ASAP Plumbing & Drain Cleaning

Two major problems. Number one: the guy that came out reeked of alcohol and was bleary eyed. When I pay for a plumber, I want a plumber, not a drunk. Number two: they had a failure to communicate properly. Their dispatcher did not clarify, understand, nor properly transmit the information about what the job entailed. They DID come out promptly and that's why I didn't give them an overall "F". The boss is supposed to come out soon (when is "soon") and take care of it, but he left me with the chore of busting up the concrete slab to facilitate his job. In fairness, I said I would do it, and I will, but as a 58 year old woman, it's going to take me awhile! I have used ASAP for 12 years, both personally and in my landscaping business. I have noticed a small slip in their quality, but nothing like this. I hope I can update this review to something more positive, but I dunno.

unknown

. John #482 was our technician. He did an excellent job, was personable, very knowledgeable, prompt, and courteous. He did the job correctly and with reasonable time and cost. Would highly recommend John as ASAP plumber and would use company again if he were the Plumbing subcontractor for the job! Better service at a decent price

The plumber seemed to to be a nice guy and was quite likable. However he was not equipped with the proper parts for the job. a brass fitting was used at the house,it was adapted to 3/4" cpvc(still 3/4" but smaller diameter),adapted back at valve. He only had one 3/4" 90 so he used a T fitting to turn down and put a 3" piece with a cap on top(if this had been on the bottom it would have worked and wouldn't have stuck up six inches out of my flower bed). The whole assembly was connected to the existing supply line with a compression fitting. It was checked and wasn't leaking at the time. I told him I would be replacing the rest of the line my self and he said he could leave me a couple of pieces of 3/4" pipe (20'). My bill was 195.00, 125.00 for labor and 70.00 for parts. I paid it by check without really thinking about it. My water was on and wasn't leaking. I was responsible for filling the hole,my choice, once again to reduce cost. Now for my problems. I had lunch and took a nap then went out to start on filling the hole. I noticed the compression fitting had started leaking. I also started thinking about what to do with that pipe sticking up in my flowerbed. the original 90 had turned down at the valve so all you saw was the handle,and this thing was sticking out of the ground with four inches sticking up on top of that. I could see no way of hiding it short of putting a birdbath over it. This was Friday. I mulled it over during the weekend and decided to call the owner/partner of ASAP Gainesville on Monday. He came out and looked at it and said he didn't know why it was done as it was. I told him that the plumber was there less than an hour on a weekday and asked why it cost so much for an hours labor. He said it was a mistake and agreed to to refund fifty dollars (when my check cleared). I asked about the cost of materials and he said they had a sixty percent markup(had I known this those two twenty foot pieces would not have been left) I had priced what was used and I could have got it myself for less than thirty dollars(including gas).Add to this sixty percent and you get forty eight dollars.I told him this and he agreed to refund twenty more dollars (when my check cleared). I also told him I didn't like how the pipes were done and the way that they stuck out of the ground (it was unsightly, unnecessary, and a potential freeze hazard) and I that would be tearing it out when I replaced the rest of the supply line. I suppose this was acceptable to him because I heard him tell someone on the phone that it wasn't necessary to have anyone come back out to fix anything because I would take care of it. Did I mention that I was told repeatedly that this work was guaranteed? The parts that were put in by ASAP Gainesville (except the pipe)were tossed,it cost me less than fifteen dollars for the parts I needed to do the job right(galvanized coupling,screw in adapter to go from galvanized to PVC, new valve,valve box,and two 90s). Now the job is done and is done to profession standards with the only real assistance from ASAP Gainesville being that they cut the old pipe out and unscrewed the old connector. I own my own sawsall and could have certainly bought a big enough wrench and two pieces of pipe for $195.00. The reason I needed a plumber was that I am scared of the fifty year old galvanized pipe in my house and would not be sure what to do if a pipe broke off in the wall. I called the owner/partner of ASAP Gainesville yesterday 1/21/10 and asked when my check was going to be deposited and nobody knew.He said he would get back to me but still hasn't been in touch. I called ASAP Gainesville because the only company I have used since moving here eight years ago(B&H plumbing) was extremely busy because of the record freeze we had. I also thought that ASAP Gainesville was a local small business having seen their trucks in my neighborhood. Turns out they are based in Jacksonville with local "partners". I now wish I had waited. I have never had a problem with B&H and have given them the best of ratings that they deserve.I also talked with Bob Cavanaugh(owner-B&H) and he made me feel good when he told me if this happens again to get in touch with him and he will help. The bottom line is if I do get the seventy dollars back(when my check clears) it will still have cost me $125.00 for ten minutes work making two cuts, unscrewing a fitting and two 20 ft pieces of pipe. The guarantee doesn't mean squat because they can't be held responsible for work I performed myself. This has retaught me a lesson I learned long ago-when you find a company you can trust STICK WITH THEM. When/if I get my seventy dollars back I will post another note here saying so. I accept the $125.00 charge because there is a minimum one hour charge for showing up and there was no written contract for the parts(I should have asked). Follow up report: This is additional report on my 1-21-2010 report. ASAP Plumbing of Gainesville has been giving me the runaround for weeks now. I was told I would receive a seventy dollar refund for being overcharged for parts and labor. I accepted the offer and was told I would be sent a check when my check cleared. I called them two weeks later and told them I was upset about my check still not getting to my bank. I was told that I would be sent a check right away. That was two weeks ago. My check cleared two days after I talked to them. I called again today (2-10-2010) I talked to a secretary and was told this wasn't her department, I asked if the secretary who said she would handle my problem was there, but she won't be back until Monday,I asked if the guy who told me he would handle my problem and sluffed it off on the secretary that was there, turns out he is from Jacksonville,I asked if the boss (who promised the refund in the first place) was there,he wasn't. She told me she would tell them that I called in the morning. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for a reply. I have worked concrete for thirty two years from laborer to finisher to lead man and boss and have dealt with practically every trade there is. I have never know a professional tradesman to treat a paying customer in this manner. I have maintained my composure when dealing with these people and will continue to do so. I'm on a fixed income and any surprise costs hurt especially when I get done over. Who knows may be their check will show up tomorrow. But like i said-I'm not holding my breath.

I hired this company to install a fixture. Plumber came out to inspect the request and told me I needed an addtional part. I bought the part and arranged the job. I was not present when work was done. When I arrived home I discovered that the plumber did not protect my tub and cause damage to the surface with chips and stratches, he also left dirt, flux, and caulk on my fixtures. The bill was also higher that quoted with the addition of parts, but no parts where listed. I contacted the company with my problems. After playing phone tag with the manager, he left a message stating that he would refund $50 for the damage. I called back, talk to the dispatcher, and accepted the refund but once again asked for a list of parts used. I received no return phone call and spent 2 months trying to get someone to call me back. Finally I talked to other person who would talk to the owner and would get me an answer to be concern. He contacted me back and refunded the charge for parts. On the same day the manager called and informed me what parts were used. I received the check and deposited both refunds into the bank. The first check came back as a stop payment. When I contacted the company about this, the dispatcher stated that the second check replaced the first. At the time I was not told that this was the case, and why would I contact them numerous times to accept a check for a lower amount. When I talked to another manage, he told me as far as the owner was concerned this matter was done, with no further explaination.

Plumber did two things wrong: (1) He placed the filter *after* the pressure tank and water softener, meaning sediment could build up in those. (2) He failed to provide a shutoff valve after the filter; because the filter was low, when I tried to change the filter the water in pressure tank would flood out. Plumber later ignored my calls to fix it; handled by a different company when I had to replace the pressure tank.