The Problem Solvers Llc Plumbing Heating Cooling
About us
Family owned and operated, plumbing, drain cleaning, heating, cooling & electrical repair companies. Additional phone - (937) 885-3742, (937) 433-1223, (937) 602-4292, (937) 322-0855. Award winning. Additional DBA - We Fix What Your Husband Repairs T P S. Additional Address - PO Box 751323.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Residential plumbing, cooling & electrical repair & drain cleaning., heating
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 63% | ||
| 20% | ||
| 3% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 7% |
I had installed a kitchen faucet but failed to make a tight connection. I had to leave town so I called The Problem Solvers to see if they could tighten the fitting. I was told that the service charge would be $45.00 and if they did any work then that amount would be included in their price. I called on a Thursday and they were to be at the house on Monday. The technician arrived on time and my son (20) let him in. I called my son to ask how things were going and he told me that the technician told him that the total cost to repair would be $276.00. I asked my son to put the technician on the phone. The technician told me that both water lines leading to the faucet needed to be replaced (I replaced them after my return at a total cost of $15.00 from Lowes) and that the line leading to the pull out faucet hose needed to be repaired. I asked him how much the service charge was and he told me it was $45.00. I told the technician to ensure that the water was turned off under the sink, get his tools and leave. He left an estimate that stated “Repair std faucet. Disconnect water lines and sprayer hose under kitchen faucet apart. Replace supply lines and reconnect everything properly. I called my son later and he told me that he had to pay $55.00 and not the original $45.00. I looked at the receipt and printed on it was an “Environmental Fee” of $10.00, something I was never told about.
I could not believe that they wanted to charge me $276.00 to repair a kitchen sink. I feel that either their rates are ridiculously high or the technician was trying to take advantage of my son. I understand that they are a business and need to make money, but $276.00 for repair a leaking faucet?
"I am sorry to hear that you were not happy with our service call. Our pricing system is an upfront pricing system that covers everything from material, advertising, trucks, payroll and a lot more to operate a company. We understand that a homeowner can buy the material and do it themselves for a lot less than we can. The material that we use is a much higher quality than what is offered at any of those home repair box stores. With an upfront pricing system we can insure that no employee takes advantage on any customer. As for our prices we are priced average with other companies in the area. Yes there are cheaper companies, but most of them are not licensed and/or insured and they operate like a hobby and not a business. But there is that old saying "You get what you pay for" and with us you get great service on your time with a 1 year warranty on anything we do. Once again I am sorry that you were unhappy with us, but want to to know that we will be there if you need us in the future for anything."
"I am sorry to hear that you were not happy with our pricing or timing. I do want to thank you for the complimemt on how our technician performed his job. We spend a lot of time training our technicians to perform at very high standards and to insure that the customer is taken care of. As I did read through your review I did notice several items that you listed that are incorrect, that I feel need to be addressed; 1) you have down the date of service as July 11, 2013 when the service was done over a year before on June 20, 2012, 2) you said that the technician used the same part and just cleaned it, but the invoice clearly states he replaced several parts, 3) you said he was there 5 minutes but the GPS shows that he was dispatched at 3:31pm - arrived at 3:46pm and finished at 4:40pm. We try to make sure that on every call we complete the customer is happy and satisfied. We even have the office make a phone call afterwards to insure this. There are times when we may miss the mark, but we will do everything in our power to resolve any issue."
wax ring. The service was rather time consuming (1.5 hours) for what he
had to do. I thought the price was rather steep as it represented
almost all labor and very minor part cost. This worked out to be about
$200/hr. They will not give you an estimate or range over the phone and
now I know why. When you have a leaky toilet and you schedule time for
them to come out who is going to send them away and start the process
all over with another plumber.
We had 2 jobs done on one bill. Some second story gutters needed to drain better, and the sewer has backed up twice in 2 years.
The second story gutter has chronically leaked, and needed to be removed, fascia board repaired and the gutter rehung, with another downspout installed. It took a couple guys a couple days to get it done, and they did a nice job. It finally drains properly.
They have a very cool videoscope that lets you see into the sewers, and I did see the actual roots invading the clay pipes. He also mapped the rainwater drains and confirmed that they are clear. I didn't get to actually see this part, but they promised a DVD. They also used a high pressure device to clean out the sewer.
There were a couple issues. Most irritating was that they missed 3 appointments to start work. They did call, with very good reasons, but when they called on a Thursday night to cancel Friday (emergency furnace replacement for someone else), I asked about Saturday. and quot;Oh, we don't work on Saturdayand quot;. By the third cancellation, they did suddenly work on Saturday.
Second, when the gutter did come down, it was clear that about 20 feet of soffit would need to be replaced and braced with 2x4s. I understand, you can't tell until you get in there. Still, he told me the additional charge would be 1000 dollars, which seemed like a lot.
Small thing, but they promised I could watch the scoping of the drains and have a record (DVD) but their USB stick didn't work and they couldn't deliver. I never did see the scope of the perimeter drain.
Another small thing. The gutter guard fell off the night after install, and he had to come back to screw it on. These are things I can do, but since I am paying premium, I shouldn't have to.
