Bud's Plumbing Service, Inc.

In response to Mr. [redacted]'s complaint, we have reviewed the file and while we are not in total agreement with his comments, in the interest of customer satisfaction, we have decided to cancel his charges. We are sending Mr. [redacted] a zero balance invoice for this work.
Bud's Plumbing Service,...

Inc.
[redacted]
[redacted]
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Review: Dear Folks, I am Rev. [redacted], a partially disabled USAF veteran and I’m a Resident Chaplain in the ER and Outpatient Surgery departments at [redacted]. In and out of the workplace I strive to exercise “Self Differentation” –being a calming presence in an anxious environment, on a daily basis.

October 25, 2013 State Farm Insurance directed my wife and I to contact Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., to replace three shower valves upstairs in our home that had malfunctioned, causing widespread water damage downstairs. The Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., employee, I believe named [redacted], came to our home in a very timely fashion, turned off all water coming in to the house and replaced the three valves.

August 14,2014, Nine months and twent-one days after the shower valves were last replaced, my wife and I noted that one of the two replaced shower valves in our master bedroom was not operating correctly. It was taking approximately 8-10 minutes (of wasting water) for the water to become hot. The other shower valve in the room, the two sinks and the bathtub all produced hot water within 20 seconds. Therefore, only one, need the temperature adjusted on the pressure-balancing valve to set the temperature.

I called Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., and let the manager, Ted, know of the problem. I reminded Ted that his company was the one that initially replaced the now problematic shower valve with a new one on October 25, 2013, and asked if this would still be considered under a warrantee. Ted agreed that none of the new valves should have problems in the first ten months after replacement. The manager, [redacted], set up an appointment with me for Wednesday, August 20 2014, for one of his employees to come to our home between 1PM and 3 PM to service/adjust our problem valve.

Early, morning of our Wednesday, August 20, 2014 appointment, our grown son, who had recently been in a car accident and with a traumatic brain injury, called need some help that morning. I immediately called Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., and again spoke with [redacted] about the matter and he kindly rescheduled my appointment for the following day Thursday, August 21, 2014 between 9-10:30 AM. I was very grateful for [redacted]’s assistance in the matter! However, one of the employees of Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., showed up at my house hours after my early morning call to [redacted], at approximately 11 AM Wednesday, August 20, 2014. He was two hours early for the original appointment that had been changed by his manager. I let the employee know that I had spoken to his manager, [redacted], earlier this morning and that Ted had rescheduled my appointment for the following day. Before the employee left my home I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow” to which he responded “okay.”

Thursday, August 21, 2014, I took one half-day off from work, with no pay, to inusre that Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., worker her plenty of time to simply adjust the valve. When no one arrived by 10:30 AM and no phone call received by me by 10:40 AM, I called the office and first spoke to the young lady answering calls. She answered without giving her name and I introduced myself (not anxious, not angry) and asked if the worker was on his way to our home for our appointment. She, seemingly somewhat troubled, abruptly stated, “The appointment is supposed to be for tomorrow (Friday, August 22, 2014) and we’re doing what we can to fit you in today.” I asked her name to speak with her boss, Ted, and she complied. I was a bit troubled when the manager of Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., Ted, told me that his young employee, who hadn’t even been informed by his office about the prior day cancellation and rescheduling, stated that I said the my coming appointment was on Friday, August 22, 2014.

At this point I calmly said, “[redacted], you and I are both professional people.” “You and I spoke on the phone yesterday (August 21st) and you kindly rescheduled our appointment for Thursday, August 21, 2014.” I further stated, “ I personally feel that if any employee of yours even suggested that I believed my appointment to be for a different day than what you had re-scheduled, that you, our your office, should have called me immediately to verify and/or clarify the accuracy of the employees information. “[redacted] saw my point and was apologetic. It was shortly after we got off the phone that his employee recognized that he has misread his appointment notes and thus verified that my appointment had in fact, been scheduled for Thursday, August 21, 2014. Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., was able to have the employee come tour home around noon.

Thursday, August 21, 2014. The Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., employee showed up at our home, turned off the water to the house, then opening the sink valves throughout the house he bled the water and pressure out of the pipes. He then went right to work reading shower valve directions and adjusting the valve to produce hotter water.

However, up on turning the main water valve to our home back on, pipes regaining pressure caused water to begin leaking in a stream from beneath the hot water handle only one of our master bathroom sinks. When I pointed this out the employee immediately pulled out a screwdriver to tighten the handle screw in an attempt to stop the trickling flow—it didn’t work. The employee then attempted to quickly dismantle the sink valve to no avail. The employee stated that he needed a certain deep socket to do so. I told him that I have one in my garage that I could get for him, and he said okay. I did so feeling that the Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., employee was giving great service in attempting to fix something that wasn’t a leaking problem prior to his bleeding and re-pressurizing the pipes.

