TLDR: best service-related experience I've ever had.
A few months ago, we were in the process of selling our house and the inspection uncovered several fractures our sewer line so I contacted as many sewer repair companies as I could find. But first I did my research and learned all I could about sewer lines, what makes them fail, the types and classifications of defects/failures and the techniques used to repair them. After talking to 7 different companies, only half of them called me back within several hours to come and look at the situation. Five of these companies were recommended to me by the previous inspection, agent or other sewer companies and the other two I found via Yelp. Bryce and Seattle Drain Service was one of the companies I found myself. Each company bid on the project and they came in a various price points as well as how they would approach and fix the issues in the line. Several of these (big name companies you see advertising all over the place) had bids that were double all the other bids. It was insane. Bryce and two other companies had similar bids and approaches to the problem. So why did I choose Bryce? Everyone else made the job seem simple and straightforward - we'll dig here, demolish the concrete here, do this and that and we'll be done. Bryce, in contrast, walked through all the options. He said these things are never easy because you don't know what you'll find under the ground. He said he'd try to dig under the concrete first to see if he could reach the broken pipe that way and he'd only resort to demolishing the concrete as a last resort. Bryce was also personable and unpretentious, never acted like a salesman and answered all of my many questions, patiently! As a homeowner, I wanted easy and cheap and simple but based on my conversations with Bryce and the glowing reviews on Yelp, I took a chance with him and I'm totally glad I did.
Let me tell you what happened.
Within 2 days, Bryce and his crew were at the house. Instead of tearing up the yard with a backhoe, they brought in this really powerful air-shooting-thing that cut up the soil and they vacuumed it up. The surveyor indicated the line was ~5-6' deep but it ended up being something like 8-9' deep! The surveyor's markings were also off but Bryce kept at the job and located the line. He did like twice the amount of work and DIDN'T CHARGE ME A SINGLE PENNY more than his original bid. Throughout the job, Bryce and his crew approached this as a challenge. They clearly love their craft and it shows. I even felt a bit bad that they did as much work for what I was charged.
That's honesty. That's customer-focused. That's ownership and it sums up Bryce and his company. I couldn't be happier with the work and if I ever have another sewer issue (I really hope I don't). I'll be calling Bryce. Every other person in the service industry should pay close attention to what Bryce does, how he does it and how he runs his business. It's proof that you can run a business in an honest way and succeed through word of mouth instead of through overcharging and spending tons of money on advertisements. read more