I did several other things that you shouldn't have to do when paying high end prices. I called several times. I complained to my co-worker, and that probably helped, since she called her inside contacts. However, that option isn't available to all customers. I did ask for an itemized bill, where I learned that they billed 40 hours at 130/hour. The 40 hours is probably generous, but close. 130/hour also pays for the trucks, the office staff and everything, but still, seems high, especially since they are apparently understaffed. I did decline to pay all the bill when presented, since I didn't have the DVD. I did agree to only hold back 100, but he was very nice and left without any money. Ultimately, they took the 1000 dollars off as an inconvenience refund. I had understood that he would rescope the sewer after the power cleaning, but he said no (my understanding was verbal only). When they couldn't produce the DVD, I tried to leverage that into a followup scope, but he initially gave another scope within one year (power cleaning warranted for one year, so I assume that if it backed up it would require another scope, so I thought I had that anyway). I asked for a voucher to have it done anytime in 2 years, and they agreed.
However, everyone was unfailingly polite and cheerful, and the work is good. Take home lessons? Get it in writing, ask questions, and negotiate. I don't like to negotiate (code for complain), but I likely got my and quot;inconvenience refundand quot; of 1000 dollars because I did. They also knew that I would be posting a review here, and I think that helped as well.
Too much miscommunication has taken place to date, so allow me to bring you up to full speed regarding where we collectively stand as of this date, 24 June 2011.
Due to the damage Tom did to our lower level, his offer of $500USD off and the subsequent revelation that Tom had no such corporate endorsement to make said an offer, we agreed to have the $500USD offer converted into an annual preventative maintenance contract. I agreed, Tammy agreed, Casey agreed, PERIOD.
Paperwork regarding the service contract was to be forthcoming once we made our final payment to TPS, (a vital mistake on my part). Additionally, you offset Tom’s disastrous performance here by purchasing me one new 50’ 12 gauge extension cord (destroyed during Tom’s texting and “working” here). Note: Casey did his level best to return our lower lever to an acceptable pre-Tom state.
However, as you will see, not even bleach on our part can remove the scars left by The Problem Solvers. I think the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” says it all, see for yourself below:
This is the “Braze while I txt my girlfriend” result.
Torch in one hand, fone in the other.
Professional results?
Inexcusable!
“Oh don’t worry, those are just my HVAC lines.
What’s a little flame going to do?”
(Any HVAC problem’s resulting from this damage, TPS will foot the bill, believe it.)
“You don’t mind if I scorch your primary second story support columns do you?
“What the heck, their only made of wood, how bad could that be???”
Unbelievable!
“Hey look, I did not burn your house down but I did leave a nice, clean, s*** free wall for you to clean-up later, wasn’t that nice of me?”
Unforgivable!
So let me lay it out for you, by the numbers:and middot;
TPS owes me a new, clean installation of the WC along with clean up of the aforementioned disaster.
Done by Casey, to the level achievable given the damage left behind by Tom.and middot;
TPS owes me a new extension cord, per above.
Done by you (Tim, the owner).and middot;
TPS owes me a $500USD value “preventative maintenance contract” at no charge!o Verbally committed to by your staff (Tammy, Casey) “after I paid my balance.” To my dismay, no contractual paperwork to back-up your company’s commitment to me over the next year, has arrived in the mail, once I paid my balance in full. Item is of top priority for resolution!and middot;
TPS owes me a one year parts and labor warranty on the entire Water Commander installation.
Ongoing. Casey is the technician of choice for this home/installation.
I think that about covers it. I am sure you will come to the same conclusion after you have had a chance to study the photo’s and the follow-up care agreed upon. (NOTE: All photo’s shown within this document are POST Casey clean-up! The “original, pre-cleanup photo’s” are in my possession “for a rainy day” business wise.BTW, I noticed TPS is a member company of the Nexstar Network with a working Board of Directors of approximately nine or so. I also noted the Chairwoman is Tammy Ferris, small world indeed.
Tim, what it all boils down to is this: I am tired of getting the run-around at TPS. The president of TPSdoes not need to check in with his staff to resolve these issues. You either make the right decision or you don’t. The time has come for you to step up to the plate as agreed, it’s that simple.
Sincerely,
Christopher
"First I would like to apologies to this member for any inconvenience that we may have caused. There are several things that I would like to respond to; 1. The simple installation of the water commander, this is by far not an easy installation and in fact only a few companies in the area do these installations. 2. The furnace filter being soot up, in all of my 20+ years I have never seen this and when asked to show me pictures there were none of that but of other things 3. As for calling the member a liar, this is true. Each time (Total of 5 times) we talked to resolve this matter, the member would tell me what he wanted and when I agreed he would call back in the next day wanting more and saying that I said yes in the prior conversation. I am sorry that I offended him, but I am a straight shooter and when this happens I will not sugar coat things. 4. As for the there being issues on both sides, I still stand by this. I agreed that my tech had a bad day and that was the start to all the issues and that this is not an excuse. We agreed how to get the work done and all the other things that the member wanted. Than before the agreement could be put into action the member changed the plan and demands which caused additional issues. We completed the work to the member’s satisfaction; the member made a partial payment, but we have not been able to resolve the additional items due to member changing his mind per each conversation. 5. Per our last conversation we offered the member the following; $345.00 off the original bill which is what the member asked for, full year maintenance contract on the members plumbing and drains and a full year labor warranty on any work that we did. In exchange we wanted a release signed to completely close this matter. The member refused this offer, which is what he is asking for. In his notes he wants to keep this open for a rainy day, which is not acceptable. I am hoping that we can resolver this issue with the member in the near future. I understand that I can not satisfy every customer we deal with, but I will go out of my way to try. This is why we have A+ rating with the BBB, Angie’s List and others. Once again I want to apologies to this member for not being able to resolve this issue as quickly as we both would have liked, but I am sure that we will get this resolved."
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