The young employee removed the sink hot water valve and stem and said that it probably needed to be replaced with a new one. At this time he received a call from his office and shared about the leak than began after re-pressurization. He then took our sink hot water valve and stem with him and left.

When I called [redacted] back to let him know that the parts are being shipped to me I asked him how much if anything it would cost me to have the hot and cold valves replaced in my master bedroom sink by his company. The manager, [redacted], said that they’d charge me $139 per hour for the sink but it probably wouldn’t take more than an hour to do so. I thanked [redacted] but let him know that would be too much money for me and I told him that I would have my next-door neighbor replace it for me. Ted said NOTHING in response. I then asked [redacted] for the hot water sink valve part that was taken from our home by his employee, to be returned. Ted didn’t seem to know that his employee had taken any part with him when he left my home on 8/21.

I, Art [redacted], then informed Ted that his employee had also accidently left a very sharp 9” Sawzall blade, that was hidden from immediate view, just inside of our shower and that it was found in the shower pan water while a relative was taking a shower. I let [redacted] know that when his employee comes to return our sink valve that he had taken with him, that I would hand him his 9 inch Sawzall blade that he’d left behind. (Thankful that no injury was caused by the blade left in our shower.) [redacted] only replied, “I wonder why he would need the Sawzall blade in the shower to fix a valve?” I couldn’t answer why.

On September 5, 2014 I picked up our mail and was greatly taken back by an Invoice and bill that I received from Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc.,

(COPY OF THE INVOICE INCLUDED IN THIS COMPLAINT.)

Upon opening the Invoice for Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., I immediately called them and spoke with Ted. He was clueless as to why the invoice I received would make these FALSE STATEMENTS. Ted then began a slow but building crescendo tone in his voice when he said that there was no labor charge for the shower valve being re-set that they had replace October 25, 2013-but that he couldn’t work for free for the valve being removed from our master bedroom sink and then soothing, in his loudness, about his workers coming to my house doing extra work. He continued to get louder and speaking more rapidly, pointing out the fact that he himself worked to 1. Find a valve part number and the 2. Find the [redacted] phone number. Then he, 3. Called [redacted] to see if they would send him replacement parts. He further said that labor cost in the 8/22/2014, Billing Invoice included his time as well. It got to a point when I, Art [redacted], couldn’t continue listening to his increasingly loud and upset monologue, so I interjected several times, “[redacted], and getting his attention I asked, “so you’re saying that you feel that we owe you $139.00 for labor?” Now very upset he responded, “That’s right!” So I said “Ted this conversation is over.” He continued carrying on and so I repeated “Ted this conversation is over” and added, “I will be in contact with the Revdex.com to make a formal complaint and will add the fact that a dangerously sharp 9” long Sawzall blade was left behind by the Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., employee in our shower.

Our complaint is that we feel that we are unjustly being billed $139.00 by Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., for time and labor, which according to the manager, Ted included:

His workers driving to our home (the job site)

[redacted]The greater employee time consumed by Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., for this one warranty job came from employee driving time—making unscheduled trips-due to office scheduling errors. Four employee trips were made to our home, only one of which was scheduled.

1. The employee, not informed of the approved scheduled appointment made by the manager of

Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., on the morning of August 20, 2014, shows up at our home on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 two hours earlier than the original appointment would have been, while I was getting ready to leave to attend to my injured son’s needs. The Employee said that no one told him about the rescheduled appointment. He had to return to the shop—or his next job.

2. The same employee returns to our home do the warranty shower valve job on Thursday, August 21, 2014. Great work!!! Nice person!! We’re very satisfied with the warranty (no cost) valve adjustment that he performed. Unbeknownst to Ted and Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., the employee took a removed our sink hot water valve and took it with him—from our home.

3. A different employ shows up at our home early Tuesday morning September 2, 2014. As I was preparing to take a shower I see Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., van pull up in front of our home. I walked out to his van barefooted asking why he was here. He said that he was here to fix our Master bathroom sink. I let him know that there was absolutely NO appointment scheduled for that day, nor any other with Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., due to the fact that the cost to do so was too steep. The employee return to his shop or next job.

4. September 4, 2014. I found our master bedroom sink hot water valve and stem, that the employee had taken from our master bedroom sink on August 21, 2014, sitting on our little table by the front door of our home. Without any call from Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., office to me saying when someone would be stopping by to return the part taken. The Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., Invoice (STRANGELY DATED 8/22/2014) States “Returned parts taken from lavy sink to customer per customer’s request 9/3/2014.”

Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., Invoice was delivered to our home mailbox on 9/5/2014. How could the 8/22/2014 Invoice cite a 9/3/2014 “Returned” parts statement? Had I received a phone call or message left from Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., I would have made sure that I was home and would have handed him the razor sharp 9 inch Sawzall Blade that was left in our shower on August 21, 2014.

B. Work done by the employee of Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., attempting to quickly remedy our sink faucet valve that wasn’t leaking prior to his bleeding and re-pressurizing our home water pipes.

Employee attempted to quick fix the hot water valave on one of our master bedroom sinks that wasn’t a leaking problem prior to his bleeding and re-pressurizing the pipes. His first attempt was to tighten the hot water handle with his screwdriver. He looked under the sink attempt was to tighten the hot water handle with his screwdriver. He looked under the sink where there was no leaking. He then tried to pop the valve out to look at it but didn’t have a tool, a deep socket to do so. I let him know that I have one and quickly got it and a flashlight, from my garage. He pulled out the valve in a timely fashion and said that the valve needed to be replaced. Employee then received a call from his office and let them know that the hot water valve on our sink began leaking on top after re-pressurizing the pipes. Employee departs taking the hot valve to show them at the office.

Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., employee did not contact his office to ask if another work order should be written up prior to attempting to shop the leaking water from the hot water valve on our sink that resulted from his warranty shower valve adjustment during our home water pipe re-pressurization.

At no time did the employee, even remotely suggested that his assistance to remedy the problem would constitute an obligatory contractual agreement between me, the homeowner, and Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., prior to attempting to stop the leaking sink valve.

After the employee left our home I called and spoke with Ted, the manager of Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., I told him of the leak that occurred after water re-pressurization asking Ted about the sink valve and what it would cost if we wanted his company to replace both the hot and cold valve in my master bedroom sink. Ted at no time stated that any payment would be due for his employee attempting to find out why he had a new leaking hot water in one of our sinks directly after his employee re-pressurizing the pipes.

There was no assumed, written or oral/stated contractual agreement between me, the home-owner and Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., for the employee trying to figure out why the re-pressurization may have caused a newly leaking facuet valve.

There was no follow-up call from the manager or any employee of Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., from the date that the employee came to our home do the warranty shower valve job on Thursday, August 21 2014, to the date.

C. Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., owner of Ted’s personal part played included in the labor costs

Ted’s labor included Phone calls:

I called and spoke with [redacted], mid August, [redacted], set up an appointment with me for Wednesday, August 20, 2014, 1 PM and 3 PM to service/adjust our problem shower valve.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014. Early AM rescheduling my 1-3 PM appointment for the following day Thursday, August 21, 2014 due to our son’s medical needs.

Thursday, August 21, 2014 I called and spoke with Ted when no one showed up to the house for the appointment to inquire as to why. Finding out that his own employee erred in reading his appointment schedule and he had told Ted that I , the homeowner had thought it was for a different date. [redacted] apologized.

Thursday, August 21,2014 I called [redacted] regarding the sink valve began leaking after his employee re-pressurized the pipes. I asked [redacted] what it would cost to replace the hot and cold valves on that sink. He said that he would call me back with information. He returned my call and gave me a part number and a [redacted]’s phone number to call. When he later told me his price WE declined the offer that would have cost us $139.00 and let him know that my neighbor would replace it.

Friday, September 5, 2014, I called Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., speaking to owner [redacted] to inquire about the falsely stated Invoice, dated 8/22/2014, and about the $139.00 Labor charge being made.

All said, my wife and a have both been distracted in our daily lives since August anytime we think about the service and with each interaction and when we walk into our Master bathroom.

a. Mistaken appointment schedules by Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc.,

b. By the 9 inch Sawzall razor sharp blade left in our Master bathroom shower

c. (4) Visits from employees with only (1) actually scheduled

d. Phone conversations with Bud's Plumbing Services, Inc., etc.

e. Falsified Invoice: Description and labor and/Desired Settlement: A. WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO PAY Bud’s Plumbing Services, Inc. ANY OF THE SUGGESTED $139.00 THAT THEY PURPORT THAT WE OWE THEM.

Business

Response:

In response to Mr. [redacted]'s complaint, we have reviewed the file and while we are not in total agreement with his comments, in the interest of customer satisfaction, we have decided to cancel his charges. We are sending Mr. [redacted] a zero balance invoice for this work.

Bud's Plumbing Service, Inc.

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