Steve Nelson Plumbing Service LLC

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/07/06) */ I remember this job and customer very well as a matter of factWhen I spoke to her on the phone to begin to help solve her problem before scheduling a visit, she told me she "has water coming out of her electrical outlet on the exterior wall in her kitchen," and that if she turned her main water valve off, it eventually slowed down and stopped coming out of the electrical outlet on the exterior wallShe could turn the water main back on for short periods to flush toilets or take a quick shower, but if left on it would continue to leak water at a fast pace into her kitchen wall and ceiling, so they needed to get this fixed relatively soonI explained to her how I would approach the problem after arriving to her home, and she scheduled with me for the next dayWhen I arrived, I verified that they still had the water off to the house and she confirmed yes, so we turned the water back on, so we could attempt to locate the leakShe showed me where the water was coming from and where they (her and her husband) removed an upper kitchen cabinet which was wet from the leak, sometime previous to me arriving, but it was all finished space, so I had to determine the best place to make an access through the Sheetrock so we could find the source of the water leak, as no leaking was visible from either of the bathrooms directly aboveI made a small access there the most wetness was in the soffit Sheetrock, but that gave no visibility to a source of the leakThen I made roughly a 12" x 12" access, and with a flashlight could see another piece of unfinished Sheetrock attached to the bottom of the floor joistOnce I reached up and removed that soaking wet peice, I could get a better look at where the leaking was coming fromI asked them to shut the water back off at the main because there was so much water leaking down onto me that I couldn't look up to locate the leakI still couldn't see exactly where the water was leaking out of, but I knew it was leaking from the kids' tub/shower faucet areaI went upstairs to that fixture, removed the faucet escuteon and had them turn the water back on, so I could look for the leak againNow I was able to see the leak coming from the shower valveInstead of immediately assuming the whole faucet and rouvalve needed to be replaced, I tried replacing their broken Delta faucet cartridge only so I could see if that would solve the leakThe leak was the same with the new cartridge, therefore I confirmed that replacing the whole tub/shower faucet was the only way to solve the leak and get their water back on to their house again permanentlyI had what I needed on the truck, so I went into replacing the faucet with very minimal access (the fiberglass master shower backs up to the fiberglass main bath tub/shower fixture so there was no access to the wall cavity except through a 4" hole in the fiberglass behind the escuteon)I was able to get it done, turned the water back on to the whole house.....and there was no more leakI solved the problem she called me out for and charged a more than fair price for work doneAs far as the 2nd leak a week later with the shower head, everything worked fine when I tested my work and I had no leaks (she and her husband were there the entire time and I kept them informed of everything I did and found during the service work)I didn't find out from her that there was a problem until she complained on Facebook a week after I was there that the leak was backShe didn't try calling me to tell me there was a problem, just immediately posted a negative review without ever asking me for helpWhen I called her to ask her what the problem was, she vaguely said, "the leak is back", and was difficult to talk to and get any new info about the problemSo I asked her if she had to shut her water off again at the mainShe said "no, it only leaks when the kids are using the shower." That sounds like a different problem to me, but I re-arranged my schedule so I could get back over there within hours or so because I thought there was a problem with my workWhat I found out after just a little more troubleshooting is the shower head was so loose it almost fell offSo when you turned the shower on, it leaked all over with an obvious spray that even a year old would notice is not the way it should beThe water ran down the faucet wall (fiberglass surround) and leaked through a gasket behind the overflow plate that I hadn't done any work whatsoever on up to this point, down the p-trap piping, and into the kitchen in the same spot as the original leakWhy she wouldn't tell me this key information regarding the loose shower head and/or ask me to come tighten it up doesn't make any sense unless she was intentionally being difficultInstead she acts like I never solved the original problem, which I just thoroughly explained how I didI didn't charge anything to tighten the shower head and I only charged $to locate the newly discovered overflow drain leak and replace the overflow gasket and that was a completely separate leak from the original call, so any plumber would've charged for their trip out again and all of their time on that leakIf there's still a leak presently, she has never made any attempt to contact me to see what her options are, but instead she did take the time to file an inaccurate complaint with you guysIf I could file a complaint against her for wasting my time and