Waters Vacuum Truck Service

On April 1, 2015, I called Waters Vacuum Service to pump out our sewage tank. They came the same day and pumped out the tank, ... or so I thought. About 20min. later, the truck driver presented me the bill for $430.00. I paid it with Ck. #[redacted]. I thought all was done and in good shape. On Dec. 6th, 2015 (Sunday) all our bathrooms backed up including raw sewage in the tubs. I called [redacted] Plumbing to come out and use their system to rout out the drains. The plumber came out and thoroughly checked the drains and tried to rout out one drain, thinking it may be plugged half-way. Every effort failed, so he went out and pulled the cover on our septic tank outside and discovered the problem. Then tank was completely full (Never was vacuumed out) and all drains were backing up as a result. I told him I just had it vacuumed out in April. He said it would have taken at least 3 years to build up the sewage that was there. He thought the guy probably vacuumed out the top foot of water and left. As a result, I had to call their truck ([redacted]) and vacuum out 1000 gallons on Sunday. The plumber then came out the next day to complete the opening of the drains and flush the system. Their total bill came to $990.50. I had to clean and sanitize all the bathrooms and tubs. I'm 70 yrs old and my wife has terminal cancer and needs to frequently use the bathroom - these 2 days were an absolute nightmare. She's been in and out of the hospital since that time for her cancer treatments and an E-coli infection (from who knows where) - this is the soonest that I could find time to report this.Product_Or_Service: Sewage Vacuuming ServiceDesired SettlementI feel Waters Trucking should refund the $430.00 they charged me plus the $990.50 charge I had to incur due to their negligence. Total $1420.50!Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Office MgrContact Phone: 775-825-1595 Ext 222Contact Email: [redacted]On Tuesday, March 30, 2015 Waters was contacted by [redacted] to pump his septic tank for general maintenance. An appointment was scheduled by our office clerk, [redacted], for Wednesday, April 1, 2015 between 8-10 am. Our records indicate our driver, Greg, did in fact pump the septic tank at this location the morning of April 1st, as scheduled. The driver's work invoice was signed by [redacted] upon completion of the pumping, and both the invoice and the septage disposal manifest confirm collection and disposal of 1500 gallons. Additionally, we sent this customer, as we do all of our customers, a Customer Satisfaction Survey. This was completed and returned to our office with a ranking of "very satisfied" across the board. I can only speculate as to why [redacted] had additional issues 8 months later since we were not given the opportunity to address his septic issues in December. What I can do is provide meaningful, factual feedback on the normal functioning of septic tanks/systems as it relates to this property based on the details contained in the complaint. -Septic tanks by definition are water tight containers with normal operating levels near the top of the tank (just below the inlet pipe). If the liquid level is above this point it typically indicates an issue with the outlet line/leach field. If it is below this point it typically indicates the tank is cracked and leaking. A typical residential septic tank between 1000-1500 gallons will fill up from normal water use within approx. 7 days of pumping. Normal water use accounts for showers, laundry, washing of hands/dishes, and use of toilets. Solid waste will settle to the bottom and eventually form a crust on top of the inlet side of tank, and liquids filter out to the outlet side of tank and then to the leach field. -Naturally occurring bacteria feed on the solids/sludge in the tank and help contribute to the normal, anaerobic breakdown process. This can be greatly affected by cancer treatments (chemo), and thus, allow for solids to build up more quickly than they would typically. -Toilet paper can build up quickly in the septic tanks if the home experiences heavy/frequent restroom usage, especially if the customer uses thicker quilted 2- ply paper. This can cause back-up issues/clogged lines, and often times requires more frequent cleaning/pumping of the septic tank. At this point, Waters would be willing to do the following for [redacted] at no charge:-Perform an on-site inspection of septic tank to document/verify "fullness" of septic tank since the last pumping by [redacted] in December. We can also go over any other questions/concerns [redacted] might have at the time of our visit. -Re-pump customer's septic tank for general maintenance and perform a hydro-static water check of leach field to verify proper functioning of system. This can be done at any time between now and 12/31/2018. Service must occur during normal business hours M-F from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Waters Vacuum Truck Service takes customer satisfaction very seriously. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and take pride in our reputation and fact that we have been in business locally for over 60 years. We look forward to resolving this matter to the satisfaction of both parties. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)All I know is what I saw when the cover was lifted by the easy Rooter plumber. It was full to the top and backing up our drain lines. My wife's had cancer for 9 years and we've had Waters empty the tank every 3 yrs. and never had this problem. the gentleman who pumped it out on April 1st had closed the lids and I didn't see the empty tank. I trusted the job was done right, since they had done it the past 6 yrs.(Once every 3 yrs.) with no problems. Waters is welcome to come out and do an on-site inspection any time. The reason I went thru Revdex.com is to discuss this in an intelligent and responsible manner. This happened on a Sunday and was over on Monday and tempers were too high to achieve any reasonable outcome.