ABest left Asbestos on our pipes. They ran they air test for a "complete" job while the asbestos…read morewas still wet from where they only partially pulled it off, and when I tried to have them come back and take care of things, the manager avoided all calls. When I did initally speak with him, he stated that "mistakes are made, but you paid to have a good job done, and thats what we did". I said No, I paid to have you remove all the contracted asbestos. I recommend that if you want the job done, contact someone else. The owner was quite willing to express a dangerous work ethic over the phone when I spoke with him later on.
Here are further details about my experience with them, including the boss' sketchy advice:
First, I had asked them to come back and check on a part that I wasn t confident about because it looked like the joints of the pipes had asbestos on it still. The man I spoke to (owner? Sam) said that he would come and check things the next day. He spoke about how concerned with customer relations he was and wanted to make sure things were fine.
The manager did not come as he said he would, but instead sent two employees who had no idea why they were coming and who I could hardly speak with because of language barriers. They insist that what I was concerned about was just dust They proceeded to pick up a baby rag that was in my laundry heap to clean the part of the pipe I was inquiring about, all while I was standing there with my infant, and then they strongly emphasized how I should throw this rag away.
A second air test was not conducted as I had requested. I wish I had insisted because the asbestos that they didn t remove would have been dry at this point, whereas it was likely wet during the first air test. It was too exhausting to try to explain to the employees why they were there to begin with, and I was confused at why the owner/manager didn t come as he said he was. Not to mention my confusion about how they had used my laundry to clean the pipe, and how they so emphatically insist I throw the baby blanket away.
My husband and his friend removed a pipe in our basement and discovered that ABest had NOT REMOVED ALL THE ASBESTOS, but had left two 6 inch sections. These had obviously been worked on but not all the asbestos was taken off. They had removed the front area of asbestos, but not off the back part of the pipe, which would have been more difficult. Difficult or not, they didn t remove it.
As a result, my husband and our friend had stood directly under the asbestos that we had paid to remove, and they sawed and hammered on the pipe, getting asbestos dust all over their face and clothing before realizing what had happened. The wrapping around the asbestos had been removed, the amount of asbestos on the pipe uneven (this was very different than the condition of the asbestos prior to their work) - obviously someone had worked on it some and just not finished. Also its significant to know that they ran the test while the asbestos still would have been wet.
Upon talking to ABest, the owner became really angry and yelled at for 13 minutes, admitted that they made a mistake, and that mistakes are made but that they had done a good job . He told me that nothing would come of it if I contacted the EPA and that he "knew every individual who worked in the EPA with asbestos, so go ahead on contact them because I know every single one of them ."
Also indicating their ethic -- while yelling at me, he told me that WE would get in trouble with the EPA for having moved the pipe (which is why he suggest I don't report him to the EPA) - yet he said I should move it back into the basement otherwise we might have to remediate the soil! Apparently he is more concerned with covering tracks than that the soil might legitimately now need remediation, even if it is lousy that we d have to pay for it. He laughed at me and acted very much like we did something wrong for having the asbestos there, he assured me that nothing would come of this, that mistakes are made and hurled many insults at me.
As a result of their carelessness, my husband, friend, and children all were doing things they should not have done with asbestos around, He did offer to come and take the pipes away, but that doesn't change the exposure that has taken place.
I would STRONGLY recommend AGAINST using ABest. Get your asbestos taken care of by someone who will take care of it.
