ComplaintsforMaplewood Plumbing & Sewer LLC

• Initial Complaint

  12/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I needed work on my bathroom sink, the chain on my toilet came off, as well as a leak under my kitchen sink. I was given an estimate of $645. I approved this. The kitchen sink was fixed but when they went to the toilet and stated that he needed to make another visit due to parts. I asked them not to start anything they could not finish. Then he went to the bathroom sink and said he would need to put 2 new parts but that did not fix the problem. They went to **** ***** and bought a faucet for $75 without telling me. They claim that I need an entire new faucet and now my bill would be $813. I wrote them a check for the amount charged but I have since put a stop on that check.

  

  Business response

  12/22/2023

  Complaint ID: ********

   

  In regards to this complaint the customer's has an inaccurate account of how her service call went , however in light of the holidays we will honor her request to only pay $645, and we will send her an updated invoice with the new amount.

   

   

  We have reached out to her numerous times to rectify this complaint and let her know that a new invoice for $645 will be mailed out. As of now she has not returned any phone calls.

  Customer response

  01/09/2024

  I do not agree with ***** **** ********  assessment of the situation with the service call or the work that was done. ********* **** ******** did send out a Master plumbers He fixed the toilet and the checked all the other jobs to make sure they were all ok.   I did pay them amount that was agreed upon which was the $645.  I would not recommend this plumber to anyone much less to someone who has a disability. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have attached a description of my problem, as there is too much information to tell using only 1,000 characters. In short, throughout our dealings with Maplewood Plumbing, they misrepresented their ability to pour new concrete in our basement. They have attempted to pour it twice and each time it has been extremely unlevel with holes in the flooring around the edges. Only after we raised our concerns did they inform us repeatedly that they are "not concrete people". Further, had they informed us that their crew was incapable of pouring a level floor without holes around the edges, we would not have allowed them to perform the work. This rings especially true where they knew we used this portion of our basement, as it was clearly right where our washer and dryer sit.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2021

  At Maplewood Plumbing and Sewer, we always try to do right by our customers. If something is not right, we try to make it right. We are licensed plumbers and were contracted to do a partial drain replacement in the basement.

  The contract states in the 3rd sentence that the customer signed “Plumber will break the floor, excavate as necessary, install new pipes and fittings, back fill the hole, patch the floor to a rough finish, and haul away all debris generated by all such activities.
  
  The work was completed, and our plumbing passed inspection. Their kitchen and laundry are now working properly. Finished concrete was never in the base bid and was never promised.
  
  When the owner/estimator of Maplewood Plumbing came onsite to the property for the initial estimate, he told the client that the concrete would be rough and not the same.
  
  When this customer called about not being satisfied with our concrete work, our owner went to the house within a few hours of the call to check it out. He offered the customer several options. 1) Refund a few hundred dollars to put towards a company that specializes in concrete finishes to get the desired outcome they are looking for. 2) Grind it down 3) Or we can come back out, break up the concrete and redo it but it will not be much different. However, we would recommend having someone else do the work that specializes in finishing concrete.
  
  They stated they wanted us to redo it. When we spoke to the clients to get it scheduled, we again offered them several hundred dollars to put towards having a company that specializes in concrete finishing redo it, they said they called around and could not find anyone.
  
  After we redid the concrete the 2nd time, they called again and said they were not happy with the concrete. We again offered to give them several hundred dollars to get a company that specializes in concrete finishing to do the work. They again stated they could not find anyone and wanted us to do it.
  
  We again explained that we do concrete to a rough finish, it does not make sense to have us do it again with a similar outcome. We then again, offered a few hundred dollars to use towards a company that specializes in concrete finishing, and we will come and break up, excavate, and haul away all the existing concrete that we did, They again refused this offer.
  
  We stand by the plumbing work we have provided and feel we have given the client many options and opportunities to correct the concrete work all of which have been repeatedly refused.

