Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromLaura W

  Date: 07/26/2024

  4 stars
  After two years without use, my inground pool needed a lot of work. Lapennse went above and beyond to make sure the water was clear and blue. They were here for weeks, doing whatever they could to make it usable. The cost was extremely reasonable. ************** was extremely kind and patient with me.

• Review fromS. S.

  Date: 06/28/2024

  1 star
  0 stars EXTREMELY disappointed in the way LaPensee treated my elderly parents who were customers of theirs for 25+ years. My parents requested help with an issue at their LBK condo. LaPensee employees came out to evaluate the problem, supposedly diagnosed it, and told my parents the plumbers would have to come out another time to solve the issue. They estimated it would be a 2 day job and a several thousand dollar repair. My parents got a second opinion, and those professionals were able to correct the issue within 90 minutes. LaPensee COMPLETELY misdiagnosed the problem, obviously did not fix it, and then had the gall to send my parents a $500+ bill after their visit. Attempts to discuss the issue with the billing office were met with a rude employee who was unwilling to consider any of our concerns about the situation. My parents were then turned over to collections. It appears as if the company is taking advantage of the elderly in this community. Lapensee lost the respect and business of my parents. Their condo office has also been informed and will be advising residents to avoid using LaPensee for any plumbing needs. Would strongly advise anyone else to avoid this company as well

  LaPensee Plumbing, Inc.

  Date: 07/01/2024

  Our technicians were called on 4/5/2023 to address a washing machine stoppage. They started where the issue was visibly showing, which is standard procedure.
  
  We were not informed initially that the HOA (Homeowners Association) had conducted lining work on the plumbing line. This work had not been reinstated properly, leading to the stoppage issue.
  
  Despite efforts to clear the line, our technicians were unable to resolve the issue using conventional methods.
  
  To further diagnose the problem, our team performed a camera inspection without charging the customer. This inspection located and we then marked the specific issue in the plumbing line.
  
  The customer then had another company repair the problem at the location identified during our camera inspection.
  
  Our office recommended that the customer contact the HOA regarding the invoice, as the original stoppage was caused by the HOA’s lining work, which had not been properly reinstated.
  
  The customer sent a letter acknowledging that our team correctly located the problematic area, validating our findings. All correspondence was properly documented within our office.

  S. S.

  Date: 07/03/2024

  The LaPensee technicians diagnosed the problem as an issue that would require extensive digging and 2 days of work by 2 technicians. This is why the issue was not repaired on the day of the visit. Knowing this would be an extremely costly repair, my parents contacted another company for a second opinion. The second company completed their assessment and repair on the day of their visitin 90 minutes. My parents have had no problems since. Clearly the second company did NOT use any information that the LaPensee technician had identified. If they had, the same repair should have taken the technician much longer than 90 minutes. The fact remains that either LaPensee misdiagnosed the problem or were planning to charge my parents an exorbitant price for two days of work that was completed by another company in less than 2 hours. Yes my parents could have gone through their HOA first. However, they chose to contact LaPensee because of their previous trust and respect for the company. That ended up being a big mistake. We will have no further dealings with LaPensee and would advise that others avoid them as well

• Review frombryan b

  Date: 02/12/2024

  1 star
  I had been a LaPensee customer for over ************************************************************ basic service (Water levels low, sand not vacuumed from the bottom, maintenance issues not reported). After the hurricane last fall, my pool was full of brackish water and debris and the pump failed, just outside of warranty. LaPensee service tech called on the house and said the waterer was back to normal. It was not and I ended up having to drain the pool. It took more than 3 weeks to get an estimate to replace the pump, once approved another 2 weeks to install it. The install was done incorrectly and parts were even left off. A week later we had a tidal surge and the new pump was burned out as it was installed wrong and partially submerged. They dispatched service techs who never got back with me, but not a maint. tech. LaPense stated that an outdoor pool pump, exposed to water is not covered by the warranty. I asked them to meet me on site and review the install as that impacted the damage. 2 other pool companies noted the bad install. They did not meet with me. When I said I wanted to terminate my service, they said "OK" and made no effort to retain a 13+year loyal customer. I support local small business, but here should be reciprocal appreciation.

  LaPensee Plumbing, Inc.

