ComplaintsforSuperior Plumbing Services, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We called Superior out to a water leak coming through our floor last Saturday. When the plumber came, I told him we also had a roof leak and showed him a water spot on the ceiling. I asked if the two could be related and he said, "no". He cut 3 holes in our wall and could not find leak - he got in attic and said the water on the floor must be from the roof leak - charged us $400. 4 days later our entire ceiling was covered in water dripping through ceiling onto the bed below. The roofer replacing our roof that day got in our attic and said there was indeed a pipe leak and that the attic was covered in water. We called the same plumber back out - He said it would be almost another $400 to repair the pipe that was leaking - We said we already paid $400 three days earlier for them to tell us there was no leak - his response was, "well I didn't fix anything, now I have to charge you to fix it". I stated that he told us there was NO LEAK when we paid him $400 three days earlier and now we have significant damage. His response was, "well that's not my fault". He asked if I saw the leak when I was in the attic and I told him that I did not climb over the rafters to look at the plumbing and that I paid HIM to do that. We called the office and asked to speak to a manager - they said we had to request this with the plumber. I told them that we had a disagreement with the plumber and that we were not confident that he would have a manager contact us. I told the plumber multiple times that I wanted him to have a manager call me and he kept asking me why. Before the plumber left, my husband made sure that he knew we wanted to speak to a manager. After he left, I filled out the online contact form to have someone contact us - The woman (*****) responded to my request that I was not present at the house at the time the plumber was there on the second day and that they would only speak to my husband that was there - She said they had not heard from my husband that he wanted to speak to a manager. That same day, my husband followed up with the email and told her that he DID in fact tell the plumber multiple times that he wanted to speak to a manager and that he was requesting AGAIN to have someone call him. She responded that he would hear from someone in ***** hours. Tomorrow will be day 5 and we have YET to hear from a manager!! TERRIBLE customer service - rude dispatchers - questionable ethics - WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ! ! !

  

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  We will have the appropriate Manager reach out to seek a resolution on Tuesday.

  

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  The Field Manager made contact with the customer today. After discussion, the agreed upon resolution was that Superior Plumbing will refund the initial call to the customer to satisfy the concerns.

  We apologize for the delay in the resolution, and hope to be of service in the future. 

  Sincerely, 

  Superior Plumbing Services, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  To fix a small cpvc pipe and couple of stop valves under kitchen cabinet which took 30 minutes was charged $908.00 by Superior Plumbing (Job # ****** on 05/31/2023. This is an outrageous charge. The parts in total would not cost more than $50. Also they charged $89 regardless of any service and they do not apply that to the overall charge for service performed. Technician was in his van doing nothing most of the time he was here and for that time I was also charged. When i called in to customer service, receptionist said manager would call me within 48 hours. After two weeks I had still not heard from manager so inquired again by calling receptionist. Manager did call afer two weeks and was very rude and would do nothing to remedy the outrageous charges I had paid. In fact he was confrontational. This is no way to treat customer. I am ok with paying reasonable charges but $908.00 is in no way reasonable.

  

  Business response

  06/27/2023

  We present the repair price prior to beginning the job. The customer approved this price and asked us to proceed.

  We have a dispatch fee which is explained at the time of booking for all our calls.

  We provide service, we do not sell material. The material is the cheapest part of services.

  The time the service plumber was in his van was the manufacturer recommended curing time for the **** glue. The **** glue was required to make the repair in this home. This time must be taken into consideration when pricing the service as we MUST remain at the property because we always test our work before we collect. We only had one task to do at the home and waiting in the van is the most professional place to wait.

  We presented the finished task; the homeowner approved the work and paid the quoted price.

  The customer stated that he agreed to the price because he needed it fixed and he didnt know what it would take to fix it. He followed with had he known how easy the task seemed he would have not agreed to our price. The customer also confirmed that the repair was still intact and correct.

  I have attached a copy of the invoice with signatures.

