WISSCO IRRIGATION

There has never been a service call when service was completed correctly or completely. It seems that the techs are incompetent. Each start-up or shut-down visit required a second service call to correct or complete what should have been done on the first. On one visit the tech left a valve open and the next day we had water spouting out of the side of the house like a fountain. On the most recent visit, a tech came to re-attach micro drippers. The tech said he would test the system before he left. The drippers did not work--and we got a bill for over $300. As usual, I called the manager, and as usual, he came out the next day to fix the incomplete work done by the crew, which also happened last year. They also adjusted the invoice to $131. In addition, the manager revealed that his staff should have 1.) put a battery in the control box, 2.) kept the control box plugged in, and 3.) turned the rain sensor on instead of having it on "bypass." These are all basic components that were to be included with seasonal start/Gold Club package up but were not done. The manager has been apologetic and offers lots of reasons why the errors occur, but I'm tired of having 2 service calls for what should be routine maintenance and am taking our business elsewhere.

They are good. We don't have a problem with them. We have a plan that we purchased of $250 that includes the start up, fixing any heads that are broken, the shut down, and then one mid term thing that they come out to check out. I have their gold service, and I like it because if I call them they come out the same day. I would tell people to get the gold service. I have no problem with them. I have to walk around and make sure that I supervise. When I supervise, the quality is great. They are very good about punctuality.

This is a difficult review to write under the circumstances. With the vast amount of repair/replacement work that needed to be done, it is difficult to say exactly which parts were replaced. With that in mind, I can some things went smoothly, and others didn't. We had an appointment set up for the crew to begin working on May 14th. Due to a fire at Chicago's O'Hare Airports control tower, our family was stuck overnight at the airport and had to cancel the work date. Getting another date set took almost 3 months.I made 4-5 phone calls to the company which were not returned. When the crew finally was able to come out in August, they did a large amount of the work necessary. However, one zone still was not working. It took 3 additional trips to get all areas working correctly. Each time they returned, they repaired/replaced a part and said it worked fine. After the 3rd trip, it worked correctly. The repair bill was sent to the construction company for payment. The crew members were very polite and professional. The clean up was average. We had to hose down and sweep the new sidewalks due to lots of mud and debris left behind. Because of the size of the construction project that was done, there were many other sprinkler systems in the neighborhood that also had to be repaired. I know that Wissco was extremely busy during this spring/summer season.

...This new service found many evidences of poor and hasty workmanship on our system....as well as areas on our property that were not attended with well-functioning sprinkler heads, etc. At the area of the pump, discarded pop cans were found as well. Wissco did not contact us for another service call for the continued maintenance...nor did we call them. We were only embarrassed to admit that we didn't follow up more carefully ourselves before this time, trusting that the company (with its long history in the area) was sending professional and conscientious technicians. Overall, we were more than dissatisfied--and were it not for their and quot;newand quot; technician addressing a problem he did not feel confident was properly addressed, we would not have found the evidence of several areas poorly maintained for quite a long time.

We paid Wissco $321 for parts and labor to repair a sprinkler system. Wissco then gave an estimate to repair a second system and promised to bring the sprinkler heads for system one at the time work started on the other. Wissco gave us an estimate and we paid half ($1750). Wissco then determined it could not get the system up and running, so we asked not to have a "fishing expedition." Wissco demanded the rest of the estimate anyway, then never provided the parts or labor for the $321 repair. Since then, they have been bullying us and demanding interest. At the same time, Wissco is offering to continue looking for another $250. We just want them to go away. The system has not been working since. Wissco is adamant that the work was done, but too arrogant to confirm in person. The firm was disorganized and apparently was more interested in increasing the number of clients. An indication of Wissco's problems are documented by it's hiring of a firm called HindSite to overhaul company procedure. HindSite writes on it's website, "After inefficiently driving all day, techs would deliver their handwritten work orders to the office. The office was faced with crabby technicians who were upset with their inefficient routes. ?The worst thing was when techs would call in and say ??I can?t believe you are sending me from point A to point B and back again!?? And we didn?t know! We just knew the properties were in the same zip codes, not if techs were driving all over the place and back again.? Double data entry was also a problem. After the office dealt with the technicians, they needed to enter the work orders into their computers. Many times the paperwork was illegible or, given the environment the techs were in ? soaking wet. Extended drive times mixed with double entry meant both the field and office had to put in overtime just to complete a typical work day. When it was time to send invoices, the office often lost a whole day. WISSCO was using a custom made software program, but it only managed scheduling and didn?t pan out for the company. They needed a new solution." HindSite quotes Wissco's own Controller, Barb Strauss in an endorsement saying, ?HindSite made it easier to move on to other things that needed to be done around here. It has grown so fast and so big that we have had to work on other challenges within our company." Barb Strauss, Controller, WISSCO Irrigation, Inc. WISSCO?s salesman was actually the one to find HindSite, after searching around to replace their inefficient custom made software. The irrigation company did have some concerns considering their first software solution didn?t work out as planned. That coupled with the uncertainty of how HindSite would be able to handle over 7,000 customer records and service histories, made WISSCO a little nervous to try HindSite. But with the advantages explained, they decided to take the plunge. WISSCO vastly improved mileage, routing, and customer service. WISSCO?s techs had a set route every day, which they loved. No more back and forth driving and no more calling in to yell at the office staff for the inefficiencies. Before HindSite, customers would call in asking where the techs were and the office staff had no idea. They would have to hang up, call the tech, and then call the customer. HindSite delivered a concrete, efficient map of the techs day so with the click of a mouse, the office could locate the tech. HindSite connects everyone from the field tech to the office staff and the customers so they are all in sync. WISSCO is no longer faced with the unknown of routes, information on customers, or employees wasting productive time through ineffective routing. http://www.hindsitesoftware.com/wissco-case-study.cfm

