ComplaintsforAll American Irrigation Systems

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello, I hired AAIS to install a Sprinkler System on my rental property on Dec. 27th. I believe they installed and signed off on a faulty backflow preventer, which cost me nearly $800 in excessive water bill charges due to a leak in the yard (at the backflow preventer valve). Since the backflow preventer was only less than 3 weeks old at this point, I thought they should replace it for free, but they refused. Instead, they offered to replace the new backflow preventer (that they installed initially) for $571. As a result of their negligence, I would be out a total of $1,300 on top of the $3,900 that I originally paid for the system. Since the city will refund a portion of the water leak, I am only asking for $500 for the water bill to be reimbursed, and I found another contractor who will replace the faulty backflow preventer for $420. Therefore, I am seeking $920 from AAIS and notified them of this request. They refused my request and blamed my tenants and the weather for the damage saying my tenants should've noticed the leak and shut the water off before it got so bad. They deferred blame for the faulty part because they said a freeze damaged it but could not prove to me the day of the freeze that it corresponded with the leak. The attached pdf is a full explanation of what happened with supporting evidence. I sent this pdf to the owner of AAIS and he would not address any of the points I made to support my case.

  

  Business response

  03/23/2023

  Please see attachments. 

  Customer response

  03/23/2023

  Complaint: 19520346
  
  

  I am rejecting this response because: the entire response is a non-sequitur and fails to address any of my points in the complaint. Why is this business highlighting a discount provided to me that has nothing to do with the defective part he installed? Furthermore, he received the final payment because the defective part was placed in the ground, and it was not apparent to a layperson with no experience in irrigation systems that the part was leaking.
  
  His exculpatory claim is so dubious that it would be analogous to taking your car in for a transmission repair and the transmission worked when you got the car back from the mechanic but then stopped working 10 miles down the road and the mechanic said "Well, you paid me so you acknowledged that everything is good.. see ya I'm not responsible".
  
  The most basic fact of this complaint is that he installed a freeze-damaged backflow preventer and reported that it was good to go. The damage occurred because his guys left it exposed to 16-degree temperatures (from 12/21 to 12/27) while installing the system before it was complete. There was no freeze from when they completed the installation (12/27) until Jan. 9th when the water meter reading showed a massive water leak. The water bill prove the backflow preventer leaked from 12/27/2022 (the day of completion) to 1/9/2023. If you look back in the temperature records for *******, ** there was no freeze from Dec. 27th (post completion) to Jan. 9th.
  

  
  

  Regards,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  03/29/2023

  AAIS is rejecting **************** rejection of our response. Here is why: To say our response is non-sequitur is false. **************** whole argument is about money that he believes we owe him or should give him stuff for free. So,bringing up money that we could have and/or should have charged or not given certain discounts completely 100% follows his argument. ************** wanted to talk about money, so we talked about money. There is about $500 we could have charged and didnt so we will cancel that out for the money you believe we owe.
  One could say this situation is analogous to a person signing a waiver before going skiing on a mountain saying that the ski resort is not liable for injury and paying for a pair of skis, then getting injured while skiing because you fell and broke your skis in half and then telling the ski resort that they are responsible for the hospital bill. The skis were good when they were given to you, no one knew they would break in half from you falling. It is an unfortunate event that no one would want to happen, but in the end the ski resort is not responsible for the skis you purchased, the injury, nor the hospital bill that came associated with that injury.
  If we want to go with the car transmission analogy, it would be more like you took your car in for a new transmission, then drove down the road and totaled your car then went back to the car shop and say that they owe you a new one. The backflow freezing was an act of God and as said before we are not liable for a freeze. A car shop is not liable for you wrecking. Also, as explained before,even though the pipe was not leaking during the freeze it is still possible for it to bust after the fact of the freeze.
  A sprinkler system is a luxury. It comes with responsibility and the possibility of spending more money for repair in the future. Especially installing it on a rental property, you would want to advise your tenants of things to be aware of and things to take care of for renting a house with a sprinkler system. I am truly sorry you did not advise your tenants, which apparently you think since they are girls, they dont know how to work a sprinkler system is what you told us. So, you would think it might be smart for you to advise them.
  The most basic fact of our rebuttal is that a freeze-damaged backflow preventer was not installed and reported good to go. A good and working backflow preventer was installed and reported good to go then got freeze damaged sometime after. We have backflow test and city inspections for this reason, to make sure faulty backflow preventers are not being installed. As said before if you have a problem with someone signing off on a faulty backflow preventer then you need to take it up with the *******************. I will attach the Test and Maintenance Report (T&M Report) and the passed city inspection report. Also,weird that ************** says he would have no experience with irrigation systemsconsidering he already has one at his other property. And if he had no experience,why did he refuse the walkthrough?
  Again, we are very sorry this happened to **************, and we have tried to work with him the very best that we could so it would be fair on all ends, but he refused to work with us. We wish him the best and want to advise that if any of this situation is taken to public platforms/ reviews any longer we will be taking legal action to *** for defamation of character.
  Sincerely,
  AAIS