  Customer response

  06/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 20215204
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  There is no way that a 30 minute job with parts not worth more than $100 I was charged $908.00. On top of that this is a company which does not allocate the initial fee for appearing on site to the total cost. Also this company charges customer for totally idle time spent by employee. Lastly this company does a very poor job of handling customer complaints by initially ignoring my complaint for over 2 weeks and then the manager us totally dismissive of my complaint in talking to him. A completely ripoff company I will not do business with again.
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  06/28/2023

  As a flat rate company, we do not charge time and material,we present the full cost before we begin. This is the time for the consumer to decide whether they would like to have the repair made. The price was presented to the customer prior to beginning and was approved. The suggested cost by the consumer is almost the same amount as the agreed upon price to have the plumber come to the home, assess the issue, and present the flat rate price. It would be hard to imagine that the cost to perform work would be equal to the dispatch fee. In flat rate pricing, idle time is needed to allow glue to dry. This time is taken into consideration by any professional and the cost is the responsibility of the consumer. A professional will allow the glue to cure per the manufactures instructions and then test the repair.
  We present ourselves in a professional manner. We perform work within the plumbing code and follow best practices. We present our price before we begin and ask the customer to approve the completed work before we collect. In both cases the customer gives the approval with their signatures. We followed all protocols as the time stamps would confirm,the customer agreed to the dispatch fee as our recorded calls will confirm and only after we left, the customer wanted to changed how they felt. When a price is submitted and approved, when work is performed to satisfaction and approved and paid for by the same person it is very difficult to understand how they feel differently. The customer has chosen to renegotiate the completed work, and this just isnt not how Superior Plumbing operates. We cant restore the home to the broken condition we were called to repair. The services cant be returned. We in good faith made the repair requested by the homeowner at the price both parties agreed upon.
  We will not be able to return the customers funds just as the customer can not return our cost incurred to perform the task and subsequent cost defending the good faith agreement and professional repair we made before and after the transaction.

  Customer response

  06/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 20215204
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The company is failing to acknowledge that they have deliberately overcharged the customer by an enormous amount. Secondly their customer service is very poor, especially the manager who i interacted with. The reasonable solution would be to return a portion of the intentional excessive charge.  This is taking advantage of the customer and is unacceptable.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband hired Superior Plumbing Services to do work for us: find the water leak that was dripping to downstairs ceiling.l and figure out why sink was gurgling. The technician found the source of the leak which was a leaky faucet from the tub. Superior changed the faucet cartridges out. My husband asked for a second faucet that was dripping water to have cartridges changed as well. When I got home I asked could he do a third faucet upstairs and the technician said no problem. He did not tell me the cost would be $222 for the add on, else I never would have asked him to do it,We paid for the service call $89.53 and $179 to find the leak. The technician charged $280 for the first faucet handle and $444 for the last two faucet handles. He did not show the final bill until he was leaving. I was in complete shock. To make matters worse, he said he wasnt the technician that could fix the drain and that we needed a specialized drain tech to come the next day and it would be $850.The invoice did not show the total costs until the end, where my husband had to sign three times to pay the bill.The pricing is outrageous. I called the office and spoke to a manager *****. He said those are their prices and we signed for it. I told him I never signed for anything, and my husband signed initially and only at the end. I said we were not told the faucet would be $222 for the last two.This is a complete rip off and superiors employees gave a very nasty attitude,We want to be reimbursed for 50% of the faucet cartridge change charges.Additionally, they never fixed the gurgling drain issue. We have had a leaky faucet cartridge changed before and it was less than $75 dollars.We paid $995.11 for 2 hours and 20 minutes of work done by one technician.

  

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  Upon arrival we did meet with ****************** who requested service.

  The invoice was added to and resigned multiple times. Please see attached.

  I have included the final invoice, with an audit trail, as well as several copies of the invoice with signatures as it was amended.

  Authorization signatures were captured at : 2:40pm, 3:20pm, 3:35pm, 3:27pm, and final signatures ant 4:35pm

  You can see the increase in the invoice totals.

  When the customer reached out to the office, the Service Manager *****, tried to explain where the customers husband had signed for work and the upgrades & the hung up the phone twice during the explanations.

  We performed the work we were asked & authorized to perform.

   

  Thanks!

   

  ******************************* ******

  Customer response

  05/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 19955163
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  They did not explain their exorbitant rate. Further, my husband said he signed to do the work but not for the rate. I requested the last sink faucet handle to be done, and the tech never showed me the cost. In fact, I asked if it was $50 when he was completing the invoice. He said, Well no, and laughed. I was shocked when he told me the total bill. 
  

