Miller's Plumbing and Heating

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: [redacted] *** [redacted] ** [redacted] *** [redacted] [redacted] I'm still looking for the receipt from millersWe weren't treated fairly and that is why I filed with the Revdex.com to begin with because if I thought we were treated fairly then I wouldn't be complaining about itI'm just asking for a return so we can get it done rightMy dad is fixing the sidewalk a lot cheaper than what millers would charge us but he's using his own money to do thisHe has to go get another vent pipe because they broke ours when they took it out that we just now found outWe were wrongly treated and the job was not done correctly so I'm just asking for a refund so we can move forwardAny other business would be fair and understanding but obviously millers isn'tI will never use them again and I will definitely spread the word about their poor service [redacted]

August 11, Job preformed on: 7/24/Job request: gas company red tagged - line from meter to house has leakOn 7/24/14, we were called by *** *** ***The job request was to make repairs to gas lineThey were red tagged and there was a leak somewhere from meter to the house
The secretary (Sondra), told him that "Yes" we could take care of their issueShe then went over the terms with *** ***, as she does with all new customersThis is what is read to every new customer "We charge $an hour, from the time we leave our office until the time we return to our office, plus any parts, and payment is due upon completion of job." At this time the customer either accepts our terms or they decline, this is their choice*** *** accepted our terms and scheduledthe job.The service technician spoke with *** ***, before going on the job, to try to get as many details as possible, so he could be better prepared for the jobThe customer described what sounded like iron pipe to the technicianFor natural gas residential, we use iron pipe, copper, and ***Sizes can be 1/2", 3/4" or 1"The details he received from the customer, were vagueThe different piping can be mixed, but the tech could not know this until the job was viewed, but went as prepared as he could beIt was not determined until they arrived at the job site that they had no alternative but to replace with iron piping, which has to be cut and threaded to the exact measurementThe leak was located where piping came through the wall and it appeared that the piping was holding up the floorWe were not informed of thisThe tech ask the customer if he knew that his foor was bad and the customer said that he did knowIt was not practical to use any alternative pipe, nor would it have been approved by the gas company, because of the floorThe piping then had to be measured, so piping could be cutThe tech returned to the shop to cut and thread the pipe and also to get a jack, so the floor coul be temporarily jacked up, for his safety, as he workedThe necessary repairs were completedThe appliances all had to be disconnected and pressure test was then preformedWe can not have the customer call the gas company until we are certain the pressure test holdsAfter the tech was satisfied that the system was holding pressure and that there were no more leaks, he asked *** *** to call the gas companyThis is the responsibility of the customer as per gas company regulations*** *** told the tech that a representative from the gas company would be there shortlyThere was no need for my technician to leave the job site upon hearing thisThe gas company arrived, witnessed the pressure test and okayed gas to be turned onThe service tech then proceeded to reconnect, light, and turn on all appliances (dryer, stove, wall heater, and fireplace) to make sure everything functioned properly, before he left the job siteOn 7/29/14, someone called and wanted to know what we charged and the secretary explained our termsShe said she was calling for her parents, but would not give her name or her parents nameShe started arguing with Sondra,saying that is is not the responsibility of the customer to pay for travel timeShe continued arguing with the secretary cutting her off and not letting her speakShe questioned about construction and red lightsOur technicians always call if there are issues on the roadOur customers do not get charged for such things if we are delayedIf we are delayed our customers are contacted, but none of these things occurred on this dayThe women continued to argue with the secretary at which time she put one of the owners on the phone with herChuck spoke with her and she continued to be argumentative, cutting him off and not letting him speak, to the point he had to raise his voice to speak over top of her, because she would not let him speakShe said that our charges were ridiculous and she used a lawn service as an analogy, saying that if someone came to cut your grass, they wouldn't forget the gas, at which point Chuck told her that her claims were ridiculousOur business is a little more complex, than a lawn serviceIt was unfortunate that the conversation had to become heatedThe gas company does give our company as a recommendation, along with other qualified contractors, that have the necessary skills to address their customers issuesIn our shop we have over 500,parts and although we do not use all of these parts, every job is different and has it's own unique circumstancesIt is not possible to have every part for every job 100% of the timeAs far as labor charged, I will add that *** *** claims her parents were charged for hours laborIf she recalculates the labor she will find that the hours are actually 3-3/hrsI am sending the invoice along with this letter also.I do agree that the phone conversation may not have been as professional as I would have liked, however, emotions sometimes get in the way, when your company's integrity is being judged unfairlySondra nor Chuck was afforded the opportunity to explain or review the job of **& *** ***, to evaluate, due to the argumentative nature of the phone callAfter reviewing the job that was preformed on 7/24/14, I found the charges to be correct and fairIt is my opinion that our company provided **& *** *** with prompt, fair and courteous serviceOur technician preformed this job in a professional, workmanlike, and timely manner, resolving the problem, so the customers gas was able to be turned onMiller's Plumbing & Heating

RE: Ms*** *** (***)
