Now that the house in question has been sold, I can feel free to publicly air this issue…read more
Jason Tart, the owner of Baltimore Sewer Service, is not licensed as a plumber, who does horrible work that causes damage to people's homes and health, and continues to get away with it.
I am speaking from a combination of personal experience and professional knowledge of the law, as well as familiarity with public records in Maryland. Everything I say is true and verifiable, and I will provide screenshots as evidence.
Tart has been repeatedly charged with and convicted of performing plumbing services without a license, in violation of Maryland Business Occupations and Professions 12-601, a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of up to 6 months' imprisonment per violation. He uses the Internet to lure unsuspecting customers to employ him for serious issues that he has no training to handle. Some, like myself, experience substantial damage to their property as a result. Others, like a couple I met in court, dealt with not only property damage but extreme health complications due to his misuse of chemicals on their sewer line.
http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch//inquiry-index.jsp
breach of contract cases:
District Court 080400006882002
District Court 080400242712002
Baltimore County Circuit 03C03012593
District Court 080400319502004
In our case, Tart promised to provide us with a free video scope of our sewer line, which an earlier, honest and licensed plumber, had told us was not at fault, but rather that there had been a collapse on the part of Baltimore City's line in the middle of the road. We were lured in by this promise, the outstanding (apparently fake?) reviews, and his professional looking website.
When he arrived, he claimed that his result had contradicted our earlier scope of the sewer line. He promised to get the issue fixed for a price that was lower than the market rate. Thinking we were dealing with a licensed plumber with a good reputation, we agreed without getting a third opinion.
Rather than following appropriate protocol, getting permits or using heavy machinery to dig in our yard, as required by the work and the law, Tart hired a couple of day laborers to dig with hand shovels until they not only struck but actually broke our sewer line...but only after cutting into it in our basement and using a garden hose to supposedly try to flush it out - causing a small flood. Ultimately, he declared that, seeing with his own naked eyes rather than the seemingly fictional scope, that the blockage was over the property line and the responsibility of the city, in an effort to con us into continuing to entrust him. We didn't fall for it. My wife immediately demanded a return of all our money (which he provided), I found out that he was not licensed, and in fact had a history of working without a license, and filed a complaint with the plumbing board, to deal with the damage he had caused.
I eventually saw him in court and settled for less than I should've, rather than seeing him go to jail, because I figured he was potentially dangerous and I didn't want to try my luck while he knew where I lived.
