and the award goes to...

New Water Plumbing

is presented the award

for being the Suckiest Company of the Year 

(and perhaps the decade...does the decade go from 2000-2010 or 2000-2009 and then start again at 2010?)

Yes, it is only July and I can already tell you that they are, by far, the worst company I will have dealt with by the end of 2010. Why? Because they are liars. Deceitful, dishonest people.

It all began a couple of weeks ago when my kitchen sink clogged the week before I was going out of town. Time was limited between work and getting ready to leave. I called in New Water Plumbing, whose vans I often see parked outside my condominium. Normally, I would do some research, ask our building manager for the low-down, but again time was limited. A quick check of their website said they specialize in condominium and apartment plumbing. I called for a quote and was told they charge $115 for the first hour, $35 per half hour after that, plus materials.

So they come in on the Thursday (we're leaving Friday morning), and I get a call from my husband asking if they had quoted me for a tool charge. Um, no, I told him. Just deal with it. When I got home, I asked what had gone down. So apparently, they wanted to charge us $36.50 for a "tool use" because a snake is a specialty tool for a plumber (this is news to me). My husband refused to sign the order, called in and talked to their service department. They refused to resolve it with him. By the time I got home, it was already 8pm and we still had to pack, so we sent their service department an e-mail:

From: N
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 8:56 PM
To: 'rick@newwaterplumbing.ca'
Cc: B
Subject: Service call at XXXX

Hello Rick,

We had a service call today to unclog a kitchen drain. Afterwards, we were provided a work order which noted a charge of $36.50 for Tools. This was explicitly excluded from the quote provided by your dispatch team. The team quoted us $115 for the first hour and $35 for each half hour after that, plus materials costs. Materials, in my mind, does not include tools needed for a trade. A material is something that is necessary to make a repair and that is retained. This charge is the equivalent of calling a carpenter and being asked to pay for his saw. Unless he is leaving his saw with me, I am not paying for his saw. The plumber did note that this was a tool cost, not a materials cost. If we had been properly informed that we would be charged for tools, which effectively increases your actual rate, we would not have called you in. This misrepresentation is not a satisfactory way to do business.

Furthermore, when we provided the credit card number before the call, we were told it was for the reservation, not to authorize payment. This is an unacceptable business practice if you charge this to our credit card, as we have not approved the amount and have not signed the work order.

We hope to resolve this issue with you amicably on Monday, or I will be discussing this issue with our condominium’s property manager and board of directors. Please call my wife at XXX-XXX-XXXX on Monday morning.

Thank you,

So, there was no call on Monday. I called in Monday at 4 and was told he was already gone for the day. I got a chance to call them on Wednesday morning at 8am. He was in a meeting, I was told, and would call me when he finished. No call by noon, so I called back. Oh yeah, he was talking to someone about that this morning, but now he's gone. I asked: there is no possible way to contact him at all? So they said they would call him and have him call me back within an hour and a half. Still no call. Then it was the July 1 holiday (Canada Day). Up until this point, we had not been charged. Then last night, I found that they had charged us for the full $159.08 (1 hour of work at $115 and $36.50 for tools). So Tuesday morning, we sent another e-mail:

From: N
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 8:01 AM
To: rick@newwaterplumbing.ca
Cc: B
Subject: RE: Service call at XXXX

Hello Rick,

My wife has made several attempts to contact you without any response. If you continue to ignore our inquiries, I will be reporting your poor business practices to the media.

When my wife called your customer service department last Tuesday to follow up on my e-mail (below), she talked to Jaime. He again told her that the charge was because the snake is a specialty tool. That is a ridiculous claim, as when we placed the service call for a clogged kitchen sink, even I, who has no plumbing knowledge, knew that you would require a snake to fix it. If this charge is standard, as it is starting to sound like from your staff, then we should have been informed when we asked about the cost. Furthermore, it is not a “material” as said before.

Your refusal to respond is unprofessional and unacceptable. I expect this matter to be dealt with today or I will be contacting VISA to dispute the charge.

Again, the number to reach my wife today is XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Thank you,

So less than an hour after this, I get a call. I think they don't actually know how to read. It says to contact his wife, but he still asked for Nick. Then we got into it:

Richard: I already spoke with your husband, which is why I didn't call you back.

Me: But the issue was not RESOLVED.

Richard: I was on holiday last week.

Me: That's a lie. I called last week and they said you were in the office in a meeting.

Richard: This is a standard part of our billing. I'm sorry our dispatch team did not tell you about it. We have to charge because the tool costs $800 plus maintenance and we have to recover that cost. Other companies build it into their rate, so they charge much more.

Me: Yes, but then at least the cost is upfront. I spoke to 2 different dispatch members - once to get the quote and the second time to book the service call, and both did not include that cost when I asked. It sounds like you're trying to deceive people. 

Richard: Well, we need to figure out a resolution. We could split the tool cost.

Me: No way. The only resolution I will accept is to not be charged the tool cost, since it was not ever presented to me until after the job was completed.

Richard: But when I spoke with your husband, he said that splitting the tool cost would be fine.

Me: No he didn't and no, it is not. I will only accept a refund of the entire tool cost.

Richard: Fine, I will refund the tool cost just this once.

Me: Fine. Because I would never call you back here again, you asshole. 

Just kidding, I didn't say the last because sentence. I just thought it in my head.

What a horrible way to do business. So that is why they win the award for being the suckiest company of the year. 

Peace out,

B

Note: My conversation with Rick is not verbatim, as I did not actually record it. It has also been shortened here as there was a lot of back and forth. My suggestion to anyone dealing with the same issue: be firm or go to the press. Some light needs to be shed on how badly they do business.