Wind River Environmental

Don't ever use Wind River Environmental for your septic services again. They robbed me of money and took advantage of me. My septic system had drainage issues and I called Wind River Environmental in Marlborough, MA to come and review the problem. I had used Wind River every two years to come and do an assessment on my system so I called them to evaluate the drainage issue. They came and said that they could clean out the system to see if that would resolve the issue and that I would only know this after a few weeks. So I agreed to pay the $1,200 on this treatment. After they finished, one of the workers said to me that he did Title V inspections and if an inspection was to take place if I had needed one to sell the house, that the inspection would fail. I was told this AFTER the work was done. I said to the guy that he said we would wait a few weeks to see if the drainage issued cleared up and now he is telling me that the system would fail after the work was completed. Of course if he told me this before the cleaning, and being the expert that he claimed he was, he knew the system would fail after he dug up and looked at the distribution box, then I would not have agreed to a $1200 cleaning and review my next options. I was obviously taken advantage of. I called the office the day after and the manager said that he tells his workers to be honest with their customers about the problems they have with their system. I said that if he told me about the system fail before the cleaning, then I wouldn't have agreed to the cleaning-why would I? Of course weeks later the drainage issue was still there. I did have another septic service company come in to give me a second opinion and after digging up in the distribution area, they agreed that the system would be fail and that the Cleaning of the system should never have been done based on the failure. Just as I thought! Wind River just lost a customer for life and the next steps will be civil court.

Excellent, Roberto and his team are very professional, the team work was impressive. The process is very precise and They did everyting to make it work. My broken pipe was lined and now my 80 years old cast iron pipe looks like new and have 10 years warrany. They didn't have to break my bathroom floor, great advantage!. I was reluctant at first to hire them because of bad reviews that I read online. They really exceed my expectations in every way and I am very happy with the end results.

Horrible. They held our credit card prior to first appointment, then charged for unnecessary fees. About a hundred over what they quoted. I’ve called customer service and billing twice and both times they said they would reverse it, but still have not seen a revised bill or credit to my credit card. I would label this company as a scam and would not recommend to anyone.

Something has changed with this company. I have used them twice before and scheduled with them a third time. They never called to let me know when they would be out. I called at 8am and was told they would be here between 10-12. Called them back at 1pm, was put on hold for 13 minutes and then was told they could not reach the driver and would call me back. Called them at 2:10pm, was put on hold briefly and was told the tech was in my area finishing up a job and would be at my home within the hour. The tech showed up at 4:37pm. If I was last on the schedule they simply should have said it would be later in the day permitting me to take care of other business during the day. Their inability to coordinate a schedule and communicate with the customer is a joke.

They did a fine job. They came on time and did it. They did not disrupt my yard. Quick and easy.

unknown

This company has always said words to the effect of "They say that pumping your septic tank every year is important".
This turns out to be complete nonsense unless your septic system is in disrepair.  After looking online at several places, I discovered that when our house was built in 1997 (Massachusetts Title-V compliant) that the septic tank easily falls within the general guidelines set forth by Mass websites and other sources.
Over pumping it turns out is a continual scam.
Further, the serviceman shows up (I don't believe he was late), and then proceeds to lecture me on what enzymes are.  From his mistaken point of view, enzymes are somehow these living creatures that can grow up to a quarter inch long.  In fact he said this:
"In a healthy tank you should see them wriggling on the surface."  (Good grief).
I have an engineering degree and tried to carefully and politely explain to him that an enzyme is little more than a protein catalyst and is not a living creature at all.  They're actually usually simple globular proteins.  I showed him a molecular diagram of an enzyme on my cell phone.  He was referring to bacterial additives.
He then switched gears to bacteria, he was completely convinced that there was no controversy surrounding their effectiveness, which there certainly is.  Further he was also convinced that septic systems should always be pumped out yearly.
I've been using these guys for years and following their guidance, and when I did the research from properly vetted sources  (university research white papers, etc.) it turns out that 1. every year is simply not necessary, especially not for a family of two adults and two kids, and 2. enzymes aren't at all what he said they were, and 3. bacterial treatments are by themselves yielding suspect results because of the confirmation bias associated with the companies selling this stuff.
So as you can expect, they called me up a year later and asked when I should schedule the service.  I said "why?  It's only been a year."  I got words to the effect of "They suggest yearly pumping for a healthy system", and then I responded with "Who suggests that?"  The women then responded with "Well some customers like to be reminded every two years instead."
It of course is up to you, but this was my experience, and is more than enough reason to stay FAR away.  I will obviously never use these guys again for septic services.

pump out went fine , Technician was great.

the problem is with the misleading pricing.  They quoted price and a $20 coupon and failed to mention a $19.50 fuel surcharge that should up on the bill. I called the office to question it and the women told me it was to run the pump on the truck.  I mentioned that this should not be a surprise as far as cost of business and requested to speak to a manager about the un disclosed charge. they said he would call me back. I have yet to here from here, but with fuel prices at a 9 year low I am not sure there is much short of a refund he can say to maintain my business.  BEWARE OF THE FUEL SURCHARE  (12/2015)....  Next stop Mass. Better Business Bureau.

Wind River was great as far as I'm concerned. I called them the night before when my father reported he thought our toilet was running slow. I got their name from records from the previous owner - we'd just moved into the house that Fall. I had horrible visions of the septic backing up when I had 10 people in the house over Christmas. Wind River was very responsive - they sent a truck out first thing the next morning (Christmas Eve!), he pumped out the tank lickety-split, and gave us some advice/comments on the septic system in general (low-flow toilets, total drop, etc.) He was also able to look at his records & tell us some of the history of the system, since these guys had done work on it before, so that was nice. I plan on using them for my yearly septic pumping. I really can't speak highly enough of their responsiveness, at least when someone calls in a panic over the holidays.

unknown

routine
I always do my best to avoid them when they do the service as they always try to sell me on their monthly treatments to add to my system

Very polite and friendly staff.. very knowledgably and went the extra mile..

unknown

very well mannered gentleman who dug my tank that I had uncovered.  Thoughtful, thorough, pleasant.  courteous.  i have used Windriver for 5 times now, and am always impressed.

I have used them for 20 years-they have always pumped my septic and cesspool.  They are always a little pushy about selling you some very expensive additives, others have made similar comments.
This time, they claimed that the cesspool was full, and needed to pump out 2500 gallons, from a cesspool that only holds 1100 gallons.

They did a good job. We used them for a few years until we realized that every time they came, they told us we had a problem with our leaching field. We purchased chemicals from them for our tank every time it was pumped. No difference! The cost was the highest of all estimates we received. They are all pleasant, professional and do a good job, but we were always reluctant to have to hear we needed service on our leaching field. We had a company come out to take a look, there is no leaching field problem. We now use a new company with peace of mind

My issue this time was with the worker's attitude toward us. Instead of just explaining that things like "bum" wipes cannot be put into the septic system, he held one up and asked "who uses these?"  I could only figure that my niece used some while visiting. He then he asked very strongly about "what, does she have a medical condition?"  I am not a child and I was really taken aback by his attitude.  I treat my dogs better than he was treating me. He was extremely patronizing and critical toward us.

I like them unbelievably, they're so wonderful. They called us to remind us that it's time and they're not pushy about it. They will send us a postcard, follow up with the calls, their prices are very reasonable. They cleaned, gave us accurate information. I couldn't say enough good things. We used others that were okay and once we started with them and again, it's been 18 years and they are amazing. I will use them again because I wouldn't even think of anybody else because they gave me a reason even when they did got a little bit around where they have the access, they put the grass back, you would not even know they touched it. They are not pushy like when they call, "Just a friendly reminder, it's been 3 years" and they're there like they called me last night, they're coming Saturday so I couldn't think of a better way to give them, they're wonderful.

The service technician was pleasant and informative. He educated me on how to keep the septic tank running well.

All went well
Showed up on time, took care of everything.

One word: Wow. Wind River has provided exceptional customer service, far exceeding our expectations. We purchased an older home with a new ( 6 mos) septic system that was installed by the homes previous owners. Unfortunately, the system is not operating properly–perhaps due to to poor installation or weather issues. We have experienced a septic nightmare. If you think it, we have lived it–think hazmat suits, crazy bills, and an uneasy feeling as new homeowners about the septic problems we have just inherited,
Enter Wind River. Everything–from scheduling to the system pumping and follow-up has been terrific. The technician who pumped the tank (a day after a Nor'easter) was super professional. His name was Pete. Not sure if Wind River reads these reviews, but if so, kudos to Pete. Thanks, Pete, for coming out amidst the elements and for providing us with such a thorough and professional report.
iEqually important, has been the advice and expertise from Elizabeth in customer service. I don't know her last name, but hope that if Wind River reads this, she is recognized. Elizabeth is incredibly knowledgeable and has the customer as top of mind. When I told her that the original contractor of the system may provide services that Wind River could have performed, she said and quot;no problem-but I want to make sure that you're fully informed.and quot; From there, she took the time to explain what the system should be doing, what Pete found to be ill-performing and what we should require of the GC that is coming back to do to diagnose the issue. To me, knowledge about something out of your element is a key differentiator for being taken advantage of in a dishonest world. We're still in the midst of our septic issue, but thanks to Pete's thorough service and Elizabeth's expert and professional advice, we're on track. Thank you, Wind River. We look forward to working with you in the years ahead.

Dave was prompt, professional and courteous.  Gave us a thorough assessment of our system and made recommendations.  We never felt that he was trying to sell us anything, but rather that he was giving us his professional assessment for us to use going forward. 

Very happy with all of my interactions with Wind River.
Service tech who came to the house was courteous, knowledgeable and attentive. He explained each step, what he was seeing and if there was anything I should be doing differently. He of course presented the additional products and services that could be used in any septic system, and offered his personal assessment of their applicability to my system. It wasn't a hard sell.
Only complaint was that I did not receive a call 1 hour before arrival.

Work was more expensive that quoted ... along with emergency fee!

Straightforward. No problems. Made a couple of recommendations for improvement.