  When I spoke with *****, he was very unprofessional and seemed to be annoyed that I followed up with a phone call. I called him to discuss my experience. He argued with me on the phone and didnt treat me with respect. He said, our rates are our rates. 
  

  I wrote the President and he never responded to my email.

  We paid more $995 for work that was principally to change washer in the faucet handle. What they charged  is higher than lawyers, doctors, and other professionals and plumbers.  You can tell by the invoice that they backed into a high number. This worked out to be more than $400 an hour.

  This needs to be made right. I am not satisfied.

   

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  05/31/2023

  A request for refund for half of last task on the invoice has been submitted for processing. 

  Superior Plumbing strives to give fair and reasonable, up front flat rate pricing, to all our customers.

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Next door neighbor hired Superior Plumbing in townhouse complex. Plumber has taken over two weeks blocked a shared driveway and thrown trash all over my and other the neighbors property ( food, cigarette packs and butts, construction trash, cement, pipes and has made a terrible mess and parked in my and other neighbors parking without permission. Called Superior and she said I dont know what you want me to do about it. I want it cleaned up and stay off my property. I had always heard Superior was good but that is not at all the case!

  

  Business response

  07/26/2022

  We did make a visit to this complainants neighbor on Friday July 8th, 2022. The neighbor had us do a repair on a leak in her courtyard. We were onsite only that day. We provided the customer with an estimate to do a replacement of her service line. The customer chose to go with another company, and Superior Plumbing did not do the major work. I contacted our customer to confirm this and she confirmed that they had another company do the work. I spoke with the elderly homeowner at first, but her daughter filled me in on the work. This complaint is not for our company, and we believe the incorrect information was relayed to the complainant. We have attached a copy of the invoice for the work we performed.

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 12, 2021, I contacted Superior Plumber through an internet contact form on the company's website to request service for the installation of two toilet seats for bathrooms in my home and to repair a continuous drip from the spout of the faucet (left sink) in my master bathroom. I informed the company that there was no water leaking under the sink (the cabinet was checked daily). A representative called back the same day to schedule the appointment for June 18, 2021. There is now a leak under the master bathroom sink resulting from the repair and misdiagnosis. I have reached out to the company about the issue twice (by phone and by contact form). A second Plumber from Superior Plumbing came to my home on June 21, 2021. The Plumber stated that there was no leak. I advised the Plumber of the slow leak. The Plumber continued to deny the leak until he finally acknowledged that there was a leak from the cartridges replaced. Another company found the leak and more problems missed.

  

