Sentinel Plumbing

It went very well. Doug was very polite and knowledgeable. He was very professional and really care, just a good worker.

Very bad experience with to many issues to list.  After spending over 6,000 dollars my sewer is still not draining correctly.  This repair was split into two separate jobs.  I should have learned a lesson after the first job.
First Job:  (Winter 2013).
Quoted 2,800 to have my entire sewer line replaced in my front yard.  Stated it would only take two days to complete.  They started the digging and found out my water line was to close to the sewer to dig out the entire length of the yard.  Instead they just replaced the collapsed part of the clay pipe.
When testing water would not drain.  Determined that part of basement line would have to be replaced to clear tree roots.  Would not start work until an extra $1000 was paid.
Here is the interesting part:  After digging up the line and exposing it Bill came by.  He said the job took way to much time (4 days) and he was losing money.  If I did not agree to clean up, fill in concrete, and put dirt back in the hole outside he was going to take his workers and leave the job.  This would have left me with an exposed not working sewer line.  I agreed and they finished repairing the line.
In conclusion:  I paid $4000 to have a few feet of sewer line repaired and left with a lot of dirt to fill back into my hole outside.  Also soon to find out the job was not completed correctly.
Second Job: (Summer 2014)
Sewer started backing up again so I had the sewer line scoped.  Stated there was a possible bad connection at the house to the new PVC.  Called Doug at Sentinel and he stated they would cover it under warranty.  Since they would already be digging for the warranty repairs I figured it was a good idea to see if they could charge me a lower fee and replace the entire line.  I was so tired of dealing with these problems I wanted to avoid future issues with the remaining clay pipe.  They were only going to charge me $2000 so I figured it was to good of an offer to pass up.
They started the job and ended up hitting my water line.  My whole front yard was filled with water.  I ended up having to stay at my parents house for a week while they completed the repairs.  Most of the days during the week they would not show up until after 5 PM.  A few days they did not show up at all!  He said the reason for this is because people were driving by asking if they had a permit and it scared them off.  If a permit was needed why would you do this type of work without one??  Talk about a nightmare of a week.
After replacing the line dirt was filled back into the hole.  I was told over the next week they would be back to clean up the drive way and trash they left in the yard.  It has been over a month and they have not been back.  I ended up cleaning up most of the things by myself.
Sewer line is still not draining correctly which leads me to believe it may be a problem with the PVC they put under my basement floor.  Kind of low on money right now so will have to wait until I can get the pipe scoped again from the inside.  Hopefully it is not bad since I am already out $6,000.
I wrote this review to hopefully keep others from experiencing this nightmare like I did.  This is my first house so I learned many lessons from this experience that is still not over.  I will continue to provide updates on work they did incorrectly.

The men were prompt, well mannered and very clear in their explanation of the issue.  They gave a fair estimate and explained each thing that they would do and they did very good work.

They also provided a one year guarantee on parts and labor.

We were told by the sewer line cleaner that the cast iron sewer pipe under our basement floor was broken and would need to be replaced. We knew it would be expensive as that line ran the entire length of our basement.
We called 2 plumbers for quotes. Both came onsite and reviewed the work required. Sentinel Plumbing's quote was much lower than the other guy's. We called up Bill to discuss and he quickly realized that it was missing the work to replace one of the floor drains. He gave me a new quote that was a little higher, but still less than the other guy.
We gave Sentinel the go ahead. By this time we had been unable to use our kitchen sink and dishwasher for over a week. We were concerned that once we gave the go ahead, it would take a week or more to begin the job. They were able to start in 2 days - which was a Saturday. We did not pay extra to have them work on the weekend.
They showed up on time on Saturday and began work right away. It was a full day of jackhammering our basement floor but they got the old pipe out and replaced it with PVC that day so we could use our plumbing that night. They had to come back the next day (Sunday) to finish patching the floor with cement.
Overall it went well. Due to the nature of the work, it was dirty and dusty. They had put up plastic on the walls and furniture. They wore cloth booties over their boots to prevent tracking up the carpet. A part of the old pipe broke off and fell on the carpet on the stairs but they went and got carpet cleaner and cleaned it up.

UPDATE:

Once the sewer lines were replaced and the cement patch was completed, they took several days to come back and finish the cleanup. We had to phone several times to remind them and get back on their schedule.

