Complaint Review: Horizon Services

I will make this as simple as possible. The day after Christmas 2013 our plumbing in the house was backing up in our basement so we called Horizon Services because their radio and TV ads guarantee immediate service and they were the most affordable in the area, $129.00 with a 1 year warranty.  Well Horizon Services must have a different perception of the words "immediate service" because they didn't show up until December 28th.  They snaked the main from the curb which seemed to do the trick until December 30th in which the plumbing was backing up again in our basement. 

We called Horizon right away because we have the 1 year warranty and surprisingly they came out the same day.  We had the same tech and again he snaked the main from the curb and again it did the trick until that evening in which the plumbing was backing up into the basement again.  At this point my husband and I are beyond frustrated.  While the tech was here earlier that day he had scheduled for another tech to come out with a camera for the next day, December 31st.

Tuesday December 31st, 2013 the tech with the camera comes out and explains to us that he spoke with the other tech who has been to our home twice and they both have come to the conclusion it was our "trap" and it needs to be replaced.  My husband and I have no clue what he is talking about as we know nothing about plumbing.  The tech goes on to tell us how this complex procedure will be done and how Horizon Services will need to dig up a portion of my neighbor's driveway.  He continues to tell us that this service will cost us $5084.00 and he has one slot open for Thursday and what credit card will we be using?  He also said that if it wasn't the trap that Horizon would replace the main drain and we would only pay the difference from what we already paid to replace the trap.

After we told him we don't have $5000.00 he called the main office to try and have me financed and i'm so thankful my application was declined.  Anyway after my declined application he packs up his paperwork, never putting a camera in the drain which is why he was there in the first place, and proceeds to leave.  I said to the tech that we can't be left high and dry like this, we can't use our water and raw sewage is going to get into our basement and he said there was nothing he could do at this point unless we come up with the $5084.00.  I left the room, went into my bedroom, slammed the door and cried.

The camera tech left and my husband got on the phone to a plumber friend of his father who after hearing my husband's story went out of his way and got someone to our house within a couple of hours.  The two techs from this small plumbing company worked long and hard on this cold New Years Eve afternoon.  They snaked the main from the curb just like Horizon Services but with a little more time and alot more effort and manged to push through two big clogs. 

Apparently Horizon didn't go in far enough with their snake.  On Friday January 5th the two techs from the small plumbing company stopped by to pick up their payment for services and to make sure things were running smoothly.  Today is January 11th and we haven't had any water in the basement so far thanks to the small plumbing company that didn't leave us high and dry or broke.