ComplaintsforAlvarez Plumbing and Air Conditioning

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I scheduled a service call to repair a small leak on the *** pipe right by my well. When I scheduled the appointment I was told they do not do any well work, only the *** portion. When the technician arrived I showed him where to shut-off the power to the well to stop the pump and I drained the system. The technician proceeded to remove the cover from the control panel by the well pump-head next to the leak. I don't know why he removed the panel cover since I was told they do not repair ***** and the power was already off. I didn't think much about it and the technician completed the small repair. When he was finished I walked back outside and he was on the phone with a supervisor trying to troubleshoot why the well pump would not turn-on. As I asked him what was wrong he said he didn't know and proceeded to remove the panel cover again. I immediately noticed a broken connection on one of the contacts as the reason why, and I pointed it out to him. I asked him what he was going to do and he apologized and said there was nothing he could do and told me to call a well repair company. I called his supervisor and told him the technician damaged the well control panel I and was told the work they were contracted to do was complete and there was nothing that could be done. He offered me 10% off of the simple yet costly job which equated to $35 I told him no, that was an insult, and I will pay the full amount of $350. I then had to call a well repair company and pay $290 for the repair. Alvarez may be a family run business, as they claim, but they obviously only care about the money. I am (or should I say was) a repeat customer and they had no interest in making things right and left me worse off when they left. I will be filing a civil complaint seeking a refund for the well repair through the judicial small claims process.

  

  Business response

  12/13/2022

   There was a pricing issue that we were able to handle directly with *******************. He even went as far as giving us a positive review on another review site (attached below).

  *******************************
  1 review
  3 weeks ago NEW
  Positive: Professionalism, Responsiveness
  Overall great experience. Had an initial issue as technician damaged well while repairing leak. I had to call a well and pump repair company and pay to have fixed. After this was escalated, an Alvarez representative contacted me the same day and we were able to fully resolve.This is how you gain trust and increase goodwill with your customers. Well done.
  Service: Plumbing leak repair
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  Customer response

  12/15/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 31st I hired Alvarez Plumbing to unclog our kitchen sink for which they charge me $260. The worker disassembled the drain and "snaked" it, and reassembled the drain. We put all our cleaning products and such back under the sink and went back enjoyed our unclogged drain. On the weekend of December 12th as my wife was organizing under the sink, we noticed it was wet. I examined the plumbing under the sink and discovered it was a small dripping leak that came from the drain. I called the company and explained what we found they sent someone out to look. This person confirmed that it was a drain leak but said their warrantee for workmanship is only 30 days. In other words, they would have took accountability for causing if we would have caught it soon enough. However, such a small leak would have gone easily unnoticed, as in this case, well beyond 30 days. I'm seeking repair of the leak and the water damaged roll out shelf under the sink.

  

  Business response

  02/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/01/12) */ 12 January 2022 TO: Better Business Bureau Thank you for allowing Alvarez Plumbing & Air Conditioning (APAC) the opportunity to respond. Our records indicate we have dispatched to the ****** residence three times for plumbing related issues over the last 6-months. The initial appointment associated with this complaint occurred on August 31st where our technicians found a clogged kitchen sink at XXXXX ********* ****** We ran 60' of cable to clear the line which contained an excess of grease suspected of being the cause. After another unrelated visit on August 15th for a laundry issue, we returned on December 20th due to a leak under the kitchen sink where the technician observed a small leak originating from a metal nut connecting the galvanized pipe to the p-trap. While on site the technician provided Mr. ****** an estimate to fix the problem but he was dissatisfied with the price. The customer then inquired on our workmanship guarantee at which time he was reinformed that our guarantee was only good for 30-days following completion of work as described on his invoice. We take workmanship complaints very seriously here at Alvarez which prompted the technician to call the Service Manager. Unfortunately for Mr. ******, after reviewing the technician's notes, job photos, and videos (all available to BBB), it was concluded that this issue was not warranty related. Factors included a documented drain test that did not produce a leak following the original work, an excess of 3-months that had elapsed where any number of influences could have caused the leak, the age and condition of the customers pipes and fittings which APAC did not supply nor could control, and an invoice signed by the customer stating all work was conducted in a satisfactory manner with additional appointments made following for other scopes of work. Irritated by this determination Mr. ****** became agitated, making the technicians uncomfortable while following them out to their vehicle and slandering their manager by repeatedly stating, "Your manager is a f*ing *******" (recording available). Mr. ****** continued by calling the office directly where he challenged our customer service representative's integrity saying, "That's bullsh*t!" and provoking other cynical dialogue when informed that the manager was in a meeting and would call him back shortly (recording also available). Despite Mr. ******'s behavior, his complaint was escalated, and a return call was made by the Department Manager. He was offered an in-depth explanation on why the leak was not covered by our workmanship guarantee. Mr. ****** continued to disagree and ultimately warned that if we would not "fix it for free" then he was going to file a Better Business Bureau Complaint. From this point APAC politely disengaged the customers assertions believing there was no reasonable outcome to be made. Ultimately, Mr. ****** signed his invoice indicating all work was conducted in a satisfactory manner. Furthermore, APAC cannot be held responsible for any damages to the customers drawer, stemming from an alleged 3-month long leak that the customer himself was unaware of. We are sorry for Mr. ******'s misfortune, but we do not feel we are responsible for his situation. Respectfully, Alvarez Plumbing & Air Conditioning Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/01/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Unfortunately Alvarez's response is the same as all businesses that want customer loyalty but give zero back in return. Yes I signed something I did not read clearly. Forgive me I'm a busy man. But I was not told verbally that I had only 30 days to report a leak, which they're really not obligated to do. Otherwise I would have checked. But we put everything back and only discovered the leak 3 months later while organizing. The plumbing under that sink has not leaked in over 12 years we've owned the house and all of the sudden it leaks and Alvarez is essentially saying the leak could have had something to do with the fact that they took that plumbing apart several months earlier or me the customer, who has always used Alvarez and does not do his own plumbing, caused the leak. Either way, I missed the deadline that was clearly stated on my invoice which I failed to inspect before I signed. Therefore they are not legally required to take responsibility for the leak but morally they should have. Their records failed to show that I've used them 3 times within the past year. Each time albeit hastily, my interactions were kind and professional. And they were promptly paid each without objection. They chose to deflect their hostile stance towards going paying, loyal customers by complaining about my behavior as if it was odd. That was an objectively agitating situation. What they failed to add is that they sent the same technician that worked on the same plumbing who would've had to take responsibility for the leak which probably would have hurt his standing as an employee. So the odds were against me in getting them to accept responsibility but I had to try because businesses only show their true colors, I.e , how leadership views their role and connection to their customers and thusly their community. They could have very well fixed that leak with a tightening of a wrench. The technician said himself that he has "not problem with fixing the leaking for free" but his manager is not allowing him. I made sure the technicians understood that it was not their decision and therefore not their fault, hence I said "their manager" is a dumb@ss. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/01/19) */ It is unfortunate that Mr. ****** did not accept our response. We feel that Mr. ****** has clearly helped to explain why this issue did not meet warrantee criteria and why this complaint is unjustified. However, strictly in interest of the BBB's complaint process and out of professional courtesy, if Mr. ****** has not addressed the leak, allowing it to continue, we are willing to offer the "tightening of a wrench" at no cost by one of our field supervisors. However, due to the age of Mr. ******'s cast iron pipes and own negligence in failing to read the invoiced Customer Acknowledgement statement or comply with the stated Guarantee parameters, we do not accept fault or liability for the leak or any damages to Mr. ******'s property. If he elects to have us provide this service, he may call our office to schedule an appointment.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