Apalachee Backhoe and Septic Tank LLC

A+ this company kept there promises, called me back, and did a great job and even went further removing some yard debris. The price was the best I found and the work was professional and an on site inspector was there the whole time making sure everything was correct. A special thanks to Mike, Jay, and Arron for your hard work and professionalism.

Compared to other bids received for this job, Apalachee's was very reasonable. They completed the job in one day, almost doubled the size of that drain field (as per current code), and left the area "sod ready." We did sustain damage to a tree, and as they breached the old drain field, we were left with gravel on the surface. We have recommended this company to many friends.

Excellent. Had to call after another company failed to show. Apalachee Backhoe and Septic was very professional, and was able to dump my tank within 2 hours of the initial call. I would definitely hire them again.

It's said that pictures speak a 1000 words and speak even louder than words. Well I hope these pictures scream: DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH APALACHEE BACKHOE AND SEPTIC TANK and show the quality of work and character of this company! I hate it when businesses don't stand behind their work and I hate it more when anyone takes advantage of elderly people! This is exactly how they left my parents front yard after collecting a full payment of $3500 to install 465 sq ft of drain field. I live in Melbourne but my parents live in Tallahassee. When my daughter whose a student stopped by my parents house to tell me that heavy/huge trucks were driving across the front lawn and digging up everywhere, I thought that’s part of the job. Surely they’ll put the yard back together when they’re done. But nope! About 5pm my 90 year old mom calls me frantic from her cell phone saying the guys were leaving and her beloved yard is a disaster.... unfortunately she had given them the payment before calling me! She put one of the workers on the phone and I asked why the landline phone and TV were not working and they admitted they accidentally cut the phone and cable lines but said they called Comcast already and the company would come out that night to repair it! That was a lie. We had to call for the repairs and my parents were without both for 2 days. Then he suggests we call our irrigation company to clean out the sprinkler heads BUT IF THERE'S ANY DAMAGE IT'S NOT HIS FAULT! So I asked why what happened to the sprinkler system? He said they didn't know there was a sprinkler system and that some of the pipes were in the drainfield which shouldn’t be. Since that's a sanitation issue, I should call the Health Dept if the sprinkler company pushes back on repairs!!! As far as the grass, he said that per the agreement your mother signed (!) we are not responsible for replacing sod or repairing any damage caused..." but she shouldn't worry because we live in Florida and grass will grow back within a month! That's a stupid comment but more importantly I was thinking, what agreement? And what have you done to the sprinkler system? A couple of months back my parent’s water bill started creeping up an extra $100 then $200 and there was excessive water in one part of the yard. I’m not sure why but she asked her plumber who I think works for or is related to the owner of Apalachee Backhoe to take a look. He says he thinks it’s the septic tank and Mike, the owner, comes out to assess the situation and price the job. My mom calls me and I talked to Mike by phone. He assured me the leak was from the septic tank. He even asked me why we hadn’t smelled the seeping sewage! The work definitely needed to be done asap he said and he said his price was competitive. He told me that he stood by is work and that my mom would be happy. Anything else that I needed to know, I asked? He said they don’t replace sod. I asked about cost but because that’s not something they normally do he said it would be even more expensive for his company to do it. So we said no to that and he gave me an estimated timeline. He said NOTHING about a letter that needed to be signed relieving the company of any responsibilities for damages! After or before I talked to him, Mike and my mom we’re chatting it up. She told him about my brother being very ill in the hospital in NJ and about us flying to see him. Mike held hands with my mom and prayed for my brother. Then he asked her to pay by check not a credit card to get the permit. Fast forward and I’m having to console my mom and field several calls from her neighbors who were very concerned about what had happened to her front yard. One of her neighbor's even took pictures and sent them to me. I was shocked! So I called the company who had installed the sprinkler system in most of the yards in their neighborhood and has been in business 35 plus years. He said he has NEVER seen anything like what Apalachee Backhoe did to my parents’ front yard! He said they literally ripped pipes out unnecessarily and apparently ran over others. He could see busted and mangled pipes and some leaking. The soil was not even leveled and it would cost hundreds just to diagnose the situation. Then I called Mike, the owner. I reminded him of the initial conversation he and I had by phone. First thing Mike says to me when I called is that your mother never mentioned a sprinkler system and anyway those pipes were in the wrong place. When I asked why he didn’t tell me about or review details of the agreement letter with me, then he got nasty! This guy who was supposedly so empathetic before he got paid was now accusing us of not having enough money for him to do the job right! Your mother looked like she was going to have a heart attack when I told her the price and your father has Alzheimer’s so he wasn’t saying much!!!! Whew, So ugly. So evil. That was the price he set and no one was asking for a handout or a favor and we certainly weren’t trying to impugn anyone. We paid you to do a job that you said you were qualified and competent to do and do well and we have every expectation that you will do it. Nothing more nothing less. If you screw up during the process, own up to it and make it right. That’s it. When you sent your son back to the house after our call, he told my mom that he was embarrassed by the work! He said he didn’t stay for the whole job and had a new guy onsite. He agreed to level the dirt several days later. That’s it because the agreement relieved them of any other responsibility! The irrigation company came out worked through the mess Apalachee Backhoe made and repaired the sprinkler system $1700! Plus $700 for sod replacement. These pictures are in my opinion a reflection of the quality of work Apalachee backhoe does and stands by and I would never use or recommend them to even my worst enemy. I

