Response from Paul Noll & Son inc
We were called out to check on a leaking water heater. I was out to look at water heater within an hour of call as customer stated it was an emergency. I looked at job and told customer that they needed to replace the water heater. I explained to the customer that this was not a standard replacement, as there were a few items that needed to be addressed as required by njsp code. The smoke pipe had to be upgraded to a larger size and re-installed into chimney and a shut off valve needed to be installed because there was no existing valve. I explained this to customer before work was done and she agreed to proceed with work. I then cancelled jobs already scheduled for that day so i could install water heater so they wouldn't be with out hot water and there would not be any damage done to basement from leaking water heater. After job was complete the customer seemed satisfied and happy with my work. I explained that we would file the permit that day and once the permit was ready we would pick up permit and mail it to them so they could schedule inspection with township. Once permit was ready we picked up and paid for it and we mailed permit card to homeowner and called and spoke with owners husband stating that they needed to schedule inspection. I did not receive any phone calls or emails from customer about inspection. I only recently received a call about a leak near water heater in which homeowner thought the new water heater was leaking. I responded promptly and examined leak, i found that the leak was not the water heater but was coming from the furnace. I asked the husband if he would like me to repair that and he said he would take care of it. I did not charge a service call for diagnosing leak. While I was there i asked if water heater was inspected and he said he never received anything and thought the town would call him. I explained to him that they needed to call town to schedule inspection. Today, October 7 2014 the owner of our company hand delivered a copy of the permit and scheduled inspection for water heater. When I arrived at job the first time I explained everything to the homeowner from the pricing to the permit process. If i was unclear about either I apologize for the miscommunication, my main concern at the time was the plumbing emergency that needed to be addressed promptly. As for the cost of the job we charge the same price for all standard water heater replacement plus any additional costs. Our standard installation includes new water heater, permit filing fee, removal, and chimney certifcation. As stated above there were additional items that needed to be addressed which made the cost higher. When talking to "other local plumbers" i wouldn't be sure they were aware of extra work involved, the work on these jobs vary from job to job depending on the different variables. I take pride in my work and in my business, in no way do we take advantage of our customers weather they are a senior or not. I am always available to answer any questions or issues. If there was anything that was unclear or if you have any additional questions I would be more than happy to go over it with you.