giving her ignorant opinion on how I should do my job, I would in a heartbeatI am 100% sure that I gave them great service and solved their problem promptly, correctly and professionallyPlease let me know if I can explain anything further or if anything hasnt been explained well enough from my point of viewThank you for your time Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/07/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I would like to begin this rebuttal by stating that I have done my own plumbing for the last years and I decided to hire out this time because I didn't have the time nor tools for the jobI selected Steve because out of the plumbers I contacted he was the only one available immediatelyThat should have been my first red flag The next red flag should have been when he showed up to do the jobHe seemed less than enthusiastic about the work aheadHe doesn't do well with questionsI can't tell if he doesn't like them or if he can't answer themIn any case, he made it uncomfortable to askThis might be the reason for him citing that I was being difficult I want to correct a misquote from Steve Nelson PlumbingMy husband and I removed said kitchen cabinet so he would have access if necessary, I did not intend for that to be the starting pointThe cabinet was not wet, but we wanted to save time/money by doing that part ourselvesIt's clear that Steve should have started with gaining access to the leak by removing the faucet escutcheon before he cut up the kitchen, and he mentions that the access he made in the kitchen did not work for him in diagnosing the problemAll of the other plumbers I spoke to said they would approach this problem with the most conservative approach, by checking behind the shower wallCutting a hole in the kitchen ceiling would have been a last resortThat makes a lot of sense to me Steve claims to have checked his work regarding the leaky shower head, but that is not the case as he would have noticed the fine mist spraying from the nozzle where he connected the piecesHe says "...even a year old would notice..."Exactly my point! So why didn't he notice the lack of detail and quality of the supposed finished product? I can answer that - because he did not perform a thorough check of his work before leaving the jobThe shower head did exactly what it was set up to doIt is my opinion that he got this part wrong because he was done with the major part of the job and as a final question asked us if we wanted him to replace the shower head (that we paid for) since it came with the kitWe said yes and could tell right away that wasn't the answer he wanted to hearHe was in a hurry to be done because it was close to quitting timeHad we known what the reaction was going to be we would have said no and done it right ourselvesI understand wanting to get homeHe has a family to take care of just like I doI get having kidsI don't blame him at all for wanting to be done, but he still has an obligation to finish the job right and with care and expertise As far as his comment regarding my activity on FacebookThat is initially where I had success in contacting him and he was responsiveI chose Facebook as the means to communicate because I was also online corresponding to several other plumbers at onceHe never got back to me after my last communication on Facebook where I stated the leak is still happening To correct another misquote from Steve which reads, "I didn't charge anything to tighten the shower head and I only charged $to locate the newly discovered overflow drain leak and replace the overflow gasket and that was a completely separate leak from the original call, so any plumber would've charged for their trip out again and all of their time on that leak." He actually charged me $for coming back on April 9, Before I close I would like to mention that a professionally run company would interact with people in a professional wayIt is the responsibility of the company doing the work to make sure it is done right and at a fair costIt is also the responsibility of that company to come back and correct any deficiencies related to their work at no extra costTo claim that a leak coming from the same location that was worked on is a different problem is unethical Finally, in closing, I would like to mention that I held up my end of this dealI paid a lot of money for a job that did not get done rightWhat started out as a plumbing problem has now become a remodel problem tooAnd the leak continues Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/07/25) */ After reading Ms [redacted] rebuttal, I now know that not only is she an expert plumber from her years of doing her own plumbing, but she also apparently has, or thinks she has the ability to read my mind and know what and when I'm thinking somethingShe's blatantly lying when she says I was the only plumber who was available "immediately"She contacted me on a Monday, I did respond with a phone call within a few hours at most, but I scheduled the service call for the next day, my 3rd appointment to be exact, which was in the afternoon...THE NEXT DAY! If I was available immediately I would've come over after we hung up the phone MondayThis is the most ridiculous request for refund/complaint through Revdex.com! Ms [redacted] has never called me or emailed me to tell me there is a continuing leakWho goes straight to Facebook and then the Revdex.com to complain about something unless they've actually tried to