Total Plumbing, Inc

Agreed with the other reviewer in that the only reason this company gets business is via home warranty deal. They don't answer phone, don't return calls and they didn't even call me after I initially set up the work order through the warranty company.
When they finally came out they did not fix problem and were very lazy about diagnosis. Had to call the warranty company the other day to put in another workorder and now two days later still no call. I refuse to call them this time and if I don't hear from them by CoB I will contact the warranty company again and let them know.
This company is truly awful in every regard. I hope the warranty company refers me to a different company in my area.

Review: Technician from Perfect Plumbing came out but couldn't fix the problem. He had to ordered a part and was supposed to return in 3 business days. On the day he was supposed to return he called in sick and the company refused to send another plumber. [redacted] was rude and uncooperative. In the meantime my faucets are still dripping causing me a huge increase in my water bill and well as the inconvenience of having to turn the water off under the sink. I am disabled, have had 4 cervical surgeries and currently have lumbar disc bulges. As such, bending over or kneeling down is hard for me. I will never patronize this company again.Desired Settlement: I want them to be reprimanded, give better service (especially the secretary) and this complaint registered so that others will know what to expect

Business

Response:

After speaking with the business she said that this took an extra day because the plumber that was set to do this job was sick the day it was scheduled for, and since he had the correct parts for this job no one else could be sent to do this job. that is what the secretary tried to tell the customer but there was some misunderstanding. The charge price is not set by their business but by the home warranty company and it is not something they have the authority to change. this job was rescheduled for the next day and has been completed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Review: Company was contracted through Home Insurance Company - [redacted].

Toilets in upstairs and downstairs bathrooms were not flushing well.

When the contracting company visited my residency they noted that "bath toilets working fine at this time".

They told my wife she has "had no choice but to pay the 75$ fee".

They did not snake the toilets to remove any obstruction or identify any obstruction.

They were in the house less than 5 minutes. They did not provide my wife enough time to speak with me about the problem.

I later fixed the toilet removing the obstruction.

I am asking for refund as they provided no service to fix the stated problem and also because of their intimidating payment request.

I have spoken with them about their poor service and unprofessional business practices to no avail.Desired Settlement: Refund of 75$ service fee

Business

Response:

RE: [redacted]

[redacted] Dear Ms [redacted], In reference to the complaint made by Mr. [redacted]: Total Plumbing, Inc. was contacted by home warranty company [redacted] on 11 /25/2015 to service [redacted] or [redacted] at their address of [redacted]., [redacted] for both the upstairs and downstairs~ hall toilets not draining. The customer was contacted on 11 /25/2015 and an appointment was set for 12/30/2015, between the hours of 8am - 12pm, with Scott B[redacted] as their Plumbing Technician. In researching this complaint, our Invoice #[redacted] for AHS's work order#[redacted] was found with the following information: Scott serviced both the upstairs and downstairs hall bathroom toilets and found that both toilets were working fine at that time with a good flush. This invoice/work order was signed that the work was satisfactory by Mrs. [redacted] on the date of the service. No objections were noted by the homi3owner at that time and the service technician, Scott, stated he showed Mrs. [redacted] that the toilets were flushing fine at that time. Mrs. [redacted] gave Scott a check for the AHS deductible of $75.00 at the time of service. Mr. [redacted] contacted our office staff on 11/30/2015 (and again later on 12/14/2015), and spoke with our Office Manager, [redacted] P[redacted] concerning the payment of the $75.00 AHS deductible. Mr. [redacted] was quite upset that we collected the deductible and did not snake the drain lines of his bathrooms. [redacted] tried to calm him and explained that we do not set the deductible of the home warranty company, but merely collect it for them, as required by Virginia Law. She explained that this was similar to a deductible paid at the doctor's office, where you pay your deductible, then see the dl)ctor for their expertise, as Mrs. [redacted] had done for our Plumbing Technician's knowledge, then received his diagnosis of the situation as you would with your doctor. You wouldn't refuse to pay your deductible at your doctor's office because you were unhappy that your symptoms weren'tvisible for your doctor at the time of your appointment, and the same is true for your plumber. He asked for a refund of his deductible and was told that we do not set the deductible_ It is dictated to us by his home warranty company. AHS, and we must collect it at the time of service. She apologized that he was not hapJy and he ended the conversation stating he would cancel his check. On 12/14/2015, the second phone call, he was again given the same information, that we do not set the deductible and do not have the authority to waive or refund this amount. This is set by the contract he signed with the home warrant ~ company and is out lined in his contract. [redacted] apologized that we couldn't help him more. but that he could contact AHS directly for further help in resolving this issue. Mr. [redacted] then stopped payment on his wife's check# [redacted] for $75.00. We have since reported to AHS our findings of the stopped payment ·Jn the check. AHS did not authorize for us to return to the property, since there was nothing wrong at the time of the service, and their policy is "if it ain't broke ... don't fix if'. If they have further problems, they can contact AHS again and a technician will be dispatched as before. AHS will also be billing Mr. [redacted] directly for the $75 deductible and any bank charges as necessary. As to the treatment Mr. [redacted] states he and his wife re 1)eived by our staff, we can only say that they were spoken to with courtesy and respect, as are all customers. Unfortunately, Mr. [redacted] was not happy with the result of the diagnosis and therefore, not happy with our company. For this we apologize and hope he will use us again to find that we value him as a customer and only wish him the best. Thank you for your time and assistance in this matter. Philip G. A[redacted] President, Total Plumbing, Inc.