  Customer response

  07/19/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Maplewood Plumbing's response fails to address most of the issues I stated in my complaint. Most importantly, they fail to acknowledge that they misrepresented the definition of "rough finish" and/or changed that definition only after I complained after the second time they attempted to pour the concrete floor.  At no point did Will define "rough finish" in our three prior discussions as meaning the floor would be unlevel and have holes around the edges where the new floor meets the old.  Will specifically stated that it meant that they would not paint or seal the new concrete, so the colors would not match.  Regardless, even ignoring the old floor and whether they match, the new portion of the floor that Maplewood Plumbing poured, in and of itself, is not level.  We cannot put our dryer on that portion of the floor because it so uneven, and while our washer can sit on the floor, it does so at an obvious slant. 

  Further, Maplewood Plumbing fails to address their failure to tell us that they were "not concrete people" until after they did the work poorly and took out money. Instead they held themselves out as concrete people by contracting to perform concrete work. They also failed to address how they waited until after they took our money to inform us that they usually only do concrete work in St. Louis City where people do not use their basements so that it does not usually matter how their concrete work looks and functions.  Maplewood Plumbing also failed to address the fact they would not allow their own workers to come out a third time because they said their workers could not do a better job then what they had already done. This means that Maplewood Plumbing knew that their workers were incapable of pouring a level floor without holes around the edges, but again failed to tell inform us of this fact until after they took our money. Had Maplewood Plumbing told us even one of these things, we would not have contracted with them and would not have allowed them to perform the work in our home.  This rings especially true as Maplewood Plumbing knew that we used this portion of our basement and that our washer and dryer sat right on the portion of the floor that would have to be broken up and repoured.

  Moreover, Maplewood Plumbing failed to address why they said the owner would give me a call and why, to date, over a month later, no phone call was ever received.

  While they admit and agree in their response that there is a problem with their concrete work, they refuse to do anything about it other than refund a "couple hundred dollars".  Clearly, a "couple hundred dollars" is not going to fix the floor.  It is telling that Maplewood Plumbing states in their response that they stand by their plumbing work, but make no mention of standing by their concrete work. And rightfully so, because they know they cannot. It is almost as if they did not even read my complaint, as I made no complaints about their plumbing work. 

  Again, I maintain my request for a full refund, as I would not have given them a single dollar had they not mispresented and omitted key details regarding their ability to do concrete work.  I will also allow them to find and hire a subcontractor at their own expense to come do the floor properly, as they apparently think it would be easy to find someone who can do the work for a "couple hundred dollars". 

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

  

  Business response

  07/21/2021

  With regards to the complaint filed by *****, I believe we have provided the service as outlined in the contract.

  We were hired to repair a broken drain.  The repair required demolition of a floor, excavation, hauling, patching, and the actual plumbing work.  Our concrete work is rough.  It is clearly stated in the contract.  During the estimate visit, attention was called to the fact the concrete would be rough.  After the work was done, and the complaint was received, I went on site and confirmed that it was rough.  I believe I stated something to the fact that "this is about as good as we do it" or something to that effect.  I also stated something to the effect of, " we can redo it, but it might not be that different".  I've done this a long time.  I know it is important to be truthful and manage expectations.  There is a reason we also made offers, at different points for a partial credit to go towards having a professional concrete contractor bring it to the level ***** would like.  We do want them to be as happy as they can be, given the circumstances.

   

  It's rough.  A quick internet search for the definition of rough is as follows:  having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or level.

   

  THat's exactly what it is.  And that is exactly what we sold him.  No more.  No less.  The gap between rough and the finished to the level ***** would like is significant.  It requires more skill than we have, and frankly more than we ever intended to bring to bear in this project.

   

  It's rough.

   

  Rough rough rough rough rough rough.

   

  That's all it was ever going to be, as per our contract.

   

  Lastly, the price of the job was just shy of $2,300.  Of that, roughly 10% to 20% is the portion we would allocate to the concrete portion of the job.  That is why our offers were always "a couple hundred dollars".  To be clear, we don't owe him anything.  Again, we have upheld our end of the contract (rough).  Any offer was made as a good will gesture.  We will make no further offers and/or modifications to the work regarding this manner.

   

  Lastly, for further context, we performed this kind of work between 50 and 70 times in the last calendar year.  All to this standard and rough finish.  All successfully.  It's not like we don't know what we are doing.  What he has in his basement is pretty much the industry standard.  It ain't great, but your pipes work.  It is what it is.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

   

  Sincerely,

  Will Oberkrom

  Master Plumber / Manager

  Customer response

  07/21/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there are several issues with Will's response and it truly shows that his company does not stand by their work or care about its customers.