communicate with the business owner except a serial complainer!? Also makes me wonder how many other companies has she filed complaints on with Revdex.com? I've never received any complaint anything like this beforeMANY of my clients have offered to provide a testimonial for my website, or happily offered more than the total on their invoice, or they passed my info on to a neighbor or relative and that led to more workAll of those things have happened multiple multiple times through my 13+ years in plumbingHave I ever had a client upset with me or need to call me back for a callback...OF COURSE, it happens in our business once in a while, but I take care of their concern or problem after they tell me about it and thats the end of the problemIn this case, Ms [redacted] never even gave me a chance to address the problem and went straight to the internet to attempt to discredit me through Facebook and Revdex.comThat speaks volumes to me about her character or lack thereofThe fact is, I supplied to Ms***, a few hundred dollars in QUALITY materials, EXPERT plumbing experience to do a difficult access replacement of her faucet so that I could solve a major leak and get their water back on to the whole house, and now she's asking for a FULL refund because she claims the leak continues!? I am 100% sure the leak she says continues, is NOT the same leak that I fixed, but a drain leak or tub shower surround leak at the tub/shower, or possibly the master shower which shares a stud wall with the tub/shower (but I won't know because she hasn't asked me to troubleshoot this"ongoing leak")Her house shows clear signs of a lack of upkeep and repair (non-plumbing and plumbing related) all over the place inside and outside, so it doesn't surprise me that she's trying to get something done for freeIt's hilarious too that she acts like she has to remodel the kitchen because of a necessary (small) access I had to create to promptly locate the source of the original (already fixed) leakI fixed a leak for her around years ago that I had to cut into her sheetrock ceiling for in her laundry room, and the hole is still there in the ceilingIts obvious to me now that she is one of those people that just simply can't be pleased and Im not going to waste my time tryingContractors' beware of this one Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 12, 2015/07/29) */

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/06) */
I remember this job and customer very well as a matter of fact. When I spoke to her on the phone to begin to help solve her problem before scheduling a visit, she told me she "has water coming out of her electrical outlet on the exterior wall...

in her kitchen," and that if she turned her main water valve off, it eventually slowed down and stopped coming out of the electrical outlet on the exterior wall. She could turn the water main back on for short periods to flush toilets or take a quick shower, but if left on it would continue to leak water at a fast pace into her kitchen wall and ceiling, so they needed to get this fixed relatively soon. I explained to her how I would approach the problem after arriving to her home, and she scheduled with me for the next day. When I arrived, I verified that they still had the water off to the house and she confirmed yes, so we turned the water back on, so we could attempt to locate the leak. She showed me where the water was coming from and where they (her and her husband) removed an upper kitchen cabinet which was wet from the leak, sometime previous to me arriving, but it was all finished space, so I had to determine the best place to make an access through the Sheetrock so we could find the source of the water leak, as no leaking was visible from either of the bathrooms directly above. I made a small access there the most wetness was in the soffit Sheetrock, but that gave no visibility to a source of the leak. Then I made roughly a 12" x 12" access, and with a flashlight could see another piece of unfinished Sheetrock attached to the bottom of the floor joist. Once I reached up and removed that soaking wet peice, I could get a better look at where the leaking was coming from. I asked them to shut the water back off at the main because there was so much water leaking down onto me that I couldn't look up to locate the leak. I still couldn't see exactly where the water was leaking out of, but I knew it was leaking from the kids' tub/shower faucet area. I went upstairs to that fixture, removed the faucet escuteon and had them turn the water back on, so I could look for the leak again. Now I was able to see the leak coming from the shower valve. Instead of immediately assuming the whole faucet and rough-in valve needed to be replaced, I tried replacing their broken Delta faucet cartridge only so I could see if that would solve the leak. The leak was the same with the new cartridge, therefore I confirmed that replacing the whole tub/shower faucet was the only way to solve the leak and get their water back on to their house again permanently. I had what I needed on the truck, so I went into replacing the faucet with very minimal access (the fiberglass master shower backs up to the fiberglass main bath tub/shower fixture so there was no access to the wall cavity except through a 4" hole in the fiberglass behind the escuteon). I was able to get it done, turned the water back on to the whole house.....and there was no more leak. I solved the