  Business response

  07/09/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2021/07/09) */ The customer booked a call because the faucet was leaking and to replace two customer supplied toilet seats. When the customer called back to let us know the faucet was not working properly, we scheduled a return. The call was received at 11:08 p.m. on a Saturday night and as we do not work on Sunday, we returned on Monday We did return to the house to try to identify, if any, errors made by the original plumber. The plumber was on site for 57 minutes trying to determine if an error had been made. The plumber did not deny a leak, he looked for a very long time until it appeared and then offered a solution. The leak at this time was internal as stated on the 2nd invoice. As stated, the original invoice had four tasks, only one of which dealt with the faucet. In both cases the plumber in the customers home is licensed by the state. If another licensed plumber had a different diagnosis, we would be happy to review their findings. we will stand by our diagnostics. We will not be able to refund the invoice. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2021/07/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I disagree with the response from Superior Plumbing Services for the following reasons: 1) To the author of the response, the second plumber vehemently denied that there was a leak under the sink and continued to do so until the leak appeared. You were not present at the property during the service visit, so please do not speak on something that you did not witness. Further, I reported the plumber's denial of the leak and the poor service via the contact form on the Superior Plumbing Services website on 6/21/2021. No response was received from your company. That is why the BBB is now involved in this matter. 2) On Friday 6/25/2021, a licensed plumber from another metro Atlanta company visited my home, inspected the problem and found the leak. During the diagnostic process, the licensed plumber discovered that the water was rising in the cartridges and discovered that the shut off valves were not working properly. Per the licensed plumber who visited my home on 6/25/2021, the first plumber from your company should have discovered the problem when the new cartridges were installed. Also, the licensed plumber took the time to thoroughly explain what failed within the faucet, recommended a replacement of the faucet and the shut off valves (angle stops). The faucet should have been replaced during the first visit from your company. The cartridges installed by your first plumber created a whole new problem in my home that did not previously exist. The licensed plumber from the second company took the time to locate the actual model of my faucet. I had to order the faucet from one of the manufacturers distributor. Also, the correct cartridges for the new faucet has also been ordered and received. Your second plumber stated that "I would not get the same faucet, it would have to be another brand". I was not going to allow anymore shoddy work to be done at my home considering the plumbers earlier denial of the problem and rude attitude. I called your company for repair services and that's what I thought I received on 6/18/2021. I promptly reported the problems to your company on 6/19/2021. Please take responsibility for the leak caused by the worked done on 6/18/2021. It is not fair that I have to pay another company to correct the problems that your plumber was hired and paid to rectify during the initial service visit on 6/18/2021. As of the writing of this response to your company (7/13/2021), my sink is still inoperable as I have to await the service visit from the second company to fix the problem. As for the cartridges that were installed by your first plumber on Friday 6/18/2021, they will be mailed to your company as there is no use for the items in my home. The correct faucet and cartridges has been ordered/received. As previously requested, please refund the $345.69 for the install of the cartridges. Once again, Superior Plumbing Services will receive the cartridges back that were installed on 6/18/2021. Going forward, I will not contact your company for any future services at my home. Business Response /* (4000, 19, 2021/08/10) */ While we did not ask for repair parts, the customer mailed them to us. Previously installed parts can not be reinstalled and will be disposed of. We will in good faith refund the price of the repair. Consumer Response /* (2000, 21, 2021/08/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) The proposed resolution to this case is accepted by the consumer. At this point, this case has dragged on for longer than it should have. I have lost time and several hundreds of dollars correcting the problems stated in this complaint. Please promptly refund the repair costs of $345.69 to the service address listed on file. Thanks. Consumer Response /* (4200, 26, 2021/09/17) */ Please reference case identification # XXXXXXXX. A resolution was reached in the case on August 14, 2021 and subsequently closed by the BBB of Atlanta on August 16, 2021 based on the agreed upon resolution between Superior Plumbing Services, Inc and consumer. A refund was due for the faulty services rendered on my left bathroom sink back on June 18, 2021. The case has been close for 31 days and to date, no refund has been issued. The consumer attempted to reach out to the company via their website on the contact/inquiry form on Friday September 10, 2021 for a follow up on the refund. No call or email was received from the company to the consumer regarding the issue. The web form used to submit the inquiry was the exact same web form used to make the inquiry for the initial service back in June 2021. During that time, they quickly contacted me to schedule service. Since the issues with the service has arisen, my subsequent contacts using that form has been ignored. Refund is due. Consumer Response /* (2000, 31, 2021/09/27) */ A refund in the amount of $345.69 was received on Monday 9/27/2021 from Superior Plumbing Services via a reversal to the original form of payment. The consumer received an email notification from the financial institution regarding the transaction. At this time, no further action is required.

• Initial Complaint

  05/28/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When my wtr heater release valve was repaired dec 2012, I was told by the superior technician that '...you will never have this problem again...'. I recently discovered that the valve has released again, about 6mon to a year ago based on the amount of water in the yard

  