Review: Total Plumbing, Inc. was sent to my home as a subcontractor for [redacted] through a home warranty insurance claim. The garbage disposal in the kitchen began with a small leak from a screw at the bottom of the disposal which is why a claim was placed. A technician from Total Plumbing Inc. came to the home, opened the kitchen sink cabinet doors, looked at the disposal and said there was a crack in it so it wouldn't be covered. He then left without turning on the water or the garbage disposal. In his report to the home warranty company, he declared it a pre-existing condition and noted that water was leaking from the crack. Not having turned the water on or the disposal, he couldn't have known if or where any water was coming from the disposal. So for approximately 30 seconds of his time, without even turning on the disposal or the kitchen sink water, he denied the claim on behalf of [redacted]. The company wants to be paid a $100 deductible when they didn't spend even a full minute assessing the problem. The garbage disposal had been working flawlessly since moving into the home a month earlier, and the leak, which prompted the call began after the warranty period began, which is covered under the contract policy, though [redacted] is denying the claim based on a 30 second visual inspection which did not even include turning on the water or the garbage disposal. My complaint is regarding the quick dismissal of the issue without so much as turning on the disposal or the kitchen sink. Without turning on the water or turning on the disposal, a service charge was not earned for this visit.Desired Settlement: As a subcontractor for a home warranty company, where policy holders pay significant monthly premiums in addition to a $100 service call for each and every claim that is ever placed, more than a 30 second visual inspection is not that much to ask to make a definitive determination of the problem. I would like the $100 service charge waived based on the technician's quick dismissal of the claim without a thorough assessment of the problem.

Business

Response:

