ABC Home & Commercial Services - Austin

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We found flooding in the downstairs of our house late at night.  While my husband cleaned up the water and tried to figure out what was going on, I got on Angie's List to search for plumbers.  ABC came up in the list.  We use them for Pest Service, but I'd forgotten they do all types of home services.  The reviews were good, and out pest experience with them has been good, so first thing the next morning I gave them a call.  They said they would work us in that day and would call 30 minutes prior to arrival.  When they called I was just about to head out on a quick errand.  They said no problem, they would come and wait until I got back.  They were waiting when I returned about 15 minutes later.  After talking with me about what had happened, they very quickly identified the probable cause and tried to clear the main drain pipe.  They also reset the toilet my husband had taken off when trying to find the clog the night before.  They went to show me the work done to wrap up, and water was backing up again.  They did more analysis and found tree roots growing into the drain pipe.  We scheduled another day for them to come back and replace the section of pipe.  The plumber was very knowledgeable, friendly, professional both times he came.  ABC was easy to work with, friendly, and genuinely seemed to want to help us solve our problem quickly and efficiently.  Would definitely use them again!

This was a debacle.
I brought ABC out to look at my irrigation system.  I knew there were issues with some of the heads and a leak in the front yard.  I did tell ABC when I made the appointment that I was interested in discussing less water-intensive alternatives for my mostly xeriscaped yard.  However, I was clear that my primary goal was a reliable, working system that had minimal maintenance requirements.  In the end, I need to be able to set the timer and trust the system.  It needs to just work.
I repeated my goals when the ABC came to quote the work.  I also pointed out possible limitations on the work, such as the high frequency of deer.  After some discussion and assurances, I agreed to replace a conventional system with drip irrigation.
This was a complete waste of money.
Within a day, I had the first occurrence of a hose separating from a connector.  I attributed that to an improper seating during installation and didn?t worry.  The next time the system came on, it happened again at a different location.  Okay, still could be a ?new install glitch.?  I pushed that in tightly.  You know where this is going, right?  You guessed it.   Soon I had multiple failures every time the system ran.  I adopted a strategy of visually pre-checking the system to catch obvious problems, testing each station in sequence for blowouts, and then finally running it.  Even that was a temporary solution, as complicated as it was.  Not too much later, the system couldn?t run a program without a blowout.
ABC came back out to look at the system.  They said one of the regulators failed.  (That might explain one station, but the others?)  They scheduled another visit the next week, where they changed the flow regulation at the switches.  They assured me the problem was resolved.  The system ran correctly about 4 times.  Then quickly I was back to the previous situation.
These blowouts often caused some level of damage to the property.  At first, that had been limited to things like ?water trenches? around the break, that I?d have to refill and clean up. Most recently, the 4th blowout in one evening (yes, I was watching the system run) sprayed water into the garage.  Fortunately, the damage to items in the garage was minimal, mostly because I could deactivate the system quickly.  Some of my plants are also showing signs of stress from my inability to reliably water during these hot summer months.
I?ve used ABC for many years.  I trusted them to give me a good recommendation.  To the best I can tell (note: subjective opinion), ABC intentionally directed me to a high-profit job over a repair job without concern for my needs.  I?ve also had mixed successes with ABC on other projects this last year, adding to my nervousness.
I decided that I needed some alternate opinions.  I contacted another company, which is well-respected on Angie?s List.  I also had shared the situation with friends and family members who had done private and semi-professional irrigation installs.  The short is that they all expressed some common issues.  These included things like the system did not meet common ?best-practices?  standards for quality.  Furthermore, the connectors on the larger hoses were the wrong size for that hose.  Also, the system should have had independent flow regulators after the valves, not rely the switch valves themselves.
There?s also a device for about $15 that would have shutoff the water flow when there was a problem.  Most thought those just should have been installed normally, but the local professional said that they are typically only put in on request.  Fair enough.  Even he, though, said he would have offered them immediately on the first problem to prevent additional property damage.
Here?s the kicker.  The professional installer tried to convince me not to hire him to do any repairs.  He wanted me to pursue this with the regulatory agency overseeing irrigation and the BBB.  He said outright that this was a sub-standard installation that didn?t meet code.
Please note:  I am not an expert in irrigation systems.  I believe these observations.  I know for a fact that I could rotate the connectors used for the large hoses using one finger, which gives credence to the statement that they were too small for that diameter of hose.  I was also shown connectors that were more appropriate choices for larger water distribution.
I, however, don?t want my ?pound of flesh? from ABC.  So, I contracted to have the defected system ripped out and replaced with a conventional system that is actually functional.
I will admit that ABC offered to come look at the system again.  It was my decision to disengage.  I?m sure, though, that anyone can understand my unwillingness to trust a company that apparently installed a substandard system that they couldn?t repair when given the opportunity.  That added to some of my other recent experiences with ABC left me little reason to believe they were concerned with my interests.