problem she called me out for and charged a more than fair price for work done. As far as the 2nd leak a week later with the shower head, everything worked fine when I tested my work and I had no leaks (she and her husband were there the entire time and I kept them informed of everything I did and found during the service work). I didn't find out from her that there was a problem until she complained on Facebook a week after I was there that the leak was back. She didn't try calling me to tell me there was a problem, just immediately posted a negative review without ever asking me for help. When I called her to ask her what the problem was, she vaguely said, "the leak is back", and was difficult to talk to and get any new info about the problem. So I asked her if she had to shut her water off again at the main. She said "no, it only leaks when the kids are using the shower." That sounds like a different problem to me, but I re-arranged my schedule so I could get back over there within 24 hours or so because I thought there was a problem with my work. What I found out after just a little more troubleshooting is the shower head was so loose it almost fell off. So when you turned the shower on, it leaked all over with an obvious spray that even a 4 year old would notice is not the way it should be. The water ran down the faucet wall (fiberglass surround) and leaked through a gasket behind the overflow plate that I hadn't done any work whatsoever on up to this point, down the p-trap piping, and into the kitchen in the same spot as the original leak. Why she wouldn't tell me this key information regarding the loose shower head and/or ask me to come tighten it up doesn't make any sense unless she was intentionally being difficult. Instead she acts like I never solved the original problem, which I just thoroughly explained how I did. I didn't charge anything to tighten the shower head and I only charged $75 to locate the newly discovered overflow drain leak and replace the overflow gasket and that was a completely separate leak from the original call, so any plumber would've charged for their trip out again and all of their time on that leak. If there's still a leak presently, she has never made any attempt to contact me to see what her options are, but instead she did take the time to file an inaccurate complaint with you guys. If I could file a complaint against her for wasting my time and giving her ignorant opinion on how I should do my job, I would in a heartbeat. I am 100% sure that I gave them great service and solved their problem promptly, correctly and professionally. Please let me know if I can explain anything further or if anything hasnt been explained well enough from my point of view. Thank you for your time.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I would like to begin this rebuttal by stating that I have done my own plumbing for the last 10 years and I decided to hire out this time because I didn't have the time nor tools for the job. I selected Steve because out of the 6 plumbers I contacted he was the only one available immediately. That should have been my first red flag.
The next red flag should have been when he showed up to do the job. He seemed less than enthusiastic about the work ahead. He doesn't do well with questions. I can't tell if he doesn't like them or if he can't answer them. In any case, he made it uncomfortable to ask. This might be the reason for him citing that I was being difficult.
I want to correct a misquote from Steve Nelson Plumbing. My husband and I removed said kitchen cabinet so he would have access if necessary, I did not intend for that to be the starting point. The cabinet was not wet, but we wanted to save time/money by doing that part ourselves. It's clear that Steve should have started with gaining access to the leak by removing the faucet escutcheon before he cut up the kitchen, and he mentions that the access he made in the kitchen did not work for him in diagnosing the problem. All of the other plumbers I spoke to said they would approach this problem with the most conservative approach, by checking behind the shower wall. Cutting a hole in the kitchen ceiling would have been a last resort. That makes a lot of sense to me.
Steve claims to have checked his work regarding the leaky shower head, but that is not the case as he would have noticed the fine mist spraying from the nozzle where he connected the pieces. He says "...even a 4 year old would notice...". Exactly my point! So why didn't he notice the lack of detail and quality of the supposed finished product? I can answer that - because he did not perform a thorough check of his work before leaving the job. The shower head did exactly what it was set up to do. It is my opinion that he got this part wrong because he was done with the major part of the job and as a final question asked us if we wanted him to replace the shower head (that we paid for) since it came with the kit. We said yes and could tell right away that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He was in a hurry to be done because it was close to quitting time. Had we known what the reaction was going to be we would have said no and done it right ourselves. I understand wanting to get home. He has a family to take care of just like I do. I get having 3 kids. I don't blame him at all for wanting to be done, but he still has an obligation to finish the job right and with care and expertise.
