Business ProfileforEarthservice Drainmaster Inc.

Was told when I phoned to order a septic tank pump out that the cost would be $577. Today, I received a transaction record on my credit account for $722.60. When I called to question the difference, they explained that the $577 quote was for a basic pump out of 600 gallons and it was 40 cents a gallon for anything in excess of that. They said that they pumped 872 gallons. I have no way of checking that. They said their terms of doing the work were all explained to me when I ordered the work. It was not. They were adamant that they told me this information when I called. I was also told they sent me a copy of my invoice 4 days ago giving details of all the charges. I have no record of such an email and still do not have a copy my invoice. The two gentlemen who came with the pump out truck were very courteous and thorough in their work. I had opened the lids to the tank before they had arrived and laid out a charged garden hose and they were very effusive in their thanks to me for having everything ready for them when they arrived. I have no complaints with the work that was done but am upset with the way the final costs were sprung on me with no prior explanation.

Hi Ken, Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. I am glad to hear that the work was completed to your satisfaction, but I apologize for any miscommunication regarding costing for completing the pump out. Unless a customer is aware of the size of their tank, we have no way of providing exact costing. Because of this, we have developed a narrative that we repeat to every customer outlining the base cost at $577.50 plus tax for a tank up to 600 gallons in size. For any additional gallonage, we charge $0.40 per gallon. Even when people are aware of their tank size, it is not uncommon to have high levels in the tank due to issues that may be present or flow back from the field. Again, this is why we repeat the narrative to every customer, as there is no way to provide a quote over the phone. When we take the sewage to the dump, they inform us of how much has been dumped from the truck using their meters and charge accordingly. Where possible, we attempt measuring tanks to assist if there are discrepancies. In this case, I had offered to come and attempt measuring the tank to verify sizing, but you preferred not to do this. In regards to the invoicing, we again have a narrative that we repeat to every customer before setting up a work order, that billing will be processed 24 hours after the invoice is emailed. We are required to pay up front at the dump, which is why we need to have a credit card when setting up the work order, and why we bill in a prompt manner. Once we send the invoice, we don’t know if it was received. It is entirely possible that it went to a junk mail folder, but we have no control over that. If there was a mistake in the address, or other technical problem, then please let me apologize for the situation. It is not common, but can happen once in a while. Let me be clear that I take these situations very seriously and I am happy to discuss further to find a way that leaves us both happy with the outcome. Thank you, John Stewart General Operations Manager