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There are other companies that are cheaper, but the old saying goes "you get what you pay for" holds true.
I offer the following facts to support my 1 star (out of 5 stars) review of his service.
On June 24, 2010, I paid Jamie to install a new pump and new wiring.
On October 26, 2012, I paid Jamie to pump out my tanks and fix the problem I was having with the wiring he installed in 2010.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
The photo shows the "waterproof" box that Jamie originally installed. When he opened it up roughly half a cup of water was found inside. He told me he was not qualified to rewire it. This begs a question. How can one be qualified to wire a box without also being qualified to rewire it?
Did I ask Jamie this question? No. Did I complain? No. I was friendly and very understanding. It had been 2+ years. Water got in. @#$% happens. He called an electrician he works with and told me if that the electrician didn't call me by Monday that I should call him. Once again, no complaints from me. I just wanted the problem fixed.
On October 29, 2012 (Monday), there was still no response from the electrician. I called him directly. No answer. I called Jamie and asked if he'd heard from him. He said that he had and that I should call again. I called and left a message.
On October 30, 2012, the electrician left me a message. I called him back and left another message. Phone tag began, or so I thought.
On November 1, 2012, I called the electrician again. There had been no response. His voice mail inbox was full. I therefore couldn't leave another message. That's never a good sign. I then called Jamie and asked if he could recommend someone else. I was still being very friendly and reasonable. Once again, I just wanted the problem fixed.
On November 2, 2012, there had been no response from either the electrician or Jamie. I called Jamie again and asked him to please return my phone call (which his voice mail claims is done within the hour in most cases). All I wanted was a recommendation of someone else who could fix the problem, or at the very least a reply that said he couldn't offer another recommendation. Keep in mind that I did not have a functional septic tank. I was therefore on borrowed time. Once that third tank fills back up again, it was no more water usage. Period.
On November 8, 2012, a professional electrician came out to fix the wiring problem. My girlfriend found a company that specializes in septic systems and it seemed good to me. I think there's a much better chance that this wiring job will stand the test of time.
It is now November 27, 2012. There's been no further word from Jamie. He ignored my phone calls asking for help. He hung me out to dry just like he hung my waterproof box out to dry. The photos above are exactly how he left my site.
All Jamie would have needed to do was simply call me back and say that he did not know of another electrician to help me. That's it. That was the bare minimum in my opinion. I would not have given him a 5-star review for it of course, but he would have definitely avoided a 1-star review (complete with pictures).
And lastly, I was tempted to give him 2 stars because he did promptly pump out my tanks. Then again...
Jamie's Septic Service: Services Provided
Jamie's Septic Service is a full service company here to cater to your needs. Our services include but are not limited too;
...
Digging out of septic tank manhole covers
Emphasis added.
Jamie told me on the phone that he would really prefer me to dig the holes, even though I said I was sick and taking NyQuil. I didn't complain until now. I simply grabbed a shovel and started digging. It doesn't inspire me to give him a 5-star review though. My needs were not exactly catered to.
I have tried to keep the opinions to a minimum and the facts to a maximum. I documented it as it went along. None of this is from memory. I took notes as it was happening. If Jamie has a problem with what I wrote here, then perhaps he should have stood behind his work.
8 comments:
Those are the standards of service we used to get in Britain before Mrs Thatcher erupted on the scene. Alas, the longer she's been gone the more nearly we approach to the old standards again.
dearieme,
It's always a crap shoot when one is having someone else do the work.
We had part of a fence replaced quite a few years ago. They got about 15' of it up before they realized the nails were about an inch too long. Oops!
On the one hand, they fixed the problem. On the other hand, the company went under just after they finished the project. Sigh.
That experience taught me to fix my own fences. Last year I did just that. A windstorm took out a section of it. I replaced about 16'. So far, so good.
Can you pinpoint the break in the exponential trend of your satisfaction with this service?
Useful data point for the folks in DC.
shtove,
Can you pinpoint the break in the exponential trend of your satisfaction with this service?
November 3, 2012
That's when the trend took a serious turn for the worse.
Why does your septic system need electricity? Ours is a tank and a field. We get the tank emptied about every 10 years. That's all it seems to need.
D.,
Our system uses a pump to get the fluids from the last tank to the drain field.
I can't tell you why it requires it though. It could be that the ground is too flat. Gravity therefore doesn't help us.
That makes sense. We're in the "Hill Country" and there is no truly flat land anywhere.
D.,
The houses on the other side of the street are on a ridge. Perhaps they don't require a pump. Lucky them!
And then there are the homes at the bottom of that ridge. We're all part of the same development. Some of those neighbors aren't exactly thrilled that we have septic systems. I say this because one person brought it up in a homeowner meeting once. I'm not sure what he expected us to do about it though. *shrug shoulders*
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