ComplaintsforPat's Plumbing, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid $4,041.31 to Pats Plumbing for sewer work. After the work and payment was complete, I took it upon myself to call the local water/sewer district to ensure proper protocol was followed. It was not. The inspector shared;1) Plumbing work was not performed to code and failed inspection. Confirmed by the *********************** District on Mon, March 18. 2) Work was not permitted in advance, as required 3) Indoor rated pipe was used outside 3) It leaked.I shared this via email with Pats. Their proposed remedy, a late permit, did not address the code and quality concerns raised by *********. I lost faith in the company's knowledge of the code and quality requirements for such a job. I hired and contracted another licensed contractor, who replaced the plumbing Pats installed. He permitted his work in advance, and scheduled and passed inspection. All in the name of the replacement contractor, not Pats Plumbing. I am seeking a partial refund of fees paid to ***'s Plumbing for the work needing replacement.Total fees paid to Pat's Plumbing;- $689.93 for camera line to main drain, including tax on invoice ******. Paid and undisputed - $3351.44 including tax on invoice ****** for * Installation of clean out. Paid, and disputed due reasons #1-4 above * Rework sharp corner at clean out install location. Paid, and disputed due reasons #1-4 listed above. *Jet main line. Paid and undisputed * Backfill of the hole. Paid.$4,041.31 in total was paid in total to Pat's Plumbing, with elements of which are disputed above. Recognizing that some work was performed as specified in our agreement, I am not seeking a full refund of the $4,041.31 money paid. Rather, a partial refund of $2,351.44 to compensate for the work which needed to be replaced by a different contractor, under a separate contract.This proposal has been shared with *****, the president of ************* via email and phone however, they have refused any refund whatsoever.

  

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  We responded to *********************** concerns with the following letter. When the clean out that we installed for her was not correct, we did inform her that we would reinstall it correctly. We did pull a permit for the work. At the time the work was done originally, ******************* did not have any working drains in her home. Under such emergency circumstances, it is permissible to do work before the permit process is complete in order to restore basic services - in this case providing her with working, flushing toilets. Once the permit process was complete, then we could re-do the installation with the proper material. 

  We recommended that she contract with ******************* to line her sewer line in order to fix the ultimate problem, which she did. They had to install a second clean out on her sewer line where the liner material ended. They offered to redo the clean out for us and we accepted since they were there and could do it quicker and easier. They did this at no cost to ******************* and *****************, the owner of ****** explained that to her and wrote that clearly on her contract. We also have a letter from ************ at ****** stating the same.
  

  Thank you.

   

  March 25, 2024
  
  *********************
  29914 *********<*************************************
  
  *******************
  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. We were contracted by you to first attempt to cable the main sewer line and when that didnt work, we came back with the ****** to use that to attempt to clear your sewer line. We camerad the line twice to see if we could determine the scope of the problem. In order to jet the line, we installed the cleanout which included opening a section of concrete and digging a 4ft deep hole. We have done all of these things for you. The clean out was installed using the wrong type of pipe at first, but a permit was pulled, the problem was fixed, and it has passed inspection.
  
  We were ready to come out, in the normal course of the job, to fix the clean-out so it would pass inspection, however **** at ****** offered to do it for us at no additional cost to you. It took him less than 15 minutes to swap the fittings for the correct ones.
  
  You did not suffer any inconvenience or damages while the clean out was installed with the wrong material, and in fact, the work ***** did bought you time to make an educated decision on your next step since the installation of the cleanout was instrumental in his ability to jet and camera the line in order to get it partially cleared so you could use your drains on a limited basis until a permanent solution could be found.
  
  We have upheld our contractual obligations with you to the letter. You paid for the services outlined on the invoice provided to you, and that is what you have received. The work was permitted, passed inspection and the hole has been backfilled and the concrete has been re-poured. The job is correct and complete to the local plumbing code. Therefore, there is no refund available.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to address your concerns

  

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  Attached is the letter that *****************, the owner of ****** provided to ***'s Plumbing, and *******************, clarifying that she did not pay for him to rebuild the faulty cleanout at the center of her complaint. ************ rebuilt the cleanout as a favor to ***'s Plumbing and did not charge ******************* for the work. 
  
  We had a contract with ******************* to perform a scope of work and that scope of work was ultimately provided to her at no extra cost. She suffered no inconvenience or loss of use for the cleanout being installed temporarily in the incorrect materials, and it was leaking because she was still having problems with her sewer line which was what caused her to need ****** to ultimately line the sewer line. The sewer line could not be completely cleared so for her to be able to use the drains in her home, the fluids had to go somewhere.  

  Customer response

  04/11/2024

  Below is my last letter to ***********************, President of ***'s Plumbing on her last refusal to issue a refund, or even admit that the work was not up to code.  I had another contractor replace the cleanup that Pat's Plumbing installed. It was written in my contract with ******************* after they viewed the work left by ***'s Plumbing. 

  
  Your company did not do the work I paid ***'s Plumbing for as written in your contract. In good faith, when your technicians left my house on Friday evening, I paid them the full amount as they requested, but they stated it was getting late and they would be back next week to backfill the approx 4ft deep hole they dug to install the clean out. I assumed a company like yours with so many years of service would have known what permits, etc were needed for the work. I assumed your company would be using the correct material for the job.  It was me, not your company who contacted the local water company. Thankfully your technicians did not fill in the hole to cover up their work. ************************ told me that you had not applied for a permit, and that the work your technicians had performed did NOT meet code. I also found out from several companies that the line they had installed was not of the proper material. I was the one who told your company that *************** company required a permit, and that the work I paid for did not meet code. Your technicians were nice people, but they did not do quality work or know the correct materials and permits needed. 
  
  In summary:
  1) You did not get the permit needed. I contacted Lakehaven to see if a permit was needed. You did not. I was the one who notified you that a permit was needed after your workers left on Friday.
  
  2) You did not use the correct material needed. Both Bill of ******************* and another major plumbing company informed me that the line your company installed, the line I paid you for, needed to be replaced and redesigned before more work could be done. 
  
  3) You never admitted to me that you didn't get the needed permit or that you used the wrong material. You just said after the fact, that you could get a permit. I did not want you back the next week as I was not pleased with the quality of your work.
  As Bill of ****** wrote in his letter you sent me: "I only replaced the clean out so it would pass my inspection process and I would be able to close the permit with LakeHaven Sewer District." That was HIS INSPECTION PROCESS. You didn't seem to have any inspection process.
  
  Another company replaced your work because it was not up to code and would not pass inspection. I paid your company for that work, which you did not complete. I do not understand how you feel justified to keep all the money paid to you when you did not fulfill the written agreement I had with ***'s Plumbing. 
  
  You made no agreement with me to have someone else come back and correct the work that I paid you for under the written contract I had with your company. I was the one who told you that your work did not meet code and I would have someone else replace it. 
  
  You were paid by me for work not up to code, not completed, and had to be replaced by another contractor. That is why I strongly dispute the quality of work that I paid ***'s Plumbing for and requested a refund. You did not fulfill your contract with me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************************;
  

  
  

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