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Having been unsatisfied with repairs by others, I sought out Wissco based on their Angie's List profile. A manager took the time to talk with me prior to my authorizing service. They came out and did good work for an OK price. The next spring there was an issue, which they came out and resolved. The tech was great, but I got billed for work that eventually was recognized as not being my responsibility - so great recovery. I was a bit taken back by a comment that they don't check the system before shutting it down for winter, meaning the spring turn-on issue was to be expected. That info was conveyed when I called the office, so it could have been an uninformed opinion vs. policy. Overall, I hope I don't need more work on my underground sprinkler system, but at least I know they will do good work and be flexible when issues arise.

They're prompt. Their service is excellent. They solved some problems. They're not the cheapest but definitely worth the extra money.

Service man was knowledgable and professional. He took the time to explain the type of sprinkler heads I had and recommended changing to something better in the future. He was not pushy - simply sharing his knowledge.

no problem . answered all questions. professional workmanship. good price.

We are new to the area so this procedure is new to us, so it would be difficult for me to compare. The price was slightly higher than what my friends said it would be, but they seemed to do a good job. The most important thing was that their technician, Matt, was a really great representative of the company. Very easy to talk to, appeared to know well what he was doing, and we were comfortable with him. We would appreciate having him here in the spring to activate things for us. We will have to follow up on how things went. I wish Angie's list had a way to add to the reviews like you can on Amazon.

They are prompt and efficient. They are here when they say the are gong to be here. I have no complaints. When they have to replace parts there is an addition fee for that but the service and any labor is included. Overall I have been happy with them and will continue to use them in the future.

Wissco Irrigation are not the cheapest in town. They use quality equipment. The technicians are very knowledgeable. Very pleasant and efficient to work with. They were on time. I will continue to use them in the future.

Wissco Irrigation were very friendly. They were fast and efficient. They had it done in one day. Their price was good. I will continue to use them in the future.

We purchased the Gold membership for this year, 2011, which includes start-up, mid season check, and winterization. We are extremely satisfied, so far, with the start-up and mid season check. The only complaint I have is the gentleman that came out for the start-up took it upon himself to smoke in front of us on our property. I just thought that was very unprofessional. Otherwise, the employees are very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions

Overall the installation went well. I have one follow up detail I'm looking into and will report back.

Over the past 7 years, Wissco has performed each service professionally and punctually. We have never had a complaint. Only once, we somehow forgot to set up an appointment for winterization and had an issue with freezing pipes, which Wissco promptly repaired in the spring. Since that incident, they are more careful to send out reminders for our service appointments.

I spent $2500-$3000 to install the system. They always did good job. When they initially put in the system, they cleaned everything up so well. They did a great job. I've saw couple of others; they've done in the neighborhood. There were great big trenchers so they've got in to the yards. These guys really put the whole yard back in nicely and it's been working like a charm. I had couple of issues and I called them. They were out here the next day. I paid them for the services; they came out and turn it off and turn it on back. When they came out they blow it out in the winter. When they tried back on, they got to check each one up on and re-adjust. They had to make sure every things okay and it took little time.

The sales service representative, John Mack, arrived on time and was very courteous, professional, thorough. He gave me good advice and plotted out everything. He called the next day to set up an appointment to go over the estimate and the drawing plan. He thoroughly explained everything,gave me a fair estimate and then left it up to me to decide. There was no need for a deposit. We scheduled for about two weeks later. They were prompt. The crew took two days to do the work and with the lawn interruption satisfactorily repaired. The review was thorough with a scheduled follow up within a week. The job was completed satisfactorily from every aspect.

The person I like there is John. He came out and located the problem promptly and fixed it.