When a customer complains, I evaluate the situation and if I feel the customer was not treated fairly, there were errors in time calculations, or there were issues with worksmanship, then an adjustment is madeIn my letter, I covered in detail the facts, and believe statements to be accurate*** *** can take whatever action, she feels necessaryMiller's Plumbing & HeatingSusan EK***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
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I'm still looking for the receipt from millersWe weren't treated fairly and that is why I filed with the Revdex.com to begin with because if I thought we were treated fairly then I wouldn't be complaining about itI'm just asking for a return so we can get it done rightMy dad is fixing the sidewalk a lot cheaper than what millers would charge us but he's using his own money to do thisHe has to go get another vent pipe because they broke ours when they took it out that we just now found outWe were wrongly treated and the job was not done correctly so I'm just asking for a refund so we can move forwardAny other business would be fair and understanding but obviously millers isn'tI will never use them again and I will definitely spread the word about their poor service*** *** ** ***
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On 3/02/15, we were called by *** ***The job request was to open sewer at *** *** **The secretary (Sondra), told her that "Yes" we could fit her into the schedule to open her sewerShe then went over the terms with *** ***, as she does with all new customersThis is what is read to
every new customer "We charge $an hour, from the time we leave our office until the time we return to our office, plus any parts, and payment is due upon completion of the job." At this time the customer either accepts our terms or they decline, this is their choice*** *** accepted our terms and scheduled the jobOur schedule is and was extremely overwhelming, however, due to the nature of her job request, she was provided with prompt serviceThe service technician opened her sewer on 3/02/15.When a sewer line clogs, there is a reasonThat reason is a defect in the sewer line (ie: broken line, broken trap, poor grading, etc,)When we unclog the sewer line, we are not fixing the defect in the line, we are merely unclogging, so our customers may use their facilitiesFrom that point on we have no control over the defect or what is being put down their sewer line (ie: paper towels, wipes, etc,)Because of this, there is no way we can say how long it will be until the sewer line clogs againBelow is an example of a clogged sewer lineIn the example it shows a cable being run through a sewer lineOur cables are not magicalThe cable basically drills a hole through clearing the blockageOur technicians have the skills needed to do the job requiredThey run the cable, back and forth as many times as needed, and using water, until they feel the clog has been adequately taken care ofThey do not leave the job until the sewer is open and customer can use their facilitiesThere are cases where we can not open the sewer, which calls for immediate actionIt is required to do PA one call, and to obtain equipment and permitsWe have to allow days for PA one call, unless it is an emergencyIf we call in an emergency PA one call, dig jobs can be done the same day, depending on the availability of equipment and the circumstancesThis was not the case with *** ***The technician was able to clear the blockage and water was flowing when he left*** *** was informed that there were problems with her sewer line and they should be addressed. On 3/2/15, the technician Dave Hetrick and his helper arrived at *** *** homeHe spoke with a man that was there and asked if he knew where the vent pipe wasThe man gave him an approximate location and said nit was all messed upThe technician then had to remove snow to locate the vent pipeWhen the vent pipe was located, he observed that the vent cover was brokenAfter viewing vent with a flashlight, he saw vent pipe was broken approximately 2' down and offsetHe then removed the vent pipeWhen the vent pipe was removed and viewed again, he could see pieces of broken terracotta, part of the broken vent cap and large rocks, down approximately 5'At this point he had to return to the shop to get grabbers and a shop vac(neither of which are standard equipment to open a sewer) to remove the objectsHe also observed that the ground under the sidewalk was erodingThe larger objects where removed with grabbers and the smaller stones and gravel were removed with the shop vac, clearing the trapHe then poured buckets of water down to wash out any mud that was remaining and to make sure trap to the street, was open and free of any other foreign debrisHe then went into the house and ran the cable through the sewer lineThe pipe then ran empty, meaning the sewer was openedHe then turned the basement sink faucet on and left it running, while they cleaned and washed down the majority of sewage that was in the basement, leaving the final clean up to the home ownerHe was not able to put a vent cover on due to the broken vent pipeHe then placed a board over the hole screwing it fast, to prevent small children or anyone else, from stepping in the hole and getting hurtHe had seen small children running around earlier, in the vicinity of the damaged sewer ventHe did this for *** *** sake, not oursAt this time the *** *** sewer authority came, and ask our technician to remove the board so they could inspectThey also observed the defects in her sewer ventThe *** employees went to speak with *** ***, and the technician screwed the board back downThe technician then went to speak to *** ***, letting her know of the defects and that her line should be dug up and repaired or replacedShe said she knew and that the *** employees had told her the same thingShe asked if we did that kind of work and the technician told her that we didHe suggested that she wait for the weather to warm up a little thoughHe told her that if we get rain, that this would happen againShe did not ask the technician to give her a price for repairs, nor make any commitment to have the work doneThis is the customers prerogative, as they do not choose our company to do the workI spoke with both *** *** employees that were there that day, and they told me that she was to have to repairs done as soon as she couldThey said they did not know how long it would be until her sewer would be back up againThe technician also told her thisThe technician and his helper arrived back to office at 12:In *** *** letter