  
  

  First, Will states the during the estimate visit he called attention to the fact that the concrete would be rough.  Which, as I have already admitted, he did; however, Will stated that "rough finish" meant that it would not match the existing concrete in color and texture, as the new concrete would not be painted or sealed. At no point, did Will mention that "rough finish" meant that the floor would be extremely unlevel and have holes in the floor. Only after our second complaint did the company seek to change the definition they previously told us.  Will now seeks to set forth the Google definition of the word "rough", without any context on what it means in the construction industry.  However, regardless, we relied on the definition that Will told us, which they now admit was a misrepresentation. Also, none of the definitions of "rough finish" put forth by the company, including their original definition, and now their internet definition, account for the fact that there are still holes in the floor.  Will, how does that fit into your definitions of rough finish? 

  
  

  Second, Will states that after they received our first complaint he "confirmed that it was rough" and said "this is about as good as we do it".  He claims he also stated "we can redo it, but it might not be that different". However, Will actually said that the finish looked good and the finish was about as good as they could do it, but agreed that the floor could be more level and that the holes around the edging were a problem. I even told Will at that time that I had no issues with the finish, just the levelness and the holes around the edges. Will never tried to correct me and say that those were one in the same.  In fact, Will explicitly differentiated between the "finish" and the issues we complained of.  Further, as I previously stated, Will called shortly after he left our property and wanted to confirm that we were on the same page.  Will stated that they could "definitely" make it level and fix the holes in the edges, but wanted to manage expectations that the new concrete would not match the existing as far as color and texture. I agreed and again told him that we just wanted a level floor without holes around the edges, and that I understood I would have to paint/seal the new flooring myself.  He said they could "definitely" do that. 

  
  

  Will agreed after their first attempt that their were problems with their work.  These exact same issues existed after their second attempt, but now the company fails to acknowledge the same.  In fact, the company never even offered to come out and look at it again. I have attached photos showing a sampling of issues after their second attempt, which are nearly identical to what it looked like after their first attempt. 

  
  

  Third, Will states that the level of work we would like to be performed in our home "is significant" and "requires more skill than [they] have".  We are not asking for an immaculate, perfectly manicured floor. We are simply asking for a concrete floor that is level and does not have holes around the edging. How is this considered "significant" work??? This seems like it should be simple concrete work for anyone who actually knows what they are doing. The holes on the edging continue to chip away and get bigger, while the floor is so unlevel we cannot place our dryer on that portion of the floor.  It is beyond baffling that a company that contracts for and performs concrete work does not have the simple skill to pour a level floor without holes in it.

  
  

  Fourth, Will states things like "I've done this a long time" and "It's not like we don't know what we are doing", all while still saying that they are incapable of doing better than the work they performed, having repeatedly told me that they "are not concrete people", and repeatedly admitting that they are incapable of, and don't even have the skill, to pour a level concrete floor.  If he knows now that his crew are incapable of pouring a level floor, he clearly knew this when he quoted the project and failed to mention it, despite knowing this portion of our floor was being used for purposes that required it to be level.  

  
  

  In fact, in his response, Will states that us now asking for a level floor without holes is "frankly more than [the company] ever intended to bring to bear in this project."  In other words, they never intended to pour a level floor in our basement.  Had they informed us of these facts, we would not have hired them to do any of the work and would not have given them our money. This rings especially true since Will and his crew knew that we used this portion of our basement for our washer and dryer, which clearly requires a level floor. Despite knowing this, and knowing they could not, and had no intention of pouring a level floor, they did the work anyways.  And now, they do not want to be held responsible. 

  
  

  Fifth, Will also claims that their work is up to the industry standard. The pictures attached hereto show a portion of the issues we have. I have a hard time believing any "concrete people" would consider the work a suitable work product in a portion of a home that is used by the homeowners.  If it was, we would all be walking around on extremely unlevel floors.  

  
  

  Lastly, the fact that Will can sit there and say "It ain't great" and "It is what it is" when discussing his company's work product is a true testament to what his company truly thinks of its own work and how its customers truly don't matter.  

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

*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. ↩