I am not inclined to post negative reviews online, but this company's misconduct against me is so egregious that I cannot remain silent and am compelled to warn others. Moreover, I attempted to contact them by letter to their main corporate office of record, but the postal service returned my correspondence as undeliverable. I contacted them through their LinkedIn page, but I have not received a reply after two months.
This past August, my water main between the meter and the house sprung a leak. A plumber from Ben Franklin provided a quote of $5.4K, which I agreed to. This was predicated on their representation that a new PEX line would replace the existing PVC line. This would require them to trench through the yard with extensive roots from a large oak tree and cut through the concrete driveway. I signed the agreement and provided my credit card information.
On a subsequent morning, two immigrant workers from Ben Franklin arrived to perform the work. They handed me a tablet and insisted that I sign a statement that the work had been completed to my satisfaction. I initially stated that I would not do so because the work had not started, but they insisted I sign before they could begin working. Believing that I was dealing with a reputable company, thinking that the workers were confused and limited in their understanding of English, and needing to get the problem fixed ASAP, I signed the tablet.
One of the workers began digging through the lawn with a round-point shovel. I had expected that they would have had a mechanical trencher. I expressed my concern that it would be very difficult and time-consuming to dig the trench in that manner. The worker advised that he was marking the path of the trench and would switch to using a trenching shovel to do the digging. A short time later, I noticed that the worker was digging the trench with the round-point shovel. He told me that there was no trenching shovel on the truck. I own a trenching shovel, which I allowed him to use. As he struggled to slowly dig through the roots, the other worker was busy uncovering the connections to the meter and house.
After about an hour, one of the workers had an epiphany. The PEX line they were installing was ¾ inches, and the existing PVC line was 1 inch, so they could simply snake the PEX through the PVC and avoid digging the trench. I questioned whether that was proper, and I was advised that they checked with the plumber, who said that was the best way to go. I complained that because the scope of the work changed, I should not have to pay $5.4K. They called the office with my complaint, and the response was that I had signed the agreement and that they would not lower the cost.
The workers needed a torch to connect the new line to the house's copper tubing. Unbelievably, the truck did not have a working torch. Fortunately, I had a working torch that I allowed them to use.
Eliminating the time spent futilely digging and then refilling the trench, I generously estimate that the job required 1.5 manhours and $250 in materials. As the workers were sent out ill-equipped to do the job as initially planned, I concluded that the plumber knew that this was a simple job--I was scammed. I would recommend that you stay away from this company. read more