The project manager, Mr. Scott Stucky, may be the most professional contractor with whom I?ve ever worked.  He added expertise from the initial consultation, through the work, and even follow up.  In the planning stage, he brought ideas to find that sweet spot between cost and value.  He would often mention lower-cost possibilities, and then outline any advantages or disadvantages.  I?m positive Mr. Stucky has a customer-centric focus to his work.  He wanted his client (me) to be happy when it was done.
That is also evident in the result.  The work was performed well.  Everything works, is solid, and looks great.  All the new stuff looks like it belongs in this house.
I?ll also comment that the team handled those little snafus that always happen with professionalism and skillfully.  The project came in on budget.   I?m confident in the quality. 

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ABC exceeded my expectations.
On the first consultation, their representative listened carefully to my problems and preferences. He asked appropriate questions about the direction that I wanted the yard to go. When I called ABC, I wasn?t sure exactly what needed to be done optimally. I only knew it new that I had problems that needed to be resolved. Their associate applied expertise to find solutions.
The result was beautiful.
They found innovative solutions to correct my "problem area." This was a combination of careful pruning, shaping, and removing the "undergrowth". All the trees and hedges were trimmed to give safe clearance from the house, both in terms of pests (access from limbs) and weather (wind-blown branches can cause damage).
This was ABC at its best. I nearly didn't use them after last autumn's somewhat disappointing performance. I'm glad I gave them a second chance.

I was a disappointed in the result. The plants were minimally trimmed, though little else was done.
Most unfortunate, I was clear that the most important goal was to trim plants away from the house. About a week later, a pest-prevention service was at the house and pointed out that the shrubs were against the walls and eves.  Yes, they didn?t give sufficient clearance for even a week of growth. I was out on a ladder trying to do it myself before a November storm.
I?ve done a lot of business with ABC over the years. I?ve always said that they are more expensive but worth the cost. I may need to reconsider.

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I have great experience with all the people I worked with. They are on time. They're punctual. They have done a really good job so far.

I have used them for pest control for about two years.  I am satisfied with their service.  I have used them twice for plumbing.  One of the visits the individual did not seal the connection and it disconnected causing a massive flood under my house and yard.  He came back and spent a day fixing it at no charge.

I have a contract with them so they come out every other week. They did a good job to the lawn and that's about he only thing I like about them. They could just show up when they're going to.

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They have been a great company.  They are always good to work with.

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They're on time. I get emails when they're going to be out there. I think it's like a two-hour window, which is nice. They're professional and timely. The people are courteous. I've dealt with ABC with a lot of different aspects of their company and everyone has always been very courteous and professional. They're expensive but they're good.

They were courteous, professional, and included several perks specific to my installation; re-routing partial duct work, installing work platform in attic, cleaning up after previous repair personnel, and included wifi system controls.

Concerned about fire danger here in the hill country southwest of Austin, we scheduled ABC again because we liked the work they did for us last year when the wild grass and thistle were also very high. They were booked up and couldn't get to us right away but we felt it was worth the wait, and it was.  A team of two men with riding mower and gas weed-eater completed the job in about an hour and a half.  We were surprised how good it looked, exceeding our expectations.  They also cleaned up the cut debris with a leaf-blower and then swept out our leaf-littered garage which we hadn't even asked them to do.  We are very pleased with the work and the price, and will use ABC again.

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We like ABC Pest Control but they were not very responsive. They also screwed up on punctuality.

I got a quote from ABC on a replacement cover for our spa. When I first called to inquire about it I was transferred around a few times before being directed to the right person and then once I found the person that I needed to speak with they were "on the other line" and would call me right back. I didn't receive a call until the next afternoon only to be given instructions on how to measure our spa and then was told to call back when we had the measurements. By this time I had already been in contact with other suppliers which were much quicker to answer my questions, did not require self-measuring and also much less expensive. We did not use ABC for this service although we would consider them in the future for other services.