  Date: 02/16/2024

  ************,
  
  We are very sorry to hear how unhappy youve been with your most recent experience with us here at LaPensee. We always strive to provide excellent customer service to all of our customers. That being said, we are not immune to things such as; turnovers, illnesses, injuries, and natural disasters. Not that any of that is necessarily your problem, but, the weeks during those few storms, we were overwhelmed with calls. Most of those calls were almost identical to yours; pumps down, pools full of salt water, etc. Not a single one of those pumps were warrantied as storms like the ones we experienced are referred to as a natural disaster or an act of God, which are not covered by manufacturers warranties. We dont have control over their warranty guidelines, unfortunately. Please let us also clarify that it was the salt water that got inside of your pumps drive causing the damage, not the rain water. The flooding we experienced here on the island was unprecedented and there was no way we could have predicted those storms would be as severe as they were. As for your pool having to be emptied after your tech told you the water was back to normal, it was a miscommunication on his part. He meant to state he started an initial clean up of the pool but there was no way to remove the salt from the water without draining it. Last, I will say that we are deeply saddened to hear that you will no longer be a customer of **********************. We do value all of your business weve had over the years and we will be happy to assist you again in the future if you require our services.

• Review fromGuy H

  Date: 12/01/2023

  1 star
  1. My first call to them for service 7 months ago- our garbage disposal didn't work. LaPensee originally installed it. A guy came out and pressed a reset button on the bottom. He was here for 5 minutes. they charged me $150. I called to complain. They said that's their minimum, with no exceptions. 2. We wanted to remodel our bathroom. Our contractor was going to use LaPensee for new shower/tub plumbing. Lapensee Service Manager came out and said they don't put shower and tub in same area and declined the job. 3. I asked the Service Manager (above) to send someone out to replace a toilet flapper/fill tube in one of our toilets. He said he would. He never followed up. 4. An actuator (1 of 2) in our pool plumbing system went bad. After a month LaPensee finally replaced the actuator for $524. The 2nd actuator recently went bad. I called LaPensee. 3 days later after no return call, I called them. They said they did get my message but didn't have anyone to send out. Their pool maintenance guy was on medical leave. They recommended Pool America. I called Pool America and they will replace the 2nd actuator (same model) for $345 within a couple days. Lapensee overcharged me $180.

  LaPensee Plumbing, Inc.

  Date: 12/05/2023

  NOTE: We have already spoken to this customer on a different review platform and have agreed to part ways for our mutual best interest.

  1. Yes, we charge(d) $150 for the first half hour. This is like our diagnostic fee and is flat for the first 30 minutes of service. You could also think of it as our "Service Call Fee". After the first 30 minutes we charge by the quarter hour, but regardless our first 30 minutes is always flat and non-negotiable.

  2. If the tub was a freestanding tub inside a shower we do not advise this due to the increased risk for leaks and damage and therefore will decline this type of work which is within our right to do so. 

  3. We did show up on July 28th to fix a leaking toilet where we replaced a ballcock and flapper. This invoice was sent out early August and we received payment on 8/15/23. If there was a different toilet on a different occasion in question here this request should have gone through our office and not through field estimators as they have no access to our dispatcher or tech availability. Our service department is separate from our contracts/remodel department. It doesn't appear you followed up with this request either with our office. We can both take the blame on this one. 

  4. Yes, our only pool repair tech had an unfortunate accident and has been hospitalized. We are attempting our best to handle the work that is called in. In an effort to not keep you waiting we referred you to ************. I am glad to hear they can help you. I can not speak to their pricing however since I do not know which brand they used or where/how it was purchased.

  I hope this helps clear some issues up.

• Review fromVan C

  Date: 06/28/2023

  1 star
  I called LaPensee to inspect my two back flow valves as required by Manatee County every year. Even though they had done this service for us before and I had used them for several other plumbing needs over the years as a resident on the island of Anna Maria they required I pay them before the service. They did come quickly and before I cleaned up the vegetation around the valves. The result was that the gentleman did nothing, they reported the required test to the county as "failed" and never reported anything back to me. Weeks later I noticed that the tag on the valve still said it expired in June '23. The only way they will come back is if I pay them another $75. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN I am currently looking for another plumber and checking with the county if I will be fined because I am past due and they think something is wrong with my back flow vales. So much for always trying to work with businesses on the island! Van

  LaPensee Plumbing, Inc.

  Date: 06/29/2023

  Per Manatee County Cross Connection Control Manual, Backflow prevention assemblies must be accessible to County employees at all times. A minimum distance from landscaping as specified in the Utility Standards, is required for all backflow prevention assembly installations. A minimum one-foot (1) distance from landscaping shall be maintained thereafter. If there is excessive vegetation around a backflow, we must mark it as failed. Excessive vegetation is a cause of concern (technicians have been stung by wasps, bees,bitten by snakes). We must take precautions to ensure our technicians are safe.We charged the first time to come out, then charged for the return visit which is standard practice. Unfortunately, we could not update the tag on the backflow because we could not access it. We marked it as failed on his invoice and on the county website. We did have an incorrect email on file,which we apologized for as it was an honest mistake. We do have proof of sending the report to the email we did have listed. Also, since the testing was done last week, the customer has not yet received the report from Manatee County. The customer did come into our office, and we provided him with a physical copy of the results.