My kitchen faucet has low pressure and squeals loudly. As it was a small issue, I didn't really shop around, and chose Graham Plumbing randomly.
The plumber came out, fiddled in the kitchen for 15 minutes or so, then came to tell me that he had rebuilt the faucet and it was working correctly now. I was thrilled! He said IF it should have the same problem in the future, it would need to be replaced. I assumed "in the future" would be 6 months or more down the line. He didn't mention the replacement option until after he completed the rebuild, after all. I paid (over $100, which is a lot when you are broke) and he went on his way.
About ten minutes after he left, I wanted to show mom that after years of squealing torture, the faucet was now fixed. I turned it on and.. it barely came out and squealed as loud as usual. I had just written a check for absolutely nothing. It was at the end of the business day on a Friday, so I decided to call on Monday to let them know what had happened.
On Monday I called and explained to the lady in the office, Tracie, that the plumber came out, rebuilt the faucet, then it broke as soon as he left. She basically said "well what do you want us to do about it?" She started defensive, then got ugly, claiming I should have opted for a new faucet (I didn't know I needed one at the time), that the plumber needs to be paid for his time and the parts he used (yes, but he also needs to actually fix the problem), and she "guessed" she would call the plumber to find out what happened. You may have expected a, "I'm sorry to hear that!," or "Let me have the plumber give you a call to see if we can get this taken care of for you." You'd have been wrong. She isn't professional, can't figure out how to look up your appointment even by putting down the phone, and can't provide any customer service without being rude. I was stunned. I said, "Well now I understand the bad review I read." She laughed at me. I said something ugly and hung up (not proud of that).
The plumber called me later in the day. He said he would not have rebuilt the faucet if he knew it wouldn't last, and would call the office and see what he is able to do about it. That's where we are now, 3 days later with no return phone call. I've been effectively ripped off. I donated to the company for maybe 20 minutes of a plumbers time in which nothing was fixed.
Do your research, folks. Even for the small stuff. I've already received several great recommendations from friends and family in the area, and let them know who not to use.
NOTE: Cody, the plumber, was nice, and probably wasn't permitted to come fix the mistake. read more