Complaint Review: MyPlumber

My Pumber was called on a weekend since my well stopped pumping water to my house.  Their advertisment in the phone book said they had emergency service but they could not send anyone out untill late Monday morning.

On Monday a rep. from my plumber came in a white shirt and Khaki pants bearing a clip board and told me the capacitor, relay was burned up.  He told me he could tell me it was burned up by running a load test on it.  He then proceded to tell me that the only way it could be repaired was to replace the whole system including the pump.

A list of replacement parts included the well pump, The wiring to the pump, The actual well pipe which is vinal, 2 inch pipe.  The well is 500 feet deep and all the pipe would have to be replaced.  He said the Pressure tank and pressure switch would have to be replaced too.  The capacitor,relay he told me was no longer made but if they could find one it would be 450.00.    The total estimate was for 6,750.00 I was stunned.

When I built the house 10 years earlier everything quoted in the estimate including having the well drilled was less than 4000,00.  When I asked him if only the relay to the pump was "burned up" then why did everything else need replaced including the vinal pipe?  His reply was "It all goes bad" and their company would not warrenty the repairs unless the whole system was replaced. 

I smelled a con and asked him how much I owed him and he said "ah, 85 dollars".  I wrote him a check and told him thank you but I knew more about plumbing systems than I let on, and asked him to leave.  I called then called the company that installed my well which was a local firm.  Told the gal in the office that my well stopped pumping and she said I probably had a broken wire leading to the pump.

The well installers came out 2 hours later, ran a load test on my relay and said it was in good working order.  Said they keep plenty in stock and charge about 45.00 for them when needed.  The well tubing was pulled from the casing and at 275 feet there was a broken wire from the well pipe rubbing against the wall of the well.

The repair was made the pump was inspected and the well tubing was reiserted and when the electric was turned back on it worked beautifly.  The repair was 275.00 for two men who worked for 2 hours on the repair. 

When My Plumber was contacted and I explained my repair they said they may have made an error on the relay test.  Two weeks later they sent me my 85.00 back.

If I were a less savy consumer I would have swallowed that whole line and let them bill me for 6750.00