Dodgy Plumber

[Sump Stumped]

I engaged a plumbing company to do some work for me about three months ago on a neighbors recommendation. They appeared to know what they were doing and seemed to do a decent job. One of the jobs involved was excavating the sump pit as it was originally too shallow and replacing with a plastic liner and pipework.

Now that I have had some good amount of snow melt It has come to my attention that they did not replace the two old check valves and now one of the pipes is making a gasping sound when the water gets sucked down to the base. and it appears that one or both of the checkvalves are faulty.

This never happened before and when I called the plumber to come out to make good on it he first off said he was coming over then he called to say his van broke down on the highway but he would be over even if it meant borrowing his friend’s vehicle. He did not show up nor call me to let me know he was not coming.

Now he will not return my calls and when I called from my work phone and paged him as soon as he heard my voice he hung up. Is there any recourse I can take against this company that any one here knows of?

I paid him in full for the work done and I was very pleasant and not demanding in the slightest. This seems to be an easy fix for him as it only seems to involve a piece of pipe and a couple of check valves and probably 20 minutes of his time, I’m surprised that he would take this course of action considering bad word of mouth and no repeat business.

[ToUtahNow]

I'm sorry to hear you are having a problem with the plumber but need more information before giving any advice. You are a little vague when you say pipe work. Did the proposal include a price for replacing the check valves and pipe in question?

Mark

[Sump Stumped]

They were working on putting in a backwater valve in my crawlspace and I verbally from my work phone authorised them to do work on my sump pit as well with a price agreed upon by telephone. The pipework I need replaced is coming out of my battery back up pump as it gasps in air when the main pump sucks the pit out, there appears to be a loosening of the joint. The checkvalves were original ones that were old, as far as i was concerned I engaged them to overhaul the whole thing and they didn't. I did not have a signed contract detailing the work but thought that my neighbor's recommendation that these guys were ok to be enough.

[ToUtahNow]

They were working on putting in a backwater valve in my crawlspace and I verbally from my work phone authorised them to do work on my sump pit as well with a price agreed upon by telephone. The pipework I need replaced is coming out of my battery back up pump as it gasps in air when the main pump sucks the pit out, there appears to be a loosening of the joint. The checkvalves were original ones that were old, as far as i was concerned I engaged them to overhaul the whole thing and they didn't. I did not have a signed contract detailing the work but thought that my neighbor's recommendation that these guys were ok to be enough.

There in lies the problem. Without a clear an concise bid it is not possible to tell whether the plumber was slopping and did not realize the need for the additional work or a cheat who did not perform the work you agreed to.

Mark

[oldslowchevy]

with out a contract, sadly you are stuck with what you have.

[FINER9998]

WaS the plumber licensed? If yes, you could contact the licensing entity, at either the local, county or whatever level. additionally, you could register a complaint with the local better business bureau. you could also take him to small claims court for the cost of having the problem he alledgedly neglected repaired by someone else. or, you could just chalk it up to experience, never use him again and do what many dissatisfied consumers do...tell anyone who will listen about your experience.

[biscuit]

Always, always get a written "scope of work".

Unless he will make good on it on his own, I dont see where you really have any leverage to pursue the issue.

Sorry,

[Sump Stumped]

I have an invoice which states that he is offering 5 years parts and labour on his work (and it is stated to what he exactly did) but is clearly not willing to honour it. Last Friday he promised my wife that he would be there by 8am sharp, he then called me at 9:30 to say he was sitting outside my house and was I close by (I was at work 11 miles away) he then went on to say he had a job in the area and he could get to me later. I said I would leave work early to get there for him and he agreed, I told him that most importantly to call me if for any reason he was unable to make it. Guess what, I leave work early (I had been late to work as well waiting on him in the morning), he then does not show up later nor does he call.

I will find a reputable plumbing service next time. I’m sure they are around. As for Mr Liar, he’s getting an F on Angies List and I will make a complaint to the BBB.

[oldslowchevy]

piss him off and haul his butt in to small claims court

[All Clear Sewer]

Does it say that he replaced the check valves? if not, you wont have a leg to stand on . sorry ;)