Late May of this year, seeking to prepare for the summer, I contacted Wissco Irrigation to have my sprinkler system activated and to address a known leak in zone 4, situated between my property and my neighbor's. Melissa, the scheduler, listened to my needs but was only able to offer a Wednesday appointment in early June, which I accepted since my wife would be home.
During the first service visit, the technician replaced some equipment and one or two sprinkler heads. However, when I turned the system on, I immediately noticed water pooling in my side yard--an indication the leak persisted. To manage the situation, I switched off the water after each use until I found time to call Wissco again.
A technician returned in late June I believe. This time, the leak seemed fixed, but only for a few days before zone 4's valve became stuck open. This malfunction meant the water continued running, reducing overall pressure and again requiring me to manually shut off the supply between uses. Once more, I contacted Melissa and politely inquired whether, given the ongoing issues, the $97 service fee might be waived for the next visit. She said this could be addressed once the technician arrived.
The diagnosis showed the valve for zone 4 was indeed stuck open. Though repaired during that visit the technician also went through my fiber optic line when he dug. Now I'm also waiting for that to be buried by the internet service provider. The next few days we had heavy rainfall. After the rain was gone on Sunday, after that Wednesday when the repaired was done, the day revealed fresh problems: persistent mud and ponding in the same area where the repairs had been made. Even after the rain had ceased, water continued to bubble up from the repair site--a clear sign the technician failed a portion of the repair, and the leak had returned once again.
Attempting to resolve the issue, I called Melissa and requested to speak with a manager. My first call was routed to voicemail. I made another attempt that led to me being transferred to another individual's voicemail. I proceeded to call back but this time Melissa wasn't answering, and I was being sent to a general voicemail box. When my wife called immediately after, she reached Melissa on the first ring, which left me questioning the handling of my calls.
When I finally spoke to Melissa, I expressed my frustration at feeling dismissed. She then transferred me after a long hold to Theresa, one of the owners. Unfortunately, the call began with something to the effect, "What's the problem?" and quickly became defensive regarding Melissa's actions. Theresa did agree to waive the service call fee but insisted I would still be responsible for labor to fix the leak, despite the repair repeatedly failing in the same spot.
At this point, I voiced my dissatisfaction, explaining that my concern was no longer about the financial aspect, but about the principle of good business practices and customer care. The conversation ended on a sour note, but a manager did call me back about ten minutes later. Initially, the tone was unprofessional, but after I explained the full situation, the manager acknowledged the situation was not right and agreed to come by later that day--only to cancel around 3 p.m. after I had waited at home all day.
Ultimately, my reasonable request is for an apology from Theresa and a refund for the previous visit. I believe this would resolve the matter and allow both parties to move on. However, if this does not happen, I am prepared to pursue further steps as my personal business ethics and sense of fairness demand resolution.
This experience has been frustrating and disappointing, highlighting the importance of clear communication, reliable workmanship, and genuine accountability in any business. read more
