Davis Landscape & Plumbing

I spoke with Mrs [redacted] by telephone on April 4, She inquired about charges to come to her home and hourly rates, which I explained to her, and she then briefly explained her problems with her sprinkler systemShe approved of the charges I explained, and we scheduled an appointment I went to her home that afternoon to inspect her yard sprinkler system that was in need of repairAfter introductions, I proceeded to evaluate the condition of her system in the front and back yardsI determined that the system had extensive problems that needed attentionMany heads were stuck, broken, leaking, oversized or wrong pattern or locationThere were broken pipes and low heads that drained after the valve was turned off due to the slope of the yard We discussed the issues and I asked her if she would like to have me start in the front or back yards? She indicated the frontAt no time did she ask for an estimate or bid We also, spent some time with the sprinkler controller which was unpluggedShe indicated that she did not know how to program it, as it was too difficultAfter powering up the controller, I attempted to set the programThis controller is old, approximately years old, as is the rest of the systemIt was difficult to key in the information, as the keypad did not respond as it was intended toWith persistence, I was able to get the settings enteredI then created a program legend and replaced the backup batteryI suggested to Mrs [redacted] that she should consider a new controller and that I could recommend a good quality unit that would be easier for her to set herself and would respond as designedAfter the evaluation,replacing several lawn heads and setting the controller, it was late and I stopped for the day, after spending Two and one-quarters hours of work timeI told Mrs [redacted] that there was much more work to be done and that I would come back as soon as my calendar and weather permittedShe was fine with that.On April 15th, after calling, I returned to her home in the late afternoonI continued repairs and upgrades, again spending two and ¼ hoursI stopped the runoff from the lawn and the flowerbed near the garageWith still more work to be done, I told Mrs [redacted] that I would come again, hopefully earlier in the day to finish up a few things in the front and repairs in the backI told Mrs [redacted] that charges to this point were about $ We set another appointment for April 21st.I returned the morning of April 21st to resume repairsMrs [redacted] met me in the driveway and told me that she could not afford any more repairsShe then said she wanted to finish the things in the front that still needed to be done, including a broken pipe and severe runoff from the flower bedI repaired the broken pipe near the house and replaced some heads in the flower bed with lower gallonage heads and capped several others to reduce the amount of water delivered when the zone ranI also lowered the run time of that zoneThis helped to some extent but there was nothing to stop the water from racing off the slope on the overly saturated loam that had been stripped of any topsoil I created basins around the plants on the lower portions of the bed to reduce the runoffShe also has a constantly shady area near her house that has water accumulatingThis is a low area and there is no place for the water to go after it is saturatedAfter completion, I presented Mrs [redacted] with a billShe wrote a check for $I gave her a receipt and leftShe was unhappy about the amount of the bill I explained that I had done a lot of work and replaced a lot of partsEverything was explained on the invoiceMrs [redacted] struck me as a nice ladyWe had pleasant conversations and I even gave her a basket of strawberries I had purchase at a local stand on my second visit She was aware of my rates, she was aware of the time I spent there and I showed and explained to her all the work I had done to improve her systemHer demeanor changed when it came time to pay for the work completed For her to suggest that I didn’t improve her system, and that I made it worse, is ridiculous I did not create the problems she has, I fixed them or lessened them and improved it from what it was She has an old and poorly designed system that had not been properly maintainedAny work performed was to improve upon this.Repairing sprinklers properly can take lots of time, especially one that is old and has had lots of deferred maintenance I never do any work that is not authorized by my clientsI suggest solutions to my customers that would improve the function and performance of their systems and they are free to declineI don’t ‘try to talk’ anyone into something they don’t want I understand that she lost her husband recently and sympathise with that I did not take advantage of her ‘situation’She may be new to dealing with her irrigation system, but she needed help and that’s what I did I have been in business for yearsI have worked on thousands of sprinkler systems for multitudes of peopleMy work is of the highest quality and I guarantee the work I do I do my best to correct problems that people haveThat is why they call me over and over again What I don’t do is take responsibility for problems I did not createI did not create Mrs ***s problemsIts unfortunate she wants to blame someone else for her situation [redacted] ***, owner Davis Plumbing and Irrigation