As far as his comment regarding my activity on Facebook... That is initially where I had success in contacting him and he was responsive. I chose Facebook as the means to communicate because I was also online corresponding to several other plumbers at once. He never got back to me after my last communication on Facebook where I stated the leak is still happening.
To correct another misquote from Steve which reads, "I didn't charge anything to tighten the shower head and I only charged $75 to locate the newly discovered overflow drain leak and replace the overflow gasket and that was a completely separate leak from the original call, so any plumber would've charged for their trip out again and all of their time on that leak." He actually charged me $70 for coming back on April 9, 2015.
Before I close I would like to mention that a professionally run company would interact with people in a professional way. It is the responsibility of the company doing the work to make sure it is done right and at a fair cost. It is also the responsibility of that company to come back and correct any deficiencies related to their work at no extra cost. To claim that a leak coming from the same location that was worked on is a different problem is unethical.
Finally, in closing, I would like to mention that I held up my end of this deal. I paid a lot of money for a job that did not get done right. What started out as a plumbing problem has now become a remodel problem too. And the leak continues...
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/25) */
After reading Ms [redacted] rebuttal, I now know that not only is she an expert plumber from her 10 years of doing her own plumbing, but she also apparently has, or thinks she has the ability to read my mind and know what and when I'm thinking something. She's blatantly lying when she says I was the only plumber who was available "immediately". She contacted me on a Monday, I did respond with a phone call within a few hours at most, but I scheduled the service call for the next day, my 3rd appointment to be exact, which was in the afternoon...THE NEXT DAY! If I was available immediately I would've come over after we hung up the phone Monday. This is the most ridiculous request for refund/complaint through Revdex.com! Ms. [redacted] has never called me or emailed me to tell me there is a continuing leak. Who goes straight to Facebook and then the Revdex.com to complain about something unless they've actually tried to communicate with the business owner except a serial complainer!? Also makes me wonder how many other companies has she filed complaints on with Revdex.com? I've never received any complaint anything like this before. MANY of my clients have offered to provide a testimonial for my website, or happily offered more than the total on their invoice, or they passed my info on to a neighbor or relative and that led to more work. All 3 of those things have happened multiple multiple times through my 13+ years in plumbing. Have I ever had a client upset with me or need to call me back for a callback...OF COURSE, it happens in our business once in a while, but I take care of their concern or problem after they tell me about it and thats the end of the problem. In this case, Ms [redacted] never even gave me a chance to address the problem and went straight to the internet to attempt to discredit me through Facebook and Revdex.com. That speaks volumes to me about her character or lack thereof. The fact is, I supplied to Ms. [redacted], a few hundred dollars in QUALITY materials, EXPERT plumbing experience to do a difficult access replacement of her faucet so that I could solve a major leak and get their water back on to the whole house, and now she's asking for a FULL refund because she claims the leak continues!? I am 100% sure the leak she says continues, is NOT the same leak that I fixed, but a drain leak or tub shower surround leak at the tub/shower, or possibly the master shower which shares a stud wall with the tub/shower (but I won't know because she hasn't asked me to troubleshoot this"ongoing leak"). Her house shows clear signs of a lack of upkeep and repair (non-plumbing and plumbing related) all over the place inside and outside, so it doesn't surprise me that she's trying to get something done for free. It's hilarious too that she acts like she has to remodel the kitchen because of a necessary (small) access I had to create to promptly locate the source of the original (already fixed) leak. I fixed a leak for her around 5 years ago that I had to cut into her sheetrock ceiling for in her laundry room, and the hole is still there in the ceiling. Its obvious to me now that she is one of those people that just simply can't be pleased and Im not going to waste my time trying. Contractors' beware of this one.

Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2015/07/29) */