Elgin Environmental & Septic Service

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Yesterday I got on Angie's List because I've heard so many good things about it. Needing my septic tank serviced I did a search. The place I called had an A rating, no complaints, and seemed safe. I was wrong. I called the Elgin Environmental and Septic Services on Wednesday, requesting an appointment on Thursday. He gave me a 9 a.m. appointment time. On Thursday morning it was raining so at approximately 830 I called him to ask if he would still be able to come out. He said he would come about noon when the rain was supposed to clear out. Around 2 I called again and asked if he was still coming, he said he was but it would be about an hour. A little after 3 I called again. This time he told me 2 more hours and he would be there. He finally showed up between 6 and 630 p.m. I thought I knew where the septic tank was, but I was wrong. He was very helpful in finding it, and worked diligently at it. He and his partner were nice, and worked well. I was pleased and thankful. They were doing a good job so I was able to get over the fact that I waited literally ALL day for him to show up. I left to do some shopping and my husband remained at the house with the men. I came home, unloaded groceries, and then my husband came inside and told me there had been a problem. He said the truck had leaked all over the driveway and the septic tank wasn't even empty. I went outside but since it was so late at night I couldn't really see anything. I told my husband not to pay the man the $400 he had originally asked for because he wasn't able to finish the job and because the truck had overflowed and he had spilled sewage all over the driveway and in the yard. But my husband paid him anyway. I finally went outside with a light and assessed the damage. There was sewage ankle deep all down my driveway and in my yard. It surrounded my van on two sides and smells unbelievably. I called the man and asked him what time he was going to come back tomorrow to clean up the mess he made in my yard and he said that wasn't his responsibility. I asked if that was a common thing, for him to leave sewage in the yards of clients and he said no, but it happened this time. He told me to get a water hose and wash it off the driveway. I explained that wouldn't work because then the sewage would contaminate the large pond at the bottom of the driveway. I also explained that I have an infant in the house and explained that I didn't think it would be environmentally safe to just wash it into the grass and pond. He said it wasn't his job to clean it up, that i should be thankful because he fixed my septic problem, and he should've just left when the tank wasn't where we thought it was. He said he worked hard to find it, and he did. What do I want? I want him to finish the job he started and clean the mess up properly. My house, yard, and vehicles all smell like sewage. I took pictures, lots of them, and even though it's night you can still see the mess. It's terrible. To have the word "environmental" in the name of a business I fully expected someone who would be more environmentally conscious. I expected him to have something to pour on the mess so it would clean up quickly. Now I have to go buy a ton of cat litter and hope that works because I don't want the mess contaminating the yard or the pond. My children play out there. My 9 month old grandson crawls in the grass. But the man didn't care. He just said it wasn't his job to clean it up. So. $400 later, sewage in my yard, and the expense of numerous bags of cat litter to try to clean up the spill,and the tank STILL isn't empty. He was right though, he did fix the septic problem. The toilets now flush and the shower drains properly. He just left me with an even bigger problem that I should have never had to deal with in the first place. If writing this doesn't work and the issue resolved, I will sue him, even if it's small claims court. In two weeks I will also file a complaint against him at the Better Business Bureau if it can't be resolved here. He offered not even an apology or sound of remorse. Even that would have gone a long way. Instead it was made to sound as if I was making a big deal out of nothing. Would sewage in your yard be nothing? I wonder what the EPA would have to say about it all? According to the EPA website, " Insufficiently treated sewage from septic systems can cause groundwater contamination, which can spread disease in humans and animals. Improperly treated sewage also poses the risk of contaminating nearby surface waters, significantly increasing the chance of swimmers contracting a variety of infectious diseases, from eye and ear infections to acute gastrointestinal illness and hepatitis." They also said, "When these pollutants are released into the ground, they eventually enter streams, rivers, lakes, and more, harming local ecosystems by killing native plants, fish, and shellfish." With this in mind, simply using a water hose to wash it into the grass and pond is simply unthinkable. And in my mind Illegal. And yet that is what he told us to do. I continue to be surprised and appalled.

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They did more than what anyone else would do. They were able to dig out the septic tank and diagnose any problems. You will definitely get your money's worth. No one else will go to their extent.

They educated me on septic system care. I recommended them to my next-door neighbor. They come out within the hour of your call. If you do not want to be ripped off, this is a very good company.