NIGHTMARY EXPERIENCE:…read more
Last Thursday I hired Apex Plumbing to remove a small plastic bottle that had accidentally been flushed down my toilet. They were unable to come that evening, so they sent a technician the following day while I was working out of town. A friend let Jared into my home.
When I returned home four hours later, I discovered that my bathroom had flooded. Dirty water had spread into my hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen ceiling below. The toilet had been scratched, the handle was broken, the bathtub caulk had been damaged, my shower curtain and bathroom contents had been soaked, and the toilet still would not flush properly without manually operating the tank. When I turned on the kitchen ceiling light, water came out of the light fixture, so I immediately shut off the breaker.
I contacted Apex that evening and again Saturday and spoke with the owners, Jim + Holly. They sent another technician to clean up what he could, but the damage clearly required professional water mitigation, not just surface cleaning.
After he left, my licensed plumber nephew inspected the toilet and found it was leaking and he repaired it.
By Monday, my carpet was still wet and I still had no clear plan from Apex. To prevent further damage, I hired an independent restoration company. Their inspection found active moisture in my kitchen ceiling, and they immediately began mitigation with industrial dehumidifiers. The damaged carpet was removed, the area was sanitized, and part of my kitchen ceiling had to be opened because it remained wet.
When I informed Apex and requested their liability insurance information, I was told they had planned to "get a guy over there tomorrow or something" for restoration and carpet cleaning. By that point, several days had already passed, my carpet remained soaked, and I had already taken steps to prevent further damage because I had not received a timely plan or follow-up or insurance info.
What disappoints me most is not that a mistake happened--mistakes can happen in any business and we are human. It's the lack of communication, urgency, accountability, and follow-through afterward. As a fellow small business owner, I believe how you respond when something goes wrong says everything. I simply cannot imagine going into someone's home, destroying it, and not saying a word.
This situation has delayed preparing my home for sale and has required countless hours coordinating insurance, restoration, and repairs for damage that occurred during what should have been a routine plumbing visit.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Apex Plumbing. I hope no one else ever has to deal with this.
