Complaint Regarding JBS Energy Services / Justin Brock Staley…read more
I am submitting this complaint regarding JBS Energy Services, operated by Justin Brock Staley, also known as Brock Staley. I originally met him through Thumbtack.
The first job involved two simple plumbing items at one of my properties: a small leak from a plumbing fitting/knuckle in the HVAC room and a toilet shutoff valve that would not turn the water off properly. I spoke with Justin over the phone, and he quoted me $250 to stop both leaks. Based on that quote, I agreed to have him complete the work.
Justin went to the property with another person named Mark, who appeared to be the one with more plumbing experience. The leak in the HVAC room was stopped. However, instead of replacing the toilet shutoff valve, Justin said he adjusted it and that it no longer needed to be replaced. That did not make sense to me, because the issue was that the valve would spin and would not shut the water off. In my opinion, that type of issue typically requires the valve to be replaced.
Justin took a video showing the HVAC area was no longer leaking. He also took a video of the bathroom valve, but the video only showed the valve being opened. It did not show the valve successfully shutting the water off. I trusted that the work was completed and paid him.
The agreed price was $250, but the invoice came through at $315. When I asked why the invoice was higher than the amount quoted, he said it simply cost more. I explained that any price increase should have been discussed and approved before the work was done, especially since one of the items was not actually replaced. Since only one issue appeared to be fully addressed and the second was only claimed to be adjusted, I would have expected the invoice to be no more than the original quoted amount, if not less. I paid the $250 amount.
Later, I went to the property and discovered the water had been completely shut off. When I asked Justin about it, he said they must have forgotten to turn it back on. When the water was turned back on, the toilet valve still would not shut off properly and continued to run. At that point, it appeared the valve had never been properly fixed. I had to hire another plumber to correct that issue, which cost me additional money out of pocket.
Before I discovered the first job was not fully completed, Justin and I had discussed a second job. That second job involved installing a water heater that was already plumbed and using the same size connections, along with repairing/patching a scraped bathroom ceiling area with texture. This job was also quoted at $250.
The water heater was installed, but unnecessary additional fittings were purchased and left on the counter. The ceiling texture was done too quickly and did not properly dry or adhere. The texture began falling off the ceiling. Justin did come back to try to redo the ceiling, but the repair still did not properly stick, and the paint/finish did not match. I ultimately had to scrape part of it off, reapply texture, and repaint the area myself.
After that, Justin sent me a bill for $450 for the second job, even though the quoted price was $250. This was the second time the final invoice was substantially higher than the quoted amount. After I questioned the invoice and reminded him that the toilet valve from the first job had never been properly fixed, he reduced the bill by only $25, making the new amount $425.
At that point, I did not believe I owed him the additional amount. In my view, I had already paid him $250 for the first job, but only part of that work was actually completed, and I then had to pay another plumber to fix the toilet valve. On the second job, the water heater was installed, but the ceiling repair was not completed correctly and required additional work by me afterward.
Justin then filed a mechanic's lien against my property in Scott County. The property was listed for sale on the MLS, and the lien created a serious issue with closing. Because the property was being sold, I was put in a position where I had to deal with the lien quickly in order to move forward with the sale, even though I disputed the amount and the quality/completion of the work.
I believe this situation was unfair because the job was originally quoted at $250, the work was not fully completed as agreed, the final invoices were higher than quoted without prior approval, and the lien created pressure on me while I was trying to sell the property. I attempted to resolve the issue, but Justin did not call me back.
I have supporting documentation, including messages, invoices, pictures, and videos. I am willing to provide those documents to the Better Business Bureau, Thumbtack, or any other appropriate party reviewing this complaint.
I am requesting reimbursement/compensation in the amount of $579, which is the amount I had to pay in order to resolve the lien issue and proceed with the sale of my home.