17 our technician, Robert, responded to a call for a clogged drain. He bid the job for $1,511 plus tax. Due to scheduling conflicts, Wayne returned on 11/21 to perform the work. He was there from 9:26 AM – 1:30 PM, and provided the following completion notes: ” Installed 4” cleanout; after...

cleanout install ran rigid auguring machine and jetter- was able to clear line and performed a camera inspection. After camera inspection found 83’, the bottom of sewer line eroded recommend a line replacement or patch repair.” On 11/27 we received a call that the drain was backed up again, and the next day Wayne was there from 9:22 AM – 2:04 PM, working to clear the pipe. He got the pipe to drain and made the following notes: “Warranty Return from previous job to locate line connections and any issues with line; found a few questionable sections in line. A recording was performed and will discuss options with customer after video review. * was able to clear line of rock or pipe debris as sewer line was lined-previous to BLP service. * no warranty on drain cleaning; will not be able to provide warranty until questionable sections of line are repaired.” On 12/1 we received another call complaining that the drain was blocked again, and that there was a drip on the cleanout that we had installed. We scheduled Wayne for the next availability on his schedule and he was there from 2:06 PM – 4:58 PM on 12/5. He was unable to clear the stoppage, told the customer that the pipe needed to be dug up and repaired, and referred them to another company. He also spent the time to mark the location and depth of the pipes, as unrecompensed service to the customer. Following is Wayne’s recollection of the series of events: ”The initial call out was quoted for a drain cleaning; auguring and jetting with a camera inspection, after a successful clearing- a preliminary process to diagnosing a sewer/drainage issue. This is what the service charge was for. During the initial visit ( after the camera inspection was performed) we found what looked like rock debris, we then ran the jetter again to clear debris- another camera inspection was performed and the debris was cleared the copy of video was provided to customer via email. The return visit was same services performed without charge; and the job ticket was noted as no warranty on drain cleaning as line needs patch repair; more rock like debris was found again on this visit and line was cleared again.  The third visit was an unsuccessful clearing and customer was recommended to have a patch repair using locates from previous visit and the recording from previous visit.  The following day an employee of Bob Larson plumbing roommates with another plumber-different company who happened to follow up on the issue and found with their camera inspection the bottom of the sewer line was chipping up in the sewer line; evidence that was not visible to me in our video.”   On 12/11 we received a call from the customer to notify us that he was unhappy and initiating complaints to Revdex.com, AG, L&I, and the city. He didn’t specify any complaint about the actual work performed, instead citing the fact that Wayne doesn’t have his Level 2 certification. Wayne does have his Level 3 certification, which is adequate for drain cleaning, but the complaint was that he installed a cleanout inside the house, which requires at least Level 2. The fact is that there is a severe shortage of licensed plumbers, and nearly every plumbing company is forced to send Level 1 plumbers out on jobs for which they are technically not certified. Wayne has far more than the required 6,000 hours of on-the-job training, all he lacks is completion of the written test, which has little to do with real world plumbing. He is scheduled to take the test on January 3rd, and we’re confident he will pass this time. The customer has chosen to use this technicality to try to extort a refund. There is no evidence that we failed to perform the work for which we were contracted. On the contrary, we spent over 7 hours on return visits for no charge to try and get the system working correctly. The problem is caused by a failure in the existing pipe that wasn’t obvious to us upon our initial camera inspection. We offered to compromise with a partial refund for the cleanout portion of the job, which the customer rejected. We have done everything we could do. Tell us why here...

I appreciate your concern. I know I would want to make sureI'm not getting ripped off if I were in your shoes.  We’ve had theprivilege to serve other homeowners in the community and a few others haveshared similar concerns on occasion over our 23 years in business.Most homeowners don’t have a...

lot of experience with having to hire home repairservice providers such as plumbers, electricians and HVAC repair companies sothey are not sure how to evaluate them other than prices for parts.  Theparts are the least important part of what you get when you hire aprofessional, licensed, permitted, certified, drug-tested, criminal-free,bonded and insured service provider with the proper tools, training, andtechnology to the right things right the first time and guarantee their work. Our first job as a local expert for the last 23 years (and for a long time tocome), is to be reliable and fair.  We do this by giving you goodinformation so you can make smart choices as to what’s best for your family,your home and your bank account for the long term.  While we may not bethe cheapest plumbers around, and are far from the most expensive, ourcustomers tell us we are the most consistent, most reliable and offer the bestvalue for your dollar.What most homeowners don’t take into consideration is a goodcompany does not sell service like a commodity, where one hour of our time isexactly equivalent to one hour of the butt crack plumber from Craig's List, orany other comparison. To explain further, our technician had 8,000 hours of on the job training just to becomea licensed plumber, and has many years of experience on top of that. Wededicate time every morning for training to stay on top of our game, and weprovide insurance and bonding to protect our customers, not to mention themyriad of other costs it requires to just stay in business in this heavilyregulated and litigious society. Many of our competitors take short cuts in these areas, sowe can't compete with them in price, we compete in competence, honesty and integrity.There are other companies that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per yearon advertising, and they are typically much more expensive than we are. Thebottom line is, if price is your primary concern, we're probably not your bestchoice. If you want a plumber that you can rely on to do what we say today, and10 years from now, 98% of the reviewers on Angie’s List and Consumer Checkbookrecommend us.We don’t brag, but we are happy when our customers do and are proud of ourreputation for consistency that has customers rate us as the best plumbers inthe South Sound by Consumer Checkbook, #1 in Tacoma by Tacoma Top Ten, A+ bythe Revdex.com, and awarded the Super Service Award from Angie's List 8 years in arow.This particular complaint stems from a false expectation of what this service should cost. $495 plus tax is well within the boundaries of a reasonable price for installation of a premium level stainless steel 3/4 hp garbage disposer. Our motivation is to Positively Affect Lives in an economically sustainable manner, and find it offensive that evil motives were imputed to us by someone who wasn't there and knows nothing about us. I think an apology is in order.