RE: [redacted] Dear Ms [redacted], In reference to the complaint made by Mr. [redacted]: Total Plumbing, Inc. was contacted by home warranty company [redacted] on April 18th, 2016 to service [redacted]'s home at [redacted] for a leaking garbage disposal. The customer was contacted on April 18th, 2016 and an appointment was set for April 181h, 2016, between the hours of Barn - 12pm, with Ben M[redacted] as the Plumbing Technician. In researching this complaint, our invoice# [redacted] for AH S's work order# [redacted] was found with the following information: Ben diagnosed the leaking garbage disposal, contacted [redacted] for authorization, and received a denial. His notes state that the garbage disposal was leaking and there was "a crack down [the] side - pre-existing condition. Rust & black build-up could not have happened in three weeks' time. Claim denied." We do not have access to the contracts between the home warranty company and the customer, so we have no way of pre-determining what is pre-existing prior to the contract period. As the dispatch originally sent to us stated, Mr. [redacted] does have a new contract, with an effective date of March 23'd, 2016. Most home warranty companies deny claims within the first 30 days of the contract, and if this is the case, it would explain the denial. We are merely the eyes and ears of the home warranty company and they make the determination as to what is covered and not covered. The diagnosis, as hasty as it may have been , was our technician's professional opinion, and as he is the only one who has seen it, we have no way of knowing if his diagnosis is actually correct. As Mr. [redacted] stated in his complaint, he did not pay the $100.00 service fee at the time of service. This deductible is required and set by the home warranty company, and we are unable to waive this fee on their behalf. Because it was not collected, Mr. [redacted] does not owe Total Plumbing the deductible, but now owes this to [redacted]. He can contact [redacted] about waiving this service fee, as the waiving of said fee would be under their discretion. Furthermore, the service fee is not a payment for services rendered but rather a co-payment that is collected for the home warranty company, similar to a deductible collected by your doctor's office prior to seeing the doctor. These fees are predetermined by the home warranty company and not related to the services rendered. Normally, a home warranty customer is entitled to a second opinion from another technician or company at no further cost. Mr. [redacted] may make this request to the home warranty company directly or through us . Had we known Mr. [redacted]'s concerns before receiving this complaint, we would have offered to send our senior technician out for a second opinion right away. We are still willing to do so, and would be more than happy to send him , if the customer would like. We cannot guarantee a different diagnosis, but we can at least see if our senior technician agrees with Ben 's diagnosis. We are truly sorry that Mr. [redacted] was unhappy with his service experience. We will use this as a learning opportunity to further educate our technicians on customers' expectations. Thank you for your time and assistance in this matter. Respectfully submitted, Philip G. A[redacted] President, Total Plumbing, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the email from the president of total plumbing inc. For the record, we did contact his company right away to let them know that we had concerns about the service received. The dispatcher for his firm shared our concerns about the hasty dismissal of the claim, but there was no offer to send out a senior technician as the original technician eventually came back and said the claim was denied and that was final. Upon going back through the home warranty company, a second opinion was given by a different firm which found the claim to be valid and replaced the garbage disposal promptly and correctly. So the issue was eventually resolved but not by Total Plumbing Inc.

Review: The company was assigned to us through our Home Warranty co after our hot water heater (HWH) began leaking. A service tech from Total Plumbing (TB) came to the house, collected a $75 deductible and advised that he could not replace the HWH because the leak had damaged the floor. He offered to contact his "in-house floor guy" (FG) and get an estimate on repairing the floor after-which they would install new HWH. After a few days FG inspected the affected area and advised us to contact our homeowner's insurance co because we had "extensive damage" to our flooring. FG stated he couldn't repair the floor until the area was dried out. He offered to contact the mitigation company they used and submit an estimate for repairs to the ins co. We called our homeowner's insurance company & opened a claim. After days of no contact we called TP and spoke with FG. FG said he had spoken with our adjuster and was waiting for them to come out and inspect the damage. When we spoke with the ins adjuster we were told multiple attempts had been made to get pics and estimates from TP and thus far they hadn't responded. The ins co contracted out to have the area dried, but advised we would need to have the old HWH removed first. TP came out to remove the water heater and charged another $125 because they had made a 2nd trip. Due to lack of professionalism, we decided we didn't want to use TP for floor repair work. We only wanted them to deal with HWH. Upon learning this, FG became combative, threatened to call the ins co and say the damage was our fault, and refused to install the water heater on the promised date. TP has been impossible to work with. FG has lied and been rude. Owners are unreachable. It has been 15 days & we still have no hot water heater although we've paid out $200.Desired Settlement: A refund of $125. A record made at Revdex.com.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Total Plumbing, Inc regarding complaint ID [redacted]

Regards,

Technician did not perform all of the work requested. He said he was too busy today and that if it was still leaking they could come out again, which means me waiting days for another appointment, and waiting during another four hour window instead of him just doing the requested work the first time.
He was incredibly rude, and talked down to me as if I were a child.
I really think the only way this company gets any work is because they have a contract with the home warranty company. I contacted the home warranty after the "plumber" left. They documented everything and said he did not do the work he can contracted to do, and that the company would call me to set up an appointment to have a different technician come out. Over two hours later, and the company has not called me.