It went extremely well. I observed them for a day and a half and also talked with the on-site health inspector as well about his observations. We both agreed that the work performed was correctly done. The workers were professional,punctual and informative about the installation and pumpout. One big thing I learned is never have your septic tank pumped only through the pipe(with a screw off lid)' You must have the top lid removed in order to access the sludge layer(which must be broken up in order to be sucked out).Call me for more information(Charles--562-1399). The price below was for an 860SF drainfield ($4380) and $250 for the pumpout. Mike Sundin, (owner) is honest and a straight shooter !

After two pump outs we needed a new drain field. All 3 visits were prompt. Drain field was completed in one day. Good job. Would use their services again.

It went great! I scheduled well in advance so I was the first stop of the day, they arrived promptly and took care of everything with very little mess or fuss and restored order to the area quickly and efficiently. I would not use anyone else at this point. They are wonderful!!

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Fixed in one day.

It went well, very helpful people.

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I called the main number and had to leave a message.  Mike called back in about 30 minutes and we were able to set up an appointment for the next day..
Demarcus was the technician.  He was running longer than he had planned for a previous job, but called me to let me know that he would be later than expected and to make sure the service could still be performed or if it needed to be delayed.  He arrived at the time we agreed upon in the telephone call.
He was very professional.  He was thorough in pumping the tank as well as inspecting the interior for any issues.  He answered all my questions and left the yard in

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Good work, good price, punctual and knowledgeable staff.

Our original drain field was beginning to fail. Apalachee Backhoe submitted its bid on the spot after determining what was required. Several options were provided and their prices were reasonable. So we accepted their offer. Because of other projects that we were pursuing it was necessary to reschedule the work and Apalachee was most responsive to our  requests. When work began the crew was professional in their approach and quickly took action. Of particular note was the backhoe operator who took great care around our landscaping. In one part of the yard he had little room in which to maneuver as he worked between a fence, a shed and a deck. Not only was he able to dig in very tight quarters he was also able to work around a magnolia tree that we had hoped to save. After installing the drain field they took the time to replace some large camellias along with a few other plants. They removed almost all of the roots unearthed in the process and the backhoe operator did an amazing job in levelling the ground after he completed the job.

Two employees came to the locations.  We had dug up the access to both tanks but they knew their septic tanks.  One the tanks had two chambers and the second was a single chamber tank.  They dug up the second access to the two chamber tank and without any fanfare pumped the tanks and covered the accesses.  No fuss, no muss.

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They were going to put a drain and they had subcontracted the pumping to another company and when it came to pumping they said that the filter was blocked up and when I unblocked the filter it started running into the drain.  I found the price was good.

They quickly located all three tank lids, pumped the tanks, and inspected septic system as much as possible to determine continued functionality. Once finishe'd lids were replaced and reburied. Soil was raked from adjacent grass surfaces. Remaining scars to the lawn were essentially the same size as the tank lids.

Both gentlemen were very polite and friendly.  Jonathan gave a lot of great advice and really knows his job!!  I will use them again and again!  Very happy customer!

We have used this company in the past and they have always provided excellent service at a fair price. As a small family-owned business they have been a pleasure to work with. The crew arrived on time and finished the job as promised. They were sensitive to our landscape and did their best to reduce the impact such a project makes on the environment. We will continue to use them for all our septic services.