On The Spot Plumbing and Drain Cleaning Inc.

"We really understand that the customer is upset. Their warranty company does NOT cover any plumbing issues, whether they are water leaks or gas leaks outside of the homes main foundation. We did send a plumber out to the customer house 2 times, our plumber went out and did all the preliminary gas pressure testing and leak searches on the things that their warranty company would cover. When the plumber could not find the gas leak/s on the gas lines that were visible and exposed he notified their warranty company as we are asked to do. Their warranty company stated that according to their policy coverage, they would not allow us to dig anything up outside and in the yard. Our plumber advised the customer that about the only other way to find where the gas line enters the house would be to hand dig they yard in a few areas and see if we could locate where the gas line entered the home since there was no visible gas line, gas riser or a gas iron body stop. The customer decided to excavate they yard themselves, after doing so, they called our office and stated that they had found the gas line. We dispatched our plumber and an apprentice back to their home at " no charge." Our plumber kindly explained that what they had dug up and exposed " on their own " was not the gas line that we were looking to have exposed. We only quoted them up front charges on what needed to be done we didn't perform any of the excavating for 2 reasons, the warranty company " never " covers to dig up the yard and the customer never approved the " non covered costs ." We did quote 85.00 a foot to dig up the yard, that price is for 2 men to dig up and try to expose the gas line, most gas lines when done to Texas plumbing code are at least 18" deep from the top of the pipe to the finished ground. Most companies charge anywhere from 100 to 125 per foot for 2 men to dig up the yard and expose a gas leak, water leak, etc. Landscaping companies charge less because they are not licensed plumbers, they don't have the thousands of hours it takes to obtain a plumbing license. We told the customer what the issues were, what the variables were and we quoted them up front charges to perform the non covered work, they chose to go the least expensive route and hire landscapers to dig up the yard and expose a gas line that no one knew where It was running. We never perform any work without the customers consent, by having them sign our invoice giving us permission to get started. We never have any issues quoting up front charges before starting any repairs, our prices are more than competitive, although we are not the cheapest in town, we are certainly not the most expensive n town either. When you factor in all the variables, all the labor, the materials, the insurance, the countless hours it takes to obtain a plumbing license, we feel that we are more than competitive when it comes to the pricing one gets from the bigger name brand plumbing companies."

"We did receive a work order through [member name removed] warranty company. We called multiple times and left several messages but we never heard back from [member name removed] until several days later. Protocol when receiving a work order from her warranty company is to call within 2 hours and if we can not touch base with the client then we are instructed to call and update her warranty company, which we did. It wasn't until [member name removed] warranty company finally got in touch with her to let her know that we had been trying to schedule an appointment that she finally reached out to us to schedule an appointment. We had an appointment scheduled for [member name removed], It wasn't until our plumber was in route to her home that she called to cancel her appointment. We exhausted all measures to appease this customer but unfortunately not every customer can be pleased."

"We tested and diagnosed and found multiple issues regarding the shower in the master bathroom. We made the necessary repairs, we updated the warranty company as to the repairs that needed to be made. The warranty company did authorize a 1000.00 coverage that the customer could apply towards the repairs so that the customer would not have to pay so much from his pocket. We made all the necessary repairs, tested everything to make certain that there were no additional leaks."

"We definitely had to go out to this residence multiple times. We called and updated his warranty company every time that we went out, that is what we are asked to do. Their policy does not cover baby wipes, roots, paper towels, etc. When we found out that the warranty company would not be covering their stoppage issue, we informed them as to what we were told. Their warranty company even advised them as to why this would not be covered. If the warranty company does not cover the stoppage due to this not being normal wear and tear then we quote the customers up front charges to perform the work. The customer agreed to have the line cleaned out with a cable, we checked the line and everything was flowing good at the time that we left. Unfortunately we can not control what people place in their toilets and in their drain lines. We can only point out what we find or pull back. No plumbing company will cover any plumbing stoppage if it's a reoccurring issue due to abuse of the drain line."

"I would like to start by saying that none of our dispatchers or service writers ever ask these types of questions over the phone. We always send a plumber and or a licensed drain cleaner to the residence to perform any of the necessary testing and diagnosing on every call. The warranty company does not and will not allow us to call over the phone and pre screen customers by asking them these types of questions. The procedure is pretty standard, the warranty company sends us a work order, then we dispatch our plumber out to the residence. We never ask the customers over the phone if they have clean outs or not, our service writers and dispatchers are not even allowed to discuss any pricing over the phone. If the customer did have a clean out by the curb and inside of a box, those are legally deemed city lateral clean outs and are for the city's use for the city's main line. If caught using those clean outs the city could realistically reprimand us and then fine us should they deem necessary. We never know whether something is going to be covered or not through their home warranty, this is why the warranty company always asks us to go out, perform a diagnosis and then call in for authorization before beginning any work."