I am rejecting this response because: I reject Mr***'s explanation that the system was poorly designed and completely ineffective. The timer may be old, but my son-in-law re-programmed it in less than minutes to change the watering times. He said the timer was "awesome". My only problems in the front yard included one gutter run-off, two broken heads, and some minor readjustments. It was MrDavis who tried to tell me just how awful the system was, yet it has worked very well for the last years with only minor adjustments that my husband could complete in an hour or so. It should have been Mr*** to explain to me how much time would be involved, as I had no idea and failed to get anything in writing. I just assumed that a licensed contractor could and would complete only the changes I asked for in a timely manner. Over and over he kept telling me about all these problems which never existed before while my husband was alive. He tried to sell me on a new timer, new ***s for the backyard, really fancy sprinkler heads, etc. The front yard is only on a slight slant, and my husband was always able to stop run-off. Now the run-off, even with the little rock and muds dams, now include mud. All of my friends and neighbors have commented about the changes and charges Mr*** presented, and have all commented that they think I was scammed. The sprinkler system was turned off in Novand needed to be re-timed in April, as usual. Since my husband was always able to restore the system in the spring for years with only minor repairs or adjustments, I find it quite incredible that Mr*** has tried to tell me that virtually everything in the system needed repair or replacement. His charges for the work he did do are completely out of whack. He's explained that the problems I now have were worse than when he began, but that's not true. Those problems are now worse, with two gutter run-offs instead of one, a water buiin the front yard that doesn't dry up even after two days, and these little rock and mud dams between roses that look like child's play. I will now have to hire someone else to fix problems that I didn't have before Mr*** did this work, and right now he's drained me of funds necessary for that fix. I'm of the belief that I could have hired someone to completely the whole system for little more than what Mr*** charged for a really bad job. I have little experience in contracting outside people to complete work I'm unable to do, because my husband was always able to do most jobs required around the house. I do understand that I should have requested a written estimate before hiring Mr***, but he should have informed me about the time he planned to spend in the yard without me having to ask. I did realize that he was spending more time than I thought necessary, but once he started, I could hardly have him stop mid-stream. I can only imagine what he would have charged had I let him work on the backyard, which is three times larger than the front

I spoke with Mrs. [redacted] by telephone on April 4, 2016. She inquired about charges to come to her home  and hourly rates, which I explained to her, and she then briefly explained her problems with her sprinkler system. She approved of the charges I explained, and we scheduled an appointment....

 I went to her home that afternoon to inspect her yard sprinkler system that was in need of repair. After introductions, I proceeded to evaluate the condition of her system in the front and back yards. I determined that the system had extensive problems that needed attention. Many heads were stuck, broken, leaking, oversized or wrong pattern or location. There were broken pipes and low heads that drained after the valve was turned off due to the slope of the yard.  We discussed the issues and I asked her if she would like to have me start in the front or back yards? She indicated the front. At no time did she ask for an estimate or bid.  We also, spent some time with the sprinkler controller which was unplugged. She indicated that she did not know how to program it, as it was too difficult. After powering up the controller, I attempted to set the program. This controller is old, approximately 35 years old, as is the rest of the system. It was difficult to key in the information, as the keypad did not respond as it was intended to. With persistence, I was able to get the settings entered. I then created a program legend and replaced the backup battery. I suggested to Mrs. [redacted] that she should consider a new controller and that I could recommend a good quality unit that would be easier for her to set herself and would respond as designed. After the evaluation,replacing several  lawn heads and setting the controller, it was late and I stopped for the day, after spending Two and one-quarters hours of work time. I told Mrs [redacted] that there was much more work to be done and that I would come back as soon as my calendar and weather permitted. She was fine with that.On April 15th, after calling, I returned to her home in the late afternoon. I continued repairs and upgrades, again spending two and ¼ hours. I stopped the runoff from the lawn and the flowerbed near the garage. With still more work to be done, I told Mrs [redacted] that I would come again, hopefully earlier in the day to finish up a few things in the front and repairs in the back. I told Mrs [redacted] that charges to this point were about $600.00.  We set another appointment for April 21st.I returned the morning of April 21st to resume repairs. Mrs [redacted] met me in the driveway and told me that she could not afford any more repairs. She then said she wanted to finish the things in the front that still needed to be done, including a broken pipe and severe runoff from the flower bed. I repaired the broken pipe near the house and replaced some heads in the flower bed with lower gallonage heads  and capped several others to reduce the amount of water delivered when the zone ran. I also lowered the run time of that zone. This helped to some extent but there was nothing to stop the water from racing off the slope on the overly saturated loam that had been stripped of any topsoil.  I created basins around the plants on the lower portions of the bed to reduce the runoff. She also has a constantly shady area near her house that has water accumulating. This is a low area and there is no place for the water to go after it is saturated. After completion, I presented Mrs [redacted] with a bill. She wrote a check for $779.73. I gave her a receipt and left. She was unhappy about the amount of the bill.  I explained that I had done a lot of work and replaced a lot of parts. Everything was explained on the invoice. Mrs [redacted] struck me as a nice lady. We had pleasant conversations and I even gave her a basket of  strawberries I had purchase at a local stand on my second visit.  She was aware of my rates, she was aware of the time I spent there and I showed and explained to her all the work I had done to improve her system. Her demeanor changed when it came time to pay for the work completed.  For her to suggest that I didn’t improve her system, and that I made it worse, is ridiculous.    I did not create the problems she has, I fixed them or lessened them and improved it from what it was.  She has an old and poorly designed system that had not been properly maintained. Any work performed was to improve upon this.Repairing sprinklers properly can take lots of time, especially one that is old and has had lots of deferred maintenance.  I never do any work that is not authorized by my clients. I suggest solutions to my customers that would improve the function and performance of their systems and they are free to decline. I don’t ‘try to talk’ anyone into something they don’t want.   I understand that she lost her husband recently and sympathise with that.  I did not take advantage of her ‘situation’. She may be new to dealing with her irrigation system, but she needed help and that’s what I did.  I have been in business for 30 years. I have worked on thousands of sprinkler systems for multitudes of people. My work is of the highest quality and I guarantee the work I do.  I do my best  to correct problems that people have. That is why they call me over and over again.  What I don’t do is take responsibility for problems I did not create. I did not create Mrs [redacted]s problems. Its unfortunate she wants to blame someone else for her situation. [redacted], owner Davis Plumbing and Irrigation.