  Customer response

  04/02/2023

  Complaint: 19520346
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ******************** is arguing that because he gave me a $500 discount in October, I should take that discount and use it to pay for the faulty part that resulted from his company's negligence in December. Let that logic sink in.
  If ******************** understood how the law works, he would know the analogy he provided about signing a waiver to go to a ski resort is exculpatory, and those don't hold up in civil court. A business cannot simply insert exculpatory fine print into their contracts and expect to be shielded from liability when damages are caused by their gross negligence. There is plenty of case law supporting this assertion.
  Having a business and customers is a luxury. It comes with responsibility and the possibility of compensating customers for your employees' negligence, causing damages due to the services you provide.
  I never said since my tenants are girls, they don't know how to work a sprinkler system, as ******************** claimed. I said that because they are girls, I don't think they tampered with the sprinkler box settings as ******************** suggested. Yes, girls tend not to get into sprinkler boxes; wow, what a shocker to the world. Now that ******************** has lied about me publicly to smear my character, I will not let this go.
  I said I have no "experience with irrigation systems," meaning I don't have experience as an irrigation professional to inspect a faulty backflow preventer. Last, I did not refuse to do a walkthrough; this is another lie.
  It's clear that ******************** is not interested in addressing my claims, so I will not make any further arguments on this forum. I will provide the factual timeline of events and let that speak for itself.
  
  10/19/22 - Quote received for new irrigation system
  12/21/22 - System was installed and backflow inspection signed off by *************************** from A&A Backflow, LLC
  12/21/22 - AAIS Technicians left residence without filling in hole of the underground plumbing
  12/22/22 - Low 19 degrees F
  12/23/22 - Low 16 degrees F
  12/24/22 - Low 19 degrees F
  12/25/22 - Low 22 degrees F. I show up to residence and take picture of the unfinished job and the exposed underground plumbing
  12/26/22 - Low 26 degrees F
  12/27/22 - AAIS Shows back up to residence and "Finalizes the job." This is a direct quote from ******************** I have in an email. At this point the backflow preventer is damaged and leaking as a result of damage that occurred BEFORE the job was finalized.
  12/28/22 - Low 37 degrees F
  12/29/22 - Low 54 degrees F
  12/30/22 - Low 49 degrees F
  12/31/22 - Low 43 degrees F
  01/01/23 - Low 47 degrees F
  01/02/23 - Low 64 degrees F
  01/03/23 - Low 53 degrees F
  01/04/23 - Low 48 degrees F
  01/05/23 - Low 43 degrees F
  01/06/23 - Low 46 degrees F
  01/07/23 - Low 62 degrees F
  01/08/23 - Low 51 degrees F
  01/09/23 - Low 46 degrees F. 1st water bill for new tenants shows from 12/27 to 1/9 there was a leak of ****** gallons resulting in a $320 water bill.
  01/23/23 - I arrive when tenants notify me of high water bill and I find the sprinkler valve boxes are full of water and I turn off the irrigation valve to stop the leak.
  
  This timeline makes explicitly clear that because ************************ technician left underground plumbing exposed BEFORE the job was finalized during a 16-degree freeze, this caused damage to the backflow preventer. As a result, when AAIS finalized the job, I was stuck with a faulty backflow preventer.
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

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