Zheila O.
09/05/2014 12:00:00 SA
This was the first time I used the Plumbers Connection. Their response to my initial call great and setting up the appointment was easy. One thing that was strange (although not problematic in any way) was that I got a missed call from one of the plumbers before the appointment date. When I called back they asked who I was and if I was calling about having dents removed from my car, which I thought was odd. The plumber (Joe) then explained that he was calling people to collect owed payments and must have called me by mistake. I was unaware that plumbers also often moonlight as auto-body repairmen but I was like, OK, he's got more than one business, no big deal. They called me the day of and asked if they could come earlier, to which I said ok, although I wasn't home at the time they arrived. They were waiting out front and came in. Both plumbers (Joe and his apprentice) were courteous and got to work right away, their work being to install a water line for my new fridge which has a water dispenser and ice maker. The problem was that they didn't pull the fridge out first to check if there already was a water line (which there was) and drilled holes in my cabinets and pulled the stove away from the wall. When they told me there was a water line already, Joe (who was also teaching a new plumber/his assistant) said he may as well just make a new one, which I thought was weird since it wouldn't make sense to have two water lines running for no reason. He told me it wouldn't be that much cheaper because he already put in the labor (why it was my responsibility to pay for him not checking behind the fridge first, I really don't know, in addition for me basically paying him to make holes in my cabinets for no reason) but he was good about doing what I asked and hooked up the water line that was already there in back of the fridge instead of making a new one.
I also asked him to check my kitchen faucet which had stopped spraying correctly due to calcium buildup. He told me it would be cheaper to purchase a new faucet than to have them clean out the old one (which he took apart and now it sprays wildly in all directions, so the faucet is worse than when they arrived) and that he could come back once I get a new one to install it. A simple google search showed that if you soak the faucet in vinegar, oftentimes most of the buildup is removed and the faucet functions like new again. I didn't see how purchasing a new faucet for at least $200 (of the ones I was looking to buy) plus his labor and installation could possibly be cheaper than removing the calcium buildup but I told him I'd contact him when I bought the new faucet.
That day, before they left, they charged me using an iPad but did not show me the charges ahead of time, only the total, and told me that it was a new billing system so they couldn't email the invoice right away. I called a day later and asked for the emailed invoice. They sent it immediately, however, upon reviewing it, it seems they charged me for labor of installing a new water line, which was exactly what they had not done! Needless to say, I asked my husband to call them and adjust the price because I didn't want to pay for someone basically destroying my cabinets for no reason. The company was great in their response and timely in refunding me $45 (of a $210 bill) for the labor but it left me feeling a bit let down about their trustworthiness since I was charged for something that wasn't done (a new water line, rather than just hooking up an old one).
Overall, the work itself was fine (aside from them using all of MY clean rags from under the sink to sop up water, instead of using their own that they should've brought with them) but I was somewhat disappointed in the honesty of the billing. They corrected their overbilling but it took some follow-up on my and my husband's part. I wondered if the reason they were having trouble with their new billing system on the iPad and couldn't let me see the charges at the time before my credit card was charged were because they were trying to charge me for work that wasn't done. It could have been simple human error (or the particular plumber and not indicative of the company itself) and I gave them 3 stars because I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but I am still questioning whether or not I will use them again. I wouldn't say emphatically that I would avoid their service, but it gives me pause to consider other plumbers. I hope this doesn't deter others from using them as the work itself was good, but please look your bill over closely before letting them charge you. Good luck!