Review: I was recently widowed and needed someone to reset the sprinkler timer and replace a few broken or clogged heads and to adjust some heads to prevent water run-off into the gutter. I hired Davis Plumbing & Irrigation, a licensed contractor out of Stockton. Over the phone he told me that he charged $49 to visit the house and then an hourly wage for his service plus materials. He gave me no written estimation before he began work. He tried to talk me into buying a new timer, and all new sprinkler heads. I only authorized the replacement of a few of those heads in the front yard, never dreaming that he would spend so much time doing so. After he replaced the heads and set the timer, he said he couldn't prevent run-off because the yard is on a slight slope. So he built little rock and mud dams between rose bushes that look awful. Since his last visit, I now have two run-offs, and the dams don't prevent either of them. I now also have so much water accumulating in two flower beds that I can't plant anything. He charged me $147.23 in materials and $583.50 for his time, totaling $779.73 in service. He gave me the written invoice only after I paid him, and I never signed it. I can only assume he charged about $90 to $100 for his time. He came to the house three times, but he never told how much time he would spend. My husband was able to restore the system each year with head replacements or cleaning in only an hour or two. Mr. Davis didn't touch the backyard after I realized what he charged for the front. The system now works more poorly than it did before Mr. [redacted] did any work for a ridiculous amount of money.Desired Settlement: I believe that Mr. [redacted] took advantage of my situation and spent a ridiculous amount of time replacing sprinkler heads to no real avail, since they still don't resolve the run-off problems and now create extra difficulties with water build-up in two beds where I can no longer plant anything. I should have requested a written estimate before he began work, but as a licensed contractor, I felt he was competent to do the work in a short amount of time. I had no idea he would spend so much time.

Business

Response:

I spoke with Mrs. [redacted] by telephone on April 4, 2016. She inquired about charges to come to her home and hourly rates, which I explained to her, and she then briefly explained her problems with her sprinkler system. She approved of the charges I explained, and we scheduled an appointment. I went to her home that afternoon to inspect her yard sprinkler system that was in need of repair. After introductions, I proceeded to evaluate the condition of her system in the front and back yards. I determined that the system had extensive problems that needed attention. Many heads were stuck, broken, leaking, oversized or wrong pattern or location. There were broken pipes and low heads that drained after the valve was turned off due to the slope of the yard. We discussed the issues and I asked her if she would like to have me start in the front or back yards? She indicated the front. At no time did she ask for an estimate or bid. We also, spent some time with the sprinkler controller which was unplugged. She indicated that she did not know how to program it, as it was too difficult. After powering up the controller, I attempted to set the program. This controller is old, approximately 35 years old, as is the rest of the system. It was difficult to key in the information, as the keypad did not respond as it was intended to. With persistence, I was able to get the settings entered. I then created a program legend and replaced the backup battery. I suggested to Mrs. [redacted] that she should consider a new controller and that I could recommend a good quality unit that would be easier for her to set herself and would respond as designed. After the evaluation,replacing several lawn heads and setting the controller, it was late and I stopped for the day, after spending Two and one-quarters hours of work time. I told Mrs [redacted] that there was much more work to be done and that I would come back as soon as my calendar and weather permitted. She was fine with that.On April 15th, after calling, I returned to her home in the late afternoon. I continued repairs and upgrades, again spending two and ¼ hours. I stopped the runoff from the lawn and the flowerbed near the garage. With still more work to be done, I told Mrs [redacted] that I would come again, hopefully earlier in the day to finish up a few things in the front and repairs in the back. I told Mrs [redacted] that charges to this point were about $600.00. We set another appointment for April 21st.I returned the morning of April 21st to resume repairs. Mrs [redacted] met me in the driveway and told me that she could not afford any more repairs. She then said she wanted to finish the things in the front that still needed to be done, including a broken pipe and severe runoff from the flower bed. I repaired the broken pipe near the house and replaced some heads in the flower bed with lower gallonage heads and capped several others to reduce the amount of water delivered when the zone ran. I also lowered the run time of that zone. This helped to some extent but there was nothing to stop the water from racing off the slope on the overly saturated loam that had been stripped of any topsoil. I created basins around the plants on the lower portions of the bed to reduce the runoff. She also has a constantly shady area near her house that has water accumulating. This is a low area and there is no place for the water to go after it is saturated. After completion, I presented Mrs [redacted] with a bill. She wrote a check for $779.73. I gave her a receipt and left. She was unhappy about the amount of the bill. I explained that I had done a lot of work and replaced a lot of parts. Everything was explained on the invoice. Mrs [redacted] struck me as a nice lady. We had pleasant conversations and I even gave her a basket of strawberries I had purchase at a local stand on my second visit. She was aware of my rates, she was aware of the time I spent there and I showed and explained to her all the work I had done to improve her system. Her demeanor changed when it came time to pay for the work completed. For her to suggest that I didn’t improve her system, and that I made it worse, is ridiculous. I did not create the problems she has, I fixed them or lessened them and improved it from what it was. She has an old and poorly designed system that had not been properly maintained. Any work performed was to improve upon this.Repairing sprinklers properly can take lots of time, especially one that is old and has had lots of deferred maintenance. I never do any work that is not authorized by my clients. I suggest solutions to my customers that would improve the function and performance of their systems and they are free to decline. I don’t ‘try to talk’ anyone into something they don’t want. I understand that she lost her husband recently and sympathise with that. I did not take advantage of her ‘situation’. She may be new to dealing with her irrigation system, but she needed help and that’s what I did. I have been in business for 30 years. I have worked on thousands of sprinkler systems for multitudes of people. My work is of the highest quality and I guarantee the work I do. I do my best to correct problems that people have. That is why they call me over and over again. What I don’t do is take responsibility for problems I did not create. I did not create Mrs [redacted]s problems. Its unfortunate she wants to blame someone else for her situation. [redacted], owner Davis Plumbing and Irrigation.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: I reject Mr. [redacted]'s explanation that the system was poorly designed and completely ineffective. The timer may be old, but my son-in-law re-programmed it in less than 5 minutes to change the watering times. He said the timer was "awesome". My only problems in the front yard included one gutter run-off, two broken heads, and some minor readjustments. It was Mr. Davis who tried to tell me just how awful the system was, yet it has worked very well for the last 35 years with only minor adjustments that my husband could complete in an hour or so. It should have been Mr. [redacted] to explain to me how much time would be involved, as I had no idea and failed to get anything in writing. I just assumed that a licensed contractor could and would complete only the changes I asked for in a timely manner. Over and over he kept telling me about all these problems which never existed before while my husband was alive. He tried to sell me on a new timer, new [redacted]s for the backyard, really fancy sprinkler heads, etc. The front yard is only on a slight slant, and my husband was always able to stop run-off. Now the run-off, even with the little rock and muds dams, now include mud. All of my friends and neighbors have commented about the changes and charges Mr. [redacted] presented, and have all commented that they think I was scammed. The sprinkler system was turned off in Nov. and needed to be re-timed in April, as usual. Since my husband was always able to restore the system in the spring for 35 years with only minor repairs or adjustments, I find it quite incredible that Mr. [redacted] has tried to tell me that virtually everything in the system needed repair or replacement. His charges for the work he did do are completely out of whack. He's explained that the problems I now have were worse than when he began, but that's not true. Those problems are now worse, with two gutter run-offs instead of one, a water build-up in the front yard that doesn't dry up even after two days, and these little rock and mud dams between roses that look like child's play. I will now have to hire someone else to fix problems that I didn't have before Mr. [redacted] did this work, and right now he's drained me of funds necessary for that fix. I'm of the belief that I could have hired someone to completely re-do the whole system for little more than what Mr. [redacted] charged for a really bad job. I have little experience in contracting outside people to complete work I'm unable to do, because my husband was always able to do most jobs required around the house. I do understand that I should have requested a written estimate before hiring Mr. [redacted], but he should have informed me about the time he planned to spend in the yard without me having to ask. I did realize that he was spending more time than I thought necessary, but once he started, I could hardly have him stop mid-stream. I can only imagine what he would have charged had I let him work on the backyard, which is three times larger than the front.