she writes "The next day there was still water coming up from our pipeI called Millers and told them about the price they charged us of and how it was ridiculous they left for minutes and that they didn't even fix the problem completely." This makes it sound as if she called the following day to complain and to tell us her sewer was clogged, when in fact she called the same day, in the afternoon, not to tell us her sewer was still clogged, but to complain about what was chargedIn the afternoon of 3/2/15, (the same day) *** *** called in with complaintsShe spoke with the secretary (Sondra)These are the notes that were recorded by Sondra that afternoon"3/2/15-Danielle Warntz called and said she wasn't paying all this labor that they were only there hoursThey had to leave to come back to get equipmentShe shouldn't have to pay for that timeAlso the use of our machine she shouldn't have to pay that either, it isn't her'sI told her without the use of the machine her sewer would not be openedShe said whatever I will never use your services againSue look at the labor and get back to herI kept telling her I would have to pull the job slips, check the times and get back to her." These are notes that were given to me (Sue K***)It is my responsibility to address the concerns of the customersUnfortunately because of the many tasks in running a small business, it is not always possible for an immediate responseAll parties have to give their account of the situationThis has to be done to insure the customer was treated fairly and there were no errorsAfter reviewing the job slips and speaking with the technician, I found the times to be correct, they followed protocol, did the job requested, and they went above and beyond, not for their or the companies sake, but for *** ***The sidewalk could have been left as the tripping hazard that it was, but they did notThey noticed a bus stop near the broken vent pipeThey covered the side walk with wood and screwed it down, to prevent children from falling in the hole, getting hurt, and causing a liability issue for *** ***On 3/10/(days later), *** *** called into the officeI (Sue K***) spoke with *** ***In letter she writes "The lady was real nice to begin with when I told her the problem was not fixed until I told her my address the she turned completely rude" *** *** started her conversation saying she needed her sewer openedI then asked her name, and she identified herselfKnowing that I never addressed her complaints, I decided I should go over the complaints at this timeI told her that I was going to explain all of the charges and whyI explained to her again about our labor rate and how we chargeShe seemed to understand, and had no complaint or disagreement with the amount of labor she was charged, as she had, on 3/2/I explained to her the reason there is a fee, for our sewer machineI explained that due to wear and tear using our machine, we charge a fee for the up keep on our machineShe again had no complaint and seemed to understand what I was telling her, and did not indicate that she would like a refund for this, as she stressed to the secretaryI explained to her that the equipment they had to return to the office for, a shop vac and grabbers, was not standard equipment to open a sewerShe again had no complaint upon hearing this, or asking for money back for this, as she said to the secretaryDuring the rather lengthy conversation, she was calmWhen I told her that we could come to open her sewer, but there was a charge for this, as before, the conversation and her attitude changedShe became very irate, saying that the very next day the sewer backed up and that we did not do our jobI explained that she was aware that she had an issue with her sewer line and not only did the technician tell her this, but also *** *** Sewer Authority, everyone telling her it needed to be dug up and repairedShe argued that we could not have dug her line up the next dayThis is where my attitude changed as wellI sternly told her that, yes we could have if it was necessary( the temperatures were not desirable to dig, but it could have been done), but she did not call us the next day or for the next daysShe continued badgering me saying that we did not fix her problem and that she should not have to pay for the return callShe argued that they should have opened it from the inside instead of the outside(sewer was opened from the inside, but the outside had to be taken care of first, which she apparently did not understand)After relentless badgering and criticism, and me not agreeing to open her sewer, at no charge, she said that she would turn us into the Revdex.com and get a lawyerI told her if that is what she felt she needed do, she should do soShe stated that I was not being professional when my tone changedWhen you are being antagonized this can happen, never desirable, but it happensI take pride in my business and the work my employees doI'm not certain what she said after that, because I finally had enough and hung up on herAnother reference to her letter states "all I wanted was our problem fixed". When she called in on 3/10/15, she again did not ask our company to come and dig up her sewer line and make necessary repairs, she ask for us to again open her sewerOpening her sewer is absolutely not going to fix her sewer lineIt was explained to *** ***, by the technician, that if it rained her sewer could again back upNot only rain, but melting snow, and an eroding sidewalk could create wash down, allowing stones and foreign debris to enter through her broken vent pipeA customer can expect to pay between $to $to dig up and repair or replace their sewer lineThis is denpendant on the customers particular set of circumstances, depth, length, concrete work, obstructions, etcIf the customer asks for an estimate, the technician gets the necessary details, so the customer can be provided with an estimateWe have a long established businessWe have been installing, replacing, and opening sewers for over yearsWe do sewer work on a daily basisOur employees are extremely proficient in doing this kind of work*** ***, was aware there were issues with her sewer line before we arrived that dayHer job request was not to dig up and repair her vent or sewer lineIt was to open her sewer, and this is the job that was performedIt is my opinion that the technician did the job requested efficiently, effectively, and professionallyI feel *** *** was provided with prompt, fair serviceMiller's Plumbing & Heating
Susan EK***