I want to start by saying the plumber who came out did get our toilet unclogged, and I appreciate that the issue was resolved. My frustration has nothing to do with the quality of the work or even necessarily the $250 price. It's about how the entire situation was handled.
One of the reasons I contacted this company was because they advertise a free estimate. To me, that means someone comes out, looks at the issue, tells me what it will cost, and then I have the opportunity to decide whether I want to authorize the work.
That did not happen.
The technician came in, asked what was going on, grabbed our own plunger, and started working on the toilet. Within a short time, he got the clog loose. At no point beforehand was I told, "This service will be $250. Would you like me to proceed?" I wasn't given an estimate, I didn't sign anything authorizing the work, and I wasn't told what I would be charged until after the work had already been done.
Had he simply said, "I'm going to try plunging it, and if that clears it, the charge will be $250. Is that okay?" then I could have made that decision myself. If I agreed, then absolutely, charge me the $250. That's not the issue.
The issue is advertising a free estimate and then beginning billable work before actually providing that estimate or getting approval from the customer. Once the work is already completed, the customer really doesn't have a choice anymore.
I specifically chose this company because I got the impression they cared about taking care of people and weren't going to treat every interaction as just another transaction. Unfortunately, that isn't how this experience felt.
Again, I appreciate that the toilet was fixed, and the technician did accomplish what we needed. I just wish there had been more transparency, communication, and consideration before the work was performed. A simple explanation of the cost and asking for my authorization beforehand would have made this an entirely different review. read more