  Business response

  05/31/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/05/31) */ After looking at our records, I find a customer with this name but the P. O. box does match completely and the service was in December of 2011 not 2012. However, the performed service does line up. To address the "release valve" on the water heater. This is a safety valve that can be triggered through high temperature or high pressure which means the valve is working correctly. The T&P valve also has a mfg. lifespan which is not 9 years, they typically last the life of the water heater. Yours failed do to high pressure, the safety valve performed as it should have. Once the safety valve trips, it often requires replacement. The current valve in your home may have failed due to high pressure again, high water temperature or natural wear due to the age. The water heater is most likely beyond its life expectancy since a replacement valve was installed on an existing water heater. We checked and recorded the pressure at 60 psi on January 28, 2019. As for the statement that "...you will never have this problem again", the Master Plumber who performed the work has 30 years experience and would be more careful of a statement that would imply a lifetime warranty on a safety or maintenance device. The manufactures typically offer a limited warranty of one year if routine maintenance is performed. We will be unable to come to your home at no charge as requested. The product is out of our warranty period by more than 8 years. You are also out of the manufacture's warranty by more than 8 years. In addition, we would be unable to install a new safety device on the old water heater assuming it is older than years old. Best practice guidelines used by most licensed plumbers would not recommend this. Replacing this valve on a plus ten year water heater would go against the life expectancy of most water heaters and not be a good fiscal decision. If a customer decides to have the valve replaced against the licensed plumbers advice, we would not be able to offer any type of guarantee. We would advise that you have a licensed plumber check your home pressure first. A nearly ten year old pressure reducing valve could have easily failed and created the problem and while the plumber is there, they should also check your thermal expansion tank which could have failed by now. Either of these failures could cause the safety device to be activated. If the customer would like to go through normal booking procedures, we will serve the address with the understanding that there will be a dispatch fee and any work suggested will be quoted from our flat rate book as in the past. Consumer Response /* (3000, 12, 2021/08/06) */ The water pressure at the kitchen sink has not been the same since your technician replaced the shut off valves Nov 2019. The water pressure is one weak stream ,the washer was replaced with a smaller size than the original without my knowledge or consent, and it's too tight to remove. Very disappointed. Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2021/08/06) */ Please contact us directly with more information. We do not find information matching your name or descriptions of work performed in 2019. An invoice or job number would help reach a conclusion and resolution. Beyond that, we have no way to work toward a resolution since we can not confirm your service. Consumer Response /* (4200, 16, 2021/08/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The dos was Nov XX XXXX, the tech was Brent Leeper,the amt paid was $418.00. I would love to send u the recpt, however no recpt was provided. Consumer Response /* (4200, 17, 2021/08/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The dos was Nov XX XXXX, the tech was Brent Leeper,the amt paid was $418.00. I would love to send u the recpt, however no recpt was provided. Business Response /* (4000, 19, 2021/08/16) */ Thank you for that much needed piece of information, we have found the file. Our accounting notes regarding your invoice: 11/22/19 mailed inv. XXXXXX to P.O. Box xxx Lilburn XXXXX -CLG 12/10/19 Mail to PO Box was returned - tried to re-mail to xxxxxx Court -te 1/6/20 Inv XXXXXX was returned from XXXXXX Ct "unable to forward" phone # disconnected - te 1/30/2020 mailed inv. XXXXXX to NEW P.O. Box (provided by customer via e-mail/SP chat) *4th attempt to mail THIS invoice*** -CLG Our invoice reads as follows: Customer has wet carpet in living room. The shutoff valve to the kitchen sink is dripping under cabinets at a very steady rate and going directly to concrete slab. This is in close enough proximity to area of wet carpet that this could be the only leak source. There is a possibility there is a separate leak under the slab. Recommend repairing the known leak under kitchen sink and then, either pull up wet carpet to expose concrete slab and watch for water coming up from cracks in floor, or dry carpet out and see if it gets wet again. If water continues in living room recommend leak detection company to locate slab leak. Also recommend Archer Restoration Services for drying and repairs to floors and cabinets. Thank you for your business, Brent Leeper We have not performed any work in the home since this date or been contacted to do so. The invoice we have shows a work authorized and work approved signature. We do not think that we left a faulty repair and do not believe a faulty repair would have been accepted by the customer before we closed the invoice on November 21, 2019. It is not at all common for someone to wait a year and a half to have an issue with water flow especially in a main fixture. We would be happy to return to the home but since we are so far beyond any warranty and believe this is new work we would charge our current dispatch fee and quote current pricing for any repairs. The customer called on us 6 times in the past for other problems and had us work 4 of those times. The customer did not call us with this complaint during any warranty period. We would have returned during that period at no charge. Our Accounting department spoke with the customer on three separate occasions trying to get their invoice to them and didn't convey to that department that the customer was not satisfied with the repair. We believe we left the home in good repair, The owner approved our repair and they now have a problem that they are attaching to a plumbing situation that occurred over one and a half years ago.

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