Imperial plumbing did the installation in my new construction home 2.5 years ago. I live alone, do not flush toiletries, do not use wipes, do not leave the toilet seat up for anything to fall in. I called saying my toilet was having issues flushing and it had been gradually getting worse over the course of a month. I called them up because they were the contact on file. They told me they are $250/hr but it shouldn't take that long. Within 10 minutes of attempting to snake the pipe, the plumber determines nothing is stuck. However, he told me he was not informed he may need a longer snake in case there was a clog deeper down. Not sure why that wouldn't be in their truck at all times. He said he had one of two choices: go back to the shop for the longer snake or remove my toilet to try and get deeper. I deferred to his expertise so he proceeds to pull out the toilet. Mind you, he's only been working for 10 minutes thus far (~$42). After over an hour of inspecting the toilet and pouring water down the pipe he determines there's no clogs. He also notices that the water pressure isn't doing much (something I would have expected he would have noticed immediately). He replaces a valve in about 5 minutes and that fixes the issue.
I'm happy that the plumber had due diligence. I am not happy that it took so long to replace a part that should not have broken in the first place. It was a part that they had installed 2.5 years ago and it should have lasted for several years if not longer.
When I called letting them know I was dissatisfied with the time frame and the fact that I had to pay to replace a part that they provided that clearly did not meet quality standards. I spoke to Dana and I could tell immediately she did not want to provide quality customer service. The receptionist (lovely lady) passed along the message that I needed to speak to someone and that she would give her all the information and the paperwork. When I received the call, Dana had no details and no paperwork in front of her. When I told her what happened she said "well we were told it was a clogged toilet". Sorry, but if you don't have the paperwork and were not briefed, how do you know what it was for? Secondly, that is 1000% not what I called in for. I said my toilet wasn't flushing properly and it had been acting up for over a month. That's not a simple clog.
I personally believe the plumber was not given the appropriate information to equip himself properly, the products the company is using are not meeting quality control, and the customer service thereafter is non-existent. This valve wasn't the first poor quality item either. The toilet seat my construction company picked for them to use was also very poor quality. The white coating started peeling within only a few months of use. I would assume they received a catalog from this plumbing company to pick out which toilet they want, since the plumbing agency would need to insure it.
Overall I am quite sad. Had they of offered partial compensation for the inconvenience of the product, I would have continued to hire them in the future (even at $250/hr). I understand they are only ordering the parts, not manufacturing it themselves. However, there is something to be said for sourcing poor quality parts. By buying that product, you are choosing to be represented by that product. If that product fails to meet quality standards, you as the company using it are liable. And if nothing else, it would have been a show of good faith to ensure that customer service met standards. Most people have one plumber for the longevity of their home. That's years of service that I will no longer be requesting. read more