Review: This company was assigned by my home warranty company to snake out a clogged drain line. As soon as the technician arrived, he demanded a check for the $75 co-pay before he could even look at the problem. He stated this was company policy. After receiving the check he proceeded under my house. When he came out, he stated he found the area of the clog but his equipment would not fit under the house. When asked about a smaller piece of equipment or a manual snake he stated that the warranty co. would not let him go under the house to do this work. There would have to be a clean-out outside of the house. Not seeing a visible clean-out he proceeded to leave. I asked him what do I do now? Smiling he said, I don't know, call [redacted]. He then left. I called my warranty company and they informed me that taking equipment under my house was not against their policy and they would refund my $75.Desired Settlement: This company should have a poor Revdex.com rating because of being unethical and not finding a way to resolve this problem in a businesslike manner. You don't just leave a customer hanging on in that manner.

Business

Response:

Spoke with [redacted] from the business. He states that it is the policy of the home warranty company that the business cannot snake the line inside the home and it needed to be done with a ground level clean out. The machines that they use did not fit in the space under the customer’s home. The $75 fee is a trip charge/ dialogistic fee that is done on a state regulation. Within the policy of the home warranty this service cannot be performed, the customer may have to go to a company that is not through the home warranty company.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.] The company that eventually snaked out the line had the same type of equipment. They did not have to take it under the house since the cleanout was just inside the crawlspace opening. It only took them about 20 minutes to accomplish the task. Also spoke to warranty company and they stated they were unaware of such a policy and they refunded my $75.00. I find Perfect Plumbing failed to perform in an ethical manner. Have spoken to several plumbers since, and they were appalled that Perfect Plumbing left the job site with NO resolution to the problem.

Regards,

Review: We had Perfect Plumbing contacted by our Home Owner's Warranty Company to repair/replace a toilet tank that the contract clearly states is covered under the warranty. The Young Lady that called our house to get the specific problem details made arrangements for someone to come out on 11/7/14 to complete the repairs. We waited hours for him to arrive and when he did he had the nerve to state that the young lady (he called her by name, but I do not recall it) that scheduled the repairs should have told him that it was a cracked toilet tank because he was pretty sure the warranty did not cover it and then told us, "but since she didn't, I have to charge you a $75 trip fee." This company is anything but "Perfect" and I wouldn't recommend them or their unethical employees to my worst enemy! We will never again allow them in our house and we are currently inquiring about canceling our warranty company as well!Desired Settlement: We would like our $75 "trip fee" refunded due to their unethical behavior! We had to wait another week, and it had already been close to two weeks, to get those repairs done on our own!

Business

Response:

Perfect Plumbing was contacted by the homeowner's Home Warranty Company to go out to the home, we do schedule in 4hour blocks of time, but do offer to call 30 minutes in advance of our arrival. We are required to go to the home to assess the plumbing issue and then contact the warranty company and they review the homeowners policy and then tell Perfect Plumbing if the issue is covered under their warranty or not. That is not a decision that Perfect Plumbing makes, it is strictly handled by the warranty company and all depends on the type of policy that the homeowner has purchased. As far as the "trip fee" that is the deductible determined by the Home Warranty company that is paid by the homeowner and is the exact same thing as a Co-pay to a doctor's office. It is required by law in Virginia that the deductibles are paid to the service provider. The fee is again not set by Perfect Plumbing but by the homeowners warranty company. We are the middle man between the warranty company and the homeowner. If something is not covered by the warranty company, Perfect Plumbing does offer to fix the issue at a discounted rate but the homeowner would then be responsible for paying for the repair and this is only an option offered to the homeowner as a courtesy and they have the right to choose not to have it done or have someone else make the repairs.