Overall I believe the actual plumbing work was done well, but they did not allocated enough time to ensure that the cleanup was done properly. Also, once they had the initial work done, they seemed to be more interested in getting other new jobs than completing our job.

They were very professional, on time, friendly, and respectful.  I really appreciated their service and I would use them again in the future.  I would recommend them to anyone in need.

They saved our holiday weekend! We realized mid-week, after spending hours ourself trying to snake out our system, that we
had a major problem and had to call a professional so we called Bill at 10:15 pm on a Thursday night. He answered promptly and discussed what we found and what the problem might be. He answered all of our questions, gave us an estimate over the phone, and had Doug out the next morning to survey the problem. He quickly confirmed we had a major break and we wrote up a work order to get started. We had most of the cash needed, but were a few hundred short so they worked out a finance plan and scheduled work to start the next day, Saturday of Memorial Weekend. They were on time the next morning with a full crew ready to go. After a few hours of demo, they realized not only had the pipes collapsed in mulitple places inside, the outside had settled 4 inches and developed a low spot. At that point we discussed how much more it would be to correct the whole problem. And since they were going to have everything tore up anyway, we asked how much more it would be to include the rough pipework for an extra toilet and sink. They gave us an excellent quote so we wrote up another work order and continued the job. They put in a full day and are back at it again today, but today they've dealt with pouring rain and not slowed a bit so I have to say they are a dedicated crew. We very much appreciate the way they have turned a horrible situation into one that we can now find lots of positives in. Thank you Sentinel Plumbing!!! We give you an A+!!!

I called Sentinel and made an appointment for a busted water pipe. The owner was very professional and listened to all the information I provided over the phone. Within an hour, one of their licensed plumber Doug called and arranged for the next day appoint. Doug was very polite and professional and reviewed the pictures of the problem I had sent them. He came the next day on time with the proper parts and addressed the issue. Would definitely call them back again for other services as needed.

It went very well. They came out right away since we were rather desperate. The work was done quickly. They were very courteous and they explained everything to me to make sure that I was fully informed. I would certainly them to friends and family based on today's experience. We called them last night and they came out first thing that next day to fix the issue. We were very happy with the service they provided. I was unable to pay with a credit card and had to come up with cash to pay for the service. I consider this an inconveinance.

The Sentinel team was great. They provided the top level customer kind of service you seldom find today. I found them from Angies list. I called Bill at 0730 on Easter morning on what I thought might be a major plumbing issue just to leave a msg expecting maybe I would hear back on Monday. Bill called me within a half hour on Easter! I explained my issue and timeline deadline due to pending sale of my house. He listened patiently and promised to call me back the next day with a date/time he could do the job. He did exactly that . Within another day I had Bill, Doug and John on my door step to scope my drains and assess the problem. They wrote me an estimate with a guarantee of 100% customer satisfaction and guarantee of all work.. There was never any pressure. Bill even said that if they couldn't fix the issue, he would help me find the right company and provide oversight of the job for me if I preferred. Thankfully, the job was fully within their scope. To meet my timeline, Doug and his assistant came back to my house and worked most of Saturday morning to finish the job. I just LOVE these guys. You will too...promise!

It was 75% cheaper than other quotes I had received, and they offered a financial payment plan as well.  They were very professional.

Called and left msg with an answering service. They called back very promptly and sent a plumber out within an hour. He gave us a great price, left for lowes and picked up a pipe, installed, tested and boom...done. Very very happy

Plumber Daryl Coyell (sp.?)   took a couple of hours to get to me, but kept me informed of his progress and when he would arrive. Tried lesser (and cheaper) alternatives first. Gave some potentially money-saving advice for avoiding future problems. Was polite and professional.

It went very well. They were courteous, polite, and professional. They were very reasonably priced. They were extremely efficient and didn't leave a mess.

The sewer was coming up through the floor in my basement. I called them frantic. They got over there that day and cleaned everything up. They fixed the problem. They're incredibly professional and very reasonably priced. They're very polite. I would highly recommend them.

He came right out, the next morning of my call. It's working perfectly now and there is no leak. I had someone else come out and they couldn't even find the problem. I would recommend him anyone!

My sewer was backed up and they came out and looked at a couple other things. They snaked the drain. They're very professional, very courteous and they cleaned up after. I would highly recommend them.

He did a pretty good job. He went down, he broke the concrete open, he showed me where he had fixed it. He put it back together, and he did a great job. I had other guys out here who couldn't find the problem that he was able to find.

We were really impressed. They were very professional and well manored. They cleaned up after themselves very well. Overall we were very impressed. Compared to other prices, the price was great.

Couldn't show up the first day promised.  Understood that--no problem.  Quoted a price of $800.00 to dig out and replace faulty drain pipe.  

2nd day:  Dug out the area in question and found that there was more of an issue than originally thought.  Understood!  However, Mr. Ramsdell then quoted a price of $1200-1800 to fix the problem.  There was a section approximately 6-8 feet  in length that had to be dug out and have two drains and under basement sewer line replaced, plus one off shoot section of about 3 feet to connect to a basement bathroom toilet. 3

3rd day:  Mr. Ramsdell continued to up the price and quoted it could be $3000-6000 to remedy the problem, depending on what else had to be dug out.  

4th day:  Mr. Ramsdell was not giving priority to the situation and was working other jobs, all while continuing to ask for more up front money. 

5th day:  Was obviously leaving a worker not trained to handle the work he was being asked to do.  Mr. Ramsdell was literally screaming at the worker in front of me for inefficiencies.  TOTALLY unprofessional. 

6th day:  Work was "complete" and concrete was re-poured in basement area that had been dug out.  The concrete work was horrible.  There was a two inch gap left under the basement door to the outside of the house, which was not like that prior to the work.  The concrete was poured unevenly and was poor in grade.  I understand the mess of this type of job, but the basement was left in deplorable condition. 

7th day:  Mr. Ramsdell had his employee to call me to inform me that work was complete.  I told the employee of the problems with the concrete and asked that Mr. Ramsdell call me back.  That never happened.  Therefore, the concrete was never properly completed.



UPDATE:  On completion of an inspection for sale of this house, sewar scoping showed further problems.  I called on another plumbing company.  When they dug into it, a trench had to be dug in the basement from front to back of house, which included the 8 foot section Mr. Ramsdell had done.  When the other company dug into the connections Mr. Ramsedll had done, it was found that he had improperly connected new pvc to existing iron, had used a 3 inch pvc pipe in one underground area and had run that pipe into a 4 inch pipe but did not use a joint fitting--just ran the 3 inch pipe into the 4 inch and wrapped a rag around it.  Second plumber found that due to water filling into the hole they had dug up to the joint section Mr. Ramsdell had completed. The second plumber also showed me a pvc joint section where Mr. Ramsedll used latex caulk as joint cement, which was also leaking into the underground.  The second plumber removed ALL of Mr. Ramsdell's work and corrected all problems he created.  As stated earlier, Mr. Ramsdell charged over $3000 for this unprofessional botched job that was approximately 8 feet of underground sewer drain.  The second plumber's charges were totaled at $3200, which ran the length of the basement--35 feet of new underground sewer line, including replacing all that Mr. Ramsdell installed.  



ALSO:  Mr. Ramsdell failed to get proper permits, which I thought was happening and was unaware of until completion.  Thus, no inspection was done prior to covering the work.  Too late by the time I was aware. 



End result:  2nd plumber took pictures of all inferior work as it was found.  I have those and will be presenting this to the proper departments in the City of St. Louis, MO to see what can be done to stop this kind of bait and switch pricing and the totally inferior work that has been done.  I am a very dissatisfied customer of Sentinal Plumbing.

He was very quick, accurate, prices were very reasonable, and I was extremely satisfied with the service.  I would recommend them to anyone.

This guy is a scam artist, plain and simple. He charged my elderly father $3,000 to replace his tub, and the install job is so slopping it looks like a kid did the work: exposed screw heads everywhere, nothing is caulked, there is a huge exposed gap in the drywall at the top of the shower stall. The only reason he got away with this is because my father is old and easy to victimize. Don't do business with this guy. You will likely regret it.

It was a disaster.

On a holiday weekend, the telephone was answered live, not a recording.  A service person was free and was on my premises in about a half-hour of the phone call.  Mr. Ramsdell was courteous, friendly, and cleaned up after the work was complete.  In all, the job was done within an hour and a half of the initial phone call.

I loved him being on time. They were very professional and I really appreciate them. They also cleaned up after themselves. I would recommend them to anybody.

They were very clean cutt and polite. They were on time and did not ask for more money. Everything he quoted was dead on. I had a great experience with them